"No, no, sir; the Red Hatchet was not there, and I beg you will allow him to go," quickly said Jennie Bernard. "May I ask, miss, how you heard down here of the death of Sitting Bull, so soon after its happening," and the eyes of the officer were fixed searchingly upon the face of the maiden. Her face flushed, yet she answered in a quiet way: "The news was brought by a Sioux Indian, sir." "Ah!" and with this exclamation various thoughts flashed like lightning through the mind of the officer. Vouched for by a white maiden, lovely in face and form, and declared not to have been at the attempt at rescue of Sitting Bull, in contradiction to his own eye-sight, even, Kit Carey felt compelled to yield. Yet the sad thought came upon him that this lovely young pale face girl loved the Indian chief. What could he believe otherwise, for now the belief at first that she was a captive, had changed to the almost certain knowledge that he had come upon a lover's tryst, if one was white, the other red. Pocahontas had saved the life of Captain Smith, and then married a white man, and a number of such marriages had occurred away back in the earlier history of our country. Here was as handsome an Indian as he had ever seen, one who spoke like an orator, and seemed born to command, and the romantic girl had fallen in love with him, Kit Carey decided. It was a bad thing for the girl, but good for her people, for such a chief must have power over his braves, and would hold them in check. So, turning to the maiden, Kit Carey said: "I am glad, miss, if it is as you say, and I accept your pledge for the Sioux chief, while, to him I would say, to go among his people, and tell them how utterly useless will it be for them to fight the whites, and the sooner he acts the better will it be for all." "The Red Hatchet has heard, and will do as the White War Eagle says, for he knows him." "Ah! I thought that we had met before," quickly said the officer. "The White War Eagle has been the bitter foe of the Sioux, when on the war-path; but the Red Hatchet is his friend now." The chief extended his hand, and Kit Carey grasped it, and then said: "There is the pony of the chief. Let him lose no time in going to his braves and urging them against war." Thus dismissed, the chief stalked silently to his pony, mounted, and rode away, while Kit Carey turned to Jennie Bernard, who now seemed confused at the position in which she found herself, for she spoke not a word. "May I introduce myself as Lieutenant Carey, miss, and offer to be your escort to your home, for I know of no settlers' dwelling within miles of here?" "My father's is the nearest, sir. I am Miss Bernard," was the response, and the manner and tone seemed more embarrassed than before. "And Miss Bernard will accept me as her escort, for she is in danger of her life here?" "I will, sir, and thank you," was the earnest reply.