PAWNEES
As the Sioux scouts rode toward the south to find the Cheyenne
hunters, they watched closely to make sure that the Kiowas were not
following them. Then, as the day advanced and they saw nothing of
their foes, they believed that they had escaped from the Cheyenne camp
without attracting the attention of the Kiowa scouts. The thought
encouraged them.
"It is good," said Sun Bird. "There is no danger."
"We must not be too sure about it," White Otter cautioned him. "Red
Dog told us about the Pawnees. We must watch out."
At first they attempted to follow the trail of the Cheyennes, but as
the latter had left the camp some days before the tracks were old and
indistinct. The Sioux realized that they would be forced to ride
slowly to follow them. Then, too, they feared that the Cheyennes might
make many wide and unnecessary detours in their search for buffaloes,
and an effort to follow them might cause much useless riding and a
great loss of time. Aware that each moment was precious, White Otter
finally determined to leave the trail and ride directly across the
plain in the hope of encountering the hunters.
"It is the best thing to do," said White Otter.
"Yes, I believe it will be the quickest way to find the hunters,"
agreed Sun Bird.
Late in the day they discovered a number of fresh pony tracks leading
toward the west. White Otter and Sun Bird dismounted to examine them.
They decided that they had been made only a short time before. The
trail made them suspicious. They looked anxiously across the plain.
There was nothing in sight.
"Perhaps it is the Cheyennes," said Sun Bird.
White Otter remained silent. He was walking slowly along the trail,
and examining the tracks with great care. His companions waited for
his decision. At last he rose, and shook his head in doubt.
"Do you feel different about it?" Sun Bird inquired, anxiously.
"My brother, I am not sure about it," White Otter told him. "Only a
few ponies passed this place--there are many Cheyennes."
"Perhaps they were scouts, going over there to look for buffaloes,"
suggested Sun Bird.
"Perhaps," said White Otter.
He was looking anxiously toward the west. The plain was level and free
of cover, and it was possible to see a long distance ahead. White
Otter realized that the riders were farther away than he had supposed.
"Perhaps they are wild ponies," said Little Raven.
"Yes, that may be true," replied White Otter. "Well, we will try to
find out about them. Come, we will follow them."
He rode slowly along the trail, and Sun Bird and Little Raven followed
him. His doubts had made them suspicious, and they kept a sharp watch
for foes. They had gone a considerable distance when White Otter
suddenly stopped and dismounted. He stooped and lifted something from
the ground. He examined it with great interest. Then he turned to his
companions.
"See," he said. "I have found something that tells me what I wish to
know."
He passed the object to Sun Bird. It was a small, round, highly
polished piece of bone. It had a hole bored through the end of it.
Sun Bird recognized it at once. It had come from a bone breast-plate,
worn by warriors to protect them from the arrows of their foes. For
some moments he stared at it in silence. Then he gave it to Little
Raven.
"Now we know that those ponies carried riders," said White Otter.
"They are not our friends, the Cheyennes. They are warriors."
"I believe they are Pawnees," declared Sun Bird.
At that moment White Otter discovered something far away to the
northward. A column of smoke was rising against the sky. They watched
it until it finally faded from view. They believed it had been a
signal from the Kiowa war party. Then White Otter suddenly guessed the
truth.
"My brothers, I believe those people are Kiowas," he said. "I believe
they are going to help their friends fight the Cheyennes. I believe
those Kiowas near the Cheyenne camp sent up that smoke to tell their
friends where they are. Come, we will see if it is true."
A short distance farther on the trail turned abruptly toward the
north. They felt certain that a company of Kiowas had gone to
participate in the attack on the Cheyenne camp. The thought roused
them to action. They realized that the little force of Cheyennes were
in a desperate plight.
"My brothers, we must try to find the hunters," cried White Otter.
"There is no time to spare."
They left the trail and cantered away toward the south. The day was
far gone, and they were eager to find the Cheyennes before darkness
fell. They feared that the Kiowas would attack the camp some time
during the night. Would the Cheyennes be able to hold them off until
their tribesmen came to their aid? The Sioux had grave doubts. They
looked anxiously across the plain, hoping each moment to see the
hunters come in sight. The day passed, however, and the Cheyennes
failed to appear. The Sioux gave way to despair.
