As he finished speaking they heard two ponies galloping toward them. A few moments afterward White Otter appeared. The piebald and the Blackfeet pony were lathered with sweat. Neither, however, showed the slightest trace of exhaustion.
"I have been a long ways," said the Ogalala. "These foolish ponies ran the wrong way. It was a long time before I could turn them around. Then I came very fast."
"Now White Otter is here," said Sun Bird. "It is good. I am going to ask him to be the leader of the men who go with Sitting Eagle."
Then the Sioux separated. Sitting Eagle and his escort of warriors rode away toward the south with the ponies while Sun Bird and his company of scouts remained behind to search for the missing horses.
Sun Bird and his companions were greatly encouraged when they looked across the plain at daylight and saw several of the stray ponies feeding a short distance to the northward. They hoped that others might be concealed behind some of the low hummocks which broke the level of the plain.
"See, there are some of the ponies!" said Sun Bird. "We will go and get them. Then we will ride up on those little hills and look around. I believe we will see some more ponies."
They cantered slowly toward the grazing ponies. There were five and they were feeding close together. They raised their heads and watched curiously as the horsemen approached, but they showed little fear. The Sioux, however, determined to take no chance of frightening them into another exhausting dash across the plain. As they rode within bow range they separated and circled carefully about the ponies. Then they gradually closed the net, and the ponies made little effort to escape.
"Now I will tell you what to do," said Sun Bird, when they had secured the horses. "Some of you must keep these ponies. The rest of us will ride up on those high places and look around. I will ask Falling Eagle and Brave Bear and Two Elks to keep these ponies. Leave them where they are until we come back. Then we will drive them away."
The three warriors who had been selected stationed themselves about the ponies and their comrades turned toward a low grassy slope to the westward. They had gone less than an arrow flight when their ponies suddenly raised their heads and looked toward the north. A moment afterward one of the ponies behind them whinnied. "There is something over there behind that hill," said Sun Bird as he turned about.