On the other hand, the Pawnees, so unexpectedly successful in their
first and greatest object, manifested no intention to drive matters to
an issue. The river was a dangerous barrier to pass, in the face of a
determined foe, and it would now have been in perfect accordance with
their cautious policy, to have retired for a season, in order that
their onset might be made in the hours of darkness, and of seeming
security. But there was a spirit in their chief that elevated him, for
the moment, above the ordinary expedients of savage warfare. His bosom
burned with the desire to wipe out that disgrace of which he had been
the subject; and it is possible, that he believed the retiring camp of
the Siouxes contained a prize, that began to have a value in his eyes,
far exceeding any that could be found in fifty Teton scalps. Let that
be as it might, Hard-Heart had no sooner received the brief
congratulations of his band, and communicated to the chiefs such facts
as were important to be known, than he prepared himself to act such a
part in the coming conflict, as would at once maintain his well-earned
reputation, and gratify his secret wishes.
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