Buffalo Trail

by Jeff Guinn

So as the snow and ice storms loomed, there were meager food stores and little hope of replenishment for some time to come. In their present straits, the very old men and women and weak babies would soon begin to die. They could start eating their horses, but among the People no possession was as prized as a man’s horse herd. Instead of acting as superior beings should, arming themselves and going out to take what they needed, most of the warriors seemed resigned to endlessly discussing reported signs and accepting a diet of horsemeat or the rumblings of their families’ empty bellies. This made Quanah furious; he railed at his fellow Quahadi, “Antelopes” in the People’s language, urging them to put aside their obsessions with omens and mount a large-scale expedition instead of sporadic raids against the white men. When his own camp wasn’t sufficiently responsive, Quanah rode to several others, as the People lived in scattered bands that formed a loose confederation. He imagined all the fighting men from each band combining in a massive war party, perhaps one augmented by warriors from among the Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Arapaho. Together, they would present such an invincible force that the whites would either be driven or choose to withdraw from Indian Territory, and the hunting would be good again.

  Everywhere Quanah went among the People, he was greeted with respect. In recent years he’d earned a deserved reputation as a great fighter. But there was little enthusiasm when he described his grand plan. Those willing to go out and fight preferred doing so in the traditional way: in small parties that attacked swiftly and just as quickly threw off pursuit in the foreboding reaches of their vast territory. These raiders made up in ferocity what they lacked in numbers. Collaboration was not the People’s tradition, and what Quanah wanted to do would require considerable cooperation. Besides, as much as he was renowned as a warrior, he was also somewhat suspect as a half-breed, the child of a Comanche warrior and a white woman rescued as a girl from her lesser race and eventually given the privilege of living as an equal among the People. One of the many reasons Quanah hated whites was that some years later they stole his mother back, also taking his baby sister and killing his father, a renowned warrior named Peta Nocona, in the same attack. Quanah had his father’s battle skills, mahogany skin, and thick black hair, but also his mother’s gray eyes and a white man’s height. He towered over the other braves. Many of the People were of mixed blood, Mexican and black as well as white, but Quanah’s appearance made it particularly obvious. In battle they trusted him, but in counsel had their doubts. When the Quahadi scoffed at Quanah’s suggestion of a unified war party, he mounted one of his best ponies and took his plan in turn to several other Comanche bands. Try as he might, none were persuaded.

  After several frustrating weeks, Quanah gave up and began the long ride back to the main village of the Quahadi, which that winter was north of all the other People’s camps. It was a dismal journey and he brooded along the way. When he arrived home at the Quahadi camp it was possible, even likely, that many there would mock him—he’d failed to convince outsiders to join in his scheme, just as his own Quahadis had rejected it. In better times that failure might have been overlooked, but with everyone edgy from hunger, Quanah felt certain that ridicule awaited him. His immense pride made him highly sensitive to even the mildest slights. He understood that this was a great personal flaw, but Quanah couldn’t help it. The stigma of being a particularly obvious half-breed among the People left him insecure in a way that no battlefield triumphs could entirely ease.

  Quanah was imagining the jeers he would surely hear in his village when he first sensed rather than saw movement in a shallow valley to his right. He hopped down off his horse to diminish his own silhouette against the sky and led his mount behind a small grove of trees. Then, looking down, he spied a small band of white men riding south. There were four on horseback, plus another on the bench of a wagon pulled by a two-horse team. Typical of white buffalo hunters, these men all had long hair hanging to their shoulders. Watching them, Quanah initially felt a spark of hope. If he could take them by surprise, cut down two or three while the others ran away in panic, then he could return to the Quahadi laden with dripping scalps and something to brag about. That might deflect any comments on other, less positive aspects of his excursion. The odds of five to one didn’t bother him. Most white men were bad fighters, and cowards besides.

