Sponge-belly’s voice, I thought, was eager. “It is the truth. The white men had gone away, taking their wounded with them. Only these three, who are now our brothers, and a sick man they had with them, were left behind.”

Gautier stared from Sponge-belly to us. He shook his head. “Brothers, there is something about this story that is not right. I believe these three should be kept here in the west until bound by ties that can never be broken—until they have wives to keep their fires burning; children to make their lodges gay with shouts and laughter.”

Wahoway got to his feet. “Brothers, you have not been told the whole truth. Our brother from Green Bay is our friend, but the secrets of the Grand Medical Society are hidden from him. Thanks to the medicines of our brothers from the east, we discovered a lead mine close to our village, we won the ball game from our brothers the Foxes, and we have had good hunting since they have been with us. They have dealt honestly with us; used their medicine freely for our benefit. They are our brothers in fact as well as in name. Now they wish to go to the eastward, not only to fight, but to get new medicines, even stronger than those they now have.

“Our brother from Green Bay says they wish to escape from us. This cannot be so, since they have offered to leave with us their medicines as guarantees against their return. If they go, we shall have their medicines. Is there any man so foolish as to think that such powerful medicines as these would ever be willingly abandoned? No! It is clear that our brothers intend to return! They are our people. All our people are free to do as they wish. Therefore these three are free to do what they wish.”

Gautier was a clever man—too clever to suit my taste—and he persisted in his opposition. “Brothers,” he said, “we are friends of long standing. As your old friend, I ask that this question be submitted to the judgment of all the braves together, but that those on whom you sit in judgment be sent from this council house. Their medicines, you say, are powerful. If that is so, they might, by remaining here, confuse your minds with their magic.”