HOTLY PURSUED
Once aware of what had happened, the enraged Blackfeet rushed from the
camp like a swarm of angry bees. Led by their great war chief, Many
Buffaloes, they rode recklessly out upon the plain to overtake the
daring foes who had run off their ponies. They had not gone an arrow
flight, however, before they collided with the Sioux.
"Come, my brothers, it is time to fight!" cried Sun Bird.
The resolute band of Sioux fighting men charged furiously upon their
foes. They were outnumbered three to one, but the fierceness of their
attack deceived the Blackfeet and threw them into confusion. Having
recognized the Dacotahs, the Blackfeet knew from experience what sort of
resistance to expect from those powerful and courageous foes.
"The Sioux! The Sioux!" they cried, fiercely.
Then, as Sitting Eagle and his companions raced the captured ponies
through the night, Sun Bird and his company of warriors fought
desperately to hold back the Blackfeet. The latter, however, soon became
aware of their superiority in numbers, and the discovery gave them
confidence. Recovering from their momentary disorder, they made a
desperate attempt to break through their enemies.
The Sioux, however, held their ground, and the fighting was at close
quarters. There were many thrilling encounters. Lean Wolf fought three
Blackfeet warriors and overcame all of them. Sun Bird had his pony
killed beneath him, and then killed his foe and took his horse. Feather
Dog became separated from his companions and was compelled to fight off
an entire company of Blackfeet until some of his friends discovered his
plight and rushed to his assistance.
In spite of their bravery, however, the Sioux were unable to overcome
the odds against them. It was not long before they realized that it
would be folly to sacrifice themselves in attempting to match strength
with their foes. The Blackfeet were too strong to be held back. The
Sioux saw that their only chance of success was in making a running
fight.
"We must follow after the ponies," said Sun Bird.
The moment they gave way the Blackfeet interpreted it as a sign of
defeat. Feeling sure of victory, they charged recklessly forward, and
attempted to throw the Sioux into a rout. Instantly alert to his peril,
Sun Bird brought his company to a stand, and fought with a grim ferocity
that soon convinced the Blackfeet of their mistake. They realized that
victory was far from being won, and they became somewhat more cautious.
After several costly and futile attempts to make the Sioux give ground,
they suddenly divided their forces, and a strong company swept around
the Sioux flank.
"They are passing! They are passing!" the Minneconjoux cried in alarm.
At that moment White Otter and Little Raven joined the war party. They
had fought their way through the very midst of their foes, and reached
their companions in safety. The presence of the famous young war chief
greatly encouraged the Minneconjoux.
"There is only one thing to do," White Otter said, hurriedly, as Sun
Bird turned to consult him. "We must keep ahead of those Blackfeet."
Acting upon his advice, the Sioux suddenly gave way and raced across
the plain in pursuit of Sitting Eagle and the band of ponies. Behind
them thundered the main force of Blackfeet, and at their right rode the
company that had succeeded in getting past them.
"When we come to the ponies we must make a big fight," White Otter
declared, grimly, as he rode beside Sun Bird.
"Yes, yes," agreed Sun Bird.
The Blackfeet kept close behind them, and the Sioux were in constant
peril from their arrows. Whenever the Blackfeet came too near, however,
the Sioux turned upon them and fought them off. Thus they made their way
across the plain until they overtook Sitting Eagle and his companions.
The latter had heard them approaching, and had rounded up the ponies and
prepared to fight.
"Keep going! Keep going!" shouted Sun Bird. "We will hold back the
Blackfeet."
"Yes, keep going!" cried White Otter. "Run the ponies until you come to
that big gully. Then wait for us."
Sitting Eagle and his company barely got the ponies under way before the
Blackfeet were upon them. Sun Bird and the war party fought savagely to
hold them off, but the company of Blackfeet who had ridden along the
Sioux flank circled under cover of the darkness and reached the herd.
"Hold the ponies! Hold the ponies!" shouted Sitting Eagle, as the wily
Blackfeet attempted to stampede them.
Yelling fiercely, they charged close up to the alarmed ponies, and threw
them into wild disorder. Frightened into a panic by the noisy tumult,
the bewildered animals tried to break from their captors and flee across
the plain. Sitting Eagle and his companions made valiant efforts to hold
them under control, but the Blackfeet were riding furiously about the
herd, and making desperate efforts to kill the men who guarded it.
