Chapter Twenty.
Still Another Sorrow.
Disappointed and chafed, the two chiefs returned in all haste to the Indian encampment.
But few words had been spoken between them on their way from the hill. A firm pressure of his uncle’s hand was proof that Wacora, once embarked in the impending contest, would remain faithful to its end.
It needs no speech among true men to establish confidence. Between the two chiefs it was mutual.
As they neared the spot where the tribe had pitched their tents, an unusual excitement was observable. Men and women were conversing in little groups, animated apparently by the receipt of some startling news.
The two chiefs at first imagined that the result of their interview was already known; but on reflection, the impossibility of the thing became apparent to them, and their surprise was extreme.
All at once they saw Nelatu hastening towards them.
The young man seemed ready to drop as if from fatigue. His looks told that he was a prey to the keenest anxiety.