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"I had Angus a trapper that was with us bring Frank and Gloria back to safety and went after them. They raped and killed her. I killed them. But they did get one good shot off, I got hit in the leg."
"You killed both of them?"
"Yes sir, got shot in the leg for it, but they are both dead."
"Did you bring the body in?"
"Whose?" Aiden looked a bit shocked.
"Her's of course." His voice was harsh, his temper flaring.
"No, I buried her. I'm going to buy a stone for her and put it up at her grave."
"A stone, for what purpose?"
"To let the Indians know we buried her proper. When they find out she is dead, they won't be too happy about it, but at least they will see that we honored her death."
"You actually care what they think?" His face snarled at Aiden now.
"As a token of good will. She was as important to them as a chief, sir. She was the Spirit Woman, Major. Respected by both the Sioux and the Cheyenne. We'd have never even gotten in their camp if not for her. She negotiated the meeting for Gloria, Mrs. Winters. If not for her, we'd be dead."
"If not for her, you'd probably have the child." The Major scoffed. "Obviously your feelings for this woman colored your judgement."
"Major you sent me on a task you knew would be darn near impossible in the first place. You were up there, you didn't even find her if I recall. You had a whole troop of men and didn't find her. I'm one man. I found her, but everyone seemed to be after her. And I do mean everyone"
"What do you mean, after her?"
"They wanted her dead."
"You thought a lot of her, huh?"
"I respected the hell out of her. As I would a chief or a Shaman."
"Very well. I suppose there will be no negotiating with the Sioux or the Cheyenne now."
"On the contrary, I have a little good news to report."
"Oh, and what would that be?" The Major's sarcasm was obvious from his tone.
"The son's chief, of the Cheyenne, Long Knife is the one that has stirred the trouble up. He rallies the young in their camp to fight. He's dead!"
"Dead? How?"
"A cougar that was stalking us, got him."
"I see, and he was responsible for the raids?"
"Yes sir, he was. The young people of the tribe followed him. Yellow Deer is aging, and his son would have taken over as chief. The White Silver Fox said now that he was dead her father, the one that raised her, the chief of the Cheyenne, Yellow Deer would seek peace now. That's what she told me before she died. He does
n't want war. It was his son that wanted it. But Custer raiding their women and children may set it off anyway."
"Do you know this for a fact?"
"I didn't know him personally, although I had met him long ago."
"And was he hostile?"
"Yes, very much so. Look, he was simply waiting for his father to die so he could take over the tribe and war with us. He sought vengeance."