In the meantime Sun Bird and the Minneconjoux war party were fighting a
thrilling battle with the main force of their foes. The latter had again
rushed to close quarters, and the Sioux were in desperate straits.
Greatly outnumbered, they fought with a reckless courage that astounded
their enemies. Try as they might, the Blackfeet were unable to break
through the heroic company that confronted them. Led by Many Buffaloes
himself, the bravest warriors in the Blackfeet nation hurled themselves
against the Sioux with a daring abandon that would have speedily routed
less valiant foes. The Sioux, however, repulsed each savage attack with
a dogged ferocity that gradually shattered the confidence of their
foes.
Sitting Eagle and his gallant band were less successful. They found it
impossible to keep the ponies under control, and at the same time defend
themselves against the Blackfeet. They were threatened with disaster and
began to lose heart.
"Come, Dacotahs, show these people how to fight!" cried Sitting Eagle.
At that moment White Otter led a company of Minneconjoux against the
Blackfeet who had attacked the herd. Roused by the courage of the young
Ogalala war chief, the Minneconjoux warriors charged furiously upon the
surprised Blackfeet and completely overwhelmed them with the fierceness
of their attack. For a moment only the Blackfeet opposed them, and then
as White Otter drove his arrow through the leader of the company the
others lost courage and retreated into the night.
"Come," shouted the Ogalala. "Drive away the ponies!"
Sitting Eagle and his comrades instantly got the ponies in motion. Then
the determined Blackfeet again charged forward to gain possession of the
herd. This time, however, they were met by White Otter and his gallant
band of fighters. They fought with a fiery zeal that soon threw fear
into the hearts of their foes. Riding boldly at the head of his
companions, White Otter dashed recklessly among the Blackfeet, and threw
them into confusion. Then as they wavered he raised the piercing Dacotah
war cry, and led his tribesmen in a furious assault that caused the
astounded Blackfeet to flee wildly before him. He followed them a long
distance across the plain, and exacted heavy toll from the laggards.
Then he suddenly heard Sun Bird and the rest of the war party riding
toward the south.
"Come," he cried. "Our brothers are running ahead of the Blackfeet. We
must find out about it."
Having subdued his foes, he turned and led his comrades to join the
Minneconjoux. When he finally overtook them he found Sun Bird in high
spirits. The skillful young war leader had completely defeated his foes.
"The Blackfeet are getting cautious," said Sun Bird. "See, they are
keeping far behind. I believe they are afraid of us."
The Blackfeet appeared to have lost much of their confidence. Having
lost heavily in the desperate fighting with the Sioux, they seemed
unwilling to risk coming again to close quarters with those indomitable
foes. Although they still continued to follow them, they were content to
remain safely beyond arrow range. The Sioux hoped that they would soon
abandon the pursuit.
"Pretty soon they will turn back," declared Sun Bird. "Then they will go
to the village, and tell their people what a great fight they made."
"Well, they will not bring back those ponies," laughed Little Raven.
Daylight was breaking when the Sioux again overtook their comrades with
the captured ponies. Sitting Eagle had stopped in the bottom of a deep
ravine through which trickled a tiny stream. The Sioux saw at once that
it offered them splendid protection against their foes.
"It is good," Sun Bird said, heartily. "Now we will see what the
Blackfeet will do."
The latter had already stopped, and were apparently discussing the
advisability of attempting to drive the Sioux from their shelter. For a
long time they seemed unwilling to make the effort. The Sioux had left
the ponies in the bottom of the ravine, and were lying along the top of
the bank watching their foes with great interest. They had no intention
of leaving the ravine until the Blackfeet had either made an attack or
withdrawn from the vicinity.
"Perhaps they will wait until it gets dark," suggested Little Raven.
"No, I do not believe it," Sun Bird told him. "I believe they will do
something pretty soon."
"Yes, my brother, that is how I feel about it," said White Otter.
The three young warriors were lying beside one another at the top of the
ravine. On each side of them were the other members of the war party,
except a few young warriors who had been left in charge of the ponies.
White Otter noted, however, that some of the Minneconjoux were missing.
Among them were Proud Hawk and Painted Bird, the two young warriors who
had served as scouts for the war party. The eyes of the Ogalala flashed
threateningly as he realized that they and their absent companions had
been killed by the Blackfeet.
