Grizzly Killer: The Making of a Mountain Man Page 12
That was a mighty big mean-lookin’ gash that Jimbo had ripped in his leg, and I figured he wouldn’t be movin’ without help. Jean Luc was awake now, and he was starin’ at me with hatred on his face. He had a lot of deep-lookin’ tooth marks poking in him. His butt had a big open tear on one side, and one arm was ripped up real bad, and he had tooth marks on his neck. I was kinda surprised Jimbo hadn’t just ripped his throat out and killed him on the spot. It would have been easy enough for him to do. It looked to me like Jean Luc must have been on top of Butterfly when Jimbo came in here, and Jimbo had just bit him real hard on the butt and pulled him off, did the same thing to Lucien, and then went back and made sure Jean Luc wasn’t goin’ anywhere.
In just a few minutes, Runnin’ Wolf came back with General Ashley and a group of men. Ely Tucker was among them, and when he looked at Butterfly, he turned and yelled, “Someone go get a rope. We’s havin’ us a hangin’.” He then took the dress that was lyin’ by her and gently laid it over her shoulders to cover her up. I didn’t move, and neither did she. She just sat there, leanin’ against me. A couple of the men went over and picked up Jean Luc, and were not bein’ gentle ’bout it either. Then General Ashley asked me what had happened.
After I told what I knew for sure and then what I thought, Jean Luc yelled, “That wasn’t what happened at all!” He said my dog attacked him and Lucien for no reason, that they had made a deal with the women to buy them some foofarraw, and that my dog was a killer and needed to be killed, or no one was safe.
I told them all I had sent Jimbo to go get my Shoshone woman to help Butterfly, and they would find out what happened for sure in just a little while. Jean Luc was complainin’ him and Lucien was hurtin’ and needed some doctorin’. Ely just walked over to him and, without sayin’ a word, hit him in the face just as hard as he could. Jean Luc’s legged buckled, and he hit the ground out cold. It took ’bout another half hour ’fore Sun Flower and Raven Wing showed up, with the Shoshone village bein’ ’bout two miles away. Jimbo was leadin’ the way, and he came right over and sat down right by me. When Sun Flower came through the willows, she had a mighty surprised look when she saw all these men here and me sittin’ with Butterfly naked, leanin’ against me. I motioned for her and Raven Wing to come over. The other Shoshone woman was still standin’ there nearby, and when she saw Sun Flower, she ran over to her and started talkin’ real fast. I couldn’t pick up any of it. While Sun Flower was talkin’ to this other girl, Raven Wing went over to Butterfly and started talkin’ with her. After a few minutes, Raven Wing asked me to help her get up, and while Raven Wing and I were helpin’ Butterfly stand, Sunflower came over and pulled her dress on her. She had to lift her arms up, and that hurt her, but she did it. Then Runnin’ Wolf came to take my place, and I asked him to take Sun Flower and Butterfly back to their village while Raven Wing and I stayed to tell everyone what was said. I asked him to bring Chargin’ Bull or Spotted Elk back with him.
Raven Wing told them all that Butterfly and Spotted Fawn had come to this secluded place to wash their hair and bath. They thought that no one had seen them come in here. But they got here and in the water when Jean Luc, Lucien, and Jacques came through the willows, and when Jean Luc saw Butterfly, he got real mad. He said she belonged to them, and she told him that he sold her to Grizzly Killer, and then he got even madder and started beatin’ her. Then Spotted Fawn came over to help her, and he hit her too. Then Lucien came and grabbed Spotted Fawn’s arms and pulled her back, and then Jean Luc started to beat Butterfly again. Then she fell down, and he kicked her, and her ribs were broken. Then they raped them both. She said that Jacques had left when Jean Luc started to hit her, and they didn’t see him again.
Grub had left the group right at first when they first heard what I thought had happened, and now he was back and was tyin’ a noose in a rope. Jean Luc saw that and was gettin’ real worried and said they couldn’t hang them, that those women were nothin’ but squaws. I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear when I said, “He is right. They are squaws, and we don’t have the right to hang them.” They all looked at me like I was touched in the head.
