by Chuck Buda
“What are you gonna do? Drink me under the table?” James sassed Wilson and the crowd roared with laughter. The heaviness in the air flew away as the men enjoyed the joke at Wilson’s expense. One man clapped Wilson on the back while he laughed and another guy led Wilson across the street to the mercantile. The mob dispersed and the Indian looked around in amazement that he just dodged a bullet.
Carson was awestruck and smiled up at James. James just looked at the Indian who returned the stare. “You’re a hero, James. You did it.”
James ignored Carson’s praise and took a few steps toward the Indian. The Indian approached and nodded his appreciation. James nodded back and wondered what brought the man to town.
“I’m James. This is Carson. Do you need help or something?”
The Indian stared at James for several moments and then nodded again. James breathed a sigh of relief that he had done the right thing in saving the man from certain trouble.
“We got some breakfast inside if you wanna eat. Won’t be no trouble to give you some.” James waited for the Indian to acknowledge his offer but the Indian remained stoic. “Well come on then.” James indicated that the man should follow them into the saloon. As they started for the doors, James looked over his shoulder to find the man following along. He smiled down at Carson who beamed at the adventure they just had. Both boys satisfied that the day held more promise than usual.
Chapter 6
James and Carson burst into the lounge with excitement. Carson was holding a dead rabbit in his hands, the long gray ears dangled to the floor. Sarah and Minnie were sweeping the rugs and wiping down the small bar. A few of the other working girls were fluffing the couch cushions and dusting the light fixtures.
Sarah saw the boys first. “Well, what do we have here?” She poked Minnie to get her attention. Minnie spun around and grimaced at the dead animal.
“We saved an Innian man and feeded him and then went hunting and catched a bunny with his help and we played in the fields and came back.” Carson blurted everything out in one breathless rant. His desire to be the first one to recount the story caused him to mis-state what he really intended to say.
“You what?” Minnie crouched down to look her son in the eyes. She looked him over in her usual over-protective manner to be sure the boy wasn’t bruised or injured. She could never control herself because she was always worried for her simple child.
James jumped in to clear the confusion. “An Indian came to town this morning. His name is Crouching Bear and he was kicked out of his tribe and had nowhere to go. He happened by town and decided to stop in.” James looked down at Carson who nodded his confirmation back. “Wilson and some ruffians was gonna hurt him so Carson and me, we brought him in and gave him breakfast. We talked about adventures and he said he could show us a better way to catch rabbits. So we went hunting with him and he taught us a fool-proof trapping technique.” James was the one speaking without breathing now. He paused to gasp for air.
Sarah took advantage of the pause to jump in. “And where is this Indian friend of yours now?” She worriedly looked behind the boys to see if the man was inside.
“His name is Crouching Bear. And we left him outside town in the woods. He was afraid to come back into town lest Wilson and the others give him a hard time again.”
“Well, that’s good. You know how Filler feels about Indians. And George too. It wouldn’t be a good idea to bring someone like that around here.”
“Aw, he’s okay. He is big and strong.” Carson added his input.
“Big and strong, huh? Sounds like a nice man.” Minnie winked at Sarah in a flirtatious display of the possibilities. She enjoyed her job very much. Sarah rolled her eyes at Minnie. Carson was oblivious to her comment and James chose not think about it.
“Yeah, and there was a misunderstanding with his elders and he got blamed for some accident. So they cursed him and his whole family.” James screwed up his face. “Now he is lonely and has nowhere to go. And he told us that the tribe wants to kill him so he is trying to find somewhere to live without them finding him. He figured the tribe wouldn’t come into a town unless they wanted to start a war. But now with Wilson...” He trailed off as he struggled to think of options for his new friend.
Sarah and Minnie exchanged glances as they could see the boys were worried about the Indian. Sarah thought for a moment and then offered her idea. “Maybe we can work out a way that he can help out here in the saloon.” The boys looked up in excitement but Sarah put them in their place before they could get any wild ideas with her suggestion. “But that will take some time. We will have to use our womanly skills to persuade Filler. And George won’t like the idea. It won’t be easy and it may not be possible at all.”
