A PERILOUS MISSION
Daylight was close at hand when the Sioux suddenly heard the dogs
barking furiously in the Cheyenne village. The sounds filled them with
alarm. Had they arrived too late to warn the Cheyennes? Had the Kiowas
beaten them to the goal? Had the fight begun? The possibilities tried
their courage. Lashing their exhausted ponies into a final,
heart-breaking sprint they raced recklessly toward the camp.
As they came within bowshot of the village they heard a company of
horsemen riding to meet them. They drew in the ponies, and listened in
trying suspense. Had they encountered friends or foes? They determined
to take no chances. Drawing their bows, they waited for the riders to
approach. They had stopped. They, too, were suspicious and cautious.
"Ho, Cheyennes, we are Dacotahs," cried White Otter. "We have come to
help you."
They heard the murmur of voices. A pony called. Then all was still.
The Sioux waited impatiently. Many moments passed. They became
suspicious.
"I believe it is the Kiowas," said Sun Bird.
As he spoke a voice sounded from the darkness. It addressed them in
the Sioux dialect.
"Ho, Dacotahs, tell us who you are," it said.
"Watch out, perhaps the Kiowas are trying to catch us," said Sun Bird.
"I am White Otter; ask your chief Red Dog about me," White Otter
called out.
"Ho, my brother, we will come to meet you," said the stranger.
"Wait," cried White Otter. "First tell me who you are."
"I am Painted Weasel--do you know me?"
"Yes, I know you," said White Otter.
The Sioux advanced and found a small company of Cheyennes waiting a
short distance from the village. Painted Weasel was an old friend whom
the Sioux greeted warmly. They found a number of other acquaintances
in the company that had ridden out to intercept them. Painted Weasel,
however, was the only one who spoke their words.
"Your ponies have run fast," said Painted Weasel. "Has anything bad
happened to you?"
"My brother, the Kiowas are coming to fight you," White Otter told
him. "We found out about it, and came here to tell you. They are close
by. There is little time. Ride to the camp and call your warriors."
Painted Weasel addressed his companions. When he finished speaking,
three Cheyennes rode silently into the night. The Sioux knew that they
had gone to watch for the Kiowas.
"Come," said Painted Weasel.
When they arrived at the camp they were met by Red Dog, the Cheyenne
war chief, an old friend and ally whom White Otter and Sun Bird had
saved from death at the hands of the Pawnees.
"Ho, my brothers, you have come to our lodges--it is good," cried Red
Dog.
"No, Red Dog, it is bad," White Otter told him. "We came here to tell
you that the Kiowas are coming to fight you. They are close by. You
must get ready."
When Red Dog repeated the warning to his tribesmen, they were thrown
into a frenzy of excitement. In a few few moments the camp was in an
uproar. All was confusion, as the alarmed Cheyennes ran through the
village calling the people from the lodges. Then Red Dog took command,
and restored order.
"Light the fires!" he cried. "Drive in the ponies."
The women and boys brought fuel for the fires. A company of young men
rode out on the plain to drive in the ponies. The warriors gathered
eagerly about their chief. The Sioux noted that the Cheyennes were few
in numbers.
"It is bad," Red Dog told White Otter. "Many of our warriors have gone
to hunt buffaloes. There are few of us here. It will be hard to hold
off the Kiowas."
"We will help you," said White Otter.
"It is good," replied Red Dog. "I have seen you do big things. My
people will feel strong because you are here."
Fires had been lighted to prevent the Kiowas from entering the camp
under cover of the darkness. Soon afterward the young men drove in the
ponies. They were driven into a stout corral. Then the warriors
stationed themselves along the edge of the village to watch for the
Kiowas. The Sioux joined Red Dog. The latter was a cripple, having had
both legs broken at the time the Sioux saved him from the Pawnees.
"See, it is getting light," White Otter said, hopefully. "I believe
the Kiowas will hold back. Perhaps they know that we have told you
about them."
"Do they know who you are?" inquired Red Dog.
"No," replied White Otter. "I believe they took us for your people."
"It is good," declared Red Dog.
As darkness finally passed, and dawn lighted the plain, the little
company of Cheyennes looked anxiously toward the west. The Kiowas,
however, failed to appear. The Cheyennes felt more hopeful. They
believed there was less chance of the Kiowas attacking the camp in
daylight.
"If they do not know that our people are away, they will be cautious,"
said Red Dog. "Perhaps they were coming here to run off ponies."
"Yes, I believe that is what they proposed to do," White Otter told
him.
