"It is true," agreed Sun Bird. "I am thinking about it."
He had planned to move along the ravine until he was opposite the pool, and then wait until he could send scouts to reconnoiter the grove under cover of the night. He, too, realized, however, that it might be impossible to control the ponies once they got that near to the water. The riders were already having considerable difficulty in restraining them, and Sun Bird feared that at any moment they might stampede and dash wildly up the side of the ravine.
"We are raising a great dust," Lean Wolf said, soberly. "If our enemies are watching they must see it."
"Yes, yes, it is bad," Sun Bird replied, impatiently. "We must stop."
He galloped to the head of the company and called upon the Minneconjoux to halt. Many of them found difficulty in obeying the command. The fiery, half-wild ponies had apparently scented the water and it seemed to have driven them mad. In spite of their expert horsemanship the Sioux were unable to control them. Although by sheer strength and skill they finally brought them to a stop, they found it impossible to quiet them. Crazed with their desire for water, the frantic beasts plunged and reared and kicked and squealed and raised such a wild commotion that the Sioux were thrown into a panic. They were certain that if enemies were lurking at the pool they must surely have seen the dust and heard the noise created by the unmanageable ponies.
"It is useless to wait here," said some of the more impulsive warriors. "We may as well go ahead and see what comes of it."
"No, that would be foolish," declared Sun Bird. "If the Blackfeet are hiding in that place they will see the dust. Perhaps they cannot hear the noise. Anyway, if we stay in this gully they will not know who we are. They must send scouts over here to find out about us. They will not do that until it gets dark. Then it will be easy to fool them."
"Those are good words," White Otter agreed, heartily.
"Yes, that is the way I feel about it," declared Lean Wolf.
"It is the only thing to do," Sitting Eagle cried, angrily. "Are we like the women who are afraid of the war ponies! Are we like old men who have no strength in their arms? Does a Dacotah run to his enemy for water when he is thirsty? Come, my brothers, we are Dacotahs. We are men. Hold those horses. Throw them down. Kill them if you cannot overcome them. It is better to go against our enemies on foot than to let those foolish ponies carry us to our deaths. Sun Bird is a good war leader. You have heard his words. They are good. We will listen. We will stay here until it is safe to go ahead."