"That is a bad horse," said Curly Horse. "I will give you another pony."
"No, no!" cried White Otter. "I will keep this pony. It is fast, and strong. It will make a great war pony."
"Well, I see that you can ride it, so I will say no more about it," replied Curly Horse.
The wild escapade of the little piebald had aroused the camp, and as the members of the war party finally rounded up the loose ponies, and assembled in the center of the village, the entire tribe gathered to witness the departure. When the gallant company was ready to leave, Curly Horse came forward to address them.
"My brothers, you are about to ride away to the great Blackfeet camp," he said. "Before you lies a long and dangerous trail. We have many enemies in that country. The Blackfeet are the strongest. They are very sly. You must be as brave as great Matohota, the bear, and as cunning as Tokala, the little gray fox. I see many brave warriors among you. I see Sun Bird, your leader. He is a great warrior. I see White Otter, the great Ogalala chief. I see Little Raven. He is very young, but he has done big things. I see Short Bear. He is very brave. I see Feather Dog. He is a great scout. I see Lean Wolf and Sitting Eagle. They have been on many war trails. I see many more brave warriors. It is a great war party. I believe you will do what you are setting out to do. I believe you will bring back many ponies. I will ask Wakantunka, the Great Mystery, to help you. I will ask our brother, Huya, the great war bird, to lead you to the Blackfeet camp. Go, my brothers, Curly Horse has spoken."
"Curly Horse, you have given us big words," replied Sun Bird. "We will keep them in our hearts. We will remember that we are Dacotahs. It is enough. We will go."
A few moments afterward the war party rode from the village. Many of the older warriors who were remaining behind to guard the camp accompanied the war party some distance across the plain. The old men, the boys, and the women and children gathered at the edge of the camp, singing the war songs, and calling upon Wakantunka to protect their warriors from the fierce and warlike Blackfeet.
Sun Bird asked White Otter to ride with him at the head of the company. The youthful Minneconjoux war leader fully realized his responsibility, and he was glad to have the aid and counsel of the famous young war chief whom he had asked to accompany him.
The war party was not a large one. It contained less than a third of the fighting men of the tribe. The Minneconjoux feared to send a larger force from the village, for they knew that their old enemies, the Crows, as well as several scouting parties of Blackfeet, had recently been seen within a day's travel of the Minneconjoux camp. They determined, therefore, to send a small force of picked warriors against the Blackfeet in the hope of recovering the stolen ponies, and learning the fate of the young Minneconjoux who had been carried away. The company chosen for the perilous undertaking was composed mostly of young warriors famous for their courage and fighting ability, and a few older veterans, like Lean Wolf and Sitting Eagle, whose mature judgment would check the reckless impetuosity of their younger companions.
"Well, my brother, how do you feel about this thing?" Sun Bird suddenly asked White Otter, as they cantered along in advance of the war party.