Grizzly Killer: Under The Blood Moon

by Lane R Warenski

  When Zach stood and turned around he saw Butterfly down on her knees with her arms around Jimbo. He walked over to them and she stood up. Then she looked up at him and said, “It seems every time we meet you are saving me.”

  Zach smiled and said, “My heart is glad I have been able to. We are family now.” She smiled at that and Jimbo moved his head under her hand and she started to rub his ears again.

  The dancing lasted well into the night then slowly the crowd started to thin out as tiredness overcame them and they went to their lodges for sleep. Zach was sore and tired from his wound and the fight, and as he lay down with Sun Flower and Shining Star, he was asleep at once.

  He woke with the sky turning gray through the smoke hole. It was still early and he was enjoying the feel of his wives next to him. As he tried to move he winced as the stiffness and movement of his muscles pulled at the healing cut along his ribs.

  It wasn’t long before he heard Running Wolf and Raven Wing getting a fire going. Shining Star and Sun Flower slid out from under the robe, slipped their doe skin dresses on and went out to help. He lay there for a little while longer then very carefully stood and got dressed. As he stepped out, the sun was up and Jimbo was waiting for him with a questioning look. Since Zach was usually the first one up Jimbo figured something was wrong, but as Jimbo came up to his master and Zach spoke and rubbed his ears, Jimbo wagged his tail knowing everything was right with the world now.

  This day was spent in camp visiting friends and family. Bear Heart and White Feather came over and spent the day with their daughters and getting to know Zach and Running Wolf better. White Feather told Shining Star that she felt she now had three daughters instead of just two. Spotted Elk and Butterfly came by so Butterfly could spend time with Shining Star getting to know her. Besides resupplying for another year the Rendezvous was the social event of the year for the Indians and trappers alike.

  Several trappers that hadn’t been in on the battle the day before came by to congratulate

  Zach on killing Thunder Cloud as he was one of the worst enemies of the trappers in the north country as well.

  Then, about midafternoon with a just a slight breeze and bright blue sky making a right pleasant day there was a big boom just to the south west that shook the trees.

  A Cannon

  Zach saddled Ol’ Red and Running Wolf his chestnut. With worried looks on the women’s faces they headed southwest. Spotted Elk soon joined them and a couple minutes later, Two Feathers and Weasel came from the Ute camp and the five of them made their way toward where the explosion-like sound had come from.

  It wasn’t long before they could see groups of trappers gathered and everyone seemed to be happy. Just then Ely Tucker came riding over and yelled that Ashley had come in and brought a cannon with him. Zach had heard tell of cannons before on ships at sea and during the wars with England but he had never seen one or heard the boom of one being shot. Running Wolf, Spotted Elk, Two Feathers, and Weasel had no idea what a cannon was or what this all meant.

  Zach explained a cannon was just a great big gun, but they had to go see it to understand what he was saying. When they got to where William Ashley was setting up his camp, there were a large group of trappers standing around the cannon. One was heard saying, “I can’t believe it, wheels made it to the Rocky Mountains.” And indeed this was the first time anything with wheels had come to the Rockies.

  There was another group of men over by a tree that was down and Zach with his friends walked over to them. Clay Sanders was with them and he turned to Zach and said, “Quite a way to tell us he’s here ain’t it, blowin’ a tree all ta hell with a cannon!”

  Running Wolf and the Indians with him looked with amazement at the damage done then walked over to look at the cannon. General Ashley came up to Zach and said, “Zach Connors, I keep hearing you called Grizzly Killer no matter where I go out here. That must have been quite a fight you were in yesterday. I hardly got off my horse this morning when I heard all about it.”

  Zach just said, “We were just helpin’ ol’ friends.” Jimbo came up behind General Ashley and when the General saw him he jumped and said, “I think that dog of yours keeps getting bigger! He could scare the devil himself.” Zach just smiled and rubbed Jimbo’s ears for a minute.

