er and waited for the coming of the night,
now not far away. The lack of water would drive him out of the council
house, and in the dark he must seize anything that looked like an
opportunity.

He hoped for the clouds again and another veil of snow, however thin,
but his hopes were not fulfilled. When the slow dusk came, he lifted the
buffalo curtain and emerged from his corner, feeling an intense relief,
despite the shooting pain, because he could stand up again. Then he
stretched and rubbed himself until all the soreness was gone from his
muscles, and, standing there, tried to think of a way to escape.

His eyes, used to the dark of the room, fell upon a great headdress of
twisted buffalo horns, profusely decorated with feathers. A long coat of
buffalo skin adorned with feathers and porcupine quills in strange
designs lay beside it upon the poles. He had seen many such equipments.
It was a sort of regalia worn by Indian dancers, and now and then by
great chiefs upon solemn occasions.

He looked at it, idly at first, and then with growing interest, as an
idea was born in his brain. The dress must be almost sacred in
character, or it would not be left here in the council house, and kind
fortune had certainly put it on the poles for his particular use. Once
more he was thoroughly convinced that he was watched over by the greater
powers, not because of any especial merit of his, but for reasons of
their own, and he clothed himself in the headdress and the strange,
variegated robe that fell to his ankles. Then even Shif'less Sol would
have had to take a third look to know him.

Henry's heart beat high and fast. He was thoroughly convinced that he
had found a way. He had now only to use that rarest and greatest of
qualities, patience, and, by a supreme exertion of the will, he managed
to wait until it was far into the night.

Red Eagle had gone into one of the log cabins, and was probably asleep.
Henry, from the crack, was not able to see what had become of the
renegades, but he surmised that they, too, were sleeping somewhere. Two
of the fires still burned in the open, but nobody watched beside them,
and he judged that the time was ripe for the trial.

He gave a final touch to the headdress and the buffalo robe. He would
have been glad to have seen himself in a glass, but he was sure,
nevertheless, that he looked his part of a great medicine man, a
reincarnation of some ancient chief who had come back to spend a whil