"Your father and mother?"
"Don't, Murray. I'd rather talk about Rita and our plans here."
Ni-ha-be was indignant at the proposed change. Rita had never imagined until that moment how much she was beloved by the earnest-hearted Apache girl. Ni-ha-be's arms were twining around her neck, and she was weeping fiercely as she exclaimed:
"He shall not take you away from me. You are not a pale-face any more. You are Apache."
Rita could not help crying, and the two friends were glad to go into the lodge, as they were told, and mingle their tears together.
The nearest United States post at which there were likely to be any traders was still a "two days' journey" to the northward, but Many Bears had actually now received a message from his tribe that there would be "heap presents" for those who should come in time to get them, and he was more than ever anxious to discover if Send Warning had been telling him the truth. His first proposition had been, as before, that Murray should send for what he wanted, and have it brought to the Apache camp, but that had been declared out of the question.
"Ugh! Good. Then Send Warning go with chief. Buy pony. Buy heap other things. Come back and take young squaw to lodge."
"No. The great chief can bring young squaw with him. Send Warning take then what he pay for. Give pony, take young squaw."
After some little argument, this was agreed to, but there were almost as serious objections made to Steve Harrison's joining the party who were to visit the post.
"Tell them I'm going anyhow," said Steve to Red Wolf, "whether they like it or not. You come too. I'll buy you a new rifle. Best there is at the fort." That settled the matter.