But the incident she intended to relate was never told, for just then a cascade of earth shot by the group on the beach like an express train, carrying with it something that looked like a pinwheel of waving hands and feet, all of which grew out of the head of a donkey. The cascade landed in the water with a mighty splash and from it emerged the forms of Slim, Katherine and Sandhelo, all looking decidedly astonished and not quite sure yet what had happened. A fresh hollow at the top of the hill and a ploughed-up trail of sand all the way down told the story. The earth had given way up there just as it had with the moose in the woods, and the three had tobogganed down the steep hillside into the lake.
“I was sitting up there under that tree, just as politely,” explained Katherine, her cracked voice shattered utterly by the tumble, “feeding Sandhelo long blades of grass, when Slim came up the path, puffing the way he always does when he climbs the hill, 67 and sat down beside me to get his breath before going on to his tent. Pretty soon a spider ran across his neck and he jumped up and sat down again hard and that time when he sat down he broke through to China and we all went with him.”
“And down there came rockabye baby and all,” sang Migwan, amid the general laughter.
“Such a peaceful day,” said Hinpoha.
Nobody was hurt by the fall, as the sand was soft and the last landing had been in the water, and, as they had all been so frightened at the Captain’s adventure a moment before, they became hysterical in their laughter over this last ridiculous accident.
“That soft sand track down the hillside looks as if it would make a fine toboggan,” remarked the Captain. “Believe I’ll try coasting down into the lake.”
And, suiting the action to the word, he climbed the hill and slid down the sandy cut, landing with a fine splash. The others immediately swarmed up the hill to try the new sport, which was as good as the chute-the-chutes at the big amusement park at home.
That was the sight which greeted Sahwah when she came back with Mr. Evans from St. Pierre, bringing the mail. She was sitting out on the very peak of the launch’s bow, her feet almost dragging the water, waving the packet of home letters over 68 her head. At the sight of her there was a general scattering in the direction of the tents, for the sliders suddenly remembered that it was dinner time and the mail would be distributed at the table.
That night was Council Meeting on the big rock on the bluff. It was the end of Uncle Teddy’s and Aunt Clara’s Chiefhood, and the reins of government were to fall into the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Evans. After much beating of the tom-tom, Uncle Teddy presented Mr. Evans with a pine branch and Aunt Clara gave Mrs. Evans one, to hang over the door of their tents as a symbol of Chiefhood, “because pine was the chief thing to be found on Ellen’s Isle.” Mr. and Mrs. Evans accepted the branches gravely, and took their places at the end of the rock reserved for the Chiefs.
Then Mr. Evans announced that there was something special to be brought before the Council. He held a letter in his hand and the giggles and whispers came to an abrupt end, and all eyes were turned inquiringly toward him.