The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-02-10
BENNETT


a Buddha. His face was down-bent.
and so muffled in the blanket that
Hardy could not make out the fea-
lures. 1t was, however, easy to di-
vine that the man was the chief of the
band.
Hardy walked around the fire with
his most dignified bearing. sat down
beside the chief and laid his rife on
the ground between them. He then
folded his arms and waited, his eyes
fixed on the fire in q calm, unwavering
gaze. There followed a silence of q
full minutes duration. He knew that
1t might end at any moment in an at
tack His hand gripped the hilt of his
pistol on his breast under the edge of
his coat. The bucks stealthily shifted
their positions until they had COM
pletely surrounded the unwelcome Wis
itor. Hardy sat motiOnless and gave
no sign that he observed them.
At last when the suspense had be-
come almost uncomfortable, the chief
muttered word to the nearest buck.
The man glided back toward the larg-
est tepee. The chief pushed the bIan-
ket from his head. Hardy slowly
looked aside at him and perceived the
powerful profile of Ti-owa-konza, the
ThunderbOlt- He was to deal with the
head chief of the tribe.
There followed another silence. 1t
was broken by the tread of light feet,
and girl appeared beside the chief
Hardy caught glimpse of a gingham
skirt, and glanced quickly up at the
face of the girl. He was met by the
frightened gaze of Oinna Redbear.
OH" she murmured- 1T is bad
You oughtn't to've come here. sir
They don't like you. Mr. Van said he
was going to tell you"
A grunt of disapproval from Tf-owa-
konza cut short the hurried statement
After a dignified silence the chief
spoke to the girl. She clasped her
hands and interpreted in an anxious
| murmur:
He says 1 must be only the tongue
between you and him. He says, why
didyou lie? Why have you not gone
away, as you said you would?'
Hardy turned and looked direct into
the naughty face of the chief 'sTell
him I did not lie. I did not say ]
would go away. / wished to stay and
prove myself the friend of the tribe
Your brother told the lie to keep the
chiefs from destroying the tribe by
attacking me-"
Oinna'S Interpretation brought gut
tural EXPLANATIONS from the surround.
ing bucks. Hardy was equally IN.
moved by their ferocious glances and
the contemptuous rejoinder of Ti-owa-
konza:
Does the chief of the Longknives
think to destroy a tribe single-hand
ed?''
''No, nor do I wish others to destroy
the tribe" answered Hardy. 81 do not
wish the Longknives to come and make
/ war on the tribe. Yet that is what
they will do if am harmed"
Again Oinna interpreted in her flute
like tones. This time the chief consid,
cred before speaking. Oinna's gold
| tinted skin turned a sallow gray
'He-he says he will fight if you dc
not promise to go away!" she gasped
Hardy smiled. ''Have no fear, DIN
ma. He is too great a chief to kill g
| 50CoI III lis ACAi Hill CdIIS
| to the reservation to be a friend to the
tribe. Though 1 am a chief of the
Longkniyes, my heart is good toward
his people. 1t would be foolish OF
him to kill or drive away the friend
of his people,
| This time Ti-owa-konza gave the in
truder an open stare of contempt. The
surrounding bucks glared more Zero
ciously than ever.
'He says you are fork-tongued, >
Oinna translated the reply. HE says
If you are a friend, why did you say
at the council that you would punish
| all the tribe for the killing of Nogen 2
''That is mistake. 1 did not say
would punish the tribe"
Oinna interpreted the answer anC
the grim old chiefs rejoinder: "Tht
Longknife's mouth was big at thu
agency. Here he is alone In my CAM
and his mouth is SMALL
81 talk as I talked at the agency
| What Ti-oWa-konza claims I said abou
Furnishing the tribe is not the truth