"Him people make 'm die," he said.
And Smoke, following the count, knew that seventy-five of the tribe had starved to death.
"Me buy 'm grub," Carluk said, as he got the pouch open and drew out a large chunk of heavy metal. Others were following his example, and on every side appeared similar chunks. Shorty stared.
"Great Jeminey!" he cried. "Copper! Raw, red copper! An' they think it's gold!"
"Him gold," Carluk assured them confidently, his quick comprehension having caught the gist of Shorty's exclamation.
"And the poor devils banked everything on it," Smoke muttered. "Look at it. That chunk there weighs forty pounds. They've got hundreds of pounds of it, and they've carried it when they didn't have strength enough to drag themselves. Look here, Shorty. We've got to feed them."
"Hu
