Woman of Courage (20 page)

Yellow Bird lay motionless on her mat, listening to the sounds of the night. An owl hooted from somewhere outside, and one of the Indian ponies, corralled nearby, whinnied as if in response. Inside the tepee, she heard heavy breathing from the other two women, accompanied by the sound of Smoking Buffalo’s deep snores
.

Slowly, quietly, Yellow Bird crawled out from under her buffalo robe. She waited until she was certain that everyone was asleep. Then, reaching under the mat for her food supplies, she tied them inside a piece of deer hide and slipped into her tunic and moccasins. She stuffed some larger deer hides under her sleeping robe, so it would appear as if she were still asleep. On hands and knees, she crept toward the door flap
.

When Smoking Buffalo rolled over and grunted, Yellow Bird halted, holding her breath. She felt the blood race through her veins as she hunkered down close to the tent floor, waiting to see if he would awaken. His snoring continued, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She longed to reach out as she passed the sleeping man, snatch away the knife lying close to his side, and take her revenge. But it wasn’t worth the risk. Freedom would be better than revenge
.

The chill of the night air took Yellow Bird’s breath away as she crawled outside the tent and stood. She shivered, looking down at her bare arms, realizing that she had carelessly forgotten to bring a buffalo robe from the lodge. She was tempted to go back and get one, but her fear of being discovered was greater than her reluctance to face the dreaded cold. She would have to find something else for warmth
.

Yellow Bird knew the horses were well guarded, so her escape would have to be on foot. She walked carefully and quietly around the back of the tepee. It was pitch dark, as the silvery moon was hidden behind clouds, so she waited, giving her eyes time to adjust
.

A stack of deer hides waiting to be cured were piled high. She pulled one off the top and wrapped it around her trembling shoulders. It helped dispel the cold, but the pungent odor was overpowering
.

It will have to do,
she silently acknowledged. Hesitating a moment, she tried to decide which direction to take. Gathering what little courage she had, Yellow Bird made a dash for the woods
.

Her heart pounded so hard, she could hear the rhythm of it in her ears, and by the time she heard running water from the stream, she was nearly out of breath. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, and she caught a glimpse of the stream just ahead. A few more steps and she was at the water’s edge
.

Yellow Bird looked for the shallowest part and waded quickly across, thanking Hanyawat that there had been no guards on the path she had chosen
.

By the time she reached the other side of the stream, she was shivering badly. Her moccasins were soaked, and the hem of her tunic was also wet. She wrapped the smelly deer hide tightly around her shoulders, and ran for all she was worth. Yellow Bird didn’t stop or even look back until the first light of day. She was hungry, thirsty, and utterly exhausted
.

Dropping to a fallen log, she opened her satchel of provisions. She ate one of the kouse cakes but decided to save the rest, knowing she would need to make the few items of food last as long as possible. Since she would be following the river, heading upstream, she could get a cool drink of water whenever she needed one
.

How Yellow Bird longed for just a few hours’ sleep, but she was not yet far enough from the Blackfoot camp to stop. She had to keep going and hoped she was traveling in the right direction. If she had only paid closer attention to her surroundings when she’d traveled from her home to the Blackfoot camp with her captors. She prayed that her guardian spirit would guide her safely back to her people
.

A chilling thought popped into her head. Even if she were successful in finding her way back to the camp from which she had been taken, the chance that her people would still be there was slim. Winter was coming, and they needed to go to their homeland along the Clearwater River
.

As Yellow Bird trudged wearily on, a feeling of hopelessness flooded her soul. She was alone with no shelter, very little food, and no weapons. Now she wished she’d taken the chance and stolen Smoking Buffalo’s knife. She might very well die out here in the forest. Yet she could not go back. She never wanted to see Smoking Buffalo or his cruel wives again. Any fate that might lie ahead could not compare to what she’d endured at the hands of her wicked captors. She had to go on, and somehow she must find the courage to survive
.

The sun was high overhead when Yellow Bird stopped to rest again. Her tunic and moccasins had dried, and she had finally managed to warm up. She was about to collapse on the grass for a much-needed rest when she heard the sound of approaching horses. She turned and saw a group of Indians riding toward her at a fast pace. As they drew nearer, she realized with agonizing fear that one of them was Smoking Buffalo
.

Her heart thundered wildly, and she fled as fast as her legs would carry her. She could hear the yips and wild cries of the approaching Indians as they bore down on her, but she kept running
.

In a short time they had gained on her, and one of the horses plowed straight into Yellow Bird’s back. She dropped to the ground, the deer hide falling from her shoulders, and the satchel of provisions landing in the dirt
.

She pulled herself to her feet, only to be knocked down again. The blow came from Smoking Buffalo. “You are my slave!” he cried. “You will pay for trying to escape!”

Yellow Bird knew the Blackfoot language well enough to understand how angry he was. She would surely be punished, if not killed, for her foolish attempt to escape
.

She flinched when he grabbed one of her braids and yanked her roughly to her feet. “You come with me!” Smoking Buffalo jerked Yellow Bird toward his horse, and in one quick movement, threw her across the stallion’s back, then mounted behind her
.

The other five Blackfoot braves howled with laughter. No doubt they knew what her fate would be
.

