“I should say not,” replied the boy who held the belt. “While we were away some sneak crept into our tent here, and hid this under our traps. You can see what the game is; later on the medicine man will learn of his loss, and set up the biggest howl ever. Then somebody’ll kind of give him a sly hint that perhaps the paleface boys may know something about that same belt; for one of them was seen hanging around the rock lodge of the Witch Doctor—which was you, Billie, while trying to get a picture of the medicine man just coming out of his place, which the Indians believe is bewitched, so that nothing could hire one of them to even peep inside.” “That’s about the way they mean to work it, as sure as you’re born,” agreed Adrian, nodding his head in confirmation. “When d’ye reckon they’d get here, to look for the lost belt?” asked Billie, eying the dinner that was by now cooking merrily; and his plaintive manner declared even more than his words expressed; for Billie was worrying as to whether or not they would be allowed to enjoy their meal in peace. “I was just thinking that it might be a dangerous thing for us to keep that belt here any longer than we can help,” remarked Adrian, thoughtfully. “Yes,” added Donald, “because we don’t know the minute the medicine man will discover his loss; and then things will get pretty hot around the old town, as sure as you live. Perhaps I’d better hide it under my coat, and hunt up the old chief right away. I’ll tell him how it is, and that some enemy has done this just to make him drive us out of the village, so we can’t influence him any more against accepting the offer of this pretended showman.” “Do it while you may, then, Donald; we’ll keep some dinner piping hot for you, make sure of that!” declared Billie, in a great perspiration lest he turn and see a crowd of the Zuni braves on the run toward the spot where they had located their tent, and headed by that terrible figure of the aroused medicine man. Donald immediately crushed the glittering belt into an inside pocket of his hunting coat. He next stooped down and took hold of his rifle; for things were getting a bit too exciting around that Zuni village to allow of his going without some means for self-defense. “Watch out for signs of trouble, boys!” were his last words, as he started to walk hastily away, heading for the rock settlement. The pair thus left in the camp proceeded to continue cooking their dinner as though they had nothing to worry about. All the same, Billie was forever casting suspicious glances all around, as though he expected at any moment to discover a band of excited braves coming on the full run for their camp, and with the wizard of the tribe leading the march, bent on conducting a search, and with a hope of finding the lost sacred article.