By this time, the people of the village had learned of their presence and came to see what was going on. They saw the strange man, and they, too, were startled. But when the women explained what had happened, they helped the girl with the injured woman. Indians had attacked the wagon train, and Michael expected to be attacked by these Indians, also. He grabbed his spear and stood ready to fight to the death. There were so many of them, he was sure he would be killed, but he wasn’t going down without a fight.
The girl again took his hand and for the first time, he looked closely at her. She was beautiful. Her eyes were black and expressive; her shiny black hair hung almost to her waist. She stirred fires in him he didn’t know were there. The others were looking at him and talking excitedly. They had never seen anything like him. His skin was white, and he had hair on his face. To add to the confusion, he was dressed in the skin of a lion. They had heard of white men, but they had never seen one. The girls were all looking at him and giggling. He was on display, and he didn’t like it.
The young men watched him cautiously. They didn’t know what to make of him. He was big and powerful, and he was obviously brave. He had stood off a whole pack of hungry wolves. They saw his strength, and they didn’t like the attention the girls were giving him.
The village was in the valley of a stream with lots of trees. They all sat beside a fire and indicated they wanted Michael to sit, also. They brought food and drink. The food tasted strange, but he ate it anyway feeling it would be impolite not to. The people were staring at him and talking. They seemed harmless, but he still didn’t know what to expect, and he wanted to be back in his cave.
What will happen? Will they let me leave? If an opportunity presents itself, I can slip away into those trees.
The women wanted to see and touch his hair. His beard fascinated them. The two he rescued told the others how he had killed the wolf with his ax, so everyone wanted to see his ax. They had never seen metal before, and they were astonished by its sharpness. With many gestures, they made Michael realize that they wanted to see him throw the ax, so they could see how he had killed the wolf. He placed a stick, about six feet long and about two inches in diameter, against a tree. Then, from thirty paces, he threw his spear pinning the stick to the tree, and in a continual movement, drew his knife and split the stick. Then he threw his ax and cut the stick in half. Sound of astonishment came from the crowd.
The chief sat quietly watching this strange young man. When he saw this remarkable display, he stepped forward to examine the spear. He looked closely at the steel blade, then contemptuously picked up a rock and struck the side of it. The rock broke, but the blade was undamaged. A look close to fear crossed the chief’s face. He knew that this was a weapon, far superior to anything he and his warriors had. Michael, seeing an opportunity to convert a potentially dangerous enemy into a friend, stepped forward and, in a gesture of giving, handed the spear to the chief. A look of amazement appeared on the chief’s face. Was this young man offering him this priceless weapon? Of course he could just take it, but that would be an unthinkable act, after the young man had risked his life to save two women of the tribe. The chief had to give a comparable gift or he would lose face, but what could he give?
He noticed that Michael didn’t have a bow or arrows. The chief picked up his own bow and quiver of arrows and handed them to the young man. This was an appropriate exchange—a weapon for a weapon.
I can make another spear, and with the bow and arrows as models, I can make my own.
To celebrate the safe return of White Bird and Evening Star, the Arapaho were eating, drinking, and talking. They danced into the night. At about midnight some of the people started to leave.
The chief asked Evening Star, the young woman Michael had saved, if she and her mother would accommodate Michael in their lodge. Evening Star was pleased because there was no man in their teepee, and they needed one. A Comanche warrior known as Scarface had killed both her father and brother. Michael was also pleased, because he had gotten to know the women, and there was nothing about them to fear. In addition, the young woman was very pretty, and he wanted to spend more time with her. It had never occurred to him that an Indian girl could be pretty. She had a trim, shapely body with round, firm hips and breasts that stood out against her tunic. She moved with the fluid grace of a doe. There was a trace of a smile on her face; her lips were full, and her eyes glowed when she looked at him. Michael had grown up alone and knew nothing about girls.
Evening Star led him to their lodge and made a bed of skins for him to lie on. White Bird and Evening Star’s bed was on the other side. They offered a gourd of water and a piece of dried meat. He had been eating all evening, and he wasn’t hungry; they were just being kind to a guest. He accepted the water but declined the meat.
Michael removed the lion skin, but he kept his loincloth on and placed his buffalo robe beside his bed should it get cold during the night. The women disrobed without the slightest concern for his presence. The sight of the beautiful young woman’s nude body aroused him, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He had been without human companionship for more than six years, and to be exposed to such a tempting display of feminine beauty was more than his young mind could come to grips with. He had no way of knowing what was expected of him, so he lay in his bed, with no chance of going to sleep. His keenly honed senses told him that the young woman was awake.
