Many Horses 15

He began to pull at her dress then stopped suddenly, groaning and reaching for his back. A crow man whom she didn't recognize materialized then slitting Two Elk's throat. Many Horses was so relieved that she immediately stood looking down at her captor who was face down with a knife in the left side of his back.

The man who had saved her took his knife out of Two Elks back, cleaned it then put it in a pouch at his waist motioning for her to come with him. It wasn't until she saw Eagle Cries however that true relief washed over her.

"baby, go" he said in broken Cheyenne indicating that she should retrieve her son and then meet them back here. Even that would be tricky because there were always people watching her but she would use the excuse that she was going off to feed her baby.

The old woman didn't say anything when she entered the lodge and picked up her sleeping son. She played the part of a hurt, demoralized woman very well.

Many Horses took her time returning to the crow men hoping that no one would pick up on Two Elks absence for a while. The crow had hidden or buried Two Elks body and cleaned up any trace of what had happened.

She was given a horse to ride and they hurried. There was no telling how it might be before an entire encampment of Lakota men were riding after them.