"He is no longer a captive of the Cree," Double Runner said.
"If you did not see the Cree, how do you know the fate of the white man?" Spotted Eagle said, forking an eyebrow as he leaned closer to Double Runner.
"The white man still hangs on the stake, alone where the campsite has been deserted," Double Runner explained. "I did not venture to go to him alone. I fear this might be a trap."
"Yes, a trap," Spotted Eagle said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Then he looked over his shoulder at his warriors as they rode up behind him and drew rein, waiting to see what his next command might be. "We shall see. We will be prepared for an ambush, if one is planned."
He explained everything to his warriors and then they all rode cautiously onward, eyes darting around them, watching guardedly for any movements.
Spotted Eagle gazed heavenward, noticing that the moon was now hidden behind a thick, black cloud.
Spotted Eagle and his companions traveled onward, and when they came close to the Crees' abandoned campsite, they rode up in a ravine behind it and brought their horses to a halt.
Dismounting, Spotted Eagle secured his horse's reins to a low tree limb, his warriors following his lead. With his quiver of arrows secured to his back, and clutching his bow, keeping the weapons ready in case they were needed, Spotted Eagle crept into a large bunch of rye grass to hide as he surveyed the abandoned camp with slow, intense eyes.
He could tell that the Cree had torn down the lodges and packed their dog travois in haste, for they had packed in such a hurry that they had left many little things lying in camp.
Spotted Eagle could see knives, awls, bone needles, and moccasins scattered around on the packed earth.
When the cloud finally scurried on past, and the moon's glow again illumined everything as though it were morning, it revealed the stake on which Kirk was tied, his head bowed, motionless. Double Runner eased himself closer to Spotted Eagle. "He is dead?" he whispered, the rifle barrel he carried shining beneath the moon's bright rays.
Fearing its reflection might cast itself where it did not belongperhaps in the eye of a Cree waiting to ambush those who would rescue the white man, Spotted Eagle placed his hand onto Double Runner's rifle and quickly lowered it to his scout's side.
"We might be dead if you do not use more caution," Spotted Eagle warned, glaring at Double Runner. "Even you think this might be a trap. Act accordingly."
Double Runner nodded, then peered at Kirk again. "And what do we do now?" he whispered.
Spotted Eagle looked over his shoulder at his other warriors. He made a wide swing in the air with his free hand. "Everyone spread," he flatly ordered. "Go with much care as you surround this campsite. If you find the Cree, silence them with your knives before they can alert others. For this a rifle is useless. Take your knives!"
"Your rifle will guard this warrior as he goes into the camp alone," he said to Double Runner. "If you soon see that there is no threat of a Cree ambush, come to me and help me with the white man. If he is alive, he will need nourishment quickly and a travois made for his return to our village. You will help Spotted Eagle do these things. Do you understand?" Double Runner nodded.
Spotted Eagle waited until he thought that his men should be in a wide circle around the abandoned camp, then crept out into the open, an arrow notched to his bow. With wary eyes, he kept a guarded look on all sides of him as he moved toward Kirk.
When he came closer to Kirk, he realized now how the Cree had gone about preparing their white captive for the stake. They had smoothed a cottonwood tree by taking off the bark and had painted it black. They had then stood Kirk against it and fastened him there with a great many ropes.
After they had Kirk secured enough so that he could not move, they had painted his face black.
Spotted Eagle could even now hear how the Cree renegades would have made a prayer, giving Kirk to the Sun.
And they had left him for the Sun, sky, moon and any animals that might happen along.
Spotted Eagle took the last step to stand in front of Kirk, shuddering at his appearance and the many small wounds that had been inflicted by the Cree women and children. Before he had lapsed into a deep sleep, he had suffered much at the hands of his abductors!
Thinking of Jolena waiting back at his village, Spotted Eagle hesitated to place a finger to the vein at Kirk's neck, fearing that he would discover that her white brother had not lived through the ordeal. But he had to know. Lifting his free hand to Kirk's blackened neck, Spotted Eagle sought for a pulse, for a moment fearing there was none.
Then he smiled and nodded, finally finding one, even though faint and slow.
Double Runner came to Spotted Eagle's side as his other warriors emerged from hiding, one by one. There seemed to be no Cree anywhere. As Cree war parties were wont to do, they had moved onward to wreak havoc elsewhere.
"Is he alive?" Double Runner asked, leaning close to Kirk studying him.
