“You sure didn’t,” said Harry. He sounded as if he were sucking cough drops. “The day of the dark stars is supposed to be mentioned in stories that were handed down by tribes from all over America. Most Indians have heard of it, apparently—either from their parents or their grandparents, but there aren’t many Indians today who can remember what it’s all supposed to signify. They’ve gotten themselves too integrated, you know? Even Singing Rock sells insurance on the side.”

“Did he say what I could do about it? The trouble I have here is that nobody believes me, not even my wife. Nobody else saw the wooden man but me, and they’re putting the children’s nightmares down to hysteria, or indigestion. Everybody thinks I’m going crazy.”

“You’re not. Singing Rock says that the Hopi have stories about the day of the dark stars, and so do the Oglala Sioux and the Modoc and the Cheyenne and the Wyandotte. The Paiute used to call it the day when the mouth would come out of the sky and devour the white devils, but they always were kind of wordy.”

“So what can I do?” asked Neil. “Can I exorcise these manitous, or what?”

“Not with a bell and a book and a candle. I learned from the last time I met Misquamacus that you can’t dismiss Red Indian demons with white man’s religion.”

“But how did you destroy Misquamacus before?”

“It’s pretty hard to explain. But Singing Rock says we just don’t have the same kind of situation here at all, and he doesn’t think we could manage a repeat performance. Last time, Misquamacus was weak and confused and on his own. This time, it sounds as if he’s strong, and on his own territory.”

“You don’t sound very optimistic, Harry.”

“I’m supposed to sound optimistic? You call me up and tell me twenty-two Indian spirits are after my blood, and I’m supposed to sound optimistic?”

“I’m sorry,” Neil put in hastily. “What I meant was, it sounds like we don’t have an easy way out of this.”

“Listen,” said Harry, “I’m going to fly out to San Francisco on Sunday morning, which is the earliest I can get away. Singing Rock is coming out from South Dakota, and he says he should get to California by Monday morning at the latest.”

“You’re actually coming out to help? Well, that’s terrific.”