  Little Eagle was ashamed of the way his hands trembled as the sound of the returning Crows came nearer. He had trouble fitting an arrow to his bow. He heard the Crows stop at the place where Angry Wolf had fallen. Now that it was daylight, the Crows were sure to find the trail he had made when he had dragged Angry Wolf away. He couldn’t fight off the whole Crow party, but he would take some of the Crow warriors with him when he and Angry Wolf went to the Happy Hunting Grounds. He hardly believed his ears when he heard the Crows riding on toward their own camp. They had missed his trail. Little Eagle warily scouted around. When he returned to Angry Wolf’s side, he was sure that all the Crows had ridden into camp. He noticed that Angry Wolf was feebly running his tongue across his lips. There had been no time for Little Eagle to remember how badly a wounded person needed water. He thought of the long distance to the creek. There was the added danger that at any moment Crow warriors might return to search for them. Yet Angry Wolf must have water. Little Eagle picked up the bag in which he had carried the poultice. It would hold so little water that it scarcely seemed worth while to take the risk to fill it. Then he remembered the pouch in which Angry Wolf had carried meat. Little Eagle untied it from Angry Wolf’s belt. The two sacks together would hold enough water to do some good. Little Eagle started directly toward the creek, but when he reached a point opposite the Crow camp, he turned toward it. He crawled to a place where he could look down upon the camp. The warriors were gathered in a circle, talking earnestly together. Little Eagle couldn’t hear their words, but he could tell from their attitude that they were disputing some plan. He watched the gestures of each warrior who spoke. From the motions they made, Little Eagle learned that the dispute was about the Sioux who had escaped. Most of the warriors seemed to believe that the Sioux had been able to take a message to the Sioux camp. A few warriors made motions to indicate the ground near their own camp. These were the ones who thought the wounded enemy must be hiding near by. Little Eagle saw that the Crows had reached an agreement, but there was no way for him to tell what the agreement was. When he saw two warriors mount horses and ride up the hill toward him, it looked as though the decision had been made to search near the camp. He was puzzled to see a third warrior come up the hill on foot. The two mounted warriors sent their horses racing along the trail which led to the other Crow camp. The warrior on foot selected a tall tree and started to climb it. “The riders are going to urge the other camp to hurry away, and the one climbing the tree is to keep watch,” Little Eagle thought to himself. While the warrior was giving all of his attention to climbing the tree, Little Eagle slipped toward the stream. When he had gone a few steps, he was in a thick growth of trees where there was little danger that the lookout could see him. When he had the bags filled with water, Little Eagle hesitated. He almost decided to cross the stream and circle the Crow camp again in order to take a safer way back, but the memory of Angry Wolf licking his lips made Little Eagle determine to take the shorter route. He had to walk carefully, avoiding not only twigs which might snap under his feet but also limbs and brush which might shake if he touched them. When Little Eagle was near the tree the Crow warrior had climbed, he redoubled his caution. At first he couldn’t see the Crow, but when the warrior moved to look in another direction, Little Eagle saw him. Folding and unfolding his fingers, as he had done when he slipped out of his own camp, Little Eagle timed the movements of the Crow lookout. As soon as he knew it was safe, he darted across an open space to the shelter of another clump of bushes. Here he got to his hands and knees. He crawled forward, making sure that he touched nothing which would move and betray him. As he crawled past the tree, Little Eagle’s heart thumped so wildly that he thought the Crow must surely hear it. It wasn’t until he had crossed the trail and was in the shelter of the trees on the other side that Little Eagle felt safe. He hurried on to Angry Wolf’s side. Little Eagle took the smaller bag and let a few drops of water fall on Angry Wolf’s lips. Angry Wolf ran his tongue across his lips and opened his mouth. Little Eagle poured water into Angry Wolf’s mouth. He was vastly relieved when Angry Wolf swallowed without choking. After Angry Wolf had been given water, he seemed to breathe more strongly. It wasn’t long until he began to lick his lips again. When Little Eagle gave him more water, he swallowed it easily. As there was nothing more he could do for Angry Wolf for a while, Little Eagle crawled back to the place where he could watch the lookout in the tree and the Crow camp. He had scarcely settled himself in his watching place when the Crow warrior started scrambling down the tree. The moment the warrior touched the ground, he went racing toward the Crow camp. Little Eagle turned to look at the camp. It was no longer a camp. The