  But as he studied his potential prey, Quanah hesitated. They were well armed with powerful rifles, and clearly wary. They crossed the valley slowly, taking care to watch on all sides. Regretfully, Quanah decided not to attack. He still thought he could kill one or two and get away, but the other whites would prevent him from taking scalps and so he would have nothing to show off to his village. Feeling thwarted and even more miserable, he watched the five men as they rode. One was the obvious leader, even though he was younger than the rest. He rode in front, studying the ground and occasionally calling back to the others. A red dog romped alongside his horse. As Quanah looked on, this young leader pulled up, dismounted, and shouted to his companions. They hurried over and dismounted, too, exclaiming about a wide swath of months-old tracks cut deeply into the packed dirt. Quanah had seen the tracks as well. Sometime earlier a big herd of buffalo, escaping their widespread slaughter in the white man’s territory to the north, had moved across several rivers into this region, supposedly reserved for Indian hunting by the white government. These intruders were breaking the treaty, but Quanah knew why they had come. Just like the People, they were looking for better hunting, though of course whites already had all the food they needed without coming here and taking what belonged to the Indians. The interlopers in the valley beneath him just wanted the buffalo for their hides. For now, the herd would have migrated so far south that neither the whites nor the People could hunt them; but when the weather warmed, the buffalo would return here, and so would these white men, who now knew where to come in Indian land to find them. This proved again why Quanah’s plan was necessary. When the warm season was back and the white men returned, the People needed to be ready to kill or drive all of them off, no matter how many came.

  As the hunters crossed the valley and disappeared down a ravine just beyond, Quanah took a corn cake from his pouch and moodily ate it. He gagged on some dry bits—corn being almost as scarce as meat that winter, his wife had to mix in ground husks to bind the patty together before cooking it—and wished the next water hole was closer than another half day’s ride. After choking down the food he pissed against a tree, remounted, and began riding north again.

  Almost immediately he saw more movement, this time above the entrance to the valley. He nudged his horse along, making certain to keep its unshod hooves from clopping on the hard rock, and after a few moments saw there was another white man coming south. At first Quanah thought the white man must belong to the others, and was lagging behind to guard their rear. But then Quanah realized that this one was alone, and stupid besides. Though it was not unusual to come upon white hunters in Indian lands during the winter, it was rare to find one crazy enough to venture there alone. That this fool had done so, let alone was about to pass by Quanah right on the heels of a smarter, well-prepared group of whites, was clearly tremendous luck. Now Quanah would have a trophy to bring home to his village.

  Almost without thinking, Quanah began to stalk him. He tethered his horse to a raggedy bush, running his hand over the animal’s nostrils as a reminder for it to keep silent. Then Quanah checked his bowstring to ensure it was properly taut. He left his rifle back with his horse, because the sound of a shot might reach the five other hunters who’d just crossed the valley. He could get away if they returned on the gallop, but then he wouldn’t have time to do anything other than kill his victim—which, to him, was only part of the thrill.

