CHAPTER TWENTY
"Well now, folks, are you lost or are you comin' up the mountain to see me and the missus?"
Early in the morning on their twenty-second day into the Bears Paw Mountains, they were met by these words from a man who looked more bearlike than human being. Czanna stared at the man in awe, but with misgivings. Was he friend or foe?
As her husband had been teaching her, if the man made a move against them, should she shoot to kill? She didn't move, though she was ready for action if it were to come, and she brought her rifle up against her breast, ready to use.
Looking outward at the man, it was difficult to determine his height since the hat he wore looked to be more wolf-like than hat and it stood perhaps twelve centimeters—about four inches—above his head. A long white beard covered his lower face, the sides of his face and his upper lip. However, what she saw was not a well-groomed beard, and she feared there might be creatures living within it. Bushy gray eyebrows completed his "look," and his shirt appeared to be made from tanned buckskin. The sleeves of it were fringed with buckskin, and all down each sleeve were rows of white, red, blue and yellow beads as well as equally colorful triangles.
Surely, this had been done in the style of the Plains Indian. But, was he friend or foe?
The man wore trousers made of buckskin, and these were fringed, as well, and beaded much like his shirt. His moccasins came well up to his knees and were perhaps made in two parts.
"Oki Isstamo, Hello, brother-in-law," said Black Beaver to the man. Then, continuing in Blackfeet, he said, "As you can see, I have brought friends of yours to visit with you."
"Oki napi," said Stands Strong, and then in English, "We have, indeed, come visiting."
"Have you, now? Good to see you, Black Beaver, and it's Stands Strong, isn't it?"
Stands Strong nodded.
"Women. White women," said the oldster. "You've brought white women up into these mountains? And, here I thought my woman was lying when she told me there were two white women in your party."
Could this be her cousin? If it were her cousin, he didn't look the Hungarian aristocrat at all. He appeared to be quite rugged, old and unkempt.
"Cousin Alfred, is that you?" asked Czanna in the Hungarian tongue.
The man turned his attention onto Czanna and stared at her as though he were looking at a ghost.
"Who are you?" he asked in English. "We don't speak Hungarian around these parts."
"I think I am your cousin, Czanna Fehér, and this"—she pointed to George—"is cousin György Fehér, although we call him, George."
George, doing as Stands Strong had done, merely nodded.
Meanwhile, Czanna continued to speak to the man, and she said in English, "Cousin Alfred, we bring you greetings from home."
"Well, I'll be tongue-tied to a bear's tooth. Cousin Czanna, I haven't seen you since you were only this high." He indicated the height with his hand next to his waist. Cousin György, you were amere baby last time I saw you. And, here was I unbelievin' of my woman. Well, come this way. All of you. Come this way. We aren't far from my homestead. Just over the next ridge. Won't my woman be happy to see you all, and especially you, Black Beaver. I was planning to come a visitin' next summer. But, now's as good a time as any."
The way to his home was not long and was an easy trip for both Czanna and Liliann, if only because the snow had all melted and the land was dry at present. Peeping up here and there from the soft ground were beautiful wild flowers of purple, blue and yellow, and the short grass was as green as any she'd ever seen. Indeed, it was spring even up here in the mountains.
The trail to her cousin's cabin cut through a heavy and perhaps overgrown pine tree forest. It was a narrow trail, and it was dark because the trees, reaching upward to the sky, hid the sun. But, Czanna felt safe, if only because the men—and there were now six of them—were all heavily armed with shotgun and bow and arrows, as well as knives of all different sorts and shapes. And, her cousin carried an axe as well as shotgun.
As they neared the end of the forest, Czanna saw what looked to be a small cabin in a clearing directly in front of them. Somewhat surprised to be looking at a white man's log cabin instead of a tepee, she yet felt pleasantly inclined toward it. The small house, looking as though it were made from logs plastered together with mud or river clay, gave her the impression of it being a haven against the wildness of the mountain landscape. There was smoke shooting upward from a chimney, and the scent of the fire and smoke was quite pleasing and welcoming, making the end of their long trek akin to coming home.
Standing in front of the cabin was an Indian woman dressed in a mix of cotton clothing as well as buckskin. Her hair was braided, and even from this distance Czanna could see the woman's features were agreeable.
Czanna drew in a deep breath. She had accomplished what had seemed impossible; she had found her cousin. Now it only remained for her to take Cousin Alfred aside and present him with the family treasure, as well as the letter from her brother.
No sooner had they all dismounted than Cousin Alfred was introducing them, one and all, to his wife, Pretty Ribbon Woman, who, smiling at each one in turn, invited them to come into her home. All accepted the invitation except Stands Strong and First Rider, who both graciously volunteered to see to the care of their horses. But first, without saying a word to Stands Strong, Czanna untied a bag she had earlier fastened to her mount.
When Stands Strong looked at her curiously, she gave him a smile, hoping he would understand: she had a gift and a message for her cousin, but it was for her cousin, alone. The promise she had given to her brother forbade her, despite Stands Strong being her husband, from telling him the entire purpose of her mission.
In open Pikuni hospitality, they were all treated to food and drink, consisting of fire-roasted buffalo ribs as well as the delicacy of tongue. Berry soup completed the meal. And, while Black Beaver and his sister traded stories with one another, and with Stands Strong and First Rider engaged in speaking to one another, Cousin Alfred sought out Czanna and regaled her with tales of his adventures in the Backbone-of-the-World Mountains, and why he and his woman had moved their home to the Bears Paw Mountains.
"But," he said, "I reckon you haven't come all this way to listen to me talk. I figure you have some news for me from home."
"I do," said Czanna. "Although I am hoping to speak to you privately. You see, we—my brother, myself and my baby sister—have, like you, fled from Hungary. Both my mother and father, as well as my older brother, stayed behind to try to clear my father's name and his part in the revolution. Is there a place where I might speak to you privately? You see, I have a message and a letter to give to you from my brother, as well as a gift."