Michael needed time to consider his situation so he got up, placed the buffalo robe around his shoulders, and went outside and sat beside the lodge. Right away, he heard movement inside the teepee. Evening Star came and sat beside him. He wanted to touch her, but the intensity of his need was so great that his hands were shaking. She sat still and quiet, then placed her hand in his and caressed his arm. He didn’t dare speak. She wouldn’t understand what he said anyway, but there was an unspoken understanding between them. She seemed to be aware of his need and was not frightened or disappointed by it. They sat in silence for a long time, just looking at the stars and listening to the muffled sounds of the sleeping village. The forest was dark, and the sounds of animals were coming from it. Michael at last regained his composure. Evening Star touched her face against his, got up, and went back into the teepee. He sensed her mother was awake and didn’t seem to mind that her daughter had been alone with him. He returned to his bed and was soon asleep.
He was awakened by the stirring sounds of the village. He dressed quickly, went to the stream to bathe, and washed his hair. After bathing, he walked into the forest, found what he was looking for, and returned with wild chicken eggs, persimmons, and nuts.
The women were up and concerned about where their guest had gone. Since there was very little food in their lodge, they were wondering what they could serve him. When he returned, both questions were answered—he had returned with the morning meal.
While the women prepared the food, Michael went for a stroll, taking care to notice where everything was located. He wanted to know the location of the trees, and what kind of trees were they? Where did these people go to get their drinking water? He was trying to determine how many men were in the village. It was a large village, and he estimated there were more than fifty warriors. Everywhere he went, people watched; he would have no chance of escaping unnoticed. He would have to find another way to leave the camp.
Evening Star and her mother had the food ready when he returned. As they ate, he learned a few words of their language. By the end of the meal, he had learned about twenty words that he could use in a limited way.
Michael tried to tell Evening Star that, in his language, the evening star was called Venus. She seemed to understand and was pleased. He explained that his name was Michael McBain, and asked them to call him Michael. The older woman’s name was White Bird. She was Evening Star’s mother. Because of her broken leg, she couldn’t walk without someone helping her. The medicine man had set the broken bone, but she had no crutches. Michael cut two strong branches with his ax,
formed them into crutches, and then showed White Bird how to use them. White Bird and some of the other women watched him make the crutches. They were amazed at how quickly he fashioned what they called “walking sticks.”
The women didn’t talk much and their language consisted of gestures and facial expressions, but he was rapidly learning to communicate.
CHAPTER SIX
The Arapaho Chief
Michael wanted to leave the village, but he was watched closely. He spent his days listening and watching. He paid attention to how the people talked and slowly learned how they communicated. They used a combination of words and signs to explain to Michael that he was in the village of the Arapaho. For as long as anyone could remember, the Arapaho had been sharing hunting grounds with the Cheyenne and the Pawnee, but that was starting to change. The Comanche and the Kiowa, whose hunting grounds were traditionally to the southwest, were now encroaching upon their area. The Kiowa and the Comanche were both powerful tribes, and they were feared by everyone. They also had more horses, had more warriors, and apparently they made war on their neighbors and took what they wanted.
Michael now understood what he would be up against when he went against his enemy, the Comanche.
He went to the chief’s lodge to show him how to sharpen the blade of his spear by rubbing it against sandstone. The chief was so impressed that he willingly showed Michael how to use the bow and arrow. The chief was amazed that Michael’s arms were so strong that he could pull the heaviest bow and send the arrow farther than most of the men who had been using the bow all their lives. The chief told Michael that with practice he could become very skilled.
The chief wanted to trade arrows for the ax and the knife. When Michael shook his head, the chief’s eyes told him that he was considering taking the ax and knife by force.
I’ll have to watch this man. He is not to be trusted. I have something he wants, and I don’t know how far he’ll go to get it.
The young men wanted to wrestle with Michael to test their skills against his. Michael’s father had taught him wrestling, and he was stronger than the Indian men and could have beaten them easily, but he pretended to be untrained. He wanted the advantage of surprise should he ever need it.
Michael went back to Evening Star’s lodge. He wanted to teach her some of the things he had learned about survival, so that she could provide for herself and her mother.
He started by telling Evening Star, “When I found you being attacked by the wolves, I was on a mission to avenge the killing of my mother and father. They were killed by four men who were in the raiding party that attacked our wagon train. These men killed everyone but me, and they would have killed me, if I had not been hidden under the wagon. When they killed my mother and father, they left me to die. I was just a child then, but I am a man now, and I must avenge my parents. I can identify them. One is a tall, thin man, who makes quick movements, and he is missing a finger on his right hand. The second man is shorter, but he is heavily built and limps from an injury to his left leg. The third is a big, strong man with a long scar on his right cheek. The fourth has an evil grin, a high beak nose, a thin cruel mouth, with scowling black eyes, set too close to his nose. Out of respect for my mother and father, I’ve sworn to kill these terrible men.”
“Oh, Michael!” Evening Star exclaimed. “We know those terrible men. They are skillful fighters, and they are the strongest warriors of the Comanche tribe. They have killed many of our warriors including my father and my brother. You can’t go against these men alone. I’m frightened for you.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve trained for six years for this mission, and I won’t fail.”
“I’ll be happy when these terrible men are dead,” Evening Star said. “Our people will owe you a great debt for eliminating our common enemy, and everyone will be grateful when these men are no longer a threat to our village.”
