The War Trail

by Elmer Russell Gregor

"Ho, my brothers, the way is clear, but the fires are still burning in the Blackfeet camp," said Lean Wolf, as he suddenly rode out of the night.

"We must wait," Sun Bird told him.

In a few moments they heard the sharp bark of the little gray fox, a short distance to the eastward. Sun Bird waited until he heard it three times, and then he replied. Soon afterward Running Dog appeared.

"I have been a long ways over there," he said, indicating the east. "I saw nothing of our enemies. Their fires are burning. We must wait."

"Yes, my brother, we will wait," Sun Bird assured him.

It was some time before Sitting Eagle finally arrived. Then he too suddenly rode out of the darkness.

"I have been close to the Blackfeet camp," said the famous scout. "I saw the light of many fires. It is bad. We must wait."

"We will wait," said Sun Bird.

Then, as the stern Minneconjoux fighting men gathered about the youthful war leader, Sun Bird announced his plans for running off the ponies.

"My brothers, we are in sight of the great Blackfeet camp," he said, softly. "It is not far beyond this ridge. We have come a long ways. We have come to do a big thing. We must go through with it. We will wait here until the fires die down. Then we will know that the Blackfeet have gone to the lodges. Then we will ride over there and run off the ponies. Now I will tell you how to do it. There are many ponies out there on the plain. There are other ponies near the lodges. When we cross over this ridge I will show you where to find the ponies. When we get near the camp we must separate. Some must go out on the plain to get those ponies, and some must go to get the ponies that are near the camp. White Otter is a great war chief. I will ask him to be the leader of those who go to get the ponies that are near the camp. Sitting Eagle is a great war leader. I will ask him to be the leader of those who go to run off the ponies on the plain. Many of us must wait near the camp to fight back the Blackfeet. I will be the leader. Now I have told you the way to do this thing."