The water was suddenly dark and he couldn’t feel the pain in his arm any longer his lungs were no longer screaming for air. He relaxed, he could feel the warm sun on his face. Then he felt his body jerk and he was suddenly on his belly, he felt extreme pressure on his back then he wretched up water, a lot of water. He could hear Ely shouting to push on him harder and it felt like he was being pushed right into the ground. He coughed and gagged and wretched some more. Then the pain was back, his arm throbbed and he was shaking from the cold. He opened his eyes and seen the dirty bearded faces of Ely and Grub bent over smiling at him.
Grub told Ely to get a fire going then he said to Benny, “We figured you’d gone under fer sure.”
Benny’s only words were, “Did we get the plews?”
Grub smiled and answered, “Damn right you got ‘em! Ever one of ‘em.”
Ely added, “Pard, you was almost gone.”
By the time Benny was warmed by the fire and dressed Ely and Grub had the bundle of plews cut open and drying. They hoped they all would be dry enough to re-bundle and be ready to travel by morning. Benny’s arm was swollen and sore where the rope and been wrapped around it and he was tired. He had never felt so totally exhausted as he did now. They still did not have anything to eat so Ely asked Grub to stay with Benny while he went hunting. Benny objected saying he was fine but Grub just smiled and nodded and Ely headed up toward Greys River.
Grub and Benny sat by the fire there on the bank of the Snake. Benny kept rubbing his sore aching arm and trying to get his fingers all working again. Every couple of hours Grub would check on the plews turning some and shaking some getting them to dry even faster in the warm June sun while they waited for Ely to get back, hopefully with a deer or elk.
The valley that the Salt River winds its way through is beautiful, green and full of life. The mountains on both sides are heavily forested. Along the river are willows and cottonwoods with lush meadows across the valley floor. Benny looked south at the beauty of this area, he watched the large white fluffy clouds slowly change shapes as they moved across the azure blue sky. He could smell the pine from the forest and watched hummingbirds going from wild flower to wild flower in the meadow before him. As he looked at this beautiful land spread out before him he realized just how glad he was to be alive. The roar of the river behind him was a constant reminder of just how close death can be out here in this wilderness. He looked up into the heavens and silently thanked god for his life and these two friends who he had grown to care for as if they were family.
It was late afternoon when Ely came in leading his horse with a mountain sheep over the saddle. They hurried and cut out the loin and got it roasting while they cut what they could into very thin strips so it would dry into jerky with what little time they had.
They were up the next morning well before light getting the plews all bundled and loaded and they rode into the camp of Robert Campbell on the Salt River before sunup.
Campbell’s camp was busy, there seemed to be more excitement than just starting out for another day’s travel. Robert came right over to them and said, “Glad you’re here early boys, we just might be needin’ your guns. Lame Deer came back yesterday afternoon and told us he run into the large party of Blackfeet you was tellin’ us about. He says they are less than a day behind us and right on our trail.”
27 Snake
Jimbo was out in front as usual as they left the warm spring. Zach led them on the now familiar trail to a crossing of the Bear River. Luna was doing her best to keep up but when she couldn’t she would cry and Running Wolf would stop and pick her up. Once on the west side of the river they continued north. It was a perfectly clear summer day. The green along the river was in sharp contrast to the dry sage cover hills leading away both east and west of the river. Red Hawk and Buffalo Heart rode up alongside Zach and Red Hawk asked, “Where will we camp tonight Grizzly Killer? Much meat is needed and we can go ahead and take a deer or antelope and meet the rest of you this afternoon.”
Grizzly Killer smiled at the eagerness of his young friends and asked, “Do you remember where we camped with the Utes last year?” Both of them nodded and Grizzly Killer told them that is where we will be.
Red Hawk waved an arm and Running Deer and Standing Bear rode up to them. With a smile and a wave the four boys urged their mounts into a lope and moved out ahead of them. It was a pleasantly warm day as they moved along, Zach watched a family of foxes playing outside of their den that was dug into a clay bank just up off the river a little ways and smiled as their mother gave a little bark and the four of them hurried back into their den.
They were not traveling fast at all with three travois’ but no one seemed to mind except Jimbo he kept coming back to Zach as if asking why they were going so slow. By early afternoon there were clouds building over the mountains, big white clouds going so high the tops were flattening out. As he looked south he smiled as he seen the Uintah’s were getting the rain that was needed to keep the meadows green this time of year.
One of the big thunder clouds blocked the sun and the air cooled several degrees making the afternoon even more pleasant. Badger had been through this country before, but only a couple of times and he rode up alongside Zach, then together they rode to the top of a hill just a half mile west of the river. While there, Zach told him of the country to the west, where they had run from the Blackfeet a year ago on their way back from Rendezvous. He told him of the great man killing grizzly and showed him the scars on Ol’ Red that was still plain where the giant bear had clawed him. Badger looked at how far apart the scars were and asked in disbelief if that was just one paw or two. When Zach told him just one he shook his head and said he had never seen a bear even close to that big.