"It is bad," Sun Bird said, solemnly. "Those brave warriors were my
friends. I saw Proud Hawk fall from his pony. I was close beside him. I
tried to carry him off, but the Blackfeet killed him. I saw Painted Bird
making a great fight. The Blackfeet were all around him. They must have
killed him. I tried to get near him, but some Blackfeet rushed upon me
and killed my horse. I had a hard time to get away."
"Well, we must not think about it," said White Otter. "A warrior must
always be ready to die. Those men were very brave. It is enough. We will
tell our people about them."
"Yes, we will call out their names when we ride through the camp,"
replied Sun Bird. "We will tell our people that we sent many Blackfeet
to walk behind our brothers on the Long Trail."
Then their thoughts were diverted by the sudden activity of the
Blackfeet. They were advancing slowly across the plain, singing their
war songs, and shouting boastful threats against the Sioux. The latter
watched them with little fear. They realized that the possession of the
ravine had turned the odds in their favor. Besides, they strongly
doubted that the Blackfeet would actually venture within bowshot.
"They will keep away," Sun Bird said, confidently.
It was not many moments before his words were verified. The Blackfeet
had suddenly stopped beyond arrow range. They were still chanting the
war songs, and shouting threateningly, but they showed no inclination to
approach nearer the ravine. The Sioux, however, watched them closely.
They knew that at any moment their wily foes might throw aside their
caution and sweep forward in a furious attack.
"See, that great chief, Many Buffaloes, is giving them strong words,"
Sun Bird said, eagerly, as he seized White Otter by the arm.
The Ogalala made no reply. His eyes were following every move of the
famous Blackfeet war chief. The latter had ridden out in front of his
tribesmen and was making a fiery address. Several times he wheeled his
pony and swept his arm toward the Sioux. They felt certain that he was
rousing his warriors for a final attempt to recapture the ponies. It was
evident that his words were accomplishing the desired effect. The
Blackfeet were becoming greatly excited. The Sioux grew serious. They
had great respect for the courage and ability of the renowned Blackfeet
leader, and they feared that he was preparing to carry through some bold
stroke which might still bring victory to the Blackfeet.
"Many Buffaloes is going to do something big," Sun Bird told White
Otter. "He is very brave. We must watch out."
White Otter took little notice of the warning. His entire attention was
concentrated upon the spirited black pony, and its famous rider.
Everything else had passed from his mind. Even the great company of
jeering Blackfeet had suddenly faded from his vision. He saw nothing but
the Blackfeet war chief, and his prancing black pony. He watched them
with flashing, fascinated eyes. Then Many Buffaloes dramatically passed
his bow, quiver and arrows to one of his tribesmen, and turned toward
the Sioux with his war club raised. White Otter uttered a short, fierce
exclamation of satisfaction. He had instantly interpreted the maneuver,
and his heart bounded with hope.
As the Blackfeet chief rode slowly toward the ravine, singing his war
song and flourishing his war club, White Otter passed his bow and
arrow-case to Sun Bird and scrambled wildly down the steep side of the
ravine.
"That man is very brave," he cried, excitedly. "Tell your people that
they must not try to kill him when he comes close. I am going to ride
out there to meet him."
"No, no, that would be foolish!" Sun Bird shouted in alarm. "He is
riding that great Medicine Horse. You cannot catch him. He will lead you
over there to the Blackfeet, and they will kill you."
"We will see," White Otter replied, lightly, as he ran to the piebald.
In the meantime the Blackfeet chief was fearlessly approaching the
ravine. He was already well within bow range, but the Sioux withheld
their arrows. There were two reasons. In the first place Sun Bird had
called out and warned them against killing Many Buffaloes, and in the
second place his bold defiance insured his safety. The Sioux understood
his reckless maneuver as a challenge to their manhood, an invitation for
one of their leaders to come out and meet him in personal combat. To
have killed him from shelter, under those circumstances, would have made
them weaklings and cowards in the eyes of their foes. The Sioux felt
compelled to respect the code of honor which prevailed even between the
most bitter enemies. They realized, therefore, that one of their number
must accept the defiant challenge of the Blackfeet chief, or else the
latter must be permitted to return to his tribesmen in safety.
Nevertheless, the Minneconjoux knew that if any one went forth to meet
him the wily war leader would rely upon the phenomenal speed of his pony
to carry him to safety, and decoy his enemy within bow shot of his
warriors. For that reason they made great efforts to dissuade White
Otter from his purpose.
