Angry Wolf nodded agreement.
“Our best plan is to return to the camp we had on the creek,” he said. “I’m preparing extra food in case we have trouble reaching the place.”
While Little Eagle busied himself with work around the camp, he turned the problem over in his mind. He knew Angry Wolf would agree to wait until morning to start the return trip. In the meantime he had to think of a plan to get their horses from the Crow. It would have to be a good plan if it convinced Angry Wolf. Angry Wolf had said that the Crows had powerful medicine. Yet the two of them had spoiled the Crow plan to attack the Sioux camp. Perhaps their own medicine was as strong as that of the Crows.
Little Eagle sat down a few paces from the fire. He wanted to think more about this problem. He tried to imagine what advice Clawing Bear would give. When the answer came, it was almost as if Clawing Bear were speaking to him. He had the deer hide. It was powerful medicine. He should take the hide and go away from camp. If he rolled himself up in the deer hide and slept, he might have a dream which would tell him what to do. He told his thoughts to Angry Wolf.
“You have studied under the great medicine man, Clawing Bear,” Angry Wolf said thoughtfully. “You should know more about these matters than I. Yet, if you don’t get a clear dream, we ought to start back to the old camp at daylight.”
As soon as darkness fell, Little Eagle carried his deer hide to the top of a high hill. He was so far from camp that he couldn’t see the twinkle of the fire. When he had thought of the plan, Little Eagle hadn’t thought of the danger. As he pulled the deer hide over him, he felt uneasy. He had never had a visit from a spirit. Suppose he was frightened? It would be a disgrace for a Sioux boy to show fear.
At first he moved about restlessly. The wind seemed to creep under the hide and keep him cold. After a time he had the deer hide arranged so that the wind didn’t get under it. As soon as he was warm, he grew drowsy. He had almost fallen asleep when a faint sighing noise aroused him. He listened tensely. After a few minutes he realized the sound was made by the wind sifting snow against the deer hide. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Afterward Little Eagle was never sure whether he woke up, as he seemed to do, or whether the whole thing was a dream. At least it was so real that it seemed to happen. He felt cold. When he opened his eyes he saw that it was still dark. He realized that the deer hide had slipped off his shoulder. He reached his hand out to grasp it and pull it back over his shoulder. He stopped when a soft voice spoke to him.
“Get up, Little Eagle,” the voice said. “I’ll show you how you can get horses from the Crows. They are my enemies too.”
Little Eagle sat up. It wasn’t as dark as he had thought. The eastern sky was beginning to lighten. It wouldn’t be long until the sun came up. Little Eagle looked around, but he could see no one. The only living thing near was a small bird which sat huddled on his deerskin. When the voice spoke again, Little Eagle saw that it was the bird speaking.