t bull, carried in many sections.

Will's nerves had been attuned so highly during the terrible siege that
he collapsed to a certain extent after his return to the village, but he
suffered no loss of prestige because of it, as everybody believed that
he and his comrades had been besieged by evil spirits, and Pehansan and
Roka as well were compelled to take a long rest. He remained in the
lodge a whole day, and Inmutanka brought him the tenderest of food and
the juices of medicinal herbs to drink, telling him it was said on every
side that the prophecy had come true, and his craft and skill had saved
the village in the terrible winter.

The second day he was in the village, where the women and old men were
pounding and drying the flesh of the buffalo, but only the most skilful
were permitted to scrape the vast skin, which, when it was finally
cured, would make such an ornament as was never before seen in the lodge
of a Sioux chief. But Will, Pehansan and Roka were not allowed to have a
share in any work for a long time. They were three heroes who had fought
with demons and who had triumphed, and for a space they were looked upon
as demi-gods.

Nevertheless, they had their full share in the hunt. The wise old
Xingudan, backed by the equally wise old Inmutanka, forbade any
expeditions far from the village unless they were made in great force,
and their judgment was soon proved by the fact that many bears, wolves
and mountain lions of the greatest size were slain. Numerous fires,
however, made the region immediately about the lodges safe, and as the
river flowed almost at their feet the women could break the thick ice
and catch fish, without fear of the wild beasts.

It was during this interval that Will began to think again very much of
the faithful white friends whom he had lost, the redoubtable scout, the
whistling and cheerful Little Giant, and the brave and serious Brady.
Heraka had told him that they were dead, but he could not believe it. He
began to feel that he would see them again, and that they would renew
the great quest. He had preserved the map with care, but he had not
looked at it for a long time. Yet he remembered the lines upon it as
well as ever. As he had reflected before, if it were destroyed, he could
easily reproduce it from memory.

Then his three lost friends became vague again. The months that had
passed since his capture seemed years, and he was so far away from all
the paths of civilization