ed by an idea, he rushed to the center of the village where a great
fire was burning, and snatched up a torch, calling to others to do
likewise. It was the old squaws who were the quickest witted and they
obeyed him at once. Twenty women held aloft the flaming wood, and they
rushed directly in the faces of the wolves, which gave back as they had
not given back before either rifle or arrow. Then the arrows sang in
swarms, and the pack, fierce though its hunger might be, was unable to
withstand more and fled.

Xingudan urged forward a pursuit. Will had exhausted his arrows, but an
old warrior loaned him a long lance, and with it he slew two of the
brutes which were now panic stricken. Yet the chief, like a good
general, still pressed the fleeing horde, although the wolves turned
once and another old man was killed. Inmutanka himself came very near
losing his life, as a monster whirled and sprang for him, but Will
received the throat of the wolf on the point of the lance, and although
he was borne to the earth, the raging brute was killed instantly.

When the wintry dawn came, none of the great pack was left alive near
the village. At least half were slain, and the others had scrambled away
in some fashion among the mountains.

The village had escaped a great danger, but it rejoiced in victory. The
old men, or what was left of them, were buried decently and then there
was an immense taking of wolf-skins, the fine pelts of the huge northern
beasts, which would long adorn the lodges of the Sioux, and Will again
received approval for his quick and timely attack with fire. Xingudan
knew in his heart that the village might have been overpowered and
devoured had it not been for the wit and courage of Waditaka. But he
merely said "Waditaka has done well." Will, however, knew that the four
words meant much and that the liberty of the village was his. He was a
sharer of all things save one--that, however, being much--namely, the
knowledge of their location, which was kept from him as thoroughly as in
the beginning.

But for a day or two he did not have much time to think of the question,
as the whole village was busily engaged in skinning the slaughtered
wolves and dressing the hides. Never before had so many been obtained at
once by a single Indian village, and they secured every one, scraping
them carefully and then drying them on high platforms or the boughs of
trees. Often at night they heard a distant growling and they knew