Puma Son of Mountain Lion

by Dicksion, William Wayne

  The Apache, realizing he was being stalked, turned to get his horse just in time to see the butt of Sage’s six-shooter. Sage had come up from behind so quietly that the Apache had no idea he was in danger. Puma had not seen his father, but he knew he was there. Puma rode Lightning in at a full run and arrived just in time to help his father bind the now reviving Apache.

  Sage threw the Apache over Puma’s saddle and said, “Take him to the wagon.”

  Puma rode to the wagon with the now conscious enemy, and then dragged him off the horse, out of sight of anyone who might be watching from the ridge. He called out to the Mexicans and asked, “Do any of you speak Apache?”

  A man called Toro said, “When I was a child, my mother and I were taken captive by the Apaches. They worked my mother to death. I spent two long years with them and pretended to be one of them until I got a chance to escape. I can speak their language, but they have a reputation for not talking.”

  Puma said, “Ask him if he was alone.”

  “He won’t tell you anything simply because you ask him,” Toro replied. “You have to go about it another way. You could cut his heart out, and he still won’t tell you, but I can tell you all you need to know. He is the son of a chief. They are here to kill us. They’ll take the women captive and steal the animals.”

  “How do you know that he is the son of a chief?” Sage asked.

  “See the necklace he is wearing?” Toro said. “Those are eagle claws. That is a mark of status. Only the son of a chief wears a necklace like that. His whole tribe will be after us, and they won’t let up until they get him back.”

  “Do you think he was alone?” Sage asked.

  “No, he was not alone,” Toro said. “They never scout alone. There were at least two others with him. He’s part of a large band. They know he’s missing by now, and they’ll find our tracks. One of them is probably watching us right now while the other has gone to tell the rest of their party where we are, and that we have taken the chief’s son prisoner. They will attack before dark. I suggest we prepare to defend ourselves.”

  Sage thought for a moment and said, “It seems to me that we have three choices: We can kill him and leave him in the desert for them to find, we can hold him for security, or we can turn him loose.”

  With tears in her eyes, Juanita said, “These are the people who killed my mother and father. I don’t think we should turn him loose. They’ll kill us if they get a chance.”

  Sage looked tenderly at Juanita and replied, “I understand how you feel. The Comanche killed my mother and father. I hunted them down and killed them.” He handed his gun to Juanita and said, “We’ll understand, if you shoot him.”

  “No, I can’t do that!” Juanita cried. “Mother and Father were killed more than 20 years ago. This man is not that old. He couldn’t have done it, but his people did. I would like to avenge my parents, but I can’t kill him.”

  Sage said, “I guess that settles it. We can’t kill him, and we can’t turn him loose—so the only thing left for us to do is to hold him for security. He’s going to be a lot of trouble. Someone is going to have to watch him day and night.”

  “I don’t want to watch him,” Toro said, shaking his head violently. “I had to watch them work my mother to death. I’m afraid I’d kill him if I were left alone with him. Let me fight them on their own ground, but don’t ask me to watch over this one.”

  Sage nodded. “We’ve all suffered at the hands of bad Indians, but they aren’t all bad. Some I’ve met have been good men. They, too, have suffered. If they attack, we’ll have to fight them, but I hope we can get to El Paso without anyone getting killed. All we want to do is travel down the Rio Grande. We’re not harming anyone, and we will not allow anyone to harm us. Toro, if you’ll translate, I’ll try to talk to their chief. Perhaps we can work this out in a way that no one will have to die.”

  “Yes,” Toro said. “I can translate for you, but I don’t think it will do any good. We have much in this wagon that they want besides the chief’s son.”

  Sage replied, “I know what you mean. All right, let’s move out. It’s still a three-day journey to El Paso, and that’s the closest place where we’ll be secure. There are soldiers there, but these Apaches will probably attack us before we get there. At the first sign of attack, I want you to tie your horses to the wagons, and then get into the fortress wagon. We’ll hope the horses won’t be stolen, but before you get into the wagon, give the prisoner food and water and then tie him to one of the wheels, so the other Apaches can see him. Bind him securely, but don’t harm him. If they know we can kill him anytime we want, they might be willing to negotiate for his release.”

