35 "I was," admitted Red Cat, "but we'll talk
about that later. Right now, I just want some sleep! How many did we
loose?"
36 "Only about one-hundred. And only one of the new rifles is missing."
37 "Not anymore," announced Red Cat. "Let's get to camp! I want to wash
up, change my clothes and get to sleep! We can talk all day tomorrow as
we march home! We've got some things to attend to in our own land,
before we deal with the enemy again."
38 So it was, Red Cat marched back into his camp to the cheers of his
people. He had returned to them from among the dead. But their march
home was delayed a couple of days. The Healer requested time to let the
wounded rest.
39 The enemy was nowhere around. So Red Cat decided that a couple of
days wouldn't make any difference, and let his people have a well
deserved rest. When he told Shy Fox the story, Shy Fox listened in
stunned disbelief.
40 An aide came in with the prisoner's uniform. "I've cleaned it up,"
he announced, "shall I take it over to the Healer, or leave it here?"
41 "Leave it here," ordered Red Cat, "it'll be some time before he
needs it."
42 "Let me see that," cried Shy Fox. He took the jacket off the top and
began to examine it. Beside the War Leader's marks, there were other
symbols. "Good Lords!" he continued, "Didn't any of you read these?"
43 "I can recognize the War Leader's Symbols," commented Red Cat, "he's
about your rank, isn't he? Awfully high for a boy that young."
44 "These other symbols tell why," explained Shy Fox. "This is the
Royal Crest; the cat's head with the long teeth. And this gold bar
running across it...IT means first born! The damned boy you've