“Dancing
Moon”
By: Tessa
ãTess941-July 2003
Disclaimer: The Washoe Indians were peaceful people who
did not go to war like the Shoshones and Pauites. Like Ben Cartwright, they used the land as a
resource to survive and did not abuse it.
The Indian names and suggested rituals are not necessarily a part of the
Washoe Indian culture.
b b
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The first time he saw them, he fell in love with them. He was young then. But that didn’t matter. From his father’s stories of hope and dreams
of a life in the west, his mind drew a picture of what this new land would look
like. The first time he saw them, he
fell in love with them. They were just
like that picture he drew in his mind.
As Adam grew older, he never thought that there might be a day he would hate
these mountains. But today was a good
day to feel that way about them.
Adam sat on a rock and took his boots off. He was exhausted. His feet were hot and tired. Adam had dismounted Sport and walked along
side him to navigate some of the terrain a little easier. He looked around at his surroundings and
thought that when a man stands and scans the mountains from a distance, the
beauty can be overwhelming. But the
beauty can hide the, sometimes, ruggedness that can make a trip over them
dangerous and treacherous. He would just
rest long enough to let his feet cool.
Then he could continue his journey towards home. He looked at Sport, whose liveliness wasn’t
present as it is when they are on the Ponderosa. Sport swung his head around and eyed Adam as
if he might ask to be carried. Adam had
made several long trips on Sport, but this one was the most taxing on both of
them.
They traveled a few more hours and then approached a small
rise on the west side of the Sierras.
Adam saw faint smoke rising and smelt the odor of burning wood. He had to ride through a grove of trees, but
when he entered a clearing, he saw a disturbing sight. A wagon had been set on fire and now
smoldered. Nearby were five small Indian
children. He saw two girls, two boys,
and a baby. Two of the small ones were
crying. The others appeared dazed.
Adam dismounted Sport and walked around to survey the
site. The children didn’t move, but
watched him closely. The situation they
were in now had been created by the last white men they encountered. They didn’t know if this white man had some
similar intentions.
Adam found adults in Indian dress sprawled on the
ground. One man had been mutilated
around his head. Two women appeared to
have tried to huddle together before their lives were taken. Despite the appearance of their bodies, he
put his fingers on their necks where a pulse would beat if there were any life
left in them. He felt nothing and found
them cold to the touch. They were all
dead.
He walked over to the smallest boy who sat by one of the
dead women away from the other children.
Adam figured the woman was his mother.
He picked up the crying child who was about 17 months old and gently
hugged him trying to comfort the boy.
Then he walked towards the other children.
Two of the children were older boys. Adam guessed them to be about 9 and 7 years
old. He smiled and asked the oldest
looking one. “Do you speak any English?”
The boy’s voice shook a little, but he answered, “Yes. I learned to speak English when I was very
young.”
“What’s your name?” Adam asked.
“It is Two Wolves.”
The boy watched Adam closely. Two
Wolves had heard many stories during his young life about the cruelness of the
white man towards the Indian people. Yesterday, he witnessed this cruelness, first
hand. This white man seemed to be nice,
but was he? Two Wolves wasn’t sure, but
inquired as to Adam’s intentions. “Are
you going to kill us?”
“No, Two Wolves. I’m
not going to hurt you at all.” Adam tried
to assure him in a soft, sincere voice.
Two Wolves asked the strange man in black. “Who are you?
Why are you here?”
“I’m Adam Cartwright.
I live on the
“If you are going to steal from us, there is nothing left
to take,” Two Wolves said. In spite of
Adam’s smile, he remained stoic. His
voice did not quiver any longer. “We have
nothing to give you.” Two Wolves tried
not to show his fear on the outside. But
after what Two Wolves witnessed, any Indian must always be afraid of the white
man.
Adam responded in a warm voice, “I’m not going to steal
from you. I’d like to try and help
you.” Adam reached out and touched Two
Wolves’ shoulder. Adam’s tiredness
seemed to have diminished since meeting the children. Now, his desire to get home wasn’t his
priority. His father taught him
responsibility beyond the family, and Adam would embrace this responsibility
for the sake of the children, who needed him.
