As he rode east, Little Eagle felt more and more uneasy. This plan of
his might not be so good. If the Crows guessed that it was Sioux and not
Pawnees they were chasing, they would take a more direct route. Or they
might send one party to follow the trail and the other to take a shorter
route. It might well be that his plan would actually make it easier for
the Crows to catch them.
Little Eagle felt easier in his mind when he turned north. As the
eastern sky began to light up, he felt still better. He and Angry Wolf
had come a long way from the Crow camp. It might be that the Crows
hadn’t yet learned of their loss.
As the sun came up, Little Eagle called a halt. He noticed Angry Wolf’s
anxious look as the horses scattered to graze. Little Eagle unwrapped
the last of their supply of meat.
“For our next meal we’ll have buffalo meat,” he said, trying to rouse
Angry Wolf from his gloom.
“If the Crows catch us, we won’t have a next meal,” Angry Wolf answered.
“The Crows won’t catch us,” Little Eagle insisted. “We took the horses
easily, just as the mud swallow in my dream told me we could.”
“We did,” Angry Wolf agreed. “But the swallow didn’t show you how we
were to escape after we had the horses.”
Little Eagle frowned. A short time ago Angry Wolf had been full of
confidence. He had wanted to sing the Victory Song. Now he was sure that
they couldn’t succeed. It was true that his dream had ended without the
swallow showing him how to escape with the horses. Suddenly Little
Eagle’s frown changed to a smile of relief.
“The mud swallow is an enemy of the Crows,” Little Eagle reminded his
friend. “He won’t let them catch us.”
“I hope you’re right,” Angry Wolf replied doubtfully. “Anyway I think we
should sleep before we start on. We need rest.”
Little Eagle wondered if Angry Wolf’s plan was good. The Crows would
soon be on their trail. Every step he and Angry Wolf went now would be
another step away from their enemies. If the Crows started while he and
Angry Wolf slept, they would be cutting down the distance between them.
But they did need the rest. Besides, Angry Wolf should make some of the
decisions. He stretched out on the ground and fell asleep.
Little Eagle sat up sleepily when Angry Wolf touched his arm. He felt as
though he had just closed his eyes, yet when he looked to the east, he
saw the sun high above the hills.
“We must start,” Angry Wolf urged.
It took the two of them a long time to catch horses to ride and drive
the others into a herd. When they were ready to start, Little Eagle
again took the lead.
They had trouble keeping the herd moving fast. Sometimes the horses
would trot, but most of the time they plodded along at a walk. Often one
of the horses tried to turn back. Angry Wolf had to be constantly alert.
When the sun was straight overhead, Little Eagle didn’t stop for their
usual rest. He did signal for Angry Wolf to take the lead, and he rode
behind the horses.
Whenever they crossed a hill, Little Eagle stopped to look back. As the
day wore on and he saw no signs of Crows, he began to feel more
confident. It was nearly dark by the time they stopped beside a small
stream. Little Eagle felt almost safe. He was even more encouraged by
Angry Wolf’s growing cheerfulness.
“We seem to have escaped,” Angry Wolf said.
“You could hunt for fresh meat while I build a fire,” Little Eagle
suggested, hoping that by keeping Angry Wolf busy, he could keep him in
good spirits.
Angry Wolf was gone only a short time. He came back with one rabbit.
“It’s too dark to hunt,” Angry Wolf said gloomily.
“I’m so hungry that rabbit will taste as good as roasted buffalo
tongue,” Little Eagle assured him.
As soon as the rabbit was cooked, Little Eagle covered the fire with
dirt.
“There’s no need to give the Crows a signal if they are following us,”
he said.
Little Eagle was glad that there were no clouds in the sky. Since he had
left the deer hide for the swallows, they had no cover. As long as there
was no snow or rain, he and Angry Wolf could sleep comfortably by
burrowing into a pile of leaves.
When Little Eagle awoke the next morning, he felt like jumping and
shouting. It seemed that he ought to dance the Victory Dance. He and
Angry Wolf had escaped the Crows. The horses they had taken were proof
of a great victory. Because Angry Wolf was already rounding up the
horses, Little Eagle delayed his celebration. He hurried to help the
other boy.
“I’ll try to get a buffalo,” Angry Wolf said when they had the horses
driven together in a herd.
“While you’re hunting, I’ll ride back to the top of the first hill,”
Little Eagle told him. “From there I can see a long way. If there are no
Crows in sight, we can feel safe.”
Little Eagle would much rather have gone with Angry Wolf to hunt
buffaloes. It was almost certain that they had escaped the Crows. Yet he
had been taught that a warrior must always guard against surprise.
