Grizzly Killer: The Making of a Mountain Man

by Lane R Warenski

  We had been seein’ antelope all afternoon, and I figured some fresh meat would be right welcome, so I took Ol’ Red and started out. Jimbo’s paw was botherin’ him after travelin’ all day, and he wanted to go, but when I told him to stay, he just lay down and watched me ride out. I rode to the top of the ridge and stopped there, just admirin’ the view. By now I would have thought I was used to the views out here, but the distances I could see still amazed me. I could see three separate herds of antelope from where I sat, and they were not even close to one another. I couldn’t see any way to get close enough to any of them in this open country, so I just continued on. Goin’ up the far side of the next rise, there were some big patches of oak brush, and I jumped a small herd of deer that were too far out to shoot. As I topped this ridge and started to circle back toward camp, a badger scurried through the sage to his hole and turned around and hissed at me from his dirt mound as I rode by. When I got back down in the bottom of the draw and headed back toward camp, a family of foxes came out of their den and watched me ride by, the young ones not even stoppin’ their play. I wondered if any of them had ever seen a person before. I rode back into camp without any game but growin’ to love this land more all the time.

  There was a fire goin’ when I got back with a spit set up across it, and there were three rabbits on the spit. I looked at Runnin’ Wolf, and he pointed to Raven Wing. She and Sun Flower were carin’ for the rabbit hides, and they just smiled at me, and I noticed one of the bows Runnin’ Wolf had been workin’ on lyin’ right there where the women were workin’. Runnin’ Wolf was workin’ on the badger skin, and I could see now he was makin’ a quiver out of it. I sat down and called Jimbo over and unlaced his moccasin, and he went right to work cleanin’ his paw with his tongue. When the women finished fleshin’ the rabbit skins, they picked up a pouch, asked me to keep the rabbits, turned, and started off down this little creek. I made up a pan of cornbread and could see we would need to hunt a bear ’fore long to refill the grease pouch. The sun was ’bout to set when they came back, and the pouch was bulging with wild onions, camas root, and cattail shoots. The fresh roasted rabbit tasted mighty good, but Jimbo looked like we were tryin’ to starve him. He got one rabbit for himself, but it was plain he wanted more.

  After we finished eatin’, Sun Flower picked up one of our blankets, and the two of us walked up to the top of the ridge. We sat down with her in front of me. I wrapped the blanket around us both, and we watched the stars come out across this endless sky. It was a cool but pleasant evenin’, and sittin’ there with my arms around her as it got dark was mighty fine. I thought ’bout Ma and Pa and figured they would like this beautiful, brash, intelligent girl as much as I did. As a pack of coyotes started their yippin’ on the opposite ridge, she laid her head back against me, and she pulled my arms tighter around her. We just sat like that for the longest time. Then without sayin’ a word, she stood, pulled her dress off, and sat back down on my lap, putting her arms around my neck and kissing me. We made love in that cool night air until we were both cold and tired and walked back down to camp. The teepee was warm and comfortin’ with just some coals still glowin’ in the little fire pit inside. Runnin’ Wolf and Raven Wing were asleep as we crawled under our bedroll. The night was calm, and I slept sound with Sun Flower in my arms all night.

  When I woke and just lay there, listenin’ as always, I could hear something movin’ through our things outside the teepee and very quietly moved my hand to my Hawken. Sun Flower laid her hand over mine and squeezed it and whispered it was Runnin’ Wolf. I couldn’t believe he got up and went out without me wakin’ up. I thought then I couldn’t let myself sleep that sound, for this land had too many dangers. But then, with all of us together, I knew we were safer. Just like now, I was asleep, but Sun Flower was aware of everything all around us.

  When I went out, it was light. The sun wasn’t up yet, but it wouldn’t be long. As I took in the world ’round us, I could see a cow and calf moose ’bout a half mile down this little creek, and as I watched them, the calf dropped to its knees and started to suckle. Then from out of sight, up the creek, I heard the familiar slap of a beaver tail hittin’ the water and wondered what had spooked it. Then I saw a pair of coyotes come from behind a little rise in that direction and run up the hill over the top of the ridge. This land was wild and harsh but beautiful beyond describin’. It was full of life, and at the same time, death could come mighty quick and easy.