"It is bad," White Otter said, soberly, as they abandoned the search
at dark.
They found a little spring at the base of a solitary cottonwood tree,
and decided to remain there until daylight. After they had picketed
the ponies they sat in gloomy silence, staring thoughtfully into the
night. The Cheyennes had given them some dried elk meat, but they had
no desire to eat. Their hearts were filled with fears for the people
in the Cheyenne camp.
"If the hunters were close by I believe they would come here for
water," said Sun Bird. "I believe they are far away."
"It must be so," agreed White Otter. "We looked hard but we could not
find them. We did not find their tracks. Perhaps they have followed
the buffaloes."
"Perhaps they have gone back to their village," suggested Little
Raven.
For a moment the possibility gave them hope. Then they suddenly
realized that it would have been difficult for the Cheyennes to have
passed them without being seen. They feared that the hunters were
still somewhere to the southward, searching for the buffalo herds.
"Well, when it gets light we will ride around until we find their
tracks," said Sun Bird. "Then we will soon come up with them. I
believe Red Dog and his friends will keep the Kiowas out of the camp
until we bring the hunters."
"Red Dog and his friends are very brave, but there are many Kiowas,"
White Otter told him. "I feel bad about it."
Then their thoughts were diverted by the strange behavior of the
ponies. They had raised their heads, and were looking nervously into
the darkness. The Sioux seized their weapons, and sprang to their
feet. They untied the ponies and stood beside them, ready to mount and
ride away at the first warning of danger.
"Do you hear anything?" Little Raven asked White Otter.
"No," said White Otter.
The ponies still seemed restless and frightened, but they made no
attempt to call. The wind was blowing directly toward them. The Sioux
believed that if either men or horses were approaching the ponies
would have called. Nevertheless, they determined to take every
precaution.
"Perhaps something is coming here to drink," said Sun Bird.
"Listen," whispered White Otter.
They heard something moving about in the darkness. One of the ponies
snorted and plunged wildly. It tore the lariat from the grasp of
Little Raven, and dashed away. White Otter and Sun Bird sprang upon
their ponies and raced after it. At that moment Little Raven saw two
small awkward creatures galloping toward him. He shot his arrow before
he recognized them. One of them rolled over, bawling lustily. The
other ran off. Little Raven suddenly identified them as cubs of the
grizzly bear.
"Hi, now I must watch out," he said.
The next moment a savage roar sounded close at hand, and he saw the
mother bear running toward the wounded cub. He shot his arrow, and the
bear turned to face him. For an instant he saw the threatening glare
of her eyes. Then she rushed at him. He shot another arrow. Then he
fled toward the cottonwood. He barely had time to draw himself to the
lowest limb before the enraged bear was at the tree. She reared
unsteadily, and tried to climb. Little Raven attempted to draw an
arrow from his bow-case and almost fell from the limb. In the meantime
the bear had dropped to the ground, and galloped back to her cubs. At
that moment Little Raven heard his friends returning with the ponies.
"Watch out, Ma-to-ho-ta is here!" he cried. "I have killed one of her
babies. She is very mad."
"Where are you?" White Otter inquired, anxiously.
"I am up here in this tree," said Little Raven.
"Ma-to-ho-ta has turned our brother into Zi-ca, the squirrel," laughed
Sun Bird.
As the Sioux advanced, the bear rushed to meet them. Little Raven
heard them shoot their arrows, and gallop away. There was no sound
from the bear. He believed they had killed it.
"Ma-to-ho-ta is dead," he shouted.
"Stay where you are," cautioned White Otter. "We will find out about
it."
Little Raven heard the ponies snorting nervously, as his friends rode
forward to investigate. Then he heard one of the cubs whining. Some
one shot an arrow. The cub became quiet. A moment afterward White
Otter called him.
"Come down, my brother, Ma-to-ho-ta and her babies are dead," he said.
"I was like a feeble old man," Little Raven cried, angrily, as Sun
Bird gave him the lariat of the runaway pony. "That horse fooled me."
