She shrugged her shoulders.
"Why should I be?" she returned. "There's no danger. What could happen?"
"You might lose your pony, for one thing," he smiled. "For another thing, there are Indians knocking about—hostile Indians, who have broken bounds. That is why we are here." He nodded in the direction of his companions of the Mounted Police. "We are out on their trail, to drive them back into their Reservation. There might be danger from them, even for you, who are yourself an Indian; though there's not much to be afraid of while our fellows are at hand to look after you."
"I shall be all right," she assured him.
"Have you everything you want?" he inquired. "I'll bring you some cooked meat presently, and an extra blanket. It'll be cold after sundown. And in the morning you may as well fall in with our outfit, see? We shall be going along the Rattlesnake trail, after we've rounded up the Indians."
"I should only hinder you," she replied. "I'm not needing any sort of help. I shall not take any. I am going to quit."
Sergeant Silk had already moved to go away, and amid the roar of the neighbouring waterfall he did not hear her last words.