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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hawk Eye, by David Cory
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Hawk Eye
+
+Author: David Cory
+
+Release Date: September 20, 2010 [EBook #33772]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HAWK EYE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Patrick Hopkins and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+- Illustration captions in {brackets} have been added by the transcriber
+for reader convenience.
+
+- The position of some illustrations has been changed to better fit with
+the context.
+
+- Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. In all
+other cases spelling, hyphenation, and capitalization have been retained
+as in the original publication, except for the following:
+
+- Page 108, "re-loaded" changed to "reloaded", consistent with
+other instances (As Hawk Eye reloaded his gun).
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: {Cover.}]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: {Left inside cover. Family sitting outside tepee.}]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE SHAFTS SPED TO THEIR MARKS AND TWO BIRDS FLUTTERED
+AND FELL TO EARTH.]
+
+
+
+
+                   HAWK EYE
+
+
+                      BY
+                  DAVID CORY
+                 _Author of_
+         "LITTLE INDIAN," and others
+
+
+   [Illustration: {Hawk Eye with rabbit.}]
+
+
+              GROSSET & DUNLAP
+             PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+             COPYRIGHT, 1938, BY
+            GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC.
+            _All Rights Reserved_
+
+
+
+
+  _Printed in the United States of America_
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD
+
+
+There is a secure immortality and a depth of intuition in the utterance
+of Wordsworth, the peer of nature's poets, when from his pastoral reed
+he strikes the notes:
+
+"The child is father of the man."
+
+Nothing could be more insistently and persistently true of the Indian
+child--the girl to be the mother of warriors, the boy to become a hero
+and the father of future "braves."
+
+It goes back, all of it, to a heredity born of three vital and
+vitalizing forces. The Indian holds with steadfastness and devotion to
+his many and weird ceremonies, but these all lead him back to the
+supreme, piloting force of his life, his unfailing faith in the Great
+Mystery.
+
+The altar stairs to the spirit world are hills, buttressed by granite;
+trees that talk with the winds--whispers from the spirit world; the
+thunder of the waterfall--the voice of the Great Mystery; stars--the
+footprints of warriors treading the highways of the Happy Hunting
+Ground. In all of these he sees God.
+
+Falling into communion with this happy philosophy of life, the glory of
+Indian motherhood crosses our path--and there are few things more
+beautiful. When the day of expectation dawns upon her, she seeks the
+solitude of all the majesty in which from childhood she has seen the
+footprints of God--revels, communes, rehearses to herself the heroism of
+the greatest hero of her tribe, and all that the impress of it may be
+felt upon the master man, the miracle of whose life has been entrusted
+to her to work out.
+
+For the first two full years of his life, a spiritual hand guides his
+steps. There, in struggle and patience and self-denial, he must learn
+all of nature's glad story.
+
+His grandparents then take him into their school. He learns to ride
+before he can walk; he is taught the use of the bow and arrow, which
+means hitting the mark, keenness of vision, a steady aim, precision, so
+that when the crisis comes he is ready--an ample reason for the brave,
+effective and self-reliant conduct of the Indian soldier on the fields
+of France in the World War.
+
+Deep breathing in the open air, giving full lung power; self-denial,
+giving strength of limb and endurance in the race; fellowship with all
+of nature's winsome and wild moods; a discerning will power; a steadfast
+reliance upon the guiding hand of the Great Spirit, empower the Indian
+boy to stand on all the high hills of history and challenge any militant
+force that may confront him.
+
+The sphere is complete; Boy: Mother: God.
+
+                               [Illustration: Signature, Joseph K Dixon]
+
+                               Leader of the Rodman Wanamaker Historical
+                                Expeditions to the North American Indian
+
+
+
+
+ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
+
+
+Any writer who adds to the number of books on that ever fascinating
+subject, the American Indian, must owe thanks to many authors who have
+written about the Indians. My special thanks, for information concerning
+the customs and legends of the Sioux, are given to:
+
+Joseph Kossuth Dixon, author of _The Vanishing Race_,
+
+George Bird Grinnell, author of _When Buffalo Ran_,
+
+Charles A. Eastman, author of _Indian Boyhood_,
+
+Lewis Spence, author of _The Myths of the North American Indians_.
+
+Grateful acknowledgment is made, also, of valuable information found in
+the _Thirty-Second Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology_.
+
+                                                              DAVID CORY
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER                                PAGE
+
+     I WILD GEESE                        13
+
+    II PLANS AND PELTS                   20
+
+   III LOADING THE CANOES                28
+
+    IV JEALOUS SLOW DOG                  34
+
+     V HAWK EYE'S OFFERING               40
+
+    VI THE BEAR                          47
+
+   VII THE KILL                          51
+
+  VIII THE PELT IS REMOVED               57
+
+    IX THE RAPIDS                        61
+
+     X THE BEAVER DAM                    67
+
+    XI TOEPRINTS IN THE SAND             76
+
+   XII ACROSS THE PRAIRIE                83
+
+  XIII THE BOYS ARE TAKEN PRISONERS      89
+
+   XIV HAWK EYE'S REVENGE                96
+
+    XV TWO GOOD SHOTS                   102
+
+   XVI OHITIKA IS WOUNDED               108
+
+  XVII THE TRADING POST                 113
+
+ XVIII JOURNEY'S END                    120
+
+
+
+
+HAWK EYE
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+WILD GEESE
+
+
+Slow Dog, Medicine Man, looked out of his lodge. Wild geese were honking
+overhead. To the Indian it meant the return of spring.
+
+"I must be the first to kill one," muttered Slow Dog. Entering his
+lodge, he presently came out with bow and arrows. Hastening toward a
+bend in the river which formed a sheltered cove, he hid among a clump of
+willow bushes and waited in the hope that the birds might come down to
+feed.
+
+Slow Dog was not the only one to notice the geese, however. Two boys,
+one about fifteen years of age, the other, close to thirteen, had also
+heard the honking.
+
+"Get your bow and arrows," cried Hawk Eye, the elder, darting into his
+tepee. The younger boy, Raven Wing, ran to his lodge for his weapons. In
+a few minutes both were hurrying to the river.
+
+"There's Slow Dog hiding in the bushes," whispered Raven Wing. "He
+wishes to be the first to bring one to earth."
+
+"Leave him there," answered Hawk Eye, noticing that the flock, headed by
+an old gander, had slightly altered its course. "The geese are making
+for the lake." Breaking into a run, the boys headed for Big Stone Lake,
+from whose southern boundary issued the "sky-tinted waters" of the
+Minnesota River.
+
+As they hurried through the timber belt that bordered the river's edge,
+Raven Wing remarked, "they may come down in the marsh."
+
+Ice still lay thick upon the lake, but on the shallower waters it had
+begun to melt under the increasing warmth of the sun.
+
+"Can they see us?" asked Hawk Eye as Raven Wing, who was in the lead,
+stopped at the further end of the grove.
+
+"No. We have yet time to run across this open space," answered the
+younger boy.
+
+On reaching a thicket of willows, the boys halted; then crept in to
+almost the edge of a frozen stretch of swamp.
+
+"Here they come!" whispered Raven Wing. As the flock settled on the
+marshland, Hawk Eye fitted an arrow to his bow. "I'll take the one close
+to the leader," he said. Almost simultaneously Raven Wing let fly his
+arrow. The feathered ash wood shafts sped to their marks and two birds
+fluttered and fell to earth. Alarmed at the fall of their comrades, the
+flock rose in the air, but before they could get beyond arrow range, two
+more birds dropped to earth.
+
+"We've outwitted Slow Dog," chuckled Hawk Eye, as he made his way over
+the half-frozen ground to pick up his birds.
+
+"He must return empty-handed," laughed Raven Wing, retrieving his
+arrows from the birds he had slain. "What do you intend to do with your
+first kill?" he asked.
+
+"Give it to Old Smoky Wolf," answered Hawk Eye. "The goose first slain
+in the Spring is always made the occasion for a feast."
+
+"I will give mine to my stepfather, Black Eagle," said Raven Wing. "He
+will be our chief when Old Smoky Wolf takes the trail of departed
+warriors."
+
+"Because you have outwitted him, Slow Dog will now bear another grudge
+against you," went on Hawk Eye.
+
+"Perhaps it were better had I not seen the geese," sighed Raven Wing. "I
+would not be the cause for further trouble between him and my
+stepfather."
+
+"Slow Dog would find one if it suited his fancy," said Hawk Eye. "He has
+a tongue with two ends, like a serpent's. But he has no need to look for
+an excuse. He has not forgotten that it was you who discovered the
+buffalo herd during the great blizzard and so saved us all from
+starvation. Had you not done so, he would have succeeded in convincing
+many that the famine had been sent by the gods to punish us all for
+allowing your mother to hunt with the men. You, he hates. But for you,
+he might have persuaded the tribe to elect him chief in place of Old
+Smoky Wolf."
+
+"He hates Black Eagle," said Raven Wing, sadly.
+
+"Because he knows our warriors will choose Black Eagle to succeed Old
+Smoky Wolf," added Hawk Eye.
+
+As the boys neared camp, Slow Dog came out of the bushes by the river
+bank. A scowl spread over his face on seeing the dead geese. "He is a
+great hunter when the birds fly down to be killed," he sneered.
+
+[Illustration: SLOW DOG CAME OUT OF THE BUSHES BY THE RIVER BANK.]
+
+"Had they not changed their course, your arrow would have slain one,"
+answered Raven Wing, quietly.
+
+Slow Dog turned on his heel and walked to his tepee. The two boys
+continued on their way. Presently they halted beside Old Smoky Wolf's
+lodge. At the sound of approaching footsteps, the aged chief had bade
+his wife go out to greet whoever the visitors might be.
+
+Hawk Eye handed her one of the birds he had slain. "'Tis the first goose
+brought to earth. Hawk Eye would present it to our chief," explained the
+boy. As he and Raven Wing were about to turn away, Old Smoky Wolf
+appeared in the doorway of the lodge. He gravely thanked Hawk Eye on
+learning of the gift.
+
+"You both shall come to the feast," he added kindly. The boys thanked
+him and as they turned away, a smile spread over Old Smoky Wolf's
+wrinkled face.
