When Tyope had recovered his breath, he sneaked back to where he had left the shaman.  As he approached the spot he heard the medicine-man singing and beating his drum.  It was a very good sign to see the shaman at work with such enthusiasm; still Tyope must disturb him.

“Sa nashtio,” he cried, “we must go.”

“Heiti-na!  Heiti-na!” shouted the praying shaman, drumming incessantly.  He was in ecstasies.  His uplifted eyes sparkled; he paid no attention to what was around him.

“Sa nashtio yaya,” Tyope anxiously insisted.

“Do not disturb me, let me alone!  Heiti-na!  Heiti-na!” cried the Hishtanyi Chayan aloud.

Tyope was in despair.  Arrow after arrow was flying past him, rending twigs and shattering branches.  The Tehuas shot faster than the Queres.  They must have a large supply of missiles.  Every shot was accompanied by triumphant yells; the enemy was growing bolder.

Again the leader tried to rouse the medicine-man to decisive action, but the latter only shook his head in an irritated manner and proceeded with his song louder and louder.  At last he dropped his drum, jumped to his feet, and began to dance and to stamp, shaking his rattle and wildly yelling,—­

“Raua, raua!  Ho-[=a]-[=a], Heiti-na!  Ho-[=a]-[=a], Heiti-na!” Then he stood still, and looked around as if aroused from a dream.  At the sight of Tyope he remembered, and spoke, panting still,—­

“It is well.  They are good, Those Above!  We will do as you said!” Heedless of missiles he walked on into the forest.  Tyope heaved a great sigh of relief.

A small whistle made of bone depended from Tyope’s neck.  He raised it to his lips and blew a shrill, piercing blast.  The warriors in his neighbourhood turned their faces toward him.  He beckoned to one of them to approach.  To this man he gave directions in a low tone.  They were to the effect that they should offer the most determined resistance to the enemy, while at the same time they were to retire gradually but slowly from the actual position, as if yielding to pressure.  Their sturdy resistance was to cover the movements of the main body.

Tyope now stealthily crept away from the line of the fight.  Soon he met a group of his people who, outside of the range of missiles, were waiting to be called into action.  He sent the majority of them to the front to reinforce the others.  Two runners were despatched to the south and southwest with orders.  With the remainder he set out slowly, penetrating deeper into the timber.  He thus collected, one after another, the various groups into a fairly compact body, always sending a few men back to reinforce the fighting portions.  Over one hundred men were now engaged with the Tehuas.  The remainder moved, as Tyope confidently hoped, upon the cave-dwellings of the unprotected Puye by a detour which would enable the Queres to avoid the rather exposed site of Tzirege.

A tremendous noise from the south indicated that a hand-to-hand encounter was going on there.  The noise lasted but a short time, then it subsided.  Shortly afterward a warrior rushed panting up to Tyope.