It was as if each had assumed one of the four points on a compass, and leaving a space of three feet between him and the man opposite him. Since the Red Shield leader had implied he wanted privacy, all knew they would not be disturbed, even by his wife Winona or his daughter Hanmani. Wind Dancer opened their talk by asking Chase to relate the news of his capture, life far away, and his journey back to them. More confident of his knowledge of English than of his alleged brother’s grasp of the Indian tongue, he told Cloud Chaser to use the white man’s language. Before reaching the tepee, he had whispered to his father that he and War Eagle would translate for their chief. He wanted Cloud Chaser to feel confident, comfortable. Perhaps then he might stumble more easily. Chase focused his attention on Rising Bear, whose unreadable gaze was locked on him. “I was injured and captured because I disobeyed you, Father, and the teachings of the Great Spirit. There was much conflict between me and my cousin when we were boys, and from his behavior toward me today, that has not changed.
