“I think we have escaped,” Angry Wolf agreed. “Anyway I need rest.”
They were near the top of another of those high hills. When they reached the top, Little Eagle jumped from his horse and handed the halter rope to Angry Wolf.
“I’ll watch the trail for a while,” Little Eagle said. “You ride to the stream at the foot of the hill. We’ll camp there.”
As Angry Wolf rode ahead, Little Eagle found a place from which he could see back along the trail they had followed. In the dusk he couldn’t see far. Nevertheless, he felt he should watch for a while.
Little Eagle heard the Pawnees before he could see them. He could tell by the pound of hoofbeats that the Pawnees were riding hard. Evidently they weren’t afraid of riding into an ambush. Perhaps those expert trackers had found signs that told them they were following two boys.
Little Eagle had his first glimpse of the Pawnees when they stopped at the stream. He was relieved to see there were only two. One of the Pawnees dismounted and stepped across the stream. Since Little Eagle and Angry Wolf had made no effort to hide their trail, the Pawnee found it at once. The warrior signaled for the other Pawnee to bring the horses.
Little Eagle knew it was too late for him to run to Angry Wolf with a warning. The Pawnees would be upon them before they could mount. He had to stop the Pawnees. He saw a hiding place farther down the hill. While the Pawnee warrior was remounting, Little Eagle slipped to the hiding place he had selected.
By the time he had hidden himself, Little Eagle had decided how far he would let the Pawnees ride up the trail. He tried to control the shaking of his hands as he raised the bow. He aimed an arrow at the nearer Pawnee and slowly moved the bow to keep the arrow pointed at him as the warrior approached. This was a far more important shot than the one he had taken at the deer. If he had missed the deer, there would have been other chances later. If he missed the Pawnee, neither he nor Angry Wolf would escape.
The Pawnee was almost to the spot Little Eagle had decided upon as the limit. Little Eagle held his breath to steady his hands. He pulled the bowstring back. At the instant Little Eagle let the arrow fly, the warrior’s horse half stumbled. The arrow hit the Pawnee higher than Little Eagle had aimed, but it hit true enough to knock the Pawnee from his horse.
The other Pawnee acted so quickly that Little Eagle didn’t have a chance for another shot. The warrior wheeled his horse from the trail into the shelter of some tall bushes. Little Eagle leaned forward, trying to keep the Pawnee in sight. He was sure the warrior would get off his horse and try to sneak around him or would send his horse charging toward the spot from which the arrow had come. To Little Eagle’s amazement, the warrior rode out onto the trail beside his wounded companion. He jumped from his horse, picked the wounded man up, and placed him on his own horse. The wounded warrior’s horse was already trotting back down the trail. The Pawnee leaped on his horse behind his wounded companion and rode back the way he had come.