  I was lookin’ at the lay of the Bear River Mountains just south of us and figured we were only ’bout a day and half from the dugout. And I had the feelin’ I was goin’ home. Runnin’ Wolf was starin’ at those same mountains and came over to me and, pointin’ up at one high rugged peak, said his village should be on the other side of that peak in the valley of Rock Creek on the south side of these mountains. I could see in his eyes he wanted to get back there, but then he told me he figured his home was now with Raven Wing and me and Sun Flower, but he had to return and make sure Shinin’ Star was all right. He said he had to tell her that her mournin’ time was over and she needed to find another man for her to care for. He told me Grub was right. She was a beautiful girl, and there were always lots of men that wanted her. But since he was now the man of the family, it was for him to say whom she would go with. Then he smiled at me and said, “She will tell me who to choose, and I will do as she asks. I want only for her to be happy and cared for.”

  Raven Wing was gettin’ the coffee on and some biscuits in the pan, but she heard what Runnin’ Wolf had said. She stopped and walked over to us and stepped right up in front of Runnin’ Wolf and put her arms around him, and lookin’ in his eyes, she said, “My heart is good to have such a man as you. Only one moon ago, I would have been afraid to be with a Ute warrior, but now I know the heart of a man comes from the man, not his people. I choose to be with you, Runnin’ Wolf, because of the man you are, and with Grizzly Killer, a white man with the heart of the people.” Then she asked him, “Does your sister know how much you care for her?”

  Runnin’ Wolf just smiled at her and nodded and then held her tight, and I walked down the creek and started bringin’ in the stock.

  When I got the stock in, Sun Flower was mixin’ a poultice of moss and a couple of other plants I didn’t know, and when she was satisfied with it, she called Jimbo. He went right over, and she smeared this green poultice on his paw and packed it in where his toe was missin’. Then she pulled his moccasin on and laced it up so’s he couldn’t lick it off.

  We ate and got cleaned up and loaded the horses and mules. One of the pack horses was feelin’ a bit frisky this mornin’, and when I tightened down the diamond hitch over the load, he went berserk, buckin’. I didn’t have the hitch tied off yet, and he threw the whole load off. By the time I got him settled down, we had to start all over again with his pack, but this time, I had him snubbed right up tight to a cottonwood, and he couldn’t move his head at all until after I had the pack tied right down on him tight. But after that, he fell right in line and never gave us any more trouble.

  We were still headed mostly east by a little south, and by midday, we were into familiar country. This was country I had hunted some last fall. There were more trees and grass now and less sage. We were gettin’ above the cedars and pinions and were now into more quakies and pines. The streams everywhere in this lower country were lined with cottonwoods, but they stopped growin’ up higher on the mountains. The grass was still mighty green and thick here on the north slope of the Bear River Mountains unlike the sage country we had crossed to get here. We rode past several smaller streams all through the afternoon, and there was beaver sign aplenty. There was still a lot of trappin’ that could be done in this country. By the time we were lookin’ for a place to camp, I figured we were only three or maybe four hours from the dugout. We should be there by midmornin’.

  This area was sort of a borderland and could be used by several different Injun tribes. The Shoshone and Utes mainly, but also the
Arapaho and Cheyenne, would hunt here. The Crow, Blackfeet, and even the Sioux would come through here on raids. ’Cause of this, I was bein’ a little more careful of campsites and fires. We found a little trickle of a stream between two hills that would hide a fire and didn’t start it till ’bout dusk so the smoke couldn’t be seen. The grass was good, so we kept the stock on the picket line right close by. We slept under the stars and were headed out the next mornin’ by the time the sun was just peekin’ over the eastern horizon.

  We were now in country I knew well, and we made good time. Jimbo’s paw wasn’t botherin’ him as much now, and he was back to scoutin’ out in front of us. Just as we were headed up the western side of the ridge that was just three or four miles west of the dugout, Jimbo came padding back down the trail. His hackles were up, and he was growlin’. We stopped, and all got down. With Sun Flower and Raven Wing holdin’ all the stock, me and Runnin’ Wolf crawled up to the top of the ridge, and what we saw was mighty troublesome.

