It was midmorning by the time they had all of the packs loaded with the dried buffalo meat and their camp. It was an impressive pack train fully loaded as they left the hunting camp and headed west back toward the Seeds-Kee-Dee. Buffalo Heart, Red Hawk and Little Horse rode with them for the first few miles then said their goodbye’s and turned north towards the Sweet Water and on to the Popo Agie.
It was nearing the end of August and Zach hoped these warm summer days would last until they were back in the safety of their home on Black’s Fork. There was just a slight breeze blowing from the west and the blue sky was spotted with white puffy clouds. They weren’t making near as good of time with this many pack horses all fully loaded and two of the horses pulling travois. He was worried about water and being able to make it from the last water he knew of all the way to the Seeds-Kee-Dee.
Early afternoon they stopped and pulled the packs from the horses to let them rest and graze for nearly two hours then loaded up and moved on. They reached the water hole that Running Wolf and Grizzly Killer had nooned a couple of days ago and by late afternoon the water level was noticeably lower than it had been just two days past. By the time Ol’ Red and all of the thirsty horses had drunk their fill, the warm stagnant water was nearly gone. The women used what they carried in their water pouches and had filled some of the buffalo bladders with water before they left.
There were several plants around this drying water hole that the women used to make a stew along with dried buffalo and just after they ate, Raven Wing got her medicine kit and they dressed Zach’s arm again with a fresh poultice. The wound was looking better but with an open cut that deep and large it was going to take weeks for it the completely heal.
They slept under the stars that night and listened to the distant howls of the prairie wolves and watched the stars become brighter as the moon set early. The Milky Way looked like smoke in the sky and Zach wondered just what was up there that made it look that way.
The morning was almost cold as Running Wolf was up getting a fire started with only dried buffalo chips to burn. Raven Wing started to get up to help and it made Zach smile as Running Wolf made her stay covered with the soft buffalo robe keeping her warm until he had the fire going. She told him she wasn’t a baby but then smiled at him appreciating his concern. The women made coffee then they packed up and started off, now heading west by north as they headed for the small stream that was the last water they knew of before the Seeds-Kee-Dee.
Passing by the carcass of the buffalo cow that had the broken leg along with what little remained of her calf, Grizzly Killer was amazed as the buzzards took flight just how little of the thousand-pound animal was left. Between the wolves at night and buzzards during the day there was nothing but bone left of the calf and very little left of the cow.
It was late afternoon when they reached the small creek and after they unloaded the horses the women all walked upstream looking for the plants they counted on this time of year. They had another hearty stew and Jimbo gladly licked the black pot clean. After drinking their fill, the horses started moving along the creek grazing on the still green grass along its banks.
The next morning, Zach was up early wanting to get as many miles behind them as possible before the heat of the day. He and Running Wolf both knew at the speed they were able to travel it would be two days before the next water. They filled everything they had that would carry water and started on the trail west towards the Seeds-Kee-Dee before the sun came up.
They stopped at midday to rest the horses but were back on the trail within an hour. They kept moving until nearly dark then hobbled each horse as they took off the packs not wanting them to wander looking for water. They gave each horse a small drink from their water pouches and made do with jerky and a small drink of water for their own supper.
It was still an hour before dawn when they gathered the horses and loaded the packs on them. They were on the trail moving west as it started to get light. The air had a real chill to it this morning as they moved ever closer to the Seeds-Kee-Dee. Grizzly Killer hoped to make it by early afternoon for he knew how bad the horses needed water. Raven Wing was pale and had to stop several times even though she had nothing left in her stomach to come up. She wouldn’t try even drinking a little water until the nausea passed.
Zach kept them moving right through midday knowing the horses needed water more than they needed a short rest. It was nearly midafternoon when they first saw the green of the river bottom marking the course of the river. Another mile and the horses could sense the water ahead and it was all they could do to keep them from running toward the water.
