The Legend of Tyoga Weathersby

by H L Grandin

  “Why? Why kill the wolf?” Tyoga demanded. “Why doesn’t he come after me?”

  “Because, my brother,” Tes Qua replied, “to kill the wolf is to destroy your soul. And you know as well as I that it is impossible for a band of Shawnee dog soldiers to get within a day’s hard march of Twin Oaks. You and your family are protected by all of the Algonquin in the tidewater.”

  Tyoga nodded his head and said, “I know, Tes Qua. Seven Arrows has tried many times to get to me and my family. He has lost many braves in the attempt.” They sat silently staring into the flames of the oak wood fire.

  As the night wore on, the Ani-Unwiya listened politely while Tyoga recounted his harrowing travels across the Appalachians, and how Trinity Jane and his friends, the Mattaponi, had saved his life.

  He told them about his two children, Joshia Thomas and Rebecca Jane, with an enthusiasm tempered by the history he shared with his audience. It was not that Tyoga was ashamed of his children, but their existence was tangible proof of betrayal of the love they all knew he held in his heart for Sunlei.

  There was no need for shame, and they did not hold his being a man with needs and desires that required attention against him. It was the natural course of a relationship between a man and a woman. Even casual dalliances often ended with like results.

  All that mattered was that he had a family, and that he was a good father and provider.

  It was not necessary for Tyoga to boast of his success. That word had crossed the mountains with a solitary trapper or a band of Algonquin braves passing through Tuckareegee.

  They were proud of his accomplishments and pleased with his success. They envied him not at all.

  Tyoga knew that his Cherokee friends had not traveled across the mountains risking the winter cold and threat of storms simply for a reunion and to share good news. As is the Indian way, good manners demanded a cheerful exchange at their reuniting. Even though Tyoga was anxious to hear the true reason for their journey, he adhered to Native American custom and spent four hours exchanging happy news before pressing the point.

  “The news that you bring to me makes my heart glad, my brother,” Tyoga said to Tes Qua. “But surely you have not traveled all this way just to speak of these matters. Tell me. Is there any news of Sunlei?”

  “There is, my brother,” Tes ‘A replied. “We know where she is. She is in great danger.”

  At this news, Tyoga felt his spine stiffen and his energy surge. He needed to know more. There was no need for him to ask.

  Tes Qua continued, “She is living in the land of the Iroquois in the village of Kaniataro along the banks of the St. Lawrence River—very close to Lake Champlain.”

  Tes Qua paused to give Tyoga time to process what he was saying, and to allow him to brace himself for the news that he was certain he wanted to know.

  Tes Qua looked at the ground. “She has been taken by the Chief of the Iroquois nation.” He stopped and bowed his head.

  Tyoga gazed off toward the canyon wall and whispered, “Quisquis?”

  When Tes Qua did not answer, Tyoga shut his eyes in sorrow and disbelief.

  Quisquis was a fierce and mighty Iroquois warrior whose cruelty in battle and barbaric treatment of prisoners was known and feared by Indians and settlers alike. He had many wives and children. He had been known to dispatch female offspring by bashing their heads against a boulder or tree trunk when the balance of male to female children was not to his liking. His wives who consistently gave birth to baby girls often met the same fate.

  Both men stared silently into the fire for a long time. Tyoga finally broke the silence. “I should have tried to find her, Tes A. I should have tried.”

  “No, my brother,” Tes Qua replied. “There was nothing that you—or the men of Tuckareegee—could have done.”

  “What do you mean, Tes?” Tyoga asked with a look of incredulity in his eyes.

  Tes Qua paused for a moment, and replied, “When I could stand not knowing what had become of her any longer, I assembled a hunting party in defiance of Silver Cloud’s wishes, and set out to find her. We traveled first to see Lone Bear in the village of Chickamaugua. We learned that Sunlei forced the People to allow her and Wahaya to leave the village. Lone Bear told us that she did it to protect the lives of his family and the Chickamaugua People. The Shawnee discovered that Sunlei was with the Chickamaugua, and a war party did arrive at the village to take her. When they learned that she had escaped, the Shawnee set Lone Bear’s lodge on fire. Still, no one would tell them that Lone Bear’s son, Kicking Elk, had but two days earlier taken Sunlei under the cover of darkness toward the northwest and the land of the Delaware.”

