CHAPTER XVIII
THE BATTLE OF POISON-SPIDER CREEK
Rube Carter, who was the only person in Falling Water's army who hadactually seen the approaching enemy, and who knew beyond a doubt howgreatly the Sioux outnumbered the Crows, had the impression that Kiddiemust now decide either to beat a hasty retreat, and thus avoid thebattle, or else advance and suffer an inevitable defeat.
There was a hurried council of war, in which Kiddie appeared to holdthe ruling influence; but Rube did not know the result of theconference. Neither did he pretend to have an opinion of his own, asto what the Crows had best do. He was satisfied to watch Kiddie. Butit was with relief that he presently saw all three of Falling Water'sdivisions retiring over the level prairie ground, which they hadrecently quitted, beside Poison Spider Creek.
He supposed that they were returning to defend their wigwams. But theywere not making for the fording place by which they had previouslycrossed the creek.
When the creek was reached there was a halt, and a large section of thearmy disappeared into ambush, while the remainder rearranged theirranks and examined their ponies and their weapons.
Rube was perplexed. Were they going to engage the enemy after all?
Scouts who had been sent out returned with the report that the enemywas quickly advancing through a gap in the foothills. They would soonappear in sight.
Leaving his reserves in ambush, Kiddie now led his own division slowlyforward across the plain, the armies of Falling Water and Short Noseforming his right and left wings, well in his rear.
He had covered hardly half the distance between the creek and the nearfoothills when the Sioux appeared, emerging like a huge serpent throughthe gap. They were riding in single file, across the Crows' line ofmarch, clearly with the purpose of surrounding them and cutting themoff from the ford. They continued in a straight, unbending column, butwere still beyond range, when suddenly the Crows halted, turned rightabout face, and retired once again in the direction of the creek,apparently unwilling to engage so formidable an enemy.
For the first time in his experience Rube Carter suspected Kiddie ofcowardice, or at least of indecision. If he were not meaning to fight,why had he not retreated earlier, while there was time to escape?
To the Sioux, as well as to Rube Carter, it must have appeared thatFalling Water was owning himself defeated before even a blow had beenstruck.
Kiddie, however, was but following out his own plan of campaign. Hewas manoeuvring his forces for position. While appearing to be inretreat, he was keeping his divisions in perfect order, and at the sametime alluring the Sioux towards that part of the plain which he hadchosen for his battle ground. His reserves had already securedpossession of the ford, and they were ready to join in the battle iftheir support should be needed.
The crucial moment came when the leading warriors of the Sioux' longcolumn were level with the rear of Kiddie's division.
Then, as by a pre-arranged plan of action, the Crows wheeled round to anew position, the three divisions joining and forming an unbrokensemi-circle confronting the Sioux, and completely heading them off fromthe ford to which they had been advancing.
So quickly and so accurately was the manoeuvre performed, that theSioux might well have been astounded. The result of it was that theCrows had concentrated the whole of their strength against less thanhalf the forces of their enemy, whose files from the centre back to therear were wholly out of action.
Urging their ponies to the full gallop, the Crows charged down upon theSioux like a hurricane, assailing them with bullets and arrows as theyswept into close contact.
The Sioux were not prepared for this sudden change of front, but theymade the best of the situation by a quick turn, which brought them faceto face with the attacking hordes, while the rear of their long column,issuing from the gap in the hills, broke off from the centre, with thepurpose of surrounding the Crows' third division.
Falling Water's army might thus have been adroitly caught between twofires, had it not been for Kiddie's forethought in sending his reservesto the support of his right wing. It accordingly followed that, whilenumerically the inferior force, the Crows continued to hold the greatadvantage they had gained by concentrating their strength upon a weakpoint at the most fitting moment.
Rube Carter saw but little of the battle. He was not called upon toengage in the actual fighting. Instead, he acted as a messenger, ordispatch rider.
Just as the turning movement was being made, Kiddie sent him to therear to order the reserves to break cover, and advance across the plainto the support of Short Nose. This order he delivered by means ofsigns and gestures, which were well understood and very promptly obeyed.
Rube then rode back to a spot where Kiddie had told him to wait, and itwas from here that he watched as much as could be seen of the progressof the battle.
When the two conflicting sides were apart, he could realize the meaningof all they did. He saw the Crows advancing to surround the van oftheir enemy; he saw the Sioux turn sharply to confront them. And then,with a loud thudding of horses' hoofs, the two contending armies rushedone at the other in a rising cloud of prairie dust.
There was a crackle of rifle fire, mingled with thrilling war-cries andwild, barbaric yells. Arrows flew from side to side, making a visiblearch between.
As the rifle fire lessened at close quarters the yells and shouts grewlouder and fiercer. And now Rube lost all power of distinguishing oneside from the other, for it was all one vast mass of horses and men,swaying this way and that in wild confusion.
