ess, its almost insupportable silence and emptiness. With
the feeling of one who intrudes he called to the old woman. He stooped
and put his arm about her. "Come," he said. "You will die here. Come to
the fire."

She suffered him to lead her away, but her head hung on her breast, her
arms were limp.

Back at the camp-fire, after seeing that Pogosa had been properly taken
care of, the men faced each other in gloomy silence.

"Right here we take our medicine, partner," remarked Kelley. "Here we
put a dot and double the line. I'd like to break over that divide and
see how it looks in there, but our lady friend seems indisposed, and I
guess we'll just toast our knees and think where we missed it."

"After all," said Wetherell, soothingly, "this morning may be merely
incidental. Let us be patient. She may recover." And at dark he carried
some hot drink over to her tepee, but found her sleeping, and decided
not to awaken her.

Back at their fire, as the night deepened, the men lighted their pipes,
and with blankets at their backs huddled close about it. An imperious
voice broke from Pogosa's tent. Wetherell looked around at Eugene.

"Did you speak?" he asked.

Eugene protested. "No. Pogosa talk."

"It sounded like a chief's voice," Kelley began. "A vigorous voice."

Eugene, trembling like a scared puppy, crept close to Wetherell. His
voice was a mere whisper. "That no Pogos'--that Injun spirit talking."

Kelley was amused. "A spirit, eh? What does this spirit Injun say?"

"Say, 'White man with red beard listen--come closer and listen'--"

"That's you, Andy. Draw close. Your side partner has something to say."

Wetherell, alarmed by this delirium of his patient, rose to his feet,
and as he did so her harsh voice uttered a short phrase which stiffened
Eugene with fright. He left his place and sidled after Wetherell.

"She say _me_, Eugene, come talk for you."

"Very true. You'll need him. This may be a dying confession," argued
Kelley.

"You go ahead in tepee," Eugene urged. "Me sit outside. Pogos' medicine
now. See 'um vision. Spirits talk to her."

As he peered in at the tepee door Wetherell perceived Pogosa dimly. She
was sitting erect in her bed. Her eyes were wide, the pose of her head
erect and vigorous. She appeared a span taller, and when she spoke her
voice seemed to issue from a deep and powerful chest.

With Eugene as a scared interpreter, Pogosa said: "Here, now where we
are encamped, a battle t