Spirit Horses

by Alan S Evans

  It was easy to see that someone had put a lot of effort into concealing the signs. If it wasn’t for the unique tracking skills possessed by this Shoshone woman, neither Shane nor Tara would have been able to locate them. They followed the tracks to an open field, where Tashawa climbed off her horse and began to look around. At first she seemed puzzled, then Shane could see the light go on in her head. With a smile, she motioned for Shane and Tara to follow.

  “Someone has worked very long and hard to cover these tracks,” she said. Then she led them to an area on a side of the field that had a lot of brush and high grass. Hidden in the brush was a strange burrow. The long trench was about fifteen feet wide and not very deep. It ran about half the length of the large field. Now Tashawa seemed very confused. She stepped into the burrow and felt the bottom with her hand. “This ground had not been dug out, it’s been packed down. How and why would someone do this?”

  Shane reached in his saddlebags and pulled out his camera. “I believe we’ve found what we’re looking for,” he said, as he snapped a couple of pictures. “They sure did a good job of hiding it.”

  “What is it?” asked Tara.

  “This is what a sixty-four-thousand-pound thumper truck does, when they use it to look for oil.”

  “How does it tell them if oil is here?” Tashawa wondered.

  “I’m no expert,” Shane answered, “but I did some research on the Internet at the library in Fort Washakie. Apparently, these big thumper trucks pound the ground with a huge metal plate causing vibrations deep under the surface, then they take seismic readings to see if it picks up any pockets of oil.”

  Tashawa climbed out of the burrow and began to look around for more signs. “Look here.” She pointed at the ground. “These are tracks of shod horses.” The horseshoe tracks had been nearly washed out from the heavy rain the day before, but Tashawa was able to follow them. “There were three men on horseback,” she said. “I think it would be a safe bet to say those three at the cave were covering all this up when the storm hit.”

  Tashawa stepped back up on her horse and gestured for them to follow her again. She left at a slow trot, continuing to look down at the ground as she traveled. They headed north to the other end of the clearing, and then rode through a pass, which opened up into another large field. It didn’t take her long to find the hidden burrows here, also. She showed them how the equipment had been carefully guided in and out on hard dry ground. They followed the faint tracks to the edge of the reservation and then out to Vince Nethers’s land.

  “Looks like you and Mr. Jensen were right,” Tara said to Shane.

  “Yep, now we know what’s going on, but we still don’t have any proof of who’s behind all of this.”

  “I wonder if these people found what they were looking for?” Tashawa added.

  “I believe they have,” Shane answered. “Considering all the money and effort this guy is putting out, he and his people must want this valley real bad. I’ve got a feeling that things are going to get complicated from here on out.”

  Chapter 20

  It was a relief for Shane to get the women back safely to Shadow Creek. As soon as the horses were put up, he called Tigee to tell him what they discovered.

  Tigee hesitated before responding, “Now we know you were right. Over.”

  Shane answered, “The problem is there’s no way to prove that Nethers has any bad intentions. He’s bound to deny that he knows of any testing on the reservation. I’m sure he’d just say that the crew running the thumper truck had gotten lost and ended up on reservation land. I’d sure keep a close eye on your mustangs.”

  Tigee’s voice came back on the radio. “Well, Hawk and JB are watching the herd, so the horses should be safe for now. I’ll have to think about all this. You and the women try to relax and enjoy the rest of your day. You can pack back out tomorrow. Let me know when you’re about an hour from where I dropped you off, and I’ll meet you there with the trailer. Over.”

  “Will do. Over.”

  It was just past noon, and all three were looking forward to some downtime at the creek.

  Once they had finished the last of the fresh meat for lunch, Tashawa had a good reason for another hunt. Shane watched her silently disappear into the foliage.

  Tara asked Shane, “Do you like to fish?”

  “Sure,” he answered. He had noticed some old fly rods on the wall in the cabin.

  “There are some really good places for trout just upstream.”

