The Adventures of Cherokee

by Nancy Johnson

  Sunee’s sister, Yellow Bird, peeked out from under her mother’s neck, and whispered shyly, “Good bye Sunee, I will miss you, too.”

  Flying Hawk said nothing more to his son. He knew that the young stallion was taking on the unknown. Not even he knew what existed beyond the boundaries of this ranch. In fact, he had not even been as far as this ranch. He could only ask the Great Spirit to guide and protect the two young horses in whatever adventures they encountered. He said, “Stay on the white path,

  my son.”

  “The white path, Father?” repeated Cherokee.

  “Yes. The white path. The white path represents good things. The blue path represents adventure and the red path is bad.”

  “Thank you for telling me. I did not know that. I will try to stay on the white path and perhaps Sunee and I will enjoy the blue path also.”

  The daylight hours turned into late afternoon. By the time darkness began to close around the horses, Cherokee and Sunee were almost ready. Since the horses were in corrals or paddocks, none of the men stood guard over them. After supper the cowboys usually retired to the bunkhouse to play cards, write letters or play the harmonica or guitar.

  When the lights went out in the bunkhouse, Cherokee began to pace, his head bobbing up and down with each step. When the only sounds he could hear were bird sounds and coyote howls and the bark of the fox, he whispered to Sunee, “It’s time!”

  Sunee followed Cherokee to the near side of the corral.

  “I’m ready!” she said. Both horses tensed their muscles and broke into a dead run straight at the far end of the five foot corral. Front legs stretched high, hind legs tucked up, they cleared the top pole in unison.

  They headed west at a fast gallop, through a meadow, around a stand of hickory trees, across a narrow stream. They continued over small and large rock formations until reaching what appeared to be a great bowl in the earth. After traveling for many hours, it seemed a likely place to hide and rest. They found a way into the bowl. There was grass to eat and overhanging rock ledges to hide beneath. They were very tired.

  Morning came. The cowboys had wakened, dressed, and stepped outside to shave and wash their hands and faces before breakfast. While waiting his turn, Monty was looking over the corrals.

  “Hey, J.D!” he shouted. “Unless somebody moved ‘em, the two year olds are missing! Somebody check the gate!”

  Two cowboys already finished at the wash bowl, ran toward the corral Cherokee and Sunee had been in. They discovered the gate still carefully shut, but sure enough, the horses were gone!

  “Gate’s shut, J.D. Tracks show they leaped the fence some time last night.”

  Just then Cookie rang the bell for breakfast and nobody was late for breakfast! While eating a familiar breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, biscuits and coffee, they broke a cardinal rule and talked, discussing the missing horses. “Do you want us to go after them, Boss?” asked J.D.

  “No, J.D.” said Bobby. “We’ll just continue to work on the others you brought in. Funny, I would have thought the stallion would have been the one to make a break for it. Let’s go put in some more time on that young black colt,” strangely dismissing the loss of the two horses.

  Meanwhile, Cherokee and Sunee had wakened with the sun, climbed back out of the bowl in the earth, and continued west. The air was chilly, but the morning sun felt warm on their backs as they trotted side by side. They did not speak for a long time. Good companions don’t need constant conversation; besides they were enjoying the scenery. The land was beginning to change. It was a little flatter and sandier, but they could see hills in the distance. The trees were scrubbier, shorter and not many leaves were left on them. The sun rose higher in the sky. They smelled water and stopped to rest when they found it.

  Just before dusk, after a week of pleasant travel and peaceful days, they heard unfamiliar noises. Being curious they climbed a hill wanting to see what it was. There in a little valley, resting in a circle, were ten covered wagons.

  Many people were moving around inside the circle of the wagons, building fires. The two horses were cautious, but not afraid. As they watched from the top of the hill, they heard laughing and talking. They saw children playing games, men hauling water and tending to the animals. They saw the women gathering fire wood, lighting fires.

  Cherokee had fleeting thoughts of Tsa tsi and his mother and how nice it was to have someone look after him. He remembered the smells that came from the cooking fires and how it felt to be petted and touched. He shook his head to get rid of the memories. “Look, Cherokee,” whispered Sunee. “Some of the small people are coming this way!”

  “Those are children,” answered Cherokee. “Children are good. They like horses. But we don’t want to get caught! Let’s hide in those trees near the river.”

  The two horses quickly but quietly trotted toward a stand of trees not far away. The darkness in the shelter of the forest hid them well. It allowed them a vantage point to watch the people on the wagon train. The children were gathering firewood for the campfires.

  Cherokee and Sunee could hear the families talking and laughing separating into family groups, preparing their evening meal. They continued to watch and listen.

  “I smell their coffee,” said Sunee. “It always smells so strong and bitter!”

  “I agree,” answered Cherokee, “But Man seems to like it. Other things smell good, though, don’t they?” he continued.

  “Yes. I think I am hungry, too. Let’s find some grass.”

  And so they went their own way, nosing through the fallen leaves and nibbling any grass they could find. The happy family sounds were pleasant to their ears and made them long for their own families.

  “Emily!” Someone called. “Emily! Where are you?”

