by J. R. WRIGHT
That night after dark, Chaska, Bright Moon, Tom Too, and the three girls quietly left the village, each on their own horse and each leading a pack mule or two. The plan was to deliver the rifles to the cave, and then go on to the Tea Cup for the visit they had so far missed this year. Because of the war that had been going on in the Powder River country, they were afraid to travel before now.
Tom Too was anxious to go again. He adored his white grandfather. And the girls liked it there, too. Living in the big house for a few weeks was the ultimate in fun for them. And they all dreamed of having one like it all to themselves, someday. The stairs were great fun to chase up and down, and the kitchen was so warm and cozy. Not to mention the soft beds they got to sleep in, with the fresh cotton bedding.
They planned to stop at Fort Laramie for a short stay with Cola and James Bordeaux before going on to the ranch. They would spend more time with them on the way back. After all, the Cola and Bordeaux considered themselves grandparents as well, and to Cola’s delight, the children treated them as such.
Chaska decided he would hang on to the mules, after stowing the rifles in the cave, and release them nearer the fort, so the army would have a better chance of getting them back. But for now he hoped the weather held, with not too much snow, until they had returned in a month or so. Gratefully, it was a still night with a big moon to guide the way.
Still, that is until the girls began to sing, and did so merrily the remainder of the night. Bright Moon had taught them so many songs, taught to her by Cola.
CHAPTER FIVE
Luke was busy at the corral in early December when he saw Chaska and family approaching from a distance.
Since it was so late in the year by the time the Texas drovers had distributed all the longhorns from the last drive, Luke thought it best the dozen men stayed over until spring before returning to Texas to start the process all over again. And since he had them here to board and room, he put them to good use breaking a new batch of horses from his massive herd. Horses that he would need to fill an army contract come spring.
He had made three trips to wild horse canyon since that first time when Chaska and his friends, from the Lakhota village, had helped bring in the initial herd of several hundred. Many of these being broken now were offspring from those original mustangs, and nearly all were, in some fashion, red in color, descendants of the great stallion Sir Henry, released there long ago. Luke had kept back many of the solid red ones for his own use over the years, since the calico mule had stepped into a badger hole and broken her leg a year after coming here. Surely these horses were descendants of both Sir Henry and the pregnant filly he and Sarah had brought back from the North Country near three decades previous.
The calico mule was still around, though. Luke hadn’t had the heart to put her down after the accident, so he took the time to reset the leg and wrap it with wet rawhide, Indian style, until it healed. He never rode her again, however, and now she roamed the place as more a pet than anything else. She still went down on command, though, and the grandkids got a big kick out of that while they were here.
“Chaska,” Luke shouted with joy as he came down from the corral fence and ran to greet them with open arms. “I’ve been worried you wouldn’t make it this year,” he said as he got closer.
Chaska came down from his horse first and took his father in for a manly embrace. “I’m sorry to hear about Sarah,” he said into Luke’s ear. “You must miss her?”
“I do, very much,” he looked past Chaska to the smiling faces of those that remained on the ponies. No time for sadness now, with his grandchildren so close at hand. He got to Bree first, who was twelve, and helped her down from her mount. “My, have you grown,” he said. “You’re looking more like your grandmother every year, child.”
“Breanne?”
“Yes, dear. I believe you were named after her,” Luke said, still admiring the resemblance. The hair was darker, for sure, but the facial features and the blue eyes were near identical to when he first met Breanne. And she was only four years older at the time than Bree was now, he recalled.
“Small Moon,” he went to her next and planted a kiss to her cheek before setting her to the ground. Small Moon was fittingly named after her mother; she was darker than any of the others, with huge eyes, like Bright Moon. “How old are you now, honey?”
“I’m eleven, Grandpa,” she said as if he should know that.
“Yes, you are, aren’t you?” Luke said, feeling bad for not remembering.
“I’m nine now,” Rain said when he got to her and lifted her down. Rain was the fairest of them all, and the one who most closely resembled Chaska. “Nine! And you have your own pony?”
“Yep,” she said and ran to her mother, who was already down from her horse.
“Bright Moon,” Luke said and gave her a hug, before moving on to his favorite of all the children. “Tom Too,” Luke said and embraced him as well.
“Grandfather,” he acknowledged respectfully. “I see they’re breaking horses. Can I watch?”
“Of course you can. And while you’re at it, pick one out for your father,” Luke said. “I think it’s about time he had one more fitting his size, don’t you think?”
“Come to think of it, yes,” Tom Too said and hurried away.
“How did you know about Sarah?” Luke said, turning back to Chaska.
“We stopped by at Bordeaux’s as we always do on the way. When they told us, we hurried on here. I’m so sorry, Father.”
“Me too, Son.” Luke turned to follow the others to where the action was, at the corral. “She’s still with me. I hear her voice occasionally, yet.”
“So that is not just an Indian thing,” Chaska said. “I’m still getting advice from Taloma, after all these years.” He laughed as if it was silly.
“If it comforts you – why not!” Luke said.
Chaska gave this some thought, then said, “You ought to marry again, Father. In our village it is common to take a new woman within a moon of the passing.”