“If this is not a trick, we could use some food,” Two
Wolves asked. With the adults gone, he
was now the leader of what remained of the group from his tribe.
“I don’t have a lot of food left, but I’m happy to share
what I have.” Adam smiled trying again
to gain the boy’s confidence. Adam set
the baby down. “And who is this little
fellow?”
“He is Laughing Eyes.
He doesn’t always cry, but that’s his mother. I think he thinks she’s asleep. I know he is hungry. When he couldn’t wake her up, he started
crying,” Two Wolves said. Each time he
spoke, he gained confidence that this man was not here to hurt them.
Adam was quite impressed with Two Wolves. He sounded very intelligent when he
spoke. He had a good command of the
English language. Adam admired the way
Two Wolves accepted his responsibility for the others. It brought back some pleasant memories for
Adam when he had to accept the responsibility of helping his father with Hoss
and Joe. Some of those times were tough,
but overall, the experience left him with solid values of taking responsibility
for someone else.
Two Wolves volunteered to introduce the other children to
Adam. He pointed to the next oldest
boy. “This is my brother, Kineo. It means high bluff.” He then pointed to the 6 year old girls, who
were obviously twins. “These are my
cousins. She is Morningstar and she is
Goldenstar. We are Washoe Indians. We are proud of who we are.”
That comment caused Adam to smile big. “You should be proud. The Washoe people are good people. Your people believe in taking good care of
the land. Your are peaceful
people.” Adam’s look then turned curious
as one eyebrow arched. “Two Wolves,
where is your tribe? Why are you here
and not with them?” He knew the Washoes
were usually down in the Valley by now and not so high up in the
mountains.
Two Wolves answered, “We were going to our winter home in
the valley. My cousins and Laughing Eyes
got sick. So my uncle, aunt, and
Laughing Eyes’ mother decided to stay with us until we could join our tribe in
the valley.”
“Were you sick, too?” Adam asked Two Wolves.
“No, my brother and I were old enough to help the adults,
so we stayed with them. When the white
men came, they fought with my uncle before they killed him, my aunt, and
Laughing Eyes’ mother. They burned our
wagon and took our supplies.” Two Wolves
explained with sadness in his voice. I
asked them to leave us something, but they did not.
“You’ve been here a little while by yourselves?” Adam asked in a consoling voice. His eyes scanned the other children before
turning his attention back to Two Wolves.
“We were all going to leave yesterday, in the
afternoon. That’s when it
happened.” Two Wolves voice died off
during the last part of his sentence.
“No one is going to hurt you now,” Adam promised. “When did you eat last?” Adam was concerned about their hunger.
“I killed a squirrel last night for us to eat. Except for Laughing Eyes. He’s too little and had a hard time chewing
the meat. He tried to suck on some of
the meat. But we mostly gave him the
water we had left.” Two Wolves said in a
worried voice.
“Water doesn’t fill the stomach for long. It’s good that you know how to hunt for some
food. It’s a valuable skill,” Adam said
trying to compliment Two Wolves.
Two Wolves put a little smile on his brave face. “I’m a good hunter, mister.”
Adam smiled back. “I
don’t doubt you are a good hunter, Two Wolves.”
Adam looked around the area and then turned back to the boy. “I can’t leave you here. I’m going to have to take you to your people.”
Two Wolves asked, “Will you kill the white men that killed
our people if we find them?”
“Killing is wrong, Two Wolves, no matter who does it. Especially, revenge. If we find them, they will be turned over to
the law.” Adam delivered this message in
a very serious tone so Two Wolves would know how wrong this kind of thinking
was.
“White man’s law, huh?” Two Wolves
asked.
“Yes, Two Wolves, to the white man’s lawman. There are many white men that are good and
want justice. Many would be very unhappy
to know what happened to you and your people.
If these men are found, then this would be the right thing to do.” Adam reassured him.
Adam walked over to Sport.
He took out what little food he had left. He had some beans that would be soft enough
for Laughing Eyes to eat, especially if he mashed them up. Adam gave each child some beans and a piece
of cold biscuit. Laughing Eyes hungrily
ate some mashed beans from Adam’s fingers.
Adam gave all the children some water from his canteen.