Carson visibly deflated. James slumped his shoulders and knew it would be almost impossible for them to convince Filler.
“I think you should bring that rabbit back to him so he has something to eat in the meantime.”
Minnie grimaced at the animal again. “I’d sure like to meet him. I don’t know how comfortable I am to have a strange man going around with my precious little boy. And a dangerous Indian to boot. But we won’t have time to leave town to see him. And Filler won’t let us wander that far off anyway. Maybe the boys can sneak him inside for a few minutes so we can look him over.”
Carson’s face lit up again. James nodded. “We can sneak him in. We can do anything. It’ll be an awesome adventure.”
Sarah shook her head at her son’s endless attempts to create “adventures.” “I don’t know. Should we risk our livelihood before we have a chance to slowly work on Filler?”
“So you’re okay with a strange Indian going around with the boys?” Minnie pleaded with Sarah.
“I guess not. I mean I do trust James’ judgment but I would feel better if I could meet the man.” Sarah thought it over for a second. “Alright. But you boys have to make sure Filler and George do not find out about this. They won’t be happy about this and might kick us out. Then where would we go?”
James already had a plan figured out. “It’ll be easy. All we have to do is wait for the beginning of the night when things get busy, but not so busy that lots of people will see.” James rubbed his hands together. “We can sneak him in the back door and run him upstairs before customers come up.”
The mothers relented and agreed to the plan. The boys ran downstairs to hurry up with the cleaning duties so they could get back out to the woods. James wouldn’t be allowed to do anything until his responsibilities were handled. And Carson had to follow close behind James like a shadow. Sarah grinned at Minnie.
The ladies returned to their own cleaning tasks. Minnie paused for a moment and stared off, imagining something. Sarah noticed and cleared her throat to get Minnie refocused on cleaning. Minnie smiled at Sarah.
“You know, I’ve never had an Indian.” Sarah rolled her eyes again. “It would be nice to know what it’s like to be with a savage.”
“You would lie with anyone, wouldn’t you?”
“Not just anyone. But you can’t say you aren’t curious about what it must be like to be taken by a wild man. The strength and the power would be wonderful. Not like all these flabby old has-beens that come up.” Minnie continued to imagine the possibilities.
Sarah chuckled. “It might be different. But those flabby old has-beens keep money in our purses. An Indian wouldn’t be a paying customer.”
Minnie laughed out loud. “Consider it a charity then. Just one human being helping out another.” She bit her lower lip and continued cleaning.
“Ugh. You are a unique one, Minnie. You really are.” Sarah giggled and then both of them laughed.
Chapter 7
James and Carson made sure to make enough noise as they approached their hiding spot. James didn’t want to surprise Crouching Bear and find himself on the sharp end of a knife or anything. James figured even if they crept in carefully that Crouching Bear would know it. When he showed them how to snar
e the rabbit earlier, he displayed such amazing body control and stealth that James was envious. He paid attention to each movement as he studied the Indian. In James’ mind, there was no better way to prepare for an adventure than to study from an expert of the wilderness.
Crouching Bear stuck his head out from under the gnarled roots of the tree. He had covered his face with dirt and bits of moss so he blended in with his environment. But James knew where he was so it was easy enough to pick out the blinking eyes. James made another mental note on how to better hide using the Indian’s tactics.
“Howdy.”
Crouching Bear nodded imperceptibly and then crawled out of the hollow. He looked at the boys and then surveyed the area to see if they had betrayed him, bringing men from the town with them. James caught this and reassured Crouching Bear.
“It’s just us. We wouldn’t bring anyone else.” Crouching Bear relaxed. “Besides this is our secret hiding spot. We would never tell anyone where this spot is because then we wouldn’t have a place to go. “’Cept you. You’re our friend, right?” Crouching Bear didn’t react, still unsure if he could trust any white man.
