Little Hawk was an Indian boy in the ILLINI tribe of Illinois. He trotted around the Indian village. He was excited, for his uncle was going to teach him how to use the bow and arrow. ILLINI Indians were expert archers and Little Hawk was eager to learn. Little Hawk and his uncle walked past the long bark-covered cabins to an open area near the corn fields. His uncle showed him how to pull back the string, hold it and set the arrow in place on the bow. Little Hawk had to stand straight, and pull and aim the heavy bow. He tried to shoot, but the arrow fell in front of him. Little Hawk continued to try and soon he was hitting a tree.

The next day Little Hawk and his uncle went hunting in the nearby woods. They ran to the edge of the woods, then walked on tiptoe, slowly and quietly, so as to make no sound to scare away the animals. They looked in all directions and bent down to study the ground for animal tracks. His uncle pointed to deer tracks ahead. The boy and brave trotted till they came to a creek. The Indians jumped across. Little Hawk climbed a tall tree to look for the deer but saw nothing. Instead he found a hornet's nest hanging from a branch. The hornets were angry and tried to sting Little Hawk. He swung his arms wildly and moved his head all around to scare them away. The boy quickly slid down the trunk to a branch with a vine and swung to the ground. They both ran for safety.

Suddenly the Indians froze. There ahead was a rabbit. Little Hawk took his bow and aimed carefully. He missed and the rabbit scurried away. They came to a rocky hill and crawled on hands and knees to the top. They stopped. Below, Little Hawk and his uncle saw a few trees, a meadow of grass, and a small brook with several deer. They crawled down the hill. The brook looked deep but Little Hawk knew how to swim, so they swam across. Little Hawk climbed out of the water and shook the wetness from his buckskin clothes. Walking on tiptoe and bending low, the Indians hid behind the trees as they crept up on the grazing deer. They were close enough now. Little Hawk and his uncle both readied their bows, aimed and shot. Little Hawk missed, and his deer ran away. But the uncle got his deer. This would be their food for a few days and the women could use the leather for clothing. His uncle slung the deer over his shoulders. The trip home was a slow one for the deer was heavy.

The Indians did not return the way they had come, but instead marched near the open plains. They walked to the right, hoping to find some of the braves who were hunting buffalo on horse. Even though they belonged to the woodland tribe, the ILLINI hunted buffalo and used it for most of their food and clothing. Most of these Indians shaved their heads except for a scalp lock and around the ears. They also tattooed themselves.

Little Hawk spotted some braves and waved to them. Three came and one slung the deer over the back of his horse. Little Hawk hopped on the back of the pony and away they rode. With no saddle, the boy really bounced up and down, holding on tight. A signal was heard. A few buffalo had been separated from the small herd. The chase was on and everyone was included. The Indians were riding fast. Little Hawk lost his hold on the horse and fell from it. He rolled on the ground. The boy got up slowly for he was bruised. He rubbed his shoulders and his legs. Little Hawk turned around to watch the hunt.

Watch out! The buffalo were heading straight for him. He ran and ran as fast as he could across the field. He jumped behind some large rocks. Little Hawk squatted and breathed deeply to catch his breath. He peeked around the rock. The braves had killed the buffaloes. There would be lots of food and clothes for winter now. The women would soon come to butcher the meat and prepare the leather. Little Hawk sat to relax and he thought of the celebration in the village tonight thanking the Great Spirit for the good hunt. The women were bringing the travois, two long sticks which were used for carrying loads and pulled by dogs or ponies. They were taking the buffalo supplies back to the village.

Little Hawk didn't get a deer but he proved that what the early explorers said about the ILLINI Indians was true. They were the fastest runners, especially when chased by fast buffalo!