As they were returning to the river they could see riders coming fast toward them from the north on the east side of the river. They kicked their mounts into a lope and was way out in front of the group when they could see the riders were the four boys coming back. Badger commented, “They are reckless in their youth riding like that in country with this many badger holes.”
Zach got a worried look and said, “Something is wrong or they would not risk their horses like that.”
Raven Wing like all the others could see the riders approaching, running their horses hard. She suddenly had a feeling of dread. She did not know why but she felt something was wrong. She said to her mother and sister who were riding on each side of her that something is wrong, the boys are in some kind of trouble.
They were still a quarter mile back when they saw Red Hawk slide his mount to a stop then turn and help Running Deer from the saddle. They laid him on the ground then Badger stood remounted and ran his horse hard back to the group. He went right to Raven Wing and said, “Running Deer has been bitten by a snake, one with many rattles, come quickly please and do what you can.”
She handed her baby to her sister and got her medicine bundle from the travois and then she followed Badger and Two Feathers up to where Running Deer was laying. Zach had cut a slice between the two fang marks on his upper arm like he had seen done with the bite of a copperhead back in Kentucky but he did not know anything else to do.
Raven Wing knew, as they all did, there was no medicine that would counter the evil poison of the forked tongue ones that slide on their belly killing anyone that gets too close to them. She bent over Running Deer and could see the fear in his eyes. His arm was swelling and the skin was turning dark. His teeth were clinched and she could tell he was in extreme pain so she mixed the strongest plants she had for pain into a cup and had him drink it.
Her dream came back to her, only now the warrior’s face was plain it was Running Deer and she knew her medicines would not help, but she had to try. The others had caught up to them and she looked toward her mother for any advice, but there was only concern and sadness in her eyes. Raven Wing thought back to the teachings of Blue Fox but she knew no medicine would work. She also remembered Blue Fox telling of the healing power that c
omes from within each of us. So she held Running Deer’s other hand and looked deep into his eyes and told him, “Running Deer, there are no medicines that are powerful enough to cure the bite of Snake except the medicine you carry in your heart. Your own medicine is all that is strong enough to fight the poison inside of you. Find the will to stay with us.”
They camped right where they were, clearing the area of brush large enough for their lodges. They laid Running Deer in Raven Wing’s and Running Wolf’s lodge and she watched as he became delirious first with chills then with fever as the poison ravaged his body. She stayed right there with him even as she nursed Gray Wolf she tried several different mixes of her medicine plants to help with the pain the young warrior was going through. His arm become grotesquely swollen larger than his leg and finally he passed out. No one in camp thought he would make it through the night.
Raven Wing kept talking to him even though there was no response. She kept telling him he had the medicine inside to fight the snake’s poison all the while she was bathing him in cool water. Two Feathers and Badger stayed with him as she cared for him through the night.
When morning came he was still alive. Raven Wing still spoke to him even while she was nursing Gray Wolf and even though his arm was still dark and extremely swollen he seemed to be breathing easier. Badger stepped out into the light of early morning and found everyone in camp was up and waiting. Standing Bear, Buffalo Heart and Red Hawk were anxiously waiting for any word. Badger looked at all them and said, “I did not believe it was possible for him to still be alive but he is. Raven Wing is a powerful healer. He still may not survive for the poison of Snake is powerful as well.”
They stayed right there that day and Zach took several of them out hunting. When they returned they had a deer and two antelope to care for. Around the fire that night the boys told of how Running Deer was bitten. There were five deer feeding on the edge of the brush along the east side of the river and the four of them surrounded them. It was their plan to push the deer into Running Deer and Buffalo Heart. When the deer ran they went right to Running Deer and he was concentrating on the deer and stepped into a badger hole and fell. When he reached out to catch himself his left hand landed right on the snake. The snake struck immediately he didn’t even give his warning and the fangs buried deep in Running Deer’s arm.
Zach herd the story and thought to himself, “Just another way to die in the wilderness.” These people were all part of this wilderness that he had grown to love so much and they all accepted its many dangers for they had known no other life.
Raven Wing had not left Running Deer’s side in over a day, she had nursed Gray Wolf but had not eaten or slept herself. Sun Flower went in and took her place while Raven Wing could eat and then sleep. Running Wolf helped her to the fire where she fell asleep before she could eat and he carried her back to their bed roll. She smiled at him as he laid her down and she was asleep at once.
Running Deer had become restless, delirious again with fever. Sun Flower tried but could not get him to drink any more of the medicines Raven Wing had prepared. Raven Wing woke and helped her sister, it was the calming voice of Raven Wing telling him to fight the pain and fight the poison and soon he had calmed and could drink the tea made from the healing plants.
The next morning Running Deer was awake, he was weak and his arm was still very swollen and painful, but he was alive and no one could believe it, no one but Raven Wing. Sometime in the night a feeling came over her that he would live and by morning there was no doubt in her mind he would survive. She knew it wasn’t any of the medicines she had given him, they were only for the pain and to help him rest, but she could sense his will to live. She had not knowingly talked to Owl but she wondered if it was Owl that had told her he would live, no she didn’t think so, she believed Owl had come to take him and it was Owl that told Snake to bite him. She smiled as she looked into his face knowing his own medicine was stronger than Owls or Snakes.
