"We are here to tell you," said they, "that Norbis is very angry. He has roused all his people, and they are coming. He has sent us to tell you that he is beyond the Bohema Mem waiting for you. Norbis asks you to send out that woman to him." The brothers said nothing. "If you give her, he will go home; if not, he will fight with you." "We cannot give her," said the elder Tede Wiu. "We did not go to the dance for her; we did not take her away from it. She came with us of her own will. If we give her away, she may come back right away to us. She can go where she likes, but we will not give her to any one." The two messengers took this answer to Norbis. "I believe this man will come against us," said each of the brothers. They went into the house and brought out elkskin armor.[4] [4] Untanned elkskin was formerly used as armor by the Indians. "Come, my people," said the elder, "take these, put them on." They brought out more and more armor of untanned elkskin, and the people began to make ready for battle. It was not long till they saw two other men coming. These did not cross the river. They stood on the western bank and shouted,-- "Be ready! Prepare for battle! Norbis asks you to come to the river and cross. We will fight you on this side." When the brothers heard this, their people put on the elkskins and hastened. The brothers left Norwan in their house, and bound it outside with mempak. The whole house was covered with mempak; no one could get out, no one could go in, they thought. This done, the brothers crossed the river with their men. They looked down toward the south, and saw Norbis with his people moving along on the western bank of Bohema Mem, and they extended as far as the eye could see. "There are none there but Norbis and his people," said the Wul Wuhl brothers; "they are not all like him, but they are all his people." The forces met, and both sides began to fight at once, and fought stubbornly. Norbis drove the Tede Wiu brothers to the edge of the water, but they rallied at the river bank and drove back his forces. A second time Norbis pushed them to the river; a second time they rallied and drove him back, drove back all his people. They fought all day, each side driving the other in turn. It was a hard and bloody battle; many were killed on both sides. Neither won, and both were very angry. When night came the Tede Wiu brothers said,-- "We will stop for to-day. If you wish to fight to-morrow, we will meet you here." "I will meet you here," answered Norbis. The Tede Wiu brothers went home. They found Norwan where they had left her, fastened in with mempak. That evening, when all were assembled and were talking, the elder brother said: "My people, if they want to fight to-morrow we will fight with them." He called a messenger then and said,--