Young Medicine Man

by Francis Lynde Kroll

There were more trees on this side. With them to hide him, Little Eagle was able to go faster. Yet it seemed a long, long time before he reached the tree-lined creek where he was out of sight of the dog soldiers.

As soon as he was sure he was safe, Little Eagle got to his feet and started off at a brisk walk. He would have liked to run, but he knew the sharp ears of a dog soldier might catch the thud of running feet. He walked until he was far enough up the next hill so that there was a chance the dog soldiers could see him. Here he crouched down and crawled, slipping from bush to bush until he was across the hill and safely out of sight of the guards.

As he hurried along, Little Eagle grew more and more uneasy. It had taken him a long time to get away from camp. It might take him even longer to discover the treacherous plan that the Crows were making. It seemed almost as though there was a voice whispering in his ear: “Hurry, hurry! Danger, danger!” He began to run.

Little Eagle had been taught the proper pace to use to go swiftly on a long journey. It was an easy trot which he could keep up all day. But the warning voice seemed to be urging him to go faster and faster. The thought of danger to his tribe was like a lash, driving him on. Little Eagle ran faster and faster until he was driving himself as hard as he could go.

He ran until he was gasping for breath and had to slow to a walk. He wanted to sit down and rest, but he forced himself to go on. He walked until he was breathing more easily, although his legs were still trembling from overexertion. He looked about for a place where he could hide and rest.

He was crossing a wide strip of prairie where there were no trees or shrubs behind which he could hide. He saw a place where rain had washed a gully in the hillside. When he turned to it, he found it was a narrow gully with heavy grass overhanging its sides. He crawled into it and stretched out flat. The grass hid him so well that anyone might pass within a few paces without seeing him.

When he felt rested, Little Eagle started to get to his feet. His ears caught the sound of pounding feet. Someone was running toward him from the direction of the camp. Little Eagle guessed that some dog soldier had found his trail and was following him. He should have known that he couldn’t escape them. He fought down the impulse to raise his head and look. Instead he stretched out and remained as quiet as possible.

He could hardly believe it when he heard the footsteps go on past and fade out in the distance. It was strange that the dog soldier had followed his trail this far and then failed to see where he had turned aside. When Little Eagle finally raised his head, whoever had gone by was out of sight.

Little Eagle went back to his own trail. There were a few bits of dry grass which hadn’t straightened. He sensed that something wasn’t as it should be. He knelt down to get a better look. There were no signs of anyone else having followed his trail. Yet he knew he had heard someone running past. He hunted about until he found another trail several paces to the right of the one he had made. Whoever had been running in this direction had not been following him.

Again Little Eagle knelt to get a better look. He saw that the strides taken were not much longer than his own. The warrior who had passed must not be a large man, but Little Eagle could not tell whether the man had been a Sioux or a Crow. He wished Clawing Bear or a warrior were with him. They would have been able to read all of the signs.