Hugh Glass - Bruce Bradley

by Bruce Bradley

  So no, if he went back, he could never go back to sailing. What else would he do? The sea was all he knew. For the time being, he would stay with the Pawnees. He would learn their ways and, as Old Knife had said, would help to make them wise in the ways of the white man.

  ***

  Hugh and Big Soldier were away from the village, near the clump of trees that grew by the river. Big Soldier had given Hugh a tomahawk as a present and was teaching him how to throw it. Hugh was amazed at the indian's skill and power. From twenty feet, Big Soldier could bury the tomahawk in a ten-inch circle drawn on the trunk of a tree. Hugh, by comparison, missed the tree trunk altogether, most of the time. When he did hit the tree, it was usually with the wrong end of the tomahawk.

  "Practice much," Big Soldier told him. "These skills you must have to be Pawnee warrior. Also," he added with a hint of amusement, "to feed Little Feather, when time come."

  Hugh looked at him.

  "Everyone know," Big Soldier said. "You must wait for the proper time. Storm Dancer not come back, you go to Old Knife, make presents, ask Little Feather to marry. First, practice."

  Big Axe had ridden up on a beautiful black mare as they spoke. He looked at the circle drawn on the tree. Without a word, he stepped down, took his tomahawk out and threw it, planting the blade squarely in the middle of the circle.

  Hugh sighed.

  "Practice much," he said.

  The two indians laughed.

  "You practice, you get good," Big Axe told him.

  Big Soldier, meanwhile, had turned away and was looking back toward the village.

  "Someone comes," he said.

  Big Axe looked toward the village and nodded. Hugh looked but saw nothing that wasn't there before. He was beginning to wonder if the Pawnees had super natural powers, when he saw a hint of movement out beyond the village. As he watched, the movement became six men on horseback.

  In one, graceful move, Big Axe was back upon his horse. "You like this horse?" he asked Hugh.

  "Yes," Hugh answered. "She's very beautiful."

  "I won her," Big Axe said, "when you threw the lance through the hoop." He rode off. Big Soldier looked at Hugh.

  "Maybe you not marry Little Feather after all," he said. "Maybe Storm Dancer come back."

  They headed back toward the village.

  It wasn't Storm Dancer, but a party of indians from another village. By their dress, Hugh thought they were Pawnees. Big Soldier corrected him.

  "These men are Arikaras," he told Hugh. "Very close to Pawnee, like cousins. Come to trade."

  One of the men, very tall and muscular, took an instant disliking to Hugh and glared at him whenever Hugh was nearby. Hugh tried to ignore him, not wishing to be impolite, but finally ended up returning the indian's malignant stare.

  "Be careful that one," Big Axe told him. "He hates all white people. His name is, Kills-the-Whites."

  Hugh thanked Big Axe for the information, taking note as he did, of the number of scalps hanging from the Arikara's belt, as well as from his saddle. Many of those scalps, Hugh observed, were too light in color to have belonged to indians.

  From that point on, until the Arikaras left the village, Hugh was careful not to let his guard down.

  ***

  Shortly after the Arikaras left the village, Hugh began to sense a change in the Pawnees. There was an air of excitement in the village, a sense of holiday. He wonilered if they were getting ready for another sacrifice.

  "No," Big Axe told him. "Sacrifice only in time of planting. Planting done now. Now it is time for the summer hunt. Soon we leave--whole village go, you go too. Kill many buffalo."

  So that was it. Hugh tried to imagine the whole village packing up and leaving. There were almost two thousand people in the village. This would, indeed, be something to see.

  The following day, Hugh was out among the trees again, alternately practicing his tomahawk throw and his skill with the bow and arrow. He was getting pretty good with the bow, but the tomahawk was something he just couldn't seem to get the hang of. Hugh kept at it, though. If he was going to be an indian, he would be a good one.

  Walking back from the tree he was using for a target, he saw a figure ride out in his direction. As the figure drew close Hugh saw that it was Big Axe. He was riding the black mare. Hugh stopped practicing as he rode up.

