ding comment:

"I'm glad you slept most of the night."

The two looked at him in astonishment.

"If the Sioux meant you harm, you gave him the best chance in the world.
He carries as good a repeating Winchester as yours, and there was
nothing to keep him from stealing up in the night and shooting you both;
or, if he liked the knife better, it would have been the easiest thing
in the world for him to wipe you out when your eyes was closed."

This was a view of the matter that had not presented itself to the
youths, for the reason, as will be remembered, that they had accepted
the friendship of Motoza as a fact.

"But he could have followed and picked us off when we were on our way
here," suggested Jack.

"Yes, he's had all the chances he wanted."

"Then it's safe to set Motoza down as a friend?"

But Hank shook his head.

"The safest thing to do when an Indian is afore the house is to set him
down as an enemy waiting for a chance to lift your scalp. That
confounded Sioux is one of the cunningest imps that ever stole a white
man's pony or helped to stampede a drove of cattle. Everything that he's
done since we come into the mountains looks as if he was a friend to us
all. I can't help saying that, but it mustn't be furgot that the whole
bus'ness may be meant to close our eyes, and that he's got some deviltry
in mind back of it all, that neither of you younkers has thought about."

"Have _you_ thought of it?"

The hunter would not reply to this direct question except to say:

"We'll have to wait and see."

And so Jack and Fred were left as much in doubt as before; but, it may
be added, with their belief in the friendship of the Sioux unshaken.
They reasoned that their guide was so accustomed to seeing the worst
side of the red men that he found it hard to believe any good of them.
As for themselves, they would feel no further anxiety over the enmity of
Motoza, for had he not shown the best possible proof that could be asked
of his good-will?

Inasmuch as Hank had given them a series of surprises by his questions
and remarks, Jack Dudley now turned the tables on him by saying:

"Yesterday afternoon, when we looked down into that deep canyon over
yonder, we shouted to you at the bottom, but suppose the noise of the
water prevented your hearing us. At any rate, you gave us no attention."

The hunter was astonished, as he showed by his start and inquiring look.

"So you seen me, did you?"

"We did, and wo