all the grotesque attitudes and steps which they
use in their pantomimes of great victories.

This savage play was quickly stilled, however, as groans of pain and
shouts of furious anger came to us. Now the cheering was that of white
voices only. There was the noise of many feet hurrying back to the camp.
Black Hoof came through the bushes first, and only the dusk saved my head
from being split, as with a howl he threw his ax at me. Then came Ward,
staggering like a drunken man and clawing at his left shoulder.

The full force of the catastrophe was revealed when four broken forms of
dead warriors were hurried into the little opening, followed by a dozen
braves bearing wounds, which would appall a town-dweller. Ward's medicine
had lied to them. The cannon had burst and had scattered its charge of
stones among the Shawnees. One of the corpses had been beheaded by a piece
of rock.

Several warriors rushed toward the Dales; others ran to me.

"Stop!" roared Black Hoof. "Do not touch the prisoners!"

Some one lighted a fire. Other fires sprang up until the glade was well
illumined. Black Hoof sent some of the younger men to scout the creek so
the camp might not be surprised by a sally. To the warriors remaining the
chief announced:

"We must march for the Ohio. Bad medicine has dogged us for many sleeps. I
will make a feast to my medicine and will tell you what it says shall be
done with the prisoners."

"That man and that woman are my prisoners!" hoarsely cried Ward.

"They were your prisoners while we believed your medicine was strong. Now
that we know your medicine is weak and foolish they belong to all the
Shawnees. Red Arrow's medicine is bad at heart. It told him to make a big
gun. Four of my warriors are dead. Many are hurt. It will take blood to
cover the bodies of the dead. Red Arrow has no prisoners until he goes and
catches them."

Ward pulled his ax and limped toward me. No warrior made an effort to stop
him. But Black Hoof reminded:

"When the Red Arrow is no longer a Shawnee he will be tied and left at the
edge of the settlement. The prisoners are not to be harmed until my
medicine directs."

Ward halted. He was close enough for me to see that while he had escaped a
wound from the flying stones his shoulder was blown full of powder. The
sweat streamed down his face and intimated something of the agony he was
suffering.

"Black Hoof is a great warrior and a mighty chief!" he said huskily. "But
Re