"Many Buffaloes has done this thing many times, but we have no ponies
that can come up with him," the Minneconjoux told White Otter. "If you
follow him the Blackfeet will surely kill you."
"I am going," White Otter replied, firmly.
A moment afterward he rode out upon the plain. The Blackfeet greeted his
appearance with savage yells of derision. The Sioux raised the great
Dacotah war cry to give him courage. Many Buffaloes stopped and waited
for him to approach.
"White Otter is a great warrior; he is very brave; that pony is very
fast, but I believe he will be killed," Sun Bird said, fearfully.
The solemn faces of the Minneconjoux gave endorsement to his fears.
They, too, believed that the reckless Ogalala was going to his death.
Having witnessed the speed of the famous black war pony, they felt
certain that White Otter would never get within striking distance of the
Blackfeet chief. Their only hope was that the Ogalala would discover his
peril in time to turn back and save himself from the treacherous
Blackfeet.
"Then we must be ready to rush out and help him," said Sun Bird.
At that instant White Otter raised the war cry, and raced toward the
Blackfeet chief. The latter waited until the Ogalala was almost upon
him, and then he turned his pony and rode furiously toward his yelling
tribesmen. A moment afterward he twisted about and laughed shrilly, as
he shook his war club at the Sioux. Enraged by the taunt, White Otter
struck his pony with the heavy rawhide quirt. The piebald bounded
forward at a speed which caused the Minneconjoux and the Blackfeet to
stare in silent amazement. With each stroke of the lash the wonderful
little beast ran faster. The famous Blackfeet pony was a full length in
the lead, but the piebald was actually gaining. The Minneconjoux could
not believe it possible.
"Many Buffaloes is holding back," they told one another. "He is trying
to draw White Otter near his people."
"No, no, it is not so!" Sun Bird shouted, excitedly. "See, the Dacotah
pony is running faster!"
It was true. Sioux and Blackfeet both realized it. Many Buffaloes looked
over his shoulder and was equally astounded. The piebald had cut his
lead in half and was still gaining. Alarmed at the discovery, Many
Buffaloes lashed the black pony to its best speed. It ran as no other
horse in the great Blackfeet nation had ever run before, but the piebald
ran even faster. White Otter was within less than half a pony-length of
the Blackfeet chief. The latter, however, was almost within bow shot of
his tribesmen. The Minneconjoux realized that unless White Otter
overtook the black pony within the next few strides he would be at the
mercy of his foes. The thought drove them into a frenzy of excitement.
"See, see, he has caught Many Buffaloes!" Sun Bird shouted, wildly.
The piebald had closed the gap, and was drawing abreast of the Blackfeet
pony. Enraged by the glorious achievement of the Sioux pony, the
Blackfeet raced forward to save their chief from defeat. At that moment,
however, White Otter drew even with his foe. Yelling defiantly, Many
Buffaloes swung his war club at the head of the Ogalala. White Otter
crouched and barely escaped the deadly blow. Then before the Blackfeet
chief could regain his balance the agile young Sioux swung his own
weapon and knocked Many Buffaloes from his horse. The next moment he
secured control of the famous black war pony. Turning the ponies in
their tracks, he raced toward the ravine with the entire company of
Blackfeet close behind him.
Leaving a few warriors in the ravine to guard the ponies, the Sioux
galloped madly across the plain to rescue White Otter. Once he got the
ponies under way, however, there was slight chance of the Blackfeet
overtaking him. Stride by stride he drew away from his pursuers, who
were too busily engaged lashing their ponies to think of shooting their
arrows. When they finally did make use of their bows they found
themselves already within range of the Minneconjoux. The latter shot
their arrows with deadly effect, and the disheartened Blackfeet wavered
before the attack. Then, as White Otter dashed among them, the Sioux
flashed about and raced back to the ravine without losing a man.
"Well, my brothers, I have showed you that the Dacotah ponies can run,"
White Otter said, quietly as he dismounted in the midst of his
enthusiastic tribesmen.
"White Otter, I believe the pony that Curly Horse gave you is a Medicine
Pony," Sun Bird declared, seriously. "Perhaps that is why it was so
fierce when you began to ride it. I believe my father had something to
do with it. He is a great Medicine Person."
"It may be true," White Otter told him, as he stroked the neck of the
little piebald.
"Yes, yes, Rain Crow must have had something to do with it," declared
the superstitious Minneconjoux.