The Travelers 1

by Lee Hunnicutt

  He didn’t mean for us to fall over that cliff in the cave. Too much could have happened. People get killed falling great heights into water. I don’t think that he would knowingly endanger our lives.

  I’ll bet that he’s looking for us right now and that he’s worried to death about us. So don’t be too hard on him Jack.”

  Jack said, “Maybe you’re right.

  What do you think Beth?”

  Beth said, “I’m with Sonny. I think it’s just like he told it.

  We’re victims of our own cleverness. Frank trained us too well. We tracked him. He didn’t spot us and we ended up here.”

  “What about all of the noise we made in the cave?” said Jack.

  “We fiddle farted around getting to the cave and in the cave. Frank had a lot of distance on us. He probably didn’t hear us. He was too far away,” said Sonny.

  “Maybe,” said Jack but there was relief in his face. He, like the other two, idolized Frank and he didn’t want to think ill of him. But he still wasn’t convinced.

  He said, “What about this last March when our parents went to Pebble Beach to play golf? He took us into the mountains not far from here and he showed us how to survive in the mountains There was snow on the ground and even a snow storm. We made a log cabin. He showed us how to make wooden shingles, for Christ’s sake.

  It’s just too much of a coincidence for me.”

  “What can I say, Jack?” said Sonny. “I still don’t think he meant for it to happen this way.”

  “Me neither, Jack,” said Beth. “Cut him some slack. He’ll catch up with us sooner or later and until then don’t lose any sleep over it.”

  “OK.” Jack said grudgingly.

  He then smiled and said, “You’re right. Frank would never hurt us or want us to get hurt.”

  It made him feel better not to think of Frank in a negative light.

  “Now, for a more important question,” said Sonny. “How do we get back home?”

  Silence.

  The other two just sat there looking at Sonny.

  Sonny looked at both of them. He pushed both arms out from his side, palms up and said, “Well?”

  Beth said, with a little worried irritation in her voice, “We don’t know, Sonny. We haven’t a clue.”

  “The only thing that I can think of” said Jack “is we somehow get back to the cave and try to undo all of this.”

  “Well how do we do that Jack?” said Beth her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Jack looked at her and said angrily “Back off, Beth! I don’t hear any suggestions out of you.”

  “Cool it, you two!” said Sonny. “Nothing will get answered this way. Go on Jack.”

  “Beth is right. I don’t know how we do it.

  We do have Curly’s three thousand dollars but I don’t know how three twelve year olds, with that much money, would ever make it to a port without getting our throats cut.

  Anyway, if we are going to try to make it back, we should probably wait until the Spring thaw.”

  “Once it’s warmer, where do we go, San Francisco? said Beth.

  “That’s probably the closest and busiest port on the West Coast,” said Sonny “It probably has the most sailings to Panama.”

  “OK, when it gets warmer, we head out for San Francisco,” said Jack.

  Spring came but then it was time for the Spring buffalo hunt. They had spent hours each day on horseback and working with their bows. Tall Boy, Stone Fist, Gray Dog, Spotted Horse and Two Feathers all gave them pointers on riding, archery and how to train a war pony and a buffalo pony. By the time Spring rolled around, they could ride as well as any Cheyenne.

  They pleaded with Two Feathers to let them ride in the next hunt.

  Two Feathers hadn’t said one way or the other and deflected their questions. It drove the kids crazy with frustration. They would never disobey him but they really wanted to go and he knew it.

  His reluctance didn’t come from him. It was Falling Moon Woman. He knew that she was worried. Her brother had been killed in a buffalo hunt and she didn’t want to lose another loved one to the hooves of these great beasts.

  She had not said a word about it but he could tell that she was in a great state of agitation. He knew what was causing it. Every time the kids would bring it up, she would leave the teepee.

  One day he said to her, “I am going to let them go on the hunt. They will ride with me.”

  He watched her closely.

  A calm came over her and she said, “I knew that you would. Are they ready?”

