The girl turned about, suspicion burning in her black eyes. “_You?_” Rapidly anguish filled her whole expression, then anger. “You made him run away!” she accused. “You made him break his honor--you, white man with a serpent’s tongue!” With a swift movement she withdrew the prayer stick and flung wide the door. Unmindful of Sid’s expostulations she stood for a moment looking inside. Then she turned and ran shrieking toward the huts. “Hano! My Hano! He is gone! He has broken his honor! The white man freed him!--Honanta! Honanta!” she cried, running along the path. Sid looked after her helplessly. Honanta was stalking toward her as fast as his dignity would permit. They stopped and exchanged a few words. Sid braced himself for what was coming, hoping that his wits would save him this time. Honanta came up to him, his face a dark thundercloud, angry lines seaming it. “What is this, white boy?” he demanded. “I freed Hano, chief. I had a good reason for it. You must trust me,” replied Sid, as stoutly as he could in the face of that towering passion. “Yes?” said Honanta, craftily, controlling himself. “Why?” He was speaking in Apache now, and so was Sid, the subterfuge that he did not understand it being abandoned by both. “You shall learn, soon, chief. I am acting for the good of us all,” said Sid earnestly. Honanta studied him awhile in silence. “My son, because your name is Col-vin I have persuaded my old men to spare your life. My heart tells me that you may be the son of that officer who spared my mother and me--whose name also was Colvin. In freeing Hano I believe that you meant well. But it is dark to me why _my_ son, Hano, consented to run away! His honor required him to await the judgment of my old men, even if not a thong bound him.” “He, too, did it for the sake of the tribe, Honanta,” declared Sid with profound conviction. Honanta knitted his brows, puzzled. “My son,” said he gently, “is not the truth best? No--you do not lie!” he added hastily as a frown gathered in Sid’s face, “but you know more than we do. I must tell what you _do_ know to my old men, for they are very wise and their decision is final. You have told me nothing that gray hairs can listen to, so far,” he concluded persuasively. Sid reflected. Would it not be better to tell the whole truth _now_ and trust in Honanta’s judgment? He decided to tell part of it anyhow, for Big John and Scotty might be led here by Ruler to-morrow, he felt, and he might as well explain them now. “I sent Hano to bring my friends here,” he replied. “They have a tracking dog--a hound--and could trace me here in any event, so I wanted to avoid a fight. The dog would lead them to Red Mesa, chief.” “And so you sent Hano!” laughed Honanta. “My son Hano would kill that dog, kill those friends of yours, too, sooner than permit them to reach our home! Did you not think of that?”