HOTLY PURSUED
Once aware of what had happened, the enraged Blackfeet rushed from the camp like a swarm of angry bees. Led by their great war chief, Many Buffaloes, they rode recklessly out upon the plain to overtake the daring foes who had run off their ponies. They had not gone an arrow flight, however, before they collided with the Sioux.
"Come, my brothers, it is time to fight!" cried Sun Bird.
The resolute band of Sioux fighting men charged furiously upon their foes. They were outnumbered three to one, but the fierceness of their attack deceived the Blackfeet and threw them into confusion. Having recognized the Dacotahs, the Blackfeet knew from experience what sort of resistance to expect from those powerful and courageous foes.
"The Sioux! The Sioux!" they cried, fiercely.
Then, as Sitting Eagle and his companions raced the captured ponies through the night, Sun Bird and his company of warriors fought desperately to hold back the Blackfeet. The latter, however, soon became aware of their superiority in numbers, and the discovery gave them confidence. Recovering from their momentary disorder, they made a desperate attempt to break through their enemies.
The Sioux, however, held their ground, and the fighting was at close quarters. There were many thrilling encounters. Lean Wolf fought three Blackfeet warriors and overcame all of them. Sun Bird had his pony killed beneath him, and then killed his foe and took his horse. Feather Dog became separated from his companions and was compelled to fight off an entire company of Blackfeet until some of his friends discovered his plight and rushed to his assistance.
In spite of their bravery, however, the Sioux were unable to overcome the odds against them. It was not long before they realized that it would be folly to sacrifice themselves in attempting to match strength with their foes. The Blackfeet were too strong to be held back. The Sioux saw that their only chance of success was in making a running fight.
"We must follow after the ponies," said Sun Bird.
The moment they gave way the Blackfeet interpreted it as a sign of defeat. Feeling sure of victory, they charged recklessly forward, and attempted to throw the Sioux into a rout. Instantly alert to his peril, Sun Bird brought his company to a stand, and fought with a grim ferocity that soon convinced the Blackfeet of their mistake. They realized that victory was far from being won, and they became somewhat more cautious. After several costly and futile attempts to make the Sioux give ground, they suddenly divided their forces, and a strong company swept around the Sioux flank.
"They are passing! They are passing!" the Minneconjoux cried in alarm.
At that moment White Otter and Little Raven joined the war party. They had fought their way through the very midst of their foes, and reached their companions in safety. The presence of the famous young war chief greatly encouraged the Minneconjoux.
"There is only one thing to do," White Otter said, hurriedly, as Sun Bird turned to consult him. "We must keep ahead of those Blackfeet."
Acting upon his advice, the Sioux suddenly gave way and raced across the plain in pursuit of Sitting Eagle and the band of ponies. Behind them thundered the main force of Blackfeet, and at their right rode the company that had succeeded in getting past them.
"When we come to the ponies we must make a big fight," White Otter declared, grimly, as he rode beside Sun Bird.
"Yes, yes," agreed Sun Bird.
The Blackfeet kept close behind them, and the Sioux were in constant peril from their arrows. Whenever the Blackfeet came too near, however, the Sioux turned upon them and fought them off. Thus they made their way across the plain until they overtook Sitting Eagle and his companions. The latter had heard them approaching, and had rounded up the ponies and prepared to fight.
"Keep going! Keep going!" shouted Sun Bird. "We will hold back the Blackfeet."
"Yes, keep going!" cried White Otter. "Run the ponies until you come to that big gully. Then wait for us."
Sitting Eagle and his company barely got the ponies under way before the Blackfeet were upon them. Sun Bird and the war party fought savagely to hold them off, but the company of Blackfeet who had ridden along the Sioux flank circled under cover of the darkness and reached the herd.
"Hold the ponies! Hold the ponies!" shouted Sitting Eagle, as the wily Blackfeet attempted to stampede them.
Yelling fiercely, they charged close up to the alarmed ponies, and threw them into wild disorder. Frightened into a panic by the noisy tumult, the bewildered animals tried to break from their captors and flee across the plain. Sitting Eagle and his companions made valiant efforts to hold them under control, but the Blackfeet were riding furiously about the herd, and making desperate efforts to kill the men who guarded it.