Yellow Bird’s father had told her once that someday she would have strong power
. Where is this promised power now?
she wondered bleakly
. Where is the strength of my guardian spirit?
She felt like a helpless fool as Smoking Buffalo held her firmly in place with one hand and guided his horse with the other. There was nothing left to do but wait and see what her punishment would be
.

Her body ached after hanging over the horse’s back for so long, but Yellow Bird was more amazed at how quickly they’d returned to the Blackfoot camp. It had taken her all night and half a day to cover the ground they covered on horseback in just a few short hours
.

As they rode into the village, many Blackfoot Indians looked up from their chores and smiled. Some laughed and cheered, pointing at the returning party bringing their runaway captive home. Even the children ran up to them, sneering at Yellow Bird
.

When they reached Smoking Buffalo’s lodge, the horses stopped. The master gave his slave a hefty push, and she fell helplessly to the ground. While the rest of the village went back to their business and the children continued to play, Smoking Buffalo dismounted, grabbed one of Yellow Bird’s braids, and hauled her roughly into the tepee
.

Yellow Bird expected to see Smoking Buffalo’s wives there, but the lodge was empty. She swallowed hard, wondering what her fate would be
.

Smoking Buffalo gave her little time to wonder. He jerked her toward the center of the lodge, directly in front of the fire pit. Yellow Bird cringed as he bent down, pulling her with him
.

The heat from the burning coals reached out to her, and she was certain that her flesh was about to be burned
.

Instead of thrusting her hand into the fire, Smoking Buffalo grabbed a slender piece of firewood and began to beat Yellow Bird with it
.

She jerked back and forth, trying to dodge the blows, but it was no use. He held her firmly by the hair and continued to strike her legs, arms, and back. “You are mine, and you shall learn to obey! If you ever leave here, it will be because I say so! Do you understand?”

Before Yellow Bird could reply, he aimed one final blow to the middle of her back and threw her roughly onto a mat. “No food for four days! Hard labor as punishment!” he shouted
.

Through tearfilled eyes, Yellow Bird watched as he stalked out of the tepee. Her bruised and battered body ached unmercifully, and she trembled violently. “I should not have tried to escape!” she sobbed. “I have no power and no courage. My guardian spirit has surely left me. Hanyawat no longer cares.”

She dropped her head to her knees and let the tears flow unchecked. It was useless to think she could ever be free or happy again. Yellow Bird’s fate had been sealed
.

When Mary’s story came to an end, she opened her eyes and blinked. “That day I vow never give in to my fears again.” She clenched her fists until the veins on her hands protruded. “Seth Burrows, he evil man just like Smoking Buffalo.” She looked at Buck, who sat at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of stew as he listened. “We glad you show up to help us, Buck.”

Amanda nodded. “I shudder to think of what might have happened if thou—I mean you—hadn’t come back when you did.”

“I shoulda been here,” Buck said with regret. “Shoulda stayed on the porch till you got the cleaning done.”

“Where did you go?” Amanda asked, placing a cup of coffee on the table in front of Buck.

“When I went outside and saw what a nice day it was, I decided to take a walk.” Buck pinched the bridge of his nose and frowned. “Guess I ended up goin’ a little farther than I’d planned. I should have at least left Thunder with ya. Don’t know what I was thinkin’, and I’m sorry for letting you down.”

“Thine apology is accepted,” Amanda said, taking a seat in the chair across from him. “I … I mean, your apology is accepted,” she corrected herself. “I am still trying to get used to the idea of saying
you
and
your
instead of
thee
and
thou.”

Buck shrugged. “Guess it’s hard for people to change when they’ve been doin’ or sayin’ things a certain way for a long time.”

She smiled. “That’s true. As my father used to say, ‘Once a Quaker, always a Quaker.’ I think that includes the way we speak.”

The whinny of a horse drew everyone’s attention to the outside. “It be Jim,” Mary said. “Me know the sound of his horse.”

“Better let me take a look just in case it’s not.” Buck slid his chair away from the table. “Jim’s been gone a long time. Someone coulda stolen his horse.”

Amanda’s eyes widened. “I hope it’s not Seth Burrows. Maybe somehow he …”

Buck opened the door slowly and looked out. “It’s Jim all right.” He looked back at the women. “There’s a deer draped over the back of his horse.”

When Jim entered the cabin and saw everyone’s serious expressions, he immediately grew concerned. “What’s goin’ on?” he asked. “Is everything okay?”

Mary and Amanda took turns telling him about Seth Burrows.

“He ask for mule,” Mary explained, “but then he want more.”

As Amanda related what had happened to her, Jim’s anger mounted. “Where were you durin’ all of this?” he asked, turning to Buck.

Buck’s face reddened. “I … I needed some fresh air, so I took a walk.”

Jim slammed his fist on the table. “You see why I asked you to stay? I was countin’ on you to be here to take care of the women.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Buck apologized. “Guess I just wasn’t thinkin’.”

“No, I guess not.” Jim sucked in a deep breath. “I’ve had a rough day, and then to come home and hear this … Well, if I still had some whiskey in the house, think I’d need to have some just to calm down.”

“What happened?” Buck asked.

“I had a little run-in with an Injun today.”

“What tribe?” Mary questioned, her eyes widening.