Chapter IX
Two hours before sunset Star awakened from his sound sleep, but thewhite horse only lifted its head long enough to blink at the Comanchepony as it rolled over. Then Star scrambled to his feet and gave a hardshake of his body, which is the way a pony stretches after a good nap.
Running Deer was not far off, so the colt joined her, and after anexchange of gentle bites, they moved slowly away from the herd, grazingas they went. Star told his mother all that the troop horse had beentalking about, and Running Deer was as much surprised as her colt hadbeen, for she had no idea of how white men lived.
The two Comanche ponies were so interested in their conversation thatneither of them noticed they had wandered quite a distance from theherd. The Indians on guard over the other ponies had not tried to stopStar or Running Deer, because all the Comanches knew that neither ofthese ponies would stray far away. But the rolling hills stretchedtemptingly, and at times Star and his mother raced after each other,kicking up their heels or even lying down to roll and kick, then jumpingup to dash away side by side. When the sun dropped out of the skyRunning Deer was startled, and reminded her colt that they must go backat once.
They were standing on a little knoll overlooking a shallow depressionbetween a group of small hills. The sun had disappeared, but like awarrior's banner beautiful crimson rays were flung across the deep bluesky. The cool evening breeze twisted its fingers in the ponies' manes,lifting the heavy black hair and tumbling it across their eyes, so thatit tickled their ears until Star tossed his head. The only sound was thesong of a mockingbird guarding the nest on which its mate sat patientlywith her wings spread over the little ones that the night air might notchill them. The grassy slopes were studded with wild flowers, many ofwhich, sleepy from their long day's play with the breeze, nodded ontheir stems with their petals folded as though their hands were claspedin prayer.
Here and there jack-rabbits, their long ears perked nervously, twistedto see if any danger threatened, then dropping on all four feet theyhopped, and chased one another in play, or nibbled at the grass roots.An antelope with her fawn at her side appeared for an instant on one ofthe hilltops, her head lifted alertly, her nostrils twitching as shesniffed the air. She started, whirled on her slender legs, then with herfawn dashed out of sight.
Running Deer watched her go, but Star spoke and she looked at him.
"Now that we have the ponies of the white men, they cannot follow us anymore," he was saying. "But I like the old white horse, and I am gladthat he is going to stay with us. He is a very wise animal, I think, andI am going to ask him to tell me all he knows, then I shall be wise,too!"
Before his mother could reply, the sharp "Yip, yip, yip" from a distantpoint warned the two ponies that the coyotes were gathering for thenight. Both Star and Running Deer snorted and glanced quickly about, tosee if any had crept too near.
They knew the ways of the small gray wolves. Each night at sunset thepack followed its leader to a point where he could command a view forsome distance. Then he squatted silently, watching everything with hiskeen, green eyes while his pointed nose sniffed the wind for hidden foesor some animal that would furnish the pack with food.
So long as the wind came toward him from any living thing, he couldescape, but when the wind blew away from him toward another animal or aman, the coyote knew that he was not safe from surprise or attack.
Trained from puppyhood by their mothers how to meet their enemies andpreserve their own lives, the coyotes always picked the strongest,swiftest, and most daring of a pack for the leader. At nightfall theseleaders raced ahead of their packs across the prairie land, and when oneleader reached high ground he squatted down on his lean haunches andsent out the call of his tribe.
Before the echo had died away into silence, another leader gave answer.After that other coyotes took up the cry, and then from all sides thepacks swept down the slopes and came together in a big gray mass.
Their long tongues lolled from their mouths as they ran, their greeneyes glanced ravenously from side to side. Rabbits and other smallgame, hearing the cry of the pack, scurried into hiding. Antelopes anddeer huddled more closely, keeping the young, weak fawns in the centre.Often the hungry coyotes formed yelping circles about the antelopes, andat times made dashes at them, hoping to frighten some fawn so that itwould run alone. For if it left the shelter of the herd only half aminute, the coyotes would leap upon it and tear it to pieces.
The does and the stags of the herd knew the danger. So while themothers' bodies sheltered their little ones, the stags, with long,many-pronged horns, dashed at the coyotes and, if close enough, tossedor gored their foes, often rearing straight up on their hind legs tostamp on the coyotes with sharply pointed little hoofs that cut likekeen knives.
With all other animals of the plains, the Comanche ponies knew that ifany colt ever strayed alone from the herd, he might fall a victim to thecoyote packs. Even buffalo calves had been dragged down by a bunch ofthe prowling animals. Star's mother had many times shown him torn bitsof buffalo hide and scattered bones which told that the pack had found abuffalo calf unprotected. Hundreds of coyotes gather in each band, andswift as the wind, they cover many miles in search of a victim.
Now, as the first call of the gathering coyotes died away, Running Deerspoke hurriedly to Star, who needed no urging. Turning sharply on theirhind hoofs, they started on a swift run toward the place where all theother ponies were being herded.
It was much farther than Running Deer or Star had thought. The coyoteswere not far behind. The sound of the pack grew louder, and the graybrutes came over the hill yelping with glee as they saw the two ponies.Running Deer kept talking quietly to her colt as they ran.
