CHAPTER XII
A NIGHT OF UNCERTAINTY
HOLLOW BEAR and Little Wolf were a half day's journey south of the Ogalala camp, looking for buffaloes, when they suddenly discovered a heavy dust-cloud rising above a low ridge to the east of them. It suggested a number of alarming possibilities, and the Sioux determined to take every precaution. Riding hurriedly into a nearby ravine, they muzzled the ponies with buckskin, and then crawled cautiously to the top of the steep embankment to watch.
"It is bad," said Hollow Bear. "If that dust is raised by buffaloes, then they are running hard. Perhaps the Kiowas or the Pawnees are chasing them. We must be very cautious."
"Well, perhaps what you say is true," replied Little Wolf. "But I must tell you that I believe it is different. I believe that dust is raised by the hoofs of many ponies."
They watched anxiously, hoping each moment to learn the answer to the riddle. Nothing appeared on the summit of the ridge, however, and as they noticed that whatever caused the dust was moving directly north, in the direction of the Ogalala village, their fears increased. They wondered if it were a hostile war party. The thought roused them to action. They knew that if the fear proved true there would not be a moment to spare. The slightest delay might bring disaster to their people. Therefore, they determined to leave their hiding place, and ride boldly to the ridge to reconnoiter.
"Come, perhaps our people are in danger; we must know about this thing," declared Hollow Bear, as he descended into the ravine for his pony.
They mounted and rode boldly out upon the plain. They knew that they were placing themselves in great peril, but concern for their people made them daring. However, the possibility that keen-eyed scouts were lying concealed on the crest of the ridge made them watchful and wary. As they neared the perilous swell of ground that concealed what they wished to see, they slackened their pace and approached with great caution. Then, before they finally ventured within arrow-range, they stopped and searched the ridge for evidence of hidden foes. They saw nothing to rouse their suspicions. Therefore, they determined to investigate. Aware that it would be folly for both to expose themselves, Little Wolf dismounted and hurried to the base of the ridge, while Hollow Bear remained a short distance away with the ponies.
Little Wolf crawled quickly up the grassy slope, and peered cautiously over the crest of the ridge. What he saw sent his heart into his throat. A great company of horsemen were cantering rapidly across the plain, in the direction of the distant Ogalala village. The scout instantly recognized them as Pawnees, and his sharp eyes soon told him that it was a war party. He had little doubt that these hated foes were on their way to attack the Sioux camp. The thought enraged him. For a moment he glared defiantly at the long line of distant horsemen, and his heart burned with a desire to fight. Then he realized that he had no time to waste on such futile thoughts. He knew that his first duty was to carry a warning to his people. The day was not yet half gone, and he felt sure that the Pawnees would make their attack against the Ogalala village that very night. Realizing that he must act at once, he withdrew behind the ridge and hurried down the slope.
"That dust is raised by many ponies," Little Wolf told his companion. "There is a great war party of Pawnees over there. I believe that they are going to fight our people. Come, my brother, we must go and tell Wolf Robe about it."
"Yes, we will go," agreed Hollow Bear. "But first I must go up there, and see this thing."
Hollow Bear left his pony with Little Wolf, and hurried to the top of the ridge. He watched only a few moments, however, and then he ran down to join his tribesmen. Little Wolf saw at once that he was greatly excited, and he wondered what he had seen.
"Come, we must go fast!" cried Hollow Bear. "Two riders are galloping toward this place."
"Well, we will hide here, and kill them," proposed Little Wolf, as the fierce glow of hate showed in his eyes.
"No, that would be a bad thing to do," declared Hollow Bear. "If the Pawnees know that we are here, then we will not get away. Come, we will ride over there and hide in that gully until those scouts go away. Then we will go and tell our people about this thing. My brother, it is the best way to do."
"Yes, I believe it is true," agreed Little Wolf.
