ous charger. The blood of the chief himself
quickened with the excitement of his situation. He sat the beast as
if conscious that the eyes of two tribes were on his movements; and as
nothing could be more acceptable and grateful to his own band, than this
display of native grace and courage, so nothing could be more taunting
and humiliating to their enemies.

The sudden appearance of the Pawnee on the sands was announced among the
Tetons, by a general yell of savage anger. A rush was made to the shore,
followed by a discharge of fifty arrows and a few fusees, and, on the
part of several braves, there was a plain manifestation of a desire to
plunge into the water, in order to punish the temerity of their insolent
foe. But a call and a mandate, from Mahtoree, checked the rising, and
nearly ungovernable, temper of his band. So far from allowing a single
foot to be wet, or a repetition of the fruitless efforts of his people
to drive away their foe with missiles, the whole of the party was
commanded to retire from the shore, while he himself communicated his
intentions to one or two of his most favoured followers.

When the Pawnees observed the rush of their enemies, twenty warriors
rode into the stream; but so soon as they perceived that the Tetons
had withdrawn, they fell back to a man, leaving the young chief to the
support of his own often-tried skill and well-established courage. The
instructions of Hard-Heart, on quitting his band, had been worthy of the
self-devotion and daring of his character. So long as single warriors
came against him, he was to be left to the keeping of the Wahcondah and
his own arm; but should the Siouxes attack him in numbers, he was to
be sustained, man for man, even to the extent of his whole force. These
generous orders were strictly obeyed; and though so many hearts in the
troop panted to share in the glory and danger of their partisan, not a
warrior was found, among them all, who did not know how to conceal his
impatience under the usual mask of Indian self-restraint. They watched
the issue with quick and jealous eyes, nor did a single exclamation of
surprise escape them, when they saw, as will soon be apparent, that the
experiment of their chief was as likely to conduce to peace as to war.

Mahtoree was not long in communicating his plans to his confidants, whom
he as quickly dismissed to join their fellows in the rear. The Teton
entered a short distance into the stream and halted. Here