“Why didn’t they kill us, Mr. Adam?” Kineo asked and looked confused.
“I don’t know, Kineo.
But I’m glad they didn’t.” Adam
smiled then he spoke to Two Wolves.
“Well, let’s see. There are six
of us with only one horse. How about
you, Kineo, and me walk? The three
little ones can ride.”
“Oh yes, Mr. Adam. We
are brave men.” Two Wolves fisted his hand and lightly beat on his chest. When Kineo saw what his brother did, he did
the same with his fist. “Let women and
babies ride.” Two Wolves tried to sound
mature, but it was a little overdone.
“Oh, and just call me Adam.” Adam chuckled a little. He knew Two Wolves was trying to act more
mature and show that he could handle the situation in an adult way.
“Yeah! Adam,” Kineo said.
Two Wolves corrected him, “No, Kineo. Mr. Adam is a white man, but we must show
respect. He is our elder.”
Kineo looked at his brother in disappointment, but knew he
had to do what his brother told him.
Adam’s smile had a little smirk to it. He liked Two Wolves and figured that the boy
would be very helpful to him on their journey.
“You say you have brothers?
Are your brothers my age?” Two
Wolves asked with interest.
“Yes, I have two brothers.
Joe’s in his early twenties and Hoss is about six years older,” Adam
replied.
“Hoss?” Two Wolves
wrinkled his nose with the younger boy doing the same. “What kind of name is that for a white man?”
Adam smiled at Two Wolves’ question. “We just call him that. He was named Eric, but if you saw his size,
you’d know why the name Hoss stuck.”
Adam wanted to try and keep it simple.
“Hoss. He sounds
big. I like the name,” Two Wolves
answered.
“Yeah, me too,” Kineo echoed his brother.
“Two Wolves. Watch
the children. I’m going to bury the ones
that were killed.” Adam told the older
boy.
“Bury them? But my people
don’t bury the dead like you white people bury your own.” Two Wolves told Adam.
“I know. But in this
case, it’s necessary. We have to leave
them behind and we don’t want their bodies to be attacked by animals or
disrespected by people passing by.” Adam
hoped the boy would understand.
“All right, Mr. Adam.
I feel we can trust you. I will
try to explain to my people.” Two Wolves
said and hoped he was right that his people would understand.
Adam found a shovel near the burned wagon and buried the
three adults under a tree. He fashioned
a cross for each from broken branches.
Then Adam took off his hat and stood quietly. He said a prayer that his father taught him
when he was young. Anytime Adam had to
bury someone along the trail, he would use this prayer. He felt a little sick at the thought that the
adults these children loved and trusted were brutally murdered while they
watched. The plight of these children flooded
Adam with similar memories.
Two Wolves approached Adam.
“Mr. Adam. I can see why you
buried them, but they should have more than a white man’s prayer. They should be honored by the Spirits of our
ancestors.”
“You’re right, Two Wolves.
I’ll get the children ready to leave and you honor your people. Can you do that?” Adam said admiring the Indian values Two
Wolves seem to know well.
“Yes, I can do that.”
Two Wolves began to dance around the graves. He chanted low in Indian dialect. Adam left him alone. Two Wolves was a man in a boy’s body. His father had taught him well.
Part II
They traveled for a few hours and finally camped among the
trees. Adam fed, watered, and bed Sport
down before he helped Two Wolves and Kineo spread blankets out on the ground
for the children.
Two Wolves and Adam went into the forest and hunted
together. Adam knew how to hunt and kill
rabbits for food, but held back to let Two Wolves show his skills. Tomorrow, Adam would be able to go to the
mining camp of Coldwater for some supplies.
Dinner was scarce with rabbit meat and some wild roots that Kineo found
and helped cook. Adam helped Laughing
Eyes get some meat into his small stomach.
Adam noticed while they ate that Two Wolves had a good
disposition and laughed easy. This
seemed to help the other children. Their
expressions of fear and sadness were gone and they laughed at Two Wolves who
told some short tales in English for Adam and Kineo and then in his native
language for the twins.
The children got comfortable on their blankets. They stared into the darkness and waited for
sleep to come. The sound of an owl was
heard nearby. The distant cry of a
coyote occasionally broke the silence.
