It was a long time before Little Eagle caught the faint shadow of another movement in the camp. He knew it must have been Angry Wolf darting between two campfires. Little Eagle watched anxiously for the quick movement of a horse which would betray Angry Wolf to their enemies. Slowly and silently, Little Eagle moved his bow to a shooting position and fitted an arrow to the string.
He saw one of the horses take a couple of steps and thought that must be the one Angry Wolf had selected. The horse moved a few more steps and then stopped. Little Eagle almost shouted a cry of warning as a Crow warrior stepped out of a tepee near the horse. There was enough light from the glowing campfire for Little Eagle to see the warrior start toward the horse, but there the man faded into the shadows. It was a long, anxious time before the Crow again came into view in front of the tepee. The warrior hesitated a moment before he went inside.
Little Eagle put every effort into watching. He was sure that Angry Wolf would leave that horse and try to take another. Little Eagle turned his head, looking from one tepee to the next. Finally he saw another horse moving slowly away from a tepee. The horse took a few steps and stopped. It continued this slow pace as it moved toward the edge of the camp. When the horse passed between two campfires, Little Eagle couldn’t see Angry Wolf, but he was sure his Sioux friend was pressed against the horse’s other side.
The horse made slow progress. It walked slowly and it stopped often. At last there was only one more campfire for it to pass and it would be out of the light. Little Eagle’s heart leaped into his throat as he saw a Crow warrior step out of a tepee. Evidently Angry Wolf had seen the Crow too, because the horse stopped and remained standing.
Slow moment followed slow moment. Little Eagle found that he was breathing as hard as though he had run a great distance. At last the warrior reached his hand toward the tepee flap and started to go back in. At the same instant the horse took a couple of quick, sidling steps. The Crow warrior whirled around. His warning yell rang through the camp.
Mounted Crow warriors were in pursuit
Since he could no longer hope to stay hidden, Angry Wolf sprang onto his horse’s back. He drummed his heels against the animal’s side and sent it racing out of camp. Warriors sprang from tepees as though they had been waiting for a signal. Before Angry Wolf had more than started up the hill, mounted Crow warriors were in pursuit.
For a moment Little Eagle forgot that most of the Crow camp was riding toward him. He jumped to his feet to watch Angry Wolf. He remembered his own danger and crouched down out of sight. He tried to get a shot at the pursuing Crows, but in the darkness and among the trees, he had no chance. He watched helplessly as some of the warriors gained rapidly on Angry Wolf.
Little Eagle wondered why the warriors didn’t shoot. They were within easy bowshot of Angry Wolf. He knew the answer almost as quickly as he thought of the question. As long as they had a chance to surround Angry Wolf, they wouldn’t take the risk of an arrow wounding a Crow horse.