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Authors: Scott O’Dell
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to fight. While the warriors waited for the white soldiers, we escaped up a dry streambed into a wide canyon.
For two suns Chief Joseph led us up the canyon. The trail took us across rolling hills covered with sage brush. The canyon rim was rocky and no trees grew there. We saw no Blue Coats, only rabbits and ground squirrels and woodchucks.
The shadows were long when Lean Elk and the warriors joined us. He was angry and at once called the council together. Chief Joseph halted our march and the women made camp while the chiefs met.
Swan Necklace led his pony to our fire. Across its
back lay an antelope. He skinned it and cut the meat into chunks for roasting. We had not had fresh meat since we entered the Absarokas.
"It is a bitter day for us," he said, wiping his knife on a clump of dry grass.
"Were many killed?" I asked.
"None. Three were wounded but not bad." He grinned. "The buffalo gun I took from a ranch shoots good. It speaks so loud the Blue Coats think I have a cannon." For a moment his heart was light.
"The Blue Coats lost many men," he said. "They fight like women."
I was puzzled. "Why was the day bitter?" I asked.
"The Crows fought beside the Blue Coats," he said, his mouth twisting with disgust. "When I saw them my heart was just like fire. We battled the Crows for two suns."
I caught my breath. The world was against us. We could not fight forever.
Swan Necklace saw the fear in my eyes. He placed a gentle hand on my chin and turned my face toward him. "Do not fret, my love," he said. "As long as I live no Blue Coat will harm you."
I smiled with my lips but not with my heart.
He loaded the rest of the antelope onto his pony and took it to the cooking fire of Two Moons.
Before the morning star shone we broke camp.
Lean Elk urged us to hurry. He said we must now fear all the tribes. We must go fast to the Old Lady's country.
We left the canyon and moved north for six suns. Lean Elk drove us from dark to dark. The stars shone above us when we got onto our horses and they shone when we got off. We rested little and traveled much. We were weary and our ponies were weary.
When we struck camp the frost glittered on the prairie like a lake sparkling in the sun. The ground was still hard when the sun climbed halfway up the sky. I no longer packed my buffalo robe. After I climbed on my pony, I pulled it around me and Bending Willow.
Our food ran low. There was no time to hunt. On the morning that we came to a herd of mountain sheep, there were only two cakes of camas roots and berries in the bag on my pony's saddle. The young men killed several sheep but not enough to stay our hunger. Each family got only one small piece of meat. We waited until nightfall to eat it. We did not stop to cook while the sun was high.
We buried the skins and the horns beside the trail. It hurt me to see the fleecy skins covered with earth, but we had no time to tan them for robes or make the horns into drinking cups.
One day we met a band of Crows. They had been
hunting and had camped to dry buffalo meat. They were no longer our brothers, so we took their horses and left our worn-out ponies behind. With fresh horses we could move faster.
On the sixth sun we came to a great river. On the other shore stood a few buildings. Beside them were boxes and boxes filled with supplies for the soldiers. At this place the river was broad but not deep. The water was so low that we could swim our horses across. There was no need to make bullboats.
Some of our warriors crossed the river first. They called us to follow them. There were only a few white men and they did not want to fight.
Our food was almost gone. My father asked the white men for food. They gave him a slab of bacon and a small sack of hard bread. It was so little that it was worthless.
My father's eyes were hard and angry. He led us up a small creek and told us to make camp. Then he left with the warriors. Soon we heard guns speak. The shooting went on until light
For two suns Chief Joseph led us up the canyon. The trail took us across rolling hills covered with sage brush. The canyon rim was rocky and no trees grew there. We saw no Blue Coats, only rabbits and ground squirrels and woodchucks.
The shadows were long when Lean Elk and the warriors joined us. He was angry and at once called the council together. Chief Joseph halted our march and the women made camp while the chiefs met.
Swan Necklace led his pony to our fire. Across its
back lay an antelope. He skinned it and cut the meat into chunks for roasting. We had not had fresh meat since we entered the Absarokas.
"It is a bitter day for us," he said, wiping his knife on a clump of dry grass.
"Were many killed?" I asked.
"None. Three were wounded but not bad." He grinned. "The buffalo gun I took from a ranch shoots good. It speaks so loud the Blue Coats think I have a cannon." For a moment his heart was light.
"The Blue Coats lost many men," he said. "They fight like women."
I was puzzled. "Why was the day bitter?" I asked.
"The Crows fought beside the Blue Coats," he said, his mouth twisting with disgust. "When I saw them my heart was just like fire. We battled the Crows for two suns."
I caught my breath. The world was against us. We could not fight forever.
Swan Necklace saw the fear in my eyes. He placed a gentle hand on my chin and turned my face toward him. "Do not fret, my love," he said. "As long as I live no Blue Coat will harm you."
I smiled with my lips but not with my heart.
He loaded the rest of the antelope onto his pony and took it to the cooking fire of Two Moons.
Before the morning star shone we broke camp.
Lean Elk urged us to hurry. He said we must now fear all the tribes. We must go fast to the Old Lady's country.
We left the canyon and moved north for six suns. Lean Elk drove us from dark to dark. The stars shone above us when we got onto our horses and they shone when we got off. We rested little and traveled much. We were weary and our ponies were weary.
When we struck camp the frost glittered on the prairie like a lake sparkling in the sun. The ground was still hard when the sun climbed halfway up the sky. I no longer packed my buffalo robe. After I climbed on my pony, I pulled it around me and Bending Willow.
Our food ran low. There was no time to hunt. On the morning that we came to a herd of mountain sheep, there were only two cakes of camas roots and berries in the bag on my pony's saddle. The young men killed several sheep but not enough to stay our hunger. Each family got only one small piece of meat. We waited until nightfall to eat it. We did not stop to cook while the sun was high.
We buried the skins and the horns beside the trail. It hurt me to see the fleecy skins covered with earth, but we had no time to tan them for robes or make the horns into drinking cups.
One day we met a band of Crows. They had been
hunting and had camped to dry buffalo meat. They were no longer our brothers, so we took their horses and left our worn-out ponies behind. With fresh horses we could move faster.
On the sixth sun we came to a great river. On the other shore stood a few buildings. Beside them were boxes and boxes filled with supplies for the soldiers. At this place the river was broad but not deep. The water was so low that we could swim our horses across. There was no need to make bullboats.
Some of our warriors crossed the river first. They called us to follow them. There were only a few white men and they did not want to fight.
Our food was almost gone. My father asked the white men for food. They gave him a slab of bacon and a small sack of hard bread. It was so little that it was worthless.
My father's eyes were hard and angry. He led us up a small creek and told us to make camp. Then he left with the warriors. Soon we heard guns speak. The shooting went on until light
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