In the meantime Sun Bird and the Minneconjoux war party were fighting a thrilling battle with the main force of their foes. The latter had again rushed to close quarters, and the Sioux were in desperate straits. Greatly outnumbered, they fought with a reckless courage that astounded their enemies. Try as they might, the Blackfeet were unable to break through the heroic company that confronted them. Led by Many Buffaloes himself, the bravest warriors in the Blackfeet nation hurled themselves against the Sioux with a daring abandon that would have speedily routed less valiant foes. The Sioux, however, repulsed each savage attack with a dogged ferocity that gradually shattered the confidence of their foes.
Sitting Eagle and his gallant band were less successful. They found it impossible to keep the ponies under control, and at the same time defend themselves against the Blackfeet. They were threatened with disaster and began to lose heart.
"Come, Dacotahs, show these people how to fight!" cried Sitting Eagle.
At that moment White Otter led a company of Minneconjoux against the Blackfeet who had attacked the herd. Roused by the courage of the young Ogalala war chief, the Minneconjoux warriors charged furiously upon the surprised Blackfeet and completely overwhelmed them with the fierceness of their attack. For a moment only the Blackfeet opposed them, and then as White Otter drove his arrow through the leader of the company the others lost courage and retreated into the night.
"Come," shouted the Ogalala. "Drive away the ponies!"
Sitting Eagle and his comrades instantly got the ponies in motion. Then the determined Blackfeet again charged forward to gain possession of the herd. This time, however, they were met by White Otter and his gallant band of fighters. They fought with a fiery zeal that soon threw fear into the hearts of their foes. Riding boldly at the head of his companions, White Otter dashed recklessly among the Blackfeet, and threw them into confusion. Then as they wavered he raised the piercing Dacotah war cry, and led his tribesmen in a furious assault that caused the astounded Blackfeet to flee wildly before him. He followed them a long distance across the plain, and exacted heavy toll from the laggards. Then he suddenly heard Sun Bird and the rest of the war party riding toward the south.
"Come," he cried. "Our brothers are running ahead of the Blackfeet. We must find out about it."
Having subdued his foes, he turned and led his comrades to join the Minneconjoux. When he finally overtook them he found Sun Bird in high spirits. The skillful young war leader had completely defeated his foes.
"The Blackfeet are getting cautious," said Sun Bird. "See, they are keeping far behind. I believe they are afraid of us."
The Blackfeet appeared to have lost much of their confidence. Having lost heavily in the desperate fighting with the Sioux, they seemed unwilling to risk coming again to close quarters with those indomitable foes. Although they still continued to follow them, they were content to remain safely beyond arrow range. The Sioux hoped that they would soon abandon the pursuit.
"Pretty soon they will turn back," declared Sun Bird. "Then they will go to the village, and tell their people what a great fight they made."
"Well, they will not bring back those ponies," laughed Little Raven.
Daylight was breaking when the Sioux again overtook their comrades with the captured ponies. Sitting Eagle had stopped in the bottom of a deep ravine through which trickled a tiny stream. The Sioux saw at once that it offered them splendid protection against their foes.
"It is good," Sun Bird said, heartily. "Now we will see what the Blackfeet will do."
The latter had already stopped, and were apparently discussing the advisability of attempting to drive the Sioux from their shelter. For a long time they seemed unwilling to make the effort. The Sioux had left the ponies in the bottom of the ravine, and were lying along the top of the bank watching their foes with great interest. They had no intention of leaving the ravine until the Blackfeet had either made an attack or withdrawn from the vicinity.
"Perhaps they will wait until it gets dark," suggested Little Raven.
"No, I do not believe it," Sun Bird told him. "I believe they will do something pretty soon."
"Yes, my brother, that is how I feel about it," said White Otter.
The three young warriors were lying beside one another at the top of the ravine. On each side of them were the other members of the war party, except a few young warriors who had been left in charge of the ponies. White Otter noted, however, that some of the Minneconjoux were missing. Among them were Proud Hawk and Painted Bird, the two young warriors who had served as scouts for the war party. The eyes of the Ogalala flashed threateningly as he realized that they and their absent companions had been killed by the Blackfeet.