“We speaked to our moms and they said we should bring you home.” Carson blurted out.
“We spoke, Carson, spoke. Anyway, our mothers would like to meet you, if you are okay coming with us back to town.”
Crouching Bear tensed again. He squatted down on his haunches and started skinning the rabbit that the boys brought back. James watched in amazement at how quickly the man unsheathed his knife and went to work on the carcass. In a matter of moments, the rabbit was skinned, gutted and filleted. James scorned himself at his lack of awareness that the Indian was hiding a weapon. It briefly occurred to him that he and Carson could have been killed. He would have to pay more attention to people in the future or else his adventures would end quickly and painfully. He was also a little angry with himself for putting Carson in harm’s way. He could deal with risking his own neck but not the little boy.
Crouching Bear tossed a severed rabbit’s foot to each boy. Carson let out a loud “wow” and turned the foot over in his small hands, inspecting it and petting the soft fur. James looked at the foot with wonder and smiled at the man. For the first time, Crouching Bear smiled back at him. James warmed instantly, feeling that he was breaking through the rugged exterior of the man.
“So you should eat the rabbit and then we will come back for you later, when the time is right for sneaking you into the bar.”
The Indian shook his head no and then stroked James’ cheek with two fingers. The rabbit blood painted two stripes down his face. He repeated the process on the other side. James was taken aback by the gesture but tried not to show that he was startled. He didn’t want to frighten the man. Then he smiled, figuring that Crouching Bear was initiating him into some ritual or another.
“Me too. Me too.” Carson jumped forward and leaned down into Crouching Bear’s personal space. James smiled then giggled. Crouching Bear studied James’ reaction and then smiled again. He dabbed his fingers into the pile and put fresh stripes on Carson’s cheeks. Carson was beside himself with delight. “Oh boy.”
“I will not go to town with you.” Crouching Bear spoke solemnly. “Not welcome in white man’s world.”
“Hogwash.” James responded. “We have a plan all figured out to get you in without anyone noticing. Once we get you in the back door it will be easy. You’ll see.” James tried to reassure the man with his expression as well as his words.
“Please come home with us, Mr. Bear. Please.” Carson did his best to cajole the Indian. He used the same expression and tone that worked on his mother when he really wanted to get his way.
Crouching Bear picked up on the little boy’s desperation and found it hard to ignore. “Not good idea to tempt the spirits.”
“But we promise that it will all work out. Otherwise, our mothers won’t let us see you anymore. You have to meet them so we can stay friends. Won’t you please come to town? We can get you more food to eat too. You can share our supper with us.” James tried to throw in a bonus to sweeten the deal.
Crouching Bear gave up. He looked at each boy and then nodded. Carson jumped up and down in elation. James sighed relief and smiled. He reached out to shake Crouching Bear’s hand. Crouching Bear looked down at James’ hand and then accepted the gesture. They shook hands and James felt the overwhelming power of the Indian’s grip. He had instant visions of the man fighting off whole tribes of men with such strength. He couldn’t help but wonder if the Indian would someday join he and Carson on their adventures. They could certainly use his skills and knowledge. And with that strength they would be a formidable team.
James stood up and brushed the dust off his dungarees. Carson stopped hopping around and imitated James. He stood at attention alongside James. Crouching Bear saw the admiration and stood up himself. The gesture further bonded the three. James put his arm around Carson and pulled him into his side with brotherly affection.
“We’ll be back to get you just before sundown. Then we’ll introduce you to our mothers. And we can have supper and play cards. It’ll be fun.”
Crouching Bear nodded and the boys turned to head back to town. Crouching Bear watched them go, the little one danced as he walked alongside the older one. He began to wonder if his feelings towards white men were wrong. He had never had good experiences with the pale face people but these two boys had stirred something inside of him that he had not felt before.