  “I’ll watch him,” Puma said. “And I’ll make sure he doesn’t get away.” He said to Toro, “Tell him he won’t be hurt unless he tries to escape, but if he tries to escape, I’ll shoot him.”

  As Toro translated, the Apache looked at Puma with contempt. Toro said, “I don’t think he believes you.”

  “You tell him if he tries to escape, I’ll make a believer out of him. I agree with Father. There are some good Apaches, but I don’t think this is one of them.”

  With the hostage tied securely, and with Puma watching him, they continued down the river; the outriders stayed close. Everyone’s eyes scanned the desert. There was a good chance that the first warning they would get was when one of them was shot with an arrow.

  Sage took the lead, alert for the slightest indication of anything unusual. They stayed away from the river where there was less coverage for the Apaches. Sage knew that their most precious cargo was Juanita and Carmen. Carmen was just a girl, but to the Apaches she was a woman, and she would bring a lot of money. Juanita was a beautiful woman, and they would use her badly before they sold her. There was no way Sage was going to allow his wife and daughter to fall into the hands of these savages.

  Puma was in the wagon with Juanita and Carmen guarding the prisoner. He knew he was their last line of defense, but Juanita and Carmen were both armed and well trained.

  Puma had committed himself; the Apaches would never get by him as long as he was alive. He remembered Evening Star dying in his arms, and he vowed, “That will never happen here if I can stop it.” He was superbly trained in the use of his guns or his ax or his knife. Puma would use his ax and his knife for close-up fighting, but first, the enemy would have to get by his rifle and his six-shooters.

  The prisoner was watching Puma with a sneer. Puma backhanded him across the mouth; that wiped the sneer off his face. Carmen and Juanita each stood at one of the slits that had been cut into the sides of the wagon for the purpose of firing rifles from. The sides were constructed of heavy boards allowing the one doing the firing to remain secure. Both watched for signs of attackers; they were armed and ready with defiance on their faces—they would not be taken easily.

  It was evening, and night was coming. Sage led the wagons to the river. They and their animals needed water, and the river would provide some protection. Sage didn’t want the Apaches to use the vegetation by the river for concealment, so he found a spot as free of vegetation as possible and called a halt. The men tended the animals, and then built a fire for cooking. Juanita and Carmen went to the river to bathe. Sage kept watch nearby while Puma watched upriver, and Toro watched downriver.

  After the women refreshed themselves, they cooked their food. They were just completing their meal when both Sage and Puma saw movement among the boulders just beyond arrow range. None of the others had noticed anything amiss. Sage led Juanita and Carmen to the wagon and told them to dress for trouble and stay inside the wagon. He then led the prisoner outside, where he and Puma tied him to the wagon wheel and built a fire in front of him so those wanting to rescue him would be able to see him. They knew the enemy was hiding in the rocks where they could keep an eye on their chief’s son.

  The Mexicans, seeing what Sage and Puma were doing, were immediately alerted and they, too, prepared to defend the wagon.

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sp; Sage called Toro and asked him to tell the enemy to show themselves. Sage said, “Tell them they will not be harmed if they do not try to harm us. Tell them we want to negotiate for the release of the prisoner.”

  The Apaches were astonished that the travelers had become aware of their presence so quickly, and that there was someone among them that could speak their language. They wondered what kind of people these were, and they remained hidden, trying to figure out what they should do. The leader of the Apaches didn’t want to have to explain to the chief how his son was killed. Sage directed Toro to tell the Apaches, “If you attack, we will kill the prisoner. We know he is the son of the chief. All we want is to pass through in peace.”

  The leader of the Apaches called out with a threat, “We can kill all of you anytime we want. Why should we trade with you?”

