A CLEVER STRATAGEM
At the time that Sun Bird and White Otter set out to climb the ridge to
search for the Blackfeet camp, Lean Wolf and Sitting Eagle rode
northward along the edge of the timber to look for signs of their
enemies. They were particularly anxious to locate the Crows, who, they
feared, were somewhere in the vicinity. They rode until the day was half
gone, and then, having seen nothing of their foes, determined to return
to their companions. As they were cantering slowly toward a deep ravine
which they had crossed earlier in the day, their ponies suddenly began
to raise their ears and whinny. The Sioux instantly stopped in alarm.
"Watch out!" cautioned Lean Wolf.
He had barely given the warning when a great company of horsemen rode
out of the ravine and raced toward the astounded Sioux. The latter
instantly recognized the riders as Crows. They were almost upon them and
the Sioux wheeled their ponies and rode madly across the plain.
"This way! This way!" cried Sitting Eagle, as he turned toward the
north.
The Crows were within bowshot and their arrows were falling all about
the crouching Sioux. The latter urged their ponies to a frantic burst of
speed to escape from the fierce attack. Stride by stride they distanced
their pursuers until they were beyond arrow range. Then the Crows
withheld their arrows and began to lash their ponies in an attempt to
again get within bow range.
"Keep low on your pony," cautioned Lean Wolf. "Perhaps they do not know
who we are."
"Yes, yes, we will try to fool them," replied Sitting Eagle.
Then as the two ponies raced along side by side he told Lean Wolf about
a narrow, shut-in canyon which extended back into the foothills. He said
it was only a short distance ahead of them.
"If we run into that place the Crows cannot get us," Sitting Eagle
declared, confidently.
"It is good, we will go there," agreed Lean Wolf.
The Crows were trying desperately to come within arrow range, but the
gallant Sioux ponies were holding their lead and their riders had little
fear of being overtaken. They believed that the Crow ponies had reached
the limit of their speed and that further urging would cause them to
collapse.
The Sioux finally reached the canyon a safe distance ahead of their
pursuers. After they had ridden through the narrow entrance, they
dismounted and sought safety behind two great boulders which guarded the
pass.
"Now we can hold off our enemies," Sitting Eagle said, with evident
relief.
"Yes, it will be hard for them to come through here," declared Lean
Wolf.
The Crows, however, showed no disposition to make the attempt. They
seemed to realize the strength of the Sioux position and appeared
reluctant to make an attack. They gathered in a compact group well
beyond arrow range, and held a council of war.
"They will wait until it gets dark," declared Sitting Eagle. "Then they
will try to get into this place."
"We will be ready," Lean Wolf said, doggedly. "But perhaps the Crows
will keep us here a long time. We have no water. It is bad."
"There is a little pool a short ways behind us, and there is plenty of
grass for the ponies," Sitting Eagle assured him.
"It is good," Lean Wolf declared, heartily. "We can stay here until the
Crows get tired and go away."
When the day finally ended and twilight fell upon the plain, the Sioux
became more alert. They feared that the crafty Crows would make an
attempt to creep into the canyon under cover of the darkness, and they
determined to be prepared. Crouching behind the bowlders, they peered
anxiously into the night, listening for the sound of stealthy footfalls
at the entrance to the canyon. Then, as time passed and the stillness was
unbroken, they began to wonder. Had the Crows suddenly departed? The
Sioux had grave doubts.
"No, they have not gone away," Lean Wolf told Sitting Eagle. "I believe
they took us for Blackfeet. They are very mad at those people. I believe
they will try hard to kill us."
"Listen!" cautioned Sitting Eagle.
They heard something moving cautiously near the entrance to the pass.
Fearing that the Crows were about to make an attack, the Sioux fitted
arrows to their bows and prepared to offer desperate resistance. Then
they again heard some one creeping stealthily toward them through the
night.
"It is a scout," whispered Lean Wolf.
Sitting Eagle rose to his knees, and shot his arrow toward the sounds.
There was a noisy scramble from the pass, and they knew that the
invaders had been driven off. Then for a long time they heard nothing
further from their foes. Shortly before daylight, however, a small
company of reckless young warriors rushed boldly into the narrow defile
and made a valiant attempt to overcome the Sioux. The latter fought
furiously, and the Crows were forced to withdraw. Their foolhardy
display of bravery had cost the lives of several of them.
The Sioux were greatly encouraged by their success in holding the pass.
