The old chief was quite shaken and nervous, but with Jim’s help, he managed to truss the bear and get it back to camp. When the women and children saw Jim and Chief Minnemung returning with the big bear, they ran out to meet them, yelling in delight.
“Bear meat!” Wahbunou cried. “Now we’ll have a feast. Chief Minnemung got a bear with Shemolsea gun.”
The chief was grinning in delight, but never a word did he say about Jim’s shooting the bear. He took all the credit for the kill and did not so much as glance at Jim. Jim would have liked to tell Wahbunou he had killed the bear, but he was afraid Chief Minnemung would be angry, so he said nothing.
Late in the day the other men returned with squirrels and wild turkeys, but no large game. For several days the camp feasted on bear meat, while all the Indians praised their chief for bringing home such a prize. The chief still kept silent about Jim.
Soon winter came to the camp and the ground was covered with snow. Then the children had lots of fun. Wahbunou showed Jim how to make a sled, using buffalo ribs for the runners and hides for the seat. Jim found it was a fine sled and had fun coasting down the hills with the other children.
One morning when the snow was packed very hard, Wahbunou said, “Come on, Jim, we’re going to play Snow Snake.”
“Snow Snake? What kind of game is that?”
“We play it by teams with snow-snake poles,” Wahbunou explained. He took Jim to a long level playground in the valley where the other children had gathered. They chose sides, having six to a team. Then they drew lots to see who would throw the first pole. Wahbunou drew the first throw.
He picked up the hickory pole, the ends of which were carved like the head of a snake. He held it high and threw it with all his strength. The pole shot through the air for quite a distance and fell to the ground far from him. An older boy and girl served as scorekeepers and measured the length of its flight.