+
+"My tribe are not women. A brave is no stranger in my village. These
+boys will become great hunters. At the sound of their moccasins the
+beaver will lie down to be killed," grunted the old chief.
+
+[Illustration: {Hunter and buffalo.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+PLANS AND PELTS
+
+
+The sun grew warmer. The snow melted and trickled in little rivulets
+down to the river. Crocuses bloomed and red-winged blackbirds cried amid
+the yellowing willows in the bottoms. At last the ice broke in the river
+and the waters rushed madly along between its banks.
+
+The hunters, who had been industrious all winter, gathered together the
+pelts of the animals they had killed. Buffalo robes and deer skins,
+together with pelts of minks, martins, foxes, wolves, beavers, bears,
+fishers, otters and raccoons. Thousands of muskrat skins were also made
+up into bundles.
+
+The packs were loaded into canoes and the hunters set off down stream
+for the trading post at Mendota.
+
+Raven Wing and Hawk Eye watched the canoes for some time. When the last
+frail craft had turned the bend in the river, Raven Wing said to Hawk
+Eye, "Let us make the trip also, and take our pelts to the trading
+post."
+
+[Illustration: RAVEN WING AND HAWK EYE WATCHED THE CANOES FOR SOME
+TIME.]
+
+"Will your stepfather allow you to go on so long a trip?" asked Hawk
+Eye.
+
+"I can but ask him," answered Raven Wing.
+
+"We will go, you and I, if he agrees," said Hawk Eye. "I have no father
+to ask permission of. Besides, I am two years older than you. My mother
+I know will give her consent."
+
+Presently both boys were on their way to their lodges. Bending Willow,
+Raven Wing's mother, looked up as her son stood before her.
+
+"I would like to take the pelts I have cured from my winter's hunting to
+the trading post. Hawk Eye plans to go also and we can make the journey
+together," he announced in a low voice.
+
+Bending Willow regarded the tall, strong boy for several minutes before
+she answered him.
+
+"I have no objection, son," she answered quietly. "But you must receive
+permission from your stepfather."
+
+"Will you speak a good word for me?" said Raven Wing.
+
+"I will, my son," answered Bending Willow. "I know that you will be
+careful. You are strong and tall for your years. You are a fine hunter;
+you know the river; your canoe is well made."
+
+As she finished speaking, Black Eagle strode up.
+
+"The hunters are well on their way," he said. "The last canoe is now out
+of sight."
+
+"Raven Wing wishes to take his pelts to the trading post," announced
+Bending Willow.
+
+Black Eagle turned to his stepson. "You wish to go?" he asked.
+
+"Yes," replied the boy. "Hawk Eye will go with me. He has many fine
+skins, also."
+
+"You have had no experience as a trader," said Black Eagle. "The pale
+faces at the post will offer you foolish trinkets for your good pelts.
+They may even make you dull and foolish with their minne wauken,
+(firewater) and when your eyes are heavy-lidded and your mind falters,
+strip you of your pack."
+
+"I will learn by watching our hunters when they offer their pelts,"
+answered Raven Wing. "I will not be deceived by trinkets, nor will I
+taste the firewater."
+
+"I see no reason why he should not go," said Black Eagle after a silence
+of several minutes. "How does his mother look upon this adventure?" he
+added, turning to Bending Willow.
+
+"He must go some time. I am willing," she answered simply.
+
+"Hawk Eye goes with you?" asked Black Eagle.
+
+"He is now asking permission of his mother," replied Raven Wing.
+
+[Illustration: {Bending Willow.}]
+
+"When do you plan to go?" inquired Bending Willow.
+
+"At once," said Raven Wing.
+
+"That is wise," said Black Eagle. "The boys will easily catch up to the
+hunters if they ply their paddles with vigor." He did not add that there
+was safety in numbers, not wishing to needlessly alarm Bending Willow.
+He could see that she was concerned over the adventure, although she
+tried to hide her feelings.
+
+The matter being settled, Raven Wing strode over to Hawk Eye's lodge.
+Since the death of Running Deer, Hawk Eye had taken his father's place
+with credit. Being two years older than Raven Wing, he naturally had had
+more experience. Notwithstanding his advantage, in age he was no taller
+nor stronger than the younger boy.
+
+As Raven Wing neared the tepee, he heard Hawk Eye's mother, Light
+Between Clouds, say in a low voice;
+
+"You are my only support since the death of Running Deer."
+
+"Sure, Mother," answered Hawk Eye, "but you would not have me always
+remain in our village. Hawk Eye is now a man; he has a mother in his
+wigwam, but he need not ask her permission to go on the hunt."
+
+"'Tis a long journey to the trading post," answered Light Between
+Clouds. "You have had no experience at bargaining with the palefaces.
+Why not wait and go with the next band of trappers? There will be
+another party setting out soon."
+
+"They will merely trade in my pelts with their own and I shall have
+nothing to say," cried Hawk Eye. "Besides, I would like to gain
+experience first-hand. I am strong. I can handle my father's gun with
+the best of the hunters. I am a boy no longer. Comes another snow and I
+shall be a warrior."
+
+[Illustration: {Canoe on the river.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+LOADING THE CANOES
+
+
+"You are my only son," sighed Light Between Clouds, gazing lovingly upon
+the stalwart form of Hawk Eye. "You are the main support of your sister
+and me. I am loath to give my consent. It is a long journey to the
+trading post at Mendota."
+
+"Black Eagle, my stepfather, is willing that I should go," broke in
+Raven Wing.
+
+"And what does Bending Willow say?" inquired Light Between Clouds.
+
+"She agrees with my stepfather," answered Raven Wing.
+
+"Then you have my permission to go," said Light Between Clouds, turning
+to Hawk Eye. "And may the Great Spirit look kindly upon your adventure."
+Without further words, she turned on her heel and walked toward a
+nearby lodge.
+
+"So your mother is willing that you should go," said Raven Wing.
+
+"Yes, she has given her consent, as you have heard," answered Hawk Eye.
+
+"Why did she leave us so suddenly?" asked Raven Wing, doubtfully.
+
+"She has gone for moccasins, I think," replied Hawk Eye. "My grandmother
+is skilful at making them; she always keeps a supply on hand."
+
+"You have more pelts than I have," remarked Raven Wing, lingering a
+moment to watch Hawk Eye deftly pack the skins in several bundles of
+convenient size.
+
+"We will need two canoes; yours and mine," said Hawk Eye. "But should
+one be damaged during the trip, we can get along with one. We must lose
+no time in starting."
+
+"I will be ready as soon as you are," answered Raven Wing. He returned
+to his lodge, gathered together his pelts, which were already packed in
+several bundles, and carried them down to the river. Hawk Eye, having
+more experience, attended to the loading of the frail vessels.
+
+During the loading and packing, Ohitika, Hawk Eye's favorite dog,
+watched the proceedings in silence. Except for an occasional wag of his
+tail, he stood still, showing no impatience.
+
+"I would like to take Ohitika," said Hawk Eye. "He is my favorite dog,
+my friend. My father found him in a deserted Chippeway village five
+years ago. He was but a puppy then, his mother and the rest of the
+litter had been killed by wolves, and father discovered him lying in an
+old woodchuck hole. Father bundled him in his blanket and brought him
+home to me. I named him Ohitika because he was so brave even as a pup.
+At first he was my playmate, but he has become my hunting companion. I
+hate to leave him behind. But to make room for him it will be necessary
+to place one of my packs in your canoe."
+
+[Illustration: {Bow and arrows.}]
+
+"That can easily be done," answered Raven Wing. "I have fewer packs than
+you."
+
+"I shall take my father's gun, also," went on Hawk Eye, as he
+transferred a bundle of pelts to Raven Wing's canoe. "I am glad that I
+have learned to use it. It is a fine gun, as Running Deer, my father,
+often said. He was not given to boast of his prowess as a hunter, but
+always claimed it was due to his gun that he rarely missed the mark."
+
+"I must have a gun," cried Raven Wing. "A fine gun, like yours. Do you
+think my stock of pelts will bring me one?"
+
+"If you are clever at trading," answered Hawk Eye with a chuckle. "And
+if not," he added kindly, "you shall have some of mine to fill in."
+
+When the last pack had been carefully loaded, Hawk Eye looked critically
+at his work. "You have displayed much skill," observed Black Eagle, who
+came up at that moment.
+
+"I took pains to watch the hunters load their craft at sunup," said Hawk
+Eye.
+
+"Safe carriage depends on good loading as well as skill with the
+paddles," said Black Eagle. "Be sure you re-load as well after making
+portage below Lac Qui Parle. You will come to a succession of rapids
+after leaving the lake behind you."
+
+Black Eagle might have said more had not Bending Willow at that point
+arrived with a bundle.
+
+"I have brought you maple sugar," she explained, handing the package to
+Raven Wing. "'Tis some that I had on hand from the sugar camp."
+
+[Illustration: {Map of Minnesota.}]
+
+As she finished speaking, Light Between Clouds came running toward them.
+
+"These dried buffalo tongues will come in handy should you not find
+plenty of game," she cried, giving the bundle to Hawk Eye.
+
+Sensing that the departure was at hand, Ohitika waited no longer, but
+leaped lightly into his master's craft. Stepping into their canoes, the
+boys raised their paddles, then dipped them into the water and made for
+the middle of the river.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+JEALOUS SLOW DOG
+
+
+From his tepee Slow Dog gloomily watched the departure of Raven Wing and
+Hawk Eye, and his roving eye fell on the graceful figure of Bending
+Willow, who was waving a brave farewell to her only son, now fast
+becoming a young brave.
+
+Bending Willow was the daughter of a haughty chief of the Spirit Lake
+and Leaf Dweller Sioux, and was considered the most beautiful woman in
+the tribe. When widowed at the age of twenty, she had bravely assumed
+the care and bringing up of her son.
+
+Slow Dog had early realized that if he married her his influence in the
+tribe would be greatly increased, and resenting her preference to
+cherish in widowhood the memory of her husband, had been a persistent
+although an unsuccessful suitor.