The hill rose to a high, pointed peak. Little Eagle rode half way up it.
Here he dismounted. He crept up the last few paces to the top as
carefully as though he expected to see Crows coming up the other side.
He took a long time to study the trail. Nothing moved along it. At last
he returned to his horse, mounted, and rode back to camp.
Little Eagle had been in camp only a short time when Angry Wolf rode in,
carrying a piece of buffalo meat. Angry Wolf rode triumphantly. All of
his gloom of the evening before was gone.
“We’ll bring in the rest of the buffalo meat as soon as we have eaten,”
he said cheerfully.
“We have done well,” Little Eagle said.
“Well!” Angry Wolf exclaimed. “We have won victories over the Pawnees
and Crows. Hunting has been good. We ought to sing the Victory Song.”
Only a short time ago, Little Eagle had thought they should sing the
Victory Song. Now, as Angry Wolf became surer that they had escaped,
Little Eagle began to feel new doubts.
“We’d better wait another day,” he said. “I think we have escaped the
Crows, but surely after one more day there can be no doubt.”
Angry Wolf didn’t act greatly disappointed. He seemed to feel that one
more day before they sang the Victory Song would make little difference.
Before they started on, Little Eagle helped Angry Wolf bring in the rest
of the buffalo meat. They cut the buffalo hide into two pieces. They
placed the meat on the pieces of hide, then wrapped the hide around the
meat so that each piece of hide made a big bundle. They tied the two
bundles on one of the horses. This time Angry Wolf led the way, while
Little Eagle rode behind to keep the herd moving.
The prairie here was different from that they had been crossing. The
hills were higher and closer together. It seemed to Little Eagle that
they were always either going up a hill or down one. He was glad that
they seemed to be safely away from the Crows. Here a party of enemies
might have ridden close before he or Angry Wolf discovered them.
All morning they seldom saw a tree. They crossed a few spring-fed
streams, but even beside these there was hardly ever a tree. Little
Eagle and Angry Wolf continually traded places so that part of the time
Little Eagle rode ahead and led the way, while at other times he rode
behind. About the middle of the afternoon he was riding behind. The
horses had given so little trouble that he paid them scant attention. He
was humming the Victory Song under his breath when, for some reason, he
glanced back. A lone Crow warrior was charging toward him!
Little Eagle acted swiftly. He shouted a warning to Angry Wolf and at
the same time jabbed his right knee against his horse’s side to whirl it
around to face the Crow. As his horse whirled, Little Eagle brought up
his bow. There was no time to take aim. The Crow was almost upon him.
Little Eagle let his arrow fly just as the Crow’s arrow struck him.
Little Eagle felt a cutting, tearing pain in his right arm or shoulder,
and the force of the arrow almost tore him from his horse. He clutched
the horse’s mane to keep from falling.
In a half daze Little Eagle realized that he had dropped his own bow. He
heard the pound of hoofs as the Crow circled and came back. Little Eagle
tried to sit erectly on his horse. He could do nothing to defend
himself, but he would meet death like a Sioux warrior. The Crow swept
past without taking another shot. It was then that Little Eagle saw the
Crow had been struck with an arrow too.
Angry Wolf dashed past in pursuit of the Crow, but he couldn’t get near
the wounded warrior. He fired two arrows, but both of them went wide of
the mark. Little Eagle dimly realized that Angry Wolf pulled his horse
to a stop at the top of the hill.
Little Eagle didn’t know how long Angry Wolf was gone. He felt himself
falling. He braced himself with the hand that held the horse’s mane and
fought against the darkness that was closing in on him. The wave of
darkness passed, and Little Eagle was still on his horse.
When he felt stronger, Little Eagle took his hand from his horse’s mane
and felt of the wound. His fingers touched a shaft of wood. The arrow
was stuck in his arm. The head had gone through the flesh, but the shaft
hadn’t. Little Eagle felt the darkness closing in again, but he fought
it off.
It took a long time for Little Eagle to get up enough courage to try to
pull the arrow out. When he reached for it, he heard a horse
approaching. He looked up and saw Angry Wolf returning.
“I thought the Crow’s arrow had killed you,” Angry Wolf said as he came
near Little Eagle.
Angry Wolf’s eyes widened, and a look of fear came into them when he saw
the arrow stuck through Little Eagle’s arm and the blood running down
from the wound.
“Help me off my horse,” Little Eagle ordered.
Angry Wolf jumped from his horse to obey. Little Eagle clamped his teeth
together. He held out his good hand to Angry Wolf. With the other boy’s
help he got off his horse.
“You’ll have to take the arrow out of my wound,” he told Angry Wolf.
