"It is good," declared Red Dog.
As darkness finally passed, and dawn lighted the plain, the little company of Cheyennes looked anxiously toward the west. The Kiowas, however, failed to appear. The Cheyennes felt more hopeful. They believed there was less chance of the Kiowas attacking the camp in daylight.
"If they do not know that our people are away, they will be cautious," said Red Dog. "Perhaps they were coming here to run off ponies."
"Yes, I believe that is what they proposed to do," White Otter told him.
Soon afterward they saw three of the Cheyenne scouts riding toward the camp. When they arrived, the warriors crowded about them to learn what they had discovered. They said that they had heard nothing of the Kiowas during the night, but at daylight they had discovered what appeared to be a wolf, at the top of a ravine some distance to the westward. The actions of the wolf had convinced them that it was a disguised scout, and they believed the war party was hiding in the ravine. Two of the Cheyenne scouts had remained out on the plain to watch.
"Yes, I believe that wolf was a Kiowa," White Otter told Red Dog. "That is how they tried to fool us, but we were too sharp."
"I do not believe they will come here while it is light," said Red Dog. "Thunder Hawk and Running Buffalo are watching. They are sharp. The Kiowas will not get past them."
Convinced that there was no immediate danger of an attack, the Cheyennes relaxed their vigilance. Red Dog appointed some of the older boys to watch along the edge of the camp, while the warriors assembled in council to discuss plans for defending the village.
"My brothers, the Kiowas are close by," said Red Dog. "Our brothers, the Sioux, have told us about them. It was a big thing to do. If these brave Sioux had not come here, perhaps the Kiowas would have run off many ponies. Now we know about it. The Kiowas are strong. There are few of us. It will be hard to keep them out of the camp. We must send scouts to bring back the hunters. Then we must make a big fight until our people come."
"Red Dog, give us fresh ponies, and we will go to find your brothers," White Otter told him.