"My dear mother, be of good cheer, my health is excellent, I shall see you soon: your loving son, Valentine."
It was impossible to write a more laconic letter; but on the desert, where communication is so difficult, a son may be thanked for giving news of himself, if only in a word. Madame Guillois was delighted, and when she had read the note again, she turned to the young squaw.
"Is Spider a chief?" she asked.
"Spider is one of the great warriors of the tribe," Sunbeam answered proudly; "Unicorn places great confidence in him."
"Good; I understand. He has come here on a particular mission?"
"Unicorn ordered his friend to choose twenty picked warriors from the tribe, and lead them to him."
A sudden idea crossed Madame Guillois's mind.
"Does Sunbeam love me?" she asked her.
"I love my mother," the squaw replied, feelingly; "her son saved my life."
"Does not my daughter feel grieved at being away from her husband?" the old lady continued.