brother's looks, he did not for a moment entertain the thought or desire
of inquiring into the cause of it. He was fully satisfied that as long
as Okoya did not see fit to speak of the matter, he had no right to ask
about it: in short, that it was none of his business.

Meanwhile dark and dismal thoughts were chasing each other within the
elder brother's soul. Doubt and suspicion became more and more crushing.
He was tempted to break the spell and interrogate Shyuote once more,
even to wrench from him, if needs be, a full explanation. The boy was
old enough to enjoy that great and often disagreeable quality of the
American Indian, reticence. Furthermore, he might have been forbidden to
speak.

If the Indian is not an ideal being, he is still less a stolid mentally
squalid brute. He is not reticent out of imbecility or mental weakness.
He fails properly to understand much of what takes place around him,
especially what happens within the circle of our modern civilization,
but withal he is far from indifferent toward his surroundings. He
observes, compares, thinks, reasons, upon whatever he sees or hears, and
forms opinions from the basis of his own peculiar culture. His senses
are very acute for natural phenomena; his memory is excellent, as often
as he sees fit to make use of it. There is no difference between him and
the Caucasian in original faculties, and the reticence peculiar to him
under certain circumstances is not due to lack of mental aptitude.

He does not practise that reticence alike toward all. A great number of
examples seems to establish the fact that the Indian has developed a
system of casuistry, based upon a remarkably thorough knowledge of human
nature. Certain matters are kept concealed from some people, whereas
they are freely discussed with others, and _vice versa_. The Indian