It is a very shameful thing for a warrior to aid in woman's work, such as the unlading of the pack beasts, or the setting-up of a tipi; but Storm carried no weapons, nor did he claim to be anything except his Master's servant. Still, he felt degraded under the eyes of the Crazy Dogs as he helped Rain. He made the rawhide lashing which bound the four key poles of the lodge, whose butts made the corners of a square upon the ground, while their four shafts described the outline of a pyramid, and their heads keyed one with another so that no gale would dislodge them. The other twelve poles, resting against these crotches, turned the pyramid into a cone, and their butts completed the square on the ground into a circle. Next, the heavy skin of the lodge was hoisted by aid of the vane pole, wrapped about the cone and fastened above the door hole with wooden pins. In all this, and the remainder of the work, Storm, having but little practice, was very clumsy, and put to shame because Rain chided, and the Crazy Dogs were shouting rude remarks.
Rain's brother had awakened the Crow, who got out of his blankets to give the man a pint of trade liquor, then a tot of rum to quicken its action. A few at a time the Crazy Dogs were brought to the wagon-tail for the same treatment, making them all mad drunk within the first few minutes. The trader mixed a still more powerful drink for himself, which seemed to have no effect.
The priestess and her man saw nothing of all this, for they were busy unloading the other ponies, whose cargo they carried into the lodge. They scarcely noticed that they were now encircled by a ring of hilarious Indians who watched their work and jeered. The pony who had the two great timbers was led near the mortise hole directly in front of the trading wagon, distant some few paces. There Storm cast off the lashings, letting the timbers crash to the ground. He and his wife lifted the ends of the shorter beam until its notch was lowered athwart the notch in the longer piece of timber. Storm, with wet rawhide, made the seamanlike lashing which bound the two together into a cross.
He did this kneeling, while Rain stood for a moment to see how the lashing was made, which when dry would hold if even the solid log was broken.
"It is good," said Rain, just to please him, as men are always hungry for a word of praise.
"I'm still," he answered complacently, "more sailor than medicine man."
At that moment both were seized from behind, and pinioned by the elbows. Taken completely aback, the priestess found Heap-of-dogs giving directions for her removal; but somehow in these last few minutes her brother had changed, seemed like a different man, no longer morose or silent, but showing white flash of teeth, glitter of bright eyes, glow of ruddy health, a strange aloofness and remoteness as though he did not know her, as though they had never met.
The Crow was standing beside Heap-of-dogs nudging him with an elbow, leering at her as No-man had leered once. "Not so bad, eh? Needs feeding up a bit. Well, take her to my tipi."
The words were English, the gestures those of the sign talk, but the look and the smile told everything, laid bare the fathomless treachery of her betrayal. Her brother had sold her to this beast.
The guiding spirits had deserted her. God had abandoned her. There was no hope in earth, or any heaven or hell, but only this horror. She opened her mouth to scream. Then pride rescued her. She was not here to amuse her enemies, or to shame her man, or to abandon him as God had abandoned her; but to be loyal as Love, to be strong as Death, giving Storm heart and courage who needed her so sorely when he was in trouble, when he was in danger. "Courage!" she called to him. "Courage, Warrior!"