  “But, Tes A, that’s toward the Iroquois,” Tyoga said in disbelief.

  “Exactly, Ty. Lone Bear was sure that the Shawnee would never follow them into the land of the Iroquois. It was risky for us as well. Yet, we were determined to find her, so we began our trek to the Ohio valley. We followed the Kanawha Trail and were very near to Chillicothe when we came upon a Cherokee hunting party camped south of the Scioto River. They told us that Sunlei and Kicking Elk were captured by a band of Cuyahoga Iroquois months before our arrival. The Braves told us that Kicking Elk’s rotting, burned remains were found nailed to a tree. There was no sign of Sunlei.”

  Tes Qua stopped while Tyoga closed his eyes to grimace at the thought of Lone Bear sacrificing his son to secure Sunlei’s safety. It must have been a horrible death. Sunlei must have witnessed it with her own eyes.

  Tes Qua said, “We were determined to carry on our search for my sister. We left the Kanawha Trail and headed north along the banks of the Ohio River. We had not traveled a full day when we came upon many French marching to the south. We jumped from the trail and hid in the bushes until they passed us by. We journeyed on to where the Hockhocking River branches to the north from the Ohio, and found a French encampment of several hundred men. Iroquois walked among the French soldiers as if they were part of their army. We were too few, and were surrounded everywhere by the French and Iroquois. We waited until darkness, and ran from Ohio as quickly as our feet would carry us. We did the best we could.” He searched Tyoga’s eyes for reassurance that the tiny band of Cherokee Braves had made the right decision. “At least, we tried.”

  Tyoga put his hand on Tes Qua’s shoulder and said, “I know you did, Tes. You made the right decision.”

  In the quiet of the canyon, they listened to the crackle of the dried pine as it burned to white hot ash.

  Tes Qua continued, “A year ago, Prairie Day’s husband, Talking Crow, ventured north into the land of the Iroquois to trade with the Seneca. He brought word back that Sunlei had been living among them along the northern shore of Cayuga Lake for about three years. They treated her well and she was content. But when Quisquis found out that she was with the Seneca, he made them give her to the Kanetairo Iroquois under threat of war. He took her away, and she has been with him ever since.

  Wahaya remained on the rocky outcropping overhead. He was illuminated by the light of fire only when a flare of pine pitch launched glowing ash toward the sky.

  He was in plain sight, but neither man took notice. They were lost in their own thoughts.

  Tes Qua was summoning the courage to tell Tyoga the rest of the story. He finally broke the silence. “There is more, my brother. The French have signed treaties with the Iroquois. They have given them many guns and much whiskey in exchange for their word to fight with them against the British. Chief Quisquis and all the braves in the village will leave Kaniataro to go south to their winter hunting grounds. The village will be left unprotected except for a small group of French soldiers. While it is the Indian way to allow an unprotected village to remain in peace while the braves are away on the winter hunt, the English are not bound by our ways. The British have assembled many soldiers. They are on their way to take the Iroquois land of Kaniataro Wanenneh.”

  Tes Qua paused once again to give Tyoga another moment to understand his words.
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  “Tyoga,” Tes Qua continued. “We have to get Sunlie out of Kaniataro. The British soldiers are already assembling in Albany. We hear that they will begin the march north very soon. They will be in the land of the Iriquois when the braves have left the village unprotected. The orders from their great father are to kill everyone, the French soldiers protecting the village, old men, women, and all of the children in the Kaniataro. They will burn the entire village to the ground and leave nothing remaining for Quisquis to rule.”

  The news Tes Qua shared made Tyoga's blood run cold.

  The plan that he had proposed to Governor Nott had the British taking over Kaniataro without firing a shot. It was to be a bloodless coup. The order to kill everyone left in the village while the warriors were away was little more than a plan for a massacre. It had taken all those years to plan the attack, assemble the soldiers and resources, and recruit the guides and interpreters.

  By God, the British had done it.

  But the plan Tyoga had outlined for the British to wrest control of Iroquois land from the French, and secure a quicker trans-Atlantic voyage for shipping the riches of the New World to Europe never included the murder of innocent women and children.

