XVI
THE CAMP AMONG THE ROSES
During the remainder of the day the agent found office work mostdifficult. His mind wandered to other and pleasanter things, and at lasthe began to make out a list of the necessaries for the camping trip.
The next day, about four o'clock, Crow Wing and Crawling Elk came intohis office bringing a young Tetong, who said he had been struck on thehead by a sheep-herder.
Curtis was instantly alert. "Sit down--all of you!" he commanded. "Now,Yellow Hand, tell your story."
Yellow Hand, a tall and sinister-looking fellow, related his adventuresullenly. "I was riding the line of the reservation, as Crawling Elk hadtold me and as you commanded, when I came upon this sheep-man drivinghis flocks across the river. I hollered to him to keep away, but he kepton pushing the sheep into the river; then I tried to drive them back.This made him angry and he threw a rock at me, and struck me here." Hetouched his bandaged head. "I had no gun, so I came away."
"Did you throw rocks at him?" asked Curtis.
"No, I was on my horse."
"You rode among his sheep?"
"Yes."
"Well, that was wrong. You should have reported to me and I would havesent a policeman. You must not make trouble with these men. Come to meor report to Grayman, your head man over there. The ranchers are angryat Washington, and we must be careful not to make them angry at us. Iwill send Crow back with you and he will remove this man."
As they went out Curtis said to Wilson: "This is the second assault theyhave made on our boys. They seem determined to involve us in a shootingscrape, in order to influence Congress. We must be very careful. I amafraid I ought not to take this camping trip just now."
"Don't put too much importance on these little scraps, Major. YellowHand is always getting into trouble. He's quarrelsome."
"I'd disarm a few of these reckless young fellows if it would do anygood."
"It wouldn't. They'd simply borrow a gun of some one, and it won't do todisarm the whole tribe, for if you do these cowboys will swarm in hereand run us all out."
"Well, caution every one to be careful. I'm particularly anxious justnow, on account of our visitors."
"I don't think you need to be, Major. You take your trip with yourfriends. I'll guarantee nothing serious happens down here. And as youare not to leave the reservation, I don't see as the department can haveany roar coming."
Nevertheless, it was with some misgiving that Curtis made his finalarrangements for the start. Crane's Voice and Two Horns had interestedElsie very much; therefore he filled their places with other men, andnotified them to be in readiness to accompany the expedition, an orderwhich pleased them mightily. Mary, the mother of Crane's Voice, was togo along as chief cook, under Jennie's direction, while Two Horns tookgeneral charge of the camp.
Elsie burdened herself with canvases. "I don't suppose I'll paint apicture while I'm gone, but I'm going to make a bluff at it on thestart," she said, as she came out and took her place with the driveramid the mock lamentations of Lawson and Parker and Jennie.
"Can any of you drive--no!" replied Elsie, in German fashion. "Then I amhere."
"I like her impudence," said Lawson.
As they drove up the valley, Curtis outlined his plan for using thewater on a huge agency garden. "I would lay it out in lots and markevery lot with the name of a family, and require it to be planted andtaken care of by that family. There are sites for three such gardens,enough to feed the entire tribe, but so long as a few white men areallowed to use up all the water nothing can be done but continue to feedthe Tetongs in idleness, as we are now doing."
As they rose the grass grew greener, and at last Elsie began to discoverwild roses growing low in damp places, and at noon, when they stoppedfor lunch, they were able to eat in the shade of a murmuring aspen, withwild flowers all about them. The stream was swift and cold and clear,hardly to be classed with the turbid, sluggish, discouraged currentwhich seeped past the agency.
"It is a different world up here," Elsie said, again and again. "I can'tbelieve we are only a half-day's drive from the agency. I never saw moredelicious greens."
Mrs. Parker, being an amateur botanist, was filled with delight of thethickening flowers. "It is exactly as if we had begun in August and weremoving backward towards spring. I feel as though violets were near. Itis positively enchanting."
"You'll camp beside violets to-night," replied Curtis.
Lawson pretended to sleep. Parker smoked a pipe while striding alongbehind the wagon. Elsie drove, and of course Curtis could not leave herto guide the team alone. Necessarily, they talked freely on many topics,and all restraint, all reserve, were away at last. It is difficult tohold a formal and carefully considered conversation in a joltingbuckboard climbing towards a great range of shining peaks, and everyfrank speech brought them into friendlier relation. Considered in thislight, the afternoon assumed vast importance.
At last, just on the edge of a small lake entirely enclosed by sparsepines, they drew into camp. To the west the top of a snow mountain couldbe seen, low down, and against it a thin column of blue smoke wasrising. The water, dark as topaz and smooth as oil, reflected theopposite shore, the yellow sky, and the peak with magic clearness, andElsie was seized with a desire to do something.