+
+The day had come, however, when Slow Dog's tepee grew lonely, and many
+hours had been spent near that of Taopee, whose fat daughter did
+beadwork while Slow Dog played on a reed flute. In due course of time a
+pony, two guns and some blankets had secured the bride, who, veiled with
+a blanket was taken to her lover's lodge and left there by a friend.
+
+From then on Slow Dog was busy with practical things, for the
+father-in-law's family must be provided with game for a year, or until a
+little papoose should swing from a lodge pole. Notwithstanding that his
+lodge was no longer lonely, the heart of Slow Dog still yearned for the
+beautiful Bending Willow.
+
+In the early part of the previous autumn Bending Willow had returned
+from the wild rice fields where she and the women of the tribe had
+reaped a goodly harvest. Assisted by a young squaw named Wadutah, she
+had pitched her tepee in one of the villages of the Sisseton Sioux along
+the southern shore of Big Stone Lake.
+
+Black Eagle, a great warrior and a wise counsellor, was generally
+regarded as the successor to Old Smoky Wolf when the aged chief should
+take the trail of departed warriors. Out of deference to the memory of
+his friend, Lone Star, Black Eagle had long refrained from approaching
+Bending Willow, whom he had always admired. But just before the winter
+season had set in, he had pressed his suit and Bending Willow had
+consented to become his wife, for she, too, had often marked the prowess
+and wisdom of her husband's companion. A marriage feast had been
+celebrated and she had entered Black Eagle's lodge.
+
+Slow Dog had long coveted the leadership of the tribe. He had plotted
+secretly to overthrow the rule of Old Smoky Wolf, but his efforts had
+been in vain. Black Eagle's popularity had been greatly increased by
+his marriage, which only added to the jealousy of Slow Dog.
+
+[Illustration: {Canoe on the river.}]
+
+"With Bending Willow in his lodge, Black Eagle will prove a worthy
+successor to Old Smoky Wolf," Slow Dog had often heard old squaws
+remark, nodding their gray heads over their beadwork.
+
+Slow Dog had not joined the braves, women and children who had gathered
+at the river bank to speed the departure of the boys. His long-nursed
+jealousy kept him away from the crowd of well-wishers. But his keen eyes
+noted as Hawk Eye and Raven Wing rounded a bend in the river and were
+lost to sight, that Black Eagle had stepped into his canoe and paddled
+northward.
+
+Was Black Eagle merely going to fish in Big Stone Lake, from whose
+southern boundary flowed the Minnesota River, he wondered, or was he
+bound for the Red River of the North, which flowed from the upper end of
+the lake to Hudson Bay?
+
+Presently Bending Willow returned to her tepee which stood on a point of
+high ground overlooking the river. From his lodge Slow Dog could see her
+slender form as she busied herself preparing food. Wild thoughts filled
+his mind. Some dark night it might be possible to seize her, place her
+in his canoe and glide down the river. He pictured her in the frail
+craft as he swiftly paddled downstream, past the tepees of the Warpeton
+Sioux. He knew every twist and turn of the river. At Mankate, meaning
+"Blue Earth" in his language, it turned sharply to the north and east.
+Bending Willow should see Mendota, "the meeting of the waters," for
+there the beautiful Minnesota completed its long journey of four hundred
+miles and mingled its "sky-tinted waters" with those of the
+Mich-e-see-be, "Father of Running Waters."
+
+Not there, however, would he beach his canoe. He would go further; past
+the high white cliffs along the shore to Kaposia, and down the
+Mich-e-see-be, upon whose western bank dwelt the Medawakantens. Then up
+the Canon River to its head waters where stood the villages of the
+Wahpekutes, the fourth tribe of the Minnesota Sioux. There he would
+dwell with Bending Willow, the Fawn of the Dakotas, the most beautiful
+woman of the Sioux nation.
+
+[Illustration: FROM HIS LODGE SLOW DOG COULD SEE HER SLENDER FORM AS SHE
+BUSIED HERSELF PREPARING FOOD.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+HAWK EYE'S OFFERING
+
+
+Hawk Eye and Raven Wing pointed their canoes to the middle of the river
+and bent to their paddles. In spite of its many twists and turns and the
+menace of fallen trees floating in the channel, they made good progress.
+
+The river ran through a narrow valley, with hillsides covered with white
+flowers and bottom lands dotted with yellow cowslips. Birds, busy with
+their nesting, winged their way through the balmy air. Willows,
+cottonwoods, elms and soft maples made a leafy border along the shore.
+
+Toward late afternoon they came to a widening of the river.
+
+"Lac Qui Parle," Hawk Eye called back, slowing down that Raven Wing
+might come alongside. "I have heard my father say that in the paleface
+tongue. It means the 'lake that speaks.'"
+
+"Black Eagle once told me that the Mich-e-see-be has a great widening
+which is called Lake Pepin by the white man. It is bordered by high
+bluffs and cliffs so steep that very few cedars can take root," answered
+Raven Wing.
+
+"I have heard my father tell that only low hills guard the Minnesota
+until its fringe of trees thickens and it enters the big woods. The
+hills change to bluffs that creep closer to the water. At the mouth of
+the Blue Earth River there is but a narrow strip of sand. From there on
+the Minnesota makes a bend upward toward the land of snow and the rising
+sun," said Hawk Eye.
+
+"It is a long river," said Raven Wing. "We shall have dipped our paddles
+many, many times before we come to the trading post."
+
+"Have you fully decided to exchange your pelts for a gun?" inquired Hawk
+Eye.
+
+"Yes," answered Raven Wing quickly. "I would like one like yours."
+
+"It is a fine weapon, as I have often told you," Hawk Eye said. "My
+father was proud of it. He kept our lodge well supplied with meat before
+an Objibway's bullet ended his life."
+
+"Let us make camp," Raven Wing suggested after a time. "I see a sandy
+beach. Up to now the shore has been bordered with great flat rocks."
+
+"It is too early," Hawk Eye said. "The weather is fine. It is better to
+keep to our paddles until sundown. Take care that your canoe does not
+grate upon a hidden rock. There are many in the water."
+
+Raven Wing was glad when his elder companion later turned toward shore
+for he was becoming a little tired. It required skill as well as
+strength to paddle the heavy laden canoes.
+
+"My father's grandmother was a Wahpeton Sioux. Her tribe, called the
+People of the Leaves, used to build their movable tepees along the
+shores of this lake," said Raven Wing.
+
+[Illustration: {Sioux brave.}]
+
+"That was many, many years ago. We shall have to sleep beneath a tree,"
+answered Hawk Eye.
+
+"My grandfather made his first offering to the Great Spirit here," went
+on Raven Wing. "He tossed his most beloved possession, a necklace of
+bear claws, into this very lake."
+
+"It is a beautiful spot for such a ceremony," Hawk Eye said,
+thoughtfully. "I have not as yet made my offering to the Great Spirit."
+
+Raven Wing made no answer. After his father's death his mother had
+arranged the ceremony for him. He now wished that she had chosen for
+that occasion the spot on which his grandfather had stood.
+
+As the canoes scraped bottom, Hawk Eye said; "I will here offer my most
+valued possession to the Great Spirit." Stepping on shore, he opened a
+doeskin pouch that was fastened to his belt.
+
+"Your necklace of panther claws!" exclaimed Raven Wing as Hawk Eye drew
+forth his prize trophy.
+
+"Yes," Hawk Eye answered, quietly. For a moment he held it in his open
+palm for a last look. Close by rose a great boulder of granite.
+Clenching his fist about his most beloved possession, he climbed to the
+top of the rock and stood facing the lake for some little time. Then,
+holding the necklace in his right hand, he cried;
+
+"O Great Spirit, I implore you to command the Sun, Moon and Stars to
+make my path smooth that I may reach the brow of the first hill.
+
+[Illustration: HE CLIMBED TO THE TOP OF THE ROCK AND STOOD FACING THE
+LAKE FOR SOME LITTLE TIME.]
+
+"O Great Spirit, I implore you to command the Winds, Clouds, Rain and
+Snow to make smooth my path that I may reach the brow of the second
+hill.
+
+"O Great Spirit, I implore you to command the Hills, Valleys, Rivers,
+Lakes, Trees and Grasses to make smooth my path that I may reach the
+brow of the third hill.
+
+"O Great Spirit, I implore you to command the Birds, Animals and Insects
+to make smooth my path that I may reach the brow of the fourth hill.
+
+"O Great Spirit, make me strong in heart and limb to reach the brow of
+the fifth hill, upon whose summit are the Happy Hunting Grounds.
+
+"O Great Spirit, receive my most precious offering," and he flung the
+necklace far out into the lake.
+
+[Illustration: {Wolf.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE BEAR
+
+
+On awakening the next morning after a restful night, Hawk Eye said:
+
+"Fresh meat tastes better than pemmican. I will take my bow and arrows
+and see what game I can find. In the meantime you might gather some dry
+wood and start a fire."
+
+After a plunge in the cool waters of the lake, he set out. For some
+distance he traveled to the north, and on emerging from the timber, he
+came upon a hillside covered with low bushes. He had set an arrow
+against the bowstring in readiness for whatever kind of game might
+suddenly start up. As he looked about, a rabbit darted across an open
+space. But before it could reach cover, Hawk Eye's arrow brought it
+tumbling to the ground.
+
+"Enough for our morning meal," he observed. After retrieving the arrow,
+he slung the dead rabbit over his shoulder and started on his way back
+to camp.
+
+As there was no special trail leading toward the water, he followed a
+course indicated by several landmarks he had made note of when first
+setting out. After crossing an open space, he paused at the edge of the
+timber belt that lined the banks of the river. He thought he had heard a
+slight noise in the underbrush. As the sound was not repeated, he strode
+in among the trees, setting an arrow against the bowstring. Presently he
+heard a pounding noise followed by a wheeze, and as he peered among the
+tree trunks, he made out the form of a huge black bear.
+
+Surprised for a moment, the bear halted; then with a grunt took a step
+forward. Unprepared for such big game, Hawk Eye dropped into a backward
+walk, keeping his eyes fixed upon the animal, which now quickened its
+steps. Raising his bow and continuing to step backwards, he aimed an
+arrow at the heart of the bear and let fly. With a cry of pain and rage
+it tore the barbed shaft from its bleeding side and rushed at him.