It seemed to Rube that even the horses were fighting, for they wererearing and plunging, kicking and biting, as they forced themselvesthrough the crowd. Many of them fell, many were riderless. Some ofthem had two or even three Indians mounted on their backs, wieldingtheir clubs and tomahawks.
Through the dust and powder-smoke Rube could see that the ground wasthickly strewn with killed and wounded horses and men. There were widegaps in what had been the ranks, but no order was kept, and thecombatants broke off into dense groups. Here and there a chief orimportant warrior would draw off his section, rallying and forming theminto line for a new attack, again to become mixed up in a grandscrimmage.
Rube could distinguish the chiefs by their feathered war bonnets, andamongst them he thought he recognized the young chief Broken Featherriding to and fro in the rear of his warriors as if urging them to newmovements or increased effort.
Kiddie was not so easily to be distinguished, as he wore only a verysimple head-dress, but Rube, knowing him by his piebald prairie pony,saw him once or twice in the forefront of the battle, and again leadinga retirement to take up a fresh position on the field where thefighting was most severe.
Then for a long time there was no sign of Kiddie, and Rube began tofear that he had been killed or seriously wounded. So much did thisfear oppress him that he resolved to risk his own safety by ridingforward to make a search. He knew that Kiddie's main object in postinghim here where he waited was to keep him out of danger. But what ifKiddie himself were in danger, or badly wounded, and needed help?
Rube Carter had often said that what he wanted more than anything elsewas to be of vital help to Kiddie in some situation of great peril, andthe idea that such a situation was now at hand so took possession ofhim that caution and obedience alike were put aside. With theimpulsive recklessness of boyhood, he started off to search for Kiddiein the very midst of the fighting. He had only the very vaguest notionof where Kiddie might be. He was aiming at getting to the place wherehe had last seen him riding at the head of a large company of the Crowsto encounter an equally large company of the Sioux. The fighting atthis point had now ceased, and the ground was covered with dead anddying horses and fallen warriors.
Rube did not reflect that his mount was a trained Indian war-horse,accustomed to the excitement of battle, and when he tugged and pulledat the halter rein to make the pony stop and let him dismount to go onfoot amongst the wounded, th
e animal tossed its mane and galloped onand on to join a troop of its fellows charging across the battle front.
All Rube's efforts to keep out of the actual fighting were useless.Wholly against his will he was carried into it. Arrows and spears wereflying about his head; bullets hummed past him; he saw tomahawks raisedaloft to strike at him.
Suddenly the horse immediately in front of him staggered and rolledover. Rube's own mount reared and swerved to clear the obstacle. Hisknees lost their grip, and he was thrown to the ground.
The long halter rope, wound round his wrist, almost wrenched out hisarm. He was dragged for a little distance, but his hand was open, andthe loops of the lariat uncoiled themselves as the horse plungedonward, leaving him behind.
The fighting continued round about him for a while, but the Crowspressed their enemies back and back until none remained excepting thosewho had lost their horses; and these, instead of following the battleon foot, went among the killed and wounded collecting scalp locks.
Some of the braves seized riderless ponies, leapt on their backs, andgalloped off to join the throng. Rube also looked round in search of apony that might carry him back to the rear. There was one not manyyards away, tugging at the halter that held it.
Rube rose to his knees, only to realize that in his fall he had injuredhis hip, and could not even crawl. How, then, could he hope to mount astrange horse without help?
He was still on his knees, trying to rise to his feet, when somethinglike the sting of a whip struck his right cheek and ear. He put up hishand to his face, and drew it away wet and stained. The warm crimsonmoisture trickled down his neck, and dripped from his chin. He openedand shut his mouth.
"Gee!" he exclaimed ruefully. "Seems I'm wounded. Jaw ain't put outergear, though. Might ha' bin worse--heaps worse."
"Lie down flat, Rube! Lie down flat!"
It was Kiddie's voice. Rube instinctively obeyed the command, withouteven looking round to see where the voice had come from. But as heprostrated himself, he glanced forward and saw quite near to him ayoung Sioux chief mounted on a fine black horse, and wearing amagnificent feathered war-bonnet.
It was Broken Feather.
The chief was aiming with his revolver at a mark beyond where Rube lay.He pressed the trigger; but the chambers were empty, the cartridges allspent; and when no shot followed, he gripped the gun by its muzzle end,flung back his arm, and threw the weapon from him with all his force.
Rube had turned his head to look back over his shoulder, and now, justat the moment when the weapon was thrown, he saw Kiddie stretch out hishand and adroitly catch it, as he might have caught a cricket ball.Kiddie, still riding the same lank, piebald prairie pony; still unhurtin the battle; still cool and self-contained.
"So it's you--you--that have been leading these Crows against me?"snarled Broken Feather, with an angry scowl.
"Well," returned Kiddie, dropping the chief's revolver and drawing backhis hand under his blanket; "you may take it that way if you choose.It seems I'm here. Anyhow, I guess you're pretty well beaten thistime."
