Read Online Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by Scott O’Dell - Free Book Online
Authors: Scott O’Dell
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fountains of bubbling mud and beside small lakes. Whenever we could, we followed a stream. Scouts brought word that soldiers waited for us on all the trails. No matter which one we took, the Blue Coats waited for us.
Peaks of the snowy Absaroka Mountains rose up through the falling snow. "There are many tall peaks
in the Absarokas," said Lean Elk, "more than the fingers you have on both hands. They all have passages between them, even those that look closed."
He took us through a strange canyon. The towering rocks nearly met over our heads. They shut out the sun and made the world full of dark shadows. No birds sang here and the only sounds came from our ponies' hoofs as they struck the earth and from the roar of the rushing stream below. The path threaded through mountains and between rocks. It twisted and turned. It was so narrow that there was scarcely room for a single horse. In places we could not pass until our scouts had chopped off pine boughs that hung across the path.
Once more we slipped through the general's fingers. We crossed the river on the other side of the Absarokas and entered the land of the Crows.
Looking Glass rode ahead to let the Crows know that our people were on their way. The Crows had always been peaceful with us against the Sioux, the Bannocks, and the cunning Assiniboins.
At last we arrived at a Crow camp. The braves ate with us. They smoked long-stemmed iron wood pipes with the face of their chieftain carved on the bowls and treated us as friends. They gave us bullets. But in the end, fearing the revenge that the White Soldiers might put on them, they refused to help us.
My father called the councilâall the chieftains who could give him advice. Lean Elk with his burning gaze, Ollokot, Looking Glass, White Bird, Too-hul-hul-sote, Lone Bird, Yellow Bull, Antelope Red Stone, and Ferocious Bear gathered to talk. Chief Joseph looked at each man as never before.
"Now all the tribes are enemies. Every white man in these mountains is already our enemy," he said. "We were warned on that night, thirteen snows ago, when Preacher Chivington raided Black Kettle's village far south at Sand Creek. With white soldiers he came down on the camp before the sky turned light. He smashed heads, cut throats, slashed off ears. Blood ran across the earth and into the stream. That night the tribes learned to hate the settlers. And now..."
"We hate ourselves," said Lean Elk through his teeth.
"Ourselves," shouted young Gray Panther.
Yellow Bull, the father of Red Moccasin Tops, drew a finger across his throat.
Ollokot said nothing.
My father went on. "The one-armed general is far behind us. But the click-clack has told soldiers at every fort to look for us. They come from all sides. We are in danger."
Then Ferocious Bear struggled to his feet and stood silent. From the day we had left Wallowa and crossed
the flooding Snake, from the battle of White Bird Canyon, from those days to this moment, no one knew what he thought.
But my father said to the old man in a gentle voice, "Speak."
"Looking Glass has cost us much," said Ferocious Bear. "White Bird said, 'Go north to the Old Lady's country. Go join Sitting Bull.' But we heeded Looking Glass and came south. We have lost many warriors. We have lost many women, many children."
Too-hul-hul-sote nodded his great head. "Ferocious Bear's words are strong," he said. "Looking Glass said the Crows would fight beside us. But the Crows will not help us. They are no longer our brothers. We must travel north to join Sitting Bull."
Looking Glass was angry. His black eyes flashed like his glass when struck by the sun's rays. "So be it," he said.
"So be it," said my father.
Fifteen
F EROCIOUS B EAR and Too-hul-hul-sote were right. In three suns the Blue Coats caught up with us. We were traveling across a broad plain. Our scouts saw the dust from their horses and waved a red blanket to warn us. Lean Elk ordered the warriors to pull their ponies around and get ready
Peaks of the snowy Absaroka Mountains rose up through the falling snow. "There are many tall peaks
in the Absarokas," said Lean Elk, "more than the fingers you have on both hands. They all have passages between them, even those that look closed."
He took us through a strange canyon. The towering rocks nearly met over our heads. They shut out the sun and made the world full of dark shadows. No birds sang here and the only sounds came from our ponies' hoofs as they struck the earth and from the roar of the rushing stream below. The path threaded through mountains and between rocks. It twisted and turned. It was so narrow that there was scarcely room for a single horse. In places we could not pass until our scouts had chopped off pine boughs that hung across the path.
Once more we slipped through the general's fingers. We crossed the river on the other side of the Absarokas and entered the land of the Crows.
Looking Glass rode ahead to let the Crows know that our people were on their way. The Crows had always been peaceful with us against the Sioux, the Bannocks, and the cunning Assiniboins.
At last we arrived at a Crow camp. The braves ate with us. They smoked long-stemmed iron wood pipes with the face of their chieftain carved on the bowls and treated us as friends. They gave us bullets. But in the end, fearing the revenge that the White Soldiers might put on them, they refused to help us.
My father called the councilâall the chieftains who could give him advice. Lean Elk with his burning gaze, Ollokot, Looking Glass, White Bird, Too-hul-hul-sote, Lone Bird, Yellow Bull, Antelope Red Stone, and Ferocious Bear gathered to talk. Chief Joseph looked at each man as never before.
"Now all the tribes are enemies. Every white man in these mountains is already our enemy," he said. "We were warned on that night, thirteen snows ago, when Preacher Chivington raided Black Kettle's village far south at Sand Creek. With white soldiers he came down on the camp before the sky turned light. He smashed heads, cut throats, slashed off ears. Blood ran across the earth and into the stream. That night the tribes learned to hate the settlers. And now..."
"We hate ourselves," said Lean Elk through his teeth.
"Ourselves," shouted young Gray Panther.
Yellow Bull, the father of Red Moccasin Tops, drew a finger across his throat.
Ollokot said nothing.
My father went on. "The one-armed general is far behind us. But the click-clack has told soldiers at every fort to look for us. They come from all sides. We are in danger."
Then Ferocious Bear struggled to his feet and stood silent. From the day we had left Wallowa and crossed
the flooding Snake, from the battle of White Bird Canyon, from those days to this moment, no one knew what he thought.
But my father said to the old man in a gentle voice, "Speak."
"Looking Glass has cost us much," said Ferocious Bear. "White Bird said, 'Go north to the Old Lady's country. Go join Sitting Bull.' But we heeded Looking Glass and came south. We have lost many warriors. We have lost many women, many children."
Too-hul-hul-sote nodded his great head. "Ferocious Bear's words are strong," he said. "Looking Glass said the Crows would fight beside us. But the Crows will not help us. They are no longer our brothers. We must travel north to join Sitting Bull."
Looking Glass was angry. His black eyes flashed like his glass when struck by the sun's rays. "So be it," he said.
"So be it," said my father.
Fifteen
F EROCIOUS B EAR and Too-hul-hul-sote were right. In three suns the Blue Coats caught up with us. We were traveling across a broad plain. Our scouts saw the dust from their horses and waved a red blanket to warn us. Lean Elk ordered the warriors to pull their ponies around and get ready
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