"Where is my paint-box? Here is the background for some action--I don'tknow what--something primeval."
"An Indian in a canoe, _a la_ Brush; or a bear coming down to drink, _ala_ Bierstadt," suggested Parker.
"Don't mention that old fogy," cried Elsie.
Lawson interposed. "Well, now, those old chaps had something to say--andthat's better than your modern Frenchmen do."
She was soon at work, with Lawson and Parker standing by her side,overlooking her panel and offering advice.
"There's no color in that," Parker said, finally. "It's ablack-and-white merely. Its charm is in things you can't paint--the feelof the air, the smell of pine boughs."
"Go away--both of you," she commanded, curtly, and they retreated to thecamp, where Curtis was setting the tents, and Jennie, old Mary, and TwoHorns, with swift and harmonious action, were bringing appetizing odorsout of various cans and boxes, what time the crackle of the fireincreased to a gentle roar. There they sat immovably, shamelesslywaiting till the call for supper came.
They were all hungry, and Jennie's cooking received such praise as comesfrom friends who speak and devour--Parker nearly devoured withoutspeaking, so lank and empty was he by reason of his long walk. Elsieseemed to have forgotten her life of luxury, and was reverted to aprimitive stage of culture wherein she found everything enjoyable. Hersketch, propped up against a basket by Curtis, was admired unreservedly.Altogether, the trouble and toil of civilized life were forgottentyrants, so far as these few souls were concerned. They came close tothe peace and the care-free tranquillity of the redman, whose idealsthey had come to destroy.
As soon as supper was eaten and the men had lighted their cigars, thewhole party walked out to the edge of the little pond and lounged abouton blankets, and watched the light go out of the sky. Talk grew moresubdued as the beauty and the mystery of the night deepened. Elsielistened to every sound, and asked innumerable questions of Curtis. Sheinsisted on knowing the name of every bird or beast whose call could beheard. The young soldier's wood-craft both pleased and astonished her.Mrs. Parker, with her lap full of botanical specimens, was absorbed inthe work of classifying them. Parker was a gentleman of leisure, withnothing to do but watch the peaceful coming of the dusk and commentlargely on the universe.
It was natural that, as host, Curtis should enjoy a large part ofElsie's company, but neither of them seemed to realize that Lawson wasbeing left quite unheeded in the background, but Jennie was aware ofthis neglect, and put forth skilful effort to break the force of it.Lawson himself seemed to be entirely unconscious of any loss orthreatening disaster.
A little later, as they sat watching the fire grow in power in thedeepening darkness, Curtis suddenly
lifted his hand.
"Hark!"
All listened. Two Horns spoke first. "One man come, on horse."
"Some messenger for me, probably," said the Captain, composedly. "He iscoming fast, too."
As the steady drumming of the horse's hoofs increased in power, Elsiefelt something chill creep beneath the roots of her hair. Perhaps theIndians had broken out in war against the whites! Perhaps--
A tall young Tetong slipped from his tired horse and approached theCaptain. In his extended hand lay an envelope, which gleamed in thefirelight. As Curtis took this letter the messenger, squatting beforehim, began to roll a cigarette. His lean and powerful face was shadowedby a limp sombrero and his eyes were hidden, but his lips were grave andcalm. A quirt dangled from his right wrist, and in the two braids of hishair green eagle-plumes were twisted. The star on the lapel of hisembroidered vest showed him to be a police-officer. From the intensityof his attitude it was plain he was studying his agent's face in orderto read thereon the character of the message he had brought.
Curtis turned the paper slowly and without excitement. With rapid signshe dismissed the courier. "I have read it. You will camp with Two Horns.Go get some food. Mary will give you meat."
Turning to his guests, he then said: "It is nothing special--merely somepapers I forgot to sign before leaving."
"By George! what a picture the fellow made, sitting there!" said Parker."It was like an illustration in a novel. Why don't you paint that kindof thing, Bee Bee?"
"Because I can't," she replied. "Don't you suppose I saw it? I'd needthe skill of Zorn to do a thing as big and mysterious as that. Did yousee the intensity of his pose? He expected Captain Curtis to showexcitement or alarm. He was very curious to know what it was allabout--don't you think so?"
Curtis was amused. "Yes, I suppose he thought the paper more importantthan it was. The settlers have kept the tribe guessing all the spring bythreats of running them off the reservation. Of course they wouldn'topenly resort to violence, but there are several irresponsibles whowould strike in the dark if they found opportunity."
In spite of his reassuring tone, a vague fear fell over the campingparty. Parker was frankly alarmed.
