oo, will repay him._

Wolf Paw stood glowering at White Bear, his eyes glazing, his breath
coming in gasps. He must be on the verge of fainting from the pain,
White Bear thought.

"I captured the pale eyes woman," Wolf Paw said. "I give her to the
tribe."

"Are we fighting the pale eyes so we can steal their women?" White Bear
demanded. "As long as we torture and kill their people, the long knives
will think of us as wild animals that must be destroyed. I have lived
among the pale eyes, and I tell you that we must show them that we are
worthy of their respect."

Wolf Paw grumbled, "We will win their respect by killing them. I have
killed many."

_Many at Victor, no doubt_, White Bear thought, feeling as sick as Wolf
Paw looked, hating him for his ignorance.

He addressed the whole gathering. "Since Wolf Paw has given this woman
to the tribe, let the tribe treat her honorably," White Bear said. "The
day will come when we will have to sit down with the long knives and
talk."

"Not if we win!" cried Wolf Paw.

"Win?" White Bear laughed scornfully. "Does Wolf Paw still imagine that
thousands of long knives are going to surrender to our few hundred Sauk
and Fox warriors? We can win only if they decide to stop fighting us. If
we make them hate us, they will never stop fighting until all of us are
dead."

_It is probably already too late for talking with the long knives, but
if I hold out the hope of peace, it may save Nancy's life._

He let his gaze travel over the people who stood in a ring around him.
The dark eyes looking at him were mostly sullen and suspicious, because
their shaman was telling them what they did not want to hear. No one
seemed ready to challenge him, but he knew that if three or four braves
were to overpower him and kill Nancy, the crowd would let it happen. His
belly muscles knotted with tension.

But, as Wolf Paw had said, they needed all their luck, and it would be
best not to tempt the wrath of the spirits by defying their shaman.

_Redbird, you must not fail me._ He gave his wife a look of appeal
before he spoke further. Behind Redbird Iron Knife stood like a great
oak tree. At least there was no threat to him in Iron Knife's face.

White Bear took a deep breath and his heart fluttered. His life and
Nancy's depended on what happened next.

"I take the pale eyes woman under my protection," he said. "Redbird,
untie her."

Redbird hesitated for just a moment, her eyes wide, and Whit