Is-A-Man (A J.T. Edson Standalone Western)

by J. T. Edson

  Having accompanied Singing Bear, Becky Ingraham at the request of the elders, had ensured that she and her daughter kept out of sight of the white people who were attending the gathering. In spite of this, the girl was present amongst the crowd assembled to witness the signing of the treaty. Although she had seen Cuchilo offered an opportunity to achieve the ambition of every Nemenuh warrior by riding pukutsi successfully and also fulfilling an oath of revenge he had sworn years earlier, xxxiii she had not been given an opportunity to make his acquaintance.

  Like the others bands who attended, the Pahuraix had seen enough to warn them that Chief Long Walker was correct in his references to the changed state of affairs. Therefore, receiving assurances of good treatment by Chaqueta-Tigre and other white men who had earned their trust, Brother-To-The-Hawk and the other ‘old man’ chiefs had concluded there was more to be gained than lost by making peace and going to live on a reservation. With the exception of the Kweharehnuh, whose domain was sufficiently wild and isolated for them to feel safe from the encroachment of the white people, the other bands had been of the same mind.

  Although keeping what a later generation would refer to as a ‘low profile’, Becky had contacted other white women who were living in a similar fashion to herself. What she had heard about their experiences when coming into contact with members of their race who had gathered for the meeting warned her that her suppositions were correct. Even if she should give up her present way of life, return and become accepted in a white community, she had felt that—if ever achieved—the process would be very lengthy and filled with hardship. She had doubted whether such an acceptance would be achieved by Annie. Raised not merely as a Comanche, but a male warrior of that race, the girl would be quick to resent insults or even slights and her response was almost certain to bring her into conflict with the law.

  Talking over the matter with Singing Bear while Should-Be-A-Boy was absent, Becky had received no argument to her suggestion that they should seek out and ask Chaqueta-Tigre for further advice. There was more than the affection he had for his pairaivo and daughter behind his acquiescence. Having retired from the honor of being a lance carrier, even though suspecting the need would be lessened when they reached the reservation, he had no desire to lose the warrior he and Brother-To-The-Hawk had raised to carry on the proud traditions of their family. Nor had he seen anything out of the ordinary in requesting counsel from one who was not a Nemenuh and had acquired a second sobriquet, ‘Dangerous Man’, when in contention against his people. One of the factors which had made him such a successful warrior had been the possession of intelligence as well as bravery. Therefore, as he had in the past, he had been willing to go to somebody with greater knowledge of the situation than he possessed when faced with a difficult problem.

  Also aware of the reception accorded to other white women who had lived with various of the bands, Colonel Charles Goodnight had agreed there was justification for Becky’s misgivings. Knowing she was happy with Singing Bear, which he had a strong suspicion would not prove the case if they parted under such conditions, he had considered there were no moral or ethical reasons why she should change her situation for no better motive than a desire to conform with the conventions of her own race.

  Sharing Becky’s belief that her daughter was unlikely to be able to make the adjustments necessary to adopt an entirely different way of life, the rancher had pointed out how both of them could help the Pahuraix by letting their status remain unchanged. Being able to converse in English and Comanche, as well as knowing how to read and write in the former language, they would be well suited to act as liaison between the band and the white men responsible for managing the reservation to which they were assigned. Seeing the validity of the proposition, Becky had stated her intention of remaining with her husband.

  Remembering how Should-Be-A-Boy had already killed a man and taken his scalp, despite conceding the first had been unavoidable in the prevailing circumstances, Becky had still retained sufficient of her white upbringing to find satisfaction in the thought that going on to a reservation should prevent the need from arising again. She had believed Chaqueta-Tigre had the means to guarantee that the terms he described to herself and Singing Bear were honored should the treaty be signed. Conditions were going to be sufficiently good to ensure there would be no need for further hostility between the two races.

  Subsequent events had justified Becky’s faith!

  Goodnight had not been without allies in his efforts to bring about the treaty with the Comanches. Very important and perceptive men such as General Jackson Baines ‘Ole Devil’ Hardin and his clan, Temple, son of General Samuel Houston—commander of the greatly outnumbered force which defeated Presidente Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto and won independence from Mexican domination for Texas xxxiv —John Slaughter, xxxv Big Ranse Counter, xxxvi others equally prominent in the cattle business and various Army officers who were not of the glory hunting kind, had rendered their considerable support. With the negotiations brought to a satisfactory conclusion, they had been equally determined to ensure the exceptionally competent warriors of the various bands were encouraged to remain at peace.

  Together, Goodnight and his supporters formed a group with influence which extended throughout the Lone Star State and was sufficiently potent to be acknowledged in Washington, D.C. Therefore, when they devoted their attention to avoiding problems caused elsewhere by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, they were able to have their wishes given very careful consideration and to be put into effect. Among other things, at their instigation, decent land was placed at the disposal of the Nemenuh bands. Just as important, they had insisted agents were provided who had the interests of the people at heart rather than the lining of pockets which was the rule rather than the exception on some reservations elsewhere.

