A CLEVER STRATAGEM
At the time that Sun Bird and White Otter set out to climb the ridge to search for the Blackfeet camp, Lean Wolf and Sitting Eagle rode northward along the edge of the timber to look for signs of their enemies. They were particularly anxious to locate the Crows, who, they feared, were somewhere in the vicinity. They rode until the day was half gone, and then, having seen nothing of their foes, determined to return to their companions. As they were cantering slowly toward a deep ravine which they had crossed earlier in the day, their ponies suddenly began to raise their ears and whinny. The Sioux instantly stopped in alarm.
"Watch out!" cautioned Lean Wolf.
He had barely given the warning when a great company of horsemen rode out of the ravine and raced toward the astounded Sioux. The latter instantly recognized the riders as Crows. They were almost upon them and the Sioux wheeled their ponies and rode madly across the plain.
"This way! This way!" cried Sitting Eagle, as he turned toward the north.
The Crows were within bowshot and their arrows were falling all about the crouching Sioux. The latter urged their ponies to a frantic burst of speed to escape from the fierce attack. Stride by stride they distanced their pursuers until they were beyond arrow range. Then the Crows withheld their arrows and began to lash their ponies in an attempt to again get within bow range.
"Keep low on your pony," cautioned Lean Wolf. "Perhaps they do not know who we are."
"Yes, yes, we will try to fool them," replied Sitting Eagle.
Then as the two ponies raced along side by side he told Lean Wolf about a narrow, shut-in cañon which extended back into the foothills. He said it was only a short distance ahead of them.
"If we run into that place the Crows cannot get us," Sitting Eagle declared, confidently.
"It is good, we will go there," agreed Lean Wolf.
The Crows were trying desperately to come within arrow range, but the gallant Sioux ponies were holding their lead and their riders had little fear of being overtaken. They believed that the Crow ponies had reached the limit of their speed and that further urging would cause them to collapse.
The Sioux finally reached the cañon a safe distance ahead of their pursuers. After they had ridden through the narrow entrance, they dismounted and sought safety behind two great boulders which guarded the pass.
"Now we can hold off our enemies," Sitting Eagle said, with evident relief.
"Yes, it will be hard for them to come through here," declared Lean Wolf.
The Crows, however, showed no disposition to make the attempt. They seemed to realize the strength of the Sioux position and appeared reluctant to make an attack. They gathered in a compact group well beyond arrow range, and held a council of war.
"They will wait until it gets dark," declared Sitting Eagle. "Then they will try to get into this place."
"We will be ready," Lean Wolf said, doggedly. "But perhaps the Crows will keep us here a long time. We have no water. It is bad."
"There is a little pool a short ways behind us, and there is plenty of grass for the ponies," Sitting Eagle assured him.
"It is good," Lean Wolf declared, heartily. "We can stay here until the Crows get tired and go away."
When the day finally ended and twilight fell upon the plain, the Sioux became more alert. They feared that the crafty Crows would make an attempt to creep into the cañon under cover of the darkness, and they determined to be prepared. Crouching behind the bowlders, they peered anxiously into the night, listening for the sound of stealthy footfalls at the entrance to the cañon. Then, as time passed and the stillness was unbroken, they began to wonder. Had the Crows suddenly departed? The Sioux had grave doubts.
"No, they have not gone away," Lean Wolf told Sitting Eagle. "I believe they took us for Blackfeet. They are very mad at those people. I believe they will try hard to kill us."
"Listen!" cautioned Sitting Eagle.
They heard something moving cautiously near the entrance to the pass. Fearing that the Crows were about to make an attack, the Sioux fitted arrows to their bows and prepared to offer desperate resistance. Then they again heard some one creeping stealthily toward them through the night.
"It is a scout," whispered Lean Wolf.
Sitting Eagle rose to his knees, and shot his arrow toward the sounds. There was a noisy scramble from the pass, and they knew that the invaders had been driven off. Then for a long time they heard nothing further from their foes. Shortly before daylight, however, a small company of reckless young warriors rushed boldly into the narrow defile and made a valiant attempt to overcome the Sioux. The latter fought furiously, and the Crows were forced to withdraw. Their foolhardy display of bravery had cost the lives of several of them.
