CHAPTER III
THE COUNCIL FIRE
Late the second day the Sioux came in sight of the great Minneconjoux camp. It was situated beside a wide stream that flowed down from great snowy peaks farther to the westward. The little company of riders stopped on the summit of a grassy knoll and looked with pride on the great circle of lodges which dotted the plain. Their pride was somewhat humbled, however, by the absence of the vast herd of ponies which usually were to be seen grazing near the village. The few horses that had escaped the Blackfeet raid were carefully guarded within the camp.
The riders had already been discovered and recognized by watchers at the edge of the village, and a company of horsemen was soon racing across the plain to meet them.
"See! my people are coming to take you to their village," Sun Bird told White Otter.
As the Minneconjoux dashed up to them White Otter recognized several old friends in the company who had come out to welcome him. There was Feather Dog, a famous scout, with whom he had shared a number of thrilling adventures; and Sitting Eagle, another great scout, was in the party. Then there was Kicking Bull, a renowned hunter, whom White Otter had saved from death in a buffalo stampede. All those men greeted the famous young Ogalala chief with great respect, and his heart filled with pride as he realized the esteem in which he was held by those renowned warriors.
"You have come to help us fight the Blackfeet," said Feather Dog. "It is good. We will do some big things."
"I was going with my brother Sun Bird to find you, but the great chief Curly Horse asked me to stay behind," explained Kicking Bull. "Some of our young men saw smoke over near the mountains, and we were afraid that the Blackfeet were coming back. That is why I held back."