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Aiden frowned, "Thought I might get a little rest before I headed out again, Major."
He knew there would be no rest, but he wanted to remind the Major he just got back.
Still the Major shook his head. "I know. And if anyone else could do this, I'd send them. But this is something I thin
k only you can handle."
"Why?" Aiden eyed him with precision. "You have several capable scouts."
"Because you know the Cheyenne pretty well Aiden, and I believe you are the only one I have that can do this job."
Aiden rested his arm on his leg and stared at him, "Cut the compliments, I know when you are buttering me up for something. What is it?"
"We have a small party of Cheyenne giving us some trouble now, about going to the reservation, and if they put up a stink about going, the other tribes will too. They've been given most of the Black Hills as a Great Sioux Reservation and they have all the hunting rights."
"Sounds like they are in the right place already? What's the problem?"
"We've had some trouble, and I don't want it escalating. We're just inches from another war, this time with the Cheyenne, I fear. Although the Sioux would probably help them."
"Cheyenne, then why not let Bear Belly or Long Nose take this on?"
"Because they are enemies with the Cheyenne, and they might cause more problems. And the Indian scouts are bickering back and forth about every move we make. They know their people are going to be forced onto reservations. But, nonetheless, my job is to get them on the reservations.
"Well Major it might help if y'all quit pushing them onto a land then taking it away from them and making them move."
"I don't make those decisions Aiden. Washington does. One particular tribe of the Cheyenne has settled in the Black Hills and is nestled there for the winter. That's fine, but they've been making raids all summer, and aiming them at us. We think they are camping with the Sioux. They seem to be moving continuously so it's hard to pinpoint them. It's a small band of them, dedicated to the White Silver Fox. She's the leader of this renegade bunch. I've been told you know her."
"I do."
"We need her cooperation to get them moved. If she'll relent, this won't be a huge task."
"You want them to move because you found gold, silver, copper, whatever."
"Look, we get her on our side, and the move will be easy, and the killings will stop. They must stop and stop now or there will be more wars."
The Major let that sink in before going on.
"We've got to get them on the reservation and keep them there. This one small group is resisting. We need it stopped. I don't want a war with the Cheyenne as we have to worry about the Sioux getting involved too. We've had reports that south of here, into the Dakotas the Cheyenne have been on a killing spree." The Major said, lighting a cigar and leaning back in his chair. "I've wired Colonel Gibbon and he wired back telling me to get them under control. He said if the Cheyenne comply then possibly the Sioux will see reason.
"Look Major, Washington gave them land in the Black Hills. That is their territory. They get angry when we mess with them. Besides, that land is part of the reservation and hunting grounds. What do you expect them to do? Be happy to leave it? You got settlers giving them grief about the trees being cut for more shelter down the mountain. Miners and prospectors coming up to take the gold out of the hills. Those hills are crawling with people, not just Indians."
"Aiden, I can't control what Washington does about the treaties. I can't control all the settlers either."
"We're getting together a big campaign to driver them out of there and onto a new location."
"That sounds about normal."
"Whose side are you on, Aiden?"
"Wait a minute," Aiden frowned, "One person? You mentioned one person?"
"That's right, the White Silver Fox."
"Oh, you've got to be kidding." Aiden put his leg down and leaned his elbows on the desk, "This some kind of joke?"
"No. I think you are the only one that can catch her!"
"Why me?"
