He was afraid his sigh communicated his frustration. He said in English, "I cannot. Reason...came to...fort...to find...brother. He close. Must go."
"Soka'pii,good," she shouted. "Kakó,go!"
"You come, too."
"I will not. Even if my father is tracking you, when he discovers I am not with you, he will come for me. I will wait here for him."
"Too much time...you be alone. How he know...where...you are? If your...father find me...will kill. He not find out...where you are...if I...dead."
She shrugged.
In response to her seeming indifference to his demise, a spark of annoyance flamed to life within him, and he asked, "You wish...he kill?"
"Of course not. And, I don't believe he would try to do this to you. He might intimidate you, but I don't believe he would ever carry out his threats. So, there would be time for you to tell him where I am."
Infuriated, he sighed. "There be...no time. This why he...after me: to kill me."
Although she knew her father had, indeed, threatened to kill Eagle Heart, she couldn't help saying, "That is a lie! He would not do this! It had to be no more than a warning."
"I not lie. He gave word...he kill me...if do deed that...cause us...to marry. He knows we...married."
Her only response to this disclosure was to come up onto her feet and step away from him.
"Where...going?"
She didn't answer. All at once, however, she stopped as though she had run into a wall. She cried out, "Where is our wiki-up?"
"I take...down."
"No! How could you do this to me?"
"I not...do to you. You come...with me."
"I will not!" Suddenly, she turned and fled into the woods which surrounded the lake, leaving him no option but to follow. He caught up with her easily enough, and, while dodging her attempts to hit him, stopped her long enough to pick her up in his arms.
"You coming...with me."
She kicked out at him, but it was to no avail. He was stronger than she, and it was easy enough to keep hold of her and prevent her jerks and jolts from doing him any serious damage.
His direction was toward the horses, and, once he reached them, he forced her into her seat on the back of her mare. But, she quickly dismounted from the other side of the animal and ran back through the woods.
He shook his head, knowing what he had to do. Yet, upset though he was with her, he was reluctant to put into practice what he had to do. Sighing, he set off after her.
Again, he caught her easily enough and with the same result: he had to block her kicks. This time, however, before depositing her onto the back of her pony, he took hold of a buckskin rope hanging upon his own mount and, forcing her again onto the back of her mare, tied her hands together in front of her.
But, this wasn't enough. She would still try to escape, and, being perhaps a little stubborn, she might accomplish it.
Heaving in a deep breath, he paced toward his pony once more and grabbed hold of another rope. As though seeking advice, he glanced upward and tried to envision another way to bring her with him. But, he could think of none, and, approaching the mare, he did the deed: he tied his wife's feet together under the belly of her quarter horse.
Standing next to her, he said, "You coming...with me."
Fire blazed from her eyes, and he was expecting her to vent her anger in another way, to perhaps yell or spit at him. But, she didn't. Instead, she said only one word, and not even in a loud voice—"Bigamist."
"What word mean?" he asked.
"You know what it means."
"Do not...know."
