was some distance from the lodge, but the shrill wailing of the
whistle still reached him and the heavy tread of the dancers came
in monotonous rhythm. "It's the greatest of all nightmares," he
said to himself.

It was a long time before either Dick or Albert could sleep, and
when Dick awoke at some vague hour between midnight and
morning he was troubled by a shrill, wailing note that the drum of
his ear. Then he remembered. The whistle! And after it came the
rhythmic, monotonous beat of many feet, as steady and persistent as
ever. The sun dance had never ceased for a moment, and he fell
asleep again with the sounds of it still in his ear.

The dance, which was begun at the ripening of the wild sage,
continued three days and nights without the stop of an instant.
No food and no drink passed the lips of the neophytes, who danced
throughout that time--if they fell they rose to dance again.
Then at the appointed hour it all ceased, although every
warrior's brain was at white heat and he was ready to go forth at
once against a myriad enemies. It was as if everyone had drunk
of some powerful and exciting Eastern drug.

The dance ended, they began to eat, and neither Dick nor Albert
had ever before seen such eating. The cooking fires of the
squaws rose throughout the entire five miles of the village.
They had buffalo, deer, bear, antelope, and smaller game in
abundance, and the warriors ate until they fell upon the ground,
where the lay in a long stupor. The boys thought that many of
them would surely die, but they came from their stupor unharmed
and were ready for instant battle. There were many new warriors,
too, because none had failed at the test, and all were eager to
show their valor.

"It's like baiting a wild beast," said Dick. "There are five
thousand ravening savages here, ready to fight anything, and
to-night I'm going to try to escape."

"If you try, I try, too," said Albert.

"Of course," said Dick.

The village was resting from its emotional orgy, and the guard
upon the two boys was relaxed somewhat. In fact, it seemed
wholly unnecessary, as they were rimmed around by the vigilance
of many thousand eyes. But, spurred by the cruel need, Dick
resolved that they should try. Fortunately, the very next night
was quite dark, and only a single Indian, Pine Tree, was on
guard.

"It's to-night or never," whispered Dick to Albert within the
shelter of the lodge. "They've never taken the trouble