"I will give you our answer," he said. "The white man attacked us, and we fought him back. He has killed our warriors, and we will not treat with him at this time."
Ralsea replied: "You have done the same that we have done toward the white man; we were always the first to attack them. They tried to be friendly, but we would not listen to them."
"We will let you know in two suns what our answer is." And he withdrew.
"That means," remarked Ralsea, "that they are waiting for reinforcements."
"So much the better. We will be reinforced much better than they by the time their reinforcements come to hand."
"We must send a runner to the Great White Chief, and tell him to stop the Kurabus from coming to their assistance," said Ralsea.
"That is a wise suggestion," answered Blakely;[p. 42] and without delay one was selected and made his way to the Brabos' village.
When the Professor received Blakely's note he called in the Brabo chief, Oma, and said: "The forces we sent out are preventing the allies from going to our village, and have sent a runner here to inform us that the Kurabus are about to send more warriors to aid our enemies. Select one hundred warriors and let us go to the Kurabus' village and capture the warriors who are there, and also put the villages in our power. This may make them understand that they have no homes to go to unless they come to us."
This information delighted Oma, and he hurriedly gathered the warriors, and the Professor concluded to accompany them, as he did not want the warriors to commit any excesses against the villages and inhabitants of their former enemies, or exact any reprisals for the past indignities that some of them had suffered from the Kurabus.
A day's march brought them close to the main village, and scouts were sent to the front to ascertain whether the warriors still remaining in the village had gone forward. Before the scouts could return fully fifty warriors emerged from the village, and were taking up the march to join the allies.