"Is that your way of thinking?" said he. "You fancy you can get on better without Lafitte? I've no objection. If I had known it sooner, I would have spared myself the trouble of listening to your insolence, and you that of uttering it. Adieu! Monsieur Miko."
"My brother is hungry," said the Indian, starting up, and greatly shocked. "He must eat. Canondah has prepared his favourite repast."
"And after he has eaten, he may make himself scarce?" said the pirate, surlily.
"My brother is welcome in the wigwam of the Miko. His hand never closes when it has once been opened," said the old nan, soothingly.
"Come, that sounds like reason. I thought my old friend had only caught a fit of spleen from the Englishman. I trust it will soon be over. Meanwhile, we'll see what the ladies are doing."
He stepped up to the curtain, and tried to open it, but in vain.
"Is it not allowed?" said he to the old man.
"My brother must seek another squaw. Rosa shall not enter his wigwam."
In the adjoining chamber a sound was heard. It resembled a cry of joy, but presently subsided into a gentle murmur, of one in prayer.
The pirate stood stupefied opposite to the curtain. "Our alliance broken off, the door shut in my face!" muttered he. "_Eh bien! nous verrons._" And so saying, he left the hut. The next minute he again put his head in at the door.
"I suppose I may make use of my own boat?" said he. "It is likely that I may have unwelcome visitors during my absence."
"When the chief of the Salt Lake is on the war-path, he knows how to meet his foes."
"Sensibly spoken for once," said the pirate.
"My brother is hungry," said the Miko, pointing to his daughter, who now entered the room with several dishes.
"We'll come directly. Duty before pleasure."
And so saying, the bucanier hurried down to the shore, and approached his companion, a short square-built man, who was walking up and down with folded arms, and whose dark olive countenance was so buried in an enormous beard, that scarcely any part of it, except a long fiery Bardolphian nose was visible. This man, so soon as he saw the pirate, assumed a less _nonchalant_ attitude, and his hands fell by his side into the position proper to a subordinate.
"Nothing happened, lieutenant?" said Lafitte.