  In accordance with the terms of the treaty, the delegation had rejoined and led the rest of the band to the rendezvous arranged by Chaqueta-Tigre. Escorted by a company of Cavalry, whose task was to prevent interference by anybody—red or white—who might have wished to prevent the transfer being completed, he had guided them to the tract of land assigned as their reservation. It had proved much better than they had been led to expect might be the case by members of other tribes in similar circumstances.

  Although the band would be restricted to an even greater degree than during the last few years of their independence, having clearly defined boundaries and being away from any route over which trail herds of longhorn cattle would be driven north to the railhead markets of Kansas, the land they were given was not the arid and unproductive terrain often supplied for such a purpose. While it had been arranged for an adequate supply of beef and other staples to be provided free of charge, there were still a number of deer and other animals to be hunted. Furthermore, to lessen the need for them to move around, permanent accommodation in the form of sturdy wooden cabins had been erected on the banks of a stream. There had been some scoffing at the suggestion of living in the buildings, but finding they had offered even better shelter from the elements than a tipi during the first winter had caused all except the most conservative of the population to make the change and continue to live in them.

  Making the transition from being nomads to remaining in one location had not been easy. However, that the Pahuraix were able to do it was to a great extent the result of Singing Bear having brought back Becky from his quest for vengeance. From their arrival on the land assigned as the band’s reservation, in addition to having already been accepted by the Indians as a person of wisdom whose offspring had been singled out for special attention by Ka-Dih, she had established a friendly rapport with Agent Moses H. Dillingham and his wife which did much to smooth over such problems and difficulties as invariably had arisen. What was more, not only had the white couple also taken her daughter to their hearts, the feeling was soon reciprocated and this too proved beneficial to relations between the Agent and his charges.

  Despite being
disappointed by the realization that she would in all probability be prevented from achieving her ambitions as a warrior, to count many more coups and gather much loot, to even becoming a lance carrier to replace her father and tawk, Annie had settled down quickly and followed the new standards of conduct required by living on a reservation.

  Ever a quick learner and possessing something of her mother’s facility to adapt to changed conditions, although probably not to a sufficient extent to have been able to adjust so radically as would have been required had they gone to live permanently amongst white people, Should-Be-A-Boy had settled down quicker than the full blood Pahuraix. During the early days, this was to a great extent due to her participation in the frequent meetings with various authorities connected with the reservation which her mother had attended in the capacity of interpreter. Not only had she kept herself occupied by increasing her vocabulary in English, but with the help of the Dillinghams and encouraged by her parents, she had improved her skill at reading and writing. What was more, she had soon found something else to demand her attention.

  Seeking to allow his charges to retain some control over their affairs, although no such organization had ever been regarded as necessary in normal daily life in the village, one of the earliest innovations Dillingham had introduced was the formation of a force something like that which was employed to act as regulators during the annual buffalo hunts. Supplied with blue tunics and kepis of the United States’ Cavalry pattern, also a limited supply of ammunition for their firearms, their duty was to keep watch over the reservation and to ensure its rules were respected.

  Singing Bear was no longer a lance carrier, but the memory of his achievements in that capacity was sufficiently fresh to give him the necessary authority when he was put in command of what amounted to being the Pahuraix’s police department. Being aware of the consequences, he had done all he could to prevent incidents arising out of braves committing acts which would have been contrary to the conditions of the treaty.

  Although the rest of his force were tehnaps who had already acquired such a status they no longer felt the need to seek ways of adding to it, Singing Bear had enrolled Should-Be-A-Boy to act as interpreter when they were required to deal with white people of any kind in the line of duty. There had often been need for her ability to speak English. An important part of their activities had been to control the traders who came to the reservation, particularly those bringing cheap, yet potent, whiskey in defiance of the law which wisely prohibited its sale to Indians.

  However, despite being in as near a position to act as a warrior as was possible in her new way of life, Annie did not have any opportunity to acquire the acclaim she had hoped might be possible. There was one event which threatened to send her riding a vengeance trail, but the need for her to do so was prevented before she could set out.

  Remembering how white men’s liquor in the hands of Kiowa braves had led to the rape and murder of his first wife, and having seen the adverse effects drinking caused elsewhere, Singing Bear had been in complete agreement with Dillingham’s desire to keep its curse from the Pahuraix. From the commencement of his duties, he had applied vigor to suppressing the iniquitous trade and was so successful that, after six months, it resulted in him being killed by two of the men involved. Having fled beyond the boundaries of the reservation before his body was discovered, the pair had believed they were safe from retribution.

  Seeing the way in which Should-Be-A-Boy and the rest of the police reacted when they learned the murder had taken place, despite his own anger at the death of a man who had come to be a good friend, the Agent had warned that any attempt to follow and take revenge upon the killers would be in contravention of the treaty. Whether the attempt was successful or not, he had pointed out, it would give fuel to those elements in the white community who were forever on the lookout for anything to the discredit of the Indians on reservations. Although the girl might not have been deterred by either factor, or even her mother stating agreement with Dillingham, matters were taken out of her hands. Acting swiftly at the request of the Agent, a newly appointed United States Deputy Marshal, Solomon Wisdom ‘Solly’ Cole xxxvii had gone after the guilty men and killed both when they tried to resist arrest.

