RACING TO THE RESCUE
As White Otter and his companions raced through the night in advance of
the war party, the troubled young Ogalala turned his eyes to the vast,
star-lit heavens, and asked the Great Mystery to help his people. His
mind was filled with all sorts of vague fears for the safety of the
Ogalala camp, and he regretted that he was not there to share the peril
with its gallant defenders. Then he suddenly realized that he might be
able to render still greater aid in his present position, and he sought
to comfort himself with the thought.
"My brother, I see that you feel bad in your heart," Sun Bird said
soothingly.
"It is true; my heart is filled with clouds," replied White Otter. "I am
thinking about my grandfather, the great chief Wolf Robe. I am thinking
about my grandmother, the good Singing Wind. I am thinking about my
friends. High Eagle has told me something bad. The Pawnees are on every
side of the village. They are like the grass. It is bad. The Ogalalas
are very brave, but many wolves can kill a bear. I do not know what has
happened. Two suns have passed since High Eagle left that camp. We are
riding fast, but another sun will pass before we come near that place.
Perhaps my people have been wiped away. My brothers, I am thinking about
these things. Yes, I feel bad in my heart."
White Otter's gloomy words were received in silence. His companions
found nothing to say in reply. High Eagle felt quite as hopeless as his
tribesman, and Sun Bird and Little Raven dared not fill the Ogalala's
heart with false hopes. The four anxious scouts galloped along in
silence, therefore, each hoping that his fears for the Ogalala camp
would prove groundless. They rode thus until the first gray hint of
daylight showed in the eastern sky, and then White Otter seemed to rally
from his gloom.
"See, my brothers, the Great Mystery is wiping away the darkness," he
said eagerly. "Pretty soon it will be gone. Then the sun will come.
That makes me feel good again. Yes, I will wipe the clouds from my
heart. I will be a warrior. See how the Great Mystery does this thing. I
am thinking about it. When the darkness is gone, then everything is
good. The birds sing. Yes, my brothers, it is a great thing to do. Well,
I will wipe the darkness out of my heart. Then the sun will come there.
It is good. I will sing my war songs. Yes, I will be strong to help my
people. Ho, my brothers, we are Dacotahs! It is enough."
This unexpected display of cheerfulness had an instant effect upon his
comrades. Stimulated by his fortitude, they, too, roused themselves from
their depression and became light-hearted and hopeful. The dawn of a new
day restored their confidence.
"White Otter, you have spoken brave words," said High Eagle. "Now I feel
different in my heart. I believe our people will keep the Pawnees out of
the camp. Pretty soon this great war party will come to that place. Then
the Wolf People will run like rabbits."
As the light strengthened they saw that they had left the war party far
behind, and they realized that they had ridden desperately. However,
except for their rapid breathing and lathery sides, the wiry little
ponies showed no effects of the strenuous pace, and their riders felt
greatly relieved. They rode to the summit of a rocky knoll and
dismounted to watch the plain.
It was not long before they saw the dust from the war party rising some
distance away to the west. Shortly afterward the foremost riders
galloped into view. They immediately discovered the four scouts and
stopped to study them. Then Sun Bird mounted his pony and rode rapidly
in a circle. Assured by the maneuver, the great company of Sioux
warriors thundered across the plain to join their tribesmen.
When Curly Horse and Laughing Bird learned that the scouts had seen
nothing to arouse suspicion, they led the war party to a distant grove
of aspens, which High Eagle said marked a water-hole. White Otter and
his companions accompanied them, but as soon as they had refreshed
themselves and their ponies at the little pool they galloped away to
reconnoiter in advance of the company.
The alert scouts proceeded with more caution as the day wore on, for
although they knew that they were still a long distance from the
besieged camp, they feared that the Pawnees might have sent riders far
out on the plain to watch for reenforcements from the Minneconjoux camp.
"Perhaps the Wolf People know about this thing; we must keep watching
ahead," declared White Otter.
"Yes, if they see us it will be a bad thing," replied Sun Bird. "Then
they will tell their people, and they will get away before this great
war party can catch them."
"I do not believe that the Pawnees know about this thing," High Eagle
said hopefully. "No, I crawled away as easy as a snake. I do not believe
that the Pawnees will know about this great war party until we come to
fight them."
