CHAPTER XX

WE TRADE WITH INDIANS

For the next week or two, although the weather had turned stormy, Jack and I put in all the time we could at poisoning and skinning wolves. It was now getting well along in February--nearing the close of the season for taking pelts. We had already taken about twenty-five hundred and were anxious to make our winter's catch an even three thousand before quitting.

Tom's patient, old To hausen, had so far recovered that Tom had returned to our camp, but still made an occasional visit to the Kiowa village, where, on account of his success in treating the old chief and others, his services as medicine-man were now much sought by the afflicted Indians, to the utter neglect of old Broken Nose, their own medicine-man, who seemed jealous of Tom's popularity.

One day Jack had gone out alone, riding old Vinegar the buckskin bronco, to kill some buffalo, and in a short time he came back to camp afoot, carrying his saddle and bridle.

"What's happened? Where's Vinegar?" we asked anxiously.

"Vinegar's done for--dead," he answered as he threw down the saddle and bridle, "an' I'm in big luck myself to be here to tell it. It was this way: I was chasin' a bull, an' shot him but had got too close or the bronco was too slow turnin' to get away--anyway the bull got his head under Vinegar an' heaved both him an' me into the air, an' we come down in a heap; but by good luck the buffalo went on without stopping to make further fight, or he might easy have finished both of us. I scrambled to my feet, Vinegar still lying where he fell, with his paunch ripped open an' entrails hanging out. With a great effort he got up onto his feet, but his insides were hanging to the ground, and there he stood a-looking at me pleading like an' a-groaning as much as to ask me to put him out of his misery, which was all I could do for him; so I put my pistol to his head and finished him."

On Tom's next trip to the Kiowa camp, on mentioning to old To hausen the bronco's being killed, the old chief had his herd driven in, and selecting a good pony--one he had used in his ambulance and so knew its working qualities--he insisted on Tom's taking it to replace Vinegar.

About this time, the weather having apparently settled for a mild spell, Captain Saunders and Wild Bill came over from the post on their way to the Kiowa village.

Since returning from nursing the old chief, Tom had said little about the ill feeling that he had stirred up in old Broken Nose, the Kiowa medicine-man, but, overhearing a conversation between him and Wild Bill, I learned that Tom was feeling uneasy about this. He suspected that Broken Nose had sent a message to Satank which, he feared, boded us no good. He asked Bill to try to find out something about it.

After their return next day, at supper Tom informed us that while at To hausen's camp Bill had discovered that old Broken Nose had really sent to Satank a secret message, the bearer of which had not returned. Bill could not learn what the message was, but from the old Indian's evident hostility toward Tom, and from certain unfriendly remarks he had been heard to make concerning our killing so many buffalo and other game, there were good reasons to suspect that his purpose was to stir up Satank's well-known animosity toward the whites in general, and direct his attention to us in particular, in order to even up with Tom by bringing the hostiles down on us.

Some of To hausen's people had told Bill, in a friendly way, to warn us to be sure to close up our work and get away from here, or else look out for trouble from Satank's band as soon as the new grass began to come; but they did not seem to think that Satank's horses would be in condition for him and his warriors to make a raid on us before the grass got up.

The fact that a few of To hausen's followers denied the report that Broken Nose was trying to make trouble for us led Bill to conclude that some of them were not so friendly to us as they pretended. After stating the situation, Tom went on: "Bill says it ain't likely that Satank will be in a condition to make any move for two or three weeks yet, and by that time we'll be done skinning wolves and out of here; but there's a possibility that the old rascal may make a forced march, in order to catch us before we can get away. In that case we may have to fight. He might be able to find a few of his ponies that are able to travel and mount a party of his men and ride over here to see what we're doing; or, if he and his bucks get very anxious for a row, they might make the trip afoot. Anyway, from now on, we've got to keep a sharp lookout for Injuns or fresh signs in this neighborhood, an' also a close watch of To hausen's camp; for if Satank should come over this way he'd be apt to go there first thing. To hausen himself an' most of his people are friendly to us, but it's more'n likely that some of 'em'll be ready to give Satank any information about us that he wants."

