The meeting with the two Indians had excited all the Cubs and as they hiked back to the day camp, they could discuss no other subject.
“Did you notice Eagle Feather’s belt?” Dan asked the others. “It had big discs of silver strung together on leather.”
“Seeing it gave me an idea,” declared Brad enthusiastically. “We’ll want to make some fancy Indian costumes for our pow-wow. We can rig up calico shirts and slit denim trousers up the side. But we’ll need belts to set off the outfits.”
“Maybe you can wheedle one from the Indians,” Red twitted.
“Know anyone that owns a silver mine?” Midge scoffed.
“No, but the tops of peanut butter cans will do just as well. We can use the metal discs, punch them with holes and string them on leather straps.”
“Say, that’s a good idea!” Dan approved instantly. “Wouldn’t cost us a cent either.”
“I know what would snap up our pow-wow more than anything else,” declared Fred. “A couple of real Indians!”
“White Nose and Eagle Feather, for instance?” chuckled Chips, stepping over a fallen tree on the trail.
“We’ll appoint you a committee of one to arrange it.”
“Mr. Hatfield might do it,” interposed Brad, taking Chips’ suggestion half seriously. “Those Indians are well educated and they might be willing to cooperate with the Cub organization. The only trouble is, we don’t know where they’re staying in Webster City.”
“Or what brought them here,” added Dan soberly. “I didn’t like all that talk about searching for one of their brothers. They were too grim. To me, it had an ugly sound.”
“They seemed to think that the person they’re after carved the face on the cliff,” remarked Mack. “That deepens the mystery.”
“I wish Professor Sarazen of the Webster City College art staff could see that carving,” Brad said thoughtfully. “If I get a chance, I think I’ll drop around at his place and tell him about it.”
The Den Chief had been swinging along through the forest at a smooth but fast pace. Now, coming to a little brook, he paused abruptly.
“Whad’you see?” demanded Dan, who was directly behind.
Without answering immediately, the older boy bent down to examine a crude snare which had been built across a game run near the stream bank. “Someone’s been hunting for rabbits here!” he exclaimed.