Jeffery’s face grew red with rage. He vowed to take care of Captain Tracy later. He settled back into his chair, grinning maliciously at both Tracy and Riley.
Powchutu had walked over to the front wall near the door and leaned back against it after finishing his report. He had remained silent, listening to the words of the other men, knowing that as long as they continued to carry on this childishly he could stall the inevitable. He had been remembering that first day he had seen Alisha. She had seemed so fragile and beautiful, even though she was so badly injured. He knew that these ruffians had no idea of what kind of treasure she was, no idea of her innocence and pain.
It was clear to Powchutu that what angered them most was the fact that Gray Eagle had taken her first. Jeffery had wanted her from the first moment he had set eyes upon her back in Gray Eagle’s teepee. Her only crime against him was the fact that she would not be dazzled by his power and position, that she would not become his mistress. As Jeffery and the others saw it, she had chosen Powchutu’s friendship over theirs. She had made the mistake of seeing him as a man, not a half-breed or an enemy. She had not despised him and avoided him as all the others did.
Powchutu had held a tight leash on his anger until Tracy had called Alisha “his squaw.” That insult could not go unchallenged. His heart flamed in resentment and hatred at their cowardice. He spoke acidly, “She is not, and never was, his squaw. Not for the reasons you think. She was his slave and prisoner, nothing more. He only seeks to use her to taunt you. He hopes to punish you by forcing you to witness his taking her, to shame you by forcing you to give her up willingly. Dishonor is important to the Indian. He does not care for her as a woman. To love a white woman would bring him loss of face. Gray Eagle cares more for his honor than his own life. I have read his hatred for the white man in his face, and I have heard it in his voice. He does not know how you view her since his capture. He does not know that you scorn and abuse her maliciously. He knows that to force a white man to hand a white woman over to him to be used as his whore would make you suffer worse than to kill you. He believes this act will cut you deeply.”
Powchutu watched the effect of his words on the men as he continued, “If you return her to him, it will go worse for her than before. He will be more brutal to her this time out of anger and spite for the raid on his camp. It is possible that he spared her life because she doctored him in her fortress, for the Indian does reward bravery and help. This does not change the fact that he is cruel to her. It is more likely that he is punishing her for helping him. Can you not imagine his anger at having a mere white girl save his life? He holds her responsible for the raid on his camp, for it was done to rescue her. No doubt he feels she is someone special to you. He does not know that you have all been cruel to her, just as cruel as he was. If you do this thing, in time you will come to regret this evil deed. It is wrong to treat her as you have, but far worse to send her back to him. What if it were one of your wives, sisters, or daughters that he was demanding? Would you send her out there to him, even if she had been used by him in the past? Alisha has no one to defend her. Is this why you find it so easy to deny her any help?”
Percy spoke up in embarrassment, “Could it be that you’re biased because she’s been friendly to you? You’ll be just as dead as we are if he attacks us to get her back.”
Powchutu quickly shot back, “If she had been as friendly with you, would you still be so willing to give her back to him? We are friends because I do not judge her for her past, and she does not judge me for my color. I have not treated her with scorn and contempt as you all have done. I have only offered her acceptance for herself, which none of you can do. I have not tried to make her my mistress as each of you have done so. She was caught in the middle of this war between the white man and the.Indian. She does not understand our hatred and contempt. Because of this, she does not hate what I am, and for this you cannot forgive her. Is she to be blamed for her innocent capture and vile use by Gray Eagle? Is she to be blamed for not wanting to be used by any of you? Is she to be blamed for accepting me as her friend when no one else would do so? Is she to be blamed because her people could not protect her from him, or because you cannot defend her now? I vow that if she were a ‘squaw’ to any one of you that you would never send her back to him.”
Percy flushed a deep red, half in anger and half in guilty embarrassment. He watched the young officer’s head turn away. “Do not allow your envy and spite to color your thoughts as they do your views of me. For once this deed is done, there will be no turning back,” he warned.
The other officers had been temporarily silenced by Powchutu’s words. But Jeffery hastily spoke up, “It is quite obvious to everyone, Scout, that she prefers Injuns to whites. In fact, she told me so herself.” Alisha’s stinging rejection of him still rankled his pride. He could still envision her lovely face as she had denied him what he wanted. She had talked like it was an insult rather than a solution to her problems. She had treated him like he was some vermin from the gutter instead of the rich, aristocratic heir to a large family fortune and plantation. She had made his offer of joining him in his quarters sound more degrading than her sojourn with that savage! Had she actually said that she might have fallen in love with him if he had treated her differently? Had he then retorted with the words, “No decent white man would marry an ex-Indian whore”? Had he really tried to force his attentions upon her? Had she been about to relent when that damn scout had stopped him? He could still recall her ashen face as he had said, “You think you’re something special because you were bedded by the infamous Gray Eagle?” Without a doubt, she would have eventually been forced to come to him. But now . . .
Powchutu was glaring at Jeffery as the scorn and malice dripped like tainted honey from his words. He challenged, “If she were not occupying your quarters as you tried to force her to do, would you still walk out there and turn her over to your most hated enemy, Sir?” Everyone caught the slur that he placed on the “Sir.”
