His guards approached him and, grasping his arms, dragged him from the wigwam, for now fear had gripped the heart of Little Horse and he fought the hands of the Iroquois which held his arms in firm grip and he fought the tough thongs which bound his wrists. But twist and turn as he would, it did no good and soon he was standing before the elders of the tribe. Across the center of the village he saw the gauntlet of tall powerful braves begin to form and his legs trembled slightly. The elders talked among themselves, and then one old man stepped forward and spoke to Little Horse. “Your tribe has invaded the lands of the Iroquois in seeking wild game and in doing so they have broken the law of the tribes. If they had stayed on their own ground there would have been no need for war. But for the Iroquois to do nothing when their neighbor invades the sacred hunting ground would be as if we shouted through the forest that we were weak and afraid of the Delawares. You have been captured on our land and as an example to all Delawares you will be made to run the gauntlet. If you do so successfully your life will be spared, but if not the war clubs my braves now hold shall beat your body till it blends with the dirt of the forest floor and you are no more. Are you ready for the ordeal?” Little Horse held his head high and looking straight into the eyes of the elder warrior, he said, “I know not of any of our braves that invaded your hunting grounds unless it was myself. In pursuit of the wild turkey, I ran quickly along the trail and was in the land of the Iroquois before I realized. I did not think that the great Iroquois would miss one little wild turkey.” The old warrior looked stern and then he said, “It is not you but other braves of your tribe who have entered our grounds, but you and I are not here to argue, for I will not even discuss it, the law has been broken and war has been declared. Already the blood of one of our warriors had been spilled on the very edge of our camp.” With this statement the heart of Little Horse beat just a little faster, for if one of the Iroquois had died close to the village then the Delawares must have followed and there was still hope that he would be rescued. “I am ready for the gauntlet,” Little Horse said.