This challenge was promptly responded to by other smoke-signals, but as at least a day must elapse before our antagonists could arrive I spent the interval in devising a plan of battle--oddly enough, on the lines of a famous historic Swiss encounter at Grandson five or six centuries ago.
I arranged that fifty or sixty men, under the leadership of a chief, should occupy some high ground in our rear, to form a kind of ambush.
They were also to act as a reserve, and were instructed to come rushing to our assistance when I signalled for them, yelling out their weird war- cry of "Warra-hoo-oo,--warra-hoo-oo!" I concluded that this in itself would strike terror into the hearts of our opponents, who were accustomed to see the whole force engaged at one time, and knew nothing about troops held in reserve, or tactics of any kind whatsoever.

The native method of procedure, as, I think, I have already remarked, was usually to dash pell- mell at one another after the abuse and fight, until one side or the other drew blood, without which no victory could be gained.
Just before the battle commenced I had a real inspiration which practically decided the affair without any fighting at all.

It occurred to me that if I mounted myself on stilts, some eighteen inches high, and shot an arrow or two from my bow, the enemy would turn tail and bolt.

And so it turned out.

As the armies approached one another in full battle array they presented quite an imposing appearance, and when a suitable distance separated them they halted for the inevitable abusive parley.
Into the undignified abuse, needless to remark, I did not enter, but kept well in the background.