“Because—am I blind or not?”
He rubbed his eyes, and cried: “Yes, by thunder! it’s so. Look yonder; are Intschu-Tschuna and Winnetou there?”
Before any one could answer the guard sprang up, stared a moment at the deserted trees, and then uttered a piercing cry that awakened every sleeper. The guard announced in his own vernacular what had happened, and a tumult began which was beyond description. Every one ran to the trees, white men and red, I following. But on my way I turned my pocket wrong side out and got rid of the rest of the sand.
More than two hundred men surrounded the spot on which but a moment before the two chiefs had stood. A howl of rage arose which told me plainly what would be my fate if the truth came to light.
Tangua ordered half his men to disperse over the savanna, and search for the missing men as well as they could in the darkness. He actually foamed with rage. He struck the negligent guard in the face, tore his medicine-charm from his neck and trod it under foot. This was an everlasting disgrace, for the medicine-charm means everything to an Indian, and to lose it is to lose honor, and be an outcast from his tribe until he shall rehabilitate himself by killing an enemy and seizing his charm, which will then be considered as the victor’s own. The guard took his bitter punishment without a word, shouldered his gun, and disappeared among the trees.
The chief’s rage was directed not only against this unfortunate Indian, but against me. He strode up to me, and shrieked: “You wanted to keep those two dogs for yourself; go after them and catch them.”
I was turning from him without answering, but he caught me by the arm, saying: “Did you hear my command? Obey.”
I shook him off, and replied: “You cannot order me to obey you.”
“Yes, for I am the chief of all this camp.”
I drew from my pocket the tin box in which I kept my papers, and said: “Shall I give you your proper answer, and blow up all your people? Speak another word to displease me, and I’ll destroy you all with this medicine that blows up the mountains.”