“You mean that you killed him by sheer terror, Silver Fox,” said Buffalo Bill.
He bade good night to his red friends and went back, with Wild Bill and Nick Wharton, to their own tepee.
They discussed the strange death of Leaping Dog, but could come to no satisfactory conclusion about it.
“It must have been done in some way by means of hypnotism,” said Buffalo Bill. “Silver Fox must, in one momentary glance, have made the man think he saw something terrible enough to frighten him to death. And that Indian had pretty good nerves, too, I should say. Yet I never saw such a crazy look of fear and horror in any man’s eyes—not even in the eyes of men who have died under the tortures of the redskins—and you know what they look like. I tell you I’m afraid to go to sleep to-night, for I know I shall dream of that look in the eyes of Leaping Dog.”
However, in a few minutes, the border king was fast asleep. His nerves were much stronger than he had represented them to be.
CHAPTER XIV.
IN COUNCIL.
The three scouts only stayed for a day or two with the Navahos after the rescue of Red Cloud. They were anxious to hurry back to Kansas and find out how the campaign against the three rebel tribes was proceeding.
A toilsome but unadventurous journey brought them back at last to Fort Larned, where they were warmly welcomed by the commandant. He heard with great pleasure the results of Cody’s mission—that there was no danger of the Navahos giving trouble, but that, on the contrary, they would do all in their power to restrain the other tribes in the Southwest from digging up the hatchet.