I was taught for eight years to do these things at HolyCross Mission. I can read and write English， and I knowhow to play the organ. Also I can do arithmetic and somealgebra—a little. I shall be sold to the highest bidder， andto him I will make out a bill of sale of myself. I forgot to saythat I can sing very well， and that I have never been sickin my life. I weigh one hundred and thirty-two pounds； myfather is dead and I have no relatives. Who wants me？”
She looked over the crowd with flaming audacity andstepped down. At Tommy’s request she stood upon thechair again， while he mounted the second chair andstarted the bidding.
Surrounding El-Soo stood the four old slaves of herfather. They were age-twisted and palsied， faithful totheir meat， a generation out of the past that watchedunmoved the antics of younger life. In the front of thecrowd were several Eldorado and Bonanza kings fromthe Upper Yukon， and beside them， on crutches， swollenwith scurvy， were two broken prospectors. From the midstof the crowd， thrust out by its own vividness， appearedthe face of a wild-eyed squaw from the remote regionsof the Upper Tana-naw； a strayed Sitkan from the coaststood side by side with a Stick from Lake Le Barge，and， beyond， a half-dozen French-Canadian voyageurs，grouped by themselves. From afar came the faint cries ofmyriads of wild-fowl on the nesting-grounds. Swallowswere skimming up overhead from the placid surface of theYukon， and robins were singing. The oblique rays of thehidden sun shot through the smoke， high-dissipated fromforest fires a thousand miles away， and turned the heavensto sombre red， while the earth shone red in the reflectedglow. This red glow shone in the faces of all， and madeeverything seem unearthly and unreal.
The bidding began slowly. The Sitkan， who was astranger in the land and who had arrived only half an hourbefore， offered one hundred dollars in a confident voice，and was surprised when Akoon turned threateningly uponhim with the rifle. The bidding dragged. An Indian fromthe Tozikakat， a pilot， bid one hundred and fifty， and aftersome time a gambler， who had been ordered out of theUpper Country， raised the bid to two hundred. El-Soo wassaddened； her pride was hurt； but the only effect was thatshe flamed more audaciously upon the crowd.
There was a disturbance among the onlookers as Porportukforced his way to the front. “Five hundred dollars！” he bidin a loud voice， then looked about him proudly to note theeffect.
He was minded to use his great wealth as a bludgeonwith which to stun all competition at the start. But oneof the voyageurs， looking on El-Soo with sparkling eyes，raised the bid a hundred.
“Seven hundred！” Porportuk returned promptly.
And with equal promptness came the “Eight hundred”
of the voyageur.
Then Porportuk swung his club again.
“Twelve hundred！” he shouted.
With a look of poignant disappointment， the voyageursuccumbed. There was no further bidding. Tommy workedhard， but could not elicit a bid.
El-Soo spoke to Porportuk. “It were good， Porportuk，for you to weigh well your bid. Have you forgotten thething I told you—that I would never marry you！”
“It is a public auction，” he retorted. “I shall buy you witha bill of sale. I have offered twelve hundred dollars. Youcome cheap.”
“Too damned cheap！” Tommy cried. “What if I amauctioneer？ That does not prevent me from bidding. I’llmake it thirteen hundred.”
“Fourteen hundred，” from Porportuk.
“I’ll buy you in to be my—my sister，” Tommy whisperedto El-Soo， then called aloud， “Fifteen hundred！”
At two thousand one of the Eldorado kings took a hand，and Tommy dropped out.
A third time Porportuk swung the club of his wealth，making a clean raise of five hundred dollars. But theEldorado king’s pride was touched. No man could clubhim. And he swung back another five hundred.
El-Soo stood at three thousand. Porportuk made itthirty-five hundred， and gasped when the Eldorado kingraised it a thousand dollars. Porportuk again raised itfive hundred， and again gasped when the king raised athousand more.
Porportuk became angry. His pride was touched； hisstrength was challenged， and with him strength took theform of wealth. He would not be ashamed for weaknessbefore the world. El-Soo became incidental. The savingsand scrimpings from the cold nights of all his years wereripe to be squandered. El-Soo stood at six thousand. Hemade it seven thousand. And then， in thousand-dollarbids， as fast as they could be uttered， her price went up. Atfourteen thousand the two men stopped for breath.
Then the unexpected happened. A still heavier club wasswung. In the pause that ensued， the gambler， who hadscented a speculation and formed a syndicate with severalof his fellows， bid sixteen thousand dollars.
“Seventeen thousand，” Porportuk said weakly.
“Eighteen thousand，” said the king.
Porportuk gathered his strength. “Twenty thousand.”
The syndicate dropped out. The Eldorado king raiseda thousand， and Porportuk raised back； and as they bid，Akoon turned from one to the other， half menacingly， halfcuriously， as though to see what manner of man it was thathe would have to kill. When the king prepared to makehis next bid， Akoon having pressed closer， the king firstloosed the revolver at his hip， then said：
“Twenty-three thousand.”
“Twenty-four thousand，” said Porportuk. He grinnedviciously， for the certitude of his bidding had at lastshaken the king. The latter moved over close to El-Soo.
He studied her carefully for a long while.
“And five hundred，” he said at last.
“Twenty-five thousand，” came Porportuk’s raise.
The king looked for a long space， and shook his head.
He looked again， and said reluctantly， “And five hundred.”
“Twenty-six thousand，” Porportuk snapped.