Little Eagle looked at the deep gash along the side of Angry Wolf’s head. It had been bleeding badly. Even now a trickle of blood was running from the wound. It looked as though Angry Wolf had already lost so much blood that his life couldn’t be saved. But the very first lesson Little Eagle had learned from Clawing Bear was that as long as a person breathed there was hope of saving his life.
Little Eagle opened the pouch at his belt and took the wad of ointment into his hands. He kneaded it with his fingers until it was soft and pliable. If there had been a place near where he could get water, he would have washed the wound before applying the poultice. However, the creek was many dangerous steps away, and there was no time to lose. As gently as possible, Little Eagle spread the soft mass along the wound. He held it in place until the flow of blood completely stopped. He nodded in satisfaction when he took his hand off the poultice and it stayed in place.
Little Eagle bent over Angry Wolf’s face. His friend still breathed. Now there was nothing Little Eagle could do except wait. He could see the sun beginning to build its campfires. Already there was a little light in the sky where the sun would rise. It wouldn’t be long until the Crow warriors returned unless they had ridden straight on to the Sioux camp.
It was almost daylight when Little Eagle heard the Crows returning. He would have liked to jump up and give the Sioux victory cry. If the Crows were returning this soon, they had given up their plan to attack the Sioux camp.
Little Eagle scarcely dared hope that the Crows would fail to find Angry Wolf and himself. He told himself it really didn’t matter. He had saved the rest of the Sioux tribe by outwitting the big party of Crows. Truly he had won a great victory.
CHAPTER THREE
Little Eagle was ashamed of the way his hands trembled as the sound of the returning Crows came nearer. He had trouble fitting an arrow to his bow. He heard the Crows stop at the place where Angry Wolf had fallen. Now that it was daylight, the Crows were sure to find the trail he had made when he had dragged Angry Wolf away. He couldn’t fight off the whole Crow party, but he would take some of the Crow warriors with him when he and Angry Wolf went to the Happy Hunting Grounds. He hardly believed his ears when he heard the Crows riding on toward their own camp. They had missed his trail.
Little Eagle warily scouted around. When he returned to Angry Wolf’s side, he was sure that all the Crows had ridden into camp. He noticed that Angry Wolf was feebly running his tongue across his lips. There had been no time for Little Eagle to remember how badly a wounded person needed water. He thought of the long distance to the creek. There was the added danger that at any moment Crow warriors might return to search for them. Yet Angry Wolf must have water.
Little Eagle picked up the bag in which he had carried the poultice. It would hold so little water that it scarcely seemed worth while to take the risk to fill it. Then he remembered the pouch in which Angry Wolf had carried meat. Little Eagle untied it from Angry Wolf’s belt. The two sacks together would hold enough water to do some good.