"It is bad," Sun Bird said, solemnly. "Those brave warriors were my friends. I saw Proud Hawk fall from his pony. I was close beside him. I tried to carry him off, but the Blackfeet killed him. I saw Painted Bird making a great fight. The Blackfeet were all around him. They must have killed him. I tried to get near him, but some Blackfeet rushed upon me and killed my horse. I had a hard time to get away."
"Well, we must not think about it," said White Otter. "A warrior must always be ready to die. Those men were very brave. It is enough. We will tell our people about them."
"Yes, we will call out their names when we ride through the camp," replied Sun Bird. "We will tell our people that we sent many Blackfeet to walk behind our brothers on the Long Trail."
Then their thoughts were diverted by the sudden activity of the Blackfeet. They were advancing slowly across the plain, singing their war songs, and shouting boastful threats against the Sioux. The latter watched them with little fear. They realized that the possession of the ravine had turned the odds in their favor. Besides, they strongly doubted that the Blackfeet would actually venture within bowshot.
"They will keep away," Sun Bird said, confidently.
It was not many moments before his words were verified. The Blackfeet had suddenly stopped beyond arrow range. They were still chanting the war songs, and shouting threateningly, but they showed no inclination to approach nearer the ravine. The Sioux, however, watched them closely. They knew that at any moment their wily foes might throw aside their caution and sweep forward in a furious attack.
"See, that great chief, Many Buffaloes, is giving them strong words," Sun Bird said, eagerly, as he seized White Otter by the arm.
The Ogalala made no reply. His eyes were following every move of the famous Blackfeet war chief. The latter had ridden out in front of his tribesmen and was making a fiery address. Several times he wheeled his pony and swept his arm toward the Sioux. They felt certain that he was rousing his warriors for a final attempt to recapture the ponies. It was evident that his words were accomplishing the desired effect. The Blackfeet were becoming greatly excited. The Sioux grew serious. They had great respect for the courage and ability of the renowned Blackfeet leader, and they feared that he was preparing to carry through some bold stroke which might still bring victory to the Blackfeet.
"Many Buffaloes is going to do something big," Sun Bird told White Otter. "He is very brave. We must watch out."
White Otter took little notice of the warning. His entire attention was concentrated upon the spirited black pony, and its famous rider. Everything else had passed from his mind. Even the great company of jeering Blackfeet had suddenly faded from his vision. He saw nothing but the Blackfeet war chief, and his prancing black pony. He watched them with flashing, fascinated eyes. Then Many Buffaloes dramatically passed his bow, quiver and arrows to one of his tribesmen, and turned toward the Sioux with his war club raised. White Otter uttered a short, fierce exclamation of satisfaction. He had instantly interpreted the maneuver, and his heart bounded with hope.
As the Blackfeet chief rode slowly toward the ravine, singing his war song and flourishing his war club, White Otter passed his bow and arrow-case to Sun Bird and scrambled wildly down the steep side of the ravine.
"That man is very brave," he cried, excitedly. "Tell your people that they must not try to kill him when he comes close. I am going to ride out there to meet him."
"No, no, that would be foolish!" Sun Bird shouted in alarm. "He is riding that great Medicine Horse. You cannot catch him. He will lead you over there to the Blackfeet, and they will kill you."
"We will see," White Otter replied, lightly, as he ran to the piebald.
In the meantime the Blackfeet chief was fearlessly approaching the ravine. He was already well within bow range, but the Sioux withheld their arrows. There were two reasons. In the first place Sun Bird had called out and warned them against killing Many Buffaloes, and in the second place his bold defiance insured his safety. The Sioux understood his reckless maneuver as a challenge to their manhood, an invitation for one of their leaders to come out and meet him in personal combat. To have killed him from shelter, under those circumstances, would have made them weaklings and cowards in the eyes of their foes. The Sioux felt compelled to respect the code of honor which prevailed even between the most bitter enemies. They realized, therefore, that one of their number must accept the defiant challenge of the Blackfeet chief, or else the latter must be permitted to return to his tribesmen in safety. Nevertheless, the Minneconjoux knew that if any one went forth to meet him the wily war leader would rely upon the phenomenal speed of his pony to carry him to safety, and decoy his enemy within bow shot of his warriors. For that reason they made great efforts to dissuade White Otter from his purpose.
