re can never be much in the way of
friendship between us and these people."

"How could we have spent the winter, which will be cold and severe?"
asked his brother.

"Deerfoot would have had no trouble in finding some cave in the rocks
which we could have fitted up into as good a house as this. There are
places, too, where the horses would have been sheltered from the
storms, and we could gather plenty of cottonwood bark when grass was
beyond reach, and thus kept the animals alive."

"Perhaps that might have been done, but I don't believe it is as easy
as you think. It seems to me our hope is in Deerfoot's tact. He will
not listen in silence to any attack upon his faith, and when the
heathen inquire of him he will answer them truly, but he has enough
respect for the rank of Taggarak not to offend him when there is no
need of doing so."

"You see he has already sown seed, and there will be inquiries by
others from him. Spink and Jiggers have been thoughtful a long time.
They have spoken to others. Mul-tal-la must have done the same, though
he is cautious and fears to offend the chief. All these and many others
will question Deerfoot, who will answer them without thought or care,
even though a hundred Taggaraks stood in his way."

"Tact is a good thing, but all that I can see it is likely to do in
this case is to postpone the trouble."

In the midst of their gloomy talk, and with the snow still rattling
against the dry bison robes of their tepee, the flap was suddenly
lifted and Deerfoot the Shawanoe entered and caught the hand of each
delighted boy. His face was aglow with health and pleasure, for they
were no happier than he over the reunion.

They slapped him on the shoulder, shook his hand again and again, and
plied him with so many questions that minutes passed before there was
anything like coherence in their boisterous chatter.

"Where did you leave Whirlwind?" asked George, thereby implying that he
had not a shadow of doubt of the success of the venture of the young
Shawanoe.

"This afternoon, when coming from the east to this settlement," replied
their friend, "Deerfoot came in sight of Mul-tal-la, who was hunting
alone. He had just shot an antelope, and we sat down and ate it
together. Then we came to the village as it was growing dark.
Mul-tal-la showed Deerfoot where the horses are free. There is snow on
the ground, but not enough to hide all the grass, and Deerfoot was told
of a place to the west,