  Ashley asked how the trapping was and Zach grinned and said, “Just as good as last year.” Ashley replied, “We’ll be ready first thing tomorrow.” Zach nodded, they shook hands and he walked over to Running Wolf and the others.

  Running Wolf asked him what the purpose was of a gun so big that a man couldn’t carry it, that it had to be pulled behind a horse. Zach thought for a while trying to find words to explain white men’s warfare to these Indians that were his closest friends and family. He realized they had never seen or even heard tell of a ship at sea. They had never heard of the barges on the big rivers or the huge river boats. They had never even seen a wagon or the wheels that carry the wagons. They had no idea how many white men there are in the world where the sun rises to the east. How could he- Zach Connors, now known as Grizzly Killer explain all this to the Ute and Shoshone people when he had not seen or been part of most of it himself?

  Yes, he had been in Saint Louis, and he had seen wagons that carried the families and supplies from the East coast to the frontier where he was born and raised. He had even ridden on a heavy cargo barge as he and his Pa crossed the mighty Mississippi, but how was he to explain a cannon to these people that had no concept of a modern war, or of the endless oceans and the ships that carry a hundred men at one time, who shoot the cannons trying to sink one another or the mighty forts that have cannons to protect the outer walls?

  The more he thought about trying to explain the reason for a cannon he realized just how different these Indian peoples lives were. They didn’t have books or a written word, their history was told word of mouth through the storytellers passed from one generation to another. They knew nothing of the world outside of their own territory and did not understand why all people did not believe as they did.

  Oh, they knew war and battles with their hated enemies, they fought for pride, a favored hunting ground or for revenge. They fought for the taking of slaves and captives to strengthen their own tribe by bringing in new blood lines. Their battles were fierce and bloody and their captives could be treated with such cruelty that the white man could never understand. But they did not understand fighting for the taking of land or for taxes, for the Indians didn’t believe the land belonged to any one person but that all people belonged to the land.

  The long range wars in which cannons were used were something they had never seen before so they could not understand. He knew it had only been a few short years since most of the Indian people had first seen a gun, but now most all of them accepted the muskets and rifles as a part of life and he knew the cannon would be the same. As more white men came west the army was sure to follow.

  As they walked their horses back toward their own camp he tried to explain to Running Wolf and the others that a cannon was made to give an advantage in battle. Like an Indian getting a faster horse or a stronger bow that will shoot further. He told them the makers of guns are always trying to give an advantage in battle by making bigger guns that shoot further and do more damage when they hit. Running Wolf nodded as though he understood but he still had a troubled, questioning look and was in silent thought as they rode into their camp.

  The rest of that day was spent in camp sorting the furs they were to trade and making a few adjustments to the packs they had made to carry the barrels they would fill with flour, sugar, corn meal, and baking powder, to keep it all clean and dry. Many of the Flat Head Indians that were camped a few miles to the west came to see the scalp of Thunder Cloud and marvel at the strong medicine of Grizzly Killer for the Blackfeet were enemies of theirs as well.

  There were a few Hudson Bay men at the Rendezvous and they had an unsettled relationship with some of the Blackfeet, Pigeon and Bloods. They were concer
ned the killing of Thunder Cloud by a white man would hurt their keeping peace and trapping in the lands to the north. But even they were afraid of Thunder Cloud and although worried about their future in the north, they were glad to see Thunder Cloud gone under.

  The next morning Zach was up early. Sun Flower and Shining Star removed the bandage covering the cut along his ribs and heated water to wash off the poultice. Shining Star smiled and said, “It is good medicine but now the cut needs to dry.” Sun Flower just nodded and helped him into his Buckskin shirt.

  They ate a quick breakfast of boiled deer and started to load the plews onto the pack horses. While they were getting all the plews loaded the three women went into their lodges and when they came out Zach and Running Wolf just stared. All three of them were in new, almost white dresses trimmed with the three colors of trade-cloth they still had from last year. Sun Flower in yellow, Shining Star in red and Raven Wing in Blue. They each had a white weasel tail tied into the left side of their hair and a reddish tint rubbed into their cheeks. Zach had thought before there couldn’t be three more beautiful girls in the entire world but as he stared at them now he thought they just keep getting more beautiful all the time. Raven Wing smiled and said, “If you two don’t close your mouths the flies will fly in.”