The Sioux were greatly encouraged by their success in holding the pass. They believed that the Crows would be slow to renew the attack. They had withdrawn beyond arrow range, and as dawn lighted the plain the Sioux saw them gathered in earnest discussion some distance from the cañon.
"Perhaps they will go away," Sitting Eagle said, hopefully.
"No, I do not believe it," replied Lean Wolf. "Listen, they are singing their war songs. We must be ready."
A few moments afterward the entire Crow war party galloped toward the cañon. As they came within arrow range, however, they dropped behind their ponies and raced past yelling fiercely.
"Save your arrows!" shouted Lean Wolf.
"Yes, yes, I see what they are trying to do," Sitting Eagle told him.
They realized at once that their wily foes were attempting to make them waste their arrows. When the Crows saw that the trick had failed, they immediately withdrew beyond arrow range. This time, however, they disappeared from sight over a rise of the plain. The Sioux looked at one another in surprise. The unexpected maneuver made them suspicious.
"They are trying to fool us," said Sitting Eagle.
"Yes, they are trying to make us come out so that they can catch us," declared Lean Wolf.
Then their suspicions were confirmed as they saw several warriors peeping over the crest of the rise. The Sioux laughed and jeered at them, and the Crows instantly withdrew from sight. They remained hidden for the rest of the day, but the Sioux had little doubt that sharp-eyed scouts were constantly watching the pass.
"If they do not come when it gets dark, we will know that they have gone away," said Sitting Eagle.
They watched in weary suspense as the long day finally drew to a close. The Crows, however, failed to appear. It seemed as if they really had abandoned the siege, and still the Sioux feared to believe it. Experience had taught them that the Crows were crafty and treacherous foes, and they feared that they were planning some clever ruse to gain admission to the cañon.
"We must keep watching," Lean Wolf said, suspiciously.
The night was well advanced before they heard anything to arouse their fears. Then they again caught the sound of some one moving toward the cañon.
"Watch out, they have come!" whispered Sitting Eagle.
"I hear them," Lean Wolf replied.
The next moment a wild chorus of yells warned them that the entire Crow force was crowding into the narrow pass. The Sioux knew that the critical moment was at hand. The Crows had left their ponies out on the plain and had crept toward the cañon on foot. It was evident that they were determined to kill their foes at any cost, and the Sioux realized that unless they could stop the first fierce rush there was no hope for them.
"Come, we are Dacotahs, we will show these people how to fight!" Lean Wolf cried, savagely.
They rose behind the bowlders and delivered a deadly volley of arrows that threw the Crows into confusion. For a moment they hesitated, and the Sioux took hope. Then the Crows rallied and rushed recklessly upon their foes. The Sioux took shelter behind the bowlders and fought with the fury of despair. They realized that it was only a matter of moments before they would be overcome, and they determined to make the Crows pay dearly for the victory.
At that instant, however, the great war cry of the Dacotahs echoed through the night, and a moment afterward the thunderous hoof beats of running ponies reverberated across the plain. The Sioux could scarcely believe their ears. The Crows turned in panic.
"The Blackfeet! The Blackfeet!" they cried hysterically. "They have run off our ponies!"
They believed that they had been led into a trap by the treacherous Blackfeet, and the thought demoralized them. Their one thought was to escape from the cañon before their foes barred the way. They scrambled wildly through the narrow pass and fled into the darkness.
"Come!" cried Lean Wolf, as he sprang upon his pony.
The Sioux galloped from the pass, and raced across the plain to join the Minneconjoux war party. They heard the Sioux war cry directly ahead of them, and they raised their voices in reply. Several riderless ponies crossed their path, but they made no attempt to capture them. Their one thought was to join their comrades in an attack upon the bewildered Crows. Then they heard some one galloping toward them and shouting their names. A moment later White Otter raced the fiery piebald beside them.
"You are alive—it is good," he said. "Come, we will run away before the Crows find out about it."
"Where are our brothers?" Lean Wolf inquired, anxiously.
"Little Raven and Running Dog are waiting over there," White Otter told him.
"Yes, yes, but where are the others?" inquired Lean Wolf.
"They did not come," laughed White Otter. "We made all that noise to frighten the Crow ponies and bring the Crows out on the plain. I did it a long time ago. Now I have done it again. The Crows are very foolish."
"White Otter, you are a great chief!" Lean Wolf said, warmly. "You have given us our lives. We will tell our people about it."