Grizzly Killer: Under The Blood Moon Page 18
But along the river all the way back to the Missouri was prairie. He had no idea how far he could see. With no mountains or landmarks close by he couldn’t judge distance. So with the afternoon moving right along he set Ol’ Red in a ground eating lope and continued south over the rolling hills of the prairie. Each hill he would top with caution, dismounting and peaking over the crest from his belly. He saw many small herds of buffalo that he figured would be a lot easier to hunt to than the huge herd back towards camp.
One hill he topped in that manner he could see a band of running horses and figured it might be the Cheyenne or even Arapaho but as he watched he was finally able to tell the horses had no riders. He smiled remembering the time back south on the Seeds-Kee-Dee when he and Running Wolf ran and hid from a band of wild horses believing them to be an Arapaho raiding party.
The sun was set when he rode back into camp, Ol ’Red was tired and just as soon as he got the saddle off Ol’ Red the big mule started rolling in the grass. Jimbo too was mighty tired and sore for he just curled up by the fire and didn’t move. Zach stretched his tired muscles and smiled at the happy faces of his beautiful wives.
As he ate, he told them all of his day looking for any sign of the Cheyenne or any others that might be in the area. He figured he had covered well over fifty miles in a circle to the east and felt, for now at least, this area was safe for their hunt. He told them of all the small groups of buffalo just east of the big herd and thought tomorrow he and Running Wolf should go take a look at hunting the small herds rather than chance stampeding the thousands of animals in the main group. When he finished telling them of his day he sat his coffee cup down and asked of their day and as Sun Flower started to speak Shining Star put her hand on Sun Flower’s shoulder getting her attention and pointed at their husband whose eyes were closed and was fast asleep sitting there by the fire.
The next day after a leisurely breakfast, Zach and Running Wolf mounted up and after telling Jimbo to stay with the women they headed due east. They were only about three miles from camp when they topped a slight rise and maybe a quarter mile from them was a herd of about twenty buffalo. With the ground being fairly flat and smooth there didn’t seem to be any way to get any closer to them so with a big smile on his face Running Wolf said, “We’ll now see if the big red mule can run with the buffalo.”
He started out and Zach followed right behind him. He leaned forward, putting his head along the chestnut’s neck so he had almost no profile and Zach did the same. They headed right toward the small herd of grazing Buffalo as if they were just wild horses and were only about one hundred yards away when the buffalo became weary and started to move. Then Running Wolf kicked the chestnut into a full run and although Grizzly Killer did the same, the chestnut left Ol’ Red behind. Red had more bottom but not the short burst of speed like the chestnut.
In no time, Running Wolf was right among the running buffalo while Zach was trying to get more speed out of Ol’ Red who was about twenty yards behind. He watched as Running Wolf laid the reins over the chestnut’s neck and guiding him with his knees, rode right up alongside one running cow. He brought his long rifle to his shoulder and fired down through the ribs and the buffalo just collapsed.
By now Zach was approaching the last buffalo of the herd and when he was right alongside he held his Hawken in just one hand and with the muzzle only a foot from the buffalo’s side he pulled the trigger and it too collapsed. Zach urged Ol’ Red on while he reloaded which was near impossible from the back of a running mule. Although Ol’ Red had a mighty smooth gait it took over twice as long as usual for him to get the ball rammed home. But Ol’ Red stayed right with the running buffalo and as he finally got the pan primed and the frizzen down with, just a little pressure with his right knee the big mule moved in right alongside another of the big shaggy beasts. This time with both hands free he brought the rifle to his shoulder and fired. The buffalo stumbled but didn’t fall, it ran for another hundred yards then slowed to a stop and lay down, gasped once and was dead.
