that?" asked the Shawanoe.

"Yes; more than once. Not many moons ago a warrior killed his father,
mother and child in a fit of rage. The only punishment that fitted such
an awful crime was that of the Spirit Circle. Three warriors took the
man there and started him round the path; they took turns in watching,
and made sure that he had no food nor water, and was kept moving till
he could move no longer. He fell down, and they stood near until he
breathed his last; then they came back to Taggarak and told him what
had been done."

"My brother has not yet shown what his words have to do with Deerfoot
and Taggarak."

"Let my brother have patience and he shall know. Deerfoot remembers the
rock from whose top he first caught sight of Mul-tal-la, whose brother
was coming to this village, riding on Whirlwind?"

As he spoke the Blackfoot pointed to the east. Deerfoot nodded. The
meeting place was a half mile beyond the open space on which the
athletic contests had been held that day.

"It is the command of Taggarak that the Shawanoe shall meet him there
to-morrow, when the sun climbs the mountain tops. He must bring only
his hunting knife and come alone; the chief will do the same. When they
face each other, Taggarak will give the Shawanoe the choice of dying by
his hand or at the Spirit Circle."

"Did Taggarak say _that_ to my brother?"

"That is his command. He has heard that the Shawanoe is making squaws
of his warriors; he therefore gives him his choice of deaths."

Victor Shelton sprang to his feet.

"See here, Mul-tal-la," he said, excitedly; "do you tell us that the
chief Taggarak makes the condition that he and Deerfoot are each to use
only his knife as a weapon?"

The Blackfoot gravely nodded his head.

"And that neither is to have a friend with him?"

"So Taggarak wills."

"That isn't the way people fight duels. George and I must be on hand
when Deerfoot gets into a scrape like that."

"But it cannot be."

"My brothers will stay here till Deerfoot comes back to them," quietly
remarked the Shawanoe.

"But how are we to know that Taggarak won't play some trick on us? He
may have half a dozen of his warriors hiding among the bushes or rocks,
so as to help him kill Deerfoot."

For the first time in the interview Mul-tal-la smiled.

"Taggarak never breaks his word. He might do as my brothers say if he
thought there was need of it. He doesn't believe the Shawanoe will be
more than a child in his hand