Redeye (29 page)

Bishop Thorpe came to us in the night. He had had a great argument in Eagle City with the one named Zack because of markings on the bowls showing that the one called Jesus, the son of the Mormon god, once visited Eagle City. Bishop Thorpe is very angry and says he will have new visions from the Mormon god in the night to tell him what to do. He seems to be in such a state of anger and possession by spirits that I am afraid for what may happen. It is time for me to protect Merriwether. I feel led to follow my heart.

I talk with a second face to Bishop Thorpe and I discover that Merriwether
did not come
from his ranch. There will be no way to talk to him except by his mirror machine, which will not work at night or with the clouds. The one called Zack who is in charge in Eagle City is also Mormon, but does not like me. I ask Thorpe about Cobb Pittman, the one who talks with me, and learn that he is at the base of the mesa at White Rock Campsite.

So, I make snowshoes and tell White Deer that I must go on a trip and that I will return and confer with him. I leave in the night
and carefully follow the trail down into camp and awaken Cobb Pittman and tell him what is about to happen. He is very jumpy and excited. He makes snowshoes quickly and before daybreak he and I start back up the snow-covered trail to Eagle City. He carries his gun, and in a sack on his back he carries the dog, Redeye. He gives me his word that he will harm none of my people—that he will protect the work and interest of Merriwether from Bishop Thorpe. We go slowly because of the snow.

Star and Andrew didn't look like they wanted to go back to Eagle City right away this morning, so I started on back by myself, so I could tell Zack we were okay. Star and Andrew are in love for sure now. I think they might have did it in the night. Andrew is lucky. If I was about eight years older and could talk like he does it would be me instead of him.

The snow had stopped—but it was plenty deep—and the sun was out, and real bright. It was very quiet and peaceful. When I got to the top of Eagle City, I looked across the gorge and saw all these
Indians
with
war paint
standing on these big rocks. Most of them had bows and arrows, but a couple had rifles. I snuck around to the big crooked tree where I could see them and could see in Eagle City, too. Bishop Thorpe was with the Indians and he was giving a loud speech. He'd seen a vision, he said. He got to hollering and shouting about Jesus coming and marking up
bowls and pots and the mummy little Cleopatra and all that. He said the city was under
siege
, that Zack had to sign a paper from the new Indian agent turning all the relics over to Indians and making the reservation off-limits to Gentiles. He was talking like he was crazy.

The tourists thought this was part of the show, I guess, because one or two and then the rest start applauding and cheering, and walking out toward the edge of the cliff dwelling floor to see the Indians better.

Zack comes walking out to the edge real fast and yells, “Thorpe, call your smelly Indians off, or you'll be eating breakfast in hell. I'm a Mormon too, goddamn it. You ain't got no rights to this place—no more than anybody else.”

“These former inhabitants do—or else no one does,” Thorpe yells. “I've got a U.S. government paper saying that.” He turns and says something to the Indians. They and him get down behind the rocks, and suddenly this rifle shot booms out from over there, from Thorpe or one of the Indians. Zack grabs his ear and everybody is scrambling back while this Mr. Pemberton, one of the tourists who was standing right behind Zack, just drops down like a rag, crumples right down. Mrs. Clarkston screams, and faints. Hiram comes running out, crying, just a-sobbing and hollering for his father to stop, call it off, that it's gone too far. One of the Indians shoots at
him
, not knowing whose side he's on, but misses, and Thorpe screams at the Indians to hold their fire. I don't think but two of the Indians had a gun, see. And Thorpe. The rest had bows and arrows, which
they don't use no more. Hiram goes running back into a room and things are at a standoff.

I go heading back to the draw where Star and Andrew are—just as fast as I can in the snow—and when I get there, Mudfoot and Cobb Pittman and Redeye are all standing there at the campfire with Star and Andrew. They're explaining something about Bishop Thorpe and the group of Indians. I tell them what I'd just seen.

Mr. Pittman gets all excited and him and Mudfoot say for us to wait right there. They're going to see what they can see. As soon as they leave, Andrew says he'll go and send a heliograph message to the Merriwether Ranch: S.O.S.