tepees had been taken down and loaded onto pack horses. All of the horses were in a close-packed herd, with warriors holding them. As the lookout ran down the hill, he waved at the warriors. Immediately the Crows sprang on their horses and started toward the land-of-the-setting-sun. One warrior stayed behind, holding his own horse and that of the lookout. As soon as the lookout reached the horses, both warriors mounted and started after the others. There was a puzzled frown on Little Eagle’s face as he watched the Crows. What was the meaning of this sudden flight? Little Eagle was still looking at the place where the Crows had ridden from sight when he heard more riders coming from the direction of the other Crow camp. He recognized the two leading horses in the band as those he had seen ridden out of camp a short time before. He saw that this band of Crows was the one that had been taking part in the pow-wow. The warriors were riding so hard that Little Eagle was sure there was a band of Sioux in close pursuit. The Crows dashed down the hill, rode out onto the trail left by the other band, and went on. As soon as the Crows were out of sight, Little Eagle stood up to look back in the direction from which the Crows had come. Every moment he expected to see a party of Sioux warriors dash toward him. The Crows had been so anxious to get away that it seemed certain someone was pursuing them. Little Eagle waited eagerly, but there was no sign of his friends. At last he thought to do what he should have done earlier. He stretched out on the ground and put his ear down. He could hear no sound of hoofbeats. The Crows had ridden so far that he couldn’t hear them, nor could he hear any sound of approaching Sioux. Disappointedly, he turned back toward Angry Wolf. When he reached Angry Wolf, Little Eagle had to bend over the wounded Sioux to make sure he still breathed. He gave Angry Wolf more water and then sat down to try to make a plan. When he had seen the Crows fleeing so hurriedly, he had been sure that Sioux were close behind them. He could have stopped the Sioux and someone would have gone to get Clawing Bear to help take care of Angry Wolf. But now he knew the Sioux weren’t coming. If Angry Wolf’s life was to be saved, he must have help. But how could he get help? Little Eagle bent over to look at the poultice on Angry Wolf’s wound. He was dismayed to see that a few drops of blood were seeping through the poultice. It should be replaced with a new one, but Little Eagle had used all of his material. He knew then that his only chance to save Angry Wolf was to go to the Sioux camp and get Clawing Bear to help. Little Eagle immediately began preparations for his trip. He raked up leaves which he put over Angry Wolf, leaving only his face uncovered. If anyone should chance to come that way, he wouldn’t be likely to see the wounded Sioux. The leaves would protect Angry Wolf from the chill too, if Little Eagle didn’t get back before sundown. Little Eagle followed the trail which the Crows had made between their two camps. In spite of the need to go swiftly, he held himself to the pace he had been taught. Although it seemed to be taking him a long time to make the journey, he was encouraged by the thought that there would be horses at the Sioux camp. He and Clawing Bear could make the return trip quickly. As he trotted along the trail, Little Eagle kept a constant watch ahead. It was unlikely that the Crows had left scouts behind, but there was danger that other enemies might be near. There was always the possibility that a band of Pawnees would be hunting on land which belonged to the Sioux. Going through the valley where the Crow camp had been pitched, Little Eagle looked about without slackening his pace. He saw many signs that the Crows had left hurriedly. They had left several pieces of camp gear behind. Little Eagle noticed one fine cooking pot which he would have liked to take, but he passed it. By the time he reached the hillside where he had hidden to rest when he left the Sioux camp, Little Eagle was growing alarmed. Thus far he had seen no spirals of smoke or other signs which ought to have been coming from camp. He should have met Sioux scouts. Surely the chiefs would have sent scouts out to watch the Crows when they failed to return to the powwow. Or, if yesterday’s powwow had ended in a quarrel, there would be Sioux scouts out to make sure that the Crows didn’t try a surprise attack. The nearer Little Eagle came to the camping place, the greater grew his fears. For the first time since he had seen the Crow warriors come back to their own camp at daybreak, he became afraid that they had managed to carry out a successful raid. As he trotted up the hill, Little Eagle thought back to the actions of the Crows. He was sure they had spent considerable time following the trail he had made to lead them away from Angry Wolf. None of the returning Crow warriors had had new scalps at their belts. They had acted much more like defeated warriors than like ones who had carried out a successful raid. Even though he thought of all those things, Little Eagle dreaded the moment when he would look down onto the Sioux