"It is bad," said White Otter. "If the Pawnees came here instead of
Ma-to-ho-ta they would have run off that pony."
They picketed the ponies, and went to examine the bear. It was
unusually large, but thin, and poor in fur, as usual at that season.
Little Raven cut off the claws and shared them with his companions.
They fastened them to their rawhide belts. Then White Otter cut open
the carcass and drew out the heart. He divided it into three
portions, and they ate it. It was an old custom of their people, and
they believed that it would give them the strength and courage for
which Ma-to-ho-ta was famous.
The night passed without further alarm, and at the first signs of dawn
the Sioux rode away to search for the Cheyennes. Red Dog had told them
that the hunters proposed to go a day's journey to the southward, and
then circle about the plain until they discovered the buffalo herd.
"Well, they must be close by," declared Little Raven.
"We must try hard to find them," White Otter told him.
His mind was filled with distressing possibilities concerning the
people in the Cheyenne village. Had the Kiowas made an attack? Had Red
Dog and his warriors beaten them off? White Otter feared to hope.
Half of the day had passed before the Sioux saw anything to give them
encouragement. Then White Otter discovered a great dust cloud rising
behind a long, undulating sweep of the plain, far to the westward.
They watched it with breathless interest.
"I believe many buffaloes are running behind that hill," said Sun
Bird. "I believe the Cheyenne hunters are chasing them."
"Yes, yes, it is the buffalo herd!" cried Little Raven. "Now we will
find the hunters."
"Come, we will ride over there, but we must be cautious," White Otter
told them.
They cantered hopefully across the plain. They felt quite certain that
they would find the Cheyenne hunters pursuing the buffaloes behind the
distant ridge. As they drew near, however, White Otter urged caution.
The dust cloud had died away, and he was somewhat suspicious. His
companions heeded his warning.
"Yes, we must watch out," agreed Sun Bird.
As they finally came within arrow range, they stopped and examined the
top of the ridge with great care. It was exposed, and bare of cover,
and offered a poor hiding place. The Sioux saw nothing to arouse
suspicion.
"There is no one there," declared Sun Bird.
"I believe it is safe," said White Otter.
Eager to reach the Cheyennes before they got farther away, the Sioux
galloped boldly toward the ridge. When they reached it, White Otter
and Sun Bird dismounted and scrambled up the slope to reconnoiter.
The plain was dotted with dead buffaloes, and farther to the westward
they saw a great company of riders pursuing the herd.
"They are our friends, the Cheyennes," Sun Bird said, excitedly.
"Come, we must catch up with them."
"I cannot tell who they are, but I believe they are the Cheyennes,"
White Otter told him.
They told Little Raven to bring the ponies. Then they rode impulsively
across the plain. Their eagerness to overtake the hunters made them
reckless. They raced after the distant horsemen at top speed. They
passed a cluster of trees but took little notice of them. Convinced
that they had found the Cheyennes, their one desire was to overtake
them. Buffaloes and hunters had disappeared into a dip of the plain.
"They are riding fast, it will be hard to catch them," declared Sun
Bird.
The hunters apparently had failed to notice them. The Sioux were
somewhat surprised. They had expected to be discovered when they rode
over the ridge. White Otter became suspicious.
"It is mysterious," he said.
They had begun to ascend the hill over which the hunters had
disappeared. Great clouds of dust rose to the westward. It was
evident that the chase was still continuing. Then White Otter suddenly
glanced back across the plain. He stopped his pony and cried out in
alarm.
"Stop!" he shouted.
A small company of horsemen were riding after them. They appeared to
have come from the little grove of trees. The Sioux studied them with
grave suspicion. At first they took them for Cheyenne scouts. As they
came nearer, however, White Otter became doubtful.
"Watch out," he warned. "Perhaps we have run into a trap."
He had barely uttered the warning, when the horsemen whom they had
been pursuing swept down upon them from the top of the ridge. For one
brief moment the Sioux stared at them in astonishment. They could
scarcely believe their eyes. The buffalo hunters were Pawnees. They
were already within arrow range.
"Come!" cried White Otter, as he rode madly down the slope.
"Keep low, they are shooting their arrows," warned Sun Bird.