An hour later they led the horses out into the shallow water of the crossing and let them drink before they even took the packs off. They moved down river about a half mile off the trail into a good stand of cottonwoods to set up camp, hobbled the horses as they unloaded each one and let them graze on the tall grass of the river bottom.
They built their fire, hidden by the brush and trees and made sure the branches of the tall cottonwoods were thick over head to break up what smoke reached the sky. They used the driest wood they could find to burn so it made as little smoke as possible. Zach sent Jimbo on a scout both up and then down the river making sure all was clear.
Their supper was another good hearty stew with camas bulbs, sego lily root and cattail shoots mixed with strips of the dried buffalo, fresh made biscuits and strong bitter coffee. They all enjoyed the good meal and calm weather. After dinner they cleaned and dressed Zach’s arm once again. Then Sun Flower and Shining Star took him by the hand and they walked south along the west bank enjoying the evening and each other’s company.
They stopped where some large rocks went out into the river a few feet, removed their moccasins and dangled their feet in the cool water. Jimbo left them as he continued even farther down river looking at and sniffing everything along the trail. It was a half hour later when he returned to find Sun Flower and Shining Star naked in the water bathing and trying to get Grizzly Killer to join them but he was still sitting on the rocks with only his feet in the water and a big smile as he watched the water glistening off his two beautiful wives’ naked bodies.
Jimbo came right up to him and started his low growl that comes from way down deep in his chest. Zach was suddenly alert looking south while Sun Flower and Shining Star came right up out of the water and slid their dresses on. Zach had his moccasins on and was following Jimbo by the time the women had their moccasins pulled on. He motioned for them to go back to camp while he found out what Jimbo had found.
They wasted no time at all getting back to camp for Shining Star wanted her brother to be with her husband. She knew very well they were safer when they were together. When they jogged into camp Running Wolf and Raven Wing were nowhere to be seen. Sun Flower pointed upstream and then Shining Star heard the gentle splashing in the water as well.
Zach followed Jimbo at a fast jog for nearly a mile downstream. Then Jimbo slowed right down and led his master to a game trail that was following along the west side of the river. He stopped at a spot where two sets of horse tracks had entered the trail from the west. Jimbo started his low growl again and Zach knelt down and closely examined the tracks.
Shining Star ran to the sounds in the river and called to her brother as she did. She came around a large cottonwood right by the river just as Running Wolf and Raven Wing were stepping out of the water both with big smiles on their faces. As they dressed Shining Star and Sun Flower told them of what had happened and Grizzly Killer was alone headed south along the river. Running Wolf smiled and told them, “Grizzly Killer is never alone when the big medicine dog is with him.” But he could tell by the look on his sister’s face she was really worried.
He went right to the horses and saddled his chestnut, then Ol’ Red and started out south along the river. He came to the rocks his sister had described and could plainly see the tracks of Grizzly Killer and Jimbo in the soft moist dirt of the river bank. He could tell
by the length of Grizzly Killer’s stride he was moving quickly and he kicked the chestnut into lope with Ol’ Red following right behind. He came to the place where the other horse tracks entered the trail from the west and he got down and examined them. There was no doubt at all this was Cal and Ben Beaumont for he had followed these tracks before. He was sure Grizzly Killer knew just who he was following as well. The tracks weren’t a day old and he urged his chestnut back into a lope, made sure Ol’ Red was staying with them and hoped he caught Grizzly Killer before he caught the Beaumont’s.
Another mile south and Running Wolf could see a lone man standing on a bluff where the river made a bend and knew immediately it was Grizzly Killer studying the river to the south. Jimbo heard him coming and ran out to meet him. The sun was nearly down as Running Wolf approached and Grizzly Killer just pointed at a spot on the river that was still several miles to the south. As Running Wolf looked he could see a faint column of smoke coming from the trees on a bend in the river.