With that, Luke laughed. “I think I’m done with that.”
“You’re not that old. Brave Fox, my Indian father, is old.” Chaska joined him in laughter.
“Forty-seven last birthday,” Luke said.
“Cola’s sister is only about thirty,” Chaska said slyly. “Quite beautiful too.”
“What does Cola’s sister have to do with me?”
“I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but Cola’s sister, White Bird, is living with them now. I think Cola has plans of matching you two up.”
“Well, I think Cola ought to keep her nose out of my business,” Luke said and climbed the corral fence to sit beside Tom Too.
“I like that one, Grandpa,” Tom Too pointed to an Appaloosa with red coloring, of good size.
“Did you pick that horse for yourself, or your father?” Luke asked.
“I didn’t know I was allowed to have one,” Tom Too said, then studied his grandfather’s near expressionless face.
“I’ve got a purebred descendent of Sir Henry already set aside for your father,” Luke said, having told Chaska and Tom Too of the great horse many times.
“So does that mean I can have that one, Grandfather?”
“That would be up to your dad,” Luke said casually, and the two of them focused on Chaska, now sitting the fence on the opposite side of Luke.
“It’s a little big for you, Blue,” Chaska said. “But I guess you’ll grow up to it in time.”
With that, Tom Too let go with an Indian yell, leaped from the fence, and ran to the horse. In no time he was on the horse’s back and riding around the corral, his long black hair flagging in the breeze, to the cheers of the rest of the family.
“Thank you, Father, you have made him very happy,” Chaska said. “And me, for the great red horse you’re giving me.”
“The red horse I’m giving you is a stallion, Son. I thought you could use it to upgrade your horse herd, when you’re not taking him
on long rides.”
“We have done some of that already, by keeping only our biggest male horses as stallions upon your advice many years ago. Now you are looking after me again with this great gift,” Chaska said. “I also want to thank you for getting Red Cloud to include the Black Hills in the new treaty for my people.”
“How did you know about that?” Luke asked with surprise.
“You must know of the information streams between Indian tribes,” Chaska said.
“Did Red Cloud tell you that personally? I know he thinks highly of you.”
“I have never met the mighty chief,” Chaska said. “It was one of his young braves that told me. He must have been there at the treaty signing. Now, will you tell me what he said about me?”
“When I ask him to demand the inclusion the Paha Sapa and all the lands east to the Missouri River in the treaty, he said in Oglala to the effect: I will do this thing for my friend Chief Chaska of the Lakhota. And if they refuse my demands, he said, I will continue this war the Great White Father so much wants to end.” With that, Luke looked over to his son. “So, what did you do to earn Red Cloud’s friendship?”
“I gave him four hundred horses from our herd for his war,” Chaska came out with it, even though he thought his father would think him foolish for doing so.
“It’s good you did,” Luke said. “Otherwise you may have lost your sacred Black Hills. That was very wise of you, Son.”
“Brave Fox had a hand in the decision.”
“I’m glad to hear he is still alive.”
“I am afraid his days are numbered. He seldom leaves his lodge anymore. But his mind is still sharp and his tongue likewise, when he is angry at some of those that look after him.” Chaska laughed.
“It’s good to hear your English has improved,” Luke said. “It will serve you well when dealing with the white man later.”
“I have Bright Moon to thank for that. She learned well from Cola during her stay there. She even taught me numbers, which came in handy when dividing the horses for Red Cloud,” Chaska said. “Before I forget it, Father, I have something to show you.” He dug into the bullet bag Luke had given him with the caplock rifle years ago, came out with a handful of shiny pebbles, and dumped them into Luke’s hand. “Can you tell me what that is? My people have been making jewelry from it for years. Some even mold bullets from it when we are short on lead.”
“Where did you find these?” Luke asked, excitedly looking the nuggets over closely.
“They can be found in the streams almost everywhere, further back into the hills where we often hunt and fish.”
“Son, this is gold! This is what caused Red Cloud’s war in the Powder River country. They built those roads to get to the gold fields in the mountains, and those forts to protect the miners going there.”
“Then the white man values this metal?”
“They go crazy over it!” Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a Double Eagle coin. “I’m sure Bright Moon knows what this is, having worked in Bordeaux’s store. This is a twenty dollar gold piece. It is made from pure gold.”
“She did say it was the color of money, but I don’t think she made the connection.”
“If the white man finds out there’s gold in the Black Hills, many will come. And once they do, you won’t be able to drive them all away.”
“What should we do?” Chaska asked, near in a panic.
“When you get back to your village, collect all of the gold your people have. You don’t want any outsiders seeing it. Then have your people scour the hills and streams and gather all of the nuggets you can find. Even the small flakes in the gravel can be separated out. I will show you how while you are here. You don’t want any of it lying around to be seen by someone passing through. I know this will be a big job, but since the hills are yours now, you may have years to do it before word gets out. It depends on how well you keep the prospectors from your land.”
“Prospectors?”
“White men looking for gold.”
“What shall we do with the gold, once we have gathered it?”
