Before they started on, Little Eagle helped Angry Wolf bring in the rest of the buffalo meat. They cut the buffalo hide into two pieces. They placed the meat on the pieces of hide, then wrapped the hide around the meat so that each piece of hide made a big bundle. They tied the two bundles on one of the horses. This time Angry Wolf led the way, while Little Eagle rode behind to keep the herd moving.
The prairie here was different from that they had been crossing. The hills were higher and closer together. It seemed to Little Eagle that they were always either going up a hill or down one. He was glad that they seemed to be safely away from the Crows. Here a party of enemies might have ridden close before he or Angry Wolf discovered them.
All morning they seldom saw a tree. They crossed a few spring-fed streams, but even beside these there was hardly ever a tree. Little Eagle and Angry Wolf continually traded places so that part of the time Little Eagle rode ahead and led the way, while at other times he rode behind. About the middle of the afternoon he was riding behind. The horses had given so little trouble that he paid them scant attention. He was humming the Victory Song under his breath when, for some reason, he glanced back. A lone Crow warrior was charging toward him!
Little Eagle acted swiftly. He shouted a warning to Angry Wolf and at the same time jabbed his right knee against his horse’s side to whirl it around to face the Crow. As his horse whirled, Little Eagle brought up his bow. There was no time to take aim. The Crow was almost upon him. Little Eagle let his arrow fly just as the Crow’s arrow struck him. Little Eagle felt a cutting, tearing pain in his right arm or shoulder, and the force of the arrow almost tore him from his horse. He clutched the horse’s mane to keep from falling.
In a half daze Little Eagle realized that he had dropped his own bow. He heard the pound of hoofs as the Crow circled and came back. Little Eagle tried to sit erectly on his horse. He could do nothing to defend himself, but he would meet death like a Sioux warrior. The Crow swept past without taking another shot. It was then that Little Eagle saw the Crow had been struck with an arrow too.
Angry Wolf dashed past in pursuit of the Crow, but he couldn’t get near the wounded warrior. He fired two arrows, but both of them went wide of the mark. Little Eagle dimly realized that Angry Wolf pulled his horse to a stop at the top of the hill.
Little Eagle didn’t know how long Angry Wolf was gone. He felt himself falling. He braced himself with the hand that held the horse’s mane and fought against the darkness that was closing in on him. The wave of darkness passed, and Little Eagle was still on his horse.
When he felt stronger, Little Eagle took his hand from his horse’s mane and felt of the wound. His fingers touched a shaft of wood. The arrow was stuck in his arm. The head had gone through the flesh, but the shaft hadn’t. Little Eagle felt the darkness closing in again, but he fought it off.
It took a long time for Little Eagle to get up enough courage to try to pull the arrow out. When he reached for it, he heard a horse approaching. He looked up and saw Angry Wolf returning.
“I thought the Crow’s arrow had killed you,” Angry Wolf said as he came near Little Eagle.