“I certainly feel sorry for that man,” exclaimed Joseph at length.
“So do I,” agreed Mason. “He tried to do right as he saw it and now he is broken-hearted and discouraged.”
“His spirit is not broken, though,” said Robert warmly.
“I should think not,” exclaimed Joseph. “It never will be either. As he says himself, ‘he is an Indian’.”
“He doesn’t think much of the white men, does he?” said Robert.
“Not much,” agreed John Mason. “I don’t blame him, for they have given the Indians a pretty rough treatment as a rule.”
“There are bad Indians, just as there are bad white men,” said Joseph. “I guess the bad white men are more numerous, though.”
“Ugh,” grunted Deerfoot.
“Did you agree with that remark?” cried Robert, advancing toward Deerfoot with a threatening air. “You know what will happen to you if you did.”
Deerfoot smiled grimly at his young friend’s remarks. He was gradually becoming used to the teasing he was constantly subjected to and he was learning how to take it in good spirits.