ks" that made him think scornful of
Sioux; of his encounter with Eagle Wing, his rescue by Field and a girl
who spoke Sioux like a native. He thought it was little Fawn Eyes when
he heard her speak, and until he heard this lady; then he understood. He
had been pledged to secrecy by the lieutenant, and never meant to tell a
soul, but when he heard the lie the lady told about the lieutenant, it
ended any promise.

Then Pete, an abject, whining wretch, was ushered in, and his story,
when dragged out by the roots, was worst of all. Poor Mrs. Hay! She had
to hear it, for they sent for her; somebody had to restrain Nanette.
Pete said he had known Nanette long time, ever since baby. So had
Crapaud. Yes, and they had known Eagle Wing, Moreau, always--knew his
father and mother. Knew Nanette's father and mother. But Black Bill
interposed. No need to go into these particulars, as substantiating Mrs.
Hay and himself, said he. "The lady knows perfectly well that I know all
about her girlhood," so Pete returned to modern history. Eagle Wing, it
seems, came riding often in from Stabber's camp to see Nanette by night,
and "he was in heap trouble, always heap trouble, always want money,"
and one night she told Pete he must come with her, must never tell of
it. She had money, she said, her own, in the trader's safe, but the door
was too heavy, she couldn't open it, even though she had the key. She
had opened the store by the back door, then came to him to help her with
the rest. He pulled the safe door open, he said, and then she hunted and
found two big letters, and took them to the house, and next night she
opened the store again, and he pulled open the safe, and she put back
the letters and sent him to Mr. Field's back door with note, and then
over to saddle Harney and Dan, and "bring 'em out back way from stable."
Then later she told him Captain Blake had Eagle Wing's buckskin pouch
and letters, and they must get them or somebody would hang Eagle Wing,
and she kept them going, "all time going," meeting messengers from the
Sioux camps, or carrying letters. She fixed everything for the Sioux to
come and capture Hay and the wagon;--fixed everything, even to nearly
murdering the sentry on Number Six. Pete and Spotted Horse, a young
brave of Stabber's band, had compassed that attempted rescue. She would
have had them kill the sentry, if need be, and the reason they didn't
get Wing away was that she couldn't wait until the sentries had cal