ht in
it, and, bounding towards her, sprang into her arms.

Regarding this open display of affection with some surprise, and rightly
ascribing it to the influence of white blood in Bounding Bull's camp,
Umqua asked Eaglenose's mother if the men were getting ready to go on
the war-path.

"I know not. Perhaps my son knows."

Thus directly referred to, Eaglenose, who was but a young warrior just
emancipated from boyhood, and who had yet to win his spurs, rose, and,
becoming so grave and owlish that his naturally prominent feature seemed
to increase in size, said sententiously--

"It is not for squaws to inquire into the plans of _men_, but as there
is no secret in what we are going to do, I may tell you, mother, that
women and children have not yet learned to live on grass or air. We go
just now to procure fresh meat."

So saying, the stripling pitched the jumping-jack into the lap of
Skipping Rabbit, and strode out of the lodge with the pomposity of seven
chiefs!

That night, when the captives were lying side by side in Umqua's wigwam,
gazing at the stars through the hole which was left in the top for the
egress of the smoke, Moonlight said to her little friend--

"Does the skipping one know that it is Rushing River who has caught us
and carried us away?"

The skipping one said that she had not known, but, now that she did
know, she hated him with all her heart.

"So do I," said Moonlight firmly. But Moonlight was wrong, for she
hated the man with only a very small portion of her heart, and loved him
with all the rest. It was probably some faint recognition of this fact
that induced her to add with the intense energy of one who is resolved
to walk in the path of duty--"I hate _all_ the Blackfeet!"

"So do I," returned the child, and then pausing, slowly added,
"except"--and paused again.

"Well, who does the skipping one except?"

"Eaglenose," replied the skipper promptly. "I can't hate _him_, he is
such a very funny brave."

After a prolonged silence Moonlight whispered--

"Does Skipping Rabbit sleep?"

"No."

"Is there not something in the great medicine-book that father speaks so
much about which teaches that we should love our enemies?"

"I don't know," replied the little one. "Bounding Bull never taught
that to _me_."

Again there was silence, during which Moonlight hoped in a confused sort
of way that the teaching might be true. Before she could come to a
conclusion on the perplexing