+Before he could fit another arrow to the string, his heel caught on a
+projecting root and he found himself sprawling upon the ground.
+Springing to his feet, he attempted to recover his bow which had dropped
+from his hand, but before he could pick it up, the infuriated animal was
+almost upon him. Avoiding its outstretched paws, he ran toward the
+river.
+
+As he went crashing through the tangled underbrush, he felt for his
+hunting knife. Although somewhat relieved at finding it still in his
+belt, he knew that his strength and skill would be unequal to the task
+of slaying the ferocious animal. His principal hope lay in reaching the
+spot where Raven Wing had kindled the fire for their morning meal. Once
+there ahead of the bear he could rely on Raven Wing and the loaded gun
+he had left with him.
+
+Soon, however, this hope disappeared. The bear was gaining on him. Due
+to its great weight it easily crashed through the thick underbrush and
+tangled vines that impeded his own progress.
+
+Closer came the great lumbering animal and he could almost feel its hot
+breath upon his neck as he fought his way through a dense thicket toward
+the river.
+
+Continuing on as best he could he came to an open space, covered with
+wide flat rocks. A short distance ahead rose a giant boulder. Scattered
+about its base lay a number of big rocks. Leaping upon one of them, he
+managed to jump to a narrow ledge upon the almost perpendicular side of
+the great boulder. From there he worked his way up to its flat-topped
+surface by clinging to crevices and projecting pieces of granite.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE KILL
+
+
+The bear had made straight for the big boulder. Discovering that even by
+standing on its hind feet it could not reach the ledge upon which Hawk
+Eye had leaped from the nearby rock, it came down on all fours and began
+to circle the base of the boulder. On coming to a point where the base
+extended for some considerable distance, it managed to climb up the
+steep incline by means of its strong claws. At a point further up,
+however, the flat surface of the summit projected like the rim of a hat
+and forced the panting animal to merely cling to its position. At length
+it managed to get one front paw over the edge. At once Hawk Eye stabbed
+it with his knife. Roaring with pain, it pulled it down. After a few
+minutes it worked its way to one side where the rim was less pronounced
+and getting a firm hold on a shelf of rock with its hind feet, again
+stretched over a front paw. Before Hawk Eye could use his knife its
+other paw came above the rim and its head appeared. Growling and showing
+its teeth, it dug the claws of its hind feet into the slanting rocky
+side and raised itself.
+
+Hawk Eye had only his knife. No loose rocks lay upon the flat surface.
+Holding it firmly in his fist he began to maneuver for a fatal plunge at
+the animal's throat. But the knowing beast kept its head in motion,
+making it well nigh impossible for him to avoid her gaping jaws. For
+several minutes he attempted to plunge the sharp blade into its throat.
+Suddenly the foothold it had managed to maintain with its hind feet gave
+way, and in order to avoid plunging down the side of the great boulder,
+the bear desperately pressed its chin upon the top of the rim to keep
+from falling.
+
+The animal's mouth now being closed by the pull-down of its body, and
+its head held rigid by its weight, Hawk Eye seized the opportunity he
+had been waiting for. Advancing cautiously with knife in hand, he came
+down on his knees and whipped the sharp blade across the side of its
+throat.
+
+The hold of its front paws weakened, its head slipped off the ledge top,
+and its heavy body hurtled to the ground. For a short time the mortally
+wounded animal rolled about, moaning and pawing the ground until, with a
+final quiver, it lay still.
+
+[Illustration: ITS HEAVY BODY HURTLED TO THE GROUND.]
+
+Hawk Eye climbed down the rock and gazed silently at the huge body.
+
+Then looking up into the sky, he murmured: "O Great Mystery, my heart is
+glad that you have aided me to gain a necklace of bear claws. My spirit
+sings because you have looked with favor upon the offering of my most
+beloved possession."
+
+Squatting down beside the bear's body, he lifted one of the paws and
+carefully examined the great claws before commencing to remove them one
+by one with his knife.
+
+[Illustration: {Campsite.}]
+
+When all had been cut away, he placed them in the doeskin pouch that
+hung at his belt. He also slit the pelt down the belly and cut a number
+of juicy steaks.
+
+"I will return with Raven Wing for the pelt," he thought, as he retraced
+his steps to the spot where he had dropped his bow and quiver of arrows.
+After some little distance he came upon them and the body of the rabbit
+which he had killed.
+
+As he made his way back to the shore, he noticed that the sun was high
+in the heavens. Raven Wing by this time must be wondering what had kept
+him away for so long a time. Quickening his steps into a run, he soon
+came to their beached canoes. A fire which had been kindled on the sand
+had burned down to a heap of dead ashes. He looked about for Raven Wing.
+He was nowhere in sight.
+
+[Illustration: {Bear.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE PELT IS REMOVED
+
+
+Hawk Eye set the package of bear meat in one of the canoes and again
+looked about. Noticing that his gun had been taken from the canoe in
+which he had left it, he concluded that Raven Wing had grown tired of
+waiting for him to return.
+
+Not having tasted food since the previous evening, he took out some
+pemmican and commenced to eat. His appetite somewhat satisfied, he stood
+up and again looked about him.
+
+"I may as well go back and skin the bear. Raven Wing may not return for
+some little time," he thought. The morning had already slipped away and
+by the time the bear's pelt could be removed he realized that the sun
+would be low in the sky. So he set off without delay, stopping only at
+a tiny spring for a cool drink.
+
+[Illustration: {Brave hunting.}]
+
+On nearing the spot where he had first encountered the bear, his ears
+caught the sound of some one treading softly. As he slipped behind a
+tree trunk and fitted an arrow to his bowstring, he heard Raven Wing's
+voice calling.
+
+"Thought at first you might be the mate of the bear I killed a while
+ago," cried Hawk Eye, coming out into the open.
+
+"What! You say you have slain a bear?" exclaimed Raven Wing, dropping a
+couple of prairie chickens which he had shot.
+
+"Come, I will show you my kill," answered Hawk Eye.
+
+"I was following your trail from the hillside when I caught sight of you
+at the edge of the timber," explained Raven Wing. "From what I now see
+of the trail I should judge you were being chased by the bear."
+
+"I was," admitted Hawk Eye, with a grin. "But it was no laughing matter
+at the time, as you will soon see for yourself."
+
+Presently they came to the rocky, flat open space. As Raven Wing
+advanced and caught sight of the animal's huge form lying close to the
+base of the giant boulder, he uttered a cry of amazement.
+
+"What a bear!" he cried. "But look! Someone has already removed the
+claws."
+
+"They are safe in my doeskin pouch," answered Hawk Eye. "I wished to
+make sure of a necklace of bear claws before leaving the body."
+
+"The Great Spirit has rewarded you for sacrificing the necklace of
+panther claws," said Raven Wing in an awe-struck voice.
+
+"He has indeed," agreed Hawk Eye. After a moment's silence Hawk Eye
+said, "Help me remove the pelt."
+
+Without further words both boys set to work. It was no mean job they had
+undertaken. They found it necessary to cut down two strong young
+saplings with which to turn over the immense body. At length they were
+able to tear the hide clear of the carcass.
+
+As Raven Wing bound it up in a neat, tight roll, he remarked, "I see you
+have already taken the choice cuts."
+
+"They are in my canoe," answered Hawk Eye, wiping his blood-stained
+hands on the bear's head.
+
+"We have another pelt to trade," chuckled Raven Wing, shouldering the
+package. "We had better start at once for the river. The sun is low."
+
+"Yes," answered Hawk Eye. "I do not like the idea of leaving our canoes
+for so long a time. Let us make haste."
+
+[Illustration: {River.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE RAPIDS
+
+
+"Give me the pack," said Raven Wing, after some little distance. Hawk
+Eye placed it on the younger boy's shoulder and took the gun which he
+had been carrying. Examining it to satisfy himself that it was loaded,
+he dropped the barrel into the curve of his left arm. From the brow of
+the gentle sloping hill they could see the river bordered by trees
+through a narrow valley.
+
+Great rocks of granite and limestone cropped out everywhere upon the
+treeless prairie and were turned a pinkish hue in the glow of the
+setting sun. As the sun sank lower in the west the boulders took on many
+fanciful shapes.
+
+"Not so long ago buffaloes roamed this prairie," remarked Hawk Eye. "Now
+they graze further toward the land of the setting sun."
+
+"We will have plenty of fresh meat for our evening meal," said Raven
+Wing.
+
+"Yes, we have more than enough with the prairie hens you shot and the
+bear meat," chuckled Hawk Eye.
+
+"You also killed a rabbit," added Raven Wing.
+
+On arriving at the beach where their canoes lay, Hawk Eye unrolled the
+bear hide and spread it very carefully from one bow to another.
+
+"At sunrise," he said, "I will scrape it clean with my knife. I think it
+will dry in the sun as we paddle and make a good pelt."
+
+Raven Wing collected an armful of dry wood and started a fire. Before
+long both hungry boys were enjoying a hearty meal of prairie hen and
+rabbit meat. After a drink at the spring nearby, they spread their
+blankets beneath a tree and went to sleep.
+
+At sunup Hawk Eye set to work on the bear pelt while Raven Wing
+re-kindled the fire and prepared their morning meal. When this was
+finished, he covered the smouldering embers with fresh earth and
+followed Hawk Eye to the beach. Pushing their canoes into the water,
+they bent to the paddles.
+
+[Illustration: {Brave by the campfire.}]
+
+At this point the river was narrow. Again fallen trees blocked the
+channel. At times the boys found it necessary to push them out of the
+way. Progress was slow, and the sun was well up in the sky by the time
+they passed the mouth of a small river called The Last Stream With
+Trees.
+
+"Fearless Bear told me the Minnesota coils like a snake. He spoke the
+truth," remarked Hawk Eye. "I have already counted eight turns in less
+distance than the eye can reach."
+
+"The turns do not bother me," answered Raven Wing. "But I have heard
+that there are rapids further on. They may cause us trouble."
+
+"We will make a portage," said Hawk Eye. "We cannot trust our pelts to
+the angry waters."
+
+"Then we must unload the canoes and shoulder the packs," said Raven
+Wing. "That will not be easy."
+
+"It will be hard work," agreed Hawk Eye.
