As soon as the fires were started, Little Eagle and Angry Wolf mounted their horses. Little Eagle signed for Angry Wolf to take the lead. For a moment he thought the older boy was going to refuse to take the less dangerous place, but Angry Wolf took his place without protest. He set a swift pace, and Little Eagle forced the other horses to keep up with Angry Wolf’s.
Each time they crossed a hill, Little Eagle stopped to look back. Every time Little Eagle stopped, Angry Wolf turned his head to watch for a signal. They moved on in this way as the sun crossed the sky and began to sink in the west.
As he rode across a low hill, Little Eagle caught a glimpse of trees ahead. These were the first trees he had seen since morning. He knew that the trees were growing beside a stream. The horses knew it too. They quickened their pace. Little Eagle pulled his horse to a stop and took a long look back. There was no sign of pursuing Crows. Evidently the fires had fooled them and they had turned back.
When Little Eagle turned to look ahead, he smiled to himself. Angry Wolf was so eager to reach the stream that he wasn’t looking back for a signal. The smile changed to a look of alarm when he saw riders moving on the other side of the grove of trees. Somehow the wily Crows must have slipped around them and were cutting them off. Then Little Eagle caught sight of other warriors and he gave a triumphant yell. Those riders weren’t Crows. They were Sioux.
Little Eagle kicked his heels against his horse’s sides and sent it racing around the herd. Angry Wolf hadn’t heard Little Eagle’s yell. He looked up in astonishment as Little Eagle raced past. He took a quick look back, but there was no one chasing Little Eagle. When he looked ahead again, Angry Wolf saw the Sioux. He sent his horse racing after Little Eagle’s.
The warriors quickly surrounded the two boys. Little Eagle saw that it was a hunting party under Chief Happy Otter. There were shouts of approval from the warriors when they saw the horses the boys had taken.
Little Eagle and Angry Wolf told of the party of Crows that had been following them. The warriors laughed and shouted when Angry Wolf told of Little Eagle’s plan to make the Crows think that a large party of Sioux were near.
“We’re going to try to surprise those Crows,” Happy Otter announced. “You boys wait here.”
“We could go with you,” Little Eagle suggested. “Our extra horses would stay here and graze.”
“Spoken like a true Sioux,” Happy Otter praised. “But your horses are tired. We must travel fast.”