  While Bent Arrow was still several paces from the medicine man’s tepee, Clawing Bear called out to him. “Come in, Bent Arrow, and tell me about the buffalo you killed.” “How did you know that I had killed a buffalo?” Bent Arrow asked. “Did someone report to you so soon?” “No,” Clawing Bear answered with a smile. “Sometimes we medicine men see things which others cannot see. Now tell me about it.” As briefly as he could, Bent Arrow told of Sly Fox’s attempt to shoot a buffalo and how his horse had stumbled. “My horse deserves more credit than I,” Bent Arrow finished. “By the time I would have thought of what to do, it would have been too late.” “That’s the way I saw it,” Clawing Bear said, nodding. “Yet you have not received too much credit. You did well.” The medicine man filled his pipe and lit it with an ember from the fire. He blew smoke to the north, the east, the south, and the west. He laid the pipe aside and stared into the fire as though he were watching some interesting happening. When he spoke, his voice was so low that Bent Arrow had to lean forward to catch his words. “You were in great danger today,” Clawing Bear told him. “You did not have the proper medicine. When I saw you chasing that buffalo, there was a buzzard soaring above you.” Bent Arrow shivered. Buzzards were the omen of misfortune. They picked the flesh from slain animals and from warriors who had not been given proper burial. “I could see that the buzzard was watching you,” Clawing Bear continued. “When you leaned toward the buffalo to shoot your arrow, the buzzard started down. Then I caught sight of an eagle above the buzzard. A feather fell from the eagle’s tail. It passed just ahead of the buzzard’s beak. The buzzard turned and flew away. You must have an eagle’s feather. It is your good medicine to protect you from danger.” “How am I to get an eagle’s feather?” Bent Arrow asked. “The eagles nest far up on the peaks. Already the snow is deep there.” “You must have an eagle feather,” Clawing Bear insisted. Bent Arrow asked no more questions. If Clawing Bear knew the way for him to get an eagle feather, the medicine man would have told him. Before Clawing Bear dismissed Bent Arrow, he examined the boy’s leg. “My medicine has done all it can,” Clawing Bear said. “You must do much walking and running. I believe that when you have found an eagle feather, you will be cured.” The next day was a busy one for the boys who had been with the hunters. It was their job to build tripods on which the squaws would hang the buffalo meat to dry and smoke. Sly Fox was not allowed to help. As an added punishment for hunting when he was ordered not to, he was given the task of dragging the heavy buffalo hides to the river where the squaws would tan them. Bent Arrow worked eagerly. It was good to see the supply of meat being prepared for winter use. Best of all, meat hanging on the tripods meant that tomorrow would come the call for a game of wolves. Twice during the day, Bent Arrow saw the swimming teacher, but the warrior didn’t speak to him. If he had plans for a game of wolves, the teacher was keeping them to himself. The next morning, at the swimming lesson, Bent Arrow stayed near the teacher, hoping there would be word of the game, but again nothing was said. However, when Bent Arrow had returned to the tepee and was eating his meal, a low whistle sounded. That was the signal for the boys to meet. Bent Arrow hurried out of the tepee, but as soon as he was outside he moved cautiously. He slipped from his tepee to the next one and on down the line to the last. Here he dropped to his hands and knees and crawled until he had crossed the low hill and was out of sight of the camp. By the time Bent Arrow reached the meeting place, the teacher and several boys were there. Bent Arrow took his place in the circle of boys. All of them waited for the late-comers. As soon as the last boy arrived, the teacher began to explain the game of wolves. Although Bent Arrow had heard the explanation before, he listened as intently as the two younger boys who were hearing it for the first time. The teacher gave a brief account of the wolves who were the Crow scouts. He told of the time the wolves had disguised themselves and crawled across the prairie and made a successful attack on a large hunting party of Sioux. “Today you are the wolves,” he told the boys. “The meat on the tripods represents Sioux horses. The boy who captures the first Sioux horse and the boy who captures the largest one will get these prizes.” Bent Arrow gave a gasp of elation when the teacher held up two eagle feathers. Here was a simple way to get the medicine which Clawing Bear had said he must have. He was so sure he would win one of the prizes that he almost reached out for it. “Now disguise yourselves as wolves,” the teacher ordered. Bent Arrow and the other boys trooped to the riverbank. They dug up handfuls of mud and completely covered themselves with it, even rubbing the mud into their hair. As the mud dried, it took on a grayish tinge so that when the boys crawled through the dry grass their coloring blended with it and they could hardly be seen. At a signal from the teacher, the boys separated and started toward camp. Bent Arrow circled around the camp to approach the tripods of meat from the far side. If the squaws were expecting a raid, they wouldn’t look for the raiders to come from that direction. When he neared