Part 10 (1/2)
”Hah!” Then the Indian said sloith an assumed indifference, ”She will be his squaw This white brave”
”That is how they say” It ht have puzzled Nevil to apply nareat brave, truly He fought for her He killed your father That is how these things go She is for hi chief's face
”My father was old,” he said
Nevil glanced at the speaker out of the corner of his eyes, and then continued his watch on the flareen wood He knehen to hold his tongue
”Yes,” the young man went on ”My father was a wise chief, but he was old--too old Why did he keep the white girl alive?”
”He took her for you You only had fifteen suirl had eleven or thereabouts He ise It was good med'cine”
Then the chief stirred himself And Nevil, who lost no movement on the other's part, detected the restless action of one who chafes under his thought Little Black Fox prefixed his next reh
”My people love peace now It is good So good that your people cos like the white squaws ue, and they s which the white et our fathers We feed when your people give us food, and our young h We only hunt e are told to hunt Our life is easy, but it is not a brave's life”
Nevil nodded, and chose his reply carefully
”So,” he said, ”it is a life of ease You choose your life And naturally you choose a life where you have all you want, and do not have to trouble
After all, what is the old life? A life of ht, you kill, or you are killed You risk reat warriors, I grant you And the squaws like brave h not brave, to live in the tepee It is so easy Your braves have their squaith theer care to hunt Why should they? Many papooses corow up like their fathers There are no Sun-Dances to make braves, because none want to be braves There are no Ghost-Dances, because the white men keep the Evil Spirits away, and there is no need So The Indian lies upon his blankets, and he lives with the squaays They all become squaw-men Never was there such peace for the Indian”
Nevil had drawn his peaceful picture with care; also the tail of his eye told hi And hisof the spasmodic movements of a chained wild beast This lithe youth had certain rese spirit The puma never ceases to seek his prey This in
”Yes You say well,” he observed moodily, ”we are all squaw-men The white squaws love braves, you say I know all squaws love braves The squaws of our people will soon spit in our faces”
”You have no squaw to do that,” observed Nevil, bending over and pushi+ng the fire together
”No”
”You are chief You should have ive the word to your people and you can have them”
”I do not want them--yet”
Nevil looked round The chief turned to the fire uncertainly His fierce eyes were half veiled
”This Rosebud, she was for me,” he went on ”She is fair as the suh is like the ripple of the waters when the sun and the wind make play with them She is so fair that no squaw can coht to day”
”You cannot have her She is for thechief leapt to his feet with a cry that told of a spirit which could no longer be restrained And he towered threateningly over the undisturbed wood-cutter