“It was a cheap finish for a 10,000-dollar start,” remarked the Red Nosed Gentleman, sententiously. “But why should this adventurer, Ryan, as you call him, go into the business of freeing Cuba? Where would lie his profit? I don’t suppose now it was a love of liberty which put him in motion.” “The Cuban rebellionists,” said the Sour Gentleman, “were from first to last sustained by certain business firms in New York who had arranged to make money by their success. It is a kind of piracy quite common, this setting our Spanish-Americans to cutting throats that a profit may flow in Wall and Broad streets. Every revolution and almost every war in South and Central America have their inspirations in the counting-rooms of some great New York firm. I’ve known rival houses in New York to set a pair of South American republics to battling with each other like a brace of game cocks. Thousands were slain with that war. Sure, it is the merest blackest piracy; the deeds of Kidd or Morgan were milk-white by comparison.” “It shows also,” observed the Jolly Doctor, “how little the race has changed. In our hearts we are the same vikings of savage blood and pillage, and with no more of ruth, we were in the day of Harold Fairhair.” Sioux Sam, at the Old Cattleman’s suggestion, came now to relate the story of “How Moh-Kwa Saved the Strike Axe.” CHAPTER XXVI.--HOW MOH-KWA SAVED STRIKE-AXE. This shall be the story of how Moh-Kwa, the Wise Bear, saved Strike Axe from the medicine of Yellow Face, the bad medicine man, who would take his life an’ steal the Feather, his squaw. An’ it is a story good to show that you should never lose a chance to do a kind deed, since kind deeds are the steeps up which the Great Spirit makes you climb to reach the happiness at the top. When you do good, you climb up; when you do bad, you climb down; an’ at the top is happiness which is white, an’ at the bottom is pain which is black, an’ the Great Spirit says every man shall take his choice. Strike Axe is of the war-clan an’ is young. Also he is a big fighter next to Ugly Elk who is the war chief. An’ Strike Axe for all he is only a young man an’ has been but four times on the war trail, has already taken five skelps--one Crow, one Blackfoot, three Pawnees. This makes big talk among all the Sioux along the Yellowstone, an’ Strike Axe is proud an’ gay, for he is held a great warrior next to Ugly Elk; an’ it is the Pawnees an’ Crows an’ Blackfeet who say this, which makes it better than if it is only the talk of the Sioux. When Ugly Elk sets up the war-pole, an’ calls to his young men to make ready to go against the Pawnees to take skelps an’ steal ponies, Strike Axe is the first to beat the war-pole with his stone club, an’ his war pony is the first that is saddled for the start.