That night the horse spoke again to the boy and said, "_Wa-ti-hes
Chah'-ra-rat wa-ta_. Tomorrow the Sioux are coming--a large war party.
They will attack the village, and you will have a great battle. Now,
when the Sioux are all drawn up in line of battle, and are all ready to
fight, you jump on to me, and ride as hard as you can, right into the
middle of the Sioux, and up to their Head Chief, their greatest warrior,
and count _coup_ on him, and kill him, and then ride back. Do this four
times, and count _coup_ on four of the bravest Sioux, and kill them, but
don't go again. If you go the fifth time, maybe you will be killed, or
else you will lose me. _La-ku'-ta-chix_--remember." So the boy promised.
The next day it happened as the horse had said, and the Sioux came down
and formed in line of battle. Then the boy took his bow and arrows, and
jumped on the dun horse, and charged into the midst of them. And when
the Sioux saw that he was going to strike their Head Chief, they all
shot their arrows at him, and the arrows flew so thickly across each
other that they darkened the sky, but none of them hit the boy. And he
counted _coup_ on the Chief, and killed him, and then rode back. After
that he charged again among the Sioux, where they were gathered
thickest, and counted _coup_ on their bravest warrior, and killed him.
And then twice more, until he had gone four times as the horse had told
him.
But the Sioux and the Pawnees kept on fighting, and the boy stood around
and watched the battle. And at last he said to himself, "I have been
four times and have killed four Sioux, and I am all right, I am not hurt
anywhere; why may I not go again?" So he jumped on the dun horse, and
charged again. But when he got among the Sioux, one Sioux warrior drew
an arrow and shot. The arrow struck the dun horse behind the forelegs
and pierced him through. And the horse fell down dead. But the boy
jumped off, and fought his way through the Sioux, and ran away as fast
as he could to the Pawnees. Now, as soon as the horse was killed, the
Sioux said to each other: "This horse was like a man. He was brave. He
was not like a horse." And they took their knives and hatchets, and
hacked the dun horse and gashed his flesh, and cut him into small
pieces.
The Pawnees and Sioux fought all day long, but toward night the Sioux
broke and fled.