by S G Read
‘When I set out this morning Willow Grass was still alive, with Star That Shines looking after her. I am off to Duncan Lee’s tepee but if you wait here I will take you back to the ranch to see her when I get back.’
‘I can find Duncan Lee’s valley even if you do not show me Mr. Slim.’ Prairie Fox declared.
‘It is just Slim and fine, you lead the way then!’
Prairie Fox did just that. Despite his lack of years, he had ears and he had heard Little Buck talking about the valley. He took the lead and rode on, pausing only to check his route and looking back to see if Slim was keeping up with him. They reached the crossroads and Prairie Fox turned toward the entrance to the hidden valley, rode a little way then looked back to make sure Slim was still with him.
‘I’m still here.’ Slim declared testily.
‘Just checking.’ Prairie Fox answered and rode on.
As he moved down the trail he was repeating what he had heard in his head, over and over. He stopped and looked the rock face to his right up and down until he saw the hanging vines, then he smiled. He rode up to them and carefully thrust his hand through them before dismounting and leading his horse inside. Slim followed him.
‘You did not think I would find it Mr. Slim, did you?’
‘No I didn’t Prairie Fox, follow me.’
Slim led the way to the wooden door and opened it. He allowed Prairie Fox time to follow him inside then closed it again which drew attention to them and the redbone lifted his head then stood up. A growl hovered in his throat as he moved forwards and turned into a full blooded bark when he saw two strangers. Duncan picked up his rifle and moved to where he could see who was coming and then put his rifle back where it had come from. He sat down, his head was still a little dizzy from the attack with the tomahawk but he was getting better every day.
‘Hello Slim.’ Duncan greeted from where he sat. ‘Who’s your friend?’
‘This here is Prairie Fox and he is itching to kill Sioux so much, he has left Many Hands village to do so. Choosing to follow me because I seem to know where they’re at and what they are up to.’ Slim answered.
‘Take a seat Slim and you Prairie Fox, and no thanks is not an option.’ Duncan answered.
‘What does that mean Mr. Slim?’ Prairie fox asked.
‘It means sit and eat!’ Morning Sun replied in Pawnee from the doorway.
Prairie Fox did not argue.
‘I take it there was a reason for the visit, not that there has to be mind you, you are always welcome here, both of you.’ Duncan declared. ‘I’ll stop digging now.’
‘Good idea.’ Slim replied. ‘But you are right, Zeke brought a telegraph out for you, so I brung it here for you to read.’
‘What’s it say?’ Duncan asked.
‘How the hell should I know, I only read sign.’ Slim retorted.
He passed Duncan the crumpled up telegram and Duncan started to straighten it out.
‘How many battles has this been through then?’ He asked as he did it.
‘Just the one.’ Slim answered.
All the time they were talking Prairie Fox was looking at Duncan.
‘Have I suddenly grown two heads?’ Duncan asked, when it became annoying.
‘No. But I have heard of Duncan Lee, the Sioux fear him.’ Prairie Fox answered.
‘And so they should!’ Slim declared.
‘But not so much at the moment Prairie Fox.’ Duncan added. ‘A Sioux tomahawk most took my head of and if it weren’t for Crazy Dog my scalp would be on a Sioux lodge pole by now.’
‘I heard that if it weren’t for Crazy Dog you would not have been there!’ Prairie Dog answered. ‘You rode in as though you were a God and killed many Sioux.’
‘That part is true but one did get behind me and parted my hair.’ He displayed the healing wound.
‘Will you live?’ Prairie Fox asked.
‘Yes and so will Willow Grass.’ Slim declared. ‘Now leave Dunc be to read his message.’
Duncan read the message while the rest waited quietly, they all wanted to know what it said. Duncan Wolf Lee walked out and Duncan lifted him on to his knee, making sure he did not get his hands on the telegram.
‘Sarah is finishing school and wants us there see her get her diploma.’ Duncan announced and then let Duncan Wolf Lee take the message. ‘No eating that now.’ He warned. ‘If I write an answer can you see that it is delivered?’
