Without a moment's hesitation Ted reached forward and grasped the Indian
by a collar of leather which he wore laced around his throat, somewhat
after the fashion of the white linen chokers worn by young white men.
Furiously the young Indian lashed out with his quirt, which struck Ted
across the shoulders, and made him wince with the burning sharpness of
it.
But Ted was back at him like a flash, and his quirt sang through the air
and slapped upon the buckskin shirt worn by the Indian.
Crazy Cow, whom the lash had not hurt in the least, only laughed.
Ted saw that he might go on thrashing the Indian all day upon his shirt,
and that it would have no more effect than if he whipped a covering of
iron.
The other Indians also saw the humor of the situation, and joined in the
laughter.
Meantime, the Indian was plying his quirt with all his force, and every
time the lash struck Ted across the shoulders or neck it left a blue
welt.
Whipping fights are common among the Indian lads, and are merely tests
of courage, and the power to endure pain without crying out. The Indian
boy who cries out unexpectedly at some particularly stinging blow is
called a squaw, and sent into Coventry by the others for varying lengths
of time, during which none of them will speak to him.
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