Forever Ecstasy (7 page)

“He’s not a spirit, Morning Star, Just an evil white man using tricks to scare and fool the Indians. Why do you think he’s a spirit?”

“Knife-Slayer and raid band see him with Crow. They hide to watch; they not have enough men to attack enemies.
Wakansica
have snakes on arms. They crawl up arms, with heads here,” she said, gesturing toward her breasts, showing him how the “snakes” curled around the man’s arms, over his shoulder, and downward to his breasts. “Spirit Snakes big and many colors. They have bad eyes, sharp fangs, long tongues. They no see Spirit Snakes move or strike; they sleep on
Wakansica’s
body. Hawk Eyes say they powerful and evil medicine. Band see
Wakansica
do magic. He throw little balls into fire; make much noise and smoke. Make little suns glow and dance in wind. When suns and smoke gone, Snake-Man gone. His men ride away in wagons. Band no attack Crow in evil place where Bad Spirit hiding. Might return and slay Red Hearts.”

Joe realized this clever Snake-Man was using Indian superstition and their lack of knowledge to frighten and delude them. “Those were only cunning tricks, Morning Star. I’ve seen such things before during my travels far away. The snakes are painted into his skin, they’re called tattoos. They’re much like the pictures painted on tepees and shields. Across the big waters, there’s a place called the Orient. Wise men live there. They make the balls that shine and give off
smoke. That’s where Snake-Man gets his magic tricks from. I’ve seen how men can sneak away when the air is filled with heavy smoke; it blinds the eyes for a short time. He probably slipped to the wagon and hid there while the Indians couldn’t see. He wants the Crow to believe he’s a powerful shaman so they’ll work for him to destroy your people. If I traveled in my ship to that land, I could buy balls like those and do the same tricks. It’s not real magic. It has no power, except to fool people who don’t know about them. When we reach your camp, I’ll ask Knife-Slayer how Snake-Man looked. That will help find him.”

“No good. His face behind ceremony mask, head of big snake.”

Joe was disappointed. “Because he didn’t want anyone to recognize him,” he murmured. “He chose a good disguise and scheme. He’s clever.”

“What is disguise and scheme?”

“Disguise is when you use things like masks to hide who you are. A scheme is a wicked plan to fool people. I wonder if Zeke, the man who captured you, is smart enough to be Snake-Man.”

“He no have snakes on arms. I claw and bite when captured.”

It didn’t surprise Joe that Zeke wasn’t his man. “How did he capture you, Morning Star?”

“Small party go to Mato Paha, Bear Mountain. It sacred place where go to pray and give gifts to Great Spirit. Men go to seek visions and to think much. Holy mountain where we given Sun Dance and our beliefs by Great Spirit after he create Dakotas. We hang prayer cloths and tokens on trees that grow on sleeping bear hill. Sometimes white men steal; that bad medicine. Not even Crow steal sacred gifts from trees. Grandfather punish.”

She sat down near him and crossed her legs. “Morning Star go there with brother, Night Stalker. He take wife and son. He go to pray for safety of our people when we ride for summer camp and for good hunt when we seek buffalo. Others go with us. Hawk Eyes go to seek vision, take his wife. Flaming Star and Thunder Spirit go to give thanks and
to pray. They sons of White Arrow. They have many winters on their bodies; may never go to sacred mountain again. Mates go to tend chores. Buckskin Girl travel with parents, Flaming Star and Morning Light. Little Feet is wife of Thunder Spirit; she daughter of Bright Arrow, brother to Father. Bright Arrow walks Mother Earth no more. Crow war party kill before Morning Star born. Summer Rain and son go with Lone Horn; he war chief. He give thanks and seek vision to lead warriors if attack come soon.”

Morning Star sighed heavily at that distressing thought. “We stay at Mato Paha five suns, days. We ride for village. Stop at Elk Creek for men to hunt game for journey in Paha Sapa, means Black Hills. This sacred place, where we make winter camps, where old ones rest on
wicagnakapi wiconte,
death scaffolds. Spirits and Thunderbirds live in black mountains. Much game here. This Oglala land and must defend to death,” she said with deep feeling, then returned to her story. “Women stay in camp and make ready to ride when hunters return after
Wi
passes overhead. Morning Star finish chores and go seek medicine plants for Payaba. Touched-A-Crow, she brother’s wife, go with Morning Star. She gather roots and plants. She take son. He two winters; he bad boy many moons. He bad on trail; she must return to camp. Morning Star ride on to do Payaba chore. Stay near edge of forest. Morning Star think, walk too far, hear noise and hide.”