  “Yes, they ride as well as any Cheyenne and Bear Climber better than most.”

  He gathered her in his arms. His lips brushed her hair and he said, “They will do well. They are ready. It would not be right to stop them.”

  She looked at him. He was so strong and she loved him so much.

  She said, “I know they will do well. They have always made us proud and they will again at the hunt.”

  She laid her cheek on his chest, tears in her eyes, “But I will worry until they are back safe.”

  He told them the next day.

  Jack whooped for joy and jumped in the air. Beth hugged Two Feathers. Sonny joined Jack in the whooping and jumping.

  That Spring there was no talk about going back home. By now, when they had their morning meetings by the river, all conversation was in Cheyenne. Jack said that he even dreamed in Cheyenne.

  By the following Spring, they had participated in three more buffalo hunts. It had been almost a year since they had spoken in English. Even their thoughts were now in Cheyenne. As near as they could tell it was early April of 1872. Snow was still on the ground but it was getting warmer.

  The three of them along with Tall Boy, Stone Fist and half a dozen young teen Cheyenne warriors to be had been out on an adventure looking for buffalo or horses to steal. They had been gone two weeks and had come up dry, no buffalo and no horses. It had still been fun. There was the camaraderie and the possibility was always there that adventure was right over the next hill. Even though they had found nothing, they were all in good spirits.

  They came riding into the village laughing and joking. It was a good day to be alive and to be Cheyenne. The older warriors greeted them good naturedly with “What no horses, no scalps?” The women waved and smiled.

  The hunting party began to split up. Each said goodbye to their companions and went to their lodges.

  Beth, Sonny, Jack and Tall Boy rode together to Whistling Elks’ teepee.

  It was a bright sunny day and Whistling Elk, Two Feathers, Falling Moon Woman and a large white man were all sitting outside of Whistling Elks’ lodge. Looking at the faces of the four adults immediately changed the mood of the four youngsters.

  As they approached the seated adults, no one spoke. Sonny who had been looking closely at the white man, stop his horse and said, “Wait!”

  They all drew up and waited to hear what Sonny had to say.

  They were about fifty feet away from the seated adults.

  Excitedly, he said, “That’s Liver Eatin’ Johnson.”

  Jack said with hushed excitement, “You think so?”

  “Yeah from everything that I’ve read, he meets the description.”

  Sonny didn’t have to explain who Liver Eating Johnson was. The man was a legend among both the whites and the plains Indians. If Sonny was right, this man was John Johnson the Crow Killer.

  “What does he want and why is everybody looking like they just ate a buffalo chip?” said Beth, looking at the adults. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  Sonny and Jack were too busy looking at the white man to pay much attention to Beth and her concerns.

  Jack turned to Tall Boy and said, “What do you think? Is it the Liver Eater?”

  Tall Boy was as excited as Sonny and Jack.

  “I don’t know but he looks like what my Father says he looks.”

  “Will you three quit with this Liver Eating thing? Something’s w
rong,” said Beth and she clicked her tongue and slapped her horse on the rump. The three boys followed her.

  They dismounted a few feet from the adults. They respectfully greeted Whistling Elk, Two Feathers and Falling Moon Woman.

  They waited until Whistling Elk indicated that they should sit.

  They sat in a circle but as tradition demanded, Beth sat next to Falling Moon Woman. The boys sat with the men.

  As they were sitting down, Whistling Elk indicated with his hand and said, “This is Crow Killer.”

  The boys could barely contain themselves.

  They couldn’t take their eyes off him.

  He was a massive man about six foot two inches tall and looked to weigh about two hundred sixty pounds. He had shoulder length blond hair and a thick blond beard. He was in fringed buckskins with a beautiful beaded, quilled, Cheyenne buckskin shirt. He had a brace of ivory handled six shooters on his gun belt with the handles facing forward. Stuck in his belt was a large Bowie knife.

  Beth looked at Falling Moon Woman and moved closer to her. What she saw in Falling Moon Woman’s eyes confirmed her worries and gave her a sense of dread.