  “We will not die easily,” Toro yelled, “and before we die, we will kill the prisoner. If you want him alive, you’ll have to agree to let us continue our journey in peace. We will keep him as security until we reach El Paso. We know you can attack at anytime, but if you do, many of you will die and we will kill the chief’s son.”

  The leader of the war party called back, “How do we know that he is unharmed?”

  Toro answered, “We will remove the cover from his face. You can ask him yourself, but remember we know your words. Try to deceive us, and he will die.”

  Puma crawled under the wagon, got behind the prisoner and removed the cover from his head, then placed a thin, leather strap around the prisoner’s neck and had Toro tell him in his own language, “If you answer wrongly, I’ll cut your head off with this leather strap.” The prisoner understood, and there was no mistaking the tone in Puma’s voice as he jerked the strap tight.

  The leader called out and asked the prisoner if he had been harmed. The arrogant prisoner did not reply until Puma pressed the point of his knife a fraction of an inch into his ribs. Flinching from the pain, the Apache replied, “I am unharmed so far.”

  Toro told the leader, “You can examine him for yourself. You will not be harmed, and you will not be taken prisoner.”

  “Tell him I will meet him halfway,” Sage said. “We will both be exposed to harm. Tell him I will remain in the open while he examines the prisoner.”

  Toro interpreted, and Sage stepped into the open. He stood exposed to arrows for some time before the leader of the Apaches appeared. When the Apache leader stepped forward, Sage began walking toward him. They met halfway, each taking the measure of the other for a moment, and then the Apache walked on to the wagon to examine the prisoner.

  On his way back, the Apache and Sage again met in the open. Nothing was said, but an understanding passed between them, and the Apache returned to his hiding place. Sage return to the safety of the wagon, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

  Puma fed the prisoner and gave him a blanket. The look that passed between Puma and the Apache left no doubt in the prisoner’s mind about who was in charge. The Apache knew he was facing a man of exceptional courage and determination.

  The wagon was crowded; some men kept watch while the others slept. They would be rested and ready to travel when sunlight returned to the desert. The Apache slept among the boulders. They, too, were ready to travel at sunrise.

  Chapter 17

  El Paso

  The first day and the first night passed without incident. On the morning of the second day, Sage took a half side of beef and left it where he knew the Apache would be watching. After he rode away, the Indians picked up the beef and waved a salute.

  In the afternoon of the third day the party had the fort at El Paso in sight. They released their prisoner and watched as he rejoined his group. The Apaches stood watching the travelers as they proceeded into the fort. An act of exceptional courage had prevented a serious incident. They were all proud of Sage. Puma was again able to see why the people of his village had referred to his father as “the great warrior.”

  El Paso was a bustling Mexican town with many businesses, hotels, and cantinas. Sage and his party placed their wagons and animals in the care of a livery stable owner and Sage registered the entire party in the best hotel in town. It was great to get a hot bath, eat good food served in a cantina, and sleep in a regular bed.

  On the Texas side of the river, law was maintained by local law enforcement officers and by the Texas Rangers. There was an American army base with a large presence of military personnel assigned to it. On the Mexican side of the river, the law was enforced by the Federalist.

  It left no doubt that a war was brewing. Sage didn’t want his party to get involved, so he registered with both the army and the Texas Rangers. The army advised him to stay on the American side of the river and be on the lookout for bandits operating all along the river. Both the Mexicans and the Americans were patrolling the border regularly. The officer-in-charge of the army base issued Sage a letter of authorization to travel, should they get stopped by an American military patrol.

  They remained as guests of the hotel, rested, and bought fresh supplies they would have liked to stay longer, but they were eager to get to the Gulf before hostilities erupted. After only a few days in El Paso, they continued their journey.

  They rolled on day after day through mesquite, cacti, and scrub brush. They traveled through barren terrain of dry sand and rocks. They saw rugged, craggy mountains, shrouded with blue haze in the distance.

