The night was well advanced before they heard anything to arouse their fears. Then they again caught the sound of some one moving toward the cañon.
"Watch out, they have come!" whispered Sitting Eagle.
"I hear them," Lean Wolf replied.
The next moment a wild chorus of yells warned them that the entire Crow force was crowding into the narrow pass. The Sioux knew that the critical moment was at hand. The Crows had left their ponies out on the plain and had crept toward the cañon on foot. It was evident that they were determined to kill their foes at any cost, and the Sioux realized that unless they could stop the first fierce rush there was no hope for them.
"Come, we are Dacotahs, we will show these people how to fight!" Lean Wolf cried, savagely.
They rose behind the bowlders and delivered a deadly volley of arrows that threw the Crows into confusion. For a moment they hesitated, and the Sioux took hope. Then the Crows rallied and rushed recklessly upon their foes. The Sioux took shelter behind the bowlders and fought with the fury of despair. They realized that it was only a matter of moments before they would be overcome, and they determined to make the Crows pay dearly for the victory.
At that instant, however, the great war cry of the Dacotahs echoed through the night, and a moment afterward the thunderous hoof beats of running ponies reverberated across the plain. The Sioux could scarcely believe their ears. The Crows turned in panic.
"The Blackfeet! The Blackfeet!" they cried hysterically. "They have run off our ponies!"
They believed that they had been led into a trap by the treacherous Blackfeet, and the thought demoralized them. Their one thought was to escape from the cañon before their foes barred the way. They scrambled wildly through the narrow pass and fled into the darkness.
"Come!" cried Lean Wolf, as he sprang upon his pony.