nd
sudden light.

For a moment he was silent, and then he said, in a deep, husky voice,

"Don't say any more about it to me, Steve. Not till I speak to you
again. I'm in an awful state of mind to-night."

Steve had somehow made up his mind to that already, but he was saved
the necessity of saying anything in reply. Red Wolf rode closer to him
at the moment and said,

"Knotted Cord is young. Been on war-path before?"

"Say yes, Steve," muttered Murray.

"Yes, I'm young. Seen a good deal, though. Many war-paths."

"What tribe strike?"

"Lipans, Comanches, Mexicans. Followed some Pawnees once. They got
away."

Red Wolf's whole manner told of the respect he felt for a young brave
who had already been out against the fiercest warriors of the Indian
country. He would have given a good many ponies to have been able to
say as much for himself.

"Glad come among Apaches. Stay long time. Never go away."

That was a wonderful thing for Red Wolf to say, considering what a
bitter prejudice had been taught him against everybody with a white
skin. Ni-ha-be would not have believed it unless she had heard him say
it.

"Can't promise," replied Steve. "Go when Send Warning say."

No comment could be made by a "young brave" on an appeal to a
white-headed "chief" like Murray, and the talk slackened a little.

It would hardly have done so if they could have looked a few miles in
front of them just then. The darkness would have prevented their
seeing much, but if they had been near the old Lipan camp they would
have seen that it was empty.

A few Apaches had taken possession of it at first, but the smouldering
camp-fires and blazing wagons gave light enough to the Lipans among the
rocks to enable them to send occasional bullets at whatever might be
stirring there, and the place was given up as uselessly dangerous. The
scattered shots which now and then came from the mouth of the pass told
that the beaten warriors of To-la-go-to-de were wide-awake and ready to
defend themselves, and their position was well known to be a strong
one--not to be attacked without both orders and re-enforcements.

But for one thing that end of the pass would have been already vacant.
The pride of the Lipans forbade their running farther without at least
an effort to learn what had become of their chief. They felt that they
could never look their squaws in the face again unless they could
explain that point.

To be sure it was a