Angry Wolf looked at the arrow. His face was drawn and he was gritting
his teeth.
“How can I get it out?” he asked.
“Take a careful hold of it with both hands,” Little Eagle answered.
“Snap it in two and pull the rest out.”
Little Eagle took a deep breath as Angry Wolf took hold of the arrow. He
felt a stab of hot pain as Angry Wolf broke the arrow. In spite of
himself, Little Eagle gasped as Angry Wolf drew the rest of the arrow
from the wound. Little Eagle kept his head turned aside until he was
able to smile. When he looked toward his friend, he saw that Angry
Wolf’s face had the same sickly color it had had when he had been
wounded.
“Did a Crow arrow hit you too?” Little Eagle demanded.
Angry Wolf shook his head.
“I was afraid the Crow’s arrow had taken you to the Happy Hunting
Grounds,” he replied.
Then, as though afraid he had shown too much feeling, Angry Wolf spoke
sharply.
“Tell me how to take care of your wound,” he snapped. “You have studied
under Clawing Bear.”
Little Eagle forced himself to look at his wound. It was a ragged hole,
and blood was oozing down both sides of his arm.
“I have the material for another poultice,” he answered. “But it must be
cooked. There is no fuel here.”
Angry Wolf looked around. There was grass that he could gather and twist
into knots. Although it would be slow work, they could build a cooking
fire with it. He raised his eyes and looked ahead. As far ahead as he
could see, the prairie looked the same. Yet it might not be far to a
stream that had trees growing beside it. That would be a safer place to
camp than this open ground.
“Can you ride?” Angry Wolf asked, turning toward Little Eagle.
“Of course,” Little Eagle answered.
Little Eagle spoke stoutly, but when he tried to mount his horse, he
wasn’t able. He had to have Angry Wolf’s help.
“You ride in front,” Angry Wolf directed. “Go as straight north as you
can.”
A new thought suddenly struck Little Eagle.
“Did the Crow get away?” he asked.
“He was still on his horse when it went out of sight,” Angry Wolf
answered. “But your arrow has wounded him badly. I don’t think he will
get back to the Crow camp.”
“There might be other Crows near who would come to avenge him,” Little
Eagle pointed out.
“There are no other Crows near,” Angry Wolf answered positively. “If
there had been, they would have joined in the attack on us.”
Little Eagle nodded. No warrior would have been foolish enough to make
an attack alone when other warriors were near who could help him. He
turned his horse and started off.
At first Little Eagle was able to ride without too much trouble. It
wasn’t long, though, until the journey became a torture. The wound in
his arm made his whole body hurt. He had lost so much blood that he was
weak and lightheaded. It took all of his remaining strength to stay on
his horse. Weary step after weary step he held on, but at last he could
hold on no longer. He slid from his horse.
Although Little Eagle didn’t know about it, Angry Wolf lifted him onto
his own horse. He mounted behind Little Eagle and held him. Angry Wolf
rode off without a look at the herd of horses. He hoped they would
follow, but if they didn’t, it couldn’t be helped.
[Illustration: _He added the powdered herbs and the bear’s grease_]
There was still daylight when Angry Wolf sighted trees ahead. Before he
reached the grove of trees, he saw that they were growing along a
stream. When he reached the grove, he gently lifted Little Eagle to the
ground. He dug the bowl from one of the packs and filled it at the
stream. He held the bowl to Little Eagle’s lips.
Little Eagle opened his eyes and drank. Angry Wolf smiled briefly.
“I’ll build a fire,” Angry Wolf told him. “You will tell me how to fix
the poultice.”
Little Eagle didn’t try to answer. He lay back with his eyes closed.
When Angry Wolf stepped over to tell him the fire was ready, Little
Eagle opened his eyes.
“Lift me up,” Little Eagle ordered. “I’ll help you make the poultice.”
Angry Wolf opened the sack which contained the material for the
poultice. Under Little Eagle’s direction, he added the powdered herbs
and the bear’s grease and stirred them until the poultice was cooked. He
set it off the fire and waited until it cooled enough so that he could
handle it. Little Eagle helped him press the poultice over the wound.
Both boys looked anxiously to the south as they heard the sound of
approaching horses. They exchanged pleased smiles when they saw the
horses they had taken from the Crows come to the stream. All of the
horses, except the one with packs, drank at the stream. Angry Wolf
quickly took the packs off the other horse so that it could join the
herd.
Angry Wolf sliced steaks from the buffalo meat and cooked them over the
fire. When they were done, he fed Little Eagle before he ate any
himself.