“Hide it somewhere. It’s valuable,” Luke said. “The main thing now is that you collect it so none is left lying around in plain sight. I doubt you will ever get it all. The Black Hills is a big place.”
“What of the Dakotah? Could they be of help from the other side of the hills?”
“Do they know about the gold?”
“They do.”
“And what do they think of it?”
“Not much. They were making bullets of it too, the last I saw.”
“Well then, that’s a decision you’ll need to make. It may be best to let sleeping bears lie, for now. Arouse them and anything could happen.”
“Our people know nothing of money,” Chaska said. “Nor do we have a need for it. We have never traded furs, or anything else, for white man’s things.”
“That new rifle you brought with you is a white man’s thing. Where did you get that?”
“It was a gift from Red Cloud,” Chaska said.
“Well, if you wanted to get another one of those guns, maybe you would need to buy it. That would take gold.”
Chaska knew that wouldn’t need to happen. He had a cave with plenty of those rifles in it for the future. But he understood the point his father was trying to make. “Then you think we may need the gold someday?”
“I do. Save every little bit you get. I assure you there will come a time when your tribe will have a use for it.”
“Thank you, Father,” Chaska said, then slid off the fence rail to go to Tom Too, where he was now laying hands on the strawberry Appaloosa. It was the Indian way of gentling a horse and becoming at one with it spiritually. In time the two of them would become inseparable, he knew. And when that happened, the horse would not need to be tied again; regardless of the circumstances, he would always be close at hand.
Chaska and his family stayed at the Tea Cup only two weeks this time, to the disappointment of all. He was anxious to get back to his tribe and start them searching for gold. None of the streams were yet frozen over when they left, and he hoped most would stay that way a good while longer. Picking nuggets from streams was something the young could do as well. And the old should be able to handle the panning, while sitting on large rocks, using turtle shells and white man’s iron skillets, taken from the Ojibwa years ago, as pans.
Chaska hoped to make a game of it, giving prizes to those who gathered the most each day. It would be something for all but the hunters to do, he reasoned, while passing the otherwise boring winter months. Fires would be built for occasional warming, and a few would cook for all. He couldn’t wait to get started. Maybe when spring came, they could move the village to a central valley to be closer to the area of the Black Hills where the gold was most abundant.
CHAPTER SIX
Luke followed Chaska and his family as far as Fort Laramie and remained there with them for three days, until they traveled on of the evening. Chaska preferred traveling at night. He felt safer that way, being he was white and relatively unknown by plains tribes.
Once they were gone, Luke took the opportunity to discuss with James Bordeaux what else may be done to secure ownership to each of their land holdings. Bordeaux had requested a grant for the ten thousand acres he presently grazed cattle on, while Luke had done likewise for what he occupied, roughly fourteen times that much.
“I don’t know as there is anything more we can do,” Bordeaux said. “Homesteading is not even official yet. But that will come soon enough, now that the new treaty has officially freed up the area where both our lands are located. I guess the earliest we can expect to hear is spring, when Congress is back in session.”
“I just thought I’d ask. This thing has been working on me, is all,” Luke said. “I felt safe as long as it was Indian land and I was squatting. Now it’s the not knowing that’s getting me down.”
“You had nothing when you started, Tom. I know it’s sa
d, but what do you have to lose? I’m sure you got more in your bank account over in Cheyenne than you started out with.”
“I do. A lot more, but I’m building something here for my son and grandkids.”
“They’re my grandkids too, you know,” Bordeaux laughed. “But do you think Chaska will ever leave the tribe?”
“I’m working on it. So far no luck. I don’t think he’ll leave as long as Brave Fox is alive. He worships that man, as well he should. He’s been a father to him for more years than I have.”
“What do you think of Cola’s sister, now that you’ve seen her?”
“Well, I couldn’t help but look.” Luke smiled. “She is very beautiful.”
“She’ll learn better English in time. Cola will see to that. I think she likes you, Tom.”
“How is it she is without a man?”
“She was married for a short time. He kicked her out after a year and brought in another woman, because White Bird couldn’t produce him a son. Or any children, for that matter.”
“She couldn’t conceive?” Luke was amused. Such a fine filly, never to be duplicated, almost seemed a sin.
“Nope! I guess she mimics Cola in that respect. Just one of those things, I guess,” Bordeaux said sadly. “Anyway, Cola got wind she was living over there in shame, and had been for years, so she sent Chatawinna from the village here to fetch her. You know, with those people, once word is out a woman can’t produce children, she’s finished where it comes to attracting another man. They all want them as an extension of themselves, into the hereafter.”
“I guess we all want that,” Luke said, thinking of Chaska.
In all the years Luke had been around the Indians, he had never had a lingering relationship with a female among them, just the occasional maiden on a cold night. And only then when a chief insisted on it as an offering of friendship, leaving him afraid to refuse for fear of insulting him. Something of that nature could get a person killed, he knew. All the horror stories Pierre had told of them following him for months after a lengthy stay at a village. And then the story of one woman stepping in a badger hole and needing to be left behind had made him leery of getting involved.