require all his men to enable him to make the attack successfully, and
these would not, he knew, return to him until the following day. The
arrival of Whitewing and Little Tim with their party still further
perplexed him.

He knew by the council that was immediately called, and the preparations
that followed, that news of some importance had been brought by the
prairie chief, and that action of some sort was immediately to follow;
but of course what it all portended he could not divine, and in his
uncertainty he feared that Moonlight--whose name of course he did not at
that time know--might be spirited away, and he should never see her
again. Really, for a Red Indian, he became quite sentimental on the
point and half resolved to collect his dozen warriors, make a
neck-or-nothing rush at Bounding Bull, and carry off his scalp and the
girl at the same fell swoop.

Cooler reflection, however, told him that the feat was beyond even _his_
powers, for he knew well the courage and strength of his foe, and was
besides well acquainted with the person and reputation of the prairie
chief and Little Tim, both of whom had foiled his plans on former
occasions.

Greatly perplexed, therefore, and undetermined as to his course of
procedure, Rushing River bade his followers remain in their retreat in a
dark part of a tangled thicket, while he should advance with one man
still further in the direction of the camp to reconnoitre.

Having reached an elevated spot as near to the enemy as he dared venture
without running the risk of being seen by the sentinels, he flung
himself down, and crawled towards a tree, whence he could partially
observe what went on below. His companion, a youth named Eaglenose,
silently followed his example. This youth was a fine-looking young
savage, out on his first war-path, and burning to distinguish himself.
Active as a kitten and modest as a girl, he was also quick-witted, and
knew when to follow the example of his chief and when to remain
inactive--the latter piece of knowledge a comparatively rare gift to the
ambitious!

After a prolonged gaze, with the result of nothing gained, Rushing River
was about to retire from the spot as wise as he went, when his companion
uttered the slightest possible hiss. He had heard a sound. Next
instant the chief heard it, and smiled grimly. We may remark here in
passing that the Blackfoot chief was eccentric in many ways. He prided
himself on his contempt for th