Wild Bill had seemed rather serious and thoughtful this night--and it was so uncommon for him to remain serious long at a time that it attracted my attention--and as we were about to turn in he remarked:

"Boys, as Tom says, it's best to be prepared for emergencies, and if anything serious should happen to you, such as Satank an' his warriors a-looming up of a sudden and a-jumping your camp or corralling you, an' you could manage to send word to me, the captain an' I'll mount some of his soldiers and come right over. Now, I'll tell you how you can send me word"--untying a bead necklace which he wore around his neck. "I'll leave this with you. Hang it somewheres handy, and if you have need of help just write a few words on a slip of paper, tie it 'round the necklace, then hold the necklace to Found's nose and let him get the scent; then tie it 'round his neck, point to the fort, and say to him: 'Go to Bill!' He'll savvy, for he's been trained to it, and he'll go a-flying till he gets to my quarters. Now, mind you, you may not have any occasion to send for me at all; you're likely to finish up your wolf skinning an' get away from here before Satank gets around; but if anything should happen that you need us, do as I've told you, an' we'll come a-curling and help you out. Is it a whack, Cap?" appealing to Saunders.

"It is," replied the captain, "and to be prepared for such a call--though I hope they'll have no occasion to make it--I'll have an understanding with the major when I get back, so that if it should come in the night I will be allowed to take my company out of the post as quickly as possible, without calling on him or disturbing the rest of the garrison."

"That's a good idea," added Bill. "It'll save a heap of time."

"Well," said old Tom, "we'll try an' not put the captain an' Bill to so much trouble unless it's a case of dire necessity. I hardly think that Satank will make war on us, an' if he should, we're pretty well fixed for fighting an' can give him a good tussle before we call on our neighbors for help."

"I'm not scared about it," replied Bill, "an' I know you boys ain't, for this is just an emergency arrangement. But I tell you right now, Tom, if there's any fighting an' you don't give me a show I won't like you for it."

I took the bead necklace and hung it in a conspicuous place on the wall, little thinking that we would ever have occasion to use it, and sincerely hoping that we would not; but I felt that both Bill and Tom, who understood Indian ways best, really anticipated trouble with them and were mentally preparing to meet it.

After the departure of our guests next morning each of us went about his accustomed duties as usual.

After several days had passed and nothing had occurred to arouse our uneasiness we gradually regained our accustomed assurance, but I know that while out hunting or skinning wolves I was more keenly watchful than formerly, and several times on returning to camp I had noticed Tom coming down from the nearest bluff with the field-glass in his hand, indicating that he had been scanning the surrounding country.

I noticed, too, that lately, whenever the team was sent over to the fort, in addition to the usual batch of baled wolfskins, Tom was now sending other stuff, such as surplus grain and provisions--anything, in fact, that could be dispensed with in the camp and reduce our outfit, as he said, to "light marching order," for we thought now in a couple of weeks more we would be ready to break up camp and go in.

Of the three, Jack was by far the most indifferent, for, as he said, "It's time enough to bid the divil good morning when you meet him."

Since To hausen's band had located near us we had had frequent visits from some of his people, when the weather was fair, and had struck up quite a profitable trade with them for buffalo robes, dressed deer and antelope skins, with a few otter, beaver, panther, wildcat skins, and the like, paying for them in coffee, sugar, flour, or tobacco. And since returning from his attendance on the old chief Tom made it a point to visit him every few days, ostensibly to see how the old fellow was getting along, but more particularly to try to find out if any intercourse was passing between Satank's band and To hausen's.

To hausen seemed sincere in his efforts to befriend Tom and, so far as he could, kept Tom informed; but for obvious reasons he had to be secret about it. Not much going and coming between the two bands was to be expected, however, for the weather was still quite severe and stormy a great part of the time, the distance between the two camps considerable, and Indian ponies at this season of the year were poor and weak.

In our traffic with the old chief's people we had given them a liberal exchange for their skins and peltries--far more than they would have received from the traders--we being satisfied with about one hundred per cent. profit on the goods we traded them instead of three to four hundred per cent. as was the custom with men regularly engaged in the trade.

The Indians were not slow to see that we were giving them more for their stuff than they usually received from the traders, and our commerce with them increased. Soon we found that we were gathering in so much of this material that it became a serious question how we were going to smuggle it into our storeroom at Fort Larned, or beyond there, without Weisselbaum's knowledge, or, in case we sold our skins to him, how to account for those we had traded from the Indians. He had a trader's license from the government, and we had nothing of the kind. According to law, we were trespassing on his rights, in which the commanding officer at Fort Larned was in duty bound to protect him. When we began trading with the Indians we had not thought of these difficulties, but, having got into it, we determined to bluff it out and trust to luck for some future plan to suggest itself to us for getting through.