"Let my brother open his heart to me, I know that he is one of the most celebrated chiefs of his nation. Black Cat no longer counts the scalps he has taken from his enemies—what is the reason that renders him sad?"
The Apache chief smiled proudly at Unicorn's remarks.
"The friend of my brother, the great pale hunter, adopted by his tribe," he said sharply, "is running a terrible danger at this moment."
"Wah!" the chief said; "Can that be true? Koutonepi is the flesh of my bones; who touches him wounds me. My brother will explain."
Black Cat then narrated to Unicorn the way in which Valentine had saved his life, the leagues formed by the Apaches and other nations of the Far West against him, and the critical position in which the hunter now was, owing to the influence of Red Cedar with the Indians, and the forces he had at his command at this moment. Unicorn shook his head over the story.
"Koutonepi is wise and intrepid," he said; "loyalty dwells in his heart, but he cannot resist—how to help him? A man, however brave he may be, is not equal to one hundred."
"Valentine is my brother," the Apache answered; "I have sworn to save him. But what can I do alone?"
Suddenly a woman rushed between, the two chiefs: it was Sunbeam.
"If my master permits," she said with a suppliant look at Unicorn, "I will help you: a woman can do many things."
There was a silence, during which the chief regarded the squaw, who stood modest and motionless before them.