Part 12

“Masi is a ruthless brave. Ever since he was beaten in battle by the brave Delaware, Running Bear, he has carried hatred in his heart for the Delawares. Their having sent hunting parties into the land of the Iroquois and taken game from our hunting grounds was all the excuse that was needed. And so our tribes are at war, and it will not cease until many are dead and there is much sadness in the wigwams of both tribes.” With these words, the warriors withdrew from the door.

Little Horse had heard all and pondered the words of the Iroquois. He had not known that any of their tribe had invaded the hunting grounds of the Iroquois unless it had been himself. This troubled him, but he pushed the thoughts from his mind and slept once again. Because of his training he slept soundly and as dawn broke through the greyness he awoke feeling quite hungry and thirsty.

The guards at his door looked in, and soon food and drink were brought to him. He ate hungrily and drank long of the cool water and when he had finished, his guards stepped forward and once again bound his wrists. However, they took him outside the wigwam and allowed him to walk up and down for a short while to give his muscles exercise. The morning passed quickly and soon it was time.

Little Horse felt the old fear once again returning to his breast and now there was nothing he could do to force it back. As the guards approached they noticed Little Horse looking upward as if to speak with someone and it was true, for Little Horse was calling upon the powers of nature to give him strength at this hour of trial.

His guards approached him and, grasping his arms, dragged him from the wigwam, for now fear had gripped the heart of Little Horse and he fought the hands of the Iroquois which held his arms in firm grip and he fought the tough thongs which bound his wrists. But twist and turn as he would, it did no good and soon he was standing before the elders of the tribe.

Across the center of the village he saw the gauntlet of tall powerful braves begin to form and his legs trembled slightly. The elders talked among themselves, and then one old man stepped forward and spoke to Little Horse.

“Your tribe has invaded the lands of the Iroquois in seeking wild game and in doing so they have broken the law of the tribes. If they had stayed on their own ground there would have been no need for war. But for the Iroquois to do nothing when their neighbor invades the sacred hunting ground would be as if we shouted through the forest that we were weak and afraid of the Delawares. You have been captured on our land and as an example to all Delawares you will be made to run the gauntlet. If you do so successfully your life will be spared, but if not the war clubs my braves now hold shall beat your body till it blends with the dirt of the forest floor and you are no more. Are you ready for the ordeal?”

Little Horse held his head high and looking straight into the eyes of the elder warrior, he said, “I know not of any of our braves that invaded your hunting grounds unless it was myself. In pursuit of the wild turkey, I ran quickly along the trail and was in the land of the Iroquois before I realized. I did not think that the great Iroquois would miss one little wild turkey.”

The old warrior looked stern and then he said, “It is not you but other braves of your tribe who have entered our grounds, but you and I are not here to argue, for I will not even discuss it, the law has been broken and war has been declared. Already the blood of one of our warriors had been spilled on the very edge of our camp.”

With this statement the heart of Little Horse beat just a little faster, for if one of the Iroquois had died close to the village then the Delawares must have followed and there was still hope that he would be rescued.

“I am ready for the gauntlet,” Little Horse said.

With that he was dragged to the head of the two lines. He looked down the two long rows of warriors standing like statues with war clubs raised, each one hoping that his blow would be the one that would deal death to this Delaware. Then the signal was given, and Little Horse took a deep breath and started running with top speed. As he ran he ducked from side to side and hesitated, forcing one blow to come down too soon or miss entirely. Halfway down the line he had not fared too badly, but as he came to the second half he was thrown a little off stride and could not duck so many of the blows. Several landed rather solidly upon his back and shoulders and arms and he began to feel weak, but with a last spurt of speed he reached the end of the line just as the club of Masi glanced off the side of his head. Instead of slumping to the ground between the two rows, Little Horse fell forward clear of the line and as Masi raised his club to strike again the elder stepped forward and raising his arms he said,

“Cease, Masi, for the boy is clear of the gauntlet. He has received quite a beating, but breath still stirs in his body. He is a brave lad and has earned the right to live.”

Little Horse was then carried to a wigwam where his bruises were cared for. Food and water were brought and he was made comfortable. The tall warrior that had prevented his death upon the trail entered the wigwam and spoke with Little Horse.

“O my brave young man, you have proved to be quite courageous this day, and the Iroquois admire the courage of even their enemies. You will rest now and when you are well we will talk.”

With that he left the wigwam, and sudden darkness came once again to Little Horse as he fell unconscious.

Meanwhile Running Bear had gathered quite a force of Delawares and was approaching the village from the south. Advance scouts who had been near the village of the Iroquois throughout the day reported the gauntlet and the exact location where they had placed the boy.