All the signs of sleeping outside were present.
Adam got a book out of his saddlebag to read before he went
to sleep. But then Two Wolves had a
request. “Mr. Adam, please read the book
to us.” Kineo nodded at his brother’s
request.
“Well, Two Wolves, I’m not sure this is something you would
appreciate. It’s a play by a man named,
Shakespeare. Do you know who he
is?” Adam didn’t mind reading to anyone,
but he didn’t bring anything that children would enjoy.
“No, his name is not familiar to me. But we love to be read to and would listen to
you read. It doesn’t matter what the
story is about.”
Adam thought for a minute and then got an idea. “How about I don’t read to you, but tell you
a story instead?”
The boys both nodded with excitement. They loved stories. The twin girls nodded their heads, although
they were just going along with the boys.
“Here’s a story you
will enjoy,” Adam started. He sat up
with his knees bent and his arms resting on top. “My brother, Hoss, and I went fishing one
day. Now, Hoss sometimes likes to fish
with a string tied to his toe so he could lay back and nap.
Kineo’s eyes squinted while a confused look was on his
face. “Mr. Adam, how can you catch a
fish if you’re asleep?”
Adam smiled, “Well, he wouldn’t fall completely
asleep. That way when the fish bit and
the string pulled on his toe, he would know he caught a fish.”
The boys laughed at the thought. The girls giggled.
Two Wolves says, “Yeah, but would the fish jump up onto the
bank and bite his toe?”
Adam’s own laughter was drowned out by the children’s
laughter. After what the children had
been through, it was good to see them laugh.
“Well, if they did…once they saw the size of my brother,
I’m afraid that the fish would jump right back into the water.” Adam continued.
“Do you fish with a string on your toe, Mr. Adam?” Kineo
asked. He was interested in Adam’s
story.
“No, Kineo, I prefer the traditional fishing pole,” Adam
reassured. “Now, I’ve learned that when
it comes to fishing and hunting, my brother knows what he is doing. Because the string began to pull on his
toe.” Adam hesitated occasionally to
create a little mystery to the story.
“Hoss sat up and started to bring the fish in. But the fish fought him.” Adam gestured a little struggle.
“How big was the fish?”
Kineo asked impatiently wanting to know the details.
Adam put his hands up and parted them about twenty inches
and then looked over at Two Wolves, who didn’t appear to be falling for the
size of the fish. Adam winked at Two
Wolves and then brought his hands in closer.
Two Wolves smiled and winked back.
Adam continued, “More like that.”
“Did you cook it?” Kineo asked.
“Not right away, you see, because behind us we heard this
big roar from a big bear.” Adam opened
his eyes wide to show surprise. The kids
did the same thing, except Two Wolves.
He was enjoying Adam’s story, but was old enough to know Adam was
exaggerating.
Kineo’s eyes were big.
He was buying everything Adam said.
Adam continued, “The bear was trying to get the food that
my brother, Hoss, tied up in a bag and hung from a branch of a tree.”
“Then what did you do?” Kineo was mesmerized.
“I slowly moved towards the rifle, which was nearby. But Hoss, who’s a real big guy, got up. He eats a lot and loves his food. He didn’t care how big and mean that old bear
was. It wasn’t going to get his food.”
“Did he pull out a knife and fight it?” This time it was Two Wolves who asked the
question.
“No! Hoss knows
that he should look as big to the bear as he could, so he put his arms way up
over his head.” Adam put his arms up to
show the children what Hoss did. “In a
low deep voice he told the bear to go away.
Tried to make the bear think that he was growling.”
The kids began to laugh again. Kineo was back to asking his questions. “Did the bear get scared and run, Mr. Adam?”
“Well, it sure got the bear’s attention, Kineo. He stopped for a moment and looked at
Hoss. I would swear that the bear had a
confused look on his face and scratched his head trying to figure Hoss
out.” Adam waited to see what the
reaction would be.
Two Wolves rolled onto his back while he held his sides
laughing. He knew Adam was really
stretching this story out. But the
younger ones looked like they believed every word.
