Grizzly Killer: Under The Blood Moon

by Lane R Warenski

  With that, they left leaving Zach in deep thought. He was not overly concerned about himself but he wanted to make sure the women would always be safe. He asked Running Wolf about this and Running Wolf replied, “There are many ways to die, we face death every day as do the women. We cannot live our lives in fear of what may be, we can only live and be watchful.”

  As Zach thought about this he realized the only real fear he had ever faced was when Sun Flower had been hit with the Arapaho’s arrow in the battle on Rock Creek a year ago. He knew he wanted to live like any other man but the thought of his own death didn’t scare him like the thought of losing Sun Flower or Shining Star. He made a solemn vow to himself that he would not live in fear but he would not live careless either. For as Running Wolf just said there are many ways to die living in this wilderness.

  A Scent on the Breeze

  It was early the next morning that they all walked over to the Shoshone camp to give one last farewell to their loved ones. The women helped White Feather finish loading the lodge while Zach and Running Wolf said farewell to Buffalo Heart and Red Hawk. They all stood by and watched as the village headed north along the lake shore. Zach noticed two warriors riding way out in front of the village as scouts and he was mighty glad he had Jimbo to do the scouting for them.

  Back in their own camp, the women started to pack for the journey back to their home on Black’s Fork. Zach and Running Wolf saddled Ol’ Red and the chestnut and rode over to Ashley’s trading tents to wish Ashley well on his return to St. Louis. Jedidiah Smith was there as well and looked a lot better now he had had a few days’ rest with plenty to eat. He told them he would be leaving with another brigade in just a few days to return to California for the men he left camped on what he called the Appelemminy River. They wished him well and said their farewells to General Ashley and the rest of the men that were still there. Then they made their way back to camp.

  Back in camp the women had the lodges down and Zach and Running Wolf brought in the horses and started to pack. They used four of the lodge poles to make travois to carry the lodges and were ready for the trail by mid-day.

  Instead of following the trail east over the low hills they headed south by a little east toward the Bear River. The weather had been clear and dry all through Rendezvous just like the previous year and Zach wondered if rains would hit them again on their way back to Black’s Fork like it did last year.

  It was the first week of July 1827, they were well supplied for another year and Zach was excited to be on the move again. Jimbo was out in front as they headed through the long sage covered valley south of Sweet Lake. It was early evening when they reached the Bear River. They crossed and set up a simple camp in the cottonwoods just on the east side of the river. The weather was still holding so they just rolled their robes out to sleep under the trees. They brought in Ol’ Red and Running Wolf’s chestnut and tied them right close as they figured with them and Jimbo they did not need to stand guard.

  The evening was long and pleasant. They ate smoked elk and had made up some cornbread. They ate and with it had good strong coffee with sugar, then enjoyed the gentle breeze that had now shifted from blowing downstream to upstream with the cooling of the evening. As the sky darkened and the stars started to shine Jimbo put his nose to the wind and made a low growl deep down in his throat. Zach and Running Wolf both picked up their rifles as Jimbo headed out into the darkness north along the river into the gentle breeze.

  Sun Flower picked up her squirrel gun and Shining Star the old Harper’s Ferry rifle that had been Zach’s pa’s, while Raven Wing moved off into the shadows with her bow and quiver full of arrows. They waited, listened and watched until Jimbo returned after finding nothing. But Zach knew his dog too well to let it go and decided they’d better stand watch this night.

  Running Wolf stood first watch and all was quiet. Zach relieved him after about three hours and watched as Running Wolf quietly slid under the robe with Raven Wing. It was a quiet and dark night with the stars and the Milky Way providing the only light. Jimbo got up, came over and sat by his master and Zach could tell all of his senses were intensely alert.

  The night remained quiet with just a slight breeze, then when the sky started to turn gray along the eastern horizon the gentle breeze died off to a dead calm. The only sound was that of the water flowing in the river but the spring runoff was over and the flow of the river right here was wide and slow making only a whisper of sound.

  Soon there were birds singing in the upper branches of the cottonwoods and a wolf howled up on the hills to the east. Jimbo had laid his head down and gone to sleep. Zach heard a fish jump in the river and soon the stars had faded out of sight. He stood and stretched his stiff muscles then as quietly as he could, he added a few sticks to the coals of the fire and blew life back into them. He took the coffee pot to the river, rinsed and refilled it and set it on the fire.

  He looked over at his wives and Shining Star was watching him with smile on her face. He smiled back and she slid out from under the robe naked as a new born, picked up her dress and he watched as she slowly walked to the river and bathed in the frigid water and cool morning air, then slipped the doe skin dress on and walked back to him.

  The sun wasn’t up yet but it was light enough to see. The others were now getting up and Shining Star was making a pan full of biscuits. Zach saddled Ol’ Red and with Jimbo out in front headed north down the river to see if he could see what had riled Jimbo the night before.