When he had eaten, Little Eagle had Angry Wolf help him lie down. He
fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the ground. Several times
the pain in his shoulder awakened him. However, toward morning he fell
into a deep sleep. He awoke with a throbbing pain in his shoulder, but
he felt surprisingly strong. He sat up carefully.
Angry Wolf, who had been cooking meat, rushed anxiously to Little
Eagle’s side.
“I am better,” Little Eagle assured him.
Little Eagle got slowly to his feet. Although he felt weak, he managed
to walk to the stream. He felt better after he had washed himself and
had drunk of the clear water.
“We should sing the Victory Song as soon as your arm is healed,” Angry
Wolf suggested, as they were eating the meat he had cooked.
“Let’s wait until we reach winter camp,” Little Eagle said. “Other times
we thought that we had escaped the Crows, and we were ready to sing the
Victory Song, yet that one warrior was following.”
“He was the last,” Angry Wolf said confidently. “But you have proved
yourself a good leader. We shall wait until you are ready to sing the
Victory Song.”
“You said that warrior was wounded by my arrow,” Little Eagle said. “Are
you sure?”
“Yes,” Angry Wolf replied. “The Crow was wounded when he rode toward me.
I didn’t get close enough to him to get a shot.”
“How did I get my bow back?” Little Eagle asked. “I seem to remember
dropping it when I was hit by the arrow.”
“I picked it up,” Angry Wolf explained.
All day Little Eagle was restless. Several times he wanted to suggest
that they go on. The Crows were bitter enemies. It might well be that
when the warrior didn’t return, they’d send a party to search for him.
When they found him, they would look for their enemies so that they
could take revenge. Angry Wolf seemed to feel that it was safe to rest
in camp. He did mount one of the horses and ride a scouting trip around
the camp. When he returned, he stretched out on the ground and slept.
“Shall we start in the morning?” Little Eagle asked as they were eating
that evening.
“Don’t you think we should stay here another day so there will be no
danger of reopening your wound?” Angry Wolf suggested.
Little Eagle nodded reluctant agreement. His arm still throbbed
painfully. He had used the last of his material to make the poultice for
this wound. It would be better to make sure the wound was healed before
they started.
The one day became two. Both days dragged slowly for Little Eagle. Much
of the time he was thinking of Clawing Bear and the many things yet to
be learned from the medicine man. Late in the afternoon of the second
day, Little Eagle picked up his bow and shot a few arrows at a slender
sapling. He couldn’t draw the bow as well as he had before, but it
seemed good to be able to use it at all.
“We can start tomorrow,” Angry Wolf said with a smile, as he watched
Little Eagle.
That night they had a feast of buffalo meat. Angry Wolf cooked all that
they could eat. When they had had enough, he put a small piece aside to
cook for their morning meal. The rest he made into packs to be put on
one of the horses.
“It still seems strange to me that the Crows haven’t sent a war party to
catch us,” Little Eagle told his friend.
“We are far into Sioux land,” Angry Wolf replied. “They are afraid to
come this far.”
“They would know that most of our people are in winter camp by this
time,” Little Eagle pointed out. “They would be in little danger of
meeting one of our war parties.”
“Perhaps they’re still chasing the Pawnees,” Angry Wolf suggested.
“It is more likely that by this time they know it was two Sioux boys who
took their horses,” Little Eagle answered. “We must have left signs that
told—”
Little Eagle had been looking into the fire. He stopped speaking when he
seemed to see a party of Crows riding in the fire just as he had seen
them in Clawing Bear’s fire. Angry Wolf gave him a surprised look and
then bent forward to look into the fire too.
“What do you see in the fire?” Angry Wolf demanded.
As Angry Wolf spoke, the Crows disappeared in the coals.
“I saw a party of Crows riding hard,” Little Eagle replied. “It is the
same sign I saw in Clawing Bear’s fire.”
“Which direction were they riding?” Angry Wolf asked.
“I don’t know,” Little Eagle answered. “When you spoke, they
disappeared.”
“Couldn’t it be a sign that they have given up and are riding toward
their own winter camp?” Angry Wolf suggested.
Little Eagle looked thoughtfully into the fire. What Angry Wolf had
suggested might be right, but he knew at once that it wasn’t. The other
time he had seen the Crows in the flames, it had been a warning. This
must be a warning too.
“It is a sign that the Crows are still chasing us,” Little Eagle
insisted.
As he spoke, Little Eagle glanced at his friend. He saw the doubt in
Angry Wolf’s eyes. The look of doubt slowly faded.
“You have studied with a great medicine man,” Angry Wolf said. “You may
have misread this sign, but we must make sure. Before we start in the
morning, I will make a scouting trip far back on our old trail. If the
Crows are on it, we must know.”