  The children knew from experience that it would be some time before Whistling Elk would get to the point.

  True to form, Whistling Elk asked them how the hunt went and asked if they had stolen any horses. For the next few minutes, he engaged the teenagers in small talk about their hunting trip.

  Neither Two Feathers nor Falling Moon Woman had said a word. Their mood was somber.

  The suspense was too much for Beth. She blurted out, “Something is not right. What is wrong?”

  The old man gave a sad smile. He expected no less from her. He knew that she would see through his attempts to make things easier. He couldn’t fool her. Nothing would soften the blow for her.

  He looked at the white man and nodded.

  Johnson shifted uneasily, cleared his throat and said in English, “I was passing through Fort Laramie last Fall on my way to the mountains to run my traps. The colonel there knows that the Cheyenne have three white children.”

  He stopped. That was all he said, as if it explained everything.

  This was the first time they had heard English in two years. At first, it took their minds awhile to realize what he had said and then to translate it.

  Beth looked impatiently at Johnson as if he was some sort of a moron and said, “So!”

  Johnson looked confused. He thought that he had been pretty clear. He repeated, “They know you are here.” He talked slowly like he was talking to a child that wasn’t too bright.

  “And!” Beth was almost screaming. She knew what he was getting at but she didn’t want to believe it. She needed someone to tell her in plain, clear language.

  The boys looked at her like she was crazy. They were too carried away with meeting Liver Eating Johnson to pay much attention to what was going on.

  Johnson looked uncomfortable, shifted again and said, “They are gonna come lookin’ fer ya and when they find ya and they will find ya, it ain’t gonna be too pleasant for these folks.” He nodded towards Whistling Elk and Two Feathers.

  Three days later they rode out of the village with John Johnson, headed for Fort Laramie. It was the hardest and saddest thing that they had ever done in their young lives.

  The whole village had turned out to bid them farewell. The three had said goodbye to their friends. It was hard on all three of them but it was devastating to Beth.

  The two boys hugged their mother and then embraced Whistling Elk and Two Feathers.

  Beth hugged Whistling Elk and sobbed, “I’ll miss you Grandfather. Who will I turn to for guidance without you? Who will now tell me the wonderful stories of the Cheyenne and of the Great Spirit?” Her voice was broken with tears.

  He put his finger under her chin and lifted her head so he could look into her face.

  “The Great Spirit is in all of us but I have never seen it stronger than in you. I will be with you always, little one. You call to me and I will hear you. I will come to you no matter where you are.

  You are stronger than the other two. Be strong now.”

  “I will try, Grandfather.”

  She then went to Falling Moon Woman. It was too much for her. She had wept for Whistling Elk but when she felt her mother’s arms around her, she completely broke down and sobbed.

  Sonny and Jack had tried to be strong and warrior like but when they saw Beth sobbing in Falling Moon Woman’s arms the tears came like running water. Jack bowed his head and began to sob.

  Sonny put his arm around his friend’s shoulders. Sonny looked over Jack’s head and saw that Tall Boy’s and Stone Fist’s eyes were glistening with tears.

  Beth tried to speak to Falling Moon Woman but all she could do was blubber. At first all of this emotion had embarrassed her. She wanted to be Cheyenne strong but now that she was in her mother’s arms, she didn’t care what anyone thought.

  Falling Moon Woman, tears streaming down her face said, “I know my daughter. I know. Cry. Cry.”

  She did what mothers all over the world do when comforting their children, she rocked Beth in her arms and patted her softly on the back of the head.

  As quickly as the sobbing had come on Beth, it stopped. She let go of Falling Moon Woman. She stepped back, sniffed loudly and wiped her tears. She took Falling Moon Woman’s hands in hers and spoke to her in a strong voice, without tears, “I love you, Mother. You have meant everything to me. You have been kind and strong. And you have loved me and you have taught me what it means to be Cheyenne. That is the greatest gift that you have given to me.