  He rode for a full mile without seeing any tracks except those of deer and antelope but he knew the harmless natural critters would not have bothered Jimbo. He left the river and rode a large circle to the top of the ridge to the east. When on top he studied the land in all directions for as far as he could see but there was nothing there, although he had an eerie feeling he was being watched. Jimbo was standing like a statue and Zach could see the hair rise slightly down the middle of his back and he knew something was out there, but what and where?

  He stayed on the ridge going south until he was past their camp and then made his way back to the river and followed it back to camp. There were warm biscuits and hot coffee waiting for him when he got back and he told them he hadn’t seen a thing. But the feeling he had would not go away.

  They loaded up and started south again staying up on the bench land just east of the river where the traveling was easier. With the sun now up and the day warming, the breeze had started again coming from the south. Zach noticed Jimbo, every so often, stop and lift his nose to the breeze then continue on, sometimes getting a quarter mile or more out in front. At one point he whistled for Jimbo’s attention then with a hand signal sent him way out to the east to circle around behind them. Again he came back without giving any alarm but not wagging his tail either.

  They nooned at the hot spring but didn’t feel safe enough to get in and bath and Jimbo was staying way out in the sage away from the water. He could remember the bath he received at this spring on their way to Rendezvous and he wasn’t going to let that happen again. After the horses had grazed and rested for a couple of hours they continued on. Running Wolf said he would slip off his horses and lay in wait, well-hidden, watching their back trail. He would then meet them on foot after they camped for the night. As they passed through some very high sage he slid off the back of his chestnut and disappeared into the brush.

  Making sure he left no sign as he moved, Running Wolf slowly crawled through the brush staying out of sight until he was up on a rise about a quarter mile above their trail. More than two hours passed and still nothing had come into sight. He figured if they were being followed, whoever it was was being almighty careful. He waited another hour and just as he was about to move some movement way to the north caught his eye. This movement was too far away to tell just who it was but he could tell it was several men on horses. He figured Grizzly Killer and the women had to be ten miles upriver by now and these horsemen were another two or three miles downriver so if they wer
e following they were doing so from a long ways away.

  He watched until it became clear they were following right on their trail and he stayed right there, motionless, where he knew he couldn’t be seen. When they were about a quarter mile north of him he could tell then by the way they wore the feathers in their hair this was a war party of six Blackfeet and there was no doubt in his mind they knew they were on the trail of Grizzly Killer and he wondered just how they knew. They were staying miles behind them and how did they know when Grizzly Killer had left the rendezvous? As he watched them ride by he thought the only way they could know is that someone had told them. Someone at Rendezvous had betrayed Grizzly Killer and himself and he wanted to know who.

  He waited until they were out of sight then moved down and crossed the river. Once on the west side he moved southwest until he was far enough from the river he knew he couldn’t be seen. He then started to jog along at a fairly fast pace knowing he had many miles to cover. He wasn’t carrying any water and he didn’t want to go back to the river and take a chance of being seen by the Blackfeet so he put a pebble in his mouth to help make saliva and continued on.

  By early evening he figured he had traveled around ten miles and he stopped to climb a small hill where he could see the river. The land here was a sage valley several miles wide and the only trees were the cottonwoods and willows along the river. He studied the river bottom and finally saw some movement about a mile south of him. He moved off the hill and continued south in the hills west of the river until he figured he was in a position to see. When he got to the next high point he could tell this was the Blackfeet setting up camp. They had not built a fire and the more he watched, he figured they were just stopping to rest not to spend the night.

  He was tired as he moved out again He could feel his legs were weak and shaky but he knew he had to reach his family before the Blackfeet did. He came to a small creek running from the hills down to the river and stopped and drank his fill. He waited barely five minutes and headed out again, although the water had revived him his legs were getting mighty weak.

  The sun was setting when he thought he had covered another five miles and he stopped again to look over the river bottom. Just another mile south he could see the slightest flicker of a fire just east of the river so, with a sigh of relief, and being careful not to leave a track he headed for the fire.

  He approached slow and easy from the west side of the river and just when he was about to make the yip of a coyote to let them know he was coming in Jimbo appeared out of the brush right in front of him. He dropped to his knees and hugged the huge dog and got a big wet tongue right across his face as thanks.

  Jimbo bounded through the river and with his tail wagging, letting everyone know Running Wolf was back. Raven Wing came running out into the river and met him with open arms. They stood there in knee deep water with their arms wrapped around one another until Zach laughingly told them to get out of the river. Running Wolf was smiling as they came out of the water to the fire.

  As Sun Flower and Shining Star were getting him a bowl of stew he told them of his day. The Blackfeet did not seem to be in any hurry to catch them and were staying back many miles but they were definitely following them. Running Wolf went on to tell them he figured one of the Blackfeet had approached close enough last night for Jimbo to get a slight scent on the wind but not close enough for his scent to be followed and he thought they would do the same tonight. He told them the Blackfeet had stopped five or six miles back up the river but it looked like only to rest in a cold camp.

