There was no help for the
difficulty, however; and the great chief saw the party depart
without venturing on remonstrance, advice, or any other expedient to
arrest the movement. Bear's Meat now called the head chiefs, who
remained, into a circle, and asked for opinions concerning the
course that ought next to be taken.
"What does my brother, the tribeless chief, say?" he asked, looking
at Peter, in a way to denote the expectation which all felt, that he
ought to be able to give useful counsel in such a strait. "We have
got but two scalps from six heads; and one of THEM is buried with
the medicine-priest."
"Scalps cannot be taken from them that get off," returned Peter,
evasively. "We must first catch these pale-faces. When they are
found it will be easy to scalp them. If the canoes are gone, I think
the medicine-bee-hunter and his squaws have gone in them. We may
find the whole down the river."
To this opinion most of the chiefs assented, though the course of
examining for a trail farther east was still approved. The band was
so strong, while the pale-faces were so few, that a distribution of
their own force was of no consequence, and it was clearly the most
prudent to send out young men in all directions.
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