  The two left the camp on foot with rods in hand, and the dogs following. It was about a fifteen minute walk to the bend in the creek where Tara said the trout like to hang out. This part of the stream was perfect for wading and casting. Shane had only been fly-fishing a few times, and struggled getting the hang of proper casting again. Tara, on the other hand, was skilled, and it didn’t take her long to catch a nice cutthroat trout.

  “These cutthroats are plentiful in most of our Alpine streams this time of the year,” she hollered over the sound of the nearby rushing water. Tara smiled sheepishly as she watched Shane make one good cast out of every eight or ten. Finally, she put her rod on the bank and waded over to him. She stood behind him as she slipped her hands onto his. “Loosen up, stop trying to throw so hard; it’s all about rhythm and flow.” With both their hands on the rod, he relaxed as he let her take him through the motion of the cast, then she let him do it alone.

  “See,” she said, “it’s not so hard once you get the hang of it.”

  Shane cast out again, with her standing next to him. Just as the fly landed gently on the surface of the stream, an explosion boiled from underneath, and the fight was on.

  “All right,” she hollered, “that’s a nice one. Bring him in slow and easy. They have real soft mouths and can tear out the hook in a blink of an eye.” A few minutes later, the two-pound fish was in the net.

  “Who taught you how to fly-fish?”

  “My father, when I was very young. After that, I used to fly-fish with my grandfather.”

  “You’ve never mentioned your parents before, I know your grandfather raised you. Are your parents still around?”

  Tara looked a little distraught. “My mother died giving birth to me so I never knew her. She had heart problems all her life. When she became pregnant with me, the doctors tried to talk her into an abortion, but she wouldn’t let them do it. My father said it took all her will to survive to full term. She wrote letters to me during her pregnancy. My father gave them to me as soon as he felt I was old enough. She explained in the letters that her bad heart would not have allowed her to survive much longer even if she hadn’t become pregnant. She said bringing me into the world gave her a purpose at the end of her life. She wrote in the letters that she would always be there to watch over my brothers and me.

  “My grandfather went out to the valley to be near the mustang herd the day he lost his daughter. He said he wanted to be there with her when they carried her spirit away. It was his way of telling her good-bye. My father and grandfather made sure my brothers and I knew all about her through their stories of her. She was a good person and everyone loved and respected her.”

  Shane kept quiet and let her continue. “My father loved her very much, and tried hard to take care of us. They say he was never the same after her death. He finally drank himself into bad health. He died when I was twelve. So you see, I can understand, to some degree, what it has been like for you to lose your family. Luckily, I have my grandfather who has kept my brothers and me together.”

  Shane nodded. “I know how proud he is of you.”

  Tara smiled before she replied. “Okay, that’s enough sappy stuff. Let’s catch another trout for Tashawa.”

  It was Shane who got the next bite, but he lost it before he could get it in the net.

  Tara laughed when she saw him stomping the shallow water in frustration. It wasn’t long before she caught the next one. She had a good time teasing Shane when they got back to the cabin, about cat
ching more fish than he had.

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said, as they walked in the door of the old shack. “Those trout just felt sorry for you with that big black eye.” She rolled her eyes and gave him a hard look. Shane quickly apologized, “Sorry, I guess that was a bad joke.”

  “Well, then show me how sorry you are,” she said as she reached out to run her fingers over his fit shoulders. Shane could feel the warmth of her breath on his neck and the rate of her heart beat increase as he slid his hands around the small of her back and gently pulled her in tight. Now, here in the cabin alone, and this close to one another, things were rapidly evolving into a willing loss of control. Looking into his eyes, she took a step backward, smoothly dropped her clothes to the floor, and then paused before slowly moving to him. As she did, he remembered watching her at the waterfall and thinking then how perfect her body was, and how he couldn’t get her out of his mind for the rest of that day.

  Now, as she lay on the cot in front of him, he could hardly believe he was here with her. Hypnotized once again by her stare, he slowly moved down to her. Flesh to flesh, she softly whispered in his ear. “Shane Carson, the only reason I’m with you is because you are in my heart, and I feel I am meant for you.”