Running Bear swiftly gave his orders and the band advanced at a quicker pace, spreading out so that by the late afternoon a strong semicircle of Delaware braves surrounded the Iroquois stronghold.

At a given signal from Running Bear, the attack was on. The attack was such that the Iroquois were caught completely by surprise. Though the band of attacking Delawares was much smaller than the number of Iroquois in the village, they swooped into the village to surprise the guards surrounding the wigwam of Little Horse.

They rushed in and gathering the body of the still unconscious boy they rushed out again and into the forest, and were away before the Iroquois had gathered themselves together. By the time the Iroquois were ready to do battle, the Delawares had left, leaving the bodies of four Iroquois and two of their own attacking party dead upon the ground surrounding the wigwam where Little Horse had been held captive.

Once the rescue had been accomplished the attacking Delawares did not wait to join in battle with the now furious Iroquois but sped swiftly toward the south and the safety and security of their own village. They traveled at a very fast pace and though it was growing dark it was not long before they had placed many miles between themselves and the village of the Iroquois.

Onward through the night and into the next day they pressed until soon they could see the smoke of the Delaware village. They arrived in the middle of the village among the welcoming shouts of their friends and families who had awaited their return with growing anxiety.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Little Horse was placed in the warmth and seclusion of his father’s wigwam and when his hurts had been attended to, his father knelt by his side to add what comfort he could, and to add his praise to the courage of the boy. He promised that he, Running Bear, would not rest until he had paid back the Iroquois for the injuries they had inflicted upon his son.

“Now rest, my son,” Running Bear said, “and when you have rested and eaten we shall talk some more.” Running Bear turned to leave but Little Horse placed his hand upon his arm and bade him stay.

“Wait, my father, for there is something I must tell you. While at the village of our neighbors the Iroquois I learned why it was that they had declared war upon the Delawares. It was reported to them that the Delawares had invaded their hunting ground and made off with many kills. This being a breach of the peace between the tribes, they had no choice but to declare that war existed between their own tribe and that of the Delawares.”

“This is a serious matter, my son,” said Running Bear, “for we have had plenty of food on our own land and I see no reason for any of our braves going into the land of the Iroquois to hunt. But this matter is of grave importance and we must hold a council immediately, for the Iroquois are probably at this very moment preparing a great dance, since tomorrow they will no doubt move to attack our village.”

With that, Running Bear left his wigwam and calling the elder braves together, they immediately went into council. After telling the council all that his son had reported to him, Running Bear asked that the tribe be assembled and told of the situation that existed. The council agreed and very shortly the whole tribe was gathered in the center of the ring and one of the elders rose to speak.

“The Iroquois have declared war, and Little Horse tells us that the reason for this is that some of our braves have invaded their hunting grounds to kill the swift deer. If this is true we have done the Iroquois a grave injustice. The forest and fields of our land have yielded us much food this past year and I see no reason for having left our lands to hunt elsewhere. Who among you has caused the wrath of the Iroquois to be brought down upon our heads?”

One at a time the leaders of the families stepped forward to deny that they had left the sacred hunting grounds of the Delawares until all had spoken. When no one had accepted the guilt, Running Bear rose and spoke.

“If no one of our village has violated the sacred lands of the Iroquois, we have committed no crime. Of this I must speak further. For at this moment the Iroquois are probably on their way to our village to seek revenge for our attack last night. I will take with me two warriors and without weapons we shall go to speak of peace with our neighbors, the Iroquois.

“Already seven brave young men are dead, and my own son lies hurt and bleeding in my wigwam. In order to prevent the shed of further blood, I must go to meet the oncoming Iroquois with only talk of peace. Somewhere, somehow, an injustice has been done, and we must right this wrong before peace can once more prevail over our land.”

With that, Running Bear selected two stout warriors and leaving their weapons behind they proceeded at a steady pace back up the path toward the Iroquois country. They traveled swiftly and many hours later Running Bear suggested they stop and rest.

As the three warriors rested at the side of the trail, they were suddenly surrounded by many Iroquois braves. Their arms were tightly bound and menacing motions with tomahawk and knife were made. But the same warrior that had prevented the death of Little Horse stepped forward and, raising his arm for silence, he spoke to Running Bear.

“You appear to be the leader of this small party and I ask you why you come to the land of the Iroquois without arms when open war exists?”

Running Bear spoke loud and clear for the whole Iroquois war party to hear. “I, Running Bear, with my two fellow warriors come in peace to speak with the council of the great Iroquois. As you can see, we carry no arms and we rested in the open along the trail, hoping that we would find our Iroquois neighbors before they and the Delawares shed each other’s blood once again.”

The Iroquois brave said nothing, but having the wrists of the three Delawares bound they were herded along the trail back to the camp of the Iroquois.

