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But she had no choice except to continue doing as he told her. She mounted Swiftie and rode onward with the two Indians, one of whom she now knew to be called Three Bears.
She glanced over at the other Indian, wondering what his status was among his people.
Was he someone of great importance, or just another warrior under the command of a powerful chief?
When they reached the butte, Joylynn went cold inside when she saw how many Indians were there, awaiting the arrival of the other two.
When they all raked their eyes over her, she could not help shivering.
And then she saw the number of horses that were with these Indians. It was obvious they had been on a horse raid. She wondered if these Indians were Sioux, or of the more friendly Pawnee tribe.
If these were Pawnee and they had stolen horses from the Sioux, the owners would be even now searching for their stolen steeds; she could die alongside her abductor.
Or she might be taken captive by the Sioux. She knew how the Sioux felt about white people; she had learned while riding for the Pony Express. She had been told by those in charge to be especially wary of the Sioux since they were on the warpath more often than not. She knew that there would be no kindness granted her by them.
She eyed the handsome Indian, beginning to believe that she would be better off with him than with the Sioux. His kindness toward her attested to that.
But she had to remind herself that there were many hours ahead of her during which the situation could change. This warrior might be showing her kindness now, only to fool her into letting down her guard, so that later he could have his way with her!
“Stay close beside me as we ride to my village,” High Hawk said, giving Joylynn a friendly smile that made her feel somewhat less afraid. Sternly she reminded herself that she must not trust him.
One rape in a woman’s life was surely all a body could take!
CHAPTER FIVE
Wishing that she was brave enough to knee her horse and try to escape from her captor, Joylynn glanced over at the handsome Indian as he rode straight-backed on his steed. She had caught him glancing oftimes at her horse, and remembered that he had said he had originally come to steal Swiftie, then added her to his plan of abduction.
She looked over her shoulder at the many warriors riding behind them, their eyes straight ahead. Fortunately, they were paying her no mind, at least not at the moment. The only one who seemed truly interested in her was the one who had grabbed her and taken her inside her cabin.
She was relieved that so far he hadn’t done anything worse than abduct her. Had she been raped a second time, she would have wanted to die.
But as it was, this warrior seemed not to have rape on his mind at all, but instead, kindness toward her. Still, he wasn’t kind enough to listen to reason when she pleaded to be released.
She tried not to think about what lay ahead of her, but just to take one moment at a time. Soon enough she would know what his true intentions were.
“I am High Hawk of the Wolf band of Pawnee,” High Hawk suddenly said as he looked over at her. “And your name is?”
“My name is none of your business,” Joylynn said bitterly. Angrily she lifted her chin, refusing to look at him. But inside she was relieved to know that she was definitely in the company of the Pawnee, not the Sioux.
She looked far to the right, where the trees grew thick and dark, knowing that anyone could be hiding in their depths . . . even the Sioux. If those were Sioux horses that had been stolen tonight, surely their owners would discover the theft and come to take revenge on the thieves.
She looked quickly at High Hawk again. “In my world, men hang for stealing horses,” she blurted out, bringing his eyes quickly back to her. “I wonder if your decision to indulge yourselves in the adventure of stealing those horses will be the cause of your demise.”
“Horse stealing is not all for adventure,” High Hawk said defensively, his jaw tight. “It is an accepted means of acquiring respect among my people. A man’s wealth is measured by his horses. They are essential in the hunt, our means of acquiring food, clothes and shelter. Horse stealing is also necessary to offset thefts of Pawnee horses. The survival of our whole tribe depen
ds on having enough horses so that our warriors can protect the women and children.”
“Yes, you can make all sorts of excuses for what you have done tonight, but I still believe it is wrong to take another man’s possessions,” Joylynn argued back. “And worse yet, you stole me . . . a human being. What can you say to try to convince me that is right?”
“You were in the path of the moon tonight, and so it was meant for me to take you to my home,” High Hawk said matter-of-factly.
“What . . . ?” Joylynn gasped. “I have never heard such hogwash as that. The moon led you to me? What else will you allow yourself to think to make what you did to me right in your eyes?”
“Hogwash?” High Hawk said, raising an eyebrow. “What is this word . . . ‘hogwash’?”
Joylynn’s lips parted. She gazed back at him, stunned that such a powerful man should be so innocent in some ways.
“Hogwash is a term used when one wants to say that what has been said is foolish, even . . . stupid . . .” Joylynn said, her voice not as accusing now, for the longer she was with this man, the more alluring she found him.