"Many Buffaloes has done this thing many times, but we have no ponies that can come up with him," the Minneconjoux told White Otter. "If you follow him the Blackfeet will surely kill you."
"I am going," White Otter replied, firmly.
A moment afterward he rode out upon the plain. The Blackfeet greeted his appearance with savage yells of derision. The Sioux raised the great Dacotah war cry to give him courage. Many Buffaloes stopped and waited for him to approach.
"White Otter is a great warrior; he is very brave; that pony is very fast, but I believe he will be killed," Sun Bird said, fearfully.
The solemn faces of the Minneconjoux gave endorsement to his fears. They, too, believed that the reckless Ogalala was going to his death. Having witnessed the speed of the famous black war pony, they felt certain that White Otter would never get within striking distance of the Blackfeet chief. Their only hope was that the Ogalala would discover his peril in time to turn back and save himself from the treacherous Blackfeet.
"Then we must be ready to rush out and help him," said Sun Bird.
At that instant White Otter raised the war cry, and raced toward the Blackfeet chief. The latter waited until the Ogalala was almost upon him, and then he turned his pony and rode furiously toward his yelling tribesmen. A moment afterward he twisted about and laughed shrilly, as he shook his war club at the Sioux. Enraged by the taunt, White Otter struck his pony with the heavy rawhide quirt. The piebald bounded forward at a speed which caused the Minneconjoux and the Blackfeet to stare in silent amazement. With each stroke of the lash the wonderful little beast ran faster. The famous Blackfeet pony was a full length in the lead, but the piebald was actually gaining. The Minneconjoux could not believe it possible.
"Many Buffaloes is holding back," they told one another. "He is trying to draw White Otter near his people."
"No, no, it is not so!" Sun Bird shouted, excitedly. "See, the Dacotah pony is running faster!"
It was true. Sioux and Blackfeet both realized it. Many Buffaloes looked over his shoulder and was equally astounded. The piebald had cut his lead in half and was still gaining. Alarmed at the discovery, Many Buffaloes lashed the black pony to its best speed. It ran as no other horse in the great Blackfeet nation had ever run before, but the piebald ran even faster. White Otter was within less than half a pony-length of the Blackfeet chief. The latter, however, was almost within bow shot of his tribesmen. The Minneconjoux realized that unless White Otter overtook the black pony within the next few strides he would be at the mercy of his foes. The thought drove them into a frenzy of excitement.
"See, see, he has caught Many Buffaloes!" Sun Bird shouted, wildly.
The piebald had closed the gap, and was drawing abreast of the Blackfeet pony. Enraged by the glorious achievement of the Sioux pony, the Blackfeet raced forward to save their chief from defeat. At that moment, however, White Otter drew even with his foe. Yelling defiantly, Many Buffaloes swung his war club at the head of the Ogalala. White Otter crouched and barely escaped the deadly blow. Then before the Blackfeet chief could regain his balance the agile young Sioux swung his own weapon and knocked Many Buffaloes from his horse. The next moment he secured control of the famous black war pony. Turning the ponies in their tracks, he raced toward the ravine with the entire company of Blackfeet close behind him.
Leaving a few warriors in the ravine to guard the ponies, the Sioux galloped madly across the plain to rescue White Otter. Once he got the ponies under way, however, there was slight chance of the Blackfeet overtaking him. Stride by stride he drew away from his pursuers, who were too busily engaged lashing their ponies to think of shooting their arrows. When they finally did make use of their bows they found themselves already within range of the Minneconjoux. The latter shot their arrows with deadly effect, and the disheartened Blackfeet wavered before the attack. Then, as White Otter dashed among them, the Sioux flashed about and raced back to the ravine without losing a man.
"Well, my brothers, I have showed you that the Dacotah ponies can run," White Otter said, quietly as he dismounted in the midst of his enthusiastic tribesmen.
"White Otter, I believe the pony that Curly Horse gave you is a Medicine Pony," Sun Bird declared, seriously. "Perhaps that is why it was so fierce when you began to ride it. I believe my father had something to do with it. He is a great Medicine Person."
"It may be true," White Otter told him, as he stroked the neck of the little piebald.
"Yes, yes, Rain Crow must have had something to do with it," declared the superstitious Minneconjoux.