"If you think there is any danger, Captain, I want to get out o' herequick. I'm not here to study the Tetong with his war-paint on."
"If there had been any danger, Mr. Parker, I would not have left myoffice. I shall have a report similar to this every day while I am away,so please be composed."
The policeman came back, resumed his squatting position before the fire,and began a series of vigorous and dramatic gestures, to which theCaptain replied in kind, absorbed, intent, with a face as inscrutable asthat of the redman himself. The contrast between the resolute, handsomeyoung white man and the roughhewn Tetong was superb. "There's nothing init for me," said Parker, "but it's great business for a painter."
Elsie seized a block of paper, and with soft pencil began to sketch themboth against the background of mysterious blackness, out of which a pinebole gleamed ashy white.
Suddenly, silently, as though one of the tree-trunks had taken on life,another Tetong appeared in the circle of the firelight and stood withdeep-sunk eyes fastened on the Captain's face. Another followed, andstill others, till two old men and four young fellows ranged themselvesin a semicircle before their agent, with Crane's Voice and Two Horns atthe left and a little behind. The old men smoked a long pipe, but theyoung men rolled cigarettes, taking no part in the council, listeningthe while with eyes as bright as those of foxes.
It was all sinister and menacing to the Parkers, and all wondered tillCurtis turned to say: "They are my mill-hands--good, faithful boys,too."
"Mill-hands!" exclaimed Parker. "They looked uncommonly like a scalpingparty."
"That is what imagination can do. I thought your faces were extrasolemn," remarked Curtis, dryly; but Lawson knew that the agent was notso untroubled as he pretended, for old Crow Killer had a bitter story torelate of the passage of a band of cowboys through his camp. They hadstampeded his ponies and shot at him, one bullet passing so close to hisear that it burned the skin, and he was angry.
"They wish to kill us, these cattlemen," he said, sombrely, inconclusion. "If they come again we will fight."
Happily, his vehemence did not reach the comprehension of the women northe understanding of Parker, and Lawson smoked on as calmly as if thesetell-tale gestures were the flecking of shadows cast by the leapingflames. At last the red visitors rose and vanished as silently as theycame. They seemed to pass through black curtains, so suddenly theydisappeared.
In spite of all reassurance, the women were a little reluctant to go tobed--at least Mrs. Parker and Elsie were.
"I wish the men's tent were not so far off," Mrs. Parker said to Elsie,plaintively.
"I'll ask them to move it, if you wish," returned Elsie, and when Jenniecame in she said: "Aren't you a little nervous to-night?"
Jennie looked surprised. "Why, no! Do you mean about sleeping in atent?"
"Yes," replied Mrs. Parker. "Suppose a wolf or a redman should come?"
Jennie laughed. "You needn't worry--we have a powerful guard. I never amafraid with George."
"But the men are so far away! I wish their tent were close beside ours.I'm not standing on propriety," Mrs. Parker added, as Jennie hesitated."I'm getting nervous, and I want Jerome where he can hear me if I callto him."
Perceiving that Elsie shared this feeling in no small degree, Jenniesoberly conveyed their wish to Curtis.
"Very well, we'll move over. It will take but a moment."
As she heard the men driving the tent-pegs close beside her bed Mrs.Parker sighed peacefully.
"_Now_ I can sleep. There is no comfort like a man in case of wolves,Indians, and burglars," and the fact that the men were laughing did notdisturb her.
With a little shock, Elsie realized that Curtis and not Lawson was inher mind as her defender. Of course, he was in command; that accountedfor it.
Nevertheless, as she listened to the murmur of their voices she detectedherself waiting for Curtis's crisp, clear bass, and not for the nasaltenor of the man whose ring she wore. Her mind was filled, too, with thedramatic figure the young officer made as he sat in gesture-talk withhis Tetong wards. In case of trouble the safest place on all thereservation would be by his side, for his people loved and trusted him.She did not go to sleep easily; the excitement, the strangeness of beingin a tent, kept her alert long after Jennie and Mrs. Parker werebreathing tranquilly on their cots.
One hears everything from a tent. It seems to stand in the midst of theworld. It is like being in a diving-bell under water. Life goes onalmost uninterruptedly. The girl heard a hundred obscure, singular,sibilant sounds, as of serpents conferring. Mysterious footstepsadvanced, paused, retreated. Whispered colloquies arose among theleaves, giving her heart disquiet. Every unfamiliar sound was a threat.The voices of birds and beasts no longer interested her--they scaredher; and, try as she would to banish these fancies, her nerves thrilledwith every rush of the wind. It was deep night before she droppedasleep.
The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop Page 16
