d a warrior behind every
bush. Yet she had enough sense left to realize that she must not
satisfy her thirst. She tried the bottom with her forefoot, then waded
carefully into the deep stream.

She kept her big ears well to the front as she swam, to catch the
slightest sound. As she stepped on the opposite shore, she shook
herself and the boys vigorously, then pulled a few mouthfuls of grass
and started on.

Soon one of the babies began to cry, and the other was not long in
joining him. Nakpa did not know what to do. She gave a gentle whinny
and both babies apparently stopped to listen; then she took up an easy
gait as if to put them to sleep.

These tactics answered only for a time. As she fairly flew over the
lowlands, the babies' hunger increased and they screamed so loud that a
passing coyote had to sit upon his haunches and wonder what in the
world the fleeing long-eared horse was carrying on his saddle. Even
magpies and crows flew near as if to ascertain the meaning of this
curious sound.

Nakpa now came to the Little Trail creek, a tributary of the Powder,
not far from the old camp. There she swerved aside so suddenly as
almost to jerk her babies out of their cradles. Two gray wolves, one on
each side, approached her, growling low--their white teeth showing.

Never in her humble life had Nakpa been in more desperate straits. The
larger of the wolves came fiercely forward to engage her attention,
while his mate was to attack her behind and cut her hamstrings. But for
once the pair had made a miscalculation. The mule used her front hoofs
vigorously on the foremost wolf, while her hind ones were doing even
more effective work. The larger wolf soon went limping away with a
broken hip, and the one in the rear received a deep cut on the jaw
which proved an effectual discouragement.

A little further on, an Indian hunter drew near on horseback, but Nakpa
did not pause or slacken her pace. On she fled through the long dry
grass of the river bottoms, while her babies slept again from sheer
exhaustion. Toward sunset, she entered the Sioux camp amid great
excitement, for some one had spied her afar off, and the boys and the
dogs announced her coming.

"Whoo, whoo! Weeko's Nakpa has come back with the twins! Whoo, whoo!"
exclaimed the men. "Tokee! tokee!" cried the women.

Zeezeewin, a sister to Weeko, who was in the village, came forward and
released the children, as Nakpa gave a low whinny and stopped.

"Sing a