Long
Bear's face put on an expression of stern displeasure.

"Boy too big," he said; "grow too fast. Brave too soon. Young chief,
though. Great warrior by-and-by, like father. Come back. Talk hard to
him."

Na-tee-kah's thoughts followed her hero brother so long as her eyes were
open. She had no doubt whatever that he would quickly turn up again with
a great heap of new glory. She dreamed of his performing all sorts of
marvellous things. All the other boys in camp were planning to catch up
and get ahead of him, she knew, for she had heard some of them say so.
The Big Tongue had told her of a large number of bears belonging to his
record, and he was going on to tell of more when Ha-ha-pah-no overheard
and asked him,

"Kill bear all with tongue? Shoot big lie right through? Catch old bear
and talk to him; bear die!"

Her tongue was sharp enough, and she strongly sympathized with
Na-tee-kah's enthusiasm for Two Arrows. The Big Tongue got away from her
and the camp grew more and more quiet.

The spot chosen for it, in a curve of the stream, was one of rare
beauty, and the loop formed by the long sweep of the rippling water
would have been just the place for a secure corral, if that band of Nez
Perces had had any four-footed property to be anxious about. It was not
needful to keep a guard over their hope of stealing some thereafter.

CHAPTER XV

A GREAT CAPTAIN

The band of Nez Perces had done very well thus far, and so had the band
of white miners, but there had been one other band of travellers which
had accomplished a good deal by reason of having an uncommonly good
commander.

The wicked old mule that had engineered the stampede of the Nez Perce
ponies had continued to hold his position as captain. He could out-kick
and out-bray any other mule there, and no mere pony would have dreamed
of disputing him. There was some grass to be had, next day after the
escape, and there was yet a little water in the pools rapidly drying
away, but there was nothing anywhere to tempt to a stoppage. On he went,
and on went the rest after him, and the reason why the warriors could
not find his trail was because he did not leave any. He obeyed the
strong instinct of all large animals, and some smaller ones, to "follow
a beaten path and keep in a travelled road." He struck the well-made
buffalo trail and did not find any reason for wandering from it.
Multitudes of men have a precisely similar instinct, and keep in any
par