However, Little Eagle walked a considerable distance from camp without finding a trace of the horses. He couldn’t even find the trail they had left when they wandered away. When the sun was getting low in the western sky, Little Eagle turned back toward camp. On the way back, he wondered what words he would use to tell Angry Wolf so that the other boy would not be too alarmed at the danger of their situation. Little Eagle didn’t try to hide from himself the fact that they were in grave danger. Here in the middle of the prairie, with no horses, they might not be able to get enough game to keep them alive through the winter.
Oddly enough, Angry Wolf was not greatly disturbed when Little Eagle announced that he hadn’t been able to find the horses.
“They probably drifted ahead of the storm,” Angry Wolf said calmly. “In the morning we’ll both look for them.”
The next morning the two boys left camp together. When they had gone about a third of the distance Little Eagle had covered the day before, they halted.
“You’d better go south here,” Little Eagle suggested. “I’ll go farther east and then I’ll turn south.”
Little Eagle went almost as far east as he had gone yesterday before he turned south. He plodded slowly through the deep snow. He climbed and crossed many low hills without finding the horses. As he climbed to the top of another hill, he decided he would turn back toward Angry Wolf and search the ground between them. From the top of the hill Little Eagle could see a clump of trees below him. It was possible that the horses were crowded into the shelter of the trees and were hidden from his sight. He decided to look behind the trees.
When Little Eagle circled the trees, he saw the tracks of the horses leading south. He hurried forward to get a better look at the trail they had left. He saw that the horses had left the grove while snow was still falling. Their tracks were partly covered with snow. He stopped in dismay when he saw that the tracks had been made by three horses.
Little Eagle made a quick search under the trees. He found where someone had camped during the worst of the storm. He was not good enough at tracking to read all of the signs, but he could read enough of them to tell that someone had been camping here and that the horses had wandered to the shelter of the trees during the storm. Whoever had been here had taken the horses and ridden on while the snow was still falling.
It didn’t take any sign reading for Little Eagle to realize how great a misfortune had befallen Angry Wolf and himself. There was no hope that they could get the horses back. It would be equally hopeless to try to cross the prairie on foot. They would have to turn back to where there were more trees. He and Angry Wolf would have to spend the winter by themselves.
Little Eagle turned west to find Angry Wolf’s trail. When he reached it, he followed it south. He went as swiftly as he could go. Angry Wolf glanced back and saw him. The other boy turned back to meet Little Eagle.
“Where are the horses?” Angry Wolf asked.
“Someone took them,” Little Eagle answered.
As Little Eagle told of the trail he had found, he closely watched Angry Wolf’s face. He saw fear in the other boy’s eyes, and he tried to make his voice cheerful.
“It was a Crow warrior who took our horses,” Angry Wolf said hopelessly when Little Eagle had finished. “The Crows have powerful medicine.”
“We have to get those horses back,” Little Eagle urged.
Little Eagle spoke with a confidence he didn’t feel. He had no plan for getting the horses, yet he knew he must say something to encourage Angry Wolf.
“The Crows have powerful medicine,” Angry Wolf repeated.
“Old-man-of-the-north might send another snow to keep the Crow in camp until we get our horses back from him,” Little Eagle suggested.
Angry Wolf glanced around the sky.
“There’ll be no more snow this moon,” he said. “We may as well return to our camp.”
Without a word, Little Eagle turned back toward their own camp. While Angry Wolf was in this mood, it would do no good to argue with him. Perhaps when he had eaten and rested, he would see that their best hope to escape would be to get their horses back from the Crow.
As soon as they reached camp, Angry Wolf began to slice thin pieces of meat and put them on a stick. Little Eagle saw that Angry Wolf was cooking enough food for a trip.
“It would be foolish for us to try to cross the prairie on foot,” he said quietly.
Angry Wolf nodded agreement.
“Our best plan is to return to the camp we had on the creek,” he said. “I’m preparing extra food in case we have trouble reaching the place.”
While Little Eagle busied himself with work around the camp, he turned the problem over in his mind. He knew Angry Wolf would agree to wait until morning to start the return trip. In the meantime he had to think of a plan to get their horses from the Crow. It would have to be a good plan if it convinced Angry Wolf. Angry Wolf had said that the Crows had powerful medicine. Yet the two of them had spoiled the Crow plan to attack the Sioux camp. Perhaps their own medicine was as strong as that of the Crows.
Little Eagle sat down a few paces from the fire. He wanted to think more about this problem. He tried to imagine what advice Clawing Bear would give. When the answer came, it was almost as if Clawing Bear were speaking to him. He had the deer hide. It was powerful medicine. He should take the hide and go away from camp. If he rolled himself up in the deer hide and slept, he might have a dream which would tell him what to do. He told his thoughts to Angry Wolf.
“You have studied under the great medicine man, Clawing Bear,” Angry Wolf said thoughtfully. “You should know more about these matters than I. Yet, if you don’t get a clear dream, we ought to start back to the old camp at daylight.”
