“I try to teach you the wisdom of Sioux medicine men,” Clawing Bear growled, “and your mind wanders off to where other boys are shooting for prizes.”
Little Eagle dropped his eyes guiltily. Truly Clawing Bear had looked into his mind.
“I am sorry,” he apologized, and then added with conviction, “I can mix the poultice.”
“Do it then,” Clawing Bear ordered, upsetting the bowl with his foot so that the contents spilled onto the fire. A dense cloud of biting smoke filled the tepee.
Little Eagle waited until some of the smoke had seeped out at the top of the tepee before he got to his feet. He pulled the bowl from the fire and set it aside. He selected another bowl, put grease in it, and set it on the fire. He began to add powdered herbs which he took from the bags Clawing Bear had hanging on the wall of the tepee.
Clawing Bear had seated himself and was watching Little Eagle’s every move. Little Eagle carefully selected the materials to go into the bowl. He hesitated as he reached for the powdered herb in a large bag. At first he took a handful, but he changed his mind and dropped only a pinch into the bowl. He stirred the mixture until it began to boil. When he glanced toward Clawing Bear, he saw a look of approval on the medicine man’s face.
“You nearly missed,” Clawing Bear said gruffly. “I know it’s hard for a boy of twelve summers to study when other boys are playing. There will be no more lessons today.”
Using two sticks as tongs, Little Eagle lifted the bowl off the fire. His eyes moved from the bowl back to the fire as though they had been drawn by a magnet. He gave a little gasp as, in the leaping flames, he seemed to see a party of Crow warriors riding swiftly. He tried to count them, but they went too fast. As the Crows appeared to fade away in the fire, Little Eagle became aware that Clawing Bear was speaking to him. He tried to collect his scattered wits so that he could answer respectfully.
“Tomorrow I’ll be a better pupil,” he promised.
“Tomorrow you will think about becoming a warrior and a hunter,” Clawing Bear answered sadly. “Learning the arts of a Sioux medicine man is more important, but you won’t think so.”