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He wondered how he might give that touch as he wished it. Skookum still slept. Both men watched the mouse, as, with quick movements it crept about. Presently it approached a long birch stick that stood up against the wall. High hanging was the song-drum. Rolf wished Quonab would take it and let it open his heart, but he dared not offer it; that might have the exact wrong effect.
Yes, even more than in former days did he take his song-drum to the rock of worship, to his idaho as the western red man would have called it. And there, because it was high and the wind blew cold, he made a little eastward-facing lodge.
Now the mouse was behind the birch stick. Then Rolf noticed that the stick if it were to fall would strike a drying line, one end of which was on the song-drum peg. So he made a dash at the mouse and displaced the stick; the jerk it gave the line sent the song-drum with hollow bumping to the ground.
"Thus it came about that all the woods and waters sent their folk to the dance. "Then Kaluskap took his song-drum and said: 'When I drum and sing you must dance in a circle the same way as the sun, close your eyes tightly, and each one shout his war whoop, as I cry "new songs"!
There was no camp; and as he climbed for a higher view, the Skookum of to-day gave bristling proof of fear at some strange object there a man that moved not. His long straight hair was nearly white, and by his side, forever still, lay the song-drum of his people.
And Quonab built another medicine lodge to watch the sun go down over the hill. Sitting by a little fire to tune his song-drum, he often crooned to the blazing skies. "I am of the sunset now, I and my people," he sang, "the night is closing over us."
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