  I had sent Sunlei away to keep her safe, but instead devised the very plan that has condemned her to death. What did I miss? Why didn't I anticipate something like this happening? If the lesson of the promise is that in all things there are but two outcomes, and that decisions made are always right because the end result is exactly as it was meant to be, how is it the right thing to do if my plan for securing the Mattaponi lands ends up killing the woman I love?

  He knew better than to question why, but it would be inhuman to do otherwise.

  He shook his head and looked up toward the stars shining in the early morning sky. High on a ledge of the valley's south wall, he saw the steady amber-orange balls glowing silently in the night. The faint gutteral growl locked their eyes in a union that had not occurred since that night on the escarpment.

  Tyoga felt himself dissolve into the liquid fire of Wahaya's eyes, and the hazel drain from his own.

  The sight and sound of Wahaya-Wacon clarified his course.

  He felt his body begin to grow. His mind jettisoned the unforgiving errors of emotion and deliberation. He was infused with confidence and decisiveness. His choices had always been right. They would be right now. Lava-like rivers filled with the wild coursed through his veins to fuel instincts that were more animal than man. This was a time for instinctive response and primal decisiveness.

  He would know what to do.

  "Tes 'A," he said in a voice that was still his own but devoid of emotion or concern. "I am heading back to Twin Oaks. We are only about eight miles away. Let the others sleep. You get some rest as well. I will be waiting for you. There is much to do."

  Uneasy with Tyoga's demeanor and tone, Tes Qua could not help but ask, "Ty, what are we going to do?"

  "We are going to do what needs to be done. We're going to get Sunlie."

  "Tyoga," Tes Qua continued, "there is one other that you will need to save."

  Tyoga looked inquisitively at his friend but did not speak.

  "She has a son. She named him Wahaya Utsti (Little Wolf). He is five-years old."

  Chapter 61

  To Fill An Empty Heart

  When Trinity saw Tyoga coming toward the house, she could tell from his determined stride and swollen chest that something was amiss.

  Tyoga’s steps were hard and deliberate, and she had seen that stare before. He walked right past Brister, who was peppering him with questions to which he would not respond. When they got closer to the house, she heard Brister asking, “Massa Ty, ya got to tell me wat’s happ’n. Come on ‘n let me carry your things into the house, Massa Ty. What you doin’ home so soon anyway? Missy ‘n me wasn’t expecting you home til night. Massa Ty—Massa Ty—”

  Tyoga left Brister at the foot of the steps, opened the front door, and walked inside. Brister looked at the door before turning and walking away.

  “Papa, Papa,” Joshia and Rebecca squealed in delight as they ran and hugged him around the legs.

  Tyoga dropped his camping truck and picked them both up in his arms. Trinity, who was seated at the table, smiled.

  “Hey there, Little Ones,” Tyoga said in his friendliest father voice, “have you two been good while I was away?”

  “’Yeswhatdidyoubringme,” they responded in a one word sentence.

  “Joshia, for you I brought the biggest acorn top I have ever seen in my life. I’ll show you how to use it as a signal whistle later on.” Whispering in his son’s ear he added in Tsalagie, “Eetsa tel-a yeh a eh a ho (It will drive your mother crazy)!” They both giggled at the impish secret they shared.

  “And for you, Becky Jane, I brought some sasafrass root so your mother can show you how to make some tea. How does that sound?”

  “Yeah!” was all she said as her father set her feet back on the ground.

  “Children, go outside and help Sissy in the garden,” Trinity said. “Papa and I need to talk.” As soon as the children closed the front door behind them, she asked, “Tyoga, what is it?”

  “Trinity, Tes Qua and Walking Bird and five of my closest friends from Tuckareegee are camped beyond the Beaver Dam. I was up all night talking with them. They will arrive here this afternoon.”

  The news lit up her face while bringing tears to her eyes. She had longed to meet Tyoga’s Ani-Unwiya family. There was still so much that she wanted to learn about Tyoga. She was sure that Tes Qua would be generous in conversation. She had heard so much about him over the years that she felt as though she already knew him.

