cupation, the woman hesitated for a moment as she was
about to lay the meat on the coals, the half of a wood duck, fortunately
killed by an arrow, for larger game was not attainable, the wild beasts
of the country being in flight as never heretofore. The conflagration of
the towns of a whole district, the turmoils of the heady victorious
troops, hitherto held together, but now sent through the region in
separate detachments, each within reach of support, however, had
stripped the tribe of this last means of subsistence. Years and years
afterward the grim dismantled fragments of these buildings were still to
be seen, the charred walls and rafters mere skeletons against the sky,
standing, melancholy memorials of war, on the hillsides and in the
valleys, along the watercourses "transparent as glass," of that lovely
country where these pleasant homes had been.

The Indian woman doubted if the bit of fat could be spared; then poising
it in her hand under the watchful eyes of all, she flung it into the
fire, the essential burnt-offering according to their old religious
custom.

Digatiski, bowing his head still lower, once more groaned aloud. He
would not have stayed her hand,--but to hunger even for the offering to
the fire! The woman whose head was muffled had only to repeat her sobs
anew; she could not sorrow more! But the pappoose in its primitive
cradle on the wall babbled out its simple pleasure, and now and again
the tearful little mother must needs lift smiling eyes.

The great ada-wehi looked out at the night. On the whole he was glad he
was dead!

He took no bite, nor did Digatiski. The Indian men were accustomed to
long fasts in war and in hunting, and they left the trivial bits to the
women. The muffled figure of grief held out her hand blindly and munched
the share given her in the folds of her veil. Then, for tears are of no
nutritive value, she held out her hand again. Feeling it still empty,
she lifted the veil from a swollen tear-stained face to gaze aghast at
the others. They silently returned the gaze, aghast themselves, and then
all three women fell to sobbing once more. But the pappoose was crowing
convivially over a bone.

Hunger does not dispose to slumber, nor does war with the sight of a
dozen towns aflame. They slept, but in fitful starts, and the first gray
siftings of light through the desolate darkness found them all gazing
drearily at it, for what might a new day signify to them but new
dang