Porportuk waited patiently， sipping from his glass andstudying the double row of faces down the board. “It is nojoke，” he said finally. “My speech is well meant.”
Klakee-Nah sobered and looked at him， then reachedfor his glass， but could not touch it. A slave passed itto him， and glass and liquor he flung into the face ofPorportuk.
“Turn him out！” Klakee-Nah thundered to the waitingtable that strained like a pack of hounds in leash. “And rollhim in the snow！”
As the mad riot swept past him and out of doors， hesignalled to the slaves， and the four tottering old mensupported him on his feet as he met the returning revellers，upright， glass in hand， pledging them a toast to the shortnight when a man sleeps warm.
It did not take long to settle the estate of Klakee-Nah. Tommy， the little Englishman， clerk at the tradingpost， was called in by El-Soo to help. There was nothingbut debts， notes overdue， mortgaged properties， andproperties mortgaged but worthless. Notes and mortgageswere held by Porportuk. Tommy called him a robber manytimes as he pondered the compounding of the interest.
“Is it a debt， Tommy？” El-Soo asked.
“It is a robbery，” Tommy answered.
“Nevertheless， it is a debt，” she persisted.
The winter wore away， and the early spring， and stillthe claims of Porportuk remained unpaid. He saw El-Soooften and explained to her at length， as he had explainedto her father， the way the debt could be cancelled. Also，he brought with him old medicine-men， who elaboratedto her the everlasting damnation of her father if the debtwere not paid. One day， after such an elaboration， El-Soomade final announcement to Porportuk.
“I shall tell you two things，” she said. “First I shall notbe your wife. Will you remember that？ Second， you shallbe paid the last cent of the sixteen thousand dollars—”
“Fifteen thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven dollarsand seventy- five cents，” Porportuk corrected.
“My father said sixteen thousand，” was her reply. “Youshall be paid.”
“How？”
“I know not how， but I shall find out how. Now go， andbother me no more. If you do” —she hesitated to findfitting penalty— “if you do， I shall have you rolled in thesnow again as soon as the first snow flies.”
This was still in the early spring， and a little later El-Soo surprised the country. Word went up and down theYukon from Chilcoot to the Delta， and was carried fromcamp to camp to the farthermost camps， that in June，when the first salmon ran， El-Soo， daughter of Klakee-Nah， would sell herself at public auction to satisfy theclaims of Porportuk. Vain were the attempts to dissuadeher. The missionary at St. George wrestled with her， butshe replied—Only the debts to God are settled in thenext world. The debts of men are of this world， and in thisworld are they settled.”
Akoon wrestled with her， but she replied， “I do lovethee， Akoon； but honour is greater than love， and whoam I that I should blacken my father？” Sister Albertajourneyed all the way up from Holy Cross on the firststeamer， and to no better end.
“My father wanders in the thick and endless forests，”
said El-Soo. “And there will he wander， with the lost soulscrying， till the debt be paid. Then， and not until then， mayhe go on to the house of the Great Father.”
“And you believe this？” Sister Alberta asked.
“I do not know，” El-Soo made answer. “It was my father’sbelief.”
Sister Alberta shrugged her shoulders incredulously.
“Who knows but that the things we believe come true？”
El-Soo went on. “Why not？ The next world to you may beheaven and harps ... because you have believed heaven andharps； to my father the next world may be a large housewhere he will sit always at table feasting with God.”
“And you？” Sister Alberta asked. “What is your nextworld？”
El-Soo hesitated but for a moment. “I should like a littleof both，” she said. “I should like to see your face as well asthe face of my father.”
The day of the auction came. Tana-naw Station waspopulous. As was their custom， the tribes had gathered toawait the salmon-run， and in the meantime spent the timein dancing and frolicking， trading and gossiping. Thenthere was the ordinary sprinkling of white adventurers，traders， and prospectors， and， in addition， a large numberof white men who had come because of curiosity orinterest in the affair.
It had been a backward spring， and the salmon werelate in running. This delay but keyed up the interest.
Then， on the day of the auction， the situation wasmade tense by Akoon. He arose and made public andsolemn announcement that whosoever bought El-Soowould forthwith and immediately die. He flourished theWinchester in his hand to indicate the manner of thetaking-off. El-Soo was angered thereat； but he refused tospeak with her， and went to the trading post to lay in extraammunition.
The first salmon was caught at ten o’clock in theevening， and at midnight the auction began. It took placeon top of the high bank alongside the Yukon. The sunwas due north just below the horizon， and the sky waslurid red. A great crowd gathered about the table andthe two chairs that stood near the edge of the bank. Tothe fore were many white men and several chiefs. Andmost prominently to the fore， rifle in hand， stood Akoon.
Tommy， at El-Soo’s request， served as auctioneer， but shemade the opening speech and described the goods aboutto be sold. She was in native costume， in the dress of achief’s daughter， splendid and barbaric， and she stood on achair， that she might be seen to advantage.
“Who will buy a wife？” she asked. “Look at me. I amtwenty years old and a maid. I will be a good wife to theman who buys me. If he is a white man， I shall dress inthe fashion of white women； if he is an Indian， I shalldress as” —she hesitated a moment— “a squaw. I canmake my own clothes， and sew， and wash， and mend.