As soon as darkness fell, Little Eagle carried his deer hide to the top of a high hill. He was so far from camp that he couldn’t see the twinkle of the fire. When he had thought of the plan, Little Eagle hadn’t thought of the danger. As he pulled the deer hide over him, he felt uneasy. He had never had a visit from a spirit. Suppose he was frightened? It would be a disgrace for a Sioux boy to show fear.
At first he moved about restlessly. The wind seemed to creep under the hide and keep him cold. After a time he had the deer hide arranged so that the wind didn’t get under it. As soon as he was warm, he grew drowsy. He had almost fallen asleep when a faint sighing noise aroused him. He listened tensely. After a few minutes he realized the sound was made by the wind sifting snow against the deer hide. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Afterward Little Eagle was never sure whether he woke up, as he seemed to do, or whether the whole thing was a dream. At least it was so real that it seemed to happen. He felt cold. When he opened his eyes he saw that it was still dark. He realized that the deer hide had slipped off his shoulder. He reached his hand out to grasp it and pull it back over his shoulder. He stopped when a soft voice spoke to him.
“Get up, Little Eagle,” the voice said. “I’ll show you how you can get horses from the Crows. They are my enemies too.”
Little Eagle sat up. It wasn’t as dark as he had thought. The eastern sky was beginning to lighten. It wouldn’t be long until the sun came up. Little Eagle looked around, but he could see no one. The only living thing near was a small bird which sat huddled on his deerskin. When the voice spoke again, Little Eagle saw that it was the bird speaking.
“The Crows have killed many buffaloes,” the bird said. “They are gorged with food. It will be easy to take horses from them.”
Little Eagle scrambled to his feet. He could dash back to camp and get Angry Wolf. Together they would follow the bird and get horses. He reached down to pick up the deer hide to carry it back to camp.
“Put it under that tree,” the bird said, nodding his head toward a tree in the direction away from the camp. “My family will use it to build warm nests for the winter which is almost here.”
Little Eagle folded the skin neatly. The bird flew ahead and perched on a limb while Little Eagle placed the hide at the foot of the tree. The bird flew off to the west. He went so quickly that Little Eagle didn’t have time to ask for permission to get Angry Wolf. He had to run to keep the bird in sight.
While it didn’t seem that they had traveled long, the sun was down and darkness had fallen when they reached the Crow camp. The camp had been set up on the sheltered side of a grove of trees. The smell of roasting buffalo meat made Little Eagle’s mouth water. A few Crows were feasting on the fresh buffalo meat. Little Eagle knew that most of the band had stuffed themselves with fresh meat and had crawled into their tepees to sleep.
The bird flew around the Crow camp, and Little Eagle followed him. In a short time they came to the herd of horses. Little Eagle saw the ones that belonged to Angry Wolf and him. He guessed that the warrior who had taken them had gone south until the storm stopped and then had circled to join the Crows in this camp.
“See how easily you can take all the horses you want,” the bird whispered.
Little Eagle looked around. What the bird said was true. There were no guards. Most of the horses were out of sight of the camp. Anyone who used reasonable care could take horses from this herd.
Little Eagle didn’t know what happened after that. He was chilly and he awoke to find that the deer hide had slipped from his shoulder. He sat up. The sun was just rising over the eastern hills. His dream had been so plain that for a moment he couldn’t believe it had been a dream.
Little Eagle’s first feeling was of disappointment. It had been a dream and he didn’t actually have the horses. The feeling of disappointment passed quickly. He had heard Clawing Bear tell of the messages that came to a medicine man in dreams. This was a message for him. He had learned how he and Angry Wolf could get horses. He jumped to his feet and raced to camp.
Angry Wolf had already risen. He was cooking more meat at the fire. He looked sad and dejected as Little Eagle ran into camp.
“You had a message?” he asked doubtfully when he saw Little Eagle’s excitement.
Little Eagle nodded. Eagerly, he related what had happened in his dream. When he had finished, he saw that Angry Wolf was still unconvinced.
“Was the messenger a blackbird?” Angry Wolf demanded.
“No,” Little Eagle answered. “It was—”
He stopped. In his excitement he hadn’t noticed what kind of a bird it had been. He was sure it wasn’t a blackbird. He would have known better than to follow one of those bringers of misfortune, even in a dream. Then he remembered that the bird had said, “The Crows are my enemies too.”
“It was a mud swallow,” Little Eagle exclaimed. “It told me that the Crows were its enemies too.”
“That is better,” Angry Wolf admitted. “The Crows shoot the swallows, and we never do.”
“Then you are ready to accept the sign and try to get horses from the Crows?” Little Eagle demanded.
“I’m not sure it is a sign,” Angry Wolf answered slowly. “It may just be a dream with no meaning.” He stood up. “We have to have horses, though. I am willing to try.”
In spite of Angry Wolf’s doubts, Little Eagle was so excited that he could hardly eat. He reminded himself that it had been a long journey in his dream. He would need all of his strength, so he forced himself to eat as much as if he were hungry.