  The lone white man now entering the valley was on horseback, and his mount picked its way carefully around sharp rocks. Its rider peered intently at the ground ahead of him, oblivious to Quanah, who swiftly and noiselessly rushed in behind him, closing ground fast.
He had an arrow nocked on his bowstring and could have shot the man out of his saddle at almost any time, but there was no sport in that. Instead, he came up a few paces behind the rider and deliberately kicked a fist-sized rock into another larger one. At the sound of the loud clack the white man turned in his saddle and saw Quanah there, his bow now drawn and ready. The white man squealed, a high womanish sound, and scrabbled for the rifle hanging in a scabbard by the side of his saddle. Quanah waited and let the man’s fingers curl around the stock before he loosed his arrow, which tore into the fellow’s shoulder and knocked him off his horse. The white man hit the ground hard; the breath whooshed out of him, and he gasped for air as he writhed there. Quanah hooked his bow over the quiver on his back, drew his knife, and moved forward. The white man tried to scream but still didn’t have enough breath. Quanah grabbed him by the hair and yanked him into seated position. He pressed his knife just below the man’s hairline and began to cut. The wounded man pounded at him with his left arm; his right one dangled uselessly. The point of Quanah’s arrow protruded several inches in front of that shoulder. Quanah ignored the blows and sawed away. He got a lot of blood on his hands and arms, but the warm wetness felt good in the cold winter air. Just as the scalp came loose the white man finally had enough air in his lungs to scream. Because the other five white men might still be close enough to hear, Quanah regretfully leaned down and cut his victim’s throat. He would have enjoyed playing with him some more. The People knew many ways to mutilate enemies without quite killing them on the spot, and Quanah was a master of them all. He dumped the white man’s body and examined the gory scalp in his hand. It was a fine one. The hair was thick and dark brown, almost black. Quanah had cut it away from the skull so well that there were few unsightly flaps of skin dangling from the edges. He trimmed these away with his knife. The white man’s horse had stopped a short distance away; Quanah draped the scalp on the corpse and wiped off as much of the gore on his hands on the dead man’s shirt so the sharp smell of blood wouldn’t panic the horse and cause it to bolt. He caught the horse’s bridle and muttered soft words to it. The animal’s tail twitched nervously as Quanah went through its saddlebags. He found a few bright, shiny cans whose contents sloshed when Quanah shook them. He tossed these away and took the dead man’s rifle from its scabbard. It was a Winchester, a good gun, and so Quanah kept it. He was disappointed to find only a handful of shells in one saddlebag. There was a little tobacco, too, always good to have, and a canteen of water. Quanah took a hearty drink. Then he led the captured horse back through the valley to where he’d tethered his own mount. As he passed the body of the man he’d killed, he leaned down and grabbed the fine scalp. That, along with the Winchester and the horse, might deflect criticism when he got home.

  • • •

  AS A PROMINENT WARRIOR who’d been gone on a well-known if controversial mission, Quanah expected to attract considerable notice when he rode into the Quahadi village. Just before he did, he prominently placed the scalp on the neck of his horse where everyone would see it. But when he arrived, leading the captured horse and brandishing his victim’s Winchester, no one paid attention. They were all gathered around a man proclaiming loudly that he’d just received a message from the spirit world beyond, the place above the clouds. The identity of the speaker and the villagers’ willingness to listen raptly to his words astonished Quanah. Previously, most of the camp considered Isatai something of a buffoon. Moon-faced and stout even in times of hunger, with a neck so short and thick that it seemed his head sprang directly from between his shoulders, Isatai was a liability in battle, lumbering clumsily about and getting in the way of more skillful fighters. The People generally had no regard for a grown man like Isatai who couldn’t fight well. In the summer just past, he was relegated to helping hold horses away from the fighting, a lowly chore usually reserved for young boys on their first raids. Despite his obvious failings as a warrior, no one bragged more after battle than Isatai, who always described some heroic action on his part that had been completely overlooked by everyone else. Even his name was derogatory. The People assigned adult names based on physical traits, personal history, or perceptions of character. Quanah’s name meant “smell”—women thought he exuded a particularly pleasant body odor. His younger brother, who’d died of a fever many seasons ago, had been called Peanuts because he was a runt. Isatai’s name meant “Wolf Cunt,” a blatant insult to his manhood. He either misunderstood or ignored the slur, decorating his breechclout with bits of wolf fur and claiming the animal as his special totem. He was mocked for this, but now, to Quanah’s astonishment, everyone hung on his words.

  “Two days past, I rose straight up in the air,” Isatai boasted. “Maybe some of you saw me.” His audience mumbled among themselves, with a few agreeing that, yes, they thought that perhaps they had. Quanah steered his horse past the crowd, snorting loudly to indicate derision. No one paid him any attention. Their eyes were locked on Isatai, who began jerking his jiggly body to mimic passage to the spirit plane. “The spirits live high above us, and when I glanced down, the village seemed very small.”

  “What do the spirits look like?” a woman inquired. “What did they say to you?”

  “The spirits are more of a feeling than a sight,” Isatai replied. “If you are chosen to rise up among them, one or more will blow into your heart and then you understand their messages without any words spoken.” There were nods and murmurs of assent. After Isatai explained it, the villagers realized that of course this was the way spirits communicated with someone chosen from among the living.

