The Way of an Indian | Page 6

and once again
his follower spoke.
"Do you fear me because of the skin of the dead wolf you see by my
bow on the ground? No, Red Arrow did not kill thy brother. He was
murdered by a man of the dog clan, and I did not do it. Speak to
me--help me against my fears." And the wolf barked as he trotted
around until he had made a complete circle of the buffalo, whereat Red
Arrow took up his bow and bundle, saying to White Otter, "Now we
will go."
The two then commenced their long quest in search of the victims
which were to satisfy their ambitions. They followed up the depression
in the plains where they had found the buffalo, gained the timber, and
walked all day under its protecting folds. They were a long way from
their enemies' country, but instinctively began the cautious advance
which is the wild-animal nature of an Indian.
The old buffalo-bulls, elk and deer fled from before them as they
marched. A magpie mocked at them. They stopped while White Otter
spoke harshly to it: "You laugh at us, fool-bird, because we are boys,
but you shall see when we come back that we are warriors. We will
have a scalp to taunt you with. Begone now, before I pierce you with an
arrow, you chattering woman-bird." And the magpie fluttered away
before the unwonted address.
In the late afternoon they saw a band of wolves pull down and kill a
fawn, and ran to it, saying, "See, the Pipe-Bearing Wolf is with us; he
makes the wolves to hunt for us of his clan," and they despoiled the
prey.
Coming to a shallow creek, they took off their moccasins and waded
down it for a mile, when they turned into a dry watercourse, which they
followed up for a long distance, and then stopped in some thick brush
which lined its sides. They sat long together on the edge of the bushes,
scanning with their piercing eyes the sweep of the plains, but nothing
was there to rouse their anxiety. The wild animals were feeding
peacefully, the sun sank to rest, and no sound came to them but the cry

of the night-birds.
When it was quite dark, they made a small fire in the depths of the cut,
threw a small quantity of tobacco into it as a sacrifice, cooked the
venison and went to sleep.
It was more than mere extension of interest with them; it was more than
ambition's haughtiest fight; it was the sun-dried, wind-shriveled,
tried-out atavistic blood-thirst made holy by the approval of the Good
God they knew.
The miniature war-party got at last into the Absaroke country. Before
them lay a big camp--the tepees scattering down the creek-bottom for
miles, until lost at a turn of the timber. Eagerly they studied the cut and
sweep of the land, the way the tepees dotted it, the moving of the pony
herds and the coming and going of the hunters, but most of all the
mischievous wanderings of the restless Indian boys. Their telescopic
eyes penetrated everything. They understood the movements of their
foes, for they were of kindred nature with their own.
Their buffalo-meat was almost gone, and it was dangerous to kill game
now for fear of attracting the ravens, which would circle overhead and
be seen from the camp. These might attract an investigation from idle
and adventurous boys and betray them.
"Go now; your time has come," said the little brown bat on White
Otter's scalp-lock.
"Go now," echoed Red Arrow's charm.
When nothing was to be seen of the land but the twinkle of the fires in
the camp, they were lying in a deep washout under a bluff, which
overlooked the hostile camp. Long and silently they sat watching the
fires and the people moving about, hearing their hum and chanting as it
came to them on the still air, together with the barking of dogs, the
nickering of ponies, and the hollow pounding on a log made by old
squaws hacking with their hatchets.

Slowly before the drowse of darkness, the noises quieted and the fires
died down. Red Arrow felt his potent symbols whispering to him.
"My medicine is telling me what to do, White Otter."
"What does it say?"
"It says that there is a dangerous mystery in the blue-and-yellow tepee
at the head of the village. It tells me to have great care," replied Red
Arrow.
"Hough, my medicine says go on; I am to be a great warrior," replied
White Otter.
After a moment Red Arrow exclaimed: "My medicine says go with
White Otter, and do what he says. It is good."
"Come, then; we will take the war-ponies from beside the
blue-and-yellow tepee. They belong