CHAPTER TEN
A few days later, Stands Strong found himself lying belly down upon one of the highest points surrounding Grass Woman Springs, his duty being to keep a constant vigil in order to ensure the safety of them all. Luckily, the spring grasses provided a cushion against the hard ground of this high prairie, for he dared not stand up nor even sit up as he cast a glance in every direction, looking for signs of a war party.
He had instructed George to do much the same as he, but George's position was from a different rise in the land and his attention was centered in an opposite direction.
It was a day-and-night watch they were forced to keep, and between Stands Strong, George and First Rider, they managed to keep a constant guard. Stands Strong's plan was to remain as invisible as possible to any wandering war party and, if necessary, to act as a decoy away from the springs, thus allowing the man Henrik to use the healing waters to recover, if a recovery were even possible.
Stands Strong let his mind wander a little while yet keeping his attention on the environment. True to his word, he was avoidingÓtsipi Matsowá'p, meaning Brings Beauty, or simplyMatsowá'p, meaning Beauty in the Blackfeet tongue. And, he thought she was doing the same with him. It was hard to remain away from her, however, when he desired to be with her constantly. But, he could think of no other solution for them. Truly, their worlds did not meet, and perhaps they never would.And so, more times than not, he found himself staying away from their encampment at the sulfur springs.
It was odd to think how similar his relationship with Matsowá'p was to his liaison with Good Shield Woman, the woman he had once asked to be his wife. Good Shield Woman, too, had let her devotion to her father be the reason to marry another. Stands Strong had truly loved Good Shield Woman, and she had loved him in return and had admitted she would have accepted his proposal but for her devotion to her father and the rest of her family.
Was it only a year ago when Good Shield Woman had made her choice? At the time, Stands Strong had thought he might never repair the damage to his heart. But, over time, and upon seeing how happy she was with her new husband, Stands Strong had at last put the loss behind him.
Could he do the same with Matsowá'p? Of course he could and he would. After all, he and Matsowá'p had only known one another for a short time. It should be easy to stay away from her and to let her go as soon as he had guided her to meet with her cousin.
Yet, it wasn't easy to stop thinking about her and wishing it could be different. Since his first encounter with her, she had weaved a place into his heart and into his mind until she was now almost always in his thoughts. Indeed, she was even invading his dreams, allowing him to recall again the softness of her skin, the luxurious taste of her and the enticing aroma of her femininity.
But, this alone wasn't the full extent of his problem with her; she was being helped by other forces.Niitá'p,indeed, he felt as if the spirits were pushing him toward her also, since Windmaker, himself, brought her delicate and particular scent to him within the gusts and drafts of the prairie winds. And, at such times, Stands Strong begged Windmaker to have pity on him and stop reminding him of her.
But, it was not to be. The very force of nature seemed to conspire against him. Was he wrong, or did Windmaker know some wisdom he, being a mere mortal, didn't? After all, why else would the power of nature try to persuade him to make love to Matsowá'p?
He already knew she would fall into his arms. And, perhaps it was this remembrance which was the most maddening.
Still, he wondered if Windmaker were aiding the Creator in testing his fortitude. Was this merely an ordeal to determine if he would really keep his scruples and remain aloof from her, especially when every impulse within him begged him to give in to her and make love to her?
Perhaps. But, it little mattered. He would keep his honor, yes, but he would also not watch her walk away from him without mustering a fight to keep her. But, his weapons to do this were not the same as the armaments of lance or gun. Instead, his offense was simply to tease her, to cause her to laugh and to touch her now and again, inviting her to become accustomed to him—at least he would do these actions if he felt himself up to the challenge of controlling his impulses. But, there was another factor in a relationship between a man and a woman, and if a man were wise, it was one he would never forget: that element being kindness. Many were the times when Stands Strong had watched his almost-father win, without really winning, an argument, simply by acts of kindness. The truth was no one had really 'won' the argument. Instead, his almost-father and -mother had both merely agreed on taking a different path.
Niitá'p, as the wise men had always known, it takes a strong man to be kind, especially when a man's first instinct is to simply conquer.
Áa, he would fight for her, but he would not force her against her will to marry him, which was really the problem. He knew he could easily kiss her and caress her and beckon her to fall into hisarms. But, because of his lack of control over his own passion, he dared not do it.
After all, it was only a few days ago when he had almost lost control and made love to her and, had he done it, it would have sealed their pact, a deed he knew was wrong. But, contrarily, he wasn't certain he would ever win her, especially when duty to her family and its memory haunted her.
Would she, in the end, decide the same as had Good Shield Woman?
Enough! With a force of will, he forced himself to think of something else, and he set his attention back to where it should have been—on the environment, as well as on the others in Matsowá'p's family.
From the start, he had noticed Liliann was almost always to be found with her father, barely leaving the man for longer than the time it took to eat or to attend to personal matters. Because Henrik still lay within the springs and because the girl stood continually at her father's side, her dress was always wet and burdensome. Stands Strong's friend First Rider had apparently noticed this and so had taken pity on her. Only yesterday, Stands Strong had observed Liliann now wore an extra pair of First Rider's leggings as well as his shirt, both having been cut down to fit her.
Recalling this, Stands Strong smiled, since he had done the same for Matsowá'p. He sighed, his attention once again taken up by Matsowá'p. She was not happy with him at present because he had required her to take over Liliann's duty in caring for the baby.
Of course, Matsowá'p had objected to the task since she had wished to take a shift as lookout. But, Stands Strong had been adamant in denying her the duty.
"Why?" she had asked him a few days earlier.
"Because," he had answered, "your almost-sister, Liliann, is needed to stay at her father's side. Or would you rather I watch your baby sister in your place?"
Her response had been to frown at him, but in the end she had relented. Indeed, she'd had no choice.
Besides, if he had allowed her to take a turn at standing guard, it would have added another worry to his many problems. For one, it would have required Matsowá'p to be alone in a world she didn't know or understand. For another, she wasn't yet skilled in scouting, and certainly she had no knowledge of Plains Indian warfare. After all, what would she do if a war party were to come upon her unaware?
He didn't wish to think about it. Indeed, he would remain firm in disallowing her to stand watch. But, George was another matter. Though he was much younger than his sister, he was still a man, and he certainly considered himself to be the man of the family. And, having instructed George carefully in what he was to do, Stands Strong took some comfort in seeing that George was keen and alert to doing his duty, young though he was. Truth be told, the circumstance of George's family had caused the boy to set aside his boyhood ways as he took on more and more of the duties usually restricted to men. But, George was not alone in this endeavor; so, too, was Matsowá'p.
Matsowá'p. Beautiful Matsowá'p. Stands Strong's mind went back to their mutual scouting expedition only a few days ago. Their careful watch had found no indication of a war party, allowing them to return to the others without incident. Then, informing the others of the spring's safety, they had all worked on the task of taking down their temporary encampment.
It had been a short journey to the springs, the man Henrik having been placed upon a bed within the wagon. This had allowed one man to lead the procession across the prairie while another pulled up the rear, guarding it from behind. One of the three men had been needed to stay with the wagon so as to defend it; this man had been George. Matsowá'p had taken over the steering of the wagon, while Liliann and the babe had been settled in next to Henrik in the wagon.
They had traveled at night since there was no timber or other cover to hide their movements over the prairie, and they had delayed going anywhere until the moon had risen up into the dark sky…around midnight.