  "Lau, idad, tut-tu-ta-rik ti-rah-rek!" Big Axe hollered without getting off his horse. "Come brother, they are going to dance!" Then he turned, spurred his horse, and rode back to the village. Gathering up his things, Hugh followed him.

  When he reached the village it seemed almost deserted. Hugh headed for the big medicine lodge. Before he reached it Hugh saw people crowding around the entrance and could hear the murmur of their voices.

  Hugh made his way into the lodge. The people politely let him pass, so that he was able to get all the way to the front and see what was going on.

  In the center of the lodge, on the floor, twelve buffalo skulls lay in a half-cirrle. Near these stood Old Knife, Big Axe, Big Soldier, Little Knife, and several others, all holding bows and arrows. Pipe Chief, Proud Eagle, and Yellow Fox were with them. These three men were the leading priests of the tribe. For days they had fasted and prayed, preparing for this sacred ceremony. Big Axe had told Hugh that, in this one hunt, enough meat must be secured to last the tribe for half the year, until the winter hunt. It was too important to them to leave anything to idle chance.

  As the warriors all held their bows, so did the priests carry their own hallowed implements. Among these were the buffalo staves--slender poles made of spruce, each wrapped in red and blue cloth, and each decorated with elaborate beadwork. These were sacred tools and were used to help guide and lead the hunt. As the Pawnees felt that the very success of the hunt depended on them, they were guarded religiously at all times. Hugh had heard Big Axe speak of the staves, but this was the first that he had seen them.

  When Hugh first arrived at the edge of the circle of men, women, and children who were looking on, most of the people were standing quietly with their heads bowed, as in prayer. Slowly, one of the priests began to murmur. One by one, the other priests joined him, followed by the warriors, their voices gradually becoming louder and more distinct.

  "Father, you, who are the Great Ruler of all, take pity on us. We are your children and we are poor. Send us many buffalo, many fat cows. We are your children, Father, send us the meat on which to live and grow strong. Listen to our prayers, Father, for we are your children. Help us..."

  As each man spoke, he passed his hands over and over the tools and weapons that he held. Each of them, from the youngest to the oldest, prayed ardently, with fire and intensity that Hugh had never seen in the prayers of white people. These men fairly shook with emotion. It was the most impressive display of religious faith that Hugh had ever seen.

  With no cessation in their prayers, the men began to walk forward, each in turn. Each placed the implements he held on the floor of the lodge, all within the half-circle of buffalo skulls. When the last man had placed his tools within the half-circle of skulls, the prayers increased in volume and then faded away. Then a drum sounded, and sixteen young men leapt into the circle and began to dance.

  The dancing continued without let up for three days. On the morning of the fourth day, when it stopped, every man, woman, and child left the village, and set out on the summer hunt.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  THE LEADER of the raiding party that had captured Hugh and Clint was called Long Hair, because he didn't shave his head, as was the custom with the Pawnees. He wasn't the only one to let it grow, but he was the first in recent times, so he was the one who was named for it.

  At the time that they captured Hugh, all among the raiding party were of the same countenance--all wore stem, sober faces. In Hugh's entire life, any time he had seen any indians, the expressions those indians wore was the same--serious and solemn. Like most whites, he assumed this to be the natural look of a race of peo
ple who lived hard, violent lives. Very grim.

  Living among the Pawnees, Hugh learned the truth.

  When they were around strangers, their expressions and manner became solemn, but when they were with their own, it was different. They laughed, they played, they joked, they were generous and unguarded and guileless in a way that I lugh never imagined adults could be. As time passed, he found it harder and harder to believe these were the same people who had visited such a cruel death upon his friend.

  As the tribe set out upon the hunt, the amount of noise they created was tremendous. In addition to the indians themselves, which numbered nearly two thousand, there were several hundred head of horses being driven along, and at least as many dogs as people, all whinnying and barking and adding to the general din.