  When it was over, they continued to lie face-to-face in each other’s arms without saying a word. Neither of them wanted this time to end, but Tashawa would be back soon.

  As he sat on the edge of the cot and reached for his clothes, he quietly murmured, “As soon as all this is over, I want just the two of us to go off together.”

  “I’ll hold you to that,” she replied as she sat up next to him with a blanket wrapped around her and laid her head on his shoulder.

  A short while later, Tashawa walked in with a plump turkey thrown over her shoulder. The bird, along with the trout, would make a great feast for them and the dogs. Tigee was expecting them late in the afternoon. This meant they could sleep in tomorrow morning. Considering everything that had happened on this trip, good and bad, all three were looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the evening at Shadow Creek.

  The smell of the turkey roasting on the open spit filled the air, intensifying their hungry anticipation. The large bird would take a while to cook, so the trout became a welcome appetizer while they waited for the main course.

  Shane remembered a flask of whiskey he had brought along just in case of a rainy, cold night and thought this would be a good time to pull it out and pour everyone a drink. Neither of the women was used to drinking, so it took very little to lighten up their mood. Soon, all three were sitting around the cooking bird telling dumb jokes that seemed hilarious.

  It had been a long day, and once dinner was over, it took all the energy they could muster to just get up and go inside to their cots.

  Shane woke up before the women and grabbed his camera. It was another invigorating morning at the creek, so he climbed to the top of the ridge called “Gewaga-Mukua.” He reached his high destination just at the right moment to take some amazing shots of the rising sun’s yellow-orange glow, edging its way from behind a dark horizon to gradually illuminate the whole eastern sky. Then he pointed his small camera down at the cabin, and next toward Shadow Creek with its rich, green, forested background.

  Click. Click. Click. When he felt he had captured all he could on film, he put his camera in its case and enjoyed the time alone while he absorbed the serene wilderness surrounding him. Soon he began to feel regret for having to leave.

  By midmorning everything was packed up and ready for the six-hour-plus ride ahead of them. Shane contacted Tigee, via the radio, to let him know they were on the way.

  With Tashawa as their guide, they made the trip back to the drop-off point in good time. Tigee was waiting there with his truck and trailer. The old Indian seemed quiet and distant. He greeted Shane with a handshake, then gave each of the girls a hug. However, it was easy to see he was not quite himself. As they drove into the ranch, he asked Tara and Shane to come see him as soon as the horses were put up.

  Tommy spotted them when they pulled through the gate, and ran over to help with the horses and gear. “How was your fishing trip, Mr. Shane?”

  “It was great, Tommy. How are the geldings doing? Have you been working with them every day?”

  “Yes, sir, I’m looking forward to showing you what I’ve done with ’em.”

  “I’ll be out at the barn at eight a.m.”

  “Yes, sir, I’ll be ready to start as soon as you get there.”

  Tara and Shane said their good-byes to Tashawa . Before she left, she gave the dogs the leftover turkey she had in her saddlebags. Curious about what Tara’s grandfather would have to say, the two of them hurried to his house.

  As they walked in the front door, Tigee said, “I know you’re both tired, but I needed to speak to you now.”

  “What’s wrong, grandfather?”

  “Well, some problems have come up in the last few days with the ranch.”

  “What kind of problems?”

  “Before I tell you what is going on around here, I want to hear about your trouble in the valley, and how you got that bruise on your face, Tara.”

  She told him about Jack, Thomas, and Bo Nethers, and how Shane came with the dogs and stopped it all before anything really bad happened. “We think they were out there covering up the tracks around the test sites and came to the shelter when the storm hit.”

  Tigee replied, “Shane and I discussed it briefly on the radio. I’m just not sure how to handle it yet.”

  “Maybe it’s time to call in the law,” said Shane. “Especially since those three guys tried to assault the women.”

