ting to the silver
rifle, "Mahtawa wishes to have the two-shotted medicine gun. He will
give his best horse in exchange."

"Mahtawa is liberal," answered Joe; "but the pale-faced youth cannot
part with it. He has far to travel, and must shoot buffaloes by the
way."

"The pale-faced youth shall have a bow and arrows to shoot the
buffalo," rejoined the Indian.

"He cannot use the bow and arrow," answered Joe. "He has not been
trained like the Red-man."

Mahtawa was silent for a few seconds, and his dark brows frowned more
heavily than ever over his eyes.

"The Pale-faces are too bold," he exclaimed, working himself into a
passion. "They are in the power of Mahtawa. If they will not give the
gun he will take it."

He sprang suddenly to his feet as he spoke, and snatched the rifle
from Henri's hand.

Henri being ignorant of the language had not been able to understand
the foregoing conversation, although he saw well enough that it was
not an agreeable one; but no sooner did he find himself thus rudely
and unexpectedly deprived of the rifle than he jumped up, wrenched it
in a twinkling from the Indian's grasp, and hurled him violently out
of the tent.

In a moment Mahtawa drew his knife, uttered a savage yell, and sprang
on the reckless hunter, who, however, caught his wrist, and held it as
if in a vice. The yell brought a dozen warriors instantly to the spot,
and before Dick had time to recover from his astonishment, Henri was
surrounded and pinioned despite his herculean struggles.

Before Dick could move, Joe Blunt grasped his arm, and whispered
quickly, "Don't rise. You can't help him. They daren't kill him till
San-it-sa-rish agrees."

Though much surprised, Dick obeyed, but it required all his efforts,
both of voice and hand, to control Crusoe, whose mind was much too
honest and straightforward to understand such subtle pieces of
diplomacy, and who strove to rush to the rescue of his ill-used
friend.

When the tumult had partly subsided, Joe Blunt rose and said,--"Have
the Pawnee braves turned traitors that they draw the knife against
those who have smoked with them the pipe of peace and eaten their
maize? The Pale-faces are three; the Pawnees are thousands. If evil
has been done, let it be laid before the chief. Mahtawa wishes to have
the medicine gun. Although we said, No, we could not part with it, he
tried to take it by force. Are we to go back to the great chief of the
Pale-faces and say that the