Lizzy and the Rainmaker

by Matthew Holley

  It must have been nearly three hours since we left home. Luke and I followed Anamosa through dense woods, down steep valleys, up precipitous hills, and across open prairies. She appeared to know exactly where she was going and she was setting a relentless pace, staying several feet in front of me and Luke. She no longer acted like an old weak Indian woman, but more like a young girl on the first day of spring. I was admittedly growing a little weary, but Anamosa showed no signs of fatigue or slowing down, so I did my best to keep up. Maybe the excitement of finally going home drove her like a thirsty mare to water.

  “Lizzy, I need to tell you something,” Luke said as he helped me over a fallen tree which lay in our path.

  “What is it?”

  “Back at your place, when I was telling Sheriff Johnson about the accident with Ben Calhoun, I left a part out.”

  “Which part?”

  “The part where the Calhoun’s men tried to kill me.”

  “They tried to kill you?!”

  “When they saw that the sheriff’s brother was killed, one of them immediately pulled his pistol without saying a word and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. The gun didn’t fire. Then, I felt another pistol in the back of my head. I closed my eyes tight, waiting for the shot but all I heard was the click of the hammer.”

  “His pistol didn’t go off either?”

  “No, so they drug me to an oak tree behind the tavern, threw one end of a rope around one of the many thick limbs, tied the other end around my neck and proceeded to haul me high in the air, but as soon as I felt tension on the rope, the limb broke!”

  “You got to be kidding!”

  “I’m not! It happened just that way. A couple of Calhoun’s men were Mexican. They said something in Spanish about Diablo, made the sign of the cross across their chest, and ran away scared. That’s when the others, a little spooked, decided to throw me in the jail cell and wait till Sheriff Calhoun returned the next morning.”

  “I'd be spooked to. I kind of am now. How’d you escape?”

  “It was several hours into the night when I heard the lock on my jail cell door click open. I immediately looked but saw no one. So I walked to the cell door and pushed against it. It opened! I cautiously stepped out of my cell and tiptoed to the front room where I saw the jailhouse guard slumped over his desk snoring. So I continued to the front door and simply walked out. My guardian angel was watching over me that day!”

  “Your guardian angel,” I scoffed. “Please…there’s no such thing,”

  “You don’t believe in angels?”

  “Not anymore. They're just fairy tales for children and week-minded fools.”

  “Lizzy, you don’t really believe that, do you?”

  “With all my heart! What did you do next?” I said to change the subject because I started to see disappointment in Luke's eyes because I didn't believing in angels.

  “I ran. I ran for several days until I found myself in Stillwater. There I met you and your family. You know the rest.”

  We continued to follow Anamosa for several more hours until she finally stopped under a huge willow tree standing next to a river.

  “We sleep here tonight,” she said. “Luke, find wood and make fire. Lizzy, get water from river for cooking.”

  After we ate the bean soup Anamosa cooked up, we settled into our blankets around the fire for some much needed sleep. I hadn’t slept outside since I was a little girl when Billy and I use to camp in the back yard. We never stayed the entire night. Strange sounds in the night air always scared us back inside the cabin.

  Now, I had no cabin to run back to, but I had Luke. He looked so handsome in the glow of the fire with flickering shadows dancing across his face. I wondered if he found me equally handsome, then he smiled at me as if he was answering my very thought. I smiled back and laid my head down on my blanket and soon fell asleep from exhaustion. I dreamt of Ma, Grandma Viola, Billy, and Katie…and, of course, Pa.

  The next day, was filled with more travel as we followed the seemingly inexhaustible little Indian woman. Anamosa walked like some magical force was pulling her forward. She said very little as she treaded onward. I admire her tenacity and steadfastness and hoped I had half of what she did when I became her age.

  “How long do you reckon we have to stay gone,” I asked Luke.

  “Just until Sheriff Calhoun stops looking around for me.”

  “How long do you think that will be?”

  “I don’t know. It may be awhile, but you don’t have to stay with me. You can go back home whenever you want.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “Of course, not. I never want you to leave me, but I don’t want to be selfish. Your ma didn’t want you to leave her.”

  “She understood. I miss her, but I can’t be away from you.”

  “I’m glad you came. I hate that I put us in this situation, but I’m glad you're here with me.”

  “You didn’t put us in this situation. It was an accident. Everything will work out, you’ll see.”

  “This coming from someone who supposedly lost her faith.”

  “I believe in you!”

  That evening, Anamosa found a spot near a small pond to camp. We ate more bean soup and settled around the fire Luke had built.

  “Anamosa, when’s the last time you seen your family?” Luke asked.

  “I go for my father’s funeral ten years ago.”

  “Why didn’t you stay?”

  “It was not time to stay. The Great Spirit tell me in dream, he would say to me when it time to go home. Three nights past, he tell me it was time to go. He told me to bring Luke with me and his mate. You his mate, yes, Lizzy?”

  I blushed at the notion of being called Luke’s mate. So did Luke.

  “Anyways…,” I said, “do you have family left?”