Black’s Fork
Zach stared at the distant smoke and he knew this might be their best chance at confronting Cal and Ben Beaumont, but he didn’t feel the women were safe left alone if something went wrong. No, he wouldn’t pursue the Beaumont’s this night. He would go back and keep his loved ones safe. He turned then and looked at Running Wolf saying, “Thank you, my brother, for coming but I think this is as far as we should go this night. The women are not safe alone here on the Seeds-Kee-Dee, we must get them and our winters meat back to Black’s Fork.”
Running Wolf just nodded his agreement then said, “If we must deal with these two we will deal with them at a later time.”
Cal Beaumont stood at the outer edge of their camp and stared back north along the river as Ben kicked dirt over their fire. Then Ben walked over to Cal and asked, “What is it?” Cal just shook his head and said, “Maybe nothin’, but I got a feelin’ somethin’ is out there dogging’ us. We’ll move off the river and make a cold camp a few miles to the west tonight.”
The sun was up and they could tell it was going to be another warm late summer day as Zach and Running Wolf loaded all the horses and tied on the two travois’. They left the Seeds-Kee-Dee and headed west by south toward the junction where Ham’s Fork runs into Black’s Fork. This was high desert, flat and dry, covered with short sage and grasses. They figured if they had a good day even loaded as heavy as they were they could make the twenty or twenty-five miles to the confluence of Black’s and Ham’s Forks.
Cal and Ben Beaumont moved south west out across the flatlands in the dark for over an hour before they stopped for the night. They ground picketed their horses and slept on the unprotected plains. They didn’t know it at the time but from where they were on the Seeds-Kee-Dee they were only six or seven miles from Black’s Fork. Next morning, they could see a green waterway less than a mile to the south west and headed right for the closest point of Black’s Fork. Once they got to the river they watered their horses and started a small fire to cook their breakfast. While Ben was cutting slices off the last of their bacon and making some biscuits he realized they would be completely out of food in another week and would have to live off the land.
Ben called Cal back to eat, while he was out looking over the land and just as he sat by the fire a group of fifteen Indians rode out of the trees to the south. The Indians spread out and rode right toward the fire. Ben started to reach for his rifle but Cal with a harsh word stopped him. Then said, “You raise that gun and we’ll be dead by the time you get a shot off.” The leader of these Indians was a stout fierce looking warrior with two long braids and three eagle feathers stuck right in the top of the braid. He raised his right hand in the universal sign of peace.
Cal stood and raised his hand as well noticing they were not painted for battle. The Indian looked a little surprised as Cal stood for it was plain in his face he had never seen a man as big as Cal Beaumont. The Indian reached for his pipe and slowly walked to the fire. Neither Cal nor Ben was good at the Indian sign language but had seen enough of it since leaving St. Louis that Cal could get his point across and understood the warrior was asking for tobacco.
He pulled out a twist and handed it to the warrior who sat down, filled his pipe and pulling a small branch from the fire he puffed life into his pipe. Then he passed the pipe to Cal who took one big puff and handed it back. But the Indian pointed to Ben so Cal passed the pipe to Ben who took a puff then passed it back to the Indian. The warrior took it, knocked the burning tobacco from the pipe into the fire and wrapped the pipe back in its soft buckskin cover.
The warrior then asked in sign what Cal and Ben were doing here in Shoshone lands. Cal had learned fast from Lester and Abel and he knew the Shoshone were friends with the white man they called Grizzly Killer. He told him they were friends of Grizzly Killer from his home in the east and was looking for him but they did not know this land. He then asked if they could tell them where to find him. At the mention of Grizzly Killer, Cal noticed the expression change on the Indians face. Cal didn’t know how to use sign to continue and so he was talking as he signed. He said he had word for Grizzly Killer from his family in the east. The warrior looked over Cal and Ben then in broken English told them he had not been to the land of Grizzly Killer but he knew it was in what the white man calls Bear River Mountains on this stream they call Black’s Fork. If they follow this river upstream for many days, they will find the land of Grizzly Killer.