‘Sure can.’ Slim answered. ‘Aint a safer pair of hands for a message than mine, especially as I have protection now.’ He nodded toward Prairie Fox.’
‘How is Willow Grass, Slim?’ Morning Sun asked taking the chewed message out of Running Wolf Lee’s mouth.
‘Last I heard she was awake and eating but she feels about like you did soon after Dunc.’ Slim answered.
‘That bad.’ Duncan exclaimed. ‘Must have been some blow.’
‘It was meant for me.’ Prairie Fox replied. ‘I was killing Sioux but one came to kill me. I could not load my bow so Willow Grass took the blow, then Mr. Bradbury shot him.’
‘You put an arrow in him I recall.’ Slim said questioningly.
‘But he did not die. I did not kill him.’ Prairie Fox argued, stoically holding back the tears which wanted to flow.
‘And he did not kill Willow Grass, least wise not yet.’ Slim declared. ‘When we leave here I will take you to see her.’
‘What about the message?’ Prairie Fox asked.
‘We have a system. One rider meets another rider and the next one sees someone else until it ends up in the telegraph office.’ Slim explained.
‘I would like to see Willow grass.’ Prairie Fox admitted.
Morning Sun came to the door.
‘Come and eat.’ She ordered, more like a housewife than a squaw.
No one argued.
Chapter 14
Slim and Prairie Fox did not leave until the next morning, leaving Duncan trying to get fit enough to ride his horse as far as the railway line. He was refusing to be taken in a surrey! They rode as far as the rocks where the Sioux had jumped Star That Shines and stopped to make sure it was all clear before moving on. Slim was an old hand at this game and he did not want to die yet. They stopped to camp at a place that Slim felt was safe and took the usual precautions. As before nothing happened and they rode on reaching the ranch late the following day. Slim rode into the farm with Prairie Dog following and several ranch hands recognized him as the young brave who had stood his ground and killed Sioux. Slim dismounted at the house and beckoned Prairie Fox to do the same, then they both walked into the house.
‘Found a friend then Slim?’ Olivia asked.
‘This little firebrand is Prairie Fox.’ Slim answered.
‘He is Willow Grass’ brother.’ Olivia declared. ‘She told me, that is why she protected him! She says he will be a great warrior one day.’
‘If he lives that long.’ Star That Shine argued from the stairs, then she berated the boy in Pawnee in such a stream that even Slim found it hard to understand.
Prairie Fox stood there as she spoke, his head held high until she stopped, then it was his turn.
‘Many Hands village is full of squaws and children, the fighting men are either hurt or afraid to go out in case the Sioux are waiting for them. I have come to kill Sioux and you know I can do that.’
‘It nearly cost Willow Grass her life when you were afraid.’ Star That Shines retorted.
‘That is true.’ Prairie Fox replied. ‘But that papoose is no longer here, now there is a brave.’
‘Have you gone through the ritual then?’ Star That Shines asked.
‘No, they refused to let me do it until I was older, so I left.’ Prairie Fox answered.
‘There are no Sioux here Prairie Fox.’ Star That Shines pointed out.
‘I have come to see Willow Grass on an invitation from Mr. Slim.’ Prairie Fox replied.
‘That is if she wants to see you!’ Star That Shines argued. ‘I will find out.
’
Star That Shines walked away.
‘What was that all about?’ Olivia asked.
‘Far as I can make out, she was a might angry at him for leaving the village after Willow Grass almost gave her life for him.’ Slim answered.
‘I thought she had.’ Prairie Fox declared. ‘I was willing to die for her memory, as long as I took Sioux with me to the happy hunting ground.’
‘You wouldn’t be able to look over the fence in there.’ Slim retorted.
‘There are no fences in the happy hunting ground.’ Prairie Fox corrected.
‘Where did you learn English Prairie Fox?’ Olivia asked.
‘In Running Wolf’s village, from Star That Shines and Willow Grass.’ Prairie Fox answered.
‘You are very good at speaking it, can you read and write as well?’ Olivia asked.
‘No I cannot read or write.’ Prairie Fox admitted.
