“Who went into the village with you?”
“Nobody—I was all alone. Price an’ Hunter, there”—indicating two other scouts—“started out with me, but we got separated somehow.”
“Did the Indians avoid you as you approached their town?”
“No, they was sociable. I talked with quite a number, an’ they said the’r chiefs wanted peace an’ was ready to hold a council with you.”
There was the faintest hint of suspicion in Harrison’s tone, as he said quickly:
“But other scouts bring me different reports, Bradford.”
“I can’t help that,” the man replied doggedly. “I can only report what I’ve seen an’ heard. Anyhow, none o’ the others had the grit to go into the town.”
This last he said with a toss of his head and a defiant look at the other scouts.
“I don’t think your comrades lack courage,” the governor replied coolly. “Their reception was different from yours. On the march to-day I want you to remain within call. As you speak several of the Indian tongues, I may want to use you as an interpreter. Your comrades have already received their orders. You may go.”
Was Ross mistaken, or was there a look of malignant triumph on Bradford’s scarred face, as with the others he left the tent?