the camp, he got to his hands and knees and crawled. The row of tripods extended beyond the last tepee in camp. Bent Arrow saw two squaws standing in front of that tepee talking together. He heard one of the squaws say that they should be watching for a magpie raid. The squaws always referred to the boys in the wolf game as magpies, because flocks of magpies often swarmed on the drying meat. One of the women glanced straight at Bent Arrow. He held himself motionless. It didn’t seem possible that she would fail to see him, but she turned toward her own tepee. Bent Arrow breathed a sigh of relief when the other squaw went on with her work. Bent Arrow crawled to the first tripod. None of the pieces of meat on it was very large. He looked down the line to the next tripod. There was a large piece hanging on it. Before he crawled ahead, Bent Arrow glanced toward the tepees again. None of the squaws was watching. When he reached the second tripod, he found that the piece of meat wasn’t as large as he had thought. He glanced down the line. There was a much larger chunk on a tripod farther along. Again he made sure that no squaw was watching before he crawled on. This time he had made no mistake. He had found a large piece of meat, so large, in fact, that it was sure to win the prize. He reached out to take it from the tripod. At that instant there was a loud chatter of talk behind him. He jumped to his feet to run, but he was too late. A squaw grabbed him with a grip too powerful for him to twist loose. “We’ll find out who this thief is,” the squaw stormed. In spite of Bent Arrow’s twisting and struggling, he was dragged to the near-by spring. The squaw held him with one hand. With the other she dipped water and splashed it on his face until all of the mud was washed off. By the time that she had finished, she was laughing. “I see that the magpie is Bent Arrow,” she said with a smile. “Well, grab a chunk of meat and run. Boys will be boys.” Bent Arrow seized the meat and dashed out of the camp. He was the last boy to get back to the meeting place. A fire had been built, and meat already was roasting over it. The teacher took Bent Arrow’s meat and put it over the fire. “You captured a truly large piece of meat,” he told Bent Arrow. Bent Arrow made no reply. He took his place in the circle of boys. He was able to give only part of his attention to the words the teacher was speaking. He had brought the largest chunk of meat. That entitled him to the eagle feather. Still, there was an uneasy doubt in his mind. He thought back to the teacher’s instructions. They had been that a prize went to the one who captured the largest one. Captured—His thoughts were interrupted by the call to food. The meat was good, and the adventure of having helped get it in a raid added to its flavor. Ordinarily Bent Arrow would have enjoyed it greatly. Now he was so busy with his thoughts that he scarcely noticed its taste. When everyone had eaten his fill, the teacher called for the boys’ attention. “We’ll have an account of your adventures,” he announced. “Running Elk, you were the first to return with a prize. Tell us how you did so well.” Running Elk stood up. He told that he had thought of the shortest way to camp. He had taken the risk of running to the first tepee and walking from it to the nearest tripod. It had occurred to him that the squaws would pay no attention to one boy. He had been right. He had grabbed a piece of meat and was away from the camp while the other boys were still crawling toward the tripods. “You did well,” the teacher praised. “Sometimes it is better to take greater risks in order to catch the enemy unprepared. This eagle feather is the reward for your coup. You may wear it as a warrior would who had counted coup.” “Thank you,” Running Elk responded, proudly accepting the award. Several other boys who had returned quickly with their captures were called upon. After them the teacher turned to Bent Arrow. “You brought the largest piece of meat, Bent Arrow,” he said. “Tell us of your adventure.” Bent Arrow hesitated. Slowly he shook his head. “I didn’t capture it,” he admitted. “A squaw captured me. She let me take the piece of meat so I wouldn’t have to return empty-handed. I didn’t win the prize.” A wave of laughter ran around the circle of boys as Bent Arrow hung his head. A stern look from the teacher stopped the laughter. “Since the meat was a gift, you did not earn the prize,” he agreed. “However, you have shown yourself to be a good Crow by refusing to take an unearned reward. If I had another prize, you should have it.” The teacher turned to Sly Fox. “Yours was next in size,” he said. “Tell of your adventure.” Sly Fox admitted that he had been lucky. He had selected the largest piece of meat on the first tripod that he came to. He had wanted to look farther for a larger piece, but as several squaws were moving about the tepees, he had decided to take that piece and get away. He was glad that he had won the prize. “You did well,” the teacher said. “This eagle feather is yours to be worn as proudly as a warrior who has counted coup.” “Thank you,” Sly Fox responded as he accepted the prize. He turned to face Bent Arrow. “I want to give this coup feather to you, Bent Arrow,” he said, “not only because you have proved yourself a good Crow, but also because you saved my life.” Bent Arrow gave a gasp of pleasure. He was to have the eagle feather