  Cherokee and Sunee lifted their heads and looked toward the wagon train. They were too far away to see well, so they moved in that direction, watching carefully for danger.

  At the same time the woman again called, “Emily, Emily! Where have you gone?” Sunee spotted a little girl walking toward the forest. She was humming a little tune, picking wild flowers. The horses both watched her with interest.

  She appeared to be about three years old, wearing a long blue cotton dress that reached the ankles of her high top shoes. Her sun bonnet was pushed back from her head of long brown hair and tied loosely in a knot at her throat. She walked this way and that, her direction determined by which wild flowers appealed to her the most. Suddenly she stopped.

  Sunee watched the little girl for a moment and then let her eyes search the ground in front of the child. A slight movement! A rattling sound! The filly was in a dead run before Cherokee could make a move.

  “U tso nati!” shouted Sunee, as she raced toward the little girl. “Cherokee! Get the snake! I’ll take care of the child!”

  Cherokee leaped into action, eyes scanning the ground as he ran. He spotted the rattle snake and headed directly for it.

  The movement of the two wild horses attracted the people at the wagon train. Emily’s mother screamed. The child looked up as the buckskin and spotted horse, ears flat to their heads, flew directly at her, but she could not move. In seconds, Sunee slid to a standstill between Emily and the snake. Putting her head gently against the girl, Sunee pressed her backward, away from danger. Emily, not wanting to drop her flowers, placed one tiny hand on the mare’s face. She was forced to back up several steps until finally she lost her balance and plopped down on her bottom.

  Cherokee reached the rattler at the same time. He reared on his hind legs stomping the snake, once, twice, three times, killing it with his sharp hooves.

  The people in the wagon train did not see the snake and thought the horses were going to hurt Emily. Weapons out, the men raced toward the child to protect her. Several men fired their guns while running, but the shots we
nt wild. Sunee and Cherokee saw them coming, quickly turned and raced back toward the woods and safety.

  “Thank you, Jesus!” said the little girl’s mother, as she picked her up, hugging her to her breast, wild flowers flying everywhere. Both of them were crying. The men, looking around, saw a 6 foot Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake on the ground where Cherokee had been stomping.

  “Look, Joseph! Those horses killed a snake!” said John.

  John, the father of the child, stood in awe, as he looked at the bruised and torn body of the deadly reptile, and then after the horses.

  “I wonder why two wild horses protected our child, Martha,” he said to his wife. “Maybe they aren’t so wild after all. Suppose?”

  “It is a miracle,” she replied. “Tame or wild, I will always be grateful to those horses, and that you didn’t injure them with your guns!”

  “Let’s clean it and take it back for a meal. They are very good to eat. Tastes like chicken. I’m going to keep the rattles, too,” commented John. “Someday Emily might want them to remind her of her near death experience on her way out west.”

  He bent over, picked up the large reptile and followed the others back to camp.

  The sun was setting and the fall air turning cooler. The horses cantered toward the forest in companionable silence. Once they reached the edge of the trees, they slowed to a walk and entered the darkening woods. Their hooves caused the leaves to make crisp noises with each step. It was very pleasant indeed. They felt safe in the bosom of Mother Earth and the memories of Grandfather’s words.

  “We do have a uno ligo so, a partnership, don’t we?” asked Cherokee.

  “Yes, Cherokee,” answered Sunee. “I was just thinking the same thing. It is good that we decided to make thisjourney together. The Great Spirit has already given us his blessing, by putting us in this place and giving us the ability to save the small child.”

  “You protected her,” said Cherokee.

  “And you killed u tso nati,” responded Sunee.

  Sunee rubbed her nose on Cherokee’s shoulder affectionately.

  “Let’s thank the Great Spirit for his gifts and then rest. Perhaps we can follow the people again tomorrow,” she suggested.

  -7-

  Indians

  Cherokee and Sunee rose early and watched as the women cooked breakfast and the men saw to the hitching of the teams of horses and oxen. The day started early for the folks in the wagon train, too.

  Sunee observed that the women kept their children close, making sure they didn’t stray into rattlesnake infested territory. After breakfast, supplies were loaded and Joseph, the wagon master, called for them to start out.

  Cherokee noticed that the train was going in the direction his vision had shown him, so he and Sunee decided to follow at a distance.

  “Where do you suppose they are going?” asked Sunee.

  “I don’t know,” answered Cherokee, “But it’s nice to have them near. I like the sounds of people. And I like the children.”

  “Yes,” said Sunee. “I don’t want to think about serving man, but if it becomes necessary, I would like to be with people like those down there.”

  The wagon train moved out slowly. Joseph, the leader of the wagon train had a great responsibility trying to keep these families fed and moving on the right trails. He knew their journey would be a long one. They were headed for Oregon, but because of their late start, he also knew they would not reach their destination before winter overtook them. His first goal was to cross the Mississippi River when it was at its lowest. He thought perhaps they could winter at one of the forts or find a hospitable town where they could send their children to school, the men could work and the women could make further preparations for continuing on their long journey in the spring.

  As the ten wagons straightened out in a line he looked back to see that the two horses they had seen yesterday were following behind them at a discreet distance. He smiled, pleased that the horses considered them to be fit company.

