Not till a week later did Elliot return up the river. He was asleep at
the time the Sarah passed the big bend, but next morning he discovered
that Selfridge and Dustin had come aboard during the night. In the
afternoon he came upon a real surprise when he found Meteetse and her
little boy Colmac seated upon a box on the lower deck where freight for
local points was stored.
His guess was that they were local passengers, but wharf after wharf
slipped behind them and the two still remained on board. They appeared
to know nobody else on the Sarah, though once Gordon met Dustin just as
he was hurrying away from the Indian woman. The little remittance man
took the pains to explain to Elliot later that he was trying to find out
whether the Indians knew any English.
Meteetse transferred with the other Kusiak passengers at the river
junction. The field agent was not the only one on board who wondered
where she was going. Selfridge was consumed with curiosity, and when
she and the boy got off at Kusiak, he could restrain himself no longer.
Gordon saw Wally talking with her. Meteetse showed him an envelope which
evidently had an address written upon it, for the little man pointed out
to her the direction in which she must go.
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