"I am not worthy," he signed at last.
"Excuse me. Could you sign that particular thought again? I'm afraid I didn't understand."
"I am not worthy of a woman. This is why there is no one in my life."
"Not worthy? I have to disagree with you."
With gestures, he said, "This is because you do not know my past. Stay here and over time you shall come to learn why I say this to you."
"I fear that may never happen if only because I will not be staying here very long," she signed. "As I mentioned to you a day ago, I will be leaving here as soon as the next steamship goes east."
He didn't speak; he didn't use gestures. Indeed, he didn't make any movement at all, save his steady breathing in and out. After a moment, however, he signed, "He is not worthy of you, either, this man you promised to marry. Bighearted Woman should marry a man who will love her and respect her all his life. She should be showered with all the love a man can give. Hers should be the first face he longs to see in the morning, and she should be the object of his devotion every night."
Sharon didn't move. The gestures and what they conveyed were more like poetry than mere hand signs. All she signed in return, however, was, "Who is Bighearted Woman?"
He replied, "You. It is your new name."
"My new name? Have you given it to me?"
He nodded once.
"How do you say it in Blackfeet?"
"Soohk mósisskitsipahp aakíí."
"Soohk-mosiss-kitsi-pahp aa-kii?"
Quickly, he inclined his head, but only a little.
"And, in Crow? How do you say it in Crow?"
"Bía-daasé-isée,orDaasé Isée,"he said, then signed, "Daasé Iséeis shortened and means 'Big Heart.'"
She mimicked the words, saying, "B-aa daa-see is-ee."
Again he nodded, then signed, "If I am to bring you into my family, you must have a good Indian name."
She smiled. "Perhaps you might not wish to make me your almost sister after you hear about what has happened in my life this night."
"I already know," he signed. "It makes no difference to me, and it will matter not to my sister, either."
"You already know? But… You mean about my fiancé and…and?" She couldn't bring herself to say the rest, not even in sign.
"Áa,yes," he said in Blackfeet. "Come, your pony is washed and patted down. Let us return her to the pony herd."
"Yes, yes, of course," she said aloud, looking wistfully at the bluffs rising up so grandly across the plain. "And, once we return my pony to the herd, I shall bid you good night," she signed.
He didn't respond. Instead, he reached down and picked up her pony's buckskin reins and led the animal out of the water. And, when Sharon didn't follow him, he turned around and signaled her to come along with him.
Sharon gazed over her shoulder, looking longingly toward the sand cliffs. Then, stepping forward, she followed Strikes Fast toward the pony herd.
