The one she opened first was not one which contained the pictures of the cavalry; but Rita's face instantly brightened, and she handed it to her father. There were five or six pages, one after the other, each of which contained a picture, large or small, of men engaged in mining for gold among the Western sierras.
The chief gravely turned the leaves till he came to a sketch that drew from him a sharp and sullen "Ugh!"
He had hit it, and there could be no mistake.
There were the sturdy miners, with rifles instead of picks, making a gallant charge upon an attacking party of Indians.
"No need to talk. Great chief see for himself. No lie. I remember. Kill some of them. Rest got away. Now they come to strike the Apaches. Ugh!"
That was a "fancy sketch" by some Eastern artist; but it must have been nearly true to life when an Apache chief could say he had been one of the very crowd of Indians who were being shot at in the picture.
"That do now. Talk more by-and-by. Big fight come."
The part of that band which could not fight was hurried forward at the best speed that could be made, while Many Bears rapidly transformed his buffalo-hunters into "warriors." All that was needed was to give them a chance to paint themselves in sufficiently hideous manner for the "war-path," and deal out to them a double allowance of cartridges for their rifles.
When that was done they made a formidable-looking array, and the last chance of the Lipans or any other enemies for "surprising" them was gone.
Then they rode slowly on after their women and children, and the braves came back from the pass to report to Many Bears that Send Warning, Knotted Cord, and their three prisoners had gone no one could guess whither.