Broken Feather had seized the haft of his tomahawk, and was holding hisbridle rein ready to make a desperate charge forward to a hand to handencounter.
But Kiddie had foreseen his intention.
"Steady, there, steady!" he cried, quickly withdrawing his hand andlevelling his fully-loaded six-shooter at a point between BrokenFeather's eyes. "Put up your hands! You can't get at me before mybullet reaches you, see?"
For many moments Broken Feather stared at the shining ring of steel infront of Kiddie's steadily held hand. He saw Kiddie's finger twitchingagainst the trigger, and knew for a certainty that Kiddie would nothesitate to shoot if his command were disobeyed.
"Put up your hands," Kiddie reiterated.
Broken Feather's tomahawk was now hanging by its thong from his wrist.Slowly and very reluctantly he raised his two empty hands above hishead.
"Right," Kiddie nodded, lowering his weapon, but still keeping itturned in the same direction. "You've saved your precious life. Andnow you'd best call off your warriors before there's any more bloodspilt. D'you understand? Put an end to this needless battle, and quitright away, with what's left of your army. You're tryin' to fly a bittoo high, my man. But you're not made big enough. Give up tryin'. Goback to your reservation, and try to live a decent, honourable life ofpeace and usefulness."
Broken Feather drew down his hands, and folded his arms across hischest, sitting very upright astride of his horse.
"I have not asked advice from you, Lord St. Olave," he said.
"It isn't advice I'm giving you," returned Kiddie. "It's a command.Draw off your warriors right now, and quit, while you have the chance."
He again raised his weapon, and urged his pony a few steps nearer. ButBroken Feather did not wait. Seizing his bridle, he pulled his mustanground and galloped away.
Kiddie then advanced to where Rube Carter was lying. He dismounted.
"Why did you let him off like that, Kiddie?" Rube asked, one hand up tohis wounded cheek. "You might have shot him easy. Why don't you goafter him?"
"What?" said Kiddie, going down on his knees; "and leave you here,without help? Not likely. My! you do look pretty, with all that bloodabout your face. Take away your hand, and let's have a look at whereyou're hurt. What's become of your pony?"
"Dunno," Rube answered feebly. "I was thrown, an' he ran off on hisown. I've hurt my hip some. Don't think I c'n walk. Wound on mycheek ain't much, is it, Kiddie?"
"Nothing serious," Kiddie told him, taking out his pocket case. "Astrip or two of stickin' plaster 'll fix it up till we get home.Bullet went very near your eye, though. Say, how d'you happen to behere? I expected to find you away back there, where I told you towait. Got tired of waitin', I guess."
"Don't blame me, Kiddie; I didn't think you really wanted me ter stopthar. An' when the fightin' was at its worst, I got anxious about you;figured as you might be badly wounded an' needin' help, or--or eventhat you might be killed. So I came along ter search for you, see?"
"Yes, Rube, I see," nodded Kiddie. "And instead of you finding me, itwas I who found you, eh? Well, I'm real sorry to disappoint you, butit can't be helped."
"No; but it's allus the same," Rube regretted. "It's allus you thathelps me. How many times have you saved my life since we come out onthis yer trip? I never get half a chance to save yours. Never!"
"Keep your face still, can't you?" ordered Kiddie. "How d'you expectme ter fix up this cut on your cheek if you keep on waggin' your jaw?"
He was not long over the operation of getting a pad of lint on thewound and binding a rough bandage round Rube's head. Then he stood up.
"Now let me give you a leg up on to my pony," he said.
"What about yourself?" objected Rube. "Ain't yer goin' to do any morefightin'? The battle ain't finished yet."
"Fightin'?" repeated Kiddie. "Oh, no; not now. I'm going to take youback to the rear. Besides, it wouldn't be at all gentlemanly if I wereto continue fightin' after having told Broken Feather that he must putan end to it all."
He stopped and lifted Rube bodily from the ground, planting himsecurely astride the piebald pony, which he led away across ground thatwas thickly strewn with dead and wounded Indians and horses. Rube'sinjured hip was exceedingly painful; every movement of the pony gavehim a new twinge; but he bore the pain stoically, not wishing to letKiddie know how much he was hurt.
Near the fording place they came to a halt. Rube was left lying on ablanket while Kiddie, re-mounting the piebald, rode back to thebattlefield to put a stop to all scalping and mutilating and looting,to attend to the wounded, and to draw off the Crows as Broken Featherhad drawn off the Sioux.
Amongst the dead and wounded Crows he discovered Simon Sprott kneelingat the side of the chief Falling Water, whose body had been pierced bya dozen arrows.
"Poor old Falling Water's done in, Little Cayuse," Simon announced."He's gone right
away to the Happy Hunting Grounds. But I guess he'd abig thought for you just before he started on the Long Trail. Asked meto thank you for leading the Crows to victory, he did."