If not, her
spirit will fly to the Great Spirit, and will tell him that the
Raven and his friends, whom she had sheltered and rescued, had
helped to kill her; and the Great Spirit would shut the gates of
the happy hunting grounds against them. The Raven has spoken."
There was a pause of extreme astonishment, followed by a clamor of
voices. Those who had before espoused the cause of the Raven again
spoke out loudly, while many of the others hesitated as to the
course to be pursued.
The Stag hastily consulted with two or three of his principal
advisers, and then moved forward, waving his hand to command
silence. His countenance was calm and unmoved, although inwardly he
was boiling with rage at this defiance of his authority. He was too
politic a chief, however to show this. He knew that the great
majority of the tribe was with him; yet the employment of force to
drag the Raven and his companions from their post would probably
create a division in the tribe, the final results of which none
could see, and for the consequences of which he would, in case of
any reverse, be held responsible and looked upon with disapproval
by both parties.
"The Ravens and his friends have great hearts," he said
courteously. "They are large enough to shelter the little White
Bird.
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