Grizzly Killer: The Making of a Mountain Man

by Lane R Warenski

  I took Ol’ Red, and with Jimbo out in front as usual, I rode to a ridge top just west of us where I could see another river that was headin’ northwest and still more peaks way up above timberline. Everywhere you looked from up here, there were high mountains and lakes. I knew these Bear River Mountains were big and high, but from up here, they look to go on forever.

  I got back, and we headed south again, havin’ to go around this lake that was right below us and pickin’ our way through the rocks and timber. It was cloudin’ up, and within an hour, the thunder was echoin’ through these peaks, and there was so much lightnin’ in the air you could feel it pullin’ at your hair. We stopped again in a thick stand of pines just as the hail hit. The hail lasted maybe five minutes, then it started to snow. Now I’d never been in a snowstorm in July before, and it was cold, bone-chillin’ cold. We all huddled together and finally decided to start a fire. We built a small fire at the base of a big ol’ pine after scapin’ the needles away and just sat there, huddled ’round it for a couple of hours while the thunder shook the ground and the snow turned the world white.

  The sky cleared just as fast as it clouded up, and the sun came back out. The new snow was gone in just a little while, but there were still big patches of snow from last winter on the north sides of the peaks and in most shady areas. It stays cold up this high most of the time. We continued on to the base of a big round bald mountain, and just east of it, there was another lake much bigger than the first one and almost round. From where we sat, we could see the reflection of the sky and this huge jagged peak to our east on its surface and every so often the ripples from a fish hittin’ the top of the water. Runnin’ Wolf said that was where we were goin’, so we worked our way down through the timber and around the south side of the lake. Runnin’ out of the lake to the east was a good-sized creek, and Runnin’ Wolf said that was the start of the Duchesne River and we would be followin’ it down for the next two or three days.

  There was still enough daylight left for a couple more hours of travel, so we started workin’ our way down. There really was no trail to follow, just the river, and the goin’ was slow, havin’ to move in and out and ’round the pines. There were no quakies growin’ up this high. We jumped an ol’ sow bear with two cubs and watched as they ran across a small clearin’ just ahead of us. By the time it was time to find a campin’ spot, I figured we’d only gone ’bout a mile and half from the lake.

  We came to a spot where the stream ran up by a big jagged rock and there was enough of a clearin’ with grass for the stock, so we stopped. There was a cool wind blowin’, and as the sun got closer to that western horizon, the wind went from cool to cold. Sun Flower and Raven Wing set up the teepee while me and Runnin’ Wolf took care of the stock. Jimbo went out scoutin’ ’round, and I figured he was after some of the squirrels that were in abundance up in this timber, but in a little while, he came back with a big fat marmot and seemed happy as could be.

  It always amazed me how fast these two sisters could put up and again take down this big ol’ heavy teepee. By the time we had the stock watered and hobbled, the women had the teepee up, a fire goin’, and dinner cookin’. It was dusk by then, and steppin’ inside that teepee with the fire in it sure felt good. Jimbo came inside and curled up by the door. Jimbo’s paw didn’t seem to bother him at all now, but he left a different paw print now with that one missin’ toe. Bed always feels mighty good after a long day in the saddle, but tonight, with it bein’ this cold and the teepee so warm, I was ’bout asleep ’fore I got under the robes.

  Sometime in the night, Jimbo pushed his nose in my face and growled. I was awake instantly and had my Hawken in hand, then I heard the horses stompin’ the ground and Ol’ Red snort. I pulled on my moccasins and followed Jimbo out into the cold night, with Runnin’ Wolf right behind me. There wasn’t a moon, and I couldn’t see anything out in the dark forest. I couldn’t see Jimbo and didn’t know where he went. Ol’ Red brayed awfully loud, and Jimbo attacked. There was quite a fight for a minute, and I heard Red charge. That mule was screamin’ and kickin’ and carryin’ on like some demon right out of hell. Then I noticed Jimbo was standin’ right by us again. Now we could tell by the sound that it was a bear they were fightin’, and it was gettin’ farther away. I heard Ol’ Red’s hooves thud into flesh a couple of times, and a couple of minutes later, he came walkin’ right up to us like nothin’ had happened. I ran my hands over that mule, feelin’ for any wounds, and felt a row of welts raised up on his lower neck, but there wasn’t any blood. Come daylight, we’d have a good look. Jimbo seemed all right, but in this darkness, we could only feel for blood. Sun Flower and Raven Wing had the fire built up inside the teepee, and once inside, we could see Jimbo had some scratches on his right shoulder, but they weren’t deep enough to need sewin’.