" Kyi. Barely," Spotted Eagle grumbled, laying his bow on the ground. He drew his huge knife from its sheath at his right side. "Lay your rifle aside, Double Runner. As I cut this man's ropes, you catch him."
Spotted Eagle gazed around at his other warriors. "A travois must be prepared," he ordered them. " Hai-yah! Quickly! We must not tempt fate by remaining here any longer than is required to prepare this man for traveling back to our village. Among us, we should have plenty of robes and skins for his bedding!"
Everyone scurried into action as Spotted Eagle moved his knife toward the first rope, then stopped with a start when Kirk slowly began lifting his head, his eyes soon finding Spotted Eagle's.
"Thank God," Kirk whispered raspily, his throat dry and parched. "I… wouldn't have lasted another hour. Thank you, Spotted Eagle. Thank… you." Kirk's head lowered again and his eyes closed. Spotted Eagle hurriedly cut the ropes and soon Kirk was free. Wounded and weak, he fell to the ground before Double Runner or Spotted Eagle could catch him.
Spotted Eagle slipped his knife back into its sheath and fell to his knees beside Kirk. He began rubbing his limbs in an effort to put life back into them.
Kirk slowly opened his eyes again. "You would do all of this for me?" he said in a raspy whisper.
"I do this for your sister," Spotted Eagle said, his voice drawn.
Spotted Eagle continued rubbing Kirk's limbs for a while longer, then lifted him up into his arms and carried him to a place where he had seen many sarvis berries. After laying Kirk down beside the bushes that were heavy-laden with fruit, he broke off great branches of it. He plucked a large, ripe berry from the branch and held it to Kirk's mouth.
"To get strength, eat," he said softly. "These will quench your thirst as well as your hunger."
Kirk choked on the first berry, then once his throat was reacquaint
ed with food and liquid, he ate them as quickly as Spotted Eagle could get them into his mouth.
Spotted Eagle broke off more branches full of the ripe berries and continued feeding them to Kirk until a travois was completed and attached by long poles behind his stallion, several knots in the rawhide thongs securing the travois poles to the horse's saddle. " Tsis-icome, white brother. We will leave now," Spotted Eagle said, once again lifting Kirk into his arms and carrying him to the travois. "Soon you will be with your sister again."
Spotted Eagle laid Kirk on a bed of pelts, then wrapped him securely with the hides of the medicine animal, the great bear.
Giving Kirk another lingering stare, seeing that he was asleep again, Spotted Eagle then swung himself into his saddle. With a raised hand, he gave the silent order to head back toward their village.
Double Runner rode on ahead of the others, his eyes ever watchful for an ambush, grateful to find the path quiet and peaceful for their return to their people.
Spotted Eagle rode in a soft lope, to make the ride as comfortable as possible for Jolena's brother as the poles of the travois bounced and jostled through tall grasses and along rock-strewn coulees. He had not taken the time to remove the black paint from Kirk's body, afraid that allowing time for that might give any passing war party the opportunity to attack.
Spotted Eagle was glad that he had not been forced to attack a Cree camp filled with women and children just to rescue a white man. Although the Cree were responsible for Two Ridges' death, Spotted Eagle could not blame them all for the act of one manLong Nose! Nor could he blame the others for what this particular band of renegades had chosen to do to Kirk. It was not for Spotted Eagle to know why they did any of these things, but always to guard against other attempts!
The morning came with a faint tint of pink to the sky as Spotted Eagle rode into his village. The sound of their horses drew the Blackfoot people from their tepees, Jolena among them as she clutched a blanket around her shoulders.
Jolena's eyes were wide and her pulse raced as she ran from her father's tepee, half stumbling in her eagerness to get to Spotted Eagle and the travois that he pulled behind his horse.
When she reached the travois and Spotted Eagle stopped his horse, Jolena fell to her knees and gasped with shock when she found herself looking down at Kirk, his face the only thing visible. She was stunned speechless by the black paint that had been applied to his face and his apparent lifelessness.
"Kirk," Jolena whispered, gently framing his face between her fingers. Tears sprang from her eyes. "Oh, Kirk, what did they do to you?"
Spotted Eagle dismounted and knelt down at Jolena's side. A comforting arm slipped around her waist as he gazed at her. "He is alive, but weak," he explained softly. "And the paint you see is always placed on Cree captives. It will wash easily away. But there are other things than paint that I must warn you about."
