He sat on the edge of the shelf, unwilling to stand to his full height; he did not wish to shock her, and he was certain his appearance behind her would alarm her. However, knowing she would come to feel his presence eventually, he remained seated, his legs under him as he sat on his heels.
At last, it happened, and he watched her beautiful profile as she gazed over her shoulder. Her scream as she spun around to confront him sounded unusually loud, and he was certain it could be heard by all living creatures in this part of the world. He continued to watch as she took a pace backward toward the edge of the ridge.
"Careful there," Stands Strong called out in distinct English as he stood up. But, he took no action to step forward. "You are close to the edge of this cliff, and I fear if you step farther backwards, you might fall to your death."
She caught her breath, then she gasped out, "You…you…are Indian!"
He nodded.
She screamed again and brought her hands up to cover her mouth.
In response, he held up both of his hands, this being the Plains sign for "I have no weapons and my intentions are to parley with you."
Again she screamed, but this shriek wasn't as loud as her others had been. Then, the two of them did little more than look at one another as each one tried, though perhaps in vain, to determine the true intent of the other.
At length, he said, "If I meant you harm, it would have been done by now, and so fast would I have done it, you would not even know what had happened."
She swallowed hard before saying, "Excuse me, but these words you speak to me do not help your cause about your peaceful intent. And, why are you talking to me in English? I…I thought there were not any Indians in this country who spoke English."
He laughed, but only a little.
"Sir, are you mocking me?"
He shook his head and forced his countenance to appear blank, before saying, "I am not mocking you, and I mean you no insult. It is only that many of my people, the Pikuni, speak English."
"Many?"
"It is so," he responded. "I know of several of my people who know and use this language, and three of them are white women."
"White women? In this country? In your camp? Living with your people? Are they captives?"
He shook his head. "They are not captives. They are there of their own free will and have become part of the Pikuni people. Also, one of those white women is my almost-mother."
"Your almost-mother?"
He nodded, then explained, "She is my almost-mother because, although she took me as her son, we are not of the same blood."
"I…I…" The beautiful woman caught her breath, but remained silent. Whatever she had been about to say was lost to the wind.
He asked, "Are you looking for these three white women? My almost-mother's name in English is Sharon. And, her two friends are sisters, Laylah and Amelia. Is this the reason you are here alone? If so and you are looking for your friends, I will take you to them as soon as I accomplish my mission."
"Your…your mission?"
Fright swept over her facial features, and she took another step backward, prompting him to say, "I fear I might have to rescue you if you move back any farther."
"Oh," was all she said as she looked over her shoulder. "Yes, you are right. I am very close to the edge of this place." She took a few paces forward. "But, sir, you mentioned I am here alone, and this is not true."
Grabbing hold of the rifle slung over his shoulder, Stands Strong bent at the knees, turned around in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree circle. And, quick though it had been, his gaze was thorough. But, his scan of the environment did not show another human being in the vicinity of this place; he did not even sense the presence of another person, which he would have been able to feel in the spiritual world.
"Sir, forgive me, please. I did not mean to alarm you; it is simply I, and no one else, who is in this place. I have come here as part of a wagon train, and I do not know your friends or your…almost-mother."
He frowned. "You are part of a white man's wagon train? How many white people are with you?"
She looked away. "Yes, to your first question. I am not alone because I am with the wagon train. Indeed, there are many men there."
Turning slightly, he scrutinized his surroundings once more, expanding his reach out into the environment with his mind. But, he detected nothing except the natural order of the prairie world. Glancing back at her, he said, "I do not sense the presence of a white man's wagon train."
"And yet, they are there. I have simply walked a great distance to get to where I am now."