They believed that the Crows would be slow to renew the attack. They had
withdrawn beyond arrow range, and as dawn lighted the plain the Sioux
saw them gathered in earnest discussion some distance from the canyon.
"Perhaps they will go away," Sitting Eagle said, hopefully.
"No, I do not believe it," replied Lean Wolf. "Listen, they are singing
their war songs. We must be ready."
A few moments afterward the entire Crow war party galloped toward the
canyon. As they came within arrow range, however, they dropped behind
their ponies and raced past yelling fiercely.
"Save your arrows!" shouted Lean Wolf.
"Yes, yes, I see what they are trying to do," Sitting Eagle told him.
They realized at once that their wily foes were attempting to make them
waste their arrows. When the Crows saw that the trick had failed, they
immediately withdrew beyond arrow range. This time, however, they
disappeared from sight over a rise of the plain. The Sioux looked at one
another in surprise. The unexpected maneuver made them suspicious.
"They are trying to fool us," said Sitting Eagle.
"Yes, they are trying to make us come out so that they can catch us,"
declared Lean Wolf.
Then their suspicions were confirmed as they saw several warriors
peeping over the crest of the rise. The Sioux laughed and jeered at
them, and the Crows instantly withdrew from sight. They remained hidden
for the rest of the day, but the Sioux had little doubt that sharp-eyed
scouts were constantly watching the pass.
"If they do not come when it gets dark, we will know that they have gone
away," said Sitting Eagle.
They watched in weary suspense as the long day finally drew to a close.
The Crows, however, failed to appear. It seemed as if they really had
abandoned the siege, and still the Sioux feared to believe it.
Experience had taught them that the Crows were crafty and treacherous
foes, and they feared that they were planning some clever ruse to gain
admission to the canyon.
"We must keep watching," Lean Wolf said, suspiciously.
The night was well advanced before they heard anything to arouse their
fears. Then they again caught the sound of some one moving toward the
canyon.
"Watch out, they have come!" whispered Sitting Eagle.
"I hear them," Lean Wolf replied.
The next moment a wild chorus of yells warned them that the entire Crow
force was crowding into the narrow pass. The Sioux knew that the
critical moment was at hand. The Crows had left their ponies out on the
plain and had crept toward the canyon on foot. It was evident that they
were determined to kill their foes at any cost, and the Sioux realized
that unless they could stop the first fierce rush there was no hope for
them.
"Come, we are Dacotahs, we will show these people how to fight!" Lean
Wolf cried, savagely.
They rose behind the bowlders and delivered a deadly volley of arrows
that threw the Crows into confusion. For a moment they hesitated, and
the Sioux took hope. Then the Crows rallied and rushed recklessly upon
their foes. The Sioux took shelter behind the bowlders and fought with
the fury of despair. They realized that it was only a matter of moments
before they would be overcome, and they determined to make the Crows pay
dearly for the victory.
At that instant, however, the great war cry of the Dacotahs echoed
through the night, and a moment afterward the thunderous hoof beats of
running ponies reverberated across the plain. The Sioux could scarcely
believe their ears. The Crows turned in panic.
"The Blackfeet! The Blackfeet!" they cried hysterically. "They have run
off our ponies!"
They believed that they had been led into a trap by the treacherous
Blackfeet, and the thought demoralized them. Their one thought was to
escape from the canyon before their foes barred the way. They scrambled
wildly through the narrow pass and fled into the darkness.
"Come!" cried Lean Wolf, as he sprang upon his pony.
The Sioux galloped from the pass, and raced across the plain to join the
Minneconjoux war party. They heard the Sioux war cry directly ahead of
them, and they raised their voices in reply. Several riderless ponies
crossed their path, but they made no attempt to capture them. Their one
thought was to join their comrades in an attack upon the bewildered
Crows. Then they heard some one galloping toward them and shouting their
names. A moment later White Otter raced the fiery piebald beside them.
"You are alive--it is good," he said. "Come, we will run away before the
Crows find out about it."
"Where are our brothers?" Lean Wolf inquired, anxiously.
"Little Raven and Running Dog are waiting over there," White Otter told
him.
"Yes, yes, but where are the others?" inquired Lean Wolf.
"They did not come," laughed White Otter. "We made all that noise to
frighten the Crow ponies and bring the Crows out on the plain. I did it
a long time ago. Now I have done it again. The Crows are very foolish."
"White Otter, you are a great chief!" Lean Wolf said, warmly. "You have
given us our lives. We will tell our people about it."