  Singing Bear had not died in vain. Following the lead set by her father and their respected leader, Should-Be-A-Boy and the rest of the force he had imbued with his abomination of whiskey peddling continued the work he had started with such vigor that other whiskey traders left the Pahuraix alone and sought safer markets elsewhere.

  Genuinely mourning for her husband, Becky had increased the involvement she had developed over the years with the village’s spiritual practitioners. Because she was not born Comanche, she was unable to acquire the mysterious powers which some makers of ‘medicine’ attained, inexplicable though the effects they produced might be to non-initiates. xxxviii But she had found her acceptance into the society of Talks-To-Birds and his small, yet exclusive and influential, coterie gave her an even stronger voice in helping the Agent ensure that the even tenor of life on the reservation was not disturbed by violations of the treaty.

  Almost eighteen months had elapsed since the murder of Singing Bear without any further incidents of a sufficiently serious nature to threaten the peaceful existence of the Pahuraix. There had been restlessness amongst the younger braves, but the good faith Dillingham had created, the continued efficiency of the reservation police and the influence Becky helped the elders to apply had held it in check.

  For her part, guided by her mother and the Agent after the death of her father, Should-Be-A-Boy had matured even more rapidly than might have been the case if the old way of life was still being followed. She had the intelligence to appreciate how the Pahuraix could be affected adversely by breaches of the treaty and was always active in helping to prevent them occurring.

  At last, however, a threat to the peace more serious than any which had previously occurred had arisen!

  Returning alone from a patrol, having ascended just high enough to be able to look over a rim, Annie had seen four Mexicans. Despite having no reason to mistrust them, the instincts she had acquired during her formative years had caused her to halt before she would have been observed in return. Always interested in anybody other than the Pahuraix she encountered on the reservation, her curiosity had been further aroused by realizing they had come out of, rather than just passing, a distant clump of bushes. What was more, not only were they clearly in a hurry, they constantly glanced about them as if fearing pursuit.

  Riding onwards with the intention of finding out what had brought the quartet on to the reservation, having had her suspicions aroused by their behavior Should-Be-A-Boy rode straight to the place from which they had appeared rather than follow them. What she had discovered shocked her. Lying on the ground, was the prettiest and most popular of village’s naivi, Loves Dancing. The pony tethered nearby and various signs indicated she had come in search of berries and had been ravaged and seriously injured by the Mexicans.

  Enraged by the sight, Annie’s first inclination had been to set off after the quartet immediately. However, she was no longer the headstrong tuinep’ who had endangered her life on the night she met Chief Long Walker and Chaqueta-Tigre. Therefore, the powers of self-control she had developed pointed out she could not ride away and leave the badly hurt girl unattended. Taking comfort from feeling certain she could identify every one of the quartet, despite the distance which had separated them her eyes being keen enough to have picked out details, she had put aside thoughts of pursuit and made a travois upon which to transport Loves Dancing. Despite having worked and travelled as quickly as possible, night had fallen before they reached the village. What was more, regardless of the prompt action she had taken, she had arrived too late for medical attention to save the life of the brutally treated girl.

  News of what had happened spread with the speed of a wind-swept prairie fire!

  The outrage could not have come at a worse ti
me!

  In spite of Dillingham having ensured that all aspects of the treaty were fulfilled by the white men, the approach of summer always evoked memories for the braves of the greater freedom they had known before coming on to the reservation. As had happened each preceding year, there were already those who spoke loudly about returning to the age-old ways of roaming at will and seeking acclaim by riding the war trail. However, a lack of sufficient inducement, backed by bellies filled without the need to expend effort, and sound counsel from the elders, had so far been able to hold such desires in check.

  Such was the popularity of the ravaged girl, there were many who demanded, that an immediate pursuit should be launched and an appropriate revenge taken. However, aware of what would happen if this was done, Brother-To-The-Hawk had pointed out that the perpetrators could not be tracked in the darkness and would have crossed the boundaries of the reservation before they could be located. Although the wisdom of the first part of the statement had been accepted without argument, the second was not.

  Listening to the angry declarations from many members of the crowd around the great council fire that revenge must be extracted, Should-Be-A-Boy had been in favor of the general view. However, her mother and Dillingham, who had heard the news and came to try to prevent what he was certain would be proposed in retaliation, had shared the summations of her tawk where the full ramifications of any such action being taken was concerned. What was more, on having the situation explained, she had found herself in agreement with what she was told. Being one herself, she knew the temperament of a Comanche warrior well enough to realize there were those who would not be content with merely going on the quest for vengeance. Instead, they would want to seek out more acclaim and acquire loot by attacking people who were not involved in the incident. Once that happened, there were white men who would be only too willing to consider the treaty had been broken without cause and demand reprisals.