Then the three Sioux scouts rode away toward the south. The Cheyennes stood at the edge of the camp and looked after them. They kept a sharp watch to the westward. There was no sign of their foes. They wondered if the Kiowas had discovered the three horsemen.
"I do not believe the Kiowas will follow them," Red Dog said, hopefully.
They continued to watch until the Sioux were far away. Then they felt less anxious. Having gained a big lead, they believed the Sioux would have little difficulty in keeping ahead of their foes. Then they suddenly discovered something which filled them with gloomy forebodings of evil. A golden eagle, the war bird, had appeared in the sky. It was circling directly over the camp. The Cheyennes watched it with superstitious fear.
"It is bad," cried old Ghost Bear, the Medicine Man. "It means war."
"Look, look, the great war bird is flying toward the place where the Kiowas are hiding," cried the Cheyennes.
"It is a bad sign," the old men declared, solemnly.
"My brothers, we must get ready to fight," said Ghost Bear. "The war bird has warned us. I believe the Kiowas will come to the village."