A CLOSE CALL
A few moments afterward White Otter and his companions rode away on their hazardous mission. Running Dog had told them that the rival war parties were a considerable distance beyond the ridge, and the Sioux hoped to come in sight of them without being discovered. White Otter turned directly toward the south, as he believed that there was less chance of encountering hostile scouts in that direction. He rode a considerable distance before he finally turned toward the west, and approached the ridge.
"The Crows have passed this place—the Blackfeet came the other way—they will not pass the Crows—the Crows will not come back here—this is a good place—we will stay here and watch," White Otter told his companions.
"It is good," agreed Lean Wolf, the famous Minneconjoux scout.
They approached the ridge with great caution. The sun had already set, but they knew the long summer twilight would give them ample time to discover their foes. As they finally came within bow range of the grassy slope, they stopped and spent many moments watching for signs of lurking foes. Then they suddenly heard the sounds of battle.
"The Crows and the Blackfeet are fighting—it is good," White Otter declared, grimly.
Then, while Little Raven remained with the ponies, White Otter and Lean Wolf crawled slowly up the ridge. When they reached the top they parted the long grass and looked anxiously across the plain. The Crows and the Blackfeet were preparing to fight. They were a long distance from the ridge, however, and the Sioux felt in little danger. They watched with keen interest while their foes began the preliminaries of battle. The experienced Sioux scouts read the situation at a glance. It was evident that the Crows had been overtaken and brought to a stand by the Blackfeet war party. The Crows had dismounted and taken shelter behind their ponies, and the Blackfeet were riding about them in a great circle, but keeping safely beyond bow range. There was much yelling and singing of war songs, but no real attempt at actual fighting.
"The Blackfeet are cautious," White Otter said, scornfully. "They are making a great noise, but I do not see them killing any Crows. If they rushed in there and frightened those ponies the Crows would have a hard time of it."
"It is true," agreed Lean Wolf.
The Crows, however, appeared to be considerably stronger in numbers, and it was apparent that the Blackfeet were cautious about beginning the attack. The Sioux were surprised at the small size of the Blackfeet war party. They had expected to see a much larger force of those savage foes engaged against the Crows.