"Tell me why you brought me here! Was it at Great Bear's order? Tell the truth, as you hope to carry your scalp to the Happy Hunting Ground!"
Startled by the suddenness of the move and frightened by the stern face peering into hers, her eyes rivetted on the keen edged blade, Dew Drop blinked.
But a rough shake recalled her to the necessity of replying.
"No, no!" she gasped. "Great Bear no know Dew Drop left tepee. He kill um if knew."
"_I_ save _you_?" repeated the bandit-chieftain, surprised in his turn. "When? What do you mean?"
"Kaw-Kaw say Great Spirit want Dew Drop be squaw um son Dog Face. Dew Drop no want. No like Dog Face. Dog Face bad Injun. Kaw-Kaw say must. Have heap pow-wow.
"Little Wolf come tepee say um hunting um see paleface burned Silverstock cabin, Jess Jame.
"Dog Face say get um Jess Jame scalp give squaw.
"Great Bear take Dog Face, Little Wolf twenty Injun leave um pow-wow go git Jess Jame.
"Great Bear five Injun come run tepee say Jess Jame on cliff, kill um Injun, kill um Dog Face.
"Kaw-Kaw say must scalp um Jess Jame or cuss um Great Bear.
"Great Bear make heap talk. Call um brave go back get Jess Jame.
"Jess Jame save Dew Drop from Dog Face. Dew Drop save Jess Jame from Great Bear.
"Dew Drop git cliff see um paleface come down. Dew Drop call. Sojer shoot.
"Dew Drop 'fraid Jess Jame get um lead. When see no dead, hear um Great Bear.
Like a torrent the Indian maiden poured forth her story and as the world-famous desperado learned the strange reason for her friendship, he exclaimed:
"Well, I'll be jiggered! So my men killed Dog Face, eh? I guess we can trust you, if that's the way things are.
"I'm sure mighty glad we put an end to your prospective husband."
"But she said Kaw-Kaw was in the cave when we got here, and just now she tells us she's at the pow-wow," breathed Comanche Tony, who had heard the remarkable tale.
"How about that?" demanded Jess sharply, his suspicions rekindled by the seeming discrepancy in Dew Drop's statement.
"Kaw-Kaw in um cave," returned the maiden with positiveness. "When um hear Great Bear say go back git um Jess Jame, Kaw-Kaw say go um cave get um cuss ready case Great Bear no get um Jess Jame."
"So that smell's the old hag's curses, a brewin', eh?" chuckled Tony. "I'm glad they're for Great Bear and his bucks and not me, if they're that strong."