other had ceased speaking,
jumped up, "Yes," said he, "_I_ will go, and this will be the way I
will treat those we are going to fight;" and he struck the post in the
centre of the lodge, and gave a yell. The others spoke to him, saying,
"Slow, slow, Mudjikewis, when you are in other people's lodges." So he
sat down. Then, in turn, they took the drum, and sang their songs, and
closed with a feast. The youngest told them not to whisper their
intention even to their wives, but secretly to prepare for their
journey. They all promised obedience, and Mudjikewis was the first to
say so.

The time for their departure drew near. Word was given to assemble on a
certain night, when they would depart immediately. Mudjikewis was loud
in his demands for his moccasins. Several times his wife asked him the
reason. "Besides," said she, "you have a good pair on." "Quick, quick,"
he said, "since you must know, we are going on a war excursion. So be
quick." He thus revealed the secret. That night they met and started.
The snow was on the ground, and they travelled all night, lest others
should follow them. When it was daylight, the leader took snow and made
a ball of it; then tossing it into the air, he said, "It was in this
way I saw snow fall in my dream, so that I could not be tracked." And
he told them to keep close to each other for fear of losing themselves,
as the snow began to fall in very large flakes. Near as they walked, it
was with difficulty they could see each other. The snow continued
falling all that day and the following night. So it was impossible to
track them.

They had now walked for several days, and Mudjikewis was always in the
rear. One day, running suddenly forward, he gave the _Saw-saw-quan_,[63]
and struck a tree with his war-club, which broke into pieces as if
struck with lightning. "Brothers," said he, "this will be the way I
will serve those whom we are going to fight." The leader answered,
"Slow, slow, Mudjikewis. The one I lead you to is not to be thought of
so lightly." Again he fell back and thought to himself, "What, what:
Who can this be he is leading us to?" He felt fearful, and was silent.
Day after day they travelled on, till they came to an extensive plain,
on the borders of which human bones were bleaching in the sun. The
leader spoke. "They are the bones of those who have gone before us.
None has ever yet returned to tell the sad tale of their fate." Again
Mudjikewis became restless, and, running