  Next mornin’ there was frost on the grass, and the very edge of the creek had ice formin’ in the calm water. Red was standin’ ’tween the horses and other mules and the forest where the bear had gone. I walked up to him and rubbed his nose, and he nuzzled right into my hand. The welts on his neck were from a swipe of the bear claws, but they didn’t break the skin, and I couldn’t see another mark on him. His front hooves did have some coarse black hair in them, and I’d bet that bear was almighty sore this mornin’. I pulled a good-size clump of the bear’s hair from the bottom of Red’s hoof, and Runnin’ Wolf laughed and said, “That’s one tough mule.”

  We ate and loaded up. There was still a little frost on the shady side of the teepee when they untied it and let it slide down the lodge poles, and because we rolled it up damp, we’d set it up again tonight to dry it out good. It was still cold as we headed out, but the sun was warmin’ things up fast. By midmornin’ it was right pleasant again. The river cut down through a gorge that split a big high ridge, and we left the river to climb that ridge. When we got to the top, we were lookin’ down into this big basin, and I counted eight different lakes, with the river cuttin’ a path right down ’tween them. I picked out a route, and we headed down toward the largest of the lakes. These high mountain lakes were crystal clear and really something to see. We worked our way around this lake and followed the creek that was runnin’ out of it right on down to the river. Once we hit the river again, we continued followin’ it south.

  By midday we were across that basin and started down the canyon of this river General Ashley and his men had called the Duchesne. There were creeks runnin’ into it every so often from both sides, and it was growin’ in size with each one. We were gettin’ down low enough now. The timber was thinnin’ some, and quakies were growin’ along the river and creeks now. And we were seein’ game again. There were bighorn sheep way up above us on the ridges, and there were deer all along the river that would just watch us pass by. The afternoon storms came over, but we just got a little rain. The main storm with all the thunder and lightnin’ was way up on the mountain above us now. The lower down the canyon we came, the dryer the land became, and now there were big barren hillsides with just brush and grass and not many, if any, trees.

  We came to a big canyon leadin’ off to the west where a good-sized stream ran into the Duchesne, makin’ the river much bigger, and Runnin’ Wolf said that was Wolf Creek. We camped in the cottonwoods along the river just south of where Wolf Creek joined the Duchesne. There was a big high ridge just west of us, and the sun was behind it early, but it stayed light for a long time.

  While they all were settin’ up camp, I rode up Wolf creek a ways and shot a nice buck and brought it back. I got the hide off it, and Sun Flower cut off a couple of good-sized chunks and got them on a spit to roast. Raven Wing asked if we could stay here for a day or two and dry the meat and tan the hides or start to. Runnin’ Wolf told her we would stop tomorrow for as long as they needed in his village, that we would be there before this time tomorrow. She got a bit of a worried look, and he smiled at her, walked over, and told her that the woman of Runnin’ Wolf would be welcomed in the village of Stands Ta
ll. He told us Stands Tall was the chief of his village, that he was a fair and wise leader. That the village had done well with Stands Tall as their chief. He told us he was a big man, nearly as tall as Grizzly Killer. I cut several good chunks off the deer and salted them down real good so they would last a couple of days and rolled them in the hide.

  It was a long, pleasant evenin’, and I was lookin’ forward to seein’ more of this country on the south slope of these Bear River Mountains. Runnin’ Wolf said the Utes called these the Uintah Mountains. All the mountain ranges me and Pa had crossed comin’ west and even the Blue Ridge back home were runnin’ north and south, but these Uintah mountains of the Utes ran east and west. The women set up the teepee to dry it out but rolled up the cover a few inches and tied it to let in the cool night air.