camp. When he reached the top of the hill, Little Eagle saw that the camp was gone. Not a tepee was in sight. His fears gave way to a feeling of triumph when he saw there were no signs of fighting. The tribe had escaped. When he studied the camping place, he found as many signs of hasty breaking of camp as there had been at the Crow camping place. Little Eagle easily found the trail which led toward the north. The tribe was headed toward the Sioux winter camping grounds. Little Eagle raised his bow above his head and gave a shout of triumph. Here was proof that he and Angry Wolf had succeeded. In some way, what they had done had warned the Sioux that the Crows were planning treachery and they had escaped. The feeling of triumph faded quickly. How could he alone save Angry Wolf’s life? Little Eagle walked slowly along the trail left by the fleeing tribe. Someone should have left a message for Angry Wolf and him. There should be pointers to tell them where they could join the party and other marks to show how to signal for help, but he couldn’t find any. There were many signs to show that the party had gone swiftly. Little Eagle knew there was no hope he could overtake it on foot. He tried to hide from himself his fears and disappointment as he turned to go back to Angry Wolf. He had scarcely taken a dozen steps on the return trip when he thought of Clawing Bear. The other Sioux might be convinced that he and Angry Wolf had fallen to the Crows, but Clawing Bear would have hope that they would escape. The medicine man wouldn’t leave without hiding a message for them. Little Eagle turned back to the place where Clawing Bear’s tepee had stood. He found the message at once. There were only a few piles of stones and sticks, but Little Eagle easily read the story they told. When it had been learned that both Angry Wolf and he had slipped through the line of dog soldiers, there had been great anger in camp. When they didn’t return after nightfall, the best dog soldier scouts had been sent to find them. Some of these scouts had come upon hidden Crows. They had looked down on the first Crow camp and seen the preparations for an attack. As soon as most of the scouts reported back to camp, the chiefs had ordered the tribe to move. “That’s why the Crows were fleeing,” Little Eagle said aloud. “Their scouts found our camp abandoned. They were afraid this party would circle to cut them off and at the same time send for help. They were afraid they would be caught in the same sort of trap they set for us.” After he had read the message, Little Eagle looked farther. He found the sign pointing to the cache. Clawing Bear had hidden the sign well. That meant that whatever was hidden was so valuable Clawing Bear didn’t want it to fall into enemy hands. Little Eagle had to do considerable searching before he found the hiding place. Clawing Bear had so cleverly put the dirt back into the place that it was almost impossible to find. Little Eagle dug the dirt loose with a pointed stick and scooped it out with his hands. The stick struck something solid. When Little Eagle scooped away the dirt, he found a cooking bowl turned upside down. As soon as he lifted the bowl, he saw the leather bag. He was trembling with excitement when he picked up the bag. He unwrapped one of the small packages it contained. It was a package of powdered herbs used in making the poultice. Little Eagle didn’t need to open the other packages to know that they contained the other necessary materials. Truly Clawing Bear was a great medicine man. In some mysterious way he had learned that Little Eagle would need these things. Little Eagle glanced up at the sky. The sun was almost straight overhead. He had been gone a long time. Now that he had the things to cure Angry Wolf, it was important that he get back as soon as possible. Little Eagle tied the leather bag to his belt. He stooped down to pick up the cooking bowl, but changed his mind. He would take the larger one he had seen abandoned in the Crow camp. As he hurried back toward Angry Wolf, all kinds of fears tormented Little Eagle. Without water, Angry Wolf might not still be alive. Some enemy might have passed that way and found him. Little Eagle used all of his will power to hold a reasonable pace. He reminded himself that if he became exhausted, there would be no one to care for Angry Wolf. When he went through the valley where the Crow camp had been, Little Eagle stopped only long enough to pick up the cooking pot. By the time he reached the hill on which he had left Angry Wolf, he was so tired that he had to drive himself to keep going. Yet, when he knelt beside Angry Wolf and saw that the wounded boy still breathed, he forgot his weariness. As soon as he had given Angry Wolf a drink of water, Little Eagle started to build a fire. He knew it would be dangerous. It would lead any passing enemy to them. Still he must cook the poultice to put on Angry Wolf’s wound. To make the danger as small as possible, he selected dry, hard sticks for the fire. These would give off little smoke and would soon burn to a bed of glowing embers. When he had the fire going, Little Eagle poured some of the water into the