He was expected to set his companions a good example and generally did so. However, little changed beyond making sure that his band did not charge through the camp and create a disturbance. The acquisition of a more powerful bow allowed him to try his hand on larger game. Often he and his friends attempted to bring down the swift-flying bull-bats in an evening time. While they occasionally managed to hit a bat, their light bows lacked the power to hurl an arrow hard enough to bring the animal down. Using his new bow, Loncey finally achieved his ambition. With a leather cuff around his left arm to protect it from bruising by the string—a necessity with the more powerful bow—he practised shooting at stationary objects first, graduating to moving targets. Not for several tries did he bring off his desired coup on a bull-bat, but when he did his whoop of triumph could be heard all around the camp. Word drifted back to the Pehnane, carried by visiting braves, of Fire Dancer’s activities among the Kweharehnuh.