  Just at that time, Jimbo came into camp from down the river, and he smelled like he’d died a month ago. He came right up to us, and we all scattered. I yelled at him to get away, and that confused him. I could tell he had no idea what he’d done wrong, but the way he smelled, he must have found a mighty ripe carcass of some animal and rolled in it. His smell just made your stomach turn. I took him by the collar and led him out in the river, and I started scrubbin’ him with sand. Now that water was almighty cold, and the more I scrubbed, the three of them on dry ground laughed. Jimbo wasn’t likin’ any part of this either, but somehow I figured he knew what he’d done to deserve this. I sure wished I had some of the lye soap Ma used to make. My teeth was chatterin’ from the cold water, and then Sun Flower pulled off her dress and, naked as can be, came out in the river to help me. Right then I wished I’d had enough sense to take off my buckskins ’cause now they were soaked through, even my shirt. I watched her walk out to us with a smile in water up past her knees. I still couldn’t get used to the fact that to her, bein’ naked in front of others was just as natural as any other part of her life.

  We got that ol’ mutt scrubbed as best we could, and she helped me out of my wet buckskins as we stood by the fire. Runnin’ Wolf and Raven Wing had built up the fire and then took a walk down along the river. Sun Flower got us a blanket off the bedroll, and I wrapped it ’round me and got my buckskins laid out by the fire to dry. Jimbo was shakin’ and dryin’ himself off by rollin’ in the grass. He didn’t smell good, but now we could stand to be ’round him. I was still cold and just went in and got under the robes with Sun Flower right behind me. As she slid her naked body right down on top of me, I was gettin’ warm mighty fast.

  The next mornin’, as we headed out, we moved a little ways off the river up on benchland where there were few trees and just scattered sage and brush. This canyon was now opened up into a valley a mile wide, and the river had turned to the east. We were makin’ right good time now, travelin’ in this open valley, and when we stopped at midday, I figured we’d come farther than we had all the day before. The land was changin’ again as we continued down the river valley. The river was lined with cottonwoods, but the hills were covered with cedar and pinion pine. There was ledge rock on the ridges, goin’ up both sides of the river, and after our midday stop, we traveled only another few miles and come to another river flowin’ in from the north. Runnin’ Wolf was smilin’ when he said this was Rock Creek. We turned up this creek and traveled only a couple more miles, when we could see smoke from a village maybe another six or seven miles up the creek.

  22 Shining Star

  Rock Creek ran down through a beautiful green valley that was a couple of miles wide, and as we headed up the river, we were lookin’ right up at the peaks towerin’ above the timberline of these high Uintah Mountains. I was keepin’ Jimbo in right close to us now as we were gettin’ closer to the village, and we were ’bout a half mile out, when two riders approached us. They were boys maybe twelve years old and tryin’ to act like men. But when they saw Runnin’ Wolf, they got mighty excited. Runnin’ Wolf went forward and greeted them, and they were talkin’ a lot faster than I was able to follow. I was gettin’ better at the Ute tongue all the time. I knew a lot more Ute than Shoshone at this point, but I was only able to pick up a little of what was bein’ said. I looked at Raven Wing, and she said she couldn’t understand most of it either. But she said it seemed they thought Runnin’ Wolf was dead. And there had been trouble in the village.

  Runnin’ Wolf turned and came back to us as one of the boys turned and, just as fast as his horse would go, headed for the village while the other rode back to us with Runnin’ Wolf. Runnin’ Wolf had a very troubled look as he got to us, and he said, “This is Gray Horse. He is my mother’s sister’s son. He tells me Shining Star has been taken just two days ago, and there is no one in the village to go after her. We will go talk to Stands Tall now.”