  Tigee looked at Shane. “You’ve seen what the local law is like around here. It would be your word against theirs, and with that Nethers boy involved, they wouldn’t get more than a slap on the wrist. Besides, it sounds as though you taught those fellas a lesson they won’t soon forget. The last thing I need right now is for any of our Shoshone men to find out about this incident. If they did, there could be some bad trouble over it. There is already a lot of tension building over the killing of the mustangs.” It was obvious that Tigee was torn between making the three men pay for hurting Tara and Tashawa and doing what was best to keep the peace.

  The three sat quietly in thought for a few minutes, then Tigee spoke again. “Without the law to help us, I’m not sure how to protect the land or the mustangs. I’m afraid I have some news that makes the matter even worse,” he added. “The whole tribe is very worried about our finances for the winter.”

  “What’s going on?” Tara asked.

  The old man took a deep breath and explained, “Some agricultural inspectors came the day you left for Shadow Creek. They claim that one of the calves we took to auction last week tested positive for anthrax. Then they found a sick cow on one of the other Shoshone ranches. Our people said the sick cow wasn’t theirs, and that they don’t know how it got in with the herd. Since then, the inspectors have quarantined all the ranches on the reservation indefinitely. This means we can’t sell any more cattle this year. The local banks have caught wind of it and won’t even loan the ranchers money to get through the winter.”

  “We’ve had a really good hay crop this year,” Tara said. “I know it won’t pay all the bills, but it might help carry the ranch over until we get the cattle problem solved.”

  Tigee’s head dropped as he spoke. “Someone has started rumors all over the territory that we didn’t spray our hay properly and that we have a bad infestation of blister beetles in the alfalfa. As you know, if a horse eats even a small part of a blister beetle, it will die. Our hay was excellent this year, and we did spray it, but the rumors will keep the locals and the big shippers we usually sell to from buying any. I don’t understand this run of bad luck.”

  Shane couldn’t sit quietly any longer. “It can’t be a coincidence that all these things are happening at the same time. I think someone is trying to put a squeeze on your income for the winter. If th
ey did find oil in the valley, then this could all be part of a plan to force you to accept a land deal. These people know that the whole Shoshone tribe would have to be desperate before you would lease any part of the valley. They also know that as long as the horses are there, the majority of your people would resist a land deal. My guess is they will be coming after the herd soon, and probably with a lot of guns.”

  Tara asked, “What if we just told them that we know what they’re trying to do, and we won’t sell or lease any land no matter what?”

  Shane thought for a minute. “The way I see it, these guys can really make things tough around here until they get what they want. With the local law probably being on Nethers’s payroll, they won’t be any help. We know that for sure. If we confront them now, they may get even nastier. I think it could work in our favor if they don’t realize we are on to their scheme.”

  Tigee added, “Besides, in the end it will come down to a tribal vote on any property sale or lease. If enough of our people are really in need of money, we won’t be able to stop them from giving into a deal. I agree with you, Shane, it would be best if we don’t poke at the angry bear until we have a plan. We will eventually have to prove to our people that there is oil out there and that if they’re patient, it could one day be a good income for our tribe.”

  The three sat contemplating for a while until suddenly, Shane’s face lit up. “I have an idea,” he said “but I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”

  Tigee asked, “What is it?”

  “Have you ever seen what a bunch of roaches do when you turn on a light?” Tara and Tigee look puzzled. Shane continued, “They quickly scatter back to where they came from, don’t they? What if we put a spotlight on this situation from outside this territory?”

  “I don’t understand,” Tara commented, frowning.

  Shane smiled. “Your people have a resource here that can get a lot of national attention if we can get the right exposure for it.” Tara and her grandfather still looked confused. Shane continued, “The herd! There are a lot of people that would take an interest in those mustangs because of their rare bloodlines. The fact that you have direct links that lead back to the Lewis and Clark expedition and horses that were part of Custer’s defeat at the Little Big Horn is fascinating, not to mention the bloodlines that date back through your tribal history all the way to when the Spanish first brought horses to the continent in the fifteen hundreds. These are all things, which if they are publicized correctly, would have a lot of people wanting to help protect and preserve your herd.”