They leaped upon their ponies, and raced toward the ravine. Once they reached it, they again muzzled the panting beasts, and crept to the top of the embankment to watch the ridge. For some time they saw nothing, and they began to wonder whether the Pawnee scouts had changed their plans. Then Hollow Bear thought he saw something appear for an instant above the summit of the ridge.
"I believe someone is looking over that place," he told Little Wolf.
A few moments afterward they saw the suspicion verified, as a small black dot appeared against the sky. They knew at once that it was the head of a warrior. It remained in sight some time, and it was evident that the cautious scout was carefully reconnoitering the plain. Then he disappeared, and the Sioux wondered whether he had actually gone.
"We must be very cautious," declared Hollow Bear. "The Pawnees are as sharp as the wolf."
"Yes, we will stay here and watch until we know about this thing," replied Little Wolf.
As they waited, however, they saw the disturbing clouds of dust continually rising farther to the north, and they became uneasy and impatient. The thought of the hostile war party drawing nearer to the Ogalalas each moment, while they lingered in concealment, drove them into a frenzy. They looked anxiously toward the ridge, and wondered whether the Pawnee scout was still watching. At last they determined to run the risk rather than lose more time.
"Come, we will ride away," proposed Hollow Bear. "We are far enough from that ridge, and our ponies are fast. We will get away."
"My brother, I believe it is the best thing to do," agreed Little Wolf.
They waited a moment longer to search the crest of the ridge with eager, straining eyes. Then, as they saw nothing of the scout, they mounted their ponies and rode from the ravine. Once on the open plain they turned toward the west, and rode away at a furious gallop. They glanced backward many times, but saw nothing to arouse their suspicions. When they finally rode over a rise of the plain, and passed from sight of the distant ridge, they felt somewhat easier.
"Now we must look back and see if anyone is following us," said Hollow Bear as he stopped his pony.
Little Wolf dismounted and crawled cautiously to the top of the slope behind them. He remained there some time, watching their back-trail. Then he hurried down to his companion.
"My eyes tell me nothing," he said.
"It is good," replied Hollow Bear. "Come, now we will ride toward our people."
Having made the wide detour toward the west to deceive anyone who might have been watching, the crafty Sioux now turned toward the north. They forced the ponies to a desperate pace, for they realized that they must reach the Ogalala camp without a moment of unnecessary delay. They had not gone far, however, when they saw what looked like the heads of several prairie wolves, above a rise of ground to the west. There was something about them that instantly roused the suspicions of the Ogalalas. They felt sure that the "wolves" were disguised scouts.
"It is bad," cried Hollow Bear. "Those things are not wolves. No, they are Pawnee scouts. We have been discovered. We must keep watching that place. I believe there is another big war party over there."
"Yes, I believe it is so," declared Little Wolf. "Those people are watching for their brothers. I believe that all the Pawnees are coming to fight our people. They will come up on both sides of the village. See, those scouts have gone away. I believe that they have gone to tell their people about us."
"Well, there is one over there," replied Hollow Bear. "See, he is looking over that rock."
"Your eyes are like the eyes of the great war bird," said Little Wolf. "Now I see him. Yes, he is watching us."
The Sioux were much depressed by what they had seen. It was evident that a vast force of Pawnees were approaching the Ogalala village. The two scouts felt sure that their people would be greatly outnumbered, and as the Ogalala camp contained many women and children, besides the aged, they dared not think what would happen if the pitiless Pawnees once forced their way into the village. They realized that they must reach the village far enough ahead of their foes to give Wolf Robe and his warriors time to prepare for the attack. Roused by the thought, they urged their ponies to the limit of endurance. Then, as they glanced uneasily over their shoulders, they saw a small company of horsemen watching them from the ridge to the westward.
"We are too far away; they will not ride after us," declared Hollow Bear.
"Perhaps they do not know that we are Dacotahs," suggested Little Wolf.