  They had an interesting mode of travel. They attached poles (which were later to he used as lodge poles) on either side of a horse, so that one end was strapped to the horses' back and stuck out over it's head. The other end of the pole dragged on the ground. Between the two poles that trailed behind the horse, a buffalo skin was tied, creating a platform. Little Feather said this platform was called a travois. Upon this, they piled all their worldly goods. Children, or those who were too sick to walk, rode on top. The children, if they were young girls, usually had an armload of puppies to keep them company.

  In this fashion, they headed southward, moving slowly. Hugh, still unaccustomed to sitting on the back of a horse, rode a spotted gray, which was one of the ponies that Old Knife had given him. Initially, his awkward attempts at riding brought the Pawnees great amusement. When he explained to them that he had lived his life on waters that were more vast than the prairie itself, their laughter turned to awe. Some of the older indians had heard of these great waters, but none among them had ever seen them. Hugh, meanwhile, resigned himself to the fact that he would never ride nearly as well as the Pawnees, who had lived on the backs of horses since the time they could walk. In time, though, Hugh would learn to handle his steeds well enough.

  Hugh was riding next to a warrior named Lucky Hawk. He found this man to be extremely likable. He was amiable, as Clint had been. Lucky Hawk always had a smile for anyone he called friend, which seemed to be everyone. Lucky Hawk explained to Hugh that the hunt was governed by the Pawnee Soldiers, under the leadership of Big Soldier, who was the soldier chief. The soldiers commanded unquestionable authority in all matters regarding the hunt. No one was allowed to go off on their own, for if they startled the herd and drove it away before enough meat could be harvested, the entire village might be in jeopardy. Scouts were sent out far in advance, while the rest of the tribe followed behind. When a herd was discovered, word would be sent back. The tribe would try to camp as close as they could to the herd without startling them. The next morning, the killing would take place. They would surround the herd and drive it, first one way, then another, back and forth, until the buffalo were too tired to get away. Then the killing would begin.

  As the day wore on, the Pawnees were joined by two other groups of indians, the Otoes and the Omahas. These were tribes, Lucky Hawk said, that the Pawnees had at one time conquered and were now friends with. Hugh estimated that by the end of the day, there were over thirty-five hundred indians spread out over the prairie. It would take an awful lot of buffalo, he thought, to provide meat for them all for six months. He wondered how they could do this without completely wiping out the herd.

  "Ti-ra-wa send many buffalo," Lucky Hawk told him. "Plenty, plenty."

  Late in the afternoon they made camp. Some of the women took the poles off the ponies and erected lodges, covering them with buffalo skins. Others went about collecting dried buffalo droppings--some well over a foot in diameter--and making fires with them. Hugh was surprised at how well they burned.

  Hugh estimated that they traveled about eight or ten miles that day. Considering what a production it was to move the whole village, he thought it was good time.

  The next day was much the same as the first. The same was true of the day after that and the day after that. By now, most of the excitement had worn away, leaving only the heat, the dust, and the noise. Often he would start out at the head of the column, slowly falling back to wherever Little Feather was, and would stay for a time near her. The sight of her never failed to lift his spirits, and she seemed to brighten whenever he was near. Little Feather traveled with Storm Dancer's sister, however, and after a while, Hugh would get the idea that it was time to move along.

  One thing he noticed about some of the men who planned to participate in the liunt, was that they often walked their horses. Lucky Hawk explained to him that these were men who were generally too poor to own more than one horse. Rather than tire it out, these men walked, thereby saving the horse's strength for when they would need it most. Considering this, Hugh felt extremely fortunate. Old Knife had given him three horses as gifts.

  He was learning more and more about the Pawnees every day. He noticed that those among the men who had rifles, almost to a man, put them away, in favor of bows and arrows. And for their arrows, they preferred the older, stone arrowheads over the steel ones they got from the whites. He asked Big Axe why this was.

  "For buffalo," Big Axe answered, "bow and arrow almost as good as rifle. Make no noise. Stone arrowheads better than steel. With stone, even small wounds cause swelling and death. Stone better."

