te Turkey tail-feathers and white Goose
wing-feathers dyed black at the tips made good Eagle feathers. Some
wisps of red-dyed horsehair from an old harness tassel; strips of red
flannel from an old shirt, and some scraps of sheepskin supplied the
remaining raw material. Caleb took an increasing interest, and helped
them not only to make the bonnet, but also to decide on what things
should count _coup_ and what _grand coup_. Sam had a number
of feathers for shooting, diving, "massacreeing the Whites," and his
grand tufted feathers for felling the pine and shooting the Cat-Owl.

Among other things, Yan had counted coup for trailing. The Deer hunt
had been made still more real by having the "Deer-boy" wear a pair of
sandals made from old boots; on the sole of each they put two lines
of hobnails in V shape, pointing forward. These made hooflike marks
wherever the Deer went. One of the difficulties with the corn was that
it gave no clue to the direction or doubling of the trail, but the
sandals met the trouble, and with a very little corn to help they had
an ideal trail. All became very expert, and could follow fast a very
slight track, but Yan continued the best, for what he lacked in
eyesight he more than made up in patience and observation. He already
had a _grand coup_ for finding and shooting the Deer in the heart,
that time, at first shot before the others came up even, and had won
six other _grand coups_--one for swimming 200 yards in five minutes,
one for walking four measured miles in one hour, one for running 100
yards in twelve seconds, one for knowing 100 wild plants, one for
knowing 100 birds, and the one for shooting the Horned Owl.

Guy had several good _coups_, chiefly for eyesight. He could see
"the papoose on the squaws back," and in the Deer hunt he had several
times won _coups_ that came near being called _grand coup_,
but so far fate was against him, and even old Caleb, who was partial
to him, could not fairly vote him a _grand coup_.

"What is it that the Injuns most likes in a man: I mean, what would
they druther have, Caleb?" asked Sappy one day, confidently expecting
to have his keen eyesight praised.

"Bravery," was the reply. "They don't care what a man is if he's
brave. That's their greatest thing--that is, if the feller has the
stuff to back it up. An' it ain't confined to Injuns; I tell you there
ain't anything that anybody goes on so much. Some men pretends to
think one thing the best of al