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"Stop it!" Matthew shouted, as the merry carnival of Indians continued to careen around hier He knew a little of the Dutch language froistrate&039;s clerk, so in desperation he tried that as well: "Einde het!"

It ht forth a fresh uproar of laughter a brave of di and landed to Matthew&039;s left, and as this buckskinned coan to swell up his cheeks and hop about while eht the audience was going to holler the place down on their heads Such croaking, Matthew reasoned, e sounded like to their ears at any other tiht noas just

In the ure He are of it for the reason that the h, and where thehands found purchase and threw Indians left and right Then a kick was given to the butt of the hu that launched him toward the nearest lilypad, and a ray-streaked hair and necklaces of animal teeth around her throat stood with her hands on her hips, glowering at Matthew He had no idea as about to happen, but in spite of what he really wanted to do-which was fall to his knees and beg for ed to thrust out his chin in an actor&039;s show of defiance

The big woman looked him over from head to feet, rumble, and then turned upon the crowd If anyone were still laughing and shouting, her voice in the next instant ht this wo at it The other Indians si braves even plopped theround in a display of obedience, their heads and shoulders bent forward as if the woman&039;s words hipstrikes Matthew had no earthly idea what she was saying, but it was clear she was lighting the devil&039;s own fire in their earholes If anyonethis tirade, her black eyes found the

When she was done browbeating her own people, she turned her attention to Matthew again and just stared at hith of tirate, the woman shouted out as obviously a co brave decorated with jagged red and blue tattoos on his cheeks, chin, arht up into Matthew&039;s face, said, "E&039;glish folla," and turned around to walk out Matthew did exactly as he was told, having to pass by the large Indian wo in a frypan, which he presumed summed up her opinion of himself and his country with their aniht only be termed catcalls started up, but were quickly stopped by his escort, who began to give them as much a tirade as the woman had delivered, and this one punctuated by slaps to his own chest and the pounding of his fist against his palm Whatever was said, it was delivered with authority, for no sooner had the brave finished speaking did everyone turn away and go about their regular business as if Matthew had suddenly ceased to exist "Folla, folla!" the brave told hih the village He caught the eyes of a few children and young wo furiously until the brave hollered out and a s&039;s ress was undisturbed

It was a huge place, containing one longhouse after another Matthew counted thirty-four of theht each house a hundred Indians Wo children, and there were shed-like structures wherebirch-bark canoes, chopping wood, and sharpening knives and spearheads In fact, the industry he saw around hi of clay pots and the scraping of animal skins stretched taut in wooden fraers made Matthew think this must be the tribe&039;s New York Toward the rear of the village, the back as open to reveal a large lake that side it a cornfield, an orchard on the hillside and other rows of vegetable fields Truly, it was a world unto itself "My friend," Matthew said to his escort, alked briskly ahead "The man as hurt Where is hei"

No ansas offered, therefore Matthew had to be satisfied with silence at length they ca set off by itself near what Matthew thought e&039;s eastern wall, and here the brave planted his palm in the air in a motion that Matthew took to mean stand still a little knot of children who&039;d been following at a distance crept forward a fewintently The brave shouted so&039;s doorhich was covered with a deerskin S that so stick froh to pull the deerskin aside with the stick, and then repeated his shout, which sounded not unlike a rough corasped the stick and wrenched it away froroup of children to turn around and flee as if they&039;d seen the hand of the Devil ee from that dark interior Matthew&039;s first desire was also to run, but he stood by hi, as he&039;d already hter

an Indian came out from behind the deerskin, and stared at Mattheith eyes like pieces of black flint He was about as tall as Matthew, and e was hard to deter native people He was bald but for a scalplock, in their fashion, yet he wore neither feathers nor that cap-like head covering Matthew had seen so He bore no tattoos on his face, but his neck and bare chest under an open buckskin waistcoat ell-s that looked more like self-inflicted torture than any kind of symbolism On his ars He was sliaunt side, for every rib showed and there was a troubled darkness around his eyes He wore the custos anda small carved wooden totem of some kind on a leather cord It appeared to Matthew to be the representation of a aze in the direction the others had gone His profile was hawklike, his face high-cheekboned and his expression sullen Then he regarded Matthew once lish"

"Yes!" Mattheas relieved to hear the word spoken almost as if by a native of New York

"are you what all the noise is abouti"

"I am My friend&039;s been hurt Can you help me find himi"

"Is he herei"

"Yes, but where I don&039;t know"

"Hm," the man said His black eyebrows lifted "Hurt howi"

"Stabbed In the back"

"Your hands" The Indian ood"

"It&039;s my friend I&039;m worried about," Matthew replied

"Then, he ine you are in some pain What happenedi"

"Never mind that I just want to knohere he is His naht" The Indian nodded "If he&039;s here, he&039;ll be with the medicine sisters"

"Take me there"

"No," came the reply, "I will not The medicine sisters don&039;t like to be bothered when they&039;re working," he explained to his visitor&039;s look of dismay "It&039;s best to leave them alone Do you have a namei"

"Matthew Corbett"

"Do you wish to come into my house and have some tea, Matthew Corbetti"

"Teai"

"a nasty habit I picked up in London," said the Indian He tossed the stick back to the ground and pulled the deerskin aside "Come in It&039;s poor manners to refuse a formal invitation" He waited as Matthew tried to decide what kind of bizarre dreaht awaken fro to be aware of all the pain that was flooding in upon him, from rope-burned hands and stone-slashed feet His bruised left shoulder felt like a dead weight a weariness, coupled with a forlorn grief If not for hi, or already dead If not for hiht have been the worst of it But he had to lay that aside now and put his attention on the moment, for that was how he had to survive as ahead

"Thank you," Matthew said, and he walked into the Indian&039;s shelter

Inside, the sed around the dwelling were ite blankets, ani, a feooden bowls and clay drinking cups, a bark water pail and other necessities Matthew took note of several spears, ts and a quiver of arrows leaning against a wall The man would have to be a hunter, certainly, or he could not survive But as he living alone here, with no evidence of a wife and childreni

Matthew&039;s question was answered, in a hen the Indian sat down cross-legged before the fire, poured some black liquid from a wooden pot into two small clay cups, and asked in a quiet voice, "You&039;re not afraid of insanity, are youi"

"Pardoni"

"Insanity," said the Indian "I am insane"

"No," Mattheered, if a bit warily "I&039;ood, then" One of the cups was offered, and Matthew accepted it "Everyone else here is afraid That&039;s why I&039; as he searched for a word "Outcast," he went on "Or nearly so It won&039;t be very long before I a worse Go ahead, drink as they say in your land, cheer up" He lifted the cup in semblance of a toast, then put it to his lips and downed the liquid

Matthew also drank, but before he got ht give way, for though it was certainly English tea it was the strongest, ht there hed and sputtered, his eyes shot forth tears, and he held the offending cup alar, I&039;m sorry," said the Indian "Isn&039;t it suitablei"

Matthew coughed again, explosively Still, for all the bitter taste, he felt a little charge course through his veins, as if one ingredient of this particular tea ht"

"I trade for it at the post in Belvedere" The Indian poured another cup and drank from it "Is it what you recall from your landi"