In a certain part of the country was a village inhabited by a numerous and warlike band of Indians.  In this village was a family of ten young men—­brothers.  It was in the spring of the year that the youngest of these blackened his face and fasted.  His dreams were propitious.  Having ended his fast, he went secretly for his brothers at night, so that none in the village could overhear or find out the direction they intended to go.  Though their drum was heard, yet that was a common occurrence.  Having ended the usual formalities, he told how favorable his dreams were, and that he had called them together to know if they would accompany him in a war excursion.  They all answered they would.  The third brother from the eldest, noted for his oddities, coming up with his war-club when his brother had ceased speaking, jumped up.  ‘Yes,’ said he, ’I will go, and this will be the way I will treat those I am going to fight;’ and he struck the post in the center of the lodge, and gave a yell.  The others spoke to him, saying:  ’Slow, slow, Mudjikewis, when you are in other people’s lodges.’  So he sat down.  Then, in turn, they took the drum, and sang their songs, and closed with a feast.  The youngest told them not to whisper their intention to their wives, but secretly to prepare for their journey.  They all promised obedience, and Mudjikewis was the first to say so.

The time for their departure drew near.  Word was given to assemble on a certain night, when they would depart immediately.  Mudjikewis was loud in his demands for his moccasins.  Several times his wife asked him the reason.  ‘Besides,’ said she, ‘you have a good pair on.’  ’Quick, quick,’ said he, ’since you must know, we are going on a war excursion; so be quick.’  He thus revealed the secret.  That night they met and started.  The snow was on the ground, and they traveled all night, lest others should follow them.  When it was daylight, the leader took snow and made a ball of it, then tossing it into the air, he said:  ’It was in this way I saw snow fall in a dream, so that I could not be tracked.’  And he told them to keep close to each other for fear of losing themselves, as the snow began to fall in very large flakes.  Near as they walked, it was with difficulty they could see each other.  The snow continued falling all that day and the following night, so it was impossible to track them.

They had now walked for several days, and Mudjikewis was always in the rear.  One day, running suddenly forward, he gave the saw-saw-Quan,{footnote [War-whoop.]} and struck a tree with his war-club, and it broke into pieces as if struck with lightning.  ‘Brothers,’ said he, ‘this will be the way I will serve those we are going to fight.’  The leader answered, ’Slow, slow, Mudjikewis, the one I lead you to is not to be thought of so lightly.’  Again he fell back and thought to himself:  ‘What! what! who can this be he is leading us to?’ He