Chapter 11It is my opinion that Lone Eagle, mortified at being left behind with the women and children, would have defied Cut Hand had not Yellow Puma requested his protection in the absence of other able-bodied warriors. Trapped by his sense of loyalty, he took out his frustration on me. My refusal to defer to him soon drove the young man to stabbing the frozen ground with his knife as if it were my belly. Snapping off the tip on a hidden stone did little to improve his disposition. The youth threw himself aboard his pony and raced away to spend most of his time in isolation, riding in wide circles around the campground.
It was he who reported a group of warriors approaching the camp. Packing one rifle and my scattergun, I recovered Long and rode out to meet the strangers with Lone Eagle