Jolena glanced quickly at Spotted Eagle, his warning causing fear to enter her heart. "What else is there?" she said, her voice drawn. She eased her hands from Kirk's face and clutched them together nervously on her lap.
"You shall see soon enough," Spotted Eagle said, slowly unfolding the covering of bear pelts.
He could feel the tension in the air behind and all around him as the Blackfoot people inched closer, watching.
He could hear Jolena's shallow breathing.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw his chieftain father come walking slowly and heavily toward him, supporting himself with his tall shaft.
Brown Elk and Moon Flower also came and stood behind Jolena, Brown Elk's hand on her shoulder as a reminder of his nearness and to show his love for her.
Kirk slowly opened his eyes. At first everything seemed a blur to him, but when he began focusing his eyes, they widened with relief when he found Jolena there, gazing down at him.
"Sis," Kirk said in a raspy whisper. "I'm going to be fine. Don't cry. Please… don't… cry."
Jolena forced a smile and again placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "I can't help but cry," she murmured. "I thought you were dead. But here you are, Kirk, as fine as a fiddle."
"I… wouldn't say… that," Kirk said, laughing softly. "But I will be soon. I promise."
When the last of the bear pelts was laid aside, revealing the paint that covered every inch of Kirk's body and the wounds that were scattered across his legs, abdomen, and arms, Jolena felt a bitterness rise into her throat and the urge to retch quickly overwhelmed her.
She swallowed hard, over and over again, until the bitterness subsided. She took the blanket from around her shoulders and quickly placed it over her brother.
Then she gave Spotted Eagle a pleading look. "Please take him to your tepee," she murmured. "There I will care for him until he is well again."
She looked over her shoulder at her Blackfoot father. He had heard and nodded his head in a silent understanding of her decision to be in Spotted Eagle's dwelling instead of his. He had had a dream this last evening of a beautiful weddingof his daughter dressed in the finest Blackfoot clothes as she joined her heart with Spotted Eagle's for eternity.
He had given her to Spotted Eagle without hesitation, for he was the finest of warriors, filled with compassion, courage, and love for humanity.
Spotted Eagle would make a perfect father for Brown Elk's grandchildren!
Spotted Eagle leaned over Kirk and gently lifted him into his arms. As his people made way for him to go to his dwelling, Spotted Eagle carried the slight white man with Jolena walking beside him, her eyes never leaving her brother's face.
When they were inside the tepee and Kirk was comfortably close to the fire on a pallet of furs, Jolena hurriedly bathed the paint from his flesh. She then sat back and silently watched as Spotted Eagle ever so gently doctored Kirk's wounds with a herbal mixture that smelled pleasant enough and surely took the pain away, for Kirk sighed heavily and closed his eyes as he allowed it to be applied to his flesh.
When this also was done, Jolena slipped a robe around Kirk's shoulders as Spotted Eagle lifted him up to make it possible.
Moon Flower entered the tepee carrying a smoking pot that sent off a pleasant fragrance of cooked vegetables and meats. ''Allow me to help?" she murmured, settling down beside Kirk on the opposite side from where Jolena and Spotted Eagle sat their vigil.
Kirk turned his eyes to Moon Flower, and his lips parted in a slight gasp when he gazed up at her delicate loveliness.
"I am Moon Flower," she murmured, setting the pot of soup down beside her. "Allow me to feed you?"
"Please… do…" Kirk said, smiling up at her. He tried to lean on one elbow, but toppled back down, too weak just yet to make even the slightest attempt to fend for himself.
Jolena reached behind he
r for a wooden bowl and spoon and handed them to Moon Flower, smiling a silent thank-you for her assistance.
Moon Flower ladled some soup into the bowl, then sank the spoon into it, soon placing it to Kirk's lips. "First the broth," she murmured. "Then later you can eat vegetables, then meat." Spotted Eagle placed a hand beneath Kirk's head and lifted it slightly from the pallet, enabling him to swallow more easily.
Kirk sipped the broth from the spoon, his eyes never leaving Moon Flower, touched not only by her loveliness, but by her kindnesses. "You are as beautiful as your name," he said as he turned his lips a fraction from the proffered broth.
Jolena sighed deeply with relief. Seeing Kirk actually flirting, especially with a Blackfoot maiden, made her realize that her brother was going to be all right.
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