to hear, and she was perfectly willing. It was
a post of honor to cook for a guest of Many Bears. The girls, too,
were ready to bring gourds of drinking water, blankets to sit down
upon, or do anything else which could properly be asked of two young
Apache ladies of their high rank.

"Rita," said Ni-ha-be, while they were dipping their water-gourds in
the river, "he is as handsome as an Apache."

"He is not nearly so good-looking as Send Warning. He is a mere boy."

"Can he see to talk with the talking leaves? His eyes are very good."

"I don't know; I will find out. Send Warning is a wise man--I am sure
he is. They will talk to him. He is old, and the snow is on his head."

"Father says the snow is bad on a head sometimes. Every thing dies
under it. Head good for nothing."

The two girls were getting up a good deal of partiality concerning
their white friends and visitors, but they both stood gravely and
silently enough before Red Wolf and the Knotted Cord when they brought
them the water.

"Young squaws thank you for help," said Red Wolf. "Both very glad.
Very young. Very foolish. Daughters of great chief himself."

Steve almost forgot Murray's caution, for he frankly held out his hand,
saying,

"I'm glad Murray and I were on hand to help them. They're too nice to
be killed. Glad to see them both well."

Mother Dolores was looking on, and was deeply scandalized by the
terrible boldness of Ni-ha-be, for that young lady actually took the
hand Steve held out and shook it, for all the world as if she had been
a brave. Such a thing was unheard of, and what made it worse was the
fact that Rita instantly followed her sister's example.

Red Wolf hardly knew what to say, but he was pretty well used to seeing
Ni-ha-be have her own way. He was pleased that they had stopped short
of so grave an offence as speaking.

"Rita will go. She will bring the talking leaves by-and-by. Red Wolf
has a question to ask of his brother. Ni-ha-be go too."

Steve would have been glad of a longer call upon the daughters of the
great chief, but they quietly walked away, as became them, not even
laughing until they were at some distance.

Then it was Ni-ha-be who laughed, for Rita was thinking about the
talking leaves, and wishing with all her heart that she could manage to
ask some questions of her own concerning them.

"If he could not answer me, I am sure Send Warning could. He is old,
and he is wise, and I k