As soon as Angry Wolf was ready, Little Eagle led the way. He went to the hill where he had spent the night. He picked up the deerskin, folded it carefully, and put it under the tree, as he had done in his dream. In his dream Little Eagle had gone so swiftly that he hadn’t noticed the landmarks. Now there was nothing to guide him. He remembered that he had gone west and a little south. He tried to take the same direction.
As the sun began to sink low in the west, Angry Wolf watched anxiously ahead.
“We should be nearing the place,” he said.
“It was almost dark when the bird and I got there,” Little Eagle answered. “We can go many paces before darkness falls.”
“You said the Crows were camped near trees,” Angry Wolf reminded him. “We have seen no trees since we started.”
The same fear had been nagging at Little Eagle. In his dream the Crows had been camped behind a grove of trees. Yet he and Angry Wolf had traveled all day without seeing trees and there seemed to be none ahead.
The two of them came to the top of a high hill. Far ahead of them they saw a grove of trees.
“That must be the place,” Little Eagle exclaimed.
“We’d better rest and eat,” Angry Wolf suggested. “We can’t take horses until after darkness falls.”
They found a place where the sun had melted the snow and dried the ground. Here they ate the cold meat they had brought with them. For the first time since they had started, Angry Wolf seemed to think they had a chance to succeed.
“When we have horses again, we’ll hunt buffaloes,” Angry Wolf said.
“No other meat is so good,” Little Eagle answered.
They rested until the darkness was heavy enough to hide their movements. It didn’t take them long to reach the grove of trees. They could see the gleam of campfires on the other side of the grove.
The two Sioux slipped among the trees until they reached a place where they could see the Crow camp. There were several campfires, and chunks of buffalo meat were roasting over each of them. Some warriors were sitting around, gorging on fresh meat. Others had evidently stuffed themselves and crawled into their tepees to sleep. As Little Eagle and Angry Wolf watched, one of the warriors got to his feet and staggered to a tepee.
Little Eagle knew that sometimes warriors, who had been without food for several days, would stuff themselves with fresh meat when they had the chance. Warriors who did that would sleep soundly. He and Angry Wolf should be able to take horses without trouble.
Little Eagle touched Angry Wolf’s arm. He began to circle the camp, with Angry Wolf following him. They went around the west side of the camp and continued south until they came to the herd of horses. Even in the darkness they located the two that had been taken from them.
Angry Wolf took a careful look around. He motioned for Little Eagle to stay where he was. Little Eagle waited patiently as Angry Wolf slipped away in the darkness. While he was sure there were no guards watching the herd, Little Eagle realized that Angry Wolf was doing what should be done. A warrior should look for his enemies even when he didn’t expect to find them.
“There are no guards,” Angry Wolf whispered when he returned.
The two boys went straight to their own horses. The horses stood quietly while their riders mounted. Angry Wolf wanted to take at least ten horses apiece, but Little Eagle objected.
“We’ll have a better chance to get away if we pick a few good horses,” he pointed out.
“The more horses we take, the greater our victory,” Angry Wolf whispered urgently.
After a few minutes of whispering together, Angry Wolf agreed to accept Little Eagle’s plan to take five horses apiece. When the horses had been selected, Angry Wolf took the halter ropes of two of them and started away from the camp. Little Eagle rode behind, herding the others. Now the wisdom of Little Eagle’s plan was plain, for even the few horses were hard to get started. Little Eagle’s horse was kept turning and plunging to hold the horses in a bunch.
Angry Wolf rode straight west until he saw that Little Eagle had the herd under control. Then he turned north, as they had decided to do. There was no chance to pick a route where they wouldn’t leave a trail. Even in the places where there was no snow, the tracks of the horses could easily be seen.
After they had ridden for what seemed a long time, Little Eagle called for Angry Wolf to stop. Little Eagle circled the herd and rode to his friend’s side.
“We’ll turn east here,” Little Eagle ordered. “We may be able to fool the Crows into thinking we are Pawnees. If we do, they’ll turn south to cut us off. We will soon turn north again.”
“We have won a great victory over the Crows,” Angry Wolf gloated.
“We will win a great victory if we get away,” Little Eagle answered grimly. “The Crows will follow us when they learn of their loss.”
“By that time we shall have escaped,” Angry Wolf said hopefully.
Little Eagle looked at his friend in wonder. For days, Angry Wolf had been downhearted and gloomy. He had thought they had no chance against the Crows. Now that they had made this little start, Angry Wolf had completely changed. He already counted the victory won.
“We won’t sing the Victory Song until we are sure we have escaped,” Little Eagle said quietly.
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.
He added the powdered herbs and the bear’s grease
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.”
At the first sign of dawn the next morning, Angry Wolf arose. Little Eagle heard him and immediately crawled out of his own pile of leaves. Together they went to the herd of horses. As soon as they caught a horse, Angry Wolf mounted and rode off.
Little Eagle caught another horse. Riding it, he drove the horses together into a herd. He brought the herd close to camp. While he waited for Angry Wolf to return, Little Eagle busied himself around the camp.