and the night is upon us. Our wars are done; our
glory is ended. We are but a tale that old men tell
around the camp-fire, a handful of red dust gathered
from mimaluse island, dust that once was man.
Go, you that are as the dead leaves of autumn; go,
whirled into everlasting darkness before the wind
of the wrath of the Great Spirit!"
He flung out his arms with a wild gesture, as if he held all their lives and threw them forth like dead leaves to be scattered upon the winds. Then he turned away and left the grove. The crowd of war riors who had been looking on broke up and went away, and the chiefs began to leave the council, each muffled in his blanket. The grave and stately sachem who had opened the council tried for a little while to stay the fatal breaking up, but in vain. And when he saw that he could do nothing, he too left the grove, wrapped in stoical pride, sullenly resigned to what ever was to come.
And so the last council ended, in hopeless apathy, in stubborn indecision, indecision in everything save the recognition that a doom was on them against which it was useless to struggle.
And Mishlah? He returned to his lodge, painted his face as if he were going to battle, and then went out to a grove near the place where the war-dances of the tribe were held. His braves followed him; others joined them; all watched eagerly, knowing that the end was close at hand, and wondering how he would die.
He laid aside his blanket, exposing his stripped body; and with his eagle plume in his hair and his stone tomahawk in his hand, began to dance th
