ter than they
had been the day before.

"Got plenty to eat now," she said. "Not starve to death any more."

"Eat all up," replied he. "Fool! Starve again, pretty soon."

"No, Long Bear and old men say, keep all there is left. Work to-day. Dry
meat. Go hunting somewhere else. Not stay here."

There was a little more talk that indicated a very fair degree of
affection between the brother and sister, and then Two Arrows said to
her,

"Keep tongue very still. Come."

She followed him to the lower edge of the camp, and he silently pointed
her to the place where the old buffalo trail came in.

"Great many make that. Long time. All know why."

"The cow came in there."

"Ugh! now come."

She followed him now to the upper end of the camp, and he pointed again
to the trail, deeply and plainly made, going on into the gorges of the
mountains.

"Buffalo go that way; Two Arrows follow. Say no word. Not find him
pretty soon."

That was the meaning of all his thoughtfulness. He meant to set off on a
hunt of his own planning, without asking permission of anybody. Two days
earlier he would not have dreamed of such a piece of insubordination.
Now he had won his right to do that very thing, and he meant to take
advantage of it instantly. All the young ambition in him had been
stirred to the boiling point, and his only remaining anxiety was to get
a good supply of provisions and get out of the camp without being seen
by anybody. He could look out for his weapons, including several of his
father's best arrows, and Na-tee-kah at once promised to steal for him
all the meat he wanted. She went right into his plan with the most
sisterly devotion, and her eyes looked more and more like his when she
next joined her mother and the other squaws at their camp-fire. There
was no doubt but what her brother would have his marching rations
supplied well, and of the best that was to be had.

There was no need for Two Arrows to steal from Long Bear. What between
pride and buffalo meat the old chief was ready to give or rather lend
him anything, and he deemed it his heroic son's day to parade and show
off. He was entitled to do so with the best weapons in his father's
collection. The day would surely come when he would be allowed to paint
himself and do a great many other things belonging to full-grown braves
and warriors. It was even lawful for him to wear a patch or two of paint
now, and Na-tee-kah helped him to put it on. If he had been