Jeffery jumped to his feet, knocking over his chair, and started for the scout. “You sorry . . .”
“Stop it!” the general shouted for order and silence. “We have enough troubles without the two of you going at each other’s throats over the girl. There’s no place here for her. That’s pretty clear by the trouble she’s causing. You all know how everyone here feels about her. You saw how they treated her yesterday. Name one person out there who will speak up for her or defend her at the cost of their own life. If she stays, it’ll only be more trouble for us and for her. I see no other way but to send her back to him. If all he wants is for us to return her to him with an apology, then we have no choice. How can I justify endangering the whole fort for a missing piece of tail?” The general was speaking crudely, filled with frustration and fear. Gray Eagle had Gait’s back to the wall, and they both knew it.
Sergeant Percy spoke up at that point, “It’s clear that they’ve been trying to wipe out every white settlement and fort in this entire area. Powchutu has already reported on the war council’s secret meeting not long ago. If they decide to attack here next, we can’t hold them off for long. With that large party outside now, we can’t hold them off at all.”
Captain Tracy sighed heavily. “.You’re right, Percy. Those men and supplies that we requisitioned haven’t gotten here yet, and I seriously doubt they will. What good are guns without ball and powder, or men without food, rest, and replacements? I hope to God those savages don’t know how badly we’re hurting.”
Corporal Riley gave air to their worst fear, “If that Gray Eagle is as smart as we think, you can bet he does know.”
General Galt shook his head, then spoke slowly, “Powchutu, you fetch the girl. I guess we’d better hear what she has to say about this matter.”
Powchutu left and went directly to the Philseys’ quarters next to the infirmary. He rapped loudly on the door. Mrs. Philsey answered it, glaring contemptuously at him. Checking his desire to slap her hateful face, he told
her his orders before she could open her unkind mouth. She reluctantly stepped back to allow him to enter her door, recalling how she had ordered him never to enter her home again.
Powchutu knew that he had to talk quickly if he was going to have time to tell Alisha everything before he took her to the general’s office. Otherwise, they would tear her to shreds with their venomous words. He wanted her to know the truth of her situation from him. Both the red man and the white man had hurt her enough, and he could only try to prevent them from hurting her more.
He knocked on her closed door and called her name. Mrs. Philsey spoke up from behind him and told him that she had not shown herself since Alisha’s public humiliation the day before.
The half-breed scout sent her a malevolent glare which nearly propelled her out of her quarters with its powerful intensity. She scurried away in fear, knowing this man would like nothing better than to slit her throat. Once more he knocked upon Alisha’s door and called her name a little louder.
The door slowly opened to a very dim room; the shade was drawn as much against the world outside as it was to hide her own fears and shame. She stepped aside to allow him to enter. What possible difference could it make now for him to openly visit her? Things could not be any worse than they already were. Why should she deny entrance to her only friend?
Powchutu guessed from the looks of things and from Alisha’s appearance that she had no idea what was taking place outside her room. The rumpled bed covers told him that she had been lying down. The red, puffy eyes told him that she had been weeping; the dark circles beneath her incredibly green eyes testifed that she had not had very much rest.
Bluntly and simply he stated, “He’s here, Alisha. Just as I warned you, he has come.”
Soft emerald eyes blankly met obsidian ones. She noted the concern, anger, and shame revealed there. The last person to come to her mind at that time was Gray Eagle. In confusion she asked, “Who has come, Powchutu? Why are you looking at me that way? Is something wrong?”
His tone was very gentle and soft as he answered, “He has come, Alisha. Gray Eagle is here now. He is waiting outside the fort for you to either come to him willingly or for you to be sent to him. He has demanded his captive back. He is out there now with a large band of warriors. He has demanded that you be returned to him as an apology for the raid on his camp. He has demanded you as a peace offering, or he will attack the fort.”
He watched her face blanch, then her green eyes widened in disbelief. Her dry lips parted as if to speak, but nothing came out. It seemed as if a hundred thoughts simultaneously flashed across her mind. The look of terror and shock tore at his heart. He waited for her to absorb this news before speaking again.
Powchutu had been mistaken about her first reaction; only one thought had come to her mind. She had dreamed, even prayed, that Gray Eagle might one day come for her. But not like this. In her dreams he had come to rescue her, to carry her away to safety and to love. Now in reality, he had come to shame her, to punish her, and maybe to kill her. It was not supposed to be like this . . .
Powchutu continued after a short time, “The general wishes to see you and to talk with you about this.” He lifted her trembling chin in his strong hand and forced her to look into his eyes. He then placed his hands upon her shoulders to steady their quivering. “They will ask you questions about your life with him. You must get control of your wits and emotions. Fear does strange things to a person’s mind and his judgment,” he said.
Alisha realized that she had never been more helpless or frightened in her entire life. She focused her shimmering eyes on him and asked, “What did he say when you spoke with him, Powchutu? After all this time, why does he want me back now? Does he intend to execute me right before their very eyes for revenge? You said that he has demanded my return to him. What else did he say? What did the general have to say about this incredible demand? Will he send me back to him?”