  They all mounted up and with 247 plews made their way towards the trading tents. As they passed by other camps most of the trappers stared just like Zach and Running Wolf had at the beauty of these three Indian women as they passed by.

  As they approached Ashley’s trading area, Henry Clayson and his men were just finishing weighing in their plews. Henry walked over to Zach and said, “Have you seen the prices they’re charging for supplies? Why, you have to have a mighty good season just to get by one more year.”

  Just then, one of Henry’s men came up and said, “This ain’t right, we either get supplies for another year or get some whisky and trade goods, but at these prices we cain’t do both.”

  Zach could hear others grumbling about the high prices and he walked over to the clerk and checked on many of the items he needed most. Indeed, the prices were much higher than last year, two or three times what they had paid just a year ago. But the price paid for the furs had stayed the same at three dollars a pound. Flour and sugar had gone from fifty cents a pound to a dollar. Gun Powder went from one dollar to a dollar fifty. Coffee was now one dollar twenty-five a pound while three point blankets were twelve dollars each. Watered down whisky was four dollars a pint and tobacco three dollars a pound.

  He could see right off what the trappers were grumbling about. He had thought he was being robbed by the mountain prices that he paid last year. But like the rest of the trappers he didn’t have a choice. Since last year Ashley had sold Rocky Mountain Fur to Smith, Jackson and Sublette and these were the prices of goods that had been agreed upon. Most of these men had no idea of the expenses involved in getting over 300 fully loaded mules nearly 1500 miles over rough wilderness from Saint Louis to Rendezvous. Even at the prices they were charging for these supplies the firm of Smith, Jackson and Sublette made a profit that year of only $247.00.

  Soon it was Zach and Running Wolf’s turn to weigh in their plews. They had 346 pounds giving them a total of $1038.00. Zach wanted to secure their supplies early for there were more trappers and Indians here than at last year’s Rendezvous and he knew the supplies were limited. They picked up 250 pounds of Flour, 100 of cornmeal, 100 of sugar, 50 of coffee, 20 of baking powder, 100 of lead, 50 of gun powder and 8 blankets. Just that came to a staggering $823.50 and they still needed flints, a few replacement traps and sewing awls. He also wanted another cooking pot, a couple of new knives and some trade-cloth, along with some beads, brass rings and hoops for the girls.

  Last year he had left $608.00 dollars on the books that he had General Ashley deposit in a bank in Saint Louis for him but this year he figured it would take the entire year’s work just to resupply. He wondered what the future would bring. Would the prices soon make it so trapping wasn’t profitable any longer? He knew he was making enough money to be considered a rich man but it was costing all he was making to resupply. Still, he knew that he and his family were living mighty good for being this far into the wilderness and would still live well even without the supplies from back east. The flour, sugar, coffee, and the rest were luxuries that they enjoyed but it would not change the way they lived their lives without them. Anyway, he thought, what good does money do in a bank in Saint Louis if we never go back there?

  They picked up the rest of what they needed and wanted and with what was left they bought tobacco, beads and cloth to use as gifts or trade goods for the Indians. They had nothing left on the books when they left the trading area but they were well supplied for another year in the shining mountains.

  More men were gathering at the trading area now as Zach, Running Wolf and their three women got loaded up. Still, many of the trappers just stared at the beauty of Sun Flower, Raven Wing and Shining Star dressed in their finery with smiles on their faces. Some of the trappers made big bows as the women passed by. They were maybe a mile from the trading area when they came upon a group of trappers they had never seen before. It was plain they were drunk and still drinking from the night before. One very big burly trapper in dirty, greasy buckskins turned around and just stared for a minute at Sun Flower as the group approached them. He walked right out in front of her roan and took hold of the rein, bringing the horse to a stop. Looking up at her with blood shot eye’s he asked, “Just how much would a purty little thing like you cost me?”

