Bear Killer and Evil Heart had held a palaver, the result of which was that the Ute chief had demanded that the two white maidens should be handed over to him as the price of his letting the Shawnees go on their way without a fight.
Evil Heart had been loath to grant this, but his braves had prevailed on him to do so, for the Utes so far outnumbered them that a battle would have meant their almost certain extermination.
The Ute chief had ridden away with his followers, saying that he would hunt for the Snakes, and after he had vanquished them he would return to his home far across the great mountains, and make the eldest white maiden his squaw, while his brother, who was with his war party, would take the other to his lodge.
This was valuable information, and Buffalo Bill did not grudge the captive his liberty as the price of it.
Grateful at having saved his life, even at the price of showing cowardice, White Feather departed on foot to seek the lodges of his people.
Buffalo Bill gave the word to ride as swiftly as possible back to the point where the Utes had met the Shawnees.
When they got there the scouts scattered around and examined the tracks carefully in order to estimate the strength of the Utes as nearly as they could.
The result was to show that it was a party of such strength as it seemed almost foolish to try to tackle.
While they were busy in this work Wild Bill heard a low moan coming from a small clump of bushes near by. He called Buffalo Bill to him, and together they hastened to the spot.
There they found a man lying on the prairie. He had been staked out on the ground, so that he would perish of hunger and thirst.