Apache Winds

by Danny Jewell

  “If I did not know any better I would swear that the two of you were going on some kind of crime spree like a Bonnie and Clyde kind of thing and that is what I am going to put in my report.

  There was a shout from the deputy “This one ain’t going on no kind of crime spree Sheriff; he is dead”.

  This made the Sheriff angry and he looked sternly at Zeke and said “You killed him and now we have to carry his sorry carcass down the mountain. If I had any sense, I would shoot you and leave you here to rot”.

  The deputy said “I don’t want to carry nobody in this heat”.

  The Sheriff replied; “me neither” and pulled the hammer back on his pistol.

  At that moment there was a thwiiiiiiiiiiiip and a flaming arrow stuck in a cactus not ten feet from the sheriff.

  In the clearing appeared Cochise on a Black Stallion, Sacagawea and Mangas on Mustangs and Billy on a beautiful Palomino.

  Cochise dismounted his horse and his form went from almost transparent to solid. “Hello Zeke, Sheriff, if you pull that trigger, there will be four bodies needing to be carried off this mountain”.

  Billy got off of his horse and Zeke came over to greet him. Billy was dressed in buckskins and Zeke told him that he looked good. He then took him aside and whispered “I thought you guys could not take life from humans”.

  Billy grinned “We Apache have been known to make believers out of our enemies without lifting a finger. Besides; if you were John Law; would you tell these three to go climb up a cactus?’

  Zeke said “I guess not”.

  They returned to the conversation at hand and Cochise was telling Sheriff Joe Wood how he would suffer should he have to return.

  Cochise went over to the cactus that the arrow had landed in and withdrew it. He then went to the Sheriff and handed it to him saying “This is just in case your memory gets short”.

  Billy shook hands with Zeke and was followed by Mangas. Sacagawea refused his hand and instead placed a kiss on his cheek and said “From all the Indian Nation, thank you and remember us kindly.” Zeke returned the kiss and said “I will”.

  The four of them mounted their horses and Billy shouted “Zeke, see to it my nephew gets this”. He grabbed the saddle bags from his horse and tossed them to his friend. Zeke looked inside and said “my writings”. With that Cochise said “let’s go hunting” and all four of them gave out whoops and rode off into the heatwaves.

  31

  PAYING IT FORWARD

  The Sheriff was visibly shaken and he asked his deputy if he had seen what he just saw and the deputy could only answer by saying “yup and I think I just soiled myself. Maybe we should get off this mountain before they come back”.

  The Sheriff agreed and they gathered up Billy’s body and headed for the Sheriff’s car. In town the Sheriff took Billy’s body over to the Coroner’s office and then told Zeke he would have to keep him overnight due to protocol. The next morning Zeke was given breakfast and soon after the Sheriff came in and told him he was a free man and that his truck was outside. He looked at Zeke and said “Ya know; we spent the better part of last night with you telling me this crazy story of what the two of you went through and all I know is, I can’t put it in my police report and expect to retire from this job”. He handed Zeke some papers “These are copies of Billy’s Death Certificate and statements to the newspaper saying he died from exposure. Also it reads that you assisted us in locating his body due to you crossing paths with him the day before”.

  Zeke shook his hand and said “Thanks; and if you don’t mind; I would like to take Billy back to his family”.

  The Sheriff said “I was hoping you would say that; here are the release forms; take them to the Coroner and he will see to it that Billy is taken care of for the two-hour trip back to his people”.

  Zeke stopped at a phone booth and called home. His mother told him all was well and to come home soon. He asked his father for a loan on his part of the bar and he told him there would be no problem.

  He picked up Billy after the release forms were signed and headed back to the reservation.

  He located Billy’s grandfather and together they went to see his sister. As expected; Lilly broke down in tears.

  Zeke promised to pay for the funeral and headstone that read “TRUE APACHE” then everyone gathered for the funeral and gave Billy a great send off.

  Zeke told Lilly about her being pregnant and invited her to the bar so he could honor Billy through the story of their time together.

  The place was packed and an empty chair was set aside for Billy. Zeke told them of everything and when he was finished someone asked “How do we know of this to be true”? He took the saddle bags from the bar, put them on the table and pulled out the papers. To everyone’s amazement the knife Billy had taken from the Stagecoach Driver fell out and someone read the inscription on it that gave the driver’s name and the year 1871. Also the antique quill and ink bottle were there too.

  Someone shouted ‘HERE’S TO BILLY’ and everyone toasted.

  The next morning Zeke found himself headed to Wall, South Dakota and Wounded Knee. Along the way he would occasionally see a Road Runner and smile. He found himself looking across the vast open plains in hopes to see Billy but there was never a sign of him.

  In Wall he stopped at the local store downtown for supplies and as he approached the counter he couldn’t help but notice a mannequin wearing a buckskin dress that had a blood stain on the collar. He asked the Clerk where it was from and if it was for sale. She said “Mister; that dress belonged to my great; great grandmother at Wounded Knee and she said the Apache maiden that wore the dress saved her life just before she faded away. She said a spirit told her to take the dress and keep it safe. My great grandmother said she spoke of crazy things later in life like there was an Apache Brave who was with her and he was also a Black Man and had a pure white scar in the palm of his hand. She said he was a guardian and friend; no the dress is not for sale”.

  Zeke looked at her funny and said “Let me guess; his name was Zeke and there was a letter with the dress”.

  The clerk covered her mouth and said “My family tells no one of the letter because of its title and at Wounded Knee they were Ogala Sioux.

  Zeke smiled and said “APACHE WINDS”; and oh by the way; my name is Zeke” and showed her the whit scar in the palm of his hand.

  She passed out and when she came to she was looking up at Zeke who was smiling down at her.

  He helped her to her feet and she instantly headed for the phone.

  She came back moments later and asked if he would go to lunch with her and although he felt home calling his name; he agreed.

  At lunch he met her mother and grandmother and then told them the story of how it all came to be and why the dress meant what it did.

  At the end of the lunch the women talked among themselves and agreed that Zeke should have the dress.

  32

  A VIRTUOUS MAN

  After returning home Zeke returned to a life that had changed very little.

  Ten years had gone by and still he could not figure how to help Cochise in getting his son, Taza returned to the Apache Nation.

  It was a Sunday morning when one of his sons came through the door saying “Daddy; here is the Sunday Paper.

  The headlines were all about how District Seven’s Congressman had been arrested for embezzlement and the scar on his hand had started to glow.

  Zeke said aloud “Thanks Cochise and Billy”.

  With help from friends and family Zeke got the vacant seat.

  The day finally came when Zeke would walk the halls of Congress and in the Chamber find his seat.

  Protocol was as usual and with his family looking on was called to the podium.

  “Thank you Mr. Speaker and my fellow people’s representatives. I ran fo
r this office on a platform of Structure, Order and putting family first. Our great nation had growing pains as that of any newly formed Republic or Democracy. In that growth we did a grave injustice to the original inhabitants of this land. We cannot go back and undo that which has been done but we can extend a hand in understanding to help make things right for the American Indians. In the year of 1816; Taza; the son of the great Chief; Cochise came to Washington with a delegation of Tribal Leaders. Some say he died of pneumonia while others say he was poisoned. Either way he was buried in the Congressional Cemetery and I am asking this great body of leaders to do an up and down vote on removing Taza from his resting place and returning him home to his people where he truly belongs as a symbol of the coming of age of a great nation. I say again; return him to the land of his ancestors where he can truly be at peace.

  THE BEGINNING.

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