which Clawing Bear said he needed for his medicine bag. He reached out his hand to accept it but, at the last moment, drew his hand back. “I can’t accept it,” he pointed out. “People would see it and think that I had won the prize.” The teacher nodded his approval. “We’ll rest a while,” the teacher announced. “Then we’ll swim to wash off the mud. That will be the end of our game.” Bent Arrow was the first to dive into the water, and Sly Fox was not far behind him. The two boys scuffled for a time, each trying to duck the other. Bent Arrow managed to get a lucky hold and was able to shove Sly Fox’s head under the water. When Bent Arrow released him, Sly Fox came sputtering to the surface. He laughingly swam a few strokes away from Bent Arrow, but a moment later he swam close again. “There are Sioux warriors on the other bank,” he whispered. “One of them moved just as I got my head out of water.” Bent Arrow just managed to keep from glancing toward the other bank. A look in that direction might have warned the hidden Sioux that they had been seen. “Let’s swim to the teacher and tell him so that he can call the boys from the water,” Sly Fox suggested. “We’d better pretend that we are still playing,” Bent Arrow warned. “The Sioux will suspect any strange actions.” Sly Fox nodded and made a sudden dash at Bent Arrow. Bent Arrow swam away as rapidly as he could. Anyone watching would have thought that it was an accident that Bent Arrow swam so close to the teacher. “Sly Fox saw Sioux warriors on the other bank,” Bent Arrow whispered, as he swam near the teacher. “Keep up your game,” the teacher ordered without glancing toward him. Obediently Bent Arrow turned and swam back out into the stream. Sly Fox guessed his purpose and swam in pursuit. A few minutes later the teacher whistled the signal for the boys to come out of the water. Bent Arrow and Sly Fox were the last to climb up onto the bank. “As soon as you are behind the willows, start running to camp,” the teacher ordered in a whisper. “The rest of us will follow later.” Bent Arrow and Sly Fox walked slowly to the clump of willows. As soon as the brush hid them from watchers on the other bank, the two boys broke into a run. Bent Arrow ran straight to his uncle’s tepee, while Sly Fox ran on to take the warning to Chief Barking Wolf. This time no warriors were sent on foot. All of them went to the corral for horses. The warriors were divided into two parties, one under Flying Arrow went upstream, while the other under Chief Barking Wolf went downstream. As the warriors rode out of camp, the teacher returned with the other boys. The sun was still high in the western sky when the warriors returned empty-handed. Bent Arrow took his uncle’s horse to the corral and hurried back to the tepee. “They got away again,” Flying Arrow said. “We ought to send a party of warriors to punish them.” That evening the warriors were summoned to a council meeting. Bent Arrow was proud that he was summoned too. When he and his uncle reached the council wigwam, Sly Fox was there. The two boys waited until all of the warriors had entered before they went into the tepee. They sat well back from the circle of warriors. Chief Barking Wolf stood up to speak first. “We are far from other Crow camps,” the chief said. “We have much meat that we want to get to the winter camp. Since Sioux warriors have twice been seen watching us, it would seem wise for us to break camp quickly and get to our winter grounds where we shall have the help of many Crows.” Chief Barking Wolf sat down. He picked up the ceremonial pipe. Leaning forward, he picked an ember from the fire and lighted the pipe. He took three puffs before he passed the pipe to Flying Arrow sitting on his right. Flying Arrow took three puffs and passed the pipe on to the next warrior. Slowly the pipe went around the circle of warriors and returned to the chief. He laid it aside carefully. Flying Arrow got to his feet to speak next. “Barking Wolf has spoken wisely,” Flying Arrow agreed. “We are far from other Crow warriors. Yet it is bad to allow the Sioux to spy on our camp, to make plans to steal our horses and take our scalps. They should be punished. I believe we should send a party of warriors to teach those Sioux a lesson.” Bent Arrow expected to hear shouts of approval come from the circle of warriors. Instead, the warriors sat silently looking into the fire. Again Chief Barking Wolf lit the pipe and started it around the circle. When it came back to him, he carefully put it in its wrappings. This was a sign that any warrior who wished to speak would now be heard. Some of the warriors did speak. A few thought that the Sioux should be punished, but all of them agreed with Chief Barking Wolf that there should be a larger party of Crows before the attempt was made. “Then I shall go alone,” Flying Arrow told the warriors. “I’ll take some of their horses. The Sioux must be punished.” Some of the warriors tried to convince Flying Arrow that he should wait until a large war party could be sent against the Sioux. To all urgings, Flying Arrow shook his head. “Soon Old-Man-of-the-North will send snow,” he insisted. “Then we’ll have to wait until spring.” “It would be better if we could spare a warrior to go with you,” Chief Barking Wolf said thoughtfully, “but it will take all of our men to get the meat to winter camp.” |
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