We hide, and watch, and listen. We hide under the crooked tree where Pittman's rifle has a good line of fire to the Indians and Bishop Thorpe, who hide behind rocks. We are lucky to have such a place. While we watch, Bishop Thorpe sends my people around to hide on the mesa top near the ladder which leads down into Eagle City. He stays where he is—with his rifle. My people pass close by us and seem full of a war spirit I do not recognize.

“Can you get your people to leave the mesa now?” Cobb Pittman asks me in the low voice. “If not, bad things will happen.”

“I can try.”

“Do that. But wait until I say to.”

Bishop Thorpe shouts and promises the white people safe passage
down the mountain. He tells them things have gone bad, but that they can trust him, can follow him down the mountain on foot, but that they must give up their weapons.

“Never,” shouts Zack out of a cliff dwelling room where the tourists hide.

Pittman turns his head and looks at me. “They're unarmed, but Thorpe don't know that. Go and try now to get your people to leave. Now. Tell them the army will be after them if they don't. Cause that will happen, you know. There has been the shooting of a tourist. A white man. Hurry up. Then come back here.”

I go and tell White Deer of the danger of war with the U.S. Army if we continue to follow Bishop Thorpe after the shooting of a white man tourist. He says Bishop Thorpe shot the tourist. I said that the U.S. Army would not believe that. He agrees but says some of our people are afraid of Thorpe. We all talk together very hard talk about the U.S. Army. We argue about whether to leave the mesa. White Deer says that killing was not part of the understanding with Thorpe and my people then agree to leave the mesa by the back trail, which is not so steep and dangerous. I believe the spirit of our fathers is with us.

I return to Cobb Pittman where he waits beneath the crooked tree to watch Bishop Thorpe. I tell him that my people now leave the mesa. Pittman's nose and lips are red. He looks at me. The smoked glass on his eyes has in it a picture of the snow on the mesa. Then in a smooth motion he stands, brings his rifle to his shoulder. He yells with all his voice, “Thorpe.” Bishop Thorpe sits on a rock behind another rock so he cannot be seen from Eagle
City. He stands and turns and looks our way. He has no place to hide. He brings his rifle to his shoulder while he looks very hard for us. The canyon is full of the blast of Cobb Pittman's rifle. Thorpe falls to the ground, shooting his rifle into the air. He drops the rifle and falls and holds his leg while he looks for us. Pittman goes with his dog to be with Bishop Thorpe.

I go down into Eagle City to lead the tourists down the mesa the safe way—by the Indian trail. They are happy to leave. We take the dead man in a sled, down to White Rock Campsite. But Cobb Pittman will not leave and will not let Bishop Thorpe leave.

Cobb Pittman and Bishop Thorpe, with the wounded leg, and Redeye, the dog, remain alone up in Eagle City.

my job grab front the head taste lock into it. shake it. this another one. i sit. i move up. i noise. “Hush, you son of a bitch. He's got to dig his grave.” i sit. i sit. i sit. i sit. i wait. i sit. with the shine. it opens and the warm dark and light spills out. i race forward with all my might. i jump. i clasp. i am partly in the bones of the point it comes off i clasp shake. i will hold on forever. it is down. it tastes sweet.

The day is done. Day is dying in the West. I am sitting by a warm fire at White Rock Campsite. My Andrew sits beside me. It is late. No one can sleep.

Today has been the most horrible day of my life, last night the most lovely, and I must say that the light of the lovely shines through and mixes with the darkness of the horrible.

Everyone has told what he saw and so it is very confusing and hard to figure out. Two of the tourists saw Bishop Thorpe fire the rifle that killed Mr. Pemberton, so that will be testimony at the trial that is sure to come once we are all back safely in Mumford Rock.

Cobb Pittman remained up in Eagle City with the wounded Bishop Thorpe. He promised to bring him down tomorrow.

Hiram is sitting at a small fire over by his tent with his hands tied behind his back. No one knows exactly how he was involved in all this. Bumpy is sitting with him.

Everybody was down from Eagle City except Mr. Pittman, Bishop Thorpe, and Redeye. Hiram and me was sitting at a little campfire over beside his tent. His hands were tied behind his back. I asked him if he wanted a smoke. He said he did, so I
rolled him one, lit it, and stuck it in his lips. Then I rolled me one and lit it.