‘If you stay around long enough I will teach you to write Prairie Fox and you can go out during the day and kill Sioux with Slim, they seem to find him quite often.’ Olivia declared.
Slim groaned.
‘Are you hurt Mr. Slim?’ Prairie Fox asked worriedly.
Slim looked him up and down before he answered.
‘No I aint hurt Prairie Fox and I will be pleased to take you with me when I go out into the prairie as long as you do learn to write.’ He answered after a few seconds.
A smile crept on to Prairie Fox’s face when he heard that from Slim.
‘Then I can teach you to read and write when we are not killing Sioux!’ Prairie Fox declared.
Slim groaned again.
Duncan spent the next day walking up the valley and back again to try to get in shape for the journey. He had two weeks before the ceremony to get fit enough to ride to the railway tracks on his own. It was impractical to take Morning Sun and his family on the trip so she would stay where she was until Duncan returned.
After two days, he started to run through the valley in his stockinged feet as his boots were not made for running. He wore them until he came to the grassy area and ran through it to clear his head, he was determined to get to the ceremony. By the end of the first week his head was clear and the injury forgotten. He walked straight and tall as he did the chores that Morning Sun had taken over while he was injured. Now she cooked the food and looked after Duncan Wolf Lee and his new sister. He cut wood and filled the wood store in case he was gone longer than he expected and winter set in before he returned. He filled the food store with produce from Morning Sun’s garden, packing it to make sure it did not rot. Finally when all that was done he rode into town to pick up the other supplies they were short of.
‘Morning Duncan.’ The sheriff said jovially as Duncan rode into town.
‘Morning Charlie are you fit now.’ Duncan asked.
‘As fit as I’ll ever be. I hear you had a bit of a run in with the Sioux in the battle where Running Wolf was killed.’ Charlie answered.
‘A bit of a run in covers it.’ Duncan replied.
‘I heard you were nearly killed by the Sioux?’
‘They chose to attack the wrong part and hit my head.’ Duncan answered.
‘A tomahawk wasn’t it?’ Charlie asked.
‘It was. Does everyone in town know about it?’ Duncan asked in despair.
‘Most.’ Charlie answered. ‘You have a nice day now.’ He added and carried on with his rounds.
Duncan rode on fearing the worst and was right to. Everyone wanted to talk about the fight, Running Wolf’s death and Duncan’s injury. So much so that Duncan did not stay for a drink in the saloon but started back as soon as he had bought what he came for. Morning Sun was surprised to see him when he returned, as he was back sooner than she expected. She walked out of cover with a pistol in her hands when she saw it was him.
‘Just making sure who it was husband.’ She said quietly. ‘She is finally asleep, it has been nothing but wailing all night.’
‘You’d best get some rest and I’ll sort her out if she wakes again.’ Duncan replied, seeing the tiredness in Morning Sun’s eyes.
‘I will do that, Duncan Wolf Lee has suffered as well in the same way and he is asleep now.’ She answered, kissed him when he dismounted and went to bed.
An hour later Duncan was asleep in his chair on the stoop, it was a quiet place to live when the children were asleep. His rifle was next to him on the stoop and he was a light sleeper. It had saved him on more than one occasion, being a light sleeper but today it did not matter, nothing stirred apart from the redbone dog which caught its dinner in the form of a rabbit and lay there happily devouring it.
Slim and Prairie Fox rode out of the Carter ranch in the morning. Prairie Fox had had his first writing lesson, using Olivia’s chalk and blackboard the one she had used when she was younger. Now they were going out to see what was going on around them. Slim no longer did any ranch work, his job now was to know when an attack was likely, so that the ranch could be ready for it. It was the reason the Sioux hated him, he was good at his job and they had been beaten off many times thanks to him. He did not ride where he wanted to go but took other routes and then turned back or just veered off slightly, trying to throw anyone waiting to ambush him of the scent. Prairie Fox followed, keeping his eyes open as well. Two pairs of eyes were better than one.