Soon afterward they saw three of the Cheyenne scouts riding toward the
camp. When they arrived, the warriors crowded about them to learn what
they had discovered. They said that they had heard nothing of the
Kiowas during the night, but at daylight they had discovered what
appeared to be a wolf, at the top of a ravine some distance to the
westward. The actions of the wolf had convinced them that it was a
disguised scout, and they believed the war party was hiding in the
ravine. Two of the Cheyenne scouts had remained out on the plain to
watch.
"Yes, I believe that wolf was a Kiowa," White Otter told Red Dog.
"That is how they tried to fool us, but we were too sharp."
"I do not believe they will come here while it is light," said Red
Dog. "Thunder Hawk and Running Buffalo are watching. They are sharp.
The Kiowas will not get past them."
Convinced that there was no immediate danger of an attack, the
Cheyennes relaxed their vigilance. Red Dog appointed some of the older
boys to watch along the edge of the camp, while the warriors assembled
in council to discuss plans for defending the village.
"My brothers, the Kiowas are close by," said Red Dog. "Our brothers,
the Sioux, have told us about them. It was a big thing to do. If these
brave Sioux had not come here, perhaps the Kiowas would have run off
many ponies. Now we know about it. The Kiowas are strong. There are
few of us. It will be hard to keep them out of the camp. We must send
scouts to bring back the hunters. Then we must make a big fight until
our people come."
"Red Dog, give us fresh ponies, and we will go to find your brothers,"
White Otter told him.
"It is good," said Red Dog. "Cheyennes, the Sioux are our friends.
They are going to bring back the hunters. They are great scouts. The
Kiowas cannot fool them. Come, my brothers, lead out three of my best
war ponies for these brave Sioux."
Three of the best ponies in the Cheyenne tribe were brought for White
Otter and his companions. When they mounted them and prepared to ride
away, an old man came forward and signaled that he wished to speak to
them.
"It is Ghost Bear, he is a great Medicine Person," Red Dog told them.
"Young men, I have some words for you," he said in the Sioux tongue.
"You came here to help us. You are our friends. I know about you. You
are brave. You are going into great danger. You are going into the
country of our enemies, the Pawnees. I do not wish anything bad to
happen to you. That is why I am going to help you. But first tell me
who is the leader."
"My brother, White Otter, is the leader," Sun Bird told him. "He is a
great war chief of the Ogalalas. He has done many big things."
"Yes, yes, I know that White Otter is a great chief," said Ghost Bear.
"I know that he saved the life of Red Dog. I know that he went with
our people to fight the Kiowas. Now, White Otter, I am going to give
you something to keep you safe. You must wear this mysterious Medicine
Bag about your neck. It will make you strong and keep you from harm.
It will give you power to overcome your enemies."
He advanced to White Otter and gave him a small buckskin bag. White
Otter fastened it about his neck. The superstitious young Ogalala felt
certain that it contained some mysterious Medicine Token which would
guard him against misfortune.
"Ghost Bear, I see that you are a great Medicine Person," he said.
"You have given me this mysterious Medicine Thing. I will keep it. I
believe it will make me strong."
"My brothers, you are about to ride away, perhaps the Kiowas will try
to catch you," said Red Dog. "I do not believe they will be able to
come up with those ponies. We will keep watching. If the Kiowas go
after you, we will ride out and drive them back."
"No, my brother, that would be foolish," White Otter told him. "Ghost
Bear has given me this great Medicine Thing. I see that these ponies
are fast. The Kiowas cannot harm us. You must keep watching. The
Kiowas are sharp. Pretty soon we will bring back your brothers. Then
we will ride out and chase away the Kiowas. We will take many ponies.
Now we are going away. Be brave, my friends."
Then the three Sioux scouts rode away toward the south. The Cheyennes
stood at the edge of the camp and looked after them. They kept a sharp
watch to the westward. There was no sign of their foes. They wondered
if the Kiowas had discovered the three horsemen.
"I do not believe the Kiowas will follow them," Red Dog said,
hopefully.
They continued to watch until the Sioux were far away. Then they felt
less anxious. Having gained a big lead, they believed the Sioux would
have little difficulty in keeping ahead of their foes. Then they
suddenly discovered something which filled them with gloomy
forebodings of evil. A golden eagle, the war bird, had appeared in
the sky. It was circling directly over the camp. The Cheyennes
watched it with superstitious fear.
"It is bad," cried old Ghost Bear, the Medicine Man. "It means war."
"Look, look, the great war bird is flying toward the place where the
Kiowas are hiding," cried the Cheyennes.
"It is a bad sign," the old men declared, solemnly.
"My brothers, we must get ready to fight," said Ghost Bear. "The war
bird has warned us. I believe the Kiowas will come to the village."