e Bear held
his breath. If, moved by jealousy, she refused to obey him and sided
with Running Deer, there was no hope for Nancy.

At that thought a resolve arose in him, dark and powerful as a storm on
the Great River, and he filled his lungs and squared his shoulders.

_If they try to kill her, they will have to kill me first. If she is
doomed, so am I._

If he stood by and let the people torture Nancy to death, he would hate
himself forever.

Redbird lowered her eyes and began to undo the rope around Nancy. Iron
Knife helped his sister. Relief brightened in White Bear, like sunlight
on the river after a storm. Relief, and a surge of love for his wife.
With Iron Knife siding with him and Wolf Paw weakened by his wound, no
brave would dare to challenge him.

Eagle Feather was standing in front of the crowd, and White Bear felt
proud that his son was seeing the people treat him with respect. That
might balance out the memory of that shameful night of the woman's
dress.

"Eagle Feather, run and get one of our blankets."

Nancy looked at White Bear with huge, frightened eyes, saying nothing.
Terror must have struck her dumb. But he was relieved to see she was
able to stand on her own. Redbird put a hand on her shoulder to steady
her.

"You're going to be all right," White Bear said in English. "We will
take you to my wickiup."

He turned to Wolf Paw. "Come with me. I will see to your wound." Wolf
Paw's brown skin looked clammy and bloodless. He had ridden for four
days with a bullet in his shoulder. It must come out at once, or it
would kill him. But White Bear took pleasure in giving orders to Wolf
Paw.

Eagle Feather came with a blanket, and Redbird wrapped it around Nancy.

Most of the people scattered, many to mourn their dead, others to hear
the stories of the braves and warriors who had come back with the war
party, still others to see the horses and to butcher some of the cattle
they had brought back. A small crowd followed White Bear, the
yellow-haired prisoner and Wolf Paw.

As Redbird and Iron Knife helped Nancy, now softly sobbing, into the low
structure of branches and bark, Owl Carver came up to White Bear.

"I was ready to terrify the people if they turned against you, but you
did not need my help. You spoke to them, and against their will they
heeded you."

Owl Carver's praise delighted White Bear. But as he saw once again how
the old shaman had declined, it took some of the edge from his