Some one was riding toward them. Their hearts beat wildly. They feared to move. Many anxious moments passed. Then the sounds gradually died away. What had become of the rider? Which way had he gone? They listened anxiously for a clew. It was a long time before they felt secure. Then, as the stillness continued, they moved slowly forward.
"The way is clear," White Otter whispered, finally.
They continued their perilous advance. Then they heard the cry of the big gray timber wolf, somewhere behind them. It was the favorite signal of the Pawnees. They feared that their foes had discovered them. They stopped and listened. In a few moments they heard the call farther out on the plain. The Pawnees were signaling. What did it mean?
"Perhaps that scout back there is telling his friends about us," said Sun Bird.
"No, no, he does not know about us," Little Raven assured him. "I fooled him. He took us for Pawnees."
"Perhaps the Pawnees are getting ready to rush against the Cheyennes," said White Otter.
The possibility startled them. They realized that if the Pawnees were closing in upon the grove there was not a moment to spare. They stared anxiously into the night in an effort to locate the timber. It was hidden in the darkness. There was nothing to guide them in the proper direction. They knew that it would be easy to pass beyond it. The blunder might prove fatal.
"We must watch sharp," whispered White Otter.
They circled cautiously until they eventually saw the clump of trees showing darkly through the night. Then they stopped and listened suspiciously. They felt certain that Pawnee scouts were close at hand, and they feared colliding with them. The wolf calls had ceased. The plain was steeped in silence. The Sioux moved forward.
"If the Pawnees find us, we must ride fast toward those trees," said White Otter.