  Zach hit the ground just as Jimbo attacked. Running Wolf had his rifle up and pointed at the group and, as one man stepped forward to help his friend, Raven Wing shot an arrow into the ground right between his legs. That stopped him in his tracks.

  Zach called Jimbo off and the giant dog stopped his attack but stood over the big burley trapper as Zach walked over to him and reached down to help him up. His arm was covered with blood from the bite marks where Jimbo had bit the hand that had held the reins. He had a look of anger and hatred in his eyes as he came to his feet. Zach spoke softly as he said, “My wife will be wantin’ an apology now.”

  The trapper, with a snarl on his lips replied, “I ain’t ‘pologizin’ to some stinkin’ Injun whore.” There were few men that were bigger than Zach but this trapper was. He was a mountain of a man with long matted black hair and full black beard. Zach moved with such speed the man never even saw the rock-hard fist coming.

  Zach’s first punch was to his middle doubling him over and the upper-cut that followed lifted the big man clear off the ground. He landed flat on his back with arms and legs out like he was staked to the ground with his face a bloody mess.

  Zach stood over him for only a minute seeing he was out cold then walked over to the others that were with him and said, “When he wakes up tell ‘em the only reason he’s alive is I figure he’s too drunk to know better and my wife will still be wantin’ that apology.” One in the group said, “Who are you? I never saw anybody even knock Bull down before!”

  “My name is Zach Connors. They call me Grizzly Killer.” The group was suddenly silent and Zach just turned and walked back to Ol’ Red. Sun Flower was smiling at him as he climbed on Red and they continued on to camp.

  After they had their supplies stored Sun Flower came up to him and asked, “Will that big man cause more trouble?” Zach put his arm around her and told her, “After he sobers up he will see he was wrong and that should be the end of it.”

  Shining Star walked up to them and said, “You are wrong my husband. A man like that has done as he pleases his whole life, no one has ever beat him before. You made him look small to his friends and he will want revenge for the beating he took, but mostly because he is now afraid of you and a man like that can’t stand being afraid of anyone.”

  Zach looked into the eyes of Shining Star and reached out to her saying, “I hope you are wrong, my love.” She smiled and hugged both Grizzly Kill
er and Sun Flower saying, “I hope I am wrong, but I fear I am not. I fear you will have to kill that man one day.”

  Never Learning Respect

  Zach, Sun Flower and Shining Star spent most of that day in camp doing daily chores and making plans for the rest of the summer. About midday they took a long walk along the lake shore. Soon they walked past the place where just a year ago Zach and Sun Flower had first made love and it brought back pleasant memories for him, being the first time he had ever been with a woman. Now he had two wives, two beautiful women holding his hands as they walked along the beach. He couldn’t imagine his life any other way.

  They came to a small promontory with some large rocks out on the end of it. Zach sat down on a rock and Sun Flower lifted her dress up over her head and walked out into the clear cool waters of Sweet Lake. With a big smile on her face, Shining Star followed and turned to Zach and said, “Are you not coming too, my husband?” He stripped out of his buckskins as Shining Star walked back to him reaching for his hand. The cut was still sore and stiff along his ribs but had closed up nicely. He figured the stitches that Ely had sewed the cut together with would be ready to come out in another two or three days.

  In water just up past their waists they laughed and played and washed each other for the better part of an hour. Just about the time they were ready to get out, Running Wolf and Raven Wing showed up and joined them. Zach climbed up the rock he had sat on and let the warm afternoon sun dry him and then dressed as he watched the people dearest to him enjoy the cool water.

  Jimbo was staying well away from them as they were in the water for he could remember well the warm springs and the scrubbing he received just a few days before. Although getting in water on his own terms didn’t seem to bother him, he didn’t like being forced in and then scrubbed clean. After Zach was fully dressed again Jimbo came up to the rock his master was on and sat down by his side.