He brought Ol’ Red to a stop as he watched the running buffalo disappear over the next rise then turned in his saddle to find Running Wolf. He was a quarter mile behind, standing beside the chestnut. Grizzly Killer could also see the three downed buffalo but they were spread out for nearly a mile. He trotted back to where Running Wolf was standing to make sure he was alright. As he approached Running Wolf with a bewildered look asked, “How did you reload on the run? I tried but couldn’t get it done.”
With a smile Zach answered, “I’ve had a lot more practice, remember I’ve been doin’ it ever since I was a pup. We got work to do now. I’ll start skinnin’ if’n you’ll go get the women and pack horses.”
Running Wolf smiled and nodded, mounted up and as he started back he was still in awe of the ability of his closest friend and brother-in-law.
Zach had the first one gutted and skinned and half the second when Jimbo came running up to him. He looked up to see his wives along with Running Wolf and Raven Wing each with two pack horses- only a couple of hundred yards behind.
The women started right in butchering the skinned one while Running Wolf rode on to the third to start skinning. The last one was quite a distance away and Zach jumped right up when he heard the report of Running Wolf’s rifle as he approached the downed buffalo. But as he looked toward his friend he saw three wolves running from the kill.
It took but a couple hours more to get the meat loaded and as soon as they moved from one kill to the next wolves would move in to clean up the gut pile, bones and scraps they left behind. They were back in camp by early afternoon and had the drying racks filled and drying fires going just a couple hours later.
The rest of the day was spent in camp. Raven Wing and Running Wolf mixed more of the healing plants into a poultice and treated the stitched cut on Jimbo’s head and redid the wrap on the Black’s hind leg. Sun Flower and Shining Star took Zach by the hands and led him down to a smooth wide spot in the creek where they all bathed in the clear cold water and dried in the warmth of the August sun.
The next day went much the same as the first. The buffalo that were not in the main herd were widely scattered and in small groups making it difficult to take more than just two or three a day. But they figured if they kept up taking even one or two a day they would be well supplied for the winter in just a couple of weeks and would be back home on Black’s Fork just as the berries were turning ripe.
A Dangerous Man
Nearly a week later, Cal Beaumont lay on his belly, his hat off as he peered over the crest of a brush covered hill. Next to him was his brother Ben and their reluctant ally, Lester Gooding. They were watching a hunting party of Indians a couple of hundred yards below them in a camp that was next to a small stream just south of the Popo Agie. Les whispered, “Them there is Snake Injuns. They should be friendly ‘nough.”
They slid off the brink of the hill and back to where their horses were being held by Abel Calloway. Abel’s arm was still in a sling hanging useless. His shoulder was very painful even though it had now been over a week since the battle with the Cheyenne. He could feel the bones were broken and grinding against one another and he cursed the Cheyenne buck and his damn stone headed war club every time he moved.
Cal was still riding the spotted horse he had taken after killing its Cheyenne owner. He moved off to the side and let the other three pass as he brought up the rear. For even after more than a week, he still wouldn’t turn his back on the others. They followed a trail that went out around the hill they had been on and once on the other side they stayed out in the open as they headed right for the Shoshone camp.
It was Buffalo Heart that first saw the four riders approaching and he sounded the alarm. The women gathered the children and ducked into the thick brush along the creek while Badger and Runs Like the Wind came forward to meet the strangers. Buffalo Heart and the other braves picked up their bows and stood behind where Badger and Runs Like the Wind were waiting for t
he strangers to approach. Badger noticed two of the men were much larger than the others, the one on the spotted horse and the one that looked like someone he had seen before. He stared at Ben Beaumont trying to place where he had seen him before.
The riders stopped about twenty-five yards from the waiting Shoshone braves and Les raised his hand in the universal sign of peace. Badger responded likewise and the four riders slowly came forward and dismounted. Les was aware that the Shoshone and Cheyenne were enemies and he figured it would help them get information if the Shoshone thought of them as allies against the Cheyenne. Les knew a little of the Shoshone language and between that and sign language he asked if they had a healer with them” His partner had a hurt shoulder from a fight with some Cheyenne several suns to the east. Badger told them they were just a hunting party and had no healer, but if they wished, he would have his woman try to help. He asked them into their camp to smoke the pipe while Blue Feather looked at his friend’s shoulder.
