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Chapter Eighteen
For in my mind, of all mankind,
I love but you alone.
—An
onymous
Brave Wolf rode proudly on his new steed, the morning sun gleaming off Midnight’s black coat. He looked over his shoulder at the others who rode with him. He saw their eyes moving constantly as they prepared themselves for anything that might happen.
But today their eyes searched mainly for a child who had been stolen by renegades.
Brave Wolf rode with the warriors he had assigned to search for David. He had needed something to keep his mind off Mary Beth, especially since she was with a man Brave Wolf did not like, and most definitely did not trust.
The day Colonel Downing had come to the village, Brave Wolf had been kind enough to invite him into his council house. He had even invited the white pony soldier to share a smoke with him since Brave Wolf always saw the importance of keeping the soldier leaders as allies instead of enemies. Nonetheless he had soon felt deep dislike for Colonel Downing.
Whenever the colonel had talked to Brave Wolf, it was with an air of superiority, as though the white man held himself above even a mighty Crow chief.
If the white man had even hinted that he suspected Brave Wolf or his warriors of killing his wife and those who had been with her, Brave Wolf would have ordered him from his lodge.
But as it was, it was just dislike that came between them.
Brave Wolf had not gone into council again with the colonel. He kept his distance from him and was glad that the colonel kept away from the Whistling Water Clan of Crow.
But knowing that Mary Beth was with the pony soldiers under this colonel’s command even now, and had been put in the position of seeking his help, made Brave Wolf uneasy. He knew that the colonel had lost his wife in that ambush and had not taken another.
He also knew that no women resided at Fort Henry any longer and that Mary Beth was the only one there. If the white pony soldiers were lonely, would they forget their respect for a lone woman and try to take advantage of her?
He knew of Mary Beth’s courage, but would it be strong enough to fend off a possible attempted rape in the middle of the night when the world was quiet and dark and only those with evil on their minds roamed?
Suddenly Brave Wolf’s thoughts were averted elsewhere. A large herd of elk had become excited when they caught the scent of Brave Wolf and his warriors riding so close to them. Their sharp hooves stirred a swirling cloud of dust as they raced away.
Brave Wolf looked over his shoulder at his men and saw that they were watching the departing animals regretfully. He knew they longed to give chase and send arrows into at least one of the elk for the meat it would bring to their cooking pots.
A moment later the men looked away, for they had a mission today and it had nothing to do with hunting for food. They were hunting for a young child who had been taken by renegades.
Although his warriors had already searched for the boy, Brave Wolf continued to hope they might find the child for his mother.
He knew that the pony soldiers might also be out searching this morning. He might even come across them. He would ignore them and go on his own way, for he did not ever wish to align himself with soldiers under Colonel Downing’s command.
The elk were no longer in sight. All that was left were swirling clouds of dust, and soon even they were gone. It was a beautiful morning with an azure sky overhead. It was the sort of day on which he would enjoy taking a ride with Mary Beth. He could see her smile even now, radiant and beautiful. He could see her lovely reddish-gold hair blowing in the gentle breeze.
Brave Wolf looked quickly to his left when a movement in the brush caught his eye, then watched a deer bound away on its stiff, springy legs.
He saw that this second temptation to have food for their dinner pots could not be ignored by his warriors. He saw one of them notch an arrow to his bowstring and aim, but he lowered his bow and arrow when a lovely spotted fawn came into view, following its mother from hiding.
He smiled at Brown Fox as his warrior took the arrow from his bow and slid it back in place in his quiver. Neither Brave Wolf nor his warriors ever took a mother from its baby, and most certainly no fawn was ever killed. The fawns were the promise of future hunts.
They rode onward for a while; then Brave Wolf saw a lone bull buffalo, a straggler from a herd that had moved through the area late last night.
He saw its fatness, and although he and his men had not gone in pursuit of the elk, or downed the deer, Brave Wolf could not let this animal go.
It would mean many things to his people. The pte, or buffalo, would provide fresh meat for immediate cooking, fat and dried flesh for pemmican, robes for beds and winter apparel, tanned hides for leggings and women’s garments, as well as tepees.
But it was the meat of this bull that made stopping and killing it worthwhile. It was one of the fattest bulls he had seen in many sleeps!
He looked over his shoulder at his warriors and saw the eagerness in their eyes. He knew they did not want to ride on past, either.
