IN THE LAND OF THE WINTER HAWK

The Blackfeet Indians were mighty raiders, feared far to the south and east of their own territory between Saskatchewan and the Missouri River Valley. For more than a century, the nomadic Blackfeet were regarded as the most militant tribe on the northwestern plains. Even in the dead of winter, when tracks in the snow could betray their location, they stole horses or plundered other tribes' camps. Frank C. McCarthy's "In the Land of the Winter Hawk" depicts the headlong flight of two Blackfeet warriors. As the two men race across the frozen landscape, the only noises breaking the late morning stillness are the quick breaths of horses and riders and the muffled sounds of hoof beats on the snow.