+
+Instead of going ashore for their midday meal, the boys ate pemmican
+while paddling. At sundown they ran the canoes ashore and prepared to
+make camp for the night. After a hearty meal of bear meat which had been
+well-cooked the day before, they rolled themselves in their blankets and
+lay down for the night. For some little time they lay awake listening to
+the night noises. But they were weary with paddling, and in spite of the
+persistent calls of the whippoorwills, they at length fell into a sound
+sleep.
+
+Hawk Eye was the first to awaken. Seeing Raven Wing still asleep, he
+quietly strode down to the river for a bath. As Raven Wing still slept
+on, Hawk Eye unpacked some pemmican and ate his morning meal. Presently
+Raven Wing awoke and seeing that Hawk Eye was about ready to launch the
+canoes, he hurried down to the river to bathe. He would have launched
+his own craft had not the elder boy wisely counseled him to first make a
+hearty meal. Before long they were both out on the river.
+
+On coming to the rapids, Hawk Eye grounded his craft on a narrow strip
+of sand and unloaded. As soon as Raven Wing had placed his packs upon
+the sand, Hawk Eye said;
+
+"You and I will shoulder my canoe and carry it beyond the rapids."
+
+Waist-high in the tumbling waters they bore it to quiet water and laid
+it on the shore. When Raven Wing's canoe had been safely transported,
+they returned for the packs. One by one these were carried through the
+rapids without mishap. The canoes were then pushed into the water and
+reloaded. Once more the boys took their seats and paddled down stream.
+
+[Illustration: {Fishing in the river.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE BEAVER DAM
+
+
+During the next few days the boys made good progress. They passed the
+Yellow Medicine, Sparrowhawk and Redwood rivers. On the fourth day when
+but a few miles above the mouth of the Cottonwood, Raven Wing said: "Let
+us go ashore. It is time we ate."
+
+So they beached the canoes on a sandy shore. Hawk Eye took out pemmican
+and dried bear meat from a pack and sat down beside Raven Wing. When
+their hunger was satisfied, Hawk Eye said:
+
+"I think there may be beavers upstream," pointing to a rivulet that
+emptied into the Minnesota a short distance from them. "If so, and there
+are many, we can come here later on and get pelts. Shall we see?"
+
+"By all means," agreed Raven Wing. "Let us go at once."
+
+Picking up their bows and arrows, they started off. Following the
+winding course of the stream for a considerable distance they came to a
+dam which held back the water and formed a fair-sized lake.
+
+At once the boys knew that it had been built by beavers. The Musquash,
+sometimes called the muskrat, although it ought to be called the
+muskbeaver, because it is really a beaver and no rat at all, never
+builds dams nor digs canals. It has a flat tail like the beaver and not
+at all resembling the tapering tail of water rat. It builds houses, much
+like the beaver's, only smaller.
+
+"We will not forget this spot," chuckled Raven Wing. "We will get many
+pelts on our next visit."
+
+"No one shall learn of its location," added Hawk Eye. "We will get the
+pelts for ourselves."
+
+"The dam is in fine condition," said Raven Wing, who had climbed up upon
+it.
+
+Not a beaver was to be seen, however. The wary animals had dived out of
+sight at hearing the boys approach.
+
+[Illustration: THE WARY ANIMALS HAD DIVED OUT OF SIGHT AT HEARING THE
+BOYS APPROACH.]
+
+"Fearless Bear once told me," remarked Raven Wing, "that hunters rarely
+see beavers building a dam. He says that they build at night and that
+it is no easy matter for a hunter to watch them."
+
+"The musquash is easier to hunt," said Hawk Eye. "But he is less than
+half the size of the beaver; besides, his pelt is not so valuable."
+
+"I've seen a beaver caught that weighed almost eighty pounds," said
+Raven Wing. "It had beautiful fur and a tail as big as a musquash."
+
+"No fur on its tail," laughed Hawk Eye. "It's covered with rough scales.
+Beaver uses it to scull its way through the water."
+
+"I wish the dam were larger," said Raven Wing. "Big dam, many beavers."
+
+"There are plenty of beavers here," said Hawk Eye. "Enough for you and
+me unless some hunter comes across it before another snow."
+
+As Raven Wing stepped off the dam and walked upstream along the bank, he
+said; "Fearless Bear told the hunters one night when I was in his lodge,
+that he had seen a beaver dam near a great body of water that measured
+two hundred and sixty feet long and six feet high."
+
+"Might not have been so many beavers at work on it," said Hawk Eye.
+"Probably it took a long time to build it."
+
+[Illustration: {Beaver.}]
+
+As the boys strolled along they noted the number of stumps which were
+all that remained of the trees which the beavers had cut down and
+divided into short lengths, such as could be carried by mouth when
+building the dam.
+
+"Sharp teeth to cut these trees," remarked Raven Wing. "Some of these
+stumps are two feet thick."
+
+"Did Fearless Bear tell you how the beaver works?" asked Hawk Eye.
+
+"He supports himself by his tail when he rears on his hind legs to cut
+down a tree," answered Raven Wing. "With his teeth he cuts the wood as
+neatly as a hunter cuts it with his hatchet. No nibbling like a mouse,"
+went on Raven Wing, "he makes a neat job, and can even make the tree
+fall in the direction he wishes."
+
+"What else did Fearless Bear say?" asked Hawk Eye.
+
+"When the beaver has cut the tree into short lengths he drags the
+cuttings to the place where he is to build the dam. He brings the
+branches, too, in his mouth and rolls stones along the shore to pile on
+them and hold them in place. At first the dam is rough and loose, but
+the beavers keep constantly at work, smoothing and pressing it down and
+stopping all the gaps with clay and pebbles from the bank. As time goes
+on it becomes overgrown with grass and bushes and looks as if it were a
+natural bank, just like this one," said Raven Wing.
+
+"After a freshet, beaver must make repairs," remarked Hawk Eye.
+
+[Illustration: {Brave with headdress.}]
+
+"Fearless Bear told me he once made holes in a dam and during the night
+watched the beavers patch up the damaged places," laughed Raven Wing.
+
+"I wouldn't care to be a beaver," said Hawk Eye. "It must be tiresome to
+live under the ice roof of a pond. I've noticed how the beavers sport
+and play when the ice breaks up."
+
+Raven Wing turned on his heel and pointed to a beaver lodge. It stood
+not far from the bank, its roof above the water line. Both boys were
+well aware that the beaver builds the doorway to his lodge well below
+the freezing line. As they both stood looking at the deserted lodge,
+Raven Wing said; "Beaver often has two openings down deep in the water.
+Through these hidden entrances he drags branches and pieces of bark up
+to his dining room, which being above the water line, is dry and
+comfortable."
+
+"Come," said Hawk Eye. "Let us go back to our canoes now. We have seen
+enough for today."
+
+As they strode toward the Minnesota River, Raven Wing said; "I shall
+trade some of my pelts for steel traps. With these we can catch the
+beaver more easily than by spears."
+
+"I will, too," said Hawk Eye.
+
+"We will not have to bait the traps," went on Raven Wing. "Fearless Bear
+tells me to merely rub them with some odor or essence of which the
+animals are fond."
+
+"That will be easy," grinned Hawk Eye.
+
+Presently they rounded a bend in the little stream and came to the spot
+where they had beached their canoes. To their dismay they found that
+they had disappeared.
+
+[Illustration: {Moccasins and headdress.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+TOEPRINTS IN THE SAND
+
+
+For a moment the boys stood silent and uncertain. Hawk Eye was the first
+to speak. "Follow me," he cried, and ran down the bank of the little
+stream. He soon came to a sandy point where its waters mingled with
+those of the Minnesota.
+
+"Look," he said. "One of our heavy loaded canoes went aground here," and
+he pointed to deep marks in the sand. "And here are the toeprints of the
+thief who pushed them off."
+
+"He has gone downstream with them," said Raven Wing. "His canoe was
+probably caught in the swift current as it rounded the point and was
+carried downstream before he could tow the canoes into the big river,
+and his towline tightened across the point and grounded our first canoe
+here. Then he came back and pushed it off and around the point."
+
+"We must follow," said Hawk Eye. Keeping as close to the river as was
+possible, the boys set off at an easy lope. Presently they were forced
+to change their course, for the willows, cottonwoods, elms and soft
+maples that lined the banks made progress slow and difficult.
+
+Leaving the narrow valley through which the river made continuous twists
+and turns, they hurried up the slope and soon found themselves on the
+treeless prairie, which stretched far away to the sky. As far as eye
+could reach not a tree could be seen. Except for great boulders of
+granite and limestone which dotted it here and there, the plain was
+covered with grass.
+
+As they turned to follow a course parallel with that of the river, Raven
+Wing thoughtfully remarked:
+
+"We are not sure that our canoes are being taken downstream."
+
+"The thief," answered Hawk Eye, "would have to pass many Sioux villages
+on the banks of the river if he did otherwise. He will take the pelts to
+the trading post at Mendota."
+
+"Yes, you are right," answered Raven Wing. "Why should he tow our heavy
+laden canoes upstream? And how would he account for their possession
+should he meet with any of our own people? We are two birds with broken
+wings. Paddles and current will carry the canoes faster than we can hope
+to run for any length of time."
+
+"But we must get back our canoes," answered Hawk Eye.
+
+Raven Wing made no answer. He slowly loosened the leather thong about
+his neck and opened a small doeskin bag that hung by a leather thong
+about his neck. Squatting down he took out the wing of a crow.
+
+"I will make medicine," he said. After some little time he replaced the
+crow's wing in the doeskin bag and fastened the leather thong about his
+neck.
+
+"The Great Mystery bids me remember how the river runs," he said.
+
+[Illustration: "THE GREAT MYSTERY BIDS ME REMEMBER HOW THE RIVER RUNS,"
+HE SAID.]
+
+"And how does it run?" asked Hawk Eye.
+
+Tightening its string until the bow was shaped like a half moon, Raven
+Wing laid it upon the ground. Placing an arrow, pointed outward, at the
+center of the curved ash wood, he said, "This arrow points to the Ever
+Summer Land."
+
+Setting another arrow, with feathered end against the bowstring at a
+point half way between the tips, he dropped a pebble beside it and said;
+"This arrow points to the Land of Snows."