Her dark eyes grew wide and she spoke faster with excitement. “See two white men scout. Get bad feeling. Follow them on Hanmani. They go to Mato Paha. They take prayer tokens! Morning Star angry, but have only knife as weapon. Cannot attack. While thinking, man— big one— sneak up and capture. Morning Star fight. He strong, mean. He take to others. They put on horse with big man. They take Hanmani to make false trail to Crow land. They drop Crow arrows and cloth to fool Red Heart band. They know small band cannot ride into camp of many Crow. They know others must return home, cannot challenge Bird People. We ride to river. We travel water far to wagon camp. Morning Star bound and given no food, no water, no blanket. Wait all
sun. Moon and Joe come. Joe help escape.”

“We
are
a lot alike,” Joe said, grinning. “We were both trailing them to gather clues. That was smart and brave.”

“Not smart; got captured,” she refuted, then frowned.

“That happens sometimes even to the best warriors,” Joe reassured her. “I came along to help you, and you returned to help me. We’re both good fighters and we make a good pair. After I see your father, if he’ll work with me, we’ll put a stop to this trouble before it leads to war.”

“Joe’s voice and eyes say much. You seek men who kill friend. More to Joe’s ride and task. Is not so? What more you seek?”

Joe decided if he told her the truth he might win her help and trust. If so, it would be easier to obtain her father’s. “Ever hear of a white man named Thomas Fitzpatrick? The Indians call him Broken-Hand.” She eyed him strangely, but nodded. “He trapped in this territory for twenty years, and later worked as a wilderness guide. He became the Indian agent five years ago at Fort Laramie. Know where that is?”

Again, Morning Star nodded.

“Tom’s honest and fair and smart. He knows this territory and the people here, white and Indian. He’s working on a big treaty between all tribes, and between Indians and whites. Tom suspects that somebody doesn’t want the Indians to make peace among themselves and keeps stirring tribes up one against the other. He knows that if intertribal warfare breaks out, whites will be caught in the middle. Besides, it’s against the law to sell weapons and whiskey to Indians. There are many clues that point to the Red Hearts and other Lakota tribes as the troublemakers. Tom thinks this Snake-Man may be behind the problems. He’s talked to Crow, but they won’t tell him anything. He’s talked to Lakotas, too, but they claim they don’t know anything. Tom wants me to find out who Snake-Man is, what he’s trying to do here, if he’s the guilty one, and how he can be stopped. The United States government and our chief don’t want a war with your people or any other Indian tribe.”

“Why bluecoats attack hunters if this be so?” she argued.

“To keep them from killing white settlers who come here
and from killing white immigrants passing through your territory heading west. Many wagon trains are attacked. Boats on rivers and soldiers on patrol have been attacked. Settlers and farmers have been burned out. Trading posts have been robbed. Almost every time, Lakota arrows have been found.”

“It not Oglalas, not Red Hearts. Inkpaduta and Little Thunder raid wagons on trails; they not Oglalas; they Santee and Brule. They part of Seven Council Fires, but not same tribe. Whites have land and game where
Wi
awakens. Must not come and steal Lakota land and creatures. They stay in their land, they be safe; we be safe. No trouble, no battle.”

“That sounds simple, Morning Star, but it isn’t.”

“What is… simple?”

“Easy, not hard… what’s right. The smart and good thing to do.”

“It be simple, if whites honor truce and not come to our land.”

“More settlers, trappers, traders, and others will come. This area is beautiful and exciting,” he said, then thought,
like you are.
“Many whites want new or better lives, Morning Star. Things are bad for them back East, where the sun awakens. Some don’t have money to buy land, and they want to make a good place for their families. They can do that here. This land is big. There’s plenty of room for everyone. Sometimes I’ve ridden all day without seeing one Indian. If we can stop the troublemakers and become friends, everybody can live in peace in the same territory. Some of the people on the wagon trains have to stop here because they can’t make it all the way to Oregon or California. They get sick, or tired, or discouraged; or they run out of money. Some just fall in love with this territory.”

