and
only just enough work for his lance and dog to entitle him to the honor
of closing, single-handed, with one of the most dangerous of wild
animals. He had done that very thing, nevertheless, and was entitled to
all the credit of it. If he had waited to consider the matter, he might
have had a much harder fight for it. What was more, his energy and
enterprise and endurance had resulted in bringing him to the right place
at the right time, instead of somewhere else.

CHAPTER VIII

WATER! WATER!

By the time the band of Nez Perces was well on its way, the Big Tongue
had persuaded himself that the movement was in large part a following of
his own advice. He felt very free to say as much in the presence of
several squaws. He even ruffled up and looked large when Na-tee-kah
laughed and turned away her head. She was too young to say anything in
reply to a grown-up brave, but just behind her was the fat squaw, and
her tongue was habitually more at liberty.

"Kill cow same way," said she. "Two Arrows kill him first; then Big
Tongue. Great brave!"

Big Tongue turned upon her almost fiercely, exclaiming.

"Squaw no talk!"

"Big Tongue keep still. Squaw-boy beat him. Big Tongue shoot arrows into
dead cow. Ha-ha-pah-no not afraid of squaw-brave."

Ha-ha-pah-no had a tongue and a reputation for it, and the Big Tongue
did not threaten her any more. Too many squaws and girls joined in the
laugh against him. Perhaps the fact that Ha-ha-pah-no had a husband
over six feet high had something to do with it, and that Na-tee-kah was
the only daughter of Long Bear. It was not safe to quarrel overmuch with
either of them. They were almost as safe as a large dog is if he is
known to be quick-tempered. Nobody kicks him.

There was an attempt made at pretty fast travelling, for all the wise
warriors knew that the tramp across the mountains must be a hard one,
however good the trail might be, and there were a good many very sober
faces among them. They had lost their horses and their dogs, and now
they were leaving behind them a great many other things, and they felt
as if hard times had come. Starvation is a very severe school-master.

So, for that matter, is thirst, even if provisions are plentiful, and
Sile Parks learned a great lesson of endurance that day. His father had
not uttered a word of complaint. Yellow Pine had not murmured, and when
Sile said to him,

"All the men seem to stand it the very best kind," he had