"They cannot see our faces, but they will say: 'See, those riders go very fast. They are running toward the camp of our enemies, the Sioux. They are scouts. If they were Kiowas they would go the other way. If they were Black-feet they would ride over this way to go around their enemies, the Sioux. The Crows do not come down so far. No, they are Sioux.' Yes, that is how the Pawnees will know about us," declared Hollow Bear with conviction.
"You are as wise as the fox," said Little Wolf.
As they looked back they saw several horsemen galloping wildly across the plain toward the east. For a moment the unexpected maneuver baffled them, and then they suddenly realized the object of it.
"Now I know about it," declared Little Wolf. "Those riders are scouts. They are going over there to look for their brothers. They will tell them about us. It is good. Perhaps the war leaders will come together to talk about it. Then our people will have time to do something."
"I believe you have told the thing as it is," agreed Hollow Bear.
The western sky was ablaze with the glories of the sunset as they finally came in sight of the Ogalala camp. It was still some distance away, however, and the eager scouts lashed their ponies without mercy as they raced across the plain to warn their people. They believed that the Pawnees were following swiftly on their trail, with the hope of attacking the Sioux before they had an opportunity to prepare themselves.
The great Ogalala camp was the scene of peaceful tranquillity. The herds of unprotected ponies grazing on the plain, the smoke rising lazily above the lodges, the absence of sentinels from the ridges, all these things proclaimed the fancied security of the unsuspecting Ogalalas. The excited scouts groaned as they realized it. As they neared the lodges they began to shout at the top of their voices, and in a few moments the people rushed to the edge of the camp. Hollow Bear and Little Wolf pointed excitedly toward the south, and then toward the herds of ponies, at the same time sounding the piercing war cry of the Dacotahs.
"The Pawnees are coming! Drive in the ponies. Get ready to fight!" they cried when they came within shouting distance.
The warning instantly caused a commotion in the village. The warriors rushed for their weapons, the women dragged the frightened children to the lodges, and a company of boys ran out on the plain to drive in the horses. The war ponies, as usual, were picketed in the camp. Then, when the riders dashed into the village and told their story, a number of scouts leaped upon their ponies and raced away to watch for the Pawnees.
A few moments afterward Wolf Robe, the Ogalala war chief, called his warriors together in council. He realized at once that the situation was serious, and he was troubled and fearful of the outcome. The presence of the women and children filled his heart with gloomy misgivings, for he saw no way of getting them away. Ordinarily they would have been sent to the hills under a strong escort of warriors, but in the present emergency he knew that such an attempt would be almost sure to end disastrously. The nearest foothills were far away to the west, in the country of the Minneconjoux, and the experienced old chief realized that the first maneuver of his foes would be to surround the Ogalala camp. But even if the women and children were taken from the village before the way was barred, Wolf Robe knew that it would be folly to send them across the open plain under as feeble an escort as he could spare for their protection. Hollow Bear and Little Wolf both assured him that there were at least four Pawnees for every Ogalala, and Wolf Robe believed that in the face of such overwhelming odds the village itself would be the best safeguard for his people. Protected somewhat by the lodges, he believed that they might hold off their foes until help could arrive. Therefore, he determined to keep the women and children in the camp, at least until he learned the actual strength and disposition of the Pawnee forces.
"My brothers, you have heard about this thing," he told the warriors. "Our enemies, the Pawnees, are coming to fight us. But the sharp eyes of our scouts found them. It is good. Now we know about it. We are ready to fight. But our women and children are in this camp. We cannot get them out. No, the Pawnees are all around us. There are many warriors. We must keep them out of the village. Perhaps it will be a hard thing to do. I will ask you to be men. When it is dark I will send a scout to our brothers, the brave Minneconjoux. They will come here to help us. White Otter will come. I believe the Pawnees are doing this thing because White Otter brought the Red Arrow from their medicine-lodge. Now it is in the lodge of Yellow Horse. Now the Pawnees will try to take it away again. Well, we are Dacotahs. I will ask you to make your hearts brave against these boastful Wolf People. You have heard the words of Wolf Robe."