An evil smile formed on the face of Cal Beaumont and he thanked the warrior and gave him another tobacco twist. Then he watched the warrior mount up and ride away heading north at the head of this impressive group of Shoshone braves.
After they left Ben asked his brother, “How’d ya know they’s was friendly Injuns?”
“Didn’t ya listen to nothin’ Lester and Abel told us? First they didn’t have painted faces and Lester said we’s in Shoshone land all the way to the Bear River Mountains and the Shoshone is mostly friendly.” Ben just nodded and even though he was afraid of his older brother he was glad Cal was here. Cal told Ben to get breakfast cleaned up that they now knew where to go.
Zach had made it to Black’s Fork but it was nearly dark by the time they stopped. After he and Running Wolf had the horses unpacked, the only light was fading fast along the western horizon. They hobbled each one as they unpacked it and let them graze as they would along the river. The grass was sparse and only grew right next to the water.
With the weather still holding they just rolled their robes on the ground by the fire, ate a piece of jerky and listened to the coyotes sing as they went to sleep.
Next morning as he opened his eyes and listened to the sounds around him, he heard Jimbo get up and leave camp on his morning hunt and he could hear song birds in the brush along the river. He listened for the horses but couldn’t hear any of them but he did hear the quack of some ducks on the river not far down stream. He hugged his wives and sat up looking for the horses only to see them spread out for near half a mile along the river. As Sun Flower, Shining Star and Raven Wing built a fire, put the big coffee pot on and started biscuits, Grizzly Killer and Running Wolf gathered the horses.
Zach figured the Beaumont’s would stay on the Seeds-Kee-Dee heading south so he wasn’t overly concerned about them right now. He had no way of knowing they were less than a day behind them on Black’s Fork and they were traveling much faster than Grizzly Killer with his large heavily-loaded pack train.
With Jimbo out in front they headed west staying on the north side of the river then crossed over to the south side at the first good crossing they came to. There was a wind starting to blow coming from the southwest and as they followed the path of the river it was blowing right into their faces. They stopped at midday in a stand of cottonwoods which were mighty scarce out here on the flat lands. The trees provided a break from the wind. They let the horse’s rest a full two hours before loading them back up for the rest of the day. The wind was getting stronger as the afternoon pro
gressed and when they stopped for the day in a small stand of trees they knew there would soon be a storm. They put up Grizzly Killer’s large teepee for them all to sleep in and as the women were making a stew for supper the dark clouds were building up over the mountains.
Cal and Ben had made good time today and were now less than a half day behind. They had found where Grizzly Killer had camped the night before and not knowing who or how many Indians had made all these tracks they had slowed down and were now traveling with a lot more caution. They moved off the river a half mile or so and camped in a wash where they were out of the wind. The rain started about dark with Cal and Ben sitting by their little fire with blankets wrapped around their shoulders.
Zach, Running Wolf and their wives were warm and dry in the teepee and listening to the rain hitting the well cured buffalo hide covering of their lodge. They had set a picket line for the stock with the storm coming and Zach went out and checked on all the horses one more time then came inside stripped out of his wet buckskins and slid under the robes with Sun Flower and Shining Star.
The rain got harder and Cal and Ben couldn’t keep their fire going. The night was so dark they couldn’t even see each other, they were cold, soaked to the skin and couldn’t see anywhere to move. They then heard a roar right above them just as a wall of water hit them. A flash flood had come down the wash. Cal lost all track of his brother as the muddy water rolled him along through the mud and brush. He was finally able to crawl his way out of the rushing water and just collapsed on the muddy ground at the top of the wash. He was so cold he was shivering uncontrollably. He had no idea where Ben or their horses were but he knew he had to keep moving to raise his body temperature but he couldn’t see a thing.
Grizzly Killer: Under The Blood Moon Page 23
