Good fluff. This one delves a little deeper - not a lot, but a little - into the bond between man and dog. Thorne and Silver Chief are a solid pair (this is the second book in the series), and when Thorne has to believe that the dog is stealing meat out of traps, and contemplate killing him to end the thefts, it's a real strain for him. But of course he's not actually the thief and the truth is uncovered just in time. Some racism here, but even at its worst the description is of one individual and it specifically says that "like white men, some Indians are found to be untrustworthy" and this looks like one of them. Not a blanket "Indians can't be trusted" - which puts O'Brien well into the upper reaches of comprehension, for his time. An interesting little secondary tale attached to the end, after the main arc - both Thorne's potential retirement, and the echo back to the enemy of the first book. An enjoyable story, though still not much more than fluff. ( )