"Come, my people, we will eat together. You must all eat with me this
morning."
While eating they heard shouts on the west bank of Bohema Mem, and
soon they saw two men running toward them,--men finely dressed, with
plumes on their heads. The men crossed the river, and came to the
house of the Tede Wius. They were the Wul Wuhl brothers.
"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."