White Lightning noticed that his captive's eyes were open and he walked over to him. This youth, so strong and so skillful, so brave and so frank, appealed to the young chief. He would regret the necessity of putting him to death. A way of escaping it would be welcome. "It is not like last night," he said pleasantly. "No," said Henry. "There is no chance of another storm." "Oghtserah," said the chief, pointing to the small, harmless clouds. "But they are too little to mean anything," said Henry, guessing from the chief's gesture that "Oghtserah" meant clouds. "You learn Wyandot," said the chief in the same pleasant tone. "You learn fast. See Tegshe." He glanced up. "Stars?" guessed Henry. The chief smiled again. "It is right," he said. "You stay long with us, you learn to talk to Wyandot. Look!" He held up one finger. "Scat," he said. He held up two. "Tindee," he said. He held up three. "Shaight," he said. He held up four. "Andaught." Five--"Weeish." Six--"Washaw." Seven--"Sootare." Eight--"Acetarai." Nine--"Aintru." Ten--"Aughsah." "Now you count ten," he said somewhat in the tone of a schoolmaster to Henry. "All right," said Henry tractably. "Here goes: Scat, Tindee, Shaight, Andaught, Weeish, Washaw, Sootare, Acetarai, Aintru, Aughsah." The chief's smile deepened. "You good memory," he said. "You learn very fast." Then he added after a moment's hesitation: "You make good Wyandot. Wyandots small nation, but bravest, most cunning and most enduring of all. Wyandot being burned at the stake calls for his pipe and smokes it peacefully while he dies in the fire." "I don't doubt it," said Henry, who had heard of such cases. The chief glanced at him and concluded that he said enough on that point. Once more he looked up. "Washuntyaandeshra." "The moon," said Henry. "Yes, it's bright." "You learn. You remember," said the chief. "Now you sleep again." He walked away, and Henry closed his eyes, but did not go to sleep just yet. He had understood Timmendiquas perfectly, and it troubled him. He liked the young chief, but white he was and white he would remain. He resolutely forced the question out of his mind, and soon he was fast asleep again. CHAPTER IV THE FOREST VILLAGE They traveled another day and another, always rapidly. Henry continued his policy and asked no questions. He divined, however, that the Wyandots were on the way to a village of theirs, either permanent or temporary, probably the latter, as they were far west of the country conceded by the other Indians to be Wyandot.