day, just after sundown, he was returning
from the prairie, after driving his father's ponies in for the night.
The camp fires were burning brightly and in the deepening twilight dusky
figures were passing to and fro. He noticed that round the tepee of
Spotted Owl a small group of people had collected. Inside, a drum was
beating softly and very slowly, as if some medicine ceremony were
beginning. Dusty Star lingered a little to watch, and then passed on.
When he reached the home tepee he found his supper ready. But after he
had finished, he did not go immediately to bed as usual. Instead, he
went out again into the camp.

The night had fallen now. It was cloudy and very dark. But the glow of
the camp fires made a sort of twilight in the camp itself; a twilight
that wandered as the fires rose or fell. While he stood intently on the
watch, he saw a figure come out from the doorway of his grandmother's
tepee. The figure stood quite still, as if it, too, were on the watch.
It was muffled in a robe, from head to foot, so that its actual shape
was hidden. Dusty Star was surprised. It was not his grandmother's habit
to stir abroad after nightfall. She had grave misgivings in the dark.
But if it were a late visitor why then was it so carefully covered?

The figure moved and glided away into the darkness. Dusty Star, keeping
well within the deepest shadows, followed swiftly in the figure's track.
It did not stop till it reached Little Owl's tepee. Dusty Star watched
it enter, and then crept close to the back of the lodge. The soft
beating of the drum was still audible, but soon after the entrance of
the newcomer it ceased. Then a voice spoke.

Dusty Star, crouching close against the bottom of the tepee could hear
every word distinctly. The speaker was Spotted Owl.

"The wolf has returned to Running Wolf's lodge," he said. "It is five
moons now since he went away. He may have brought back much medicine
with him. It may be good medicine. Lone Chief thinks it is a strong
medicine--very good, perhaps, if we sent a war party against the Yellow
Dogs. But he must be watched."

The voice ceased. Apparently, for the moment, Spotted Owl had nothing
more to say.

Then another voice spoke.

"The wolf is always with the boy. They go out upon the prairies
together. If the wolf has medicine, he shares it with the boy. The boy
knows many things about the wolves."

Several other speakers expressed an opinion that it would be wise to
a