He was too weak to ride so they made up another travois and laid him on it and continued on their way to Sweet Lake. Raven Wing stayed right with him and Sun Flower took care of little Gray Wolf just as she had done throughout this whole ordeal.
As they made their way north staying just west of Bear River, Raven Wing rode right along-side of the travois and every couple of hours would have them stop and she would mix more of the tea that seemed to help with the pain Running Deer was in.
By midday they came to the trail that goes over the hills that separate Bear River from Sweet Lake and they turned and headed west. When they reached the top of the ridge and seen the expanse of Sweet Lake before them, Grizzly Killer stopped. He had been here many times before but this sight always filled him with awe. Sweet Lake is over twenty miles long and eight miles wide, the water is crystal clear and yet as blue as the sky. From here he could see the light blue water of the shallows off the sandy beaches along the southern shore to the deep dark blues out in the depths of the lake. Badger and Two Feathers rode up alongside of him and Jimbo, no words were spoken and there was just a silent appreciation for the beauty before them.
There were large white puffy clouds building in the afternoon heat over the mountains west of the lake as they started down toward the south end of the big lake where Rendezvous was being held, the same place as it had been the year before. Zach hoped as he rode toward the camping area, that this Rendezvous of 1828 would be a more peaceful one than last year. He remembered the fight with the Blackfeet and then the terrible fight where he had killed Bull Beaumont and then all of the events that followed. He shook those thoughts from his mind and looked forward to seeing friends. He hoped Grub and Ely were already there, those two old trappers had become their closest friends.
They rode into the area where they had camped last year and found the Shoshone were already there. Spotted Elk and Charging Bull came right out to greet them. As Spotted Elk saw his father and mother a big smile crossed his face and he felt a deep appreciation for Red Hawk and Buffalo Heart for going with them on their journey and helping to keep them safe.
After he greeted his sisters and his new nephew and niece, although not by blood he still considered Morning Star his niece as well. He could see Raven Wing looked tired, but she just smiled and told him she had not had much sleep for the last two days for there had been trouble, a young Ute was bitten by Snake and she had been caring for him. She asked if Blue Fox had made the journey and when he nodded she left telling him she must speak to him.
Blue Fox was known throughout the Shoshone nation as a powerful Medicine Man, it was he who had taught Raven Wing about the healing plants at a very young age, for he had seen her potential even when she was a child.
When Raven Wing approached Blue Fox she called him Grandfather as a sign of respect. He smiled and was very glad to see her. Before he could ask her about her baby she told him she needed his help, that Snake had bitten a young man. A sadness filled his eyes as he shook his head. He told her no medicine is powerful enough to fight the poison of Snake. However, he would come with her and try to make his journey to the other side less painful.
Raven Wing looked into the eyes of her teacher and with a very determined voice told him, “Grandfather, Running Deer will not die. He has his own medicine inside him to fight Snake’s poison, I know this, Owl passed over us to take him and I believe Owl told Snake to bite him. I knew he had the power to fight them both just like I know now he will not die. He will live to be an old man.” Blue Fox looked at her in amazement she spoke with such certainty that he did not doubt her, but how did she know this with such certainty?
Blue Fox looked deep into the eyes of Raven Wing and he seen a power there that he had never seen before. At that moment he knew that Raven Wing was right, he did not know how she knew this but he had no doubt at all that Raven Wing was much more than just a healer. He now knew she had been chosen long before she was even born to be a medicine woman and he understood why he had been compelled to teach her at such an e
arly age. The power he felt inside her frightened him just a little. Never before had he felt this kind of power in anyone, not even in Broken Foot the powerful old Medicine Man who had taught him. He wondered just how great her power would become. To have the power to overcome the poison of a bite by Snake and to stop Owl from claiming the spirit he had come after. Yes, Raven Wing is the most power shaman he had ever known and she was still so young her power would only grow stronger with age.
He followed her to where the Utes where setting up their camp, the rest of their village had not arrived yet. They had set up a lean-to for Running Deer to lay under and Zach had given them a buffalo robe for his bed. When Raven Wing approached with Blue Fox, Running Deer looked up and smiled at her. All of the others came over to hear what the well-known medicine man of the Shoshone would say.
Speaking in perfect Ute she introduced Blue Fox and asked him to look at the terrible bite on Running Deer’s arm. He looked at the swollen and darkened arm without saying word. Then he stared deep into the eyes of this young warrior for the longest time. Then he turned back to Raven Wing and spoke slowly enough she could translate every word into the Ute tongue.” Until now I did not know there was medicine powerful enough to fight the bite of Snake. Until now even though I taught her, I did not know how powerful Raven Wing’s medicine could be. This young man was chosen by Owl to make the journey to the lands of our ancestors, but with Raven Wing’s help and the powerful medicine he carries inside of himself he has told Owl he is not ready to make that journey. We all know how powerful Owl is. For all the seasons I have lived I have never seen anyone overcome the power of Owl, but Owl has also taken his revenge for overcoming his power. Your arm will not work right for the rest of your life.”
Grizzly Killer: The Medicine Wheel Page 22