The Ogalalas received the speech with enthusiasm. All of the warriors were eager to fight, and, although they knew that they were greatly outnumbered, there was not one among them who had any doubt of their ability to keep the Pawnees from entering the village. Having endorsed the words of their chief, therefore, they were now ready to obey his commands.
Wolf Robe immediately made preparations for the battle. The ponies were driven in from the plain and picketed in the center of the village; the women and children were sent to the inside lodges; and the warriors took their places along the edge of the camp. Then the stern old war chief waited impatiently for word from his scouts. Darkness was already settling upon the plain when several riders returned to the village to report. They said that the Pawnees were divided into three great war parties, each composed of more warriors than were in the Ogalala camp. The scouts declared that the enemy had halted some distance out on the plain, but they warned Wolf Robe that the camp was entirely surrounded. They said that they had little doubt that Pawnee scouts were already creeping forward to reconnoiter the village.
"Then we must watch," replied the Ogalala war chief.
After the scouts had ridden away, Wolf Robe hurried around the edge of the camp, telling his warriors what he had learned. He warned them against the Pawnee scouts, and urged them to be as watchful as the fox. Then he stopped beside High Eagle, one of the most famous warriors of the tribe.
"My brother, there are a great many Pawnees out there," said Wolf Robe. "Our women and children are in the lodges. They cannot get away. The village is surrounded by the Wolf People. Perhaps there will be too many against us. I am troubled in my heart. You have done many great things. You are very brave. Now I will ask you to risk your life."
"My ears are open—I am waiting for your words," replied High Eagle, as the old chief hesitated.
"Well, I will ask you to take your best pony, and go to tell our brothers, the brave Minneconjoux, about this thing. Perhaps you will be killed. But if you get away you will do a great thing," declared Wolf Robe.
"I will go," said High Eagle. "If I get away I will give the call of the prairie wolf. But if you do not hear it, then you will know that I have been killed. Then you must send another scout to do this thing. Now I am going."
"You are a great warrior," declared Wolf Robe.
A few moments afterward High Eagle led his muzzled pony from the village and disappeared into the night. The people waited anxiously. It was a long time before they finally heard the dismal call of the prairie wolf, far away toward the west. Then their hearts filled with joy, and they began to shout and sing their war songs.
"It is good. High Eagle has crept past the Pawnees. Now he will bring our brothers, the Minneconjoux, to help us," declared Wolf Robe.
Then the bark of the little gray fox sounded close to the edge of the camp, and the Ogalalas knew that one of the scouts was returning. When the signal had been repeated the proper number of times, it was answered from the village. A few moments afterward Crooked Dog rode into the camp. He said that the Pawnees to the south of the village were advancing. While he was talking another signal sounded through the darkness and a scout rode in from the west. He, too, declared that the war party on that side of the camp was moving forward. Then the other scouts returned and gave warning that their foes were closing in on all sides of the village.
"My brothers, the Pawnees are coming to fight us!" cried Wolf Robe. "You must watch with the eyes of a fox; you must fight with the heart of a bear. Do not run out to meet them. No, that would be foolish. Keep close together, near the lodges. Then the Pawnees cannot get into the camp. Listen! I hear the great war cry of the Dacotahs. Yes, it is what I am listening for. We must drive off these boastful people until our brothers come here to help us. Then we will run out and chase the Wolf People back to their lodges. Dacotahs, I will ask you to fight like men. Now I am taking my weapons. I am going to the edge of the camp to kill many Pawnees. I have told you what to do."
Roused by the fearlessness of their aged chief, the Ogalala fighting men raised their voices in a mighty shout of defiance that rang out across the somber black plain, and carried an ominous warning to the ears of the advancing Pawnees. Then, having sent their challenge, they subsided into grim, silent watchfulness. Crouching close beside one another at the edge of the camp, they peered anxiously into the night, straining their ears to catch the first warning of their crafty foes.