bowl. He set the bowl on the fire. While the water was heating, Little Eagle took the packages from the bag. He found a packet of bear’s grease and laid it close at hand. As soon as the water was boiling, Little Eagle used two sticks as tongs and picked the bowl from the fire. He moved the sticks so as to slosh the water around in the bowl. When he had cleaned the bowl as much as possible, he dumped the dirty water out. He rinsed the bowl with the water that was left in the bag before he set it back on the fire. Little Eagle dropped some bear’s grease into the bowl. While he was waiting for it to melt, he examined the poultice on Angry Wolf’s head. Although blood was seeping around the edges, the poultice seemed to be firmly in place. He would need water to soak it so he could remove it. Little Eagle took the two bags and started toward the stream. He was so tired that the journey seemed longer than the trip he had made back to the Sioux camping place. It was fortunate for him that there were no enemies about. He couldn’t arouse himself enough to take care. Several times he stepped on twigs which snapped loudly. Back at the fire, Little Eagle picked up a small stick. He poured portions of the powdered herbs from each package into the bowl, stirring all the time with the stick. He stirred the mixture until it started to bubble. Then he picked the bowl from the fire, using the same sticks for tongs that he had used before. While the mixture was cooling, Little Eagle took one of the bags of water. He let water drip from it onto the poultice on Angry Wolf’s wound. The water washed the blood away from the edges of the wound, but it didn’t soften the poultice. Little Eagle squatted beside Angry Wolf and carefully thought back over the lessons Clawing Bear had taught him. Clawing Bear’s words finally came back to him. “The poultice will fall off when the wound is cured,” the medicine man had said. “If the wound starts to bleed again, put a new poultice over the old one.” Little Eagle was almost cheerful as he went back to the bowl. The mixture had cooled enough so that he could dip it up in his hands. He kneaded it with his fingers until it was soft and pliable. He spread it over the old poultice, making sure that the edges were tight against the skin so that there was no blood seeping from the wound. “Thank you, Clawing Bear,” Little Eagle said aloud, when he saw that the wound was no longer bleeding. It wasn’t until he had finished caring for Angry Wolf that Little Eagle realized how hungry he was. He had eaten nothing since he and Angry Wolf had shared that small piece of meat the evening before. The thought of venison steak made his mouth water. He had seen the place where deer came to the stream to drink. However, he was afraid to leave Angry Wolf long enough to stalk a deer. Tonight some small game—a rabbit or a squirrel—would have to do. Little Eagle picked up his bow and arrow. He remembered that the water sacks were empty, so he tied them to his belt. He had seen squirrels in some of the trees between here and the creek. He kept watch of the trees as he walked along. When he saw a pair of squirrels running along the limb of a tree, he stopped. Slowly he brought his bow up. The moment one of the squirrels stopped, Little Eagle let an arrow fly. He grinned to himself as the squirrel dropped from the tree with an arrow through its head. Perhaps the next time he was in a shooting match he would win a prize. At the creek Little Eagle filled the water bags. He skinned and dressed the squirrel and washed it in the stream. When he returned to Angry Wolf, Little Eagle put water into the cooking bowl and set it on the fire. He cut the squirrel into small pieces and dropped them into the bowl. As the first tantalizing odors of cooking meat rose from the bowl, he was tempted to take one of the pieces and eat it before it was done. To keep himself busy while the meat was cooking, he found a small stick. He pulled the bark from it and scraped off the loose fiber. He waited until he was sure the meat was thoroughly cooked before he lifted the bowl from the fire. He set the steaming bowl close to Angry Wolf. Little Eagle dipped the stick into the bowl, then held it so the broth dropped onto Angry Wolf’s lips. Angry Wolf opened his mouth and swallowed the drops hungrily. Patiently, Little Eagle dipped the stick into the broth and let the broth fall into Angry Wolf’s mouth. When he had given Angry Wolf all of the broth he could dip out with the stick, Little Eagle ate the meat. By the time he had finished, the sun was down. Already the air was becoming chilly. He considered building the fire up so that Angry Wolf would be kept warm. Because a fire could be seen a long distance at night, he decided against that plan. He covered the fire with dirt. In order to keep Angry Wolf as warm as possible, Little Eagle gathered more leaves and dumped them over the wounded Sioux. Little Eagle gathered a smaller pile of leaves for himself. It was scarcely dark when he snuggled down into the leaves. He fell asleep while he was still trying to get into a more comfortable position. |
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