  ***

  At least once a day, the procession would pass by a small wooded area or thicket. Whenever they did, all the young boys would get together, surround it, and drive out whatever was inside. Sometimes it was birds, like pheasant or wild turkeys. Sometimes it was rabbits or deer. Whatever it was, the boys would usually manage to bring it down, providing fresh meat for themselves and their families. Twice, small groups of buffalo were sighted. At those times it was the men who rode out, chasing them down and killing them, just as the boys had done with the smaller game.

  This was the first time Hugh had actually seen buffalo. He was fascinated by their size and magnificence. Some of the larger bulls had to be two or three times its big as the horse he rode. Like the indians, he rode out after them. He wasn't a match for any of the Pawnees, either in horsemanship or with a bow and arrow. Only one of his arrows struck a buffalo cow--for it was the cows and calves that they valued most--and his was not the arrow that killed it.

  ***

  The sun grew hotter with each passing day. Hugh had almost lost track of time, but by his nearest estimation, he figured this to be early August.

  He was getting pretty tired of sitting on the back of a horse. It had been over two weeks since they had left the village. As yet they had seen no sign of the great herd. The indians continued on, day after day, ever southward. They traveled slowly. At best, they had gone about one-hundred and fifty miles. The prairie continued to stretch on about them in ever direction, endlessly.

  Hugh had never seen anything quite like this. In some places the grass rose all about them, growing to a height of ten or twelve feet. Moving through it gave Hugh an eerie, defenseless feeling. Men on horseback might be sitting ten feet from where the column of indians passed. The grass here was so thick and so high that the Pawnees might never have seen them.

  Gradually, the tall grass gave way and grew shorter and shorter, until it was only about three feet tall, and they could see across the prairie for a distance of several miles. Hugh was relieved.

  ***

  It was late in the day, nearly three weeks after the Pawnees had left their village, that the herd was sighted. The Pawnee scouts, far out in front of the column, had sent word back that the buffalo were about a day's ride away. In the morning, the men would ride out, leaving the others to catch up later. The men would camp near the herd the following night. The next morning they would make a "surround".

  "Soon," Lucky Hawk told Hugh, "soon, you see many buffalo."

  The following morning the men set out. Moving rapidly, unhampered by the bulk of their belongings and the slow-movi
ng column, they moved within striking distance of the buffalo. At a sight selected by Big Soldier, they set up camp. Here they would wait until the following morning, when the killing would begin. This would give the rest of the tribe a chance to catch up. They would reach this spot tomorrow, in time to help with some of the butchering.

  Hugh couldn't help getting caught up in the excitement. Here were nearly a thousand Pawnee warriors, along with four or five hundred Otoes and Omahas, all ready for their semi-annual hunt--an event upon which their survival, and the survival of their families, would depend. If Ti-ra-wa was good to them, they would get all they needed.

  Big Soldier had chosen a spot far enough away from the buffalo to prevent the possibility of spooking them, and downwind so that the herd would not pick up their scent. The men, including Hugh, spent the evening smoking, dancing and singing, and getting their weapons ready. All in all, they got very little sleep.

  The following morning they were up early and ready for the hunt. Big Soldier split the party of men into four groups. The herd was too big for a general surround, so a section of it would be cut out and attacked, leaving the rest of the herd to go free until the second day, when the Pawnees would repeat the procedure. If the rest of the herd stampeded, they would not go far and the indians would easily find them again.

  As they rode out across the plain Hugh was puzzled. He could see for miles in all directions, yet he saw nothing looked remotely like a herd of buffalo. Three-quarters of an hour later this was still true. Then they passed over a low hillock and the buffalo were there, but it took Hugh Glass a few moments to realize it.

  It would have been impossible to estimate the number of animals that lay before them. There could have been twenty-thousand--or ten million. At first sight, they did not even seem like animals at all, but like some great, undulating, brown sea, ever moving as though a great fire had swept through the plains, charring but not destroying or stiffening the grass, so that the slightest breeze still stirred and moved it.