For some time the stillness was unbroken, and the Sioux waited in trying suspense. Then the cry of the great gray wolf sounded a short distance to the west of the camp. The Dacotahs knew at once that it was a signal, and they believed the attack was about to begin. A few moments later a similar signal sounded from the south. The eyes of the Sioux flashed angrily as they listened. Then a third call came from the east.
"The Wolf People are all around us," said Wolf Robe. "When the next call sounds above the camp, then they will rush ahead and the fight will begin."
It was evident, however, that the company of warriors who were to attack the Ogalala village from the north had been longer in reaching their position, for as yet no signal had come from that direction. While the Sioux waited expectantly for the final signal another cry sounded from the west. It was apparent that the Pawnees were impatient at the tardiness of their comrades. Again an answer came from the east, and, a few moments afterward, another from the south. The north was still silent.
"I do not know about that thing," Wolf Robe told Yellow Horse, the medicine-man.
Before the latter could reply, however, the weird, long-drawn-out howl of the timber wolf rose in the north. Every Dacotah's heart bounded at the sound. They knew that the circle had been completed, the last gap had been closed, the camp was surrounded. The thought steadied the warriors for the fight. They realized that upon them depended the fate of their women and children, and they told one another that they must fight to the death to keep the Pawnees from the village. Then they waited calmly for their foes to appear.
It was not long before a piercing yell sounded to the west of the village, and a moment afterward it was echoed on all sides of the camp. Then the great horde of frenzied Pawnees charged. Instantly all was confusion. The shouts and whoops of the warriors, the hysterical screams of the terrorized women and children, the barking of the dogs, the neighing of the frightened ponies were combined in one deafening uproar that turned the besieged camp into a bedlam. Darkness added to the disorder. In spite of the tumult, however, the fearless men at the edge of the village continued calm and undismayed. They faced the furious assault without a tremor, and fought with a sullen ferocity that bewildered their foes.
Once within arrow-range of the Ogalala camp, the Pawnees thronged out of the night like a great swarm of angry bees. Realizing the importance of making their first onslaught successful, they risked themselves with foolhardy recklessness, and charged to the very border of the village. Then they found themselves face to face with a foe as determined as they, and a terrific hand to hand conflict ensued. In spite of their superior numbers, however, the Pawnees were unable to gain a foothold in the camp. The Sioux held their ground with a dogged stubbornness that frustrated all attempts to break through them. Partly sheltered by the lodges, they inflicted severe punishment upon their enemies, with slight loss to themselves. The Pawnees were quick to realize that the fight was going against them. The idea roused them to a frenzy of rage, and they fought like demons. Again and again they strove to break through the impenetrable circle of grim Dacotah warriors, and each time they were hurled back with heavy losses. Here and there a hostile warrior did succeed in gaining a temporary foothold at the edge of the camp, but in every case he forfeited his life to his valor. Aware that their efforts were proving futile, the Pawnees finally became demoralized, and withdrew in confusion. As they retreated into the night, their ears rang with taunts and challenges of the triumphant Ogalalas.
When the Pawnees had gone from hearing, the Sioux took account of their losses. A number of warriors had been killed, and many more had been wounded. As the names of the dead were called out great wailing and lamenting began among the women. The more desperately wounded were carried to the center of the camp, and their places were filled by the older boys, who were delighted at the opportunity to participate in the fight.
The Sioux realized that they were in a desperate plight. They had little doubt that the Pawnees would renew the attack at dawn, and the thought suggested all sorts of alarming possibilities. In spite of their temporary success, therefore, the Ogalalas were depressed and doubtful.
"My brothers, you have made a great fight," cried Wolf Robe, as he walked along the edge of the camp. "We have kept the Wolf People out of the camp. They have carried away many dead warriors. But I must tell you that they will come again. When the light comes over there in the sky then you must watch like the fox. We must keep them off. Our brothers, the brave Minneconjoux, will come to help us. We must keep alive until they get here. It will be a hard thing to do. Perhaps it will be a long time. But I will ask you to make your hearts strong to do this thing. I have finished."
