re you going?" asked Wally abruptly, when Grant was looping up the
end of his latigo.

"Just scouting around a little," was the unsatisfactory reply he got,
and he scowled as Good Indian rode away.

CHAPTER XV. SQUAW-TALK-FAR-OFF HEAP SMART

Good Indian spoke briefly with the good-looking young squaw, who had a
shy glance for him when he came up; afterward he took hold of his hat
by the brim, and ducked through the low opening of a wikiup which she
smilingly pointed out to him.

"Howdy, Peppajee? How you foot?" he asked, when his unaccustomed eyes
discerned the old fellow lying back against the farther wall.

"Huh! Him heap sick all time." Having his injury thus brought afresh
to his notice, Peppajee reached down with his hands, and moved the foot
carefully to a new position.

"Last night," Good Indian began without that ceremony of long waiting
which is a part of Indian etiquette, "much men come to Hart ranch.
Eight." He held up his two outspread hands, with the thumbs tucked
inside his palms. "Come in dark, no seeum till sun come back. Makeum
camp. One man put sticks in ground, say that part belong him. Twenty
acres." He flung up his hands, lowered them, and immediately raised
them again. "Eight men do that all same. Have guns, grub, blankets--stop
there all time. Say they wash gold. Say that ranch have much gold,
stake placer claims. Baumberger"--he saw Peppajee's eyelids draw
together--"tell men to go away. Tell Peaceful he fight those men--in
court. You sabe. Ask Great Father to tell those men they go away, no
wash gold on ranch." He waited.

There is no hurrying the speech of an Indian. Peppajee smoked stolidly,
his eyes half closed and blinking sleepily. The veneer of white men's
ways dropped from him when he entered his own wikiup, and he would not
speak quickly.

"Las' night--mebbyso yo' watchum?" he asked, as one who holds his
judgment in abeyance.

"I heap fool. I no watch. I let those men come while I think of--a girl.
My eyes sleep." Good Indian was too proud to parry, too bitter with
himself to deny. He had not said the thing before, even to himself,
but it was in his heart to hate his love, because it had cost this
catastrophe to his friends.

"Kay bueno." Peppajee's voice was harsh. But after a time he spoke more
sympathetically. "Yo' no watchum. Yo' let heap trouble come. This day
yo' heart bad, mebbyso. This day yo' no thinkum squaw all time. Mebbyso
yo' thinkum fight, no sabe how yo'