“Why! don’t you own most of the stock at the ranch, and all the horses and cattle of the roundup, and those sold? Were they not yours? Are not the boys working for you?”
“Those hoofs all mine—boys working for me? Who has been stuffing you! man?”
“Celluloid Bill and Rodeo Jack told me that you were a rich woman; that you owned practically all the stock on the range and had vast tracts of land.”
“Bill and Rodeo? It was some of their wild pranks! They have lied to you! I am far from being a rich woman. All the stock you saw at the ranch, belongs to my brother-in-law, John Carter. The H-B brand is also his property. The three thousand dollars I recently came in possession of, was inherited. Aside from my eighty acre allotment, which hardly counts for much, this three thousand is all that I have.”
For several moments the Easterner remained speechless, scarce able to realize the full force of this astounding revelation. After all, was his dream of golden wealth to be disenchanted as a mere halo of the rainbow of myth? Surely! the Indian girl was joking, merely testing his fidelity of purpose. His voice was husky when he again spoke:
“Cogewea, you can not mean that I believe all this, can you? This is hardly a time for jesting.”
It was Cogewea’s turn to be puzzled. What was the riddle? Was this polite and polished Shoyapee, after all, a mere adventurer, a gross money hunter? This passed through her mind before she answered rather tersely:
“I am not jesting! You would not want me to deceive you, would you? I do not understand!”
“Then, if you are telling the truth, I have already been woefully deceived and that through you,” was the savage retort. “Those boys never hatched such fabrications of themselves. They were made at your instance and the only puzzle is just why you are now blocking your own game by thus prematurely disclosing facts. Your obtuse intellect, being able to contain but the one idea, has been your undoing. But what else could be expected from a nest of coppery vipers? Brazen blackmail, and I am tempted to turn you over to the proper authorities to be dealt with according to the just laws of our land! You may be thankful that I am letting you off so easy.”
He had risen to his feet and before the astounded girl could divine his action, he had seized her saddle blanket and ripping out the folded bank bills, pocketed them. With stunning effect the truth dawned upon her that she had not only been betrayed, but was also being openly robbed by her professed lover and supposed protector. Enraged and smarting with humiliation at such duplicity, she sprang up, laying a detaining hand on his arm. With an oath he freed himself, dealing her a blinding blow in the face. Grasping her by the shoulders, he shook her viciously as he warned in a low, menacing tone:
“You had as well understand at once that I am standing no foolishness from you! The more quiet you are the better it is going to be for you. I am giving you unwarranted consideration. Many a man would deal with you differently and my ultimate actions are going to be governed by your own. You can always depend on a desperate man doing desperate things and perhaps if the truth was known you would find that I have not been too squeamish on other occasions.”
“But you do not dare take my money like this! liar! thief! robber! blackguard that you are! The law—”
“Is absolutely helpless to help you!” he scoffed. “The law is of the white man’s make, interpreted by the white man, made to talk by the white man’s money. With a comparatively small amount of this which you have so generously bestowed upon me, I can make the law talk! You have no witnesses! It would be my word against yours; a white gentleman’s against an Injun squaw’s. What would you do? Don’t think that I am not going to take advantage of the situation.”
“I will have you arrested at Ravalli!”
“No, I hardly think so! If your horse should happen to have his leg broke—”
“Oh! please Alfred! Take the money and go but do not hurt my Wanawish! I will promise not to attempt following you. I will be only too glad to see you go! Oh! the ways of the Shoyahpee!”
“Your word would be great guarantee!” he snarled mockingly. “I am taking no chance nor am I going to waste further time in any palaver with you. Come on! and see how cleverly I can disable that fine steed of yours.”
With this, he jerked her rudely about and started towards the two horses, still grazing. Cogewea apparently resigned, moved unresistingly. Unaccustomed to the approach of man, Wanawish lifted his head in air, and with forward-pricked ears, emitted a shrill snort of alarm. Cogewea, alert, snatched Densmore’s hat with her one free hand and hurled it at the animal, emitting at the same time a shrill scream. The startled horse whirled and darted into a nearby thicket where he was lost to view. Cogewea laughed aloud.
“You damned ed—!”
Choking with rage, Densmore supplemented the vile epithet with another brutal blow in the face. Dragging the now dazed girl, he secured his own horse, returning with it and his captive to where the saddles were lying. His eyes were those of the murderer, as he again addressed her:
“Now, my fine lady! another screech out of you and I do not promise what might not happen.