+
+When a third arrow, pointed outward, with two pebbles beside it, had
+been placed at one tip of the bow, he said;
+
+"Thither lies the Land of the Rising Sun."
+
+The fourth and last arrow he laid with stone head pointing outward, at
+the other tip of the bow. Then, having placed three pebbles beside it,
+he said;
+
+"Thither lies the Land of the Setting Sun."
+
+"The Great Mystery is kind," remarked Hawk Eye.
+
+"He has bid me remember my stepfather's description of the Minnesota's
+course," answered Raven Wing.
+
+"And now what do you propose to do?" asked Hawk Eye.
+
+"We will make a trail across the prairie towards the rising sun straight
+as the flight of an arrow. Come; let us start," answered Raven Wing.
+
+At once both boys set off at an easy lope. Ohitika bounded ahead,
+flushing a flock of ground sparrows which chattered loudly at the
+interruption to their grassy nest building. But to the clamor of their
+voices and whirring wings the dog failed to see a badger which was
+burrowing in the sod.
+
+As the boys pressed on, larks and blue birds filled the air with song;
+prairie wolves skulked away to grove and swale, and rattlesnakes glided
+over moist places to rocky shelter.
+
+High up in the sky a sand-hill crane, northward bound in lonely flight,
+sounded a far off call.
+
+"'Tis a good omen," cried Hawk Eye.
+
+[Illustration: {Brave.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+ACROSS THE PRAIRIE
+
+
+As the sun rode slowly down the sky and passed the barriers of the
+low-hanging clouds, a herd of tiny prong-horned antelopes scampered near
+for a closer view of the boys and dog.
+
+"Down, Ohitika!" Hawk Eye commanded. "We need fresh meat," he added,
+turning to Raven Wing.
+
+"But they are beyond arrow flight," answered the younger boy.
+
+"They are inquisitive animals," said Hawk Eye. "I will try to bring them
+nearer. Let us lie down and see if I cannot attract their attention."
+
+Both boys dropped to the ground. Hawk Eye fastened a moccasin to one end
+of his bow and slowly waved it to and fro. In a few minutes an antelope
+came slowly toward them. Pausing now and again, it gradually came within
+range. In the meantime Raven Wing had set the head of an arrow against
+the string. At length he let it fly. The stricken animal gave a leap
+into the air and fell to the ground. Its frightened comrades galloped
+away and were out of range before Raven Wing could send out another
+arrow.
+
+[Illustration: HAWK EYE FASTENED A MOCCASIN TO ONE END OF HIS BOW AND
+SLOWLY WAVED IT TO AND FRO.]
+
+The sun was now near its setting, so the boys decided to make camp close
+to a great boulder. From a clump of low bushes Raven Wing gathered
+enough dry twigs and leaves to make a small fire, and before long strips
+of antelope meat were roasting over the flames. The bushes grew around a
+tiny spring, at which they drank and satisfied their thirst before they
+sat down to eat.
+
+When the meal was ended, Hawk Eye said: "Let us cut up the choice parts
+of the antelope into thin strips. These can be hung from a strip of hide
+and allowed to dry in the sun as we journey on."
+
+For some little time before darkness came down the boys were busy
+preparing the meat for drying.
+
+"We will get up with the sun," said Hawk Eye, as he stretched himself on
+the ground.
+
+At the first pale tint of dawn the boys awoke. After drinking and
+bathing at the spring they ate heartily of the portion of well cooked
+meat that remained from their evening meal. Taking another long drink at
+the spring, they hung their bows from their shoulders and lifted the
+leather thong with the strips of meat from the bush tops.
+
+"The wind and the sun will soon dry the meat," remarked Hawk Eye, taking
+hold of one end. Raven Wing grasped the other and they set off over the
+short, light green, hair-like grass of the upland. Dew glittered on stem
+and flower as the sun rose higher. Now and again the peep of the prairie
+chick or the call of the plover came to their ears. As they neared a
+rocky ridge a badger slipped into his den.
+
+At length Raven Wing remarked, "Very soon we should come across a trail
+to the river."
+
+"The trail of the paleface trader Renville?" inquired Hawk Eye.
+
+"Yes; 'tis wide and well worn by the wheels of his carts and the hoofs
+of his oxen," answered Raven Wing.
+
+As the sun reached the middle of the sky, Hawk Eye stopped. Dropping his
+end of the leather thong, he said;
+
+"We have not yet found the trail. Let us spread apart. I will follow a
+line running between the land of Snows and the Rising Sun. You go
+forward slantingly toward the Ever Summer Land. But neither of us may go
+far without again setting face toward the Rising Sun. By so doing, one
+of us may come upon the trail as we journey toward the upward bend of
+the river."
+
+"We must keep within the sound of each other's voice," cautioned Raven
+Wing.
+
+"Yes," agreed Hawk Eye. "I will shoulder the meat. It is by now quite
+dry." Making a bundle of the strips, he set off at a slant towards the
+north. Raven Wing veered towards the south.
+
+Before long he halted at a faint, distant call from Hawk Eye.
+
+"He has come across the trail," said Raven Wing to himself. Turning
+toward the north, he broke into a run. As he came to the ridge of a low
+swell of ground, he saw Hawk Eye. In a few minutes he stood beside him.
+
+"You have found the trail," he laughed, perceiving the sunken track made
+by cart wheels.
+
+"Yes, but we must go fast to catch the thief," answered Hawk Eye. "We
+must gain a point of vantage on the bank ahead of him. Once there, we
+can lay plans to recover our stolen canoes."
+
+[Illustration: {Deer with antlers.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE BOYS ARE TAKEN PRISONERS
+
+
+The sun set and it set again. Raven Wing and Hawk Eye pushed on across
+the prairie toward the Minnesota River. They had left the trail and were
+veering toward the north.
+
+"It would not be wise to make the great ford called by the white men
+Sioux," Hawk Eye had said. "We must come at a fair distance from there
+down the river to a point where the banks are high and the timber
+heavy."
+
+"We will continue to journey through the night until the river is in
+sight," answered Raven Wing.
+
+Hawk Eye grunted in assent. Once only did they pause for water at a
+spring in the midst of a clump of cottonwood trees.
+
+As the sun rose they neared the river and soon after they were camping
+not far from a bluff, eating their breakfast beside a small fire, which
+sent so thin a column of smoke into the air that it was almost
+dissipated before it reached the treetops.
+
+When the meal was over, Raven Wing said:
+
+"I will take Ohitika and keep watch over the river while you get some
+sleep." Armed with his bow and arrows, he strode off toward the brow of
+the bluff.
+
+Hawk Eye loaded his gun and placed it against a tree, together with
+powder horn and bullet pouch. Then, throwing himself at full length on
+the green moss beneath the tree, he fell into a sound sleep.
+
+Scarcely a quarter of an hour had passed when he was startled by the
+report of a gun, which was followed by a war cry from Raven Wing and a
+series of war whoops. At the same instant, and before he could attempt
+to rise, his legs and arms were pinioned to the ground by two Indians.
+For a minute Hawk Eye was paralyzed. Then the terrible reality of his
+position, the cry of warning from Raven Wing, and the sight of the thong
+with which his captors were about to bind him, brought him to his
+senses. With a display of strength that surprised his captors, he hurled
+them right and left. As one of them struggled to his feet, he received a
+blow from Hawk Eye's tomahawk that felled him; the other, fearing for
+his life, dodged behind a tree.
+
+As Hawk Eye glanced quickly around in search of his gun which no longer
+rested against the tree, he saw Raven Wing between the tree trunks being
+hurried away by two other Indians. As the arrow leaps from the bow Hawk
+Eye sprang forward in pursuit. The Indians saw him coming, but having
+dropped their guns in the scuffle with Raven Wing, they were unable to
+fire at Hawk Eye as he approached. At this point the Indian who had
+hidden behind the tree threw a heavy stick which struck Hawk Eye on
+the back of the head with such force that he fell, bleeding and
+insensible, upon the ground.
+
+[Illustration: AS THE ARROW LEAPS FROM THE BOW HAWK EYE SPRANG FORWARD
+IN PURSUIT.]
+
+When Hawk Eye recovered from the effects of the blow, he found himself
+lying on the cold earth in total darkness, and firmly bound hand and
+foot.
+
+In vain he tried to break the leather thongs. He called loudly for Raven
+Wing, hoping his friend had somehow escaped and would come to his aid.
+But only echoes of his own voice answered him. The dreadful thought now
+flashed across his mind that the enemy had buried him alive in some dark
+cave. At length the gray dawn shone in upon him and showed that he was
+in a deep hollow in the bluff overhanging the river.
+
+Again he called to Raven Wing. Scarcely had the echoes of his voice died
+away, when a man's figure darkened the mouth of the cave.
+
+"Raven Wing!" cried Hawk Eye.
+
+"Slow Dog has heard your call," answered a sneering voice. Bending over
+the helpless boy the Medicine Man drew a scalping knife from his belt
+and cut the thong that bound his feet and hands, and signed for him to
+rise.
+
+[Illustration: "SLOW DOG HAS HEARD YOUR CALL," ANSWERED A SNEERING
+VOICE.]
+
+With difficulty Hawk Eye stood upon his legs, numbed by long binding. He
+said nothing, however, observing that the sneer still played about Slow
+Dog's lips.
+
+"Come," commanded the Medicine Man. Hawk Eye obeyed and followed him to
+the timber belt where the struggle of the previous night had taken
+place. Presently they came to an Indian camp. There were no tepees, but
+the several blankets that lay under the trees indicated where the party
+had lain during the night. A Chippeway Indian squatted beside a fire,
+holding Hawk Eye's dog by a leash.
+
+[Illustration: {Equipment.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+HAWK EYE'S REVENGE
+
+
+From the fact that the camp was without tepees or squaws, and the
+Chippeway's face was daubed with red paint, Hawk Eye knew that he had
+fallen in with a small party on the warpath, but he could not account
+for the Medicine Man's presence with the Sioux's hereditary enemy. As he
+thought over the matter Slow Dog's detaining hand gripped his shoulder.
