"But, you have not consumed very much. I packed plenty of supplies onIpii oo,Goes Far, my Nokota pony, for I thought I might be called upon to rescue two people, not one. Also, I did not, and still do not, know how many days the storm might last. I have plenty. Eat. Drink. You need your strength."
"It is enough for now," she signed.
He frowned at her, and she smiled at him in return, though her grin was probably a little bleak. Then, deciding honesty might ease the tension between them, she said, using signs, "I fear that if I eat too much, I will have to visit the outside again, and, knowing now that you will have to accompany me, I am not longing to do it."
He chuckled, the sound gentle rather than loud. Then he signed, "Would you rather I make some place in this tiny hut for this?"
She gasped. "Oh, no! Not that. How embarrassing." She'd spoken aloud in English, but he seemed to have understood.
They fell into silence then. After a while, he signed, "The ponies have fared well in the storm. Your own horse injured her leg, but it is not broken. She will recover."
"As will I," she said aloud, "thanks to you."
He frowned at her, but she didn't translate the words. One moment of silence followed upon another until at last he asked, "Do you wish to sleep?"
She shook her head.
"Tonight I can tell you some Blackfoot stories. But, not now. My people do not relate these tales of our ancestors' adventures during the day."
She nodded, and again they fell into silence.
"Perhaps we might spend the afternoon gambling. There is not too much else to do while the storm blows outside."
"Gamble? You mean like playing cards? Or perhaps poker?" She spoke the word "poker" aloud.
"I do not know what these games are," he said to her with the gesture language. "We could play the stick game or, as we often call it, the hand game. It is a good one."
"The hand game? You would have to teach it to me, for I have never heard of it. But, if we are to gamble, what would we gamble with?” She paused for a moment before saying, “And, don't tell me our clothes, for I have but this one robe at present, and I would surely lose this covering in your game, since I have never played it."
His grin at her was so charming, she found she could barely look away from him. But, he didn't say a word back to her, nor did he sign a thing.
She signed, "I am afraid to place a bet with you."
"Come, you don't have to gamble with the robe. There are many other prizes we could use as the stakes."
"I am afraid to play games with you. I know you will win, and then I will be even more indebted to you...and perhaps naked, too, for this robe is all I have right now."
"Naked? This is a pretty picture you cause me to think about."
"I didn't mean it that way."
He winked at her. "I know," he signed. "But, come, what does this 'indebted' mean?"
She swallowed. She shouldn't have said the word “naked.” But, she decided to ignore the feeling of uneasiness and said in sign, "Indebted means I must return the favors or the kindness you have shown to me. You see, I am already beholden to you, and I don't wish to become further obliged."
"You are still afraid I will ask too much from you? That I would require something you are unwilling to give?"
She nodded and looked away from him. She stared into a corner of the small hut; she couldn't look at him, but she signed, "I don't know you well enough to judge this correctly."
"Nitáaitasaa,I will not. I have given you my promise." He tapped her on the shoulder, and, when she looked back at him, he signed the meaning of the words. "But," he continued, "if we do play and if you win, then perhaps your stakes in the gamble shall be that you will win your freedom from what you think is your 'obligation' to me."
"Really?" she asked aloud, then switched to sign. "I would like this. But, I fear I will lose, and so I must know, if you win, what is it you would like from me?"
He frowned, the two furrows between his eyes deepening, but the expression lasted for only a moment. His silence, however, continued for some time. At last, he signed, "If I win, what you must do for me is to get well."
"I intend to get well anyway, whether I win or lose. Choose something else. Something you really want that you think might cause me to be a little concerned."
He grinned at her and looked so handsome, she found herself grimacing. At last, however, he signed, "If I win, I choose that you shall not marry the man who brought you here and then deserted you. I think he is a coward."