Chapter 8
“Okay, you ready?” James prepared Crouching Bear to enter the saloon through the back door. After finishing his job late in the afternoon, James took Carson back out to the hiding spot to pick up Crouching Bear. Unlike last time, the Indian was sitting outside the hollow on a stump. He appeared to be sleeping in the seated position until James realized he must have been praying to his spirits or thinking about his family. The boys had little trouble convincing him to follow them back to town. The man apparently made his peace with the decision.
James brought Crouching Bear a hat and an old leather duster that had been left in the saloon a long time ago. Nobody had ever come back to claim it so the coat just gathered dust, wadded in a ball, in the back of the broom closet. James helped the Indian stuff his long black hair up under the hat so he wouldn’t look so obvious. The leather duster extended down to his knees, further hiding his tribal apparel. James figured that few people, if any, would glance down at the man’s footwear to notice his moccasins.
Crouching Bear nodded and James took a deep breath. He reached for the back door to the saloon when it thumped into his face and knocked him back into Crouching Bear. Carson, too little to see what was coming ahead of him, walked right into the rump of the Indian before plopping down on the porch boards. George darkened the doorway and stifled a curse word as he saw who took the brunt of the door.
“Whatcha doing with yer face on the door, kid?” His attitude was consistent, if not apologetic. George’s eyes lifted from James’ face to the big man standing behind him. He squinted as he tried to make out the features on Crouching Bear, who kept his head tilted down so that the brim of the hat shielded his face. “Well, what do we have here?”
James panicked and stammered, trying to cover up their unwelcome friend. “What? Him? Oh, uh, he’s just somebody we bumped into. He, um, said he was lost and thirsty so we brought him over to get a drink, that’s all.” James had never lied in his life and he looked down at his boots in guilt. Sure he had told tiny white lies or half-truths but he had never told an out and out lie like this before. Then again, he thought, he had never really done anything so bad as to require such a bold-faced lie.
George didn’t buy it. He moved James aside with hardly a finger and then stood toe to toe with the stranger. George waited a long few seconds for the man to look up into his face before he realized he wouldn’t. George slowly lifted the brim of the hat with his index finger, his eyes opening wider when he saw the face. “I knew you
was up to no good, James, when I seen yer hat on his head.” George shifted his attention to James. “An Injun, James? Of all the folks you hustle in here, you bring one of them?” George turned his glare back to Crouching Bear’s face. Crouching Bear returned the gaze without flinching. James noticed that for once, there was somebody in town who was as big as George.
“Look, he’s our friend. We saved him from Wilson and the ruffians this morning and our mothers wanted to meet him on account of what happened is all. He’s just going to come upstairs with us and then we’ll bring him back. Honest.”
“Yeah, I heard about yer little grandstand today.” George turned his head and spat tobacco juice over the railing. He left the drool on his dark whiskers. “You seemed to be all growed up lately, James. First Filler, then the townsmen. Shit, I ain’t take offense with yer lip to Wilson. He ain’t nothing but a cow-turd anyhow. But yer starting to play games with the big boys now.” He spat again, never breaking eye contact with Crouching Bear.
“My mom said it was okay to bring him just for a minute, okay? So that’s all we’re gonna do.” James was scrambling for what other fuel he could use to slip the Indian by George.
“Wonder what Filler would have to say about this’n here?” He looked at James. James glanced at Carson who was hiding behind Crouching Bear. He was at a loss for words and wondered if he would pee himself soon. “But I ain’t no rat. And I’m in a forgiving mood at this time of the night. But I’ll be watching the stairs fer him to git on outta here in short order.”
James looked up in relief. “Thanks, George. I promise, we’ll have him out in no time. You’ll see.” James started to reach for the door to the saloon but George grabbed his arm and pulled him close while maintaining eye contact with Crouching Bear. “Just know this. I don’t like his kind. And if I catch wind that he’s so much as blinked the wrong way, then he will have to answer to me die-rectly.” He grinned widely into Crouching Bear’s face. Then let go of James’ arm. Without waiting further, James yanked the back door open and ushered Crouching Bear inside. Carson hurried behind, holding onto James’ belt loop. The door slammed shut behind them.