+
+"Son of Running Deer," said the Medicine Man, "I have no cause to
+quarrel with you. But between Black Eagle and me there is much bad
+blood. You shall return to your village. It is mine no longer. Say to
+Old Smoky Wolf that I have become a Chippeway; that I and my Chippeway
+brothers will soon pay a visit to his village to take scalps. Say to
+Black Eagle that I shall hold his stepson a captive."
+
+As he finished, Ohitika gave a sudden spring, whipping the leash from
+the hand of the Indian beside the fire. Leaping across the ground, he
+sprang at Slow Dog's throat. As the Medicine Man raised his foot and
+kicked the animal, Hawk Eye dealt him a blow between the eyes and darted
+off, followed by the faithful dog.
+
+On coming to a tree against which were propped two guns, with powder
+horns and bullet pouches, he slowed down to pick them up, then dashed
+ahead. At a distance of fifty feet or more he saw Raven Wing, bound to a
+tree. One of the guns he had captured carried a ramrod sharpened at one
+end, and on coming up to Raven Wing, he began to sever the thongs that
+bound him with the sharpened point. Before he could finish, however,
+Slow Dog, who had followed, sprang upon him. Staggering forward, Hawk
+Eye fell to the ground, carrying the Medicine Man with him.
+
+As Slow Dog attempted to rise, Hawk Eye raised his foot and struck him
+so heavily upon the stomach that he fell with a groan and lay writhing
+upon the ground. In the meantime, the Chippeway had come up and
+springing like an infuriated tiger toward Raven Wing, drove a knife at
+the boy's throat.
+
+Fortunately, Raven Wing's arms were tied in front of him, so that by
+raising them he was enabled to ward off the blow. The knife fortunately
+merely scratched the fleshy part of his left arm, but in doing so
+severed the thong that bound them. With a mighty wrench Raven Wing burst
+the thong that Hawk Eye had all but severed, and slipped around behind
+the tree. As the Chippeway again rushed after him, Hawk Eye felled him
+with the butt of his gun.
+
+"Follow me!" shouted Hawk Eye, and bounded toward the cave in the bluff,
+which was not more than fifty yards distant. A couple of arrows from
+the bows of two Chippeway Indians who were returning to camp from an
+early hunting trip followed him. The suddenness of his flight, however,
+had rendered their hasty aim uncertain, and in another moment he was
+around and behind the sheltering cliff. With wild yells the Indians
+darted forward in pursuit.
+
+[Illustration: A COUPLE OF ARROWS ... FOLLOWED HIM.]
+
+About thirty paces beyond the point of the cliff that hid him for a few
+moments from view, was the cave in which he had spent the night. Quick
+as thought he sprang up the steep trail to its entrance and darted in.
+Crouching behind a ledge of rock close to the entrance, he waited for
+the two Indians to appear. Presently he saw one of them peering around
+the bend in the cliff wall. Raising his gun to his shoulder, he fired.
+The Indian's face disappeared from sight, but whether the bullet had hit
+the mark, Hawk Eye could not determine.
+
+In the meantime Raven Wing, not daring to run into range of the arrows
+from the two Indians, had darted into the bushes and made for the rocky
+ground in the rear of the camp. In doing so he happened to pass the tree
+against which Slow Dog had rested Hawk Eye's gun, with shot-belt and
+powder horn. Picking them up, he climbed over the rocks and up to a
+wooded ridge that overlooked the cave in which Hawk Eye had sought
+shelter.
+
+From this high point Raven Wing noticed that the bed of dried up water
+course led through the bushes towards the cave. Without further delay he
+hurried down to it, and sped swiftly along between its high
+bush-bordered banks. But, on drawing near to the cave, he was
+disappointed to find an open space, without tree or shrub, between it
+and the edge of the bushes.
+
+[Illustration: {Brave with headdress.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+TWO GOOD SHOTS
+
+
+Peering cautiously out between the heavy undergrowth, Raven Wing saw the
+two Indians, who had pursued Hawk Eye, crouching behind a boulder on the
+opposite side of the open space. He realized that it would be impossible
+for him to cross the open ground without being hit by an arrow, and he
+also felt reasonably certain that as soon as they were joined by Slow
+Dog, they would set off to find him, leaving the Medicine Man to prevent
+Hawk Eye's escape from the cave.
+
+While debating as to what might be the best thing to do, he looked
+towards the cave and to his surprise saw Hawk Eye signing to him from
+behind a ledge of rock that screened him completely from the view of the
+enemy.
+
+Answering the sign to assure his friend that he had seen him, Raven Wing
+made a series of signs which were finally understood by Hawk Eye to mean
+that he was to come out and expose himself to the view of the Indians.
+
+Stepping out of the cave, he uttered a piercing war whoop and darted
+back. Slow Dog and his comrades answered with a volley of arrows. This
+was just what Raven Wing had expected, and before they could again fit
+arrows to their bows, he dashed across the open space and slipped into
+the cave, followed by Ohitika.
+
+Angered at being outwitted by a boy, Slow Dog and the Chippeways rushed
+forward across the open space, but before they had covered half its
+distance, a bullet from Hawk Eye's gun brought one of the Chippeways
+tumbling to earth. Without waiting to pick him up, Slow Dog and his
+comrade sought the shelter of the bushes, where they lay concealed. From
+the mouth of the cave the boys could see four canoes drawn up on the
+beach. As Hawk Eye reloaded his gun, Raven Wing caught sight of an
+Indian stealing down towards the canoes. Lifting the gun to his
+shoulder, Raven Wing fired and the Chippeway fell face downward on the
+sand.
+
+"Good!" grunted Hawk Eye. "The odds are now with us. However, Slow Dog's
+craftiness more than equals ours. If he sees he cannot get us, he will
+try to make off with our canoes."
+
+"But if he ventures on the beach, he knows he will be shot," remarked
+Raven Wing.
+
+"He will wait for darkness," said Hawk Eye.
+
+"Darkness protects the rabbit as well as the fox," cried Raven Wing. As
+he finished, a low exclamation burst from Hawk Eye's lips. "Look!" he
+said. "Someone is stealing through the bushes!"
+
+"The bodies of the two braves still lie upon the ground," said Raven
+Wing. "Perhaps the brave we left for dead in the camp has recovered."
+
+[Illustration: {Brave behind fallen tree.}]
+
+For some time the boys kept their gaze directed toward the canoes, but
+no second brave dared to venture toward them, although they lay only a
+few yards distant from the edge of the timber. Slow Dog and his
+companion were held at bay by the watchful eyes of the two boys. A
+bullet would be their answer to any attempt to reach the canoes.
+
+The canoes now became the chief object of interest to all concerned.
+Slow Dog realized that if the boys should succeed in reaching the
+canoes they could escape. This, of course, they could not hope to do as
+long as daylight lasted nor even when night should arrive, unless it
+were a very dark one, since he and his comrade were armed with bow and
+arrows. On the other hand, he knew, now that the boys had possession of
+the guns, that it would be almost certain death to venture on the beach
+so long as there was sufficient light to enable Hawk Eye to aim with his
+gun.
+
+"Let them make the first move," thought the crafty Medicine Man.
+
+In the meantime Hawk Eye and Raven Wing were making plans for the coming
+of darkness. As the sun's last rays faded away and the night began to
+deepen, Hawk Eye moved close to the entrance of the cave. Adjusting his
+gun to his satisfaction, he marked its position exactly on the rock so
+that, when the canoes should be entirely hidden from sight, he could
+make reasonably certain of hitting any object directly in front of
+them. And in order to show Slow Dog that he and Raven Wing were still
+on the alert, he shortly aimed at the canoes, which were now invisible,
+and fired.
+
+[Illustration: {Tepee.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+OHITIKA IS WOUNDED
+
+
+Almost instantaneously a death cry rent the air, proving that the bullet
+had hit either Slow Dog or his companion.
+
+"Ugh!" grunted Hawk Eye. "Slow Dog's trick has failed him. The odds are
+two to one in our favor." Hardly had he finished speaking when an arrow
+struck the ledge of rocks behind which they were crouching.
+
+"Slow Dog is no mean marksman," said Raven Wing. "We must not be
+careless."
+
+As Hawk Eye reloaded his gun, he noticed, in spite of the gathering
+gloom, blood stains upon the stock. For several moments he regarded them
+in silence. Then turned to Raven Wing.
+
+"I think I have a plan that will work well," he said. "Come here,
+Ohitika," he cried, squatting down on the floor of the cave. The
+faithful dog came fawning to his feet.
+
+"Smell, smell!" he commanded, placing the blood stained gunstock close
+to the dog's nose.
+
+Ohitika answered with a growl. It was enemy smell to him. He had not
+forgotten that Slow Dog had kicked him.
+
+"Take your gun and hold the dog by the collar," said Hawk Eye to Raven
+Wing. Again resting his gun on the ledge of rock, he fired. Before the
+echoes of the report had died away, a second arrow entered the cave's
+mouth and struck the rock wall in the rear.
+
+"Come, follow me, before Slow Dog finds time to fit another arrow to his
+bow," said Hawk Eye.
+
+Raven Wing obeyed. When out of the cave, and to one side of the opening,
+Hawk Eye seized Raven Wing's loaded gun and gave him his. "Load it," he
+said in a low voice, grasping the leather thong about Ohitika's neck to
+give Raven Wing the free use of both hands. Then, like three shadows,
+the two boys and the dog, glided into the dense darkness. Almost
+immediately Hawk Eye released his hold upon the dog and whispered, "Go
+get him! Go get him!"
+
+As Ohitika darted off in the murky darkness, Raven Wing all but tripped
+over the body of the Chippeway he had killed. Forgetting the urgent need
+to reach the canoes, he felt with his hand for the Chippeway's scalp
+lock. Grasping it tightly in his left hand, he deftly circled it at its
+base with his knife and tore it away.
+
+"You are now a warrior," whispered Hawk Eye.
+
+Groping their way toward the beach, they made as much speed as safety
+would permit. Hawk Eye's course proved straight and true and in a few
+minutes they heard the river water lapping at the sand. Suddenly, from a
+distance, came a series of yaps and barks. Confident that Ohitika aided
+by the darkness would be above to hold Slow Dog at bay for a reasonable
+length of time, Hawk Eye whispered, "I must find the body of the
+Chippeway I killed!" Hardly were the words out of his mouth when he
+came upon it stretched over the bow of one of the canoes.