  “Oh yes, my mother, two sisters, and two brothers. My oldest brother, Koi, he the chief of village.

  “How big is your village?”

  “Small village, maybe thirty.”

  “That is small! Why so small?”

  “My father wanted peaceful tribe. He say no stealing from white man and no killing unless one’s life or life of family in danger. Many young men want to fight the white man. They leave and go to other village who will fight. Many die fighting white man.”

  “Are you excited to go home and see your family?”

  “Yes, very excited, very happy.”

  “Did the Great Spirit tell you how long we would have to stay with your tribe?”

  Anamosa became noticeably nervous and started fidgeting with her blanket.

  “We sleep, now, yes?”

  “Anamosa, you’re keeping something from us. What is it?”

  “I sleep now,” she said as she attempted to get under her blanket.

  “Anamosa! What are you not telling us?” I asked very sternly.

  Reluctantly, she sat back up and looked sorrowful at us.

  “I have dream. Soon, White Spirit Horse will come down and take one of us to next life.”

  “When? Which one of us?” Luke asked in earnest.

  “I don’t know. Dream not clear. Now, I sleep.”

  Sleep? How did she expect me to sleep after what she just said? But then I reminded myself I didn’t believe in such foolishness. There was no Great Spirit and there was no God. God was supposed to be full of love and compassion, not possess the kind of cruelty it took to take a little girl’s father from her. Surely, this world was run by fate…with no one at the reigns. It was the only explanation I had for my Pa dying. I fell asleep thinking about how my life would have been different if Pa was still alive.

  Early the next day we continued on our journey. Anamosa informed us we should arrive at her village before sunset. I noticed the closer we got to her people, the faster she seemed to move. Her feet appeared to float over the ground. It took all Luke and I had to keep up with her. I suppose I would also be as anxious and excited to see my family as she
was after years of not seeing them.

  Suddenly Anamosa stopped, looked back over her shoulder pass Luke and I, and motioned for us to be quiet. Luke and I froze as she appeared to be listening for something. After a few second, she quickly came to us.

  “Someone follows us. We hide in bushes and wait.”

  “Sheriff Calhoun?” I asked fearfully.

  “No, someone on foot…someone alone.”

  I don’t know how she was able to deduce so much about the person following us. I guessed it was because she was Indian. I’ve heard a lot of remarkable stories from folks in town about how well Indian’s tracking abilities were. I realized now those stories weren’t exaggerated.

  We hid in some tall bushes for several minutes when I heard someone coming through the thickets. I held my breath in anticipation of who would appear. I hoped it would be anyone other than Sheriff Calhoun or one of his men.

  Out into the clearing walked an Indian man who looked to be in his early twenties. I thought Anamosa's plan was to remain hidden in the bushes until he passed, but she had a different plan. She busted out of the bushes and confronted the young man. His eyes grew wide in surprise and he didn’t know whether to stay or run.

  She began to yell in her native tongue right in the face of the scared young man. Every time he would take a step back from Anamosa, she would take a step forward staying in his face, continuing her rant. Finally, she stopped screaming and the obviously frightened Indian ran back into the thickets from where he had previously emerged. Anamosa motioned for us to come out from our hiding place and we began heading for her village once again.

  “Hold on, Anamosa, what just happened? Who was he? What did you say to him that scared him so much?” I asked.

  “He outcast…how you say?.. A bad apple. He must do something bad to offend his people. He branded with “the mark” on his neck to tell everyone he is bad man and deserves not to be Indian. He will be rejected by his people till day White Spirit Horse come down and take him to his judgment.”

  “Why was he following us?”

  “Don’t know.”

  “I wonder what he did.”

  “Don’t know… something bad. Now, he must survive alone.”

  “How?”

  “Many outcasts must swallow pride. They seek white man to trade with. They trade furs, fish, meats, information, or anything they have the white man want for what they need.”

  “What did you say to him that scared him so bad?” Luke asked.

  “I lie. I tell him I evil spirit and if he don’t stop following me, I will make all his hair fall out his head. Indian men so vain,” Anamosa said with a smirk.

  We continued on our journey for several more hours. I began to notice that Anamosa’s already quick pace was getting faster. I could tell her excitement was rising which could only mean one thing, we were getting close. Just as I had speculated, we walked into a clearing that revealed a wide flat-topped hill several yards away. Visible, on top of this hill were some tepees with thin columns of smoke creeping out of the top of a few. I heard a strange yelp coming from somewhere through the woods to the right of us followed by a repetitive call from the hilltop. They knew we were here. Soon several Indians were standing on the hillside looking down at us.

  Anamosa continued forward and hollered something in her native tongue at the Indians on top of the hill. A woman’s shriek was heard atop the hill. The Indian line separated allowing a woman through who began running towards us. Anamosa began running towards her until they met in an emotional embrace of smiles and tears. Soon others came down the hill side to embrace Anamosa and welcome her home. Together, they all started up the hill as Anamosa motioned for us to follow. I admit I was a little apprehensive about walking into an Indian village, but I trusted Anamosa and I had Luke beside me.

  Chapter 12