  As we rode into the village, Sun Flower rode right up by my side, and Raven Wing was on my other side, with Runnin’ Wolf leadin’ and Jimbo right ’tween Runnin’ Wolf and me. There was a crowd of women and children waitin’ as we rode into a groupin’ of short round wickiups. There was a lot of talk and pointin’ as we rode in, with most of the attention on Jimbo and our Shoshone women. In the center, a shaded arbor had been built of poles in the ground with the top covered with branches with the leaves all on, providin’ a dappled shade from the sun. An old man was sittin’ under the arbor, waitin’ for us, and as we stopped and got out of the saddles, he stood up. He was the tallest Injun I’d ever seen. He was every bit as tall as me. He looked very old, but he stood tall and proud with a shine in his dark eyes that made you know his mind was still sharp. Runnin’ Wolf called him Grandfather. Stands Tall looked at each of us and motioned for us all to sit. Runnin’ Wolf then told him our names, and when he said mine was Grizzly Killer, the crowd behind started to talk, and Stands Tall said they had been told that the great warrior Grizzly Killer had captured and killed Runnin’ Wolf. Runnin’ Wolf looked at me, makin’ sure I understood what was said, and I nodded. This talk was slow enough for both me and the women to follow along.

  Runnin’ Wolf then had Raven Wing come and sit by his side and told his chief that I was the great warrior Grizzly Killer and that I was his brother, that I had saved his life, not taken it, and that we as brothers had taken these beautiful Shoshone sisters as our women. Raven Wing was now sitting by his side, and he said she was now as much Ute as Shoshone. He said there was no better friends in all of our lands than this white man called Grizzly Killer and the women Raven Wing and Sun Flower. Then he called Jimbo. He told Stands Tall that Jimbo was a friend to any friend of Grizzly Killer but a mighty warrior to all his enemies. That Jimbo was the Great Medicine Dog, and his medicine was as strong as Grizzly Killer’s.

  He then told a brief story of what had happened and us havin’ to kill some of the Shoshones and then of makin’ friends with them, of gettin’ Raven Wing and Sun Flower from the Frenchmen, and goin’ to Rendezvous. I could tell he was in a hurry, but he had to make everyone know that even though they thought me and the women were their enemies, we were their friends.

  When he was finished, he asked where Shinin’ Star and all the men were. Stands Tall got a troubled look on his face and said Many Talks took many of the young warriors on a raid for horses and slaves to the west desert and was not expected back till fall. He said that Gray Cloud took more and went to hunt buffalo, so there were only six to provide for camp, and they were on the mountain, huntin’ elk and deer, and would be back in two more suns. He said, “Six suns ago, the Sahpeech war chief Black Hand came to give you, Runnin’ Wolf, horses for Shinin’ Star’s hand in marriage. But he learned that we thought you were dead, so he said there was no man in her family now to care for her, that he will now be her man.” He went on that Shinin’ Star had rejected Black Hand, and he got very angry. When the village awakened yesterday, Shinin’ Star and Black Hand were gone. Since there were no warriors here, no one went after them.

  Runnin’ Wolf looked devastated, and I could see a fury buildin’ up inside him. He said there were two great warriors here now, and that if Grizzly
Killer would ride with him, we would leave now. He looked at me, and I nodded. He then asked Stands Tall if he would look after and protect our women while we were gone, that bein’ Shoshone, they were nervous bein’ in a Ute village. He told him Raven Wing spoke some Ute and Sun Flower just a little. He said they both had weapons and could help hunt and protect the village if needed. Stands Tall nodded and said they would be honored guests and the village would protect them as their own.

  Runnin’ Wolf made sure Raven Wing understood everything and told her to set up their lodge near the chief’s wickiup. Sun Flower never said a word. She just smiled and nodded, lettin’ me know she understood what we must do. I asked if there was anything of Shinin’ Star’s in the village and was shown to her wickiup. Black Hand had not taken along any of her belongin’s. I had Jimbo go inside and smell everything and then took her bedroll and tied it up and put it behind my saddle with my own. I told Runnin’ Wolf to pick an extra horse, and I would too so we could change mounts often to make better time. Sun Flower led her roan over to me and told me to take her. She said she was a good strong horse and would serve me well.