  Zach wanted the women safe although they did not want to leave, he insisted and they loaded up. The women crossed the river and headed into the hills southwest of the river in the darkness. Running Wolf needed rest and Zach built up the fire so it could be seen from a long ways off while Running Wolf settled in his robes for some much needed sleep.

  Although they didn’t figure the Blackfeet would get close enough for a good look, Grizzly Killer made the camp look as natural as possible. He laid out robes and put logs under them so from a distance it would appear all five of them were there sleeping.

  As the night cooled down the wind direction shifted again and now the breeze was blowing upstream from north to south and as that happened Jimbo stood and scented the breeze He paced around camp stopping with his nose in the air and the hair would start to rise down the middle of his back. At that, Grizzly Killer knew well they were being watched even if it was from a distance. But the question remained strong in his mind- would they attack what they thought was a sleeping camp at night?

  Bad Omens Were Not Enough

  Zach waited until after midnight and Running Wolf had been asleep for about three hours. He had let the fire die down so everything would look like a normal night. He then woke Running Wolf and told him of his plan. He and Jimbo were going to go pay the Blackfeet a visit and try to scare them with his medicine. Running Wolf told him, “It is too dangerous to go to them alone, they will be standing guard and there are six of them.” But Grizzly Killer countered, “They do not know we know they are there, they will not be expecting any trouble and I will not be alone, Jimbo will go with me.” Running Wolf wanted to go as well but Grizzly Killer insisted he stay to take care of the women if anything bad were to happen.

  He told Running Wolf, “If I ain’t back by first light, go find the women but do not go straight back to Black’s Fork for the Blackfeet must never learn of the location of our home.”

  “You will be back, my brother. Your medicine is strong but do not be foolish with your life.” Zach grasped Running Wolf’s hand, nodded, then leading Ol’ Red he and Jimbo crossed to the west side of the river and disappeared into the brush heading north parallel to the river.

  Running Wolf Checked the powder in the pan of his rifle and got his bow and quiver full of arrows and put it within easy reach. He then checked the horses that the women had not taken with them and wondered how far they would travel on this dark night.

  Zach went out about a quarter mile west of the river still leading Ol’ Red and when he figured he had gone about a mile he sent Jimbo to the river and in a large circle ahead. About a half hour later Jimbo returned and with a tail wag told him all was clear. They pushed on another mile in the dark and he sent Jimbo out again with the same result. But on the fourth time Jimbo returned in just a few minutes and with his low deep growl from way down in his throat letting Zach know he had found them.

  Zach checked the position of the big dipper and figured he only had a couple of hours before it started to get light. He just let the reins hang loose on Ol’ Red and followed Jimbo into the night. He had his knife, tomahawk and a horse pistol tucked into his belt and carried his Hawken rifle in his left hand. Jimbo slowed right down when they were only a couple of hundred yards from the river and at about a hundred yards he dropped down to his belly. Zach still could not hear or see anything so he dropped to his hands and knees and slowly followed right behind his dog.

  He was being extremely careful where he placed his hands and feet making no sound at all. Then, when he could hear the river he also heard the movement of a horse and then the sound of grass being ripped up and eaten. The breeze was still blowing up river and Jimbo had led them by the scent and sounds that were on the breeze. The horses were just a little downstream and the breeze was right in their faces so he knew the horses could not smell them.

  There were willows along the river here and Zach slowly moved in closer making very sure he didn’t brush up against anything. Once amongst the willows he slowly rose to his feet, gave Jimbo a hand signal to stay, leaned his rifle very slowly into the brush and, as quiet as the flight of an owl, pulled his knife from its sheath. The only light was from the stars and as he stood there figuring which way to step he heard one the Blackfeet stand and walk right toward him. He froze in the dark and slowly leaned into the large willows right next to him. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and felt a bead of sweat trickle down the side of hi
s face. The Blackfoot Warrior came through the willows right to him but stepped on past and stopped, pulled his breechcloth to the side to relieve himself. He was within easy reach and Zach knew he had to make his move swift and silent. He waited only until he heard the sound of the water he was making splash onto the ground.

  In one swift movement, his left hand reached around over the Indians mouth and the same instant the deadly knife sliced through his neck severing the wind pipe and both arteries. With his left hand over the Blackfoot’s mouth he pulled him up tight against his own body and just held on. The Blackfoot’s body went stiff for only a moment then limp as his heart swiftly pumped the life giving blood from his body.

  Zach very slowly lowered the lifeless body to the ground, then walked to where the Blackfoot had come from. He went only about thirty feet and even though the night was mighty dark with his eyes now accustomed to just the star light he could see not only the horses but the five sleeping forms of the other Blackfeet. Although he figured he could take out a couple of them and Jimbo could another he thought about what Running Wolf had said, “Do not be foolish with your life.”

  He went back to where the dead body was and finished cutting off the head of the dead Blackfoot and he removed one of the prized grizzly claws from his necklace. He then carried the head to where the others were sleeping and set it right between two of them with the grizzly claw sticking out of his mouth. He wanted to take their horses but was afraid he couldn’t do that without one of them making some noise.