  With so many military men on both sides of the river, the Indians kept their distance. The question of who had the right to the use of this land had been in dispute for hundreds of years. Both the Comanche and the Apaches had ridden this land. There had been open hostilities between them for centuries. The Spaniards came in the fifteenth century looking for gold and silver. They found a little of both and used the Indians as laborers, trading religion for labor. In time, the Indians rebelled and drove them out, but they returned with an army and prevailed. These early settlers left Catholic missions scattered around the area. When they tried to settle the land and raise cattle, they were driven away. The ones who succeeded did so by intermarrying with the Indian women. From this mixture came a proud people who called themselves “Mexicans.”

  Sage’s party traveled for weeks through wild and beautiful land, dry and barren in places, but in other places there were streams and verdant valleys. They saw a few Indians, but the Indians just watched them for a time and decided this party was too well-armed and dangerous to try to raid, so they left them alone. They saw military patrols on both sides of the river. On a few occasions, the U.S. Cavalry stopped and talked to them, wanting to know what they had seen.

  At times, they stopped at the Catholic Missions for short respites from the rigors of travel. Juanita and Carmen especially enjoyed these stops. It gave them a chance for a bath and a night in a bed.

  At last the land began to flatten out. The river was moving slowly and quietly. The days were getting hotter, and the sun was bearing down hard on the travelers. Some of the Mexicans had made this journey before. They told Sage and his group that they were getting near the ocean.

  This journey had been a wonderful learning experience for Puma and Carmen. Puma had seen things that he had no idea existed before he left his village. He was learning a real lesson in the geography and history of a land that none of the people in his village had ever heard of. He was looking forward to seeing the great expanse of water that the Mexicans had been telling him about.

  As they approached the ocean and the end of their trek, they saw more and more people living along the river. They passed a town with many businesses and hotels. The Mexicans no longer felt secure on the American side of the river. They were concerned about the large number of American military personnel patrolling the area.

  Before they reached the ocean, they arrived at the last town on the American side of the river, where the army had established a base. Sage reported to Colonel Hamilton, the commanding officer. He was a big, friendly man who had graduated from West Poi
nt. He recommended that Sage and his family find lodging in a hotel, and then get passage on one of the many ships leaving the harbor.

  Colonel Hamilton said, “There’s a three-masthead schooner about ready to sail. Perhaps you can obtain passage. Its destination is Virginia. It’s not a passenger ship—it’s a schooner on a shakedown cruise. They should have ample accommodations for you and your family. I’ll have some of my men escort the Mexicans in your party to a spot where they can safely cross the river.” Then he said, “I’ll buy all of your horses and mules; the army needs all the animals it can get.”

  Sage released the Mexicans and gave them enough money to see them through to their destination and get them settled in their new land. Sage and his family said good-bye and told them that there would always be a spot for them at the McBain Ranch, if they ever decided to return to Santa Fe.

  Sage then turned to the colonel and said, “Colonel Hamilton, we have horses of exceptional quality. You might like to look at them yourself. They are a cross between the Arabian and the mustang. They have the speed of the Arabian and the endurance of the mustang.”

  “Sounds interesting. Yes, I’d like to see these horses,” he replied. They walked outside and after examining the horses, the colonel, said, “These are exceptional animals. I’ll pay you top dollar for them.”

  Puma exclaimed, “Dad, I can’t sell Lightning!”

  “We can’t take her with us,” Sage explained. “We’ll be traveling on a ship for days.”

  “I still can’t sell her.” Puma turned to the colonel and said, “Lightning is the fastest horse I have ever seen. I will give her to you, if you will take good care of her. Someday I will return, and when I do, I want her back.”

  “She is beautiful,” Colonel Hamilton replied. “I’ll personally give her the very best care. Puma, I’ll ask General Zachary Taylor to write a letter of recommendation for enrollment at West Point. You will make a fine officer some day, and the army is going to need men like you. When we next meet, I will return Lightning to you.” He extended his hand to Puma. “This will be a gentleman’s agreement.”