"That scout is very sharp," declared White Otter. "He has thrown his pony, and he is hiding over there in that high grass."
"Yes, I believe that is where he is hiding," agreed Sun Bird.
The spot where they believed the scout had concealed himself was many arrow flights away, and they knew it would be difficult to discover him at that distance. They felt almost certain, however, that he was still watching them from his new hiding place. The thought disturbed them. His persistence made them suspicious. They wondered if he were trying to fool them with some wily bit of stratagem.
"Well, we will ride over there and chase him out," proposed Sun Bird.
They had not gone an arrow flight, when a pony suddenly rose to its feet in the long grass. An instant later the rider sprang upon its back and raced away toward the south. He was too far in the lead to be easily overtaken, and besides, the Sioux realized that it would be perilous to follow him. They watched, therefore, while he sped across the plain.
"We have chased him away--it is good," said Sun Bird.
"Perhaps something bad will come of it," White Otter warned him. "If that man is a Blackfoot, he will tell his people about us. Then it will be hard to get near the camp."
"Perhaps he is a Crow," Sun Bird suggested, hopefully.
"Lean Wolf has told us that the Crows are over there," White Otter reminded him, as he pointed toward the west.
"That is true," agreed Sun Bird. "But perhaps they sent scouts over here to look for the Blackfeet."
White Otter remained silent. The appearance and the actions of the unknown scout had made him wary. He feared that the Sioux war party was in imminent danger of being surrounded and attacked by a superior force of foes. The possibility distressed him. There seemed little chance of avoiding the peril.
"Sun Bird, I believe the best thing to do is to find our people," White Otter declared, finally. "Perhaps Lean Wolf and Feather Dog have told them something."
"Yes, we will go to find our brothers," agreed Sun Bird.
As Sun Bird and White Otter rode cautiously over the ridge they saw the Minneconjoux war party moving slowly across the plain. As soon as the Minneconjoux discovered the two horsemen they immediately stopped to watch them.