Powchutu knew that it was cold and brutal to tell her the entire truth, but she must know what she would be facing when she walked into that office. Painfully and reluctantly, he repeated his talks with Gray Eagle and the general, word for word. She was already aware of the feelings of everyone concerned; yet, she was still stunned by his story. To hear aloud all her suspicions was almost unbearable. She wavered slightly under the stunning blow of this new cruelty. He caught her arms to steady her. He then wished that he had not been so open and truthful.
“None of this trouble is my fault, and yet they blame me for it. They act as if I am guilty of some terrible and shameful crime. It seems as if they wish to see me broken, shamed, and punished for something that I had no control over. They torment me with hundreds of questions; and yet when I answer them, they turn on me for the truth. If I lie to protect myself, they still attack me without mercy. I owe them no excuses, apologies or explanations! They have no right to demand or to expect anything from me. I did not ask them to rescue me.”
In her anger and agitation, she jerked away from his gentle grasp. “I wish that I had never left England. This wonderland of new opportunities claimed my parents’ lives. If I had refused to come out here with my uncle, we might both still be free and alive. I should never have stopped them from killing Gray Eagle that day. They told me that I would live to regret it. Now they’re all dead and I might as well be. I was so blind and so foolish. How was I supposed to know about such things?”
She turned back to face him and continued, “Do you know that this is the same type of prejudice and hatred I faced at our fortress? It’s as if they are using my own conscience as a weapon against me. Can I hate and blame all Indians because of what Gray Eagle and his people did to me?”
“For them, Alisha, it is enough reason to hate,” Powchutu said softly. “This fight has been going on for a long time. You came into it unprepared for battle, but they did not. They wish to justify their hatred and bitterness because of you. When they realize that they cannot . . .”
“I know. Every day I have come to see more and more how they view ex-captives. I think perhaps the women’s treatment of me is the worse, for they should understand what it would be like to change places with me. They should know that a woman cannot resist the strength of a man. Why do they refuse to see the truth? Do they prefer to believe that they would have had the strength and courage, even the honor, to resist it all, at any cost to their sanity and lives? Do they fear facing the knowledge of what they might do if they were ever placed in that same situation?”
“You are a constant reminder of their possible captivity,” Powchutu assured her, “of what could just as easily happen to them. They rebel against the truth that they would not resist their captors. They have seen the results of torture. They know inside that they would not rebel against any order. Your condition when you arrived here told them that you had resisted, and yet lived. Their own cowardice and envy blind them to understanding and sympathy.”
Powchutu tried to calm Alisha’s greatest fears. He spoke of how he would feel and think if he were Gray Eagle. “I believe that he wants you back for himself. He seeks to trick the white man with this farce and to save face with his people. He must also protect your life, for you would be in grave danger if they thought for one minute that they could use you against him. He must treat you this way before all of them. His pride is important to him, Alisha, but I also believe that you are important to him.”
Alisha scoffed at this ridiculous idea. Powchutu waited for his words to sink in before he went on, “I do not know how he convinced the other warriors to go along with this deceit. Unless, they must think that it is a fitting humiliation of the cavalry. To force them to not only apologize but to sacrifice you to their dreaded enemy makes for a good trick. He is awed and loved enough that they just might permit it for any reason, even a personal one.” He could not tell if she understood any of his reasoning, but he added, “For his and your pride and honor, he must treat you cold and cruel before all of them.”
It had been
the wrong choice of words, for they struck a raw nerve. “Pride and honor! Face and shame!” she nearly shouted. “I have none of those left. Between my people here and his out there, they have taken everything from me. All except my life. What does my life or freedom matter to any of them? Nothing! I vow that it is all some monstrous trick.”
She began to pace around the small room as she reasoned aloud, “Do they really believe that he will be satisfied with my return? I am not that important to him. If I must die, then let it be without more torture and degradation. One day, he will choke on his power and pride. For one day, it will have a price too great to pay or to bear . . .”
Powchutu tried to calm the distraught girl. “Our hands are tied, Alisha. Even if the fort wanted to defend you, they could not do so for very long. I’m not defending them, but a fight would be futile. Who knows, maybe your sacrifice will be, too.”
She smiled sadly. “This time the joke will be on him. He doesn’t know how very easy it will be for them to do just as he commands. He won’t have to use force on them. He won’t cost them anything in pride or suffering. He will simply be taking away a very nasty problem for them. Funny, isn’t it? He’s actually doing them a favor while he thinks he is causing them shame and torment. The hatred and spite will continue after I am gone and forgotten.”
Powchutu knew that there was nothing to say, so he remained silent while she worked out her emotions. She walked over to the window and peeped out at the frantic people moving around. She had no doubts that they would comply with Gray Eagle’s orders. In a subdued tone she murmured, “He will surely kill me this time. I have been too much trouble for him. He holds me to blame for things I cannot change or control. Why didn’t they just leave me in his village? Why did they have to cause more trouble by rescuing me?”
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