  19 Arapahos

  Across the big meadow, right where the dugout sat, there was a column of smoke twistin’ its way to the sky. I could see several horses out on the meadow grass, but we were too far away to tell just what was goin’ on or who they were. We backed off the ridge where we couldn’t be seen and then talked over who it might be. Sun Flower and Raven Wing did not think any Shoshone would bother the lodge of Grizzly Killer, and Runnin’ Wolf said he didn’t think the Utes would be in this area this time of the year. He thought they would be raidin’ the Goshutes way out to the west for slaves to trade to the Spanish. I said it could be a group of trappers, but no trapper’s had left Rendezvous before us that were headed this way.

  Everyone knew we had to find out, and I knew a good place only a couple of miles to the southwest from here where we could hide the horses. We turned and headed there. I took several different trails, tryin’ to mix up our tracks, and stayed to rocky ground when I could, but I knew any Injun could follow them.

  This was a narrow little draw with thick timber at the bottom but once you work your way through the timber for maybe a hundred yards, it opened up into scattered quakies, with tall grass under them. The draw was steep sided, with a trail leadin’ right up and out the top, but it was steep and rough. We ran a good picket line and pulled all the packs. I wanted Sun Flower and Raven Wing to stay here with them, but they convinced me they might be needed and they could help. Runnin’ Wolf gave the badger quiver with the new arrows in it to Raven Wing, and she got her bow ready. Sun Flower got the squirrel gun from its scabbard, and she checked the prime. Runnin’ Wolf got his bow ready and put his quiver over his shoulder and then checked the prime on his long rifle. I checked Pa’s ol’ rifle and put it back in its scabbard and again double-checked the prime on the Hawken. I checked Pa’s horse pistol and reached over and placed it on Sun Flower’s saddle. She just nodded at me. We all knew this could be a mighty serious thing we were doin’.

  I led out, takin’ the steep, rough trail out the top of the draw. Once out of the draw, I started in a circle, takin’ the same route I used to circle the dugout when I was checkin’ for tracks in the early spring. When we got on the ridge way up above the dugout, we started down, stayin’ in the thick timber. When we were maybe a mile above, we stopped and tied the horses. I just let Ol’ Red’s reins hang free. I knew he would stay right there with the horses. Stayin’ right in the timber, we started down toward the dugout. I was headed for a little clearin’ ’bout a quarter mile above it where we would have a good view of the area.

  The sun was just past center sky, and it was mighty warm for bein’ this high up. When we crossed a little seep, Runnin’ Wolf stopped me, and he put streaks of mud on his face, and so did the women. With my beard, I didn’t think I needed it, but Sun Flower put a little just under my eyes and across my forehead. We just took our time gettin’ into this clearin’, makin’ sure we couldn’t be seen. I had the women stay back in the timber just a little bit, and me and Runnin’ Wolf crawled out to where we could see. There was a fire goin’ in the outside fire pit, and ’bout halfway between that and the stream, there were three men staked to the ground. They were naked and not movin’ at all. They had darker skin than mine, so I figured they were Injuns. There were eight horses out in the meadow and one brave out with them. I could see two other braves by the fire but didn’t know how many might be in the dugout. I looked at Runnin’ Wolf, and he whispered Arapaho dogs. He then said the three staked to the ground were most likely Shoshone and three of the horses would be theirs, so he figured there were five Arapahos.

  I really wanted to know how many were down there, and we were just watchin’ when two more came out of the dugout. One that looked like he was their bushway walked over to one of the men staked out and pissed in his face. He sputtered and choked awake. We watched another of the Arapaho get a stick and walk over to a pine and scrape up some pitch, then he went to the fire and lit it. When it was burnin’ good, he held it over the Shoshone that they had woke up and let the burnin’ pitch drip all over him. That pitch just kept burnin’ once it landed on him, and the Arapahos laughed and laughed. Runnin’ Wolf motioned for us to get back into the timber.

