"You must answer," whispered the doctor. "Must ask what you wish to know."
Still the old man was dumb—sat with open mouth and staring eyes, shivering in every limb and vainly endeavoring to command himself.
"Will you not speak?" questioned the voice. "Then pale-face come hither."
Obey the red-man could not, and the white one stepped forward, raised the skull, and after holding it for a moment, held it toward the Medicine, who saw that the unnatural light had faded away, but reeled back again as from the fleshless lips came the words:
"Coward, you have lost the opportunity to learn wisdom. Take me back and bury me. Never again will I come at your bidding. But remember this, and if you dare to disobey me I will come in the red forked lightning and earth-rocking thunder—remember, the pale-face must be free."
The Medicine bowed his head, took with trembling hands the ghastly skull that was held toward him, and with all possible speed restored it to the earth. But as soon as relieved from what he believed to be great danger, the humiliation he had passed through in the presence of the prisoner awoke all his enmity against him, and stopping upon his way he urged the chiefs to immediately put him to torture.
To that they were more than willing, and as the doctor issued from the wigwam where he had been amusing himself at the expense of the old Medicine, he was seized, dragged forward and bound to a post of torture. But he had no intention to give up life without a struggle, and the articles he had taken from his chest having prepared him in a great measure, he believed he could so awe them that no one would dare to lay violent hands upon him, or at least so lengthen the time that the scout would be able to come to his relief and eventually save him.
Acting upon this plan he watched his opportunity, and, with little difficulty, loosened his bonds so that he could throw them off at any time, and waited until the fagots were piled around him ready for the lighting. And, even as the grim old Medicine gave orders for the consummation of his wishes, the same voice that he had heard in the wigwam came once more to his ears as if from the bowels of the earth, and made him tremble again.
"Has the Medicine of the Sioux forgotten," it said, "that I commanded him to let the prisoner go free?"
"Such is my orders," replied the red liar, shrinking back out of the circle, though secretly motioning that the torture should continue.