“They try to take land, claim it, not use it, not share it,” Morning Star argued. “Grandfather owns the land. They kill His creatures for furs and hides; they waste meat. When game killed, all of creature must be used. They bring strange sickness. They scare game. They build across animal trails and confuse creatures. They want best hunting grounds. They want trees in sacred hills. They not travel as we do.
They camp in one place; they destroy it. They bring whiskey to dull warriors’ wits. Traders and trappers speak false; they cheat Indians. They bring trouble; they blame Indians. They use false words to get more forts and bluecoats. When whites come and we let stay, it tell more whites to come. Soon, no land and game for Indians. Crow are fools; they no see whites trick and how much hate Crow. If agent Tom want peace, he keep whites away. Simple.” She used her new word.

Joe changed his position and faced her fully. “Lordy, I wish it were. I don’t want to see your people or other tribes destroyed. If war comes, Morning Star, that could happen. The whites have many more people than the Indians; they have more and better weapons. To challenge them is a mistake. I hope your father will work for peace.”

She did not like that scary information, but said with confidence and courage, “If peace means lose land, honor, and lives— he no make peace.”

“I hope I can help him obtain peace with honor and without losses,” Joe said. “That’s hard when each side wants the same thing, and each side thinks they’re right. The man I came here with feels and thinks the same way I do: Tanner’s father. He’s an observer and adviser on the situation for President Fillmore,” he said, then explained the situation, after deciding how much and what to tell her about Stede Gaston.

“Tanner’s father is like a scout and speaker for the Great White Chief Fillmore. He learns what’s happening, then tells our chief what he thinks must be done to prevent problems and war. Our chief trusts him and will listen to him. Many of the white man’s problems have been halted, so more white-eyes are on these lands. We had many enemies, like you have the Crow, Pawnee, and the Shoshone. We made peace with them. War ended with the Mexicans, people who live south. Our border conflict with the British was settled. We traded money for a large track of land that includes this territory. Indians say land can’t be owned, but the French claimed this territory and sold it to us years ago. Whites do believe land can be owned and claimed. The United States now claims this territory. The path wagon trains use is called
the Oregon Trail; the one near it is called the Mormon Trail. Many whites use the trails to travel west.

“There’s another problem about a yellow rock called gold that white men desire. A lot of it was discovered west of here in a place called California. Many of the men passing through this territory went there and are still going there to search for gold. Trying to stop passage through your lands can’t be done.”

Joe stretched out his legs again. “With more whites coming here and through here, Morning Star, they demand more forts, trading posts, and roads. Roads are cleared trails for easy and fast travel.” He knew she would not understand what the Topographical Bureau was and he didn’t know how to explain it, so he skipped over the survey they had done near Laramie in ’49. “You can’t stop settlers any more than you can stop the rain. But rain and soil work together to give life and beauty to the land and people. Whites and Indians can do the same. First, peace is needed, but that can’t come until evil men are caught and punished. Those working in your territory don’t attack where they can be seen and caught. They trick the Crow into fighting for them. They don’t do their own dirty work because they don’t want the Army involved. Tanner and I were to travel around and be his father’s eyes and ears. Tanner saw or heard something dangerous; he was killed so he couldn’t tell others. If I’d been with him, he’d be alive. I was getting a new shoe for Star. He’d thrown one on the way to Pratte’s Post.”

When Joe became silent, Morning Star grasped his grief and guilt. “If you be with him, you be dead like Tanner dead.”

“Maybe,” he half agreed. “I’m going to find who killed him, then get justice. After I buried him, I went to Fort Laramie to tell his father. Lordy, that was hard. He would have come back with me to find the killer, but his leg is broken and he can’t ride. I was returning to Pratte’s Post to search for clues when I found Zeke’s wagon trail. A gut instinct told me to follow it. I’m glad I did. Meeting you was fate, Morning Star.”

“What is fate?” she asked, intrigued by his tone.

“Destiny, something meant to happen, part of my Life-Circle that must cross another person’s at a certain time and place.”

She liked his explanation. “It so. You want peace much as you want Tanner’s killer. This be good. Morning Star help you find both.”

He felt there wasn’t anything she could do other than help him with her father and people, but he didn’t refute her words or refuse her offer. “If anything happens to me, tell your father to send word to Captain James Thomas at Fort Tabor. Make certain the soldiers know you want peace so they won’t be tricked by Snake-Man and the Crow into attacking your camp.”