Little Horse went and brought back the women and children and Badger told Blue Feather what was needed and she took Abel into a teepee and two other women followed. Runs Like the Wind had seated the other three white men at the fire and Badger brought his pipe. While Badger ceremoniously filled his pipe he noticed the largest of the three men, Cal Beaumont, looking at the women in camp and he didn’t like the look in Cal’s eyes at all. While he lit the pipe he glanced at Runs Like the Wind and saw he was watching the big man as well.
He puffed the pipe to life paying homage to the four winds, the sky and mother earth then passed the pipe on. After the pipe had made it around the fire and back to Badger he set it aside. Les asked him where they had been hunting and why they were camped here on this little stream instead of heading back to their village. Badger was watching Cal and Ben Beaumont as he told them of Otter being hurt hunting buffalo to the south and they camped here for a few days because riding made his head hurt but they would be going back to the village of Charging Bull in just another day or two.
Cal, with a snarl, told Les, “’nough of this here small talk. Find out if he knows Grizzly Killer and where we’s can find da murderin’ bastard.”
Badger and all the other Shoshone couldn’t understand what Cal had said but they all understood the name Grizzly Killer for they had heard that name spoken in English many times before. Before Les could respond, Badger asked him if they knew the great white warrior Grizzly Killer.
Les said, “We’re lookin’ for ‘em, he’s a friend of ourn. We got words for ‘em from back home.” Badger told him that Grizzly Killer lives far to the south but he didn’t know the place because he had never been there. Buffalo Heart was about to step forward and say that he had been to Grizzly Killer home when the look on Badgers face told him to stay quiet.
Abel stepped out of the teepee with Blue Feather right behind him. He was wearing sort of a harness made from Buffalo hide. It went around the front of both shoulders and crossed in a back. It was a simple thing but it held his injured shoulder in place and kept it from moving much. As Abel approached the others they all stood and as they did Badger remembered the big black bearded man that Grizzly Killer had fought and killed at the rendezvous at Sweet Lake and the younger of these two big men looked like him and, at that moment, knew he must be the dead man’s brother and were no friends of Grizzly Killer.
Abel turned toward Blue Feather and with his one good arm gave a sign of thanks and wished her well. Although he was a hard man he was truly grateful for the help she had given him. Badger watched the eyes of Cal and the way he was looking at his wife and told Blue Feather to leave until these men were gone. A quick look at Buffalo Heart and Little Horse told the two of them to get the women away.
As bad as Cal wanted to take one of these women he wanted revenge on Grizzly Killer more and so the four of them mounted up and headed south. Les told them they had to cross the pass to the west side of these Wind River Mountains and hit the Seeds-Kee-Dee and follow it south and hope to run into someone who knew where to find Grizzly Killer. That if they went straight south there was no water for over a hundred miles.
Once they were out of sight of the village, Badger told Buffalo Heart and Red Hawk to ride like the wind back to where Grizzly Killer was hunting and tell him about these men that were looking for him. That two of them were very large men and look like family to the bad one he had killed at the rendezvous. Little Horse wanted to go give word to Grizzly Killer as well but that would have left no young men to care for the horses and help out at camp. But Runs Like the Wind told him he could go for he remembered what is was like to be young. He told Little Horse he would care for the horses until they returned. Badger smiled at Runs Like the Wind and jokingly told him he had the heart of a woman.
