“Hai yah!” thought Owl Bear, “a Snake, my enemy.”  For a long time he sat still, thinking.  By and by he drew his knife from his belt and placed it in the Snake’s hand, and signed, “Kill me!” He waited.  He thought soon his heart would be cut.  He wanted to die.  Why live?  His people had left him.

Then the Snake took Owl Bear’s hand and put a knife in it and motioned that Owl Bear should cut his heart, but the Piegan would not do it.  He lay down, and the Snake lay down beside him.  Maybe they slept.  Likely not.

So the night went and morning came.  It was light, and they crawled out of the cave, and talked a long time together by signs.  Owl Bear told the Snake where he had come from, how his party had dreamed bad and left him, and that he was going alone to give his body to the Snakes.

Then the Snake said:  “I was going to war, too.  I was going against the Piegans.  Now I am done.  Are you a chief?”

“I am the head chief,” replied Owl Bear.  “I lead.  All the others follow.”

“I am the same as you,” said the Snake.  “I am the chief.  I like you.  You are brave.  You gave me your knife to kill you with.  How is your heart?  Shall the Snakes and the Piegans make peace?”

“Your words are good,” replied Owl Bear.  “I am glad.”

“How many nights will it take you to go home and come back here with your people?” asked the Snake.

Owl Bear thought and counted.  “In twenty-five nights,” he replied, “the Piegans will camp down by that creek.”

“My trail,” said the Snake, “goes across the mountains.  I will try to be here in twenty-five nights, but I will camp with my people just behind that first mountain.  When you get here with the Piegans, come with one of your wives and stay all night with me.  In the morning the Snakes will move and put up their lodges beside the Piegans.”

“As you say,” replied the chief, “so it shall be done.”  Then they built a fire and cooked some meat and ate together.

“I am ashamed to go home,” said Owl Bear.  “I have taken no horses, no scalps.  Let me cut off your side locks?”

“Take them,” said the Snake.

Owl Bear cut off the chiefs braids close to his head, and then the Snake cut off the Piegan’s braids.  Then they exchanged clothes and weapons and started out, the Piegan north, the Snake south.

III

“Owl Bear has come!  Owl Bear has come!” the people were shouting.

The warriors rushed to his lodge. Whish! how quickly it was filled!  Hundreds stood outside, waiting to hear the news.

For a long time the chief did not speak.  He was still angry with his people.  An old man was talking, telling the news of the camp.  Owl Bear did not look at him.  He ate some food and rested.  Many were in the lodge who had started to war with him.  They were now ashamed.  They did not speak, either, but kept looking at the fire.  After a long time the chief said:  “I travelled on alone.  I met a Snake.  I took his scalp and clothes, and his weapons.  See, here is his scalp!” And he held up the two braids of hair.