of her chest,
crushing it. She cried out with the pain and staggered backward.

She cried, "You offer me everything but the one thing I want--for you to
come back to our people."

"What I do, I do for our people." His voice was so low that she could
barely hear him. "One Sauk, at least, will take back land the pale eyes
stole from us."

The world grew darker and darker for her. With every word he spoke she
was losing him a little more.

She made the flat-handed "no" gesture. "The pale eyes here in this land
are too strong for the red people. And in you there is both pale eyes
and red man, and the pale eyes is stronger than the red."

His shoulders slumped. She saw a dullness in his eyes that made her
think of Wolf Paw as he had looked after the people of Victor had killed
Floating Lily.

_Have I hurt White Bear so badly that he will get sick again?_ Sudden
fear rippled through her.

But then he lifted his head and looked at her, and there was strength in
his gaunt face.

"I will always love you. And as long as this place is mine, there will
be a home here for you, for Eagle Feather, for any child of yours. For
any Sauk. When you go back, tell them that."

Grief crushed her as she gazed at the man she loved, knowing that they
were parting forever.

He reached out to her, and she went back to lie beside him on the bed.
It felt so good to be held by him, and it hurt so much to know that this
was the last time they would ever lie heart against heart, she thought
she would scream at the agony of it.

* * * * *

_Good-bye, Floating Lily, my daughter. I may never be able to come back
here again. I hope you have begun your journey West. But if your spirit
lingers here, know that your father is close by._

Redbird stood a moment looking down at the mound of earth, now covered
with leaves, the strip of red blanket tied to the willow wand now faded.
She rocked back and forth in the pale eyes shoes made of heavy leather
that Yellow Hair had given her. She wailed softly in her sorrow for
Floating Lily.

Then she turned to Yellow Hair, who stood under a nearby maple.

"You take White Bear here and show him."

Yellow Hair nodded.

They went back to Yellow Hair's carriage. The buggy was laden with food
and blankets, and Redbird carried with her a heavy bag of gold coins
given her by White Bear's grandfather. Used wisely, the gold would buy
blankets and food, rifles and ammunition fr