They crossed the prairie without seeing any sign and moved toward Many Hands land to see what the Sioux were up to. On Many Hands land they picked up Sioux sign and followed the Sioux who were following a group of Pawnee. Slim read the ground like it was a book which was more than he could do to a book, although Prairie Fox and Olivia meant to change that which had him worried. They picked up speed, as the Indians were moving fast to try to close the gap between them and the Indians. When the sign was fresh enough they took to the high ground in hopes of seeing where the Sioux where. Slim pulled out his telescope and looked round to try to find them. On the plain ahead Slim saw the Pawnee talking to an army detachment, in the rocks out of sight were the Sioux. When the powwow finished the Pawnee would come back the way they had come and that was where the Sioux were waiting. There were the same number of Sioux as Pawnee but the army outnumbered both of them.
‘We need to go pick a fight.’ Slim declared and they started down to the lower ground.
‘Good.’ Prairie Fox replied. ‘More Sioux will die today.’
‘I sure as hell hope so.’ Slim retorted.
When they reached a position behind the waiting Sioux who were facing the other way to watch the Pawnee and the cavalry Slim stopped.
‘We need to go through and kill as many as possible, then keep on going to get to the cavalry before the Sioux catch us. The Sioux are mostly hotheads and they’ll follows us, well some will and that is what we want.’ He whispered.
‘As long as my arrow finds one I will be satisfied.’ Prairie Fox answered at the same level.
‘Okay. No noise until we start killing and then make lots.’ Slim ordered.
‘Yes Mr. Slim.’
Slim opened his mouth to repeat that his name was just Slim but gave up, some things you can never change. They moved closer and closer until Slim signaled the attack and then they raced forward. One Sioux looked round, then another but by that time the two attackers were in range and shooting. Slim using his pistol and Prairie Fox using his bow. To show his improvement Prairie Fox hit his first target then fitted another arrow into his bow by holding on to his pony with his knees. They raced through the Sioux, killing as they went and then charged out into the opening and on to the flat ground. Several Sioux gave chase, whooping as they went and both Slim and Prairie Fox kept their heads low to make themselves hard targets. More Sioux followed with the leader hanging back as he saw it as a bad move to go up against the cavalry and the Pawnee together. In the end only three remained to watch what unfolded.
The Pawnee and the cavalry heard the shooting and then saw the two being chased toward them by the Sioux. The Pawnee reac
ted first and turned to fight their enemy. The general in charge of the cavalry issued orders and they soon followed. The Sioux gained ground but it soon became obvious that they would not catch Slim and Prairie Fox before the Pawnee arrived and the cavalry would arrive soon after that. The attackers faltered, stopped and turned back with the Cavalry in pursuit as Many Hands stopped his braves from following. With their rifles drawn the cavalry had the advantage and the Sioux fell one by one until they could hide in the rocks but the cavalry did not stop, they were under orders to chase the Sioux away, not wipe them out as their presence helped the negotiations.
Slim and Prairie Fox stopped riding when they met the Pawnee and could see the cavalry were taking a hand. Prairie Fox turned his horse and fired as he turned, hitting a Sioux brave in the leg. His second shot killed the brave. Prairie Fox did not stop there but started after the Sioux. The cavalry hurried past him and he no longer had a target. He looked at Slim for direction and Slim signaled him to stop, which he did. Not returning to where Many Hands had stopped but choosing to stay where he was until Slim joined him. Many Hands looked at him with his stony face and then turned to return to the negotiating table with the general who was still sitting in his chair by his desk on the plain. He passed Slim as he went.
‘Sorry to interfere Many Hands but they were awaiting for you.’ Slim declared in his best Pawnee, when Many Hands stopped beside him.
‘I could have lost more braves and we are few in number now so it is I who thank you.’ Many Hands answered in the same tongue. ‘You seem to have a new friend, one I recognise.’
‘He wants to kill Sioux and as they are always after my scalp on account that I have killed a lot of them, he considered being with me the best place to be.’ Slim answered.
‘I have heard that and I think he will learn from you, when his mind is closed to us.’ Many Hands answered. ‘I think I see a great warrior on his way.’
‘Could be right, if he doesn’t get his fool head shot off.’ Slim answered and rode off to where Prairie Fox waited.
Many Hands returned to the general.
