“We come from New Mexico,” Eagle Feather replied.
“We search for one of our brothers,” added the other Indian. White Nose also spoke excellent English, though with less ease.
His raven-hued hair was combed back straight and long. In the lobe of his left ear hung a single turquoise earring.
“A scurrilous prairie dog!” muttered Eagle Feather.
“You see him, perhaps?” White Nose questioned.
“No prairie dogs,” answered Brad. “In fact, this is all Greek to us. We don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Say, I bet this is all a joke!” exclaimed Mack. “Mr. Hatfield has planned this whole thing to point up our Navajo pow-wow!”
Midge gave him a quick kick in the shins. The grim expressions of the two Indians had convinced him that their appearance had not been planned by either Mr. Hatfield or Mr. Holloway.
The two Indians had turned to regard intently the weird carving on the cliff wall.
“We search,” said Eagle Feather, “for the one who made that face in the clay. I called him brother, but he no longer is of the tribe. He is an outcast.”
“He must be punished for his sin against the tribe,” went on Eagle Feather. “You have seen him here at the cliff?”
“We don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brad declared uneasily. “We came upon this carved face only a few days ago. We don’t know anything about it, and that’s the truth.”
“What’s this tribesman done that you’re so anxious to find him?” Dan asked curiously.
The two Indians, however, did not reply to the question.
Apparently satisfied that the Cubs could provide them with no information, they spoke together for a moment in their own tongue.
Then, with polite farewells, they vanished back into the trees.
For a long while after the Indians had gone, the Cubs remained speechless.
“Did it happen? Or did we dream it?” Mack muttered.
“We didn’t dream it,” replied Brad soberly. “I almost wish we had.”
“Those guys are tough,” said Dan. “Did you notice the expression of their faces? Whoever that Indian is that they’re after, I feel sorry for him.”
“He must have violated some law of the tribe,” Chips speculated. “Gosh! This is going to be exciting!”
“It may be a lot more than that,” declared Brad. The Cubs saw that he was deeply worried. “I don’t like it a bit—not a bit. Grab your clay fast, and let’s get out of here. I want to talk to Mr. Hatfield.”