  I’ll miss you but most of all, I will miss your advice.”

  She gave a little ragged sob as she inhaled and hugged Falling Moon Woman once again and kissed her on the cheek. She could taste Falling Moon Woman’s tears. She stepped back. She looked her mother in the eyes and turned so that her back was to Two Feathers.

  Falling Moon Woman watched as Beth tried to compose herself. Falling Moon Woman knew that of all the people to say goodbye to, saying goodbye to Two Feathers would be the hardest for Beth.

  She looked over at her husband. She had never known him to show fear. In any crisis he had always shown strength and wisdom but she knew now that beneath all of that his heart was breaking. She knew that he was proud of all three of them but Beth had held a special spot in his heart.

  Beth turned and faced Two Feathers. Her tears were gone. Her face was impassive. She walked towards him, tall, erect and proud, just as her mother had taught her.

  She stopped in front of him. With both hands, she took his right hand and placed it on her chest above her heart. She held his hand there with her left hand She placed her hand on his chest above his heart. He covered it with his left hand. They looked into each other’s eyes. They stood this way for a minute and then without a word she turned and walked towards her horse.

  Jack and Sonny had, with great effort, pulled themselves together and followed her.

  They had saddled their war ponies with the saddles that they had taken from Curly Bob, Slim and Dirty Earl. Each saddle had a Winchester in a saddle holster. They were dressed in buckskins and each was armed with two Smith and Wesson revolvers.

  They had four packhorses stacked with buffalo hides and furs. Everyone in the tribe had given them a gift. They in turn, except for their personal weapons, had left the rest of the fire arms and ammunition that they had taken from Curly Bob and Slim with the tribe.

  John Johnson and the boys waved goodbye and began to ride off. Beth never looked back.

  They had ridden about three hundred yards when Beth pulled her rifle out of its holster, spun her horse around a rode at a dead run back towards the village. The boys looked on in amazement.

  She pulled her horse to a quick stop. She held the rifle at the balance. As soon as her horse stopped it reared. She extended her arm and the rifle above her head and screamed her war yell. The horse danced on its rear legs, pawin
g the air with its front hooves. At the end of her war yell she took a big breath and shaking her rifle yelled, “I am Cheyenne. I am Cheyenne.”

  The tribe as one roared back in a war cry. Two Feathers clenched his fists and raise his arms straight above his head and yelled. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

  As soon as her horse had all four feet on the ground, she wheeled him around and raced back to Johnson and the two boys.

  Sonny said in a husky voice, “She always was a showoff.”

  “Yeah.” croaked Jack.

  Both boys had tears in their eyes.

  When Beth rejoined Johnson, her face was flushed and she was trying hard not to cry. She slammed her rifle back into its holster and she popped her horse on the rump with her quirt and rode a few yards ahead of them.

  They rode like this, with her in the lead, for some time. After about an hour, Jack rode up alongside of her. He didn’t look at her and he said nothing. She looked straight ahead and said nothing. A few minutes passed. Jack moved his horse in so that they were riding thigh to thigh. He reached over, pulled her close and kissed her on the cheek.

  She looked over at him. Her eyes filled with tears. Her face contorted with sorrow and she said in a crying voice, “Damn you Jack. Damn you! I was doing fine until you came up here and kissed me.” Her voice broken with sobs she said, “Please just leave me alone.”

  His eyes full of tears, he put his hand on her shoulder. He ran his hand down her shoulder and over her arm. He squeezed her hand and rode back to Johnson and Sonny.

  He sniffed loudly, wiped the tears from his eyes and said, “If it’s hard on us, it’s terrible on her.”

  Those were the only words spoken between the four of them for two days. During those two days, Beth rode in the lead, alone in her pain.

  On the third day, as they were breaking camp and saddling up, Sonny said to Beth “Quit torturing yourself and ride with us today. Don’t ride up front.”

  “I can’t help it, Sonny. I can’t stand to be around him.”, indicating Johnson. She made “him” sound like a dirty word.