Part 47 (2/2)

”And whither would they go, this white brother and his squaw?” There was a slight irony in the Indian's voice

Again the squaered

”We go where white men and Indians live in peace”

”No white oes”

Little Black Fox pointed scornfully at the cowering white ade hio until the white reat chief's ca chieftain's eyes seemed to burn into those of the aze

”You go,” he said at last, ”because you fear to stay It is not the white ue lies, your heart lies You are neither brave nor squaw-man Your heart is the heart of a snake that is filled with veno which sucks, sucks its victims down to destruction Your blood is like the water of a mosquito swamp, poisonous even to the air I have eyes; I have ears I learn all these things, and I say nothing The hunter uses a poisoned weapon It s down his quarry

But his weapon is for his quarry, and not for hiet hurt by it You are a poisoned weapon, and you have sought to hurt reat eyes blazed up into her brother's

”The great chief wrongs my man All he has done he was forced to do His has been the heart to help you His has been the hand to help you His has been the brain to plan for you So The others coht for thehts he is traitor So he must die”

Nevil had no word for himself He was beyond words Even in his extremity he remembered what Seth had said to hireater, far deeper, than his This was his ”dog's chance,” but he had not even the privilege of a run

The irony of his lot did not strike hi to do with his present position Instead, he stood arraigned for a treachery which had not been his, toward the one man to whom he had ever been faithful

But while his craven heart wilted before his savage judge; while hisbrain had lost its power of concentration; while his limbs shook at the presentiment of his doom, his woman stood fearless at his side, ready to serve him to the bitter end, ready to sacrifice herself if need be that his wretched life e, with her beautiful head erect and her boso

”No man is coho serves you as he has served you,” she cried, her eyes confronting her brother's with all the fearless pride of her race

”The coward is the other The one who turns upon his friend and helper whenas they werepassion leapt into the young chief's heart He pointed at his sister

”Enough!” he cried; and a movement of the head conveyed a command to his attendants They stepped forward But Wanaha was quicker She met them, and, with upraised hand, waved them back in a manner so iets!” she cried, addressing herself to her brother, and ignoring the war-councilors ”No brave hter of my father Little Black Fox is chief My blood is his blood By the laws of our race his is the hand thatWolf awaits LetWanaha bowed her head in token of sube the chief was no slayer of his womenfolk The ready-witted woman understood the lofty Indian spirit of her brother She saw her advantage and meant to hold it She did not knohat she hoped

She did not pause to think She had a woain time only

And as she saw her brother draw back she felt that, for the moment at least, she washer head again and proudly confronting the angry-eyed youth, ”my brother, even in his wrath, remembers the law of our race Let his Let him say to himself, 'I may not slay this man while my sister, Wanaha, lives She alone has power to strike The council of chiefs may condemn, but she must be the executioner' So! And ht, for Wanaha is the blood of Big Wolf, and the whitechief was baffled He knew that the woht The laws of the Sioux race were as she had said And they were so stringent that it would be dangerous to set theh this man's death had been decided upon by the unanimous vote of the council He stood irresolute, and Wanaha added triureat chief, this man's life is mine And I, Wanaha, your sister, refuse to take it For me he is free”

But Wanaha in her wo, but this wild savage's nature was as untamed and fearless as any beast of the field It was her tone of triumph that undid her

Little Black Fox suddenly whipped out a long hunting-knife froreat clatter It lay there, its vicious, gleaht