he American Indians ever allow
themselves to show, and Lone Bear, now and then, turned and addressed
them in their own tongue. When he did so, he spoke to the whole group
and every word was strange to Deerfoot. While the latter could
understand a number of dialects used by the tribes west as well as east
of the Mississippi, he knew nothing of that of the Pawnees.

"Why does Deerfoot wander so far from his hunting grounds?" asked Lone
Bear.

"Deerfoot has not wandered as far as the Pawnees," was the truthful
reply of the Shawanoe. "He once lived beyond the great river, but he
lives not there now."

The Pawnee looked as though he suspected Deerfoot was telling him
fiction, but he was too shrewd to express any such thought.

"Where are the companions of my brother?" was the pointed question of
Lone Bear.

"Deerfoot is alone and his companion is the Great Spirit."

The reader will observe that the reply of the Shawanoe partook of the
nature of a falsehood, inasmuch as it was accepted by Lone Bear (and
such was Deerfoot's purpose), as a declaration that he had traveled the
whole distance alone. Enough has been told to show the extreme
conscientiousness of the young Shawanoe, and no danger could lead him to
recoil from duty. He had imperiled himself many a time from that very
motive, but he believed it right to do his best to deceive Lone Bear. In
fact, his visit was of itself a piece of deception.

"Why does Deerfoot come to the camp of the Pawnees?" continued Lone
Bear, as though his guest was on the witness stand.

"Not many suns ago the Sauk warriors made captives of two pale-faced
youths; one of them has come back to his people, but the other has not.
He was a friend of Deerfoot; he went among the Sauks, but his friend was
not there; he was told that he had been bartered for wampum and blankets
and beads to the Pawnees. Can Lone Bear tell Deerfoot of his friend?"

This was coming to the point at once, but it was the wiser course.
Deerfoot saw that any other statement he might make would be doubted, as
most probably was the explanation itself. He looked into the face of
Lone Bear, so as to study his expression, while answering the question.

"The words of my brother sound strange to the ears of Lone Bear; he has
not seen his pale-faced friend."

"Has not _he_ seen him?" immediately asked Deerfoot, pointing to the
Pawnee on the other side.

Lone Bear exchanged words for two or three minutes with the latter, a