The general just looked at me and asked what I had in mind. I said, “These are Shoshone women, and this is a Shoshone matter. We should give these men to the Shoshone for justice, and I expect the Shoshone chief Chargin’ Bull here in just a short time.”
The color drained from Jean Luc, and for the first time, I saw Lucien had tears in his eyes. This was a hard group of men, men that could and would do whatever they felt justice would require, and everyone of them nodded. General Ashley said, “We will wait until Charging Bull arrives.” He told Ely to get them back to camp and tie them securely to a couple of trees, and we’d see what Charging Bull had to say ’bout them.
Ely, Grub, and a few others tied them standin’ up. They were facin’ the trees with their hands tied on the other side of the trees. They were still naked, and there was still blood seepin’ from the worst of the bites Jimbo had given them. There were a lot of trappers coming by to see what had happened. The feelin’ in camp was the Snakes were friendly to the trappers, that we were mostly welcome in their lands, and we couldn’t let a few rotten men turn them against us. One man said there were already too many Injuns wantin’ to put us under, that we should just hang ’em and give their bodies to the Snakes.
I asked if anybody had seen their friend Jacques or knew where they were camped, but no one knew.
It wasn’t long before someone yelled the Snakes were comin’ in. Chargin’ Bull, Spotted Elk, Badger, and maybe a dozen others came ridin’ in. Runnin’ Wolf was out in front, and he came right over to me. They were dressed in full headdresses and all their finery, showin’ the importance they placed on this meetin’. Chargin’ Bull rode up to where I was standin’ and stopped. Raven Wing was still with me, and he spoke to her, and she nodded. After lookin’ at the men tied to the trees, he looked at me and spoke. Raven Wing was speakin’ softly, standin’ right next to me, and I asked her to speak loudly enough for everyone to hear. She said the chief said his heart was good to see that Grizzly Killer, Running Wolf, the Ute Warrior, and the Great Medicine Dog were still protectors of Shoshone women, that by making prisoners of the bad white men, we all showed we were true friends of the Shoshone people. He said that Spotted Fawn had said only one of the men did the beating of the women but that both had raped them. He wanted the one that did the beating and said we could do what we would with the other.
General Ashley stepped up and told the chief it was his honor to have the Shoshone chief at his camp and he would have a feast and gifts for the chief and his people tomorrow. The chief nodded and turned and said something to Badger, and Badger rode over and put a rawhide braided rope around Jean Luc’s neck and tightened it up. He took his knife and cut Jean Luc’s hands free from around the tree, and Jean Luc looked with hatred at all of us but never said a word. Badger retied his hands, mounted his horse, and led Jean Luc back to the rest. I asked the chief what would happen to Jean Luc, and after he spoke, Raven Wing said that it was not for Charging Bull to decide, that the squaws would decide the punishment. It was a silent and solemn camp as Chargin’ Bull and his warriors rode out, with Jean Luc limpin’, tryin’ to keep up with that lead rope around his neck.
14 Indian Justice
The sun was just settin’ when me, Runnin’ Wolf, and Raven Wing led Ol’ Red and the horses back to our lodge at the Shoshone village. We had the packs unloaded and was just takin’ care of the stock when Sun Flower came in from the village. She told us Butterfly was in her family’s lodge and Blue Fox, the medicine man, was with her. He said she would heal, but the bones in her chest would take time to be whole again. I asked her ’bout Jean Luc, and she just looked at Raven Wing. Raven Wing said it was a matter for the Shoshone women, and we were not to be concerned with him anymore. She said that me and Runnin’ Wolf were to stay at the lodge tonight and Sun Flower and herself would be back later.
Af
ter they left, I asked Runnin’ Wolf what was gonna happen, and he told me the women would likely torture him to death. That they would make him live in much pain for as long as they could before he died. ’Cause his brutality was against women, they would either cut or burn his manhood off to make him a woman in the next life. They would take his eyes so he could not find his way in the next life. Runnin’ Wolf said it was the worst possible death for a man, ’cause he would be a man no more. A man should die in battle or old age ’cause he survived all the battles in life. I told Runnin’ Wolf a man like Jean Luc was not a real man in this life or the next. And I believed his next life would be far worse for him than this one.