As the party entered the camp they could hear much moaning and crying from the families of the Iroquois that had been slain and also they observed the menacing looks as the people of the village crowded around the party, pressing ever closer hoping for a reason to swing a club or a tomahawk or drive a knife deep into the head or hearts of these Delawares who so boldly approached the village without arms.

But the tall leader of the war party guided them safely to a wigwam where they were placed under heavy guard until the council lodge had been prepared for the great council.

When the elders and wise men of the tribe had gathered, the prisoners were led before them. Running Bear spoke briefly of their mission and then in a loud clear voice he said,

“The Delawares have sworn to their chiefs that none among our village have invaded the hunting grounds of the Iroquois and therefore there is no need for war between us.”

There was some hushed conversation and then one of the elders spoke to a guard at the door. “Summon the warrior known as Masi.” Masi was brought to the council and the elder who had summoned him spoke.

“Masi, it was you who reported to the council of the thievery of the Delaware and it was you who brought to our council the entrails of a deer to prove before the council your story of having seen the hunting party of Delawares invade our lands and kill much wild game. Now tell these warriors who come to us from the Delawares that you have seen this with your own eyes.”

Masi spoke and told of having seen a hunting party of some fifteen braves of the Delawares stalk, kill, and strip the carcasses of several deer and take several wild turkey and other wild game. When he had finished, the council looked first at Masi and then at Running Bear. The elder was about to speak once more when the tall warrior who had saved the life of Little Horse stepped forward and spoke to the council.

“I do not know why,” he said, “but my heart tells me the Delaware speaks truth. For many weeks now Masi has brooded over the death of his sister, and his mind has not been quite right since she died of the great sickness. We know that Masi has been a great warrior, but ask him once again to repeat what he saw. For when he first told his story the hunting party of Delawares were six in number. Suddenly they have increased to number fifteen.”

“Yes, yes,” cried Masi, “and there have been many, many more since that day. If we are not careful they will be in our village in one more sun and we shall all be murdered in our sleep.”

With that, Masi began to scream and he threw himself upon the ground, tearing at the ground and bemoaning the death of his young sister whom he had loved dearly. He was truly a grief-stricken brave gone mad.

The elder who seemed to be a leader in the council stepped forward then and placing his hands upon the shoulders of Running Bear, he said, “There has been a great wrong done here, and we must sit and smoke the peacepipe together. We ask forgiveness, for we have wronged each other greatly. Once again peace shall exist between the Iroquois and the Delawares and let us not allow anything to break that peace. Brothers we have been in the past, and brothers we will be again. Come sit with us and we shall smoke the pipe.”

With that, the peacepipe was passed from hand to hand and when all had smoked, food and drink were brought. Then there was much rejoicing as the village was told of the results of the council meeting. Loaded down with gifts, Running Bear and his two warriors returned to their village with the word of peace.

After telling of the good news, Running Bear went to his wigwam where he found Little Horse now able to sit up and partake of solid food. He seated himself next to his son and once again praised him for the courage he had showed and explained to him how important the information he had brought had been—how he, Running Bear, was able through talk with the council of Iroquois to bring about peace between the Delawares and the Iroquois.

FALLING WATER EARNS A FEATHER

Falling Water came galloping into the Dakota-Sioux camp on his brand-new pony. The pony had been a present from his uncle, Walking Bear, one of the leaders of the tribe. Proudly Falling Water rode it up and down through the camp so all the other young braves could see what a beautiful pony he had. When he felt that everyone had seen the pony he rode swiftly back to the tepee of his father and dismounting ran to show his father the fine gift.

One Horn, so named because he had lost an ear in a battle with a band of Shoshone braves a few years ago, stepped from the tepee and admired this fine gift.

“It is a strong pony and a young one, my son. Treat it well, for a horse can be your best friend.”

“Yes, father, I will take good care of the pony and I will ride him on the hunt. I am now a man and with my own weapons and my own horse, I can now go on the hunt.”

“Yes, my son. In fact tomorrow your uncle is leading a hunting party in search of the buffalo, for it is almost time for the big buffalo hunt. So see to your weapons and be sure you are ready for the great hunt.”

Falling Water rushed into the tepee and the rest of the day he spent working on his weapons in preparation for the hunt. He was sixteen now and considered a man but until now he had not been on any of the big hunts, for he had been sick the season of the hunt last year and now he was well and strong and prepared to ride with the best of them.

The following morning, Walking Bear gathered the warriors about him and made sure that all were prepared for the trip ahead.

“We will divide into three groups and go in different directions. When the sun has crossed the great sky twice we will meet where the Whispering River flows. There we will compare what each group has found, and the largest herd shall become our target. Let me warn you each and every one that though we are hunting buffalo, we must be ever aware that our enemies the Shoshones are all about us and we must be on guard that these jackals do not add our scalps to their belts. Calling Hawk, you will lead one party, Speaks Like Thunder, you will lead the second party, and I will lead the third. Good hunting, and may we all meet with our hair still upon our heads, come the end of the second day.”

