“I don’t see how we can,” answered the Doctor, who was helping himself to a piece of frog ham. “The Sailor is in no condition to be moved and, besides, I still have a couple of the wild men on my hands, who are in such shape I can’t leave them for a few days.”
“That’s so! That’s so!” exclaimed the General. “Of course we’ll have to stay until our duty is done.”
“My patients are all doing well and I don’t see why we won’t be able to get away in five or six days,” said the Doctor.
The little soldiers were greatly disappointed when they heard that the army would not start immediately for home, for now that the war was over they were all anxious to return. However, they made the best of their time by fishing, swimming and playing games.
One morning a sentinel came to the General’s tent, followed by one of the wild men.
“This fellow has a message for you,” said the sentinel pointing to the wild man, who held a piece of folded birch bark in his hand. “There are about twenty-five more of ’em waiting out beyond our lines and they’ve each got a big bundle all wrapped up in leaves.”
The General opened the note which the wild man handed him, but when he found it was written in the Sabo language he sent for the Poet.
“You’ll have to translate this gibberish for me,” said the General when the Poet appeared. “It’s too much for me.”
The Poet carefully read the note and then repeated it to the General.
“It’s from the Queen and she is sending you greetings and some presents,” said the Poet. “She also invites you to the great Dance of Peace and Plenty. This is the dance the wild men dance whenever they make peace with their enemies. You must go to the dance, for that is the way the wild men have of showing that they want to be friendly.”