I roasted some coffee beans and ground them up, and me and Runnin’ Wolf had hot coffee with a little sugar, ate some jerky, and turned in. I heard Jimbo whinin’ a while later and, just after that, a man screamin’ way off in the distance. I just lay there, starin’ at the few stars I could see through the smoke hole and shuddered at the thought of what was happenin’.
I figured it was ’bout three hours later when Sun Flower and Raven Wing came in the lodge. Sun Flower slid under the blankets and wrapped her arms ’round me and just held on tight. She didn’t move at all the rest of the night. Nothin’ more was ever said ’bout Jean Luc Lamont or ’bout that night.
The next mornin’ Sun Flower and Raven Wing was quiet and a little distant. I asked ’bout their mother and father. They said they were not here, that they were visitin’ family in another village and did not make the trip to Rendezvous. Spotted Elk came by and said he was leadin’ a huntin’ party again tomorrow and asked me and Runnin’ Wolf to go with them. I told him we would be honored, that we needed meat too. He nodded and then spoke to his sisters in Shoshone for a bit, nodded at us, and left.
Me and Runnin’ Wolf saddled Ol’ Red and the three saddle horses, and I told the women we were goin’ over to Ashley’s camp, and I would like them to join us over there in ’bout an hour. They both had puzzled looks but said they would be there. I wanted to see that Lucien had been dealt with before they got there.
As me and Runnin’ Wolf rode into the tradin’ area, we both noticed Lucien was not still tied to the tree. There was a large group of men standin’ in front of the tents, and we stepped out of the saddles and joined them. They said they was fixin’ to have a Trappers’ court and had been waitin’ for us. Since I was the one that found them, they wanted my input to decide their fate. Lucien was tied to a stump, and Jacques was standin’ by him. Lucien had his buckskins on and looked mighty rough. I could tell by the way he was sittin’ to one side his leg was really hurtin’ him. Jacques was just lookin’ scared and had dark circles under his eyes from not sleepin’.
Most of the men there I did not know, but some I’d seen last year over on Burnt Fort at the Rendezvous. There was Jim Beckwourth, Bill and Milt Sublette, Ely, Grub, and their friends. I could see Jed Smith was talkin’ to General Ashley. Then Ely brought over a man ’bout my age and, with a big ol’ smile on his face, said to meet Jim Bridger, that he was as young and foolish as me. We shook hands, and he just kept starin’ at Jimbo. He finally looked up and just said he was surprised there was anything left of those two guys after a dog that big got after ’em.
General Ashley stepped up and said we was gonna hold court to figure out what to do with Lucien Mineau. I heard someone say “Hang ’em and be done with it.”
Another said, “He didn’t kill nobody, so he don’t deserve to hang.”
Then the first one said, “Maybe not yet, but with what he did, he could have got a bunch of us killed,” and there was a lot of agreement with that.
I stepped forward and said we should hear what he had to say ’bout it.
Ashley turned to Lucien and asked if he wanted to speak for himself. He said he didn’t beat those women and Jean Luc told him if he didn’t go along, that Jean Luc would make him pay. That he and Jacques were afraid of Jean Luc ’cause he had such a bad temper. Jacques was just starin’ at the ground, lookin’ mighty scared. I didn’t think he was understanding what was bein’ said. Lucien said that Jean Luc had told them they would get rich comin’ out here to trap, but they were doin’ all the work, and Jean Luc told them he would just leave them to the Injuns if they didn’t do what he said.
I heard a murmur go through the men, and someone said, “Would you look at that.”
When I turned, I saw Sun Flower and Raven Wing ridin’ into camp. They were both wearin’ new soft leather dresses trimmed with colored quills and beads. They each had a sash of the red cloth around their waists and headbands of the cloth. They had cut ribbons off it and tied them in their horses’ manes. They were truly beautiful women, and the men just looked at them in awe. Me and Runnin’ Wolf stepped toward them, and as they stepped down the horses, the group of men parted to let them pass. They saw Lucien and Jacques there, and Sun Flower looked at me with questioning eyes. I spoke softly just so they could hear and told her and Raven Wing we were decidin’ what to do with them.