The teenage boys picked their favorite mounts and headed back along their back trail riding hard. As their horses began to tire they slowed to a gentle lope and by nightfall were within only ten miles of the creek where they had camped during the buffalo hunt. The horses were spent and needed the rest so they stopped and made a dry camp. These three young men had been caring for the horse herd for years and they all knew how to care for their valuable mounts. They brushed them down with clumps of dry grass removing all of the dried sweat from them so the salt crystals would not rub sores on them. There was no water here but they let the horses wet their mouths with what little water they had in their water pouches. The grass was plentiful and they hobbled them on the best they could find. Then they built a small fire in a swale between two small hills and at dark brought the horses in and ground tied them right next to where they were going to sleep.
The boys were up before dawn and made it to the creek where their old camp had been by the time the sun was coming up. They drank their fill along with the horses and then refilled their water pouches. After the brief pause for water they headed downstream to find where Grizzly Killer was camped.
About an hour later they could see a small trail of smoke and just a few minutes after that, when only about a quarter mile out they were met by Jimbo standing in the trail with the hair down his back standing on end and all three of them could hear the low growl coming from deep down in his throat. Buffalo Heart jumped down off his horse and yelled, “Jimbo, don’t you know me?” At the sound of his voice the hair lay down on Jimbo’s back and with tail wagging the huge dog ran right to the three young men.
As they walked into camp, Raven Wing, Sun Flower and Shining Star were all working on Buffalo hides that were staked to the ground. There were over a dozen staked out and several more rolled up waiting to be. There were five large drying racks full of meat drying and the smell of the smoking meat made the boys mouths start to water. Shining Star was the first to see the boys and stood up to greet them. Then Raven Wing and Sun Flower did the same. Buffalo Heart told the women he had words for Grizzly Killer, but Sun Flower, speaking her native tongue, told the boys her husband and Running Wolf were out hunting, and that they would have to wait ‘til they came back. Shining Star fed the three of them from the big kettle of left over stew and biscuits from this morning and was amazed as the three of them emptied the pot completely and finished off the rest of the biscuits. They had only jerky with them and this morning hadn’t stopped to even eat any of that.
It was midafternoon when they all saw Jimbo jump up and run out of camp and just a few minutes later he was back with Grizzly Killer and Running Wolf, each leading three pack horses laden with the meat of two young buffalo bulls they had taken that morning. These two brought the total to twenty-one and they figured they had all they could carry back to Blacks Fork now.
Zach was surprised to see the three young men in camp but greeted them with a big smile and welcome. Buffalo Heart told him he had words for him but Zach told him it would wait until the meat was taken care of. The three boys pitched right in getting the pack horses unloaded and helped get it cut into strips for the drying racks. As Raven Wing unloaded the dried meat from one rack Sun Flower would fill it a
gain. Shining Star was cutting meat and watching the boys making sure they didn’t make the strips too thick to dry properly. The wild plum and choke cherry was all used up from the drying fires so Running Wolf was dragging in dead cottonwood branches to keep the fires going. Although they all preferred the flavor of the fruit wood smoke cottonwood was a very good replacement, especially the large leaf sweet bark cottonwoods that the horses feed on in the winter.
It was evening before the chores were finished and the smell of the roasting hump ribs had them all hungry and ready to eat. As they sat around the fire getting ready to eat, Buffalo Heart told them the story of the four men riding into their camp. How one had a bad hurt shoulder that Blue Feather had helped. But when they asked about where they could find Grizzly Killer, Badger remembered the big man he had fought and killed at the rendezvous at Sweet Lake and he said the younger of the two big men looked a lot like him. He also said to tell you they had a look of danger about them and the way the older of the big men looked at the women. He was afraid there might be trouble.
They were all listening very closely to the words of Buffalo Heart and Zach got a distant look and there was a worried glance between Shining Star and Sun Flower as they watched the expression change on the face of their husband; from a look of peace and tranquility to a look of a very dangerous man. They all noticed the change on Grizzly Killers face and Little Horse shuttered with a small amount of fear, whispering to Red Hawk that he would hate to have Grizzly Killer look that way towards him. Red Hawk just nodded his agreement. Red Hawk was silent as he thought to himself, this is one dangerous man!