“Then you have got a chance now.”
Multuomah shook his head gravely.
“I doubt if my braves will fight against the Prophet,” he said; “though I have brought them here for that very purpose.”
These words greatly excited the interest of his hearers.
“Then your men believe in the mystical power of this red Prophet?” asked Lieutenant Gardiner.
“Yes; few Indians in this country doubt the power of Smoholler,” replied Multuomah. “They dread the spirits that come at his bidding.”
“But you—what do you think?”
Multuomah shrugged his shoulders in a dubious manner.
“I do not know what to think,” he responded.
“Ah! I see; you would like to doubt him, but can not exactly divest your mind of a certain belief in his supernatural powers. That is not to be wondered at, for he has shown us some astonishing sights since we have been here. I think it’s all trickery, but I can’t tell how it is done.”