I asked them if they could talk to Jacques, and Sun Flower nodded and asked me what I wanted to know. I said I wanted to know why he left the others and if Lucien was afraid of Jean Luc. She looked at me and said, “Yes, we were all afraid of Jean Luc.” She then walked over, and in some French and some Shoshone, she talked to him for a few minutes. She turned and said he didn’t want to hurt anyone, and he was afraid Jean Luc would kill Butterfly, so he ran away, but that Lucien was closer to Jean Luc and couldn’t get past him in those willows.
I told everyone that Sun Flower and Raven Wing were the other two women I had bought from the three of them, so these women knew these two Frenchmen. Then I asked Raven Wing if she believed Lucien should die for what he did to Spotted Fawn. She looked at Sun Flower, and both of them shook their heads no. General Ashley then asked Lucien and asked Sun Flower to ask Jacques what they would do if we let them go. They both said go back home. The general said, “Let’s take a vote. Who says let them go?”
The majority of hands went up. The general turned to the two of them and told them to leave this country at once or face the same fate as Jean Luc. Sun Flower stepped up right close to me, and someone walked over and cut the ties off Lucien. Raven Wing then told the two of them that many of the Shoshone warriors weren’t happy that Charging Bull didn’t take Lucien too, and she did not think they would make it out of Shoshone lands if they did not go at once.
The last I ever saw of those two was them walkin’ away from the tradin’ tents, headin’ to where they had their horses. Lucien was limpin’ real badly, and I knew he was in for a mighty rough time.
Everyone started to break up and go back to their camps. But Ely and Grub came right over, and with a big ol’ grin, Grub said he couldn’t believe that we had found the purtiest girls in the whole Snake nation. I introduced these two rough Ol’ mountain men to Sun Flower and Raven Wing. Grub made a big bow and kissed Sun Flower’s hand, and we all had a big laugh. Runnin’ Wolf put his arm around Raven Wing, and Grub smiled and told her that Runnin’ Wolf’s sister, Shining Star, was just as purty as she was, and he didn’t know how Runnin’ Wolf could be so lucky to have such purty women in his life.
General Ashley’s men were settin’ up makeshift tables from small logs lashed together, and they already had whole haunches of deer and elk roastin’ over fires. They were makin’ cornbread and had several pots of coffee goin’ and were settin’ out gifts for the Snakes and for the Nez Pierce, but they were settin’ out mostly goods to trade with the Injuns for furs.
Me and Runnin’ Wolf took Sun Flower and Raven Wing through the tables, lookin’ at all the trade goods Ashley had brought here all the way from St. Louis. They had never seen so much before. We picked out a few more things that caught their eye. The brightly colored trade cloth was what they really liked. We picked up some blue and yellow too. I picked out another ax and made a deal for a couple more of the pack saddles they wouldn’t be needin’ on the way back. I found one of the spa
de shovels they had been usin’ and made a trade for that as well.
I had a few blacksmithin’ tools along with Pa’s harness repair kit and other stuff in the cache back at the dugout, but I wasn’t much of a hand at smithin’ work. I had watched Pa work iron before, but I had only tried a few times. So I figured it wouldn’t do much good to get more of that stuff. But I did pick up a few iron hoops from broken barrels to have.
We had moved off to the side by a fire when the Nez Pierce rode in. It was quite a sight with them in all their finery, and I had never seen such pretty horses. They called them Appaloosas, and a couple of the Britishers that had come down from their land said they had been breedin’ them special for the spots on the rumps for as long as any of ’em could remember. They were puttin’ on a ridin’ show with some of their finest horses, and it was the best ridin’ I’d ever seen.
They had lots of furs to trade, and it looked like General Ashley was doin’ real well. It wasn’t long after that the Shoshones came ridin’ in. Sun Flower and Raven Wing went over to meet their brother and some friends.
There was a lot of drinkin’ goin’ on, and with a lot of mighty lonesome trappers and the Injun women, I was afraid there was goin’ to be more trouble. But the women seemed right friendly, and there were couples headin’ to the bushes real often, and no one seemed unhappy. Many trappers, it ’peared to me, were tradin’ their entire last year’s work for a few bottles of whisky and turns in the bushes with a willin’ Injun girl. Ashley made gifts to the Injuns and traded for all their furs. The food was plentiful, and everyone seemed to be havin’ a good time.