+
+As he bent over to obtain the highly prized scalp, Raven Wing
+noiselessly launched the two enemy canoes and gave them a push to set
+them in the current. The paddles, which he had removed before launching,
+he laid in his own canoe, but as he was about to set it afloat, Hawk Eye
+said;
+
+"We can't leave the dog."
+
+"It is the only way out," answered Raven Wing. "Come, push off your
+canoe."
+
+"No," said Hawk Eye. "I will not leave Ohitika."
+
+For a moment Raven Wing paused. Then, seizing hold of Hawk Eye's canoe,
+he dragged it off the beach. As the yelps and barks drew nearer, he
+climbed into his. Hawk Eye, stepping slowly into his craft, sat down and
+raised his gun to his shoulder.
+
+Suddenly the barking changed to a yell of pain.
+
+"Ohitika has been hit by an arrow," cried Hawk Eye, and he fired his
+gun into the air.
+
+"'Twill warn Slow Dog to halt and also enable Ohitika to lay a straight
+course to us," went on Hawk Eye.
+
+As the canoes began to drift away from shore, the sound of a sudden
+splash caused Hawk Eye to exclaim in a low voice, "Ohitika is swimming
+toward us."
+
+Laying down his gun, he picked up his paddle and noiselessly dipped it
+in the water to check the canoe's progress.
+
+[Illustration: {Wolf.}]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE TRADING POST
+
+
+There being neither moon nor stars, Hawk Eye could no longer make out
+the shore line, but as he softly dipped his paddle, his ears caught the
+sound of a faint wheeze close at hand, followed by a muffled bark.
+Dropping the paddle, he leaned over the side of the canoe and lifted in
+his faithful dog. As he laid the animal down, the feathered end of an
+arrow brushed his cheek. Gently feeling with his fingers, he found that
+the barb had only slantingly penetrated the fleshy part of the dog's
+thigh. A short, deft stroke of his knife made it easy to pull out the
+arrow. Picking up his paddle, he turned the canoe midstream, and after a
+few strokes came alongside Raven Wing who had been holding his canoe
+from floating away with the current.
+
+"Come in with me," said Hawk Eye in a low voice. "We must keep together
+or we may become separated in the darkness."
+
+Raven Wing climbed into Hawk Eye's canoe and held on to his own while
+Hawk Eye bent to his paddle. In a short time they were far down stream.
+
+At early dawn they came across the two Chippeway canoes. Fastening to
+each a long strip of buffalo hide, they easily towed them down the
+river.
+
+It was pleasant paddling as the beautiful Minnesota twisted and turned
+in its broad and sunny valley. Cottonwood and willow bordered its banks,
+which rolled back in gentle slopes of pale green, dotted with tree
+clumps, to the broad prairie. Blooming wild rose vines crept close to
+the water which sparkled in the sunshine or reflected the tints of the
+sky.
+
+At its mouth, where it emptied into the Mississippi, the Minnesota
+spread out around a great flat island.
+
+"We will not beach our canoes here," said Hawk Eye. "Fearless Bear
+advised me to see the trader on that little island yonder. He is known
+to deal justly with the red men. The Sioux call him Walking Wind."
+
+Running their own canoes gently up on the sandy beach, they pulled the
+empty Chippeway canoes a little further up on shore and looked about
+them.
+
+"Come, we will go to the post," said Hawk Eye, pointing to a building
+made of native limestone, with shutters and doorways of wood painted
+white.
+
+As the boys drew near, they noticed groups of Indians with their squaws
+and Canadian boatmen with pipes in their mouths, gathered in front of a
+great wing, which on entering they found to be the company store.
+Blankets, traps, sleigh bells, scarlet cloth, beads, silk handkerchiefs
+and earbobs lay spread upon long counters. On others, already sorted
+and packed for shipment, lay pelts of muskrat, fox, wolf, beaver and
+mink, together with skins of deer and hides of buffalo.
+
+"You need not look for a gun," said Hawk Eye in a low voice, noticing
+that Raven Wing paid little attention to the display on the counters.
+"You already have Slow Dog's gun; it is a fine one. But you are in need
+of powder and bullets, as I am."
+
+As he finished speaking, a white man of about thirty, tall and muscular,
+came forward and asked them in the Sioux language what they wanted.
+
+Both boys held up their guns and answered that they wished ammunition
+for their weapons.
+
+"What have you in exchange?" asked the trader.
+
+[Illustration: "WHAT HAVE YOU IN EXCHANGE?" ASKED THE TRADER.]
+
+"We have pelts; they are in our canoes on the beach," said Hawk Eye.
+
+"Bring them here and we will trade," smiled the trader.
+
+As the boys turned to go back to the river, the trader asked; "How
+came you by the fresh scalps at your belts?"
+
+"We killed two thieving Chippeways," answered Hawk Eye. Here he paused,
+thinking it best not to mention Slow Dog, for he was a Sioux and the
+tribe must not be humiliated by the telling of his treachery. "We took
+their canoes. Will you trade also for canoes?" Hawk Eye continued after
+a brief silence.
+
+"I will go with you and look at them," answered the trader. Beckoning to
+three Indians, he accompanied the boys to the river.
+
+"My Indian brothers will help you carry the pelts," he explained as they
+went along.
+
+On arriving at the shore, the trader's eyes glittered as he looked at
+the beautifully built Chippeway canoes. "I will take them in trade," he
+said.
+
+"We would rather part with our own canoes," answered Hawk Eye. "We would
+be proud to return to our village in our enemy's canoes and with their
+scalps at our belt."
+
+The trader smiled at the boy's words. "In that case I will be content to
+take the Sioux-built craft," he said. "The Sioux excels the Chippeway in
+horsemanship, but does not equal them in canoe building."
+
+In the meantime the three Indians had shouldered most of the cargo. When
+Hawk Eye and Raven Wing had shouldered the balance, they all set off for
+the post.
+
+The trader had shown much generosity, agreed the boys as later on they
+loaded their purchases in the Chippeway canoes. How delighted would be
+Light Between Clouds with the scarlet cloth, thought Hawk Eye. Bending
+Willow will appear even more beautiful with the necklace of bright beads
+at her throat, thought Raven Wing.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+JOURNEY'S END
+
+
+Early the following morning Hawk Eye and Raven Wing pushed off from the
+landing and followed up the twisting course of the river. Paddling was
+not so easy against the current.
+
+"We have no need to hurry," remarked Hawk Eye. "We will visit on our
+way," and so they stopped to beach their canoes whenever they saw upon
+the bluffs the summer houses of poles and leaves which the Sioux erect
+in place of the winter tepees of dressed buffalo skin.
+
+Black Dog gave them a hearty welcome. For several weeks they enjoyed his
+hospitality. Further up the river they disembarked at Penichon's
+village, where an old warrior who had once gone on the warpath with
+Smoky Wolf, made much of them on learning that they were from the band
+of his old friend.
+
+"Say to Smoky Wolf," he commanded, as Hawk Eye and Raven Wing took leave
+of the aged brave, "that I predict you will be great warriors."
+
+Again they beached their canoes on coming to Shakepay's village, the
+largest of all. And so it went all the way up the sky-tinted water of
+the curving, twisting river. At Lac Qui Parle, their last stopping
+place, they visited the village of the Wahpeton Sioux, called the people
+of the leaves.
+
+Here it was that Raven Wing was reminded of the time, many, many years
+before, when his grandfather made his first offering to the Great
+Mystery.
+
+"Red Feather was a great warrior," said an old squaw. "I remember when
+he was very young that Uncheeda, his grandmother, led him to the top of
+a high rock from which to fling his most beloved possession into the
+lake."
+
+"It was a necklace of bear claws, was it not?" asked Raven Wing.
+
+"Yes, my son it was," answered the old squaw.
+
+At length the two boys took leave of the friendly Wahpetons. Indian
+Summer had come and gone as they rounded the last bend in the river and
+saw thin smoke rising from their village fires.
+
+Ohitika sensed the nearness of old familiar places and began to bark.
+The boys bent to their paddles, sending their frail craft along at a
+faster pace.
+
+The sunshine hung like yellow smoke over Big Stone Lake. Bright-colored
+leaves, loosed by the wind, scurried along the ground. Only the burr
+oaks held valiantly to their raiment. A thin crust of ice lay on the
+quiet waters of slough and marshland, but at warm noon, they again
+reflected the sky tints of an autumn day. Wild geese honked overhead and
+wild ducks winged upward from the watery wild rice fields.
+
+On a rise of ground overlooking the river stood two squaws.
+
+"Six moons have waned since our boys left for the trading post," said
+Light Between Clouds.
+
+"You have counted each moon as I have," sighed Bending Willow. "And
+since the day Slow Dog disappeared so strangely from our village, my
+heart has been filled with dread. He has been no friend to me."
+
+"He is jealous of Black Eagle," added Light Between Clouds.
+
+As she finished speaking, Bending Willow started to run down to the
+river's edge. "I see two canoes rounding the bend," she called back.
+Light Between Clouds ran swiftly after her.
+
+[Illustration: LIGHT BETWEEN CLOUDS RAN SWIFTLY AFTER HER.]
+
+Black Eagle, just returning with a young deer which he had killed upon
+his back, let it fall upon the ground on seeing Bending Willow running
+toward the river. He, too, had been worried over the long absence of his
+stepson. As he passed Smoky Wolf's tepee, the aged chief, who was
+smoking beside it, looked up.
+
+"I think Raven Wing and Hawk Eye are coming up the river," cried Black
+Eagle as he ran on.
+
+Old Smoky Wolf slowly rose to his feet. "I, too, must welcome the young
+braves," he murmured. In a short time all the men, women and children
+were standing upon the bank to await the boys' arrival.
+
+As the canoes grated upon the sandy beach, Old Smoky Wolf raised his
+right arm and shouted, "They come in Chippeway canoes with scalps at
+their belts. My village has two more warriors to send upon the warpath."
+
+THE END
+
+[Illustration: {Right inside cover. Hawk Eye shoots arrow.}]
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hawk Eye, by David Cory
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