Dan could not resist saying cuttingly: “It probably looks like it too! We aim to take our time and do a good job.”
Ignoring the jibe, Ross glowingly described the accomplishments of the Den 1 Cubs. Not only had they completed a Navajo hogan, but they likewise had started to build a trading post and a Wells Fargo station, he informed his listeners.
“We’re building a loom too, for blanket weaving,” he went on grandly. “And we’ve already gathered six boxes of clothing to send out West to the Navajo reservation.”
“You’re ahead of us all right,” Dan conceded. “But we’ve only started on the program. You’ll see us put on steam.”
“I hope so. Otherwise, Den 1 will have absolutely no competition at the pow-wow.” Affecting a bored air, Ross sauntered away.
“That snoop!” Red snorted. “He came here to spy and for no other reason. I don’t believe half what he said.”
“It’s probably true Den 1 is ahead of us, but that doesn’t mean it will be that way in another week,” Dan declared. “They started in before we did, so naturally we’re behind.”
Red, who a few minutes before, had been very proud of the Indian design he had painted on the paddle, gazed at it with distaste.
“I guess it isn’t much of a job,” he admitted.
“It’s a swell design!” Brad reassured him. “Not that you won’t be able to do even better with a little more practice.”