  Quanah dismounted in front of his tipi. He was gratified that his wife Wickeah was there, instead of among those surrounding Isatai. He handed her the reins to his horse, and also those of the captured one. She seemed not to notice he’d returned with an extra mount, and if she was aware of the fine thick scalp she failed to mention it. Irked, Quanah demanded, “What is this foolishness?”

  “Isatai has been away two nights,” Wickeah said. “When he returned just now, he started talking about spirit messages. Can we go listen?”

  “Take care of these horses, then make me something to eat,” Quanah said sharply. “I’ve just won a hard battle with a fierce enemy, a white hunter, and I’m very hungry.”

  “There isn’t much,” Wickeah said, looking past Quanah at Isatai. “You’ve been out talking again instead of hunting.”

  “I’ve been out fighting as well as talking,” Quanah said. “Care for the horses and then get me whatever food there is. You need to work instead of wasting time paying attention to that fool.” Wickeah obediently led the horses away. The comeliest woman among the Quahadi, she could have married any man in the village, but chose Quanah because he was the best fighter. When Wickeah’s father refused to let him have her, she and Quanah ran away together. They only rejoined the camp when Quanah gave her father some fine horses and he relented. This was another reason why many of the other warriors, especially the older full-bloods, harbored some resentment toward him. Wickeah was a once-in-a-generation beauty, and all of them had badly wanted her.

  While she was gone, Quanah hung the scalp by the outside flap of his tipi and leaned the Winchester beside it. That way, everyone in the village would be reminded that Quanah was a great warrior. Then, despite himself, he sidled over and joined the crowd. Having described his ascension, Isatai was now regaling his audience with the messages passed on to him by the spirits.

  “There are five deer a short ride to the east,” he said. “As soon as I’m finished talking, some of you should ride in that direction and kill them. But as you ride, be sure to believe that they will be there. If any of those who go don’t truly believe—if they have any doubts at all—then the spirits will make the deer disappear.”

  Quanah stood beside Crippled Foot, an older warrior, and asked, “Why is everyone listening? He’s making this up to get attention.”

  Crippled Foot hushed him. “There�
��s something about Isatai that’s different. I think the spirits really did speak to him. They can choose anyone they like.”

  “Think about it. Why him?”

  “That’s for the spirits to know.”

  “About the six-legged buffalo,” Isatai continued. “It was a very important sign.”

  Quanah couldn’t help himself. “A sign of what?” he called out sarcastically. “A sign that there are buffalo all over our land right now, and all we have to do is ride out and kill them? But if we don’t believe you, they’ll disappear?”

  Some in the crowd shouted for Quanah to be quiet, to go away if he didn’t want to listen. But Isatai calmly said that it was a good question.

  “This sign is about more than what we can hunt and eat right now,” he said. “It’s a signal to prepare.”

  “Prepare for what?” Quanah demanded.

  Isatai looked stern. “The spirits want us to know that when the buffalo disappear, we will disappear too. The fate of the buffalo will be the fate of the People. We must preserve them for our own use. Very soon we will have to make some great thing happen to save the buffalo, and ourselves. It will probably be a very hard thing and daring, but the spirits command us to do it and so we must.”

  “The spirits told you this?” Quanah asked incredulously.

  “They did. And when they had, they lowered me to earth, and as instructed I came back to my village to tell you all about it.”

  Quanah looked around at everyone listening raptly to Isatai’s words. “The spirits told you that we must do something daring,” he said.

  “They did, though they didn’t say what. That will be revealed to me sometime soon. And now I’m tired from my trip to see the spirits and must rest. Some of you go kill those deer to the east, and be certain to believe.”

  A half-dozen warriors rushed to their ponies. Later they returned empty-handed and ashamed. They agreed that someone among them must not have believed, but no one would admit that it was him. Somehow their failure seemed like more proof that Isatai was indeed singled out by the spirits. Everyone wanted him to visit them again and learn more about what the People had to do.