  It was a dream come true for Trinity Jane. She did not have a moment to lose. Springing up from her chair, she ran to the front door on her tip toes. She stepped out onto the steps and called, “Sissy, Rose Marie, Johnnnie-boy, Isum, Letty, come quick. Guests are coming. There is much work to do.”

  She ran to Tyoga and jumped up into his arms. “This good news is wonderful. I am so anxious to meet your friends.”

  As soon as she was in his arms and felt the swell of his granite hard biceps, her joy withered away. She dropped her bare feet to the floor. The smile left her face. She searched his eyes for answers. “What else, Ty. What has happened?”

  He looked down at the troubled face that seconds before had been so alive with joy. “They have found Sunlei.”

  Turning away from him, Trinity walked slowly toward the front window. She placed the palm of her hand on the cool pane of glass, and gazed out at the garden where their children were helping to pull out the remnants of the tomato vines and placing them in the compost pile.

  The front door opened.

  Jessey carried an armful of seasoned oak and apple wood over to the giant hearth and placed the firewood in the caddy. He stoked the fire into roaring flames and went back out the front door without saying a word.

  Laughing in anticipation of the fun they would have preparing for their visitors, the workers that Trinity had summoned were coming toward the house.

  Still looking out the window, she said, “We’ll talk about that later …” Giving up on speaking English as she often did when anxious or angry, she continued in Tsalagie, “Ut eh ya ota itsh-tay oh. Ye si-ya to hey to eh alo. Nitch ti.”

  Tyoga turned toward the bedroom and disappeared behind the door.

  Tes Qua, Walking Bird, and the others arrived in the early afternoon. Tyoga met them at the base of the stone steps that led up to the portico and the massive hickory door.

  “Tsi-lu-gi, Twin Oaks,” Tyoga said with just a bit more fanfare than necessary.

  Tes Qua and the others looked in wide-eyed amazement at the village that Tyoga had built. They stood at the foot of the steps and turned around to take it all in. A cool breeze floated down the slopes of the Appalachians to the west to rattle the hollow reeds that lined the banks of the Mattaponi River. To the north, the sounds of construction and indust
ry poured from the cottage lined cobbled lane while the cooper, black smith, and tanner tended to their chores. From the south the scent of smoking meats, fresh baked breads, and pies emanated from the kitchens and brick ovens while the neatly clad ladies scurried from building to cooking hearth in their white aprons and caps.

  Tes Qua turned and placed his hand on Tyoga’s shoulder. Grinning widely, he said, “You have done well, my brother. You do your people proud.”

  “Come,” Tyoga replied. “Come into the house and meet my Trinity Jane. She is anxious to greet all of you.”

  Turning toward the house he opened his arms and guided his visitors up the steps. He passed them when they got to the portico, stepped in front, and swung open the heavy front door.

  His guests entered the house to see Trinity Jane, dressed in her most ornate doeskin tunic, and fox fur boots. A long auburn braid fell in front of her right shoulder. Her thick lustrous brown locks on the right side cascaded over her face to hide her scar. Large silver and gold hoops adorned her ears and she wore a beautiful necklace of precious stones and puka shells.

  Expecting her to be dressed in her finest colonial taffeta dress to meet their guests, Tyoga’s eyes opened wide at the sight.

  Trinity had made the wise calculation that that would have been a mistake.

  “Eh-ya-to, mi yaga (Welcome to our home),” she said in Tsaligi. “Da gwa do a, Acohi Yutsa (My name is Acohi Yutsa).”

  The Cherokee seemed unsure about this unexpected entrance. They knew that Tyoga had made a home with a white woman, and they fully expected to meet someone who would have set themselves apart by dressing differently and certainly not speaking in their native tongue.

  An awkward pause caused Trinity to look down at the floor.

  Tes Qua stepped forward rather formally, extended his hand and said in his most perfect English, “Hello, Trinity. I am Tes Qua.”

  Smiling, Trinity reached out to take his hand. He grasped it firmly before picking her up in a joyful bear hug that welcomed her into the Ani-Unwiya clan. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. At this, the others stepped forward and threw their arms around the both of them. Walking Bird held tightly to her tiny hand and would not let go. Overjoyed to be with their boyhood hero once again, Coyote and Paints His Shirt Red greeted Trinity Jane just as enthusiastically.