"Don't jump high, run low and save yourself all you can," she said, hernose near Star's, but her eyes straight ahead of her. "They run fastto-night because they have not eaten nor found water. So we must becareful."
It was the first time that Star had been chased by coyotes. He knew thathis mother had been followed many times, so he listened to every wordand obeyed her. Both ponies were puffing slightly, but their pace didnot change though their way often led up steep slopes then downopposite banks while their forefeet ploughed deeply into the earth.
"Don't slip," warned Running Deer as they raced neck and neck. "Thecoyotes cannot catch either of us unless we stumble. If I should fall,you must not stop, but go right on to camp."
Star did not answer. He knew that if his mother fell, he would stay withher and fight the coyotes with his teeth and his heels so the hungrybeasts could not tear her to pieces before she could get up again andrun with him.
Twice he slipped on loose stones that rolled down the slopes in front ofhim, and once he fell and skinned his knees, but he leaped to his feetand kept at his mother's side.
At times the pack behind them ran silently, then Running Deer's eyesrolled backward to see how near they were. Star wondered how it wouldfeel to have a coyote leap on him. He shivered, but all his fearsvanished at his mother's next words.
"They are falling back now! We are gaining at every step!"
He glanced around. She was right. The coyotes were farther away, andevidently realized that the ponies had outdistanced them, for they wereall running much more slowly. A few had halted and showed plainly thatthey intended to look elsewhere for their dinner that night. One by onethe pack thinned, and finally a mournful howl told that the last pursuerhad given up the chase, leaving Star and his mother alone and safe.
"When you fell to your knees"--Running Deer was walking now, and hernose reached across to Star's--"I thought we two had run our last race.They were very close just then."
"But you could have escaped," replied Star, whose bleeding knees madehim wish he could stand in cool water for a little while, and he thoughthappily of the creek near camp.
"I would have stayed with you," his mother said quietly. Star was notsurprised at her words, for he knew that he would have done the samething for her, but he was glad it had not
been necessary for either ofthem to make such a fight against their foes. With several hundredhungry coyotes against them, how could two ponies have kept up the fighttill dawn? That was what he asked himself, and Running Deer had the samethought, though neither spoke of it.
In a few more minutes they both recognized the top of an elevation thatoverlooked the grazing place and safety for the night. Star, because ofhis raw knees, lagged slightly behind his mother, and as she stoppedsuddenly he hastened to her side, where both of them stared inamazement.
"I thought we had reached the herd." Star was the first to speak as theylooked down on a place where no pony was in sight.
"It is where we left the herd," she answered. "They have moved it toQuannah's camp. Come! We must hurry. They must have missed us by thistime. Quannah will be angry with the herders and punish them for lettingus get away."
Without going down into the former herding camp, Running Deer led hercolt along the top of the ridge, knowing that it would take them justabove Quannah's camp, about a mile farther on. Star understood herworry, or at least he thought he did; but he wondered at her nervousstarts and snorts, for there was nothing that threatened either of themnow. Coyotes sometimes ventured close to the camps, but they onlysquatted at the outer edge and Star knew that they would keep away fromany camp fire, lurking in the shadows to avoid being seen or shot at bythe Comanches guarding the herd.
Though it was now more than an hour after sunset, it was still quitelight when Star caught the scent of the pony herd and knew they wereclose by. But he jumped back snorting as he saw his mother, who hadreached a higher point of ground, rear suddenly and turn.
"Run! Run! Run as fast as you can! The white men have all our ponies!They have captured the herders, too! Quannah is over the hill. We mustgo to him! He may need us now!"
Before they could cover the ground between the captured ponies andQuannah's camp, almost a mile away, they heard the terrible noise offire-sticks. It came from the direction of Quannah's camp. The white menwere there, too!
Star and his mother stopped instantly and looked at each other. Bothtrembled with fear of the fire-sticks. They knew what those thingsmeant.
"What shall we do?" the colt asked in fright.
"I belong to Quannah," his mother spoke. "I shall follow him wherever hegoes. You belong to Songbird. You must go to her and help her escapethe white men, so that they may not take her away as they took Quannah'smother and sister. Go back to the camp and find Songbird!"
The colt hesitated. He had never been anywhere by himself. Always thepony herd and his mother had been with him, except for the few hourswhen Songbird had ridden him near the big camp. He thought of the packsof coyotes and the long, lonesome miles that he must travel to reach thecamp where the women and children waited the return of Quannah and hiswarriors who were now fighting the white men and the fire-sticks. Starknew they were fighting, for the noise hurt his ears as he stood facinghis mother.
She heard it too. Her ears went flat back against her beautiful head,her nostrils were drawn in so that her nose looked thin, and little redsparks of anger glittered in her dark eyes. Then she said in a voicethat made Star shrink back ashamed of himself.
"Is the big colt of Running Deer a coward? Go! I tell you go at once!You belong to Songbird! She needs you now!"
Running Deer's strong teeth caught Star's back and sank deeply into thesoft flesh. With a squeal of pain and surprise, the colt leaped away.Forgetting the coyotes and the loneliness of the trail and with nofurther thought of his cut knees, he raced furiously into the gatheringdarkness of night to find his little mistress, who had no one buthimself to help her, now that Quannah was unable to reach her.