The day passed without incident, and at sunset they came in sight of the
grove where White Otter had encountered the Ute war party. His heart
beat fast with emotion as he saw the little patch of trees, and realized
that he might reach the Ogalala village before daylight. All his anxiety
returned at the thought, and once more he became a prey to all sorts of
doubts and fears.
"My brothers, we are getting close to my people," he said soberly. "Over
there is the place where I heard the Black Faces. It is not far from the
Ogalala camp. Our ponies are fresh. Perhaps we will get to that place
before another sun comes. But we must be very cautious. Perhaps some of
the Wolf People are hiding over there among the trees. I will ask my
brother, Sun Bird, and my brother, Little Raven, to wait here behind
this ridge to watch for Curly Horse and his people. Come, High Eagle, we
will go over there and see if anyone is hiding in that place."
"Well, I will wait here with Little Raven," agreed Sun Bird.
Then White Otter and High Eagle mounted their ponies and rode toward the
timber. As they approached it they dropped to one side of their mounts
and advanced very cautiously. They found the grove free of enemies, and
immediately signaled the news to Little Raven, who was watching from the
ridge. Soon afterward the Dacotah war party galloped across the plain.
The two Ogalalas thrilled with pride as they watched the great force of
Sioux fighting men approach. They felt certain that they would soon
vanquish the Pawnees, and their only fear was that they might be too
late. They realized that three days had passed since High Eagle had
crawled safely through the Pawnee lines, and they feared that the battle
had been won or lost in the meantime. The latter possibility filled them
with dread, for they knew that defeat meant death for most of the people
in the Ogalala camp.
"If our people have been wiped away, then I will go and let the Pawnees
kill me," declared White Otter.
"Well, if you do that, then I will go with you," said High Eagle.
When the war party reached the grove, the warriors dismounted from their
sweating ponies and threw themselves upon the ground for a few moments
of rest. However, Curly Horse had no intention of loitering longer than
was actually necessary for the tired ponies. He knew that every moment
was precious in such an emergency, and he was eager to reach the scene
of the conflict as soon as possible.
"My brothers, I must tell you that we are near the place where the brave
Ogalalas are fighting the Pawnees," he told his warriors. "It is true
that we have come a long way. But we must not stay here. No, if we wait
here the Wolf People will get into that camp and kill many of our
people. Our brothers are waiting for us. They are listening to hear the
war cry of the great Dacotah nation. It will make them strong to fight.
I believe that we are as many as the Pawnees. We will wait here a little
time so that our ponies will be fresh. Then we will go on. I have
spoken."
The Sioux remained at the water-hole until the ponies had recovered from
their violent exertions, and then they mounted and galloped away toward
the east. The thought that they were actually nearing the besieged camp
made them eager and impatient to come within striking distance of their
foes, and they raced on at a desperate pace. White Otter and his
companions rode some distance in advance of the war party.
"Look!" cried Little Raven, as the four scouts raced over the summit of
a low ridge.
They were dismayed to see two horsemen suddenly appear from a ravine
directly ahead of them and ride furiously toward the east. They had
little doubt that the unknown riders were Pawnee scouts who had been
watching the advance of the Sioux war party. As they were too far away
to be overtaken, there was nothing to do but report the discovery to
Curly Horse.
"It is bad," said High Eagle. "Those scouts will tell their people about
this great war party. Perhaps the Wolf People will rush into the camp
before we get there."
"I will ride back and tell Curly Horse about this thing," cried Sun
Bird.
"Yes, it is the best thing to do," replied White Otter. "We have found
out something bad. But I will tell you that I believe my people have
kept the Pawnees out of the camp. When I think about it my heart grows
strong. If the Pawnees got into the village those scouts would not be
watching in that ravine. I believe that the fight is still going on. Go,
Sun Bird, my brother, and tell your great chief to come as fast as the
wind. The Pawnees know about us. Now they will do some brave things to
get into the village. We must help the brave Ogalalas. Now I am going
ahead to do something."
A moment afterward the loyal lad raced away, with High Eagle and Little
Raven beside him, while Sun Bird wheeled his pony and galloped back to
meet Curly Horse and the great company of Sioux fighting men.