  We slowly crawled back to where the women were waitin’. He told them what he had seen and added he did not think any of the three would be alive by dark. He said even if we didn’t want to save the three now, the Arapaho knew of this place. We could never stay here if any of them lived. I asked Raven Wing if she could go through the willows and the stream and get close enough to the one watchin’ the horses to put an arrow in him. She nodded and said she would get it done. I told Runnin’ Wolf to take Sun Flower and Jimbo and circle ’round behind the smokehouse and, usin’ it for cover, get into good rifle range. Then I told them I was goin’ to get Red and just ride into their camp. Sun Flower looked worried, but she did not question me. I told them I would make the sign of peace with my left hand and for them to shoot when I brought it down. I told Raven Wing to shoot when she had to, but if she could wait, to shoot the same instant she heard the rifles. Sun Flower reached out and touched my hand but never said a word as I headed back to get Ol’ Red.

  I had far enough to go that I figured everyone would be in position when I got back. I climbed up on Red and went right down to the stream. I figured the noise of the water would hide the sound of my approach, and there were enough willows to hide me most all the way. I set Pa’s ol’ rifle across my knees, and with the Hawken in hand, I rode right into camp. Those Arapahos didn’t see me till I was close enough to shoot, and they were stumblin’ all over, tryin’ to get their weapons. They hesitated when they saw I was makin’ the peace sign, and that was what I was hopin’ for. I dropped my left hand to the Hawken’s barrel, and when I did, I heard the roar of two rifles and then my Hawken just a split second behind. The one still standin’ was pullin’ his bow back, and I could see I wasn’t goin’ to get another shot off, and I dived off Ol’ Red just as his arrow nearly parted my hair. Then I heard the scream and the viciousness of Jimbo’s attack. Runnin’ Wolf was runnin’ right past me and out to the meadow. I jumped to my feet and followed him. It was only a hundred yards or so, and in just a few seconds, I could see Raven Wing and Runnin’ Wolf were together, and there was a body in the grass with three arrows stickin’ out of it. I turned and ran back to find Jimbo still had hold of the Injun he had attacked. But I didn’t think he could be alive. There was blood everywhere. The one Sun Flower had shot with the squirrel gun was still movin’ just a bit, and Sun Flower walked over to him, pulled out her knife, and scalped him while he was still alive. The one Jimbo had hold of tried to move, and Jimbo started shakin’ him again just like he did with that badger. I told Jimbo to stop and stay. If that Injun was still alive, he wouldn’t be for long.

  Sun Flower had tears in her eyes as she was cuttin’ the three Shoshone’s loose, and as Raven Wing came into camp, she went right to work doctorin’ them. I noticed then these were all young men, I figured just t
hirteen or fourteen years old. Runnin’ Wolf asked her if she knew them, and she just nodded. The one they had dripped the burnin’ pitch on was in a considerable amount of pain. That pitch had just kept burnin’ right through his skin and into his flesh. It appeared the other two had broken ribs from bein’ kicked, and one had a huge lump on his head from a war club, I figured. His eyes didn’t look right either, and he hadn’t made a sound. Raven Wing said she needed bear grease for the burns. The horses were still tied up way above the dugout on the ridge. I told Sun Flower to come with me and bring the horses in while I went and got the rest of them ’cause the only bear grease was in the packs.

  She climbed up behind me on Ol’ Red, and we headed out. I asked her who these Shoshones were, and she said they were from another village, that they were friends from the village her mother and father had gone to visit instead of goin’ to Rendezvous. She said the name of the one that could talk a little was Red Hawk, that he said they were sent here to find us to let us know her mother and father were fine, that Spotted Elk had arrived, and they were ready for the Blackfeet and met them miles away from the village. He told her that Spotted Elk set up an ambush and surprised the Blackfeet, and many scalps were taken with only two Shoshones hurt, but they would live and that Spotted Elk was a great warrior. He said that he and his friends wanted to meet Grizzly Killer and asked if they could bring word to the daughters of Bear Heart and White Feather, that they had followed the Seeds-Kee-Dee and ran into the Arapaho just a few miles after they turned up Smith’s Fork. He said the Arapaho caught them at the lodge of Grizzly Killer, but we weren’t there to help.