m some brave's belt.

_O Bear spirit, O Turtle, O Earthmaker, let it be so!_

Then his fury faded away and became fear as he realized that he had just
done, in his mind, a thing more terrible than murder. A man might call
on the spirits for the strength and skill to fight an enemy--but to
direct the power of the spirits against another man, no matter how
wicked, was forbidden. He prayed no harm would come to him because of
it.

Black Hawk said, "We have no choice now. The long knives have forced war
upon me."

White Bear spoke up quickly, before Wolf Paw or Flying Cloud could call
for war, as they were certain to do.

"It was my uncle, the brother of Star Arrow, who ordered us three to be
killed. He has hated our people all of his life. He especially hates me.
A different long-knife war chief might have opened his arms to us. Now
that Black Hawk has shown the long knives that they will be hurt if they
come against us, let us offer peace again. I am ready to go again with a
white flag to talk of surrender with other long-knife war chiefs."

Black Hawk made a flat, rejecting hand gesture. "You have seen what
happened. Pale eyes warriors would not let you get close enough to talk
to their chiefs."

A warrior came over to the fire, holding a tin cup. He offered it to
Black Hawk.

"The long knives left five barrels of whiskey, but they are almost
empty."

Black Hawk turned the cup over, letting the whiskey soak into the dirt.

"Pour that poison on the ground," he said. "Whiskey made the long knives
so foolish that when they looked at one of our braves they saw ten."

Wolf Paw said, "They abandoned wagonloads of food and ammunition. Even
some rifles."

"We will need them," said Black Hawk. "Without more provisions we cannot
go on."

After the warrior went away, Black Hawk gave his pipe tomahawk to Wolf
Paw to smoke. Owl Carver and the Winnebago Prophet brought out pipes of
their own. Owl Carver offered his to White Bear, who declined it. Given
what he had been through this day, and troubled by the fear that Black
Hawk was determined to plunge his people into worse calamities, White
Bear felt his stomach could not stand tobacco smoke.

Flying Cloud broke the thoughtful silence. "If forty Sauk warriors could
chase away two hundred long knives, then all the Sauk warriors can chase
away the long knives' whole army. I say call out the six hundred
warriors who wait at our main camp. We will drive the long knives a