Part 83 (1/2)

”Why, the Rocky Mountains,” Augustus said.

”Will we have to climb them?” Jasper asked. He had survived rivers and drought, but did not look forward to climbing mountains.

”No,” Call said. ”We'll go north, up the Powder River, right into Montana.”

”How many days will it take now?” Newt asked. He had almost forgotten that Montana was a real place that they might get to someday.

”I expect three weeks or a little more and we might hit the Yellowstone,” Call said.

”The Yellowstone already?” Dish Boggett said. It was the last river-or at least the last river anyone knew much about. At mention of it the whole camp fell silent, looking at the mountains.

90.

THEY RESTED ON the Salt for two days, giving the animals and men plenty of time to recover. The men spent much of their time speculating about what lay on beyond the mountains, and how long it would take to get there.

Call slept a distance out of camp, as was his habit. He knew the men were in a good mood, for he could hear them singing most of the night. Now that he had the leisure to sleep, he found he couldn't, much. He had always thought his energies equal to any situation, but he had begun to have doubts. A tiredness clung to his bones, but not a tiredness that produced sleep. He felt played out, and wished they were already in Montana. There were only a few hundred miles left, but it seemed farther to him than all the distance they had come.

Trotting back into camp one morning he saw there was excitement around the cook fire. Several of the men were holding rifles. The sight surprised him, for it had seemed a peaceful night.

”Twelve horses are gone, Captain,” Dish Boggett said. ”Indians got 'em.”

Deets was looking hangdog, and the Spettle boy could only shake his head. Neither of them had heard a thing, they said.

”Well, you boys was singing opry loud enough to wake the deaf,” Augustus remarked. ”I guess it was just their charity that they didn't take the whole herd. n.o.body would have noticed.”

Call was vexed. He had been awake almost all night and had had no suspicion of Indians. All his years of trying to stay prepared hadn't helped. ”They must have been good with horses,” he said.

Deets felt it was mainly his fault, since it was his job to watch for Indian sign. He had always had a good ear for Indians, but he had sat by the wagon, listening to the singing, and had heard nothing.

”They came on foot, Captain,” he said. He had found their tracks, at least.

”That was bold,” Call said. ”But they ain't on foot now.”

He decided to take only Augustus and Deets, though that left the camp without a really competent Indian fighter, in case the raid was a feint. On the other hand, whoever took the horses might have a good deal of help nearby. If it became necessary to take on an Indian camp, three men were about the minimum that could expect to succeed.

Ten minutes later the three men were ready to go. Call was well aware that they were leaving a camp full of scared men.

Augustus laughed at the sight. ”You boys will get the drizzles if you don't relax,” he said.

”If they got the dern horses they might decide to come back and get us,” Jasper Fant pointed out. ”They got Custer, didn't they? And he fought Indians his whole life.”

Call was more worried about the gra.s.s situation. It was too spa.r.s.e to support the herd for long.

”Graze 'em upriver,” he said. ”Start tomorrow if we ain't back, but don't push 'em. Just let 'em graze along. You'll make the Powder in a few days.”

Newt felt very nervous when he saw the three men ride off. It was Lippy's fault that he felt so nervous-all morning Lippy had done nothing but talk about how it felt to be scalped. Lippy hadn't been scalped, and couldn't possibly know, but that didn't keep him from talking and scaring everybody.

The horsethieves had gone southwest. Call thought that with luck they might catch them within a day, but in that he was disappointed. The country grew more barren as they rode, and the only sign of life was an occasional buzzard and many, many rattlesnakes.

”If we was to settle around here we'd have to start a snake ranch,” Augustus said.

They rested only a little while at night, and by midmorning of the next day were a hundred miles from the herd, with no results in sight.

”h.e.l.l, they'll be to the Wind River before we catch them,” Augustus said. ”I've always heard the Wind River country was worse than the Pecos country, when it comes to being dry.”

”We're better mounted than they are,” Call said. ”We'll catch them.”

It was another long day, though, before they closed the gap.

”You sure this is worth it for twelve horses?” Augustus asked. ”This is the poorest dern country I ever saw. A chigger would starve to death out here.”

Indeed, the land was bleak, the surface sometimes streaked with salt. There were ocher-colored ridges here and there, completely free of gra.s.s.

”We can't start putting up with horse theft,” Call said.

Deets was ranging ahead, and in the afternoon they saw him coining back. The simmering heat waves made him appear larger than he was.

”Camp's up ahead,” he said. ”They're in a draw, with a little water.”

”How many?” Call asked.

”Didn't get no count,” Deets said. ”Not many. Couldn't be many and live out here.”

”I say we wait for night and steal the nags back,” Augustus said. ”It's too hot to fight. Steal 'em back and let the red man chase the white for a while.”

”If we wait for night we might lose half the horses,” Call said. ”They'll probably post a better guard than we had.”

”I don't want to argue with you in this heat,” Augustus said. ”If you want to go now, okay. We'll just ride in and ma.s.sacre them.”

”Didn't see many men,” Deets said. ”Mostly women and children. They're real poor, Captain.”

”What do you mean, real poor?”

”Means they're starving,” Deets said. ”They done cut up one horse.”

”My G.o.d,” Augustus said. ”You mean they stole them horses for meat?”

That proved to be the case. They carefully approached the draw where the camp was and saw the whole little tribe gathered around the dead horse. There were only some twenty Indians, mostly women, children and old men. Call saw only two braves who looked to be of fighting age, and they were no more than boys. The Indians had pulled the dead horse's guts out and were hacking them into slices and eating them. Usually there were dogs around an Indian camp, but there were no dogs around this time.

”I guess these ain't the mighty plains Indians we've been hearing about,” Augustus said. The whole little tribe was almost silent, each person concentrating on eating. They were all thin. Two old women were cutting meat off the haunch, meaning to dry it, and two young men, probably the ones who had stolen the horses, had caught another and were preparing to cut its throat. To prevent this, Call drew his pistol and fired into the air.

”Oh, let's go,” Augustus said. ”We don't want to be shooting these people, although it would probably be a mercy. I don't think they even have guns.”

”I didn't shoot n.o.body,” Call said. ”But they're our horses.”

At the shot the whole tribe looked up, stunned. One of the young men grabbed an old single-shot rifle but didn't fire. It seemed to be the only firearm the tribe possessed. Call fired in the air again, to scare them away from the horse, and succeeded better than he had expected to. Those who had been eating got to their feet, some with sections of gut still in their hands, and fled toward the four small ragged tepees that stood up the draw. The young man with the gun retreated too, helping one of the older women. She was b.l.o.o.d.y from the feast.