She brought her little craft to a stop before him.
"Get in," she said, pointing to the bow. "Tak' care!"
It was Sam's first experience with a native craft. It looked cranky. He let himself carefully over the bank on his stomach. Finding the floor of the dugout with his feet, he gingerly stood up. It staggered alarmingly under him, and he hastily embraced the bank again, unhappily conscious of a lack of dignity.
A great piece of the sod came away in his hands. He lost his balance and was catapulted overboard. He landed in the water in a sitting position, wearing an absurd expression of surprise. Bela, seeing what was coming, saved herself from a like fate by throwing herself forward in the canoe.
Sam's streaming head emerged from the creek with the same look of surprise on his face. The water reached to his waist. Bela looked at him, and went off into a rippling peal of laughter.
Sam blinked and scowled and dashed the water out of his eyes. His face offered a study in varying expressions. At first he tried to laugh with her, but her laughter was intolerable. Suddenly he exploded:
The angrier he got the harder Bela was obliged to laugh. It had an apologetic ring, but the tears rolled down her cheeks.
Sam began to think she had done it on purpose, and said so.
"No! No!" gasped Bela. She pointed across the creek. "Shallow there. You can step in easy."
Sam, full of dignity, waded out and started home.
Bela was suddenly sobered. "Wait!" she cried. "Ain't you comin' wit' me?"
"I sorry I laugh," she said, genuinely distressed. "But--but you look so fonny!" The unruly laughter threatened to escape her again. "Please come back, Sam."
"I can't come like this, can I?" he said scornfully.
"Sure!" she said. "I mak' good fire. You soon dry off."
He gradually allowed himself to be persuaded. Finally, with dignity somewhat marred by his bedraggled appearance, he took his place very gingerly in the bow. Bela bit her lips to keep the laughter in.
"I not want to laugh," she said naively. "Somesing inside mak' me. Your face look so fonny when you sit down in the water! Laka bear when him hear a noise--oh!"
She exerted herself to charm away the black looks. "See papa mus'rat," she said, pointing. "Sit so stiff under the leaves, think we see not'ing. Sit up wit' hands on his stomach lak little ol' man and look mad. Look lak Musq'oosis."