to make the pale eyes woman my wife."

Black Hawk's eyebrows rose. "Why should White Bear do that?"

"The people will not kill the wife of a shaman."

The Winnebago Prophet burst out, "This is wrong! The spirits have told
me that our people must not mate with the pale eyes."

Black Hawk said, "White Bear's father was a pale eyes."

"The offspring of an impure mating should not be a shaman," Flying Cloud
grumbled.

White Bear felt his cheeks burn; the Winnebago Prophet might as well
have slapped him.

He remembered, so long ago it now seemed, though it was really only nine
months, when Pere Isaac, speaking at Pierre's funeral, had called White
Bear "the fruit of sin." He had thought then that no red man would speak
so demeaningly of his parentage, and here now was a shaman of the red
men who did.

Black Hawk said, "White Bear has always been one of us. He has seen
visions. He has saved many lives. The mark of the Bear, one of the most
powerful spirits, is on him. Let him do as he thinks best."

The Prophet said, "The spirits have told me a man should not have more
than one wife."

Black Hawk glared at him. "That is foolish talk. I have been content to
have one wife, Singing Bird. But my son, Wolf Paw, has two wives, and
many of our chiefs and braves have two or three wives. And when many men
die in battle, many women need to be cared for."

Flying Cloud grunted and fell silent.

White Bear took his leave of Black Hawk and threaded his way among the
shelters and past the small campfires where beef was still roasting on
spits.

Redbird must agree to his plan before he could tell it to Nancy. He was
afraid; afraid that she would say no, and afraid that his request would
hurt her.

When he reached his wickiup he called Redbird out, and they walked
through the camp together.

"Sun Woman is with the yellow-haired woman in the wickiup," Redbird
said. "Sun Woman speaks to her in the pale eyes' language that she
learned from your father. I think the yellow-hair is not so frightened
anymore."

"That is good," said White Bear gloomily, "because Black Hawk says she
must remain a prisoner."

Redbird sighed. "I feared he would say that."

They climbed a low hill north of the camp and sat on a huge half-buried
boulder overlooking a small lake. A newly risen crescent moon was
reflected in the still black water.

White Bear put his hand on Redbird's belly and felt the movement of the
child within her.

Redbir