Tall Buck and Red Hawk, two Delaware youths searching for good arrow-stone, head into enemy Iroquois territory across Lake Champlain. Beset by enemy braves in a four-man canoe, Red Hawk takes an arrow in the shoulder, but the wind hastens escape. Overlooking an Iroquois village, Red Hawk sees an elderly warrior outside his lodge chipping arrowheads from a shining block of black stone. Red Hawk, skunk-sprayed, deceives the enemy into thinking their dogs are barking at a skunk. He steals into the lodge at night and takes the block of arrow-stone, which the two deliver to their Delaware tribe.; Of the Adirondack tribe, grandfather Step-and-a-Half of a crippled knee, and his girl the maiden Dancing Wave and her brother Little Owl hide out on an island from Chief Bear Foot and his braves. If the young man, Tall Heron, had been home, Chief Bear Foot would not have dared to claim Dancing Wave in marriage. An Abenaki is out hunting and threatens Step-and-a-Half, but Tall Heron returns and defeats the Abenaki. Tall Heron informs Step-and-a-Half that Chief Bear Foot is dead of a snake bite, and he has come to take Step-and-a-Half, Dancing Wave and Little Owl back to their village.