“Thank you for sharing that information. Could you get someone to stay with your mother while you and I gather food?”
Evening Star and her mother had been gathering food when her mother fell from a tree. They were gathering wild grapes from vines growing in the tree. The grapes were small, but they were sweet and juicy and could be stored for winter by drying them and making raisins.
Michael had gathered lots of grapes and recognized the vines from a great distance. He used his ax to show Evening Star how to make a tool for harvesting the grapes, and then he explained that she could harvest nuts the same way.
“I’ll make you a knife, so you can make tools for yourself. Cut a long pole with a hook at the end, and you can pull the branches down and pick the grapes without climbing trees.”
He showed her how to cut and use a long pole to thresh nuts from the trees so she wouldn’t have to compete with the animals and insects by picking the nuts that had fallen on the ground. In only a short time, they had their baskets full. In one day, they gathered enough grapes and nuts to last all winter.
Evening Star was amazed at how easy it was for Michael to gather food. She couldn’t understand how he could make a knife, but he said he would, and she believed him. This remarkable young man had skills that she had never seen before. He was handsome, and she had fallen in love. She was still young, but the chief was urging her to marry. Since there was no man in her lodge, the chief had the right to choose her husband. Many men had asked for her, but there was none she wanted. Now, her body told her she was ready, and her heart cried out for Michael to hold her; he was the man she wanted.
Any time Michael was near her, he was keenly aware of how pretty she was. As they were gathering fruit, he accidentally rubbed against her and an excitement ran through him. He was glad he was wearing a heavy garment to hide his arousal.
When their baskets were full, they took them back to the lodge. Then he asked Evening Star to come with him again tonight. He wanted to show her how to find roosting birds, so she could get all she needed. He told her not to tell anyone the secret. If she told others how to catch the birds, the birds would soon be gone, and she would have to go farther and farther into the woods to catch them.
Evening Star said told her mother, “Michael wants to teach me how to catch birds and gather their eggs so that we won’t have to worry about going hungry.”
White Bird had noticed Michael’s interest in Evening Star. But she also saw the food they brought back and was inclined to allow Evening Star to go. She, being an older woman, understood the young man’s need and envied her daughter.
White Bird said, “Evening Star, I am concerned.”
Evening Star replied, “I know that Michael wants me, but I can handle him.”
“Yes, that’s what has me concerned. We need a man in our lodge, and this one would be a good provider, but I don’t think the chief will approve your marrying him. Black Crow is a friend of the chief’s, and he has been asking for you. He is a sub-chief, and you would be lucky to get such a husband.”
“I don’t want Black Crow; he already has three wives.”
“As a chief, he can have all the wives he wants,” White Bird said. “Besides, it’s not so bad having other women to help you with the work and help you meet the needs of your husband.”
“I don’t want Black Crow,” she repeated. “I want Michael!”
“All right, go with him, but everyone in the village will know that you have been alone with him. He has a strong desire for you, and you must remember that the chief will want a high marriage price for you. If the men in the tribe think you have given yourself to Michael, they will not pay a high price, and the chief will be angry.”
White Bird watched them walk away. The evening was warm, and the last rays of the sun were filtering through the thinning leaves of the giant trees. Michael and Evening Star walked side by side into the privacy of the forest. Only nature could have produced such a magnificent setting.
After walking a while, Michael said, “We will search for where the turkeys go to roost.”
They watched a
flock go to roost in an oak tree. He showed her how to make a hook from a branch of a tree, so she could hook the leg of a turkey, pull it down, and then grab its head to keep it from crying out and frightening the other birds.
“Sit still and remain very quiet,” Michael said.
They sat so still that Evening Star could hear her heart beating. She was wondering if Michael could hear it, too. Was it beating hard because she was sitting so quietly, or was it because she was sitting so close to Michael? They waited until the turkeys were asleep, and then took only one turkey. One turkey was all they needed for now.
They used the knife to dress the turkey and left the remains in the forest as food for the foraging animals. They wasted nothing and left no mess to be cleaned up. The turkey was ready to be cooked when they got it to the lodge.
“Tomorrow,” Michael said, “I’ll show you how to find where the chickens nest, so you can gather their eggs. You can have a chicken dinner anytime you want.”
Evening Star was amazed. She and her mother would have food in abundance, and it was stored by nature, ready for their use. By living alone in the wild, this young man had learned things that her tribe had not learned in all their generations of living off the land. Her admiration and love knew no bounds.
On their way back to the lodge, they found a grassy knoll and sat for a time listening to the night. Michael put his arm around Evening Star’s shoulders to protect her from the evening chill. She sensed his need, but she did nothing to encourage him for fear of frightening him away. They both knew what they wanted, but each was afraid to make the first move.
As they walked back to the lodge, Michael said, “After we finish our evening meal, I’ll return to my world. When the sun is directly overhead, at the time of the next full moon, I will meet you at the big bend of the river. The bend is halfway between your village and where I live. At that time, I will give you the knife I will make for you. The time is only ten days from today.”
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