So it was that Falling Water, in Calling Hawk’s party, was off on an adventure that was to earn him his first feathers for bravery.

Calling Hawk led his party to the west, for scouts had reported a fine herd of buffalo moving in that direction. The party moved steadily along keeping their eyes alert for signs of dust clouds that would signify a moving herd or horsemen. One or two braves were sent ahead to sweep wide of the main party to see what they could possibly find. From time to time these scouts would ride back to the main party and two more would take their place.

The first day ended with no sight of buffalo or of marauding Shoshones, and the group made camp in a small clump of trees.

The following morning after a breakfast of pemmican they were on their way once again.

It was late in the morning when a scout riding hard brought his pony to a halt in front of Calling Hawk. He reported that he had spotted a herd of buffalo about a quarter of a mile ahead of the group. And so the party quickened its pace and soon came to the top of a rise. There below it on the prairie was a fine large herd of buffalo. They were not moving and therefore no dust cloud had been seen.

Calling Hawk asked two of the braves to remain and keep watch on the herd while the others continued to the Whispering River which was but a short distance ahead, there to join with Walking Bear and make their report.

Unknown to Calling Hawk and his party, the herd had also been seen by a hunting party of Shoshones, slightly larger than the Dakota-Sioux party, and also at the same time they had seen the party of Calling Hawk. As the Sioux moved toward the river, the Shoshones moved parallel awaiting the best place to attack.

And now it was Falling Water’s turn to ride scout and he moved out from the party. He rode hard to get a long lead on the party and then began to move steadily to the side of the group and ever toward the river. Soon he felt it was time to return to the group.

It was getting late in the afternoon, and as he turned to return he saw to the north a small cloud of dust. Urging his horse to the top of a near-by rise he slid from his back and, crawling to the very edge, peered over into the valley below. There he saw a sight which made his blood run hot.

A band of perhaps twenty Shoshones were riding hard toward the unsuspecting Sioux party which was about twelve in number. Quickly mounting his horse, Falling Water rode like the wind back toward his brothers. Finally coming over a slight hill he saw the party moving slowly forward. Then he began to shout his warning of Shoshones and Calling Hawk called his party to a halt.

Falling Water galloped up and reported what he had seen. Quickly the Sioux formed a line and drawing their weapons they moved forward to meet the Shoshones.

Soon the Sioux saw the oncoming enemy and urged their horses to even greater speed.

The two groups clashed, and there was a mixture of rearing horses and screaming men. Knives flashed and arrows swished through the air, some flying harmlessly or some thudding into flesh.

Falling Water, right in the middle, rode toward a large Shoshone buck. As he did, a knife thrust slashed his arm and he dropped his weapons, but now he was too close to the Shoshone to stop the forward move of his horse. Ducking under the slashing knife of the Shoshone warrior, he placed his hand upon the brave’s shoulder and pushed. The brave was thrown off balance and almost lost his seat and, while he was trying to regain his seat, Falling Water dashed to the outer circle.

Soon the fight was over and twelve Shoshones and three Sioux lay dead upon the ground while a badly beaten group of Shoshones beat a hasty retreat into the distance. The felled warriors were placed across their horses’ backs, and the group continued to their meeting place.

When Calling Hawk reported to Walking Bear their fight with the Shoshone, Walking Bear ordered a return to the village.

When the party entered the village the people were immediately aware of what had happened because of the bodies and the Shoshone scalps hanging from the belts of several warriors.

That evening a council was held, and Falling Water rose to report to the council of his great deed of courage. He had rushed in and touched an enemy while still alive. When he had finished, Walking Bear said,

“Are there any here that were witnesses to this event?”

Calling Hawk stepped forward and in very descriptive words retold the event. The others told their stories of bravery and then Falling Water was called before the chief, his uncle.

“I am very proud of you, my brother’s son. You have proven yourself a great warrior this day and for that you shall be privileged to wear two eagle feathers.”

There were many shouts of praise and approval, and Falling Water felt a warm glow as his father placed his hands across his shoulders and said, “I am proud of you, my son.”

Today Falling Water had earned his first feathers.

THE RACE WITH DEATH

In the high range of mountains lived the great and powerful Apaches. For many, many years the war between the Long Knives and the Apaches had been waging back and forth.

The Long Knives, as the white men’s cavalry were known in those days, had at last worked out a treaty with the Apaches and all was peaceful for the time being. With the coming of peace to the Apaches, the return of normal family life was slowly but surely noticed by the younger of the warriors.