  Cherokee and Sunee had no trouble following the wagon train. They could have moved faster on their own, but they enjoyed the speaking and singing sounds the wind carried to them. They enjoyed the sight and smells of their own kind. Sometimes the young wild horses would move to one side or the other of the train nibbling grass and taking in the new and unfamiliar sights and sounds and smells.

  When the wagon master stopped the train in early afternoon to let the animals rest briefly and graze, Cherokee and Sunee decided to go for a run to stretch their legs. They angled their direction, passing the left side of the wagon train at a gallop, racing up a hill. They wanted to see what was on the other side. Cherokee thought he smelled water and he wanted to check out his instincts.

  He was right. It was not a big lake, but the water was clear and cold. The horses walked to the water’s edge and bent their heads to take a drink.

  “This is the best water I’ve ever tasted, Cherokee,” said Sunee.

  “Yes,” agreed the young stallion. “Let’s go for a swim!”

  They jumped and played and splashed in the cold, deep water. When they tired, they scrambled out on the shore and shook themselves vigorously to get rid of the excess water. They grazed for a while on the abundant fall grass and then headed back toward the wagon train.

  “They’ve moved on already.” said Sunee.

  “Yes,” agreed Cherokee, “But they haven’t gone far. We will catch up.”

  They trotted up the first knoll, and looked down into a very beautiful valley. The trail wound down and around rock ledges and large trees. Cherokee could see a stream that probably fed the lake he and Sunee had just been swimming in.

  “Look,” said Cherokee. “There is the wagon train. Down there.”

  “I see it,” said Sunee. “Let’s go.”

  “Be careful!” warned Cherokee. “We do not know this trail. Some of it looks narrow and dangerous.”

  They traveled at a leisurely pace, confident that they would arrive at the wagon train before dusk.

  “Sunee,” said Cherokee. “I wonder if there are any spirit people out here.”

  “Do you mean like your friend, Nunne hi?” she asked.

  “Yes. I needed him very much when I was small. I know the Nunne hi help animals and are not supposed to be seen by people. What would that little girl have done with out us? Do you think Man has special spirits to help him?”

  “I don’t know, Cherokee,” said Sunee. “If they do, not even one was there to help the small girl. Maybe Asga ya galun Latí, the Great Spirit, used us as his helper this time.”

  “Perhaps,” mused Cherokee. “If that is so, we must always be ready to help him.”

  The sun was quickly slipping below the horizon as the two young horses came up over the last ridge. They looked down and saw the wagons circled with the horses and oxen turned loose in the center so they would not wander away during the night. The campfires were lit and supper smells drifted on the evening breeze.

  Cherokee watched the people, curious to know how they lived and what they did at certain times. His thoughts again turned to Wurteh and Tsa tsi, his Cherokee Indian friends and determined they were not all that different. People did chores and prepared food and talked and laughed and slept, whether they were Indian or like these people of the wagon train. He remembered, too, that Grandfather had told him that age is a measure of wisdom, a stage of life, the number of years you have lived means nothing. And he was proud to be learning!

  Sunee was most interested to see that one of the mares had a colt, probably born this past spring, if its size was any indication. She loved young ones very much, and wanted to make friends with the mare so she could get to know the colt.

  She would watch for an opportunity to do so in the future.

  The two wild horses slept a short distance fro
m the train, in a pine thicket. The needles from the trees muffled their footsteps as they walked. The warmth from the thicket made it comfortable to sleep. The folks in the wagon train were sound asleep. The twilight was eerily silent.

  Cherokee woke in the night to the sound of owls. Lifting his head, he saw that the moon was nearing full and the night sky was almost as bright as day. He listened to the whoo-whooing of the owls and to the whir of their wings as they hunted their night meal. He watched Sunee as she slept. Cherokee flicked his ears back and forth and caught the sounds of the wagon train animals stirring quietly. All was well, so he laid his head back down and slept again.

  Morning light slipped in through the trees, gently touching the eyes of the sleeping horses. Cherokee and Sunee stood up and shook themselves awake.

  “I wonder what our friends are doing?” asked Sunee.

  “I can hear them moving around,” answered Cherokee. “Let’s go and watch them get ready to travel.”

  The young horses walked from the shelter of the pines into the open spaces of the valley. They saw that all the wagons were hitched and ready to move out. One wagon had a cow tied to it and there were several dogs running around loose. The mare with the colt was not hitched today, but was tied to the back of the last wagon, her colt playing around her.

  It took a few minutes for the wagons to get properly lined up. Finally the last wagon, with the mare tied to it, started out, but the colt was slow to follow his mother. Sunee and Cherokee had moved quietly toward the wagon train in order to see and hear the people and sounds they liked. Suddenly the colt saw them out of the corner of his eye and quickly galloped after his mother. The two wild horses looked at each other, amused, that one of their own kind could find them a possible danger.

  The wagon train moved slowly, but steadily westward without a stop at midday. Suddenly, several Indian riders appeared on the horizon. Some of the outriders of the wagon train moved ahead to meet them and Cherokee trotted in for a closer look. The rest of the folks in the train stopped to await the outcome, a little fearful of the Indians.