Adam continued, “Then the bear reached up and swiped at the
food bag and knocked it down. That made
Hoss so mad. When the bear picked the
bag up and ran off with it, there was Hoss chasing the bear with the string
still tied to his toe and the big fish flopping on the ground behind him.”
“Wow!!!” Kineo reacted.
The girls giggled.
They didn’t understand the words, but they could tell by the reaction of
the boys it was a funny story and a good one.
“O.K., you night owls.”
Adam reached forward and tickled Goldenstar on her tummy. “That’s the end of the story, which means
it’s time to sleep.” Adam got up to make
sure that they were as comfortable as they could get on this rugged mountain
ground. He smiled at the girls and the
palm of his hand slid down the side of their heads as he said,
“Goodnight!” Laughing Eyes was sound
asleep and Adam tucked the blanket better than it was around the small
boy. Then he went over to Kineo and Two
Wolves.
Kineo looked up and smiled at Adam. “Gee, Mr. Adam, you can tell good
stories. Maybe you can tell us another
one? About Hoss.”
Adam smiled and helped Kineo get comfortable on the
ground. “Yeah, but definitely not
tonight, little buddy.”
Two Wolves was already on his blanket and ready for
sleep. He yawned, “Thanks, Mr. Adam.”
“For what, Two Wolves?” Adam asked.
“For taking good care of us and helping us. You’re a good white man, Mr. Adam. A real good man.”
“Thanks, Two Wolves, but I’m just a man. A man that has a duty to do and I’m enjoying
it. I’m glad we know each other.”
“Yeah, me too.” Two
Wolves said and yawned again before closing his eyes.
Adam tipped-toed to his blanket as if he thought the ground
would make a noise. His eyes scanned the
sleeping children and a warm smile came on his face as he nuzzled down as best
he could to get comfortable for the night.
Part III
The next morning came with Adam and the boys rising first
and then the girls and the baby. Adam
watched the others and thought about the day ahead when he saw Morningstar
approach him.
She tried to tell him something in her Indian
language. Adam didn’t understand the
little girl. He smiled at her when she
pointed to the bushes nearby. He stooped
down so he could look her in the face.
She spoke again to Adam and he softly rubbed her cheek.
Two wolves approached.
He was laughing at Adam’s confused look.
Adam stood up glad to see Two Wolves knowing he could help
out. “And what do you find so
funny? Is she trying to tell me a
joke?” Adam inquired.
“No, she wants to you go with her.” Two Wolves explained without
giving too much detail.
“Go where?” Adam asked with a surprised look that made Two
Wolves giggle.
“You know, into the woods.
She wants you to take her.” Two Wolves thought Adam would understand
that.
“Tell her, Two Wolves, that we need to pack and move
on. There is no time to play right now
or show her the trees.” Adam thought
that would settle that.
Two Wolves kept laughing at Adam. “No, Mr. Adam. She doesn’t want to play. She wants you to take her to the woods.”
Adam wasn’t completely thinking. He had been so busy mentally planning the
best route down the rugged mountains for the children. “The woods.
Why the woods?”
Two Wolves laughed.
He enjoyed his friend not knowing what Morningstar wanted. “She wants to go into the woods. Like you and I did early this morning before
the others were awake.”
Adam’s eyes got big.
Now he knew what she wanted.
“Oh! Well, I have to saddle my
horse, Two Wolves, so I’ll leave that duty to you. Anyway, you speak her language.”
Adam stood up and took the girl’s hand. He winked at her and gave her hand to Two
Wolves. But Morningstar jerked her hand
from Two Wolves and put it into Adam’s.
Two Wolves chuckled as if someone had reached over and
tickled him. He knew that Morningstar
would be persistent. She had already
come to like Adam and trusted him to protect her. “She wants you to take her, Mr. Adam.”
Adam looked down at the little girl. Then he bent down to try and bargain with
her. “Let Two Wolves take you and I’ll
get you some candy when we get to the next town.”
The little girl wrinkled her eyebrows at Adam’s words. She didn’t understand a word he said. She began to cross her little legs.
“I think you better take her now, Mr. Adam, or she won’t
wait any longer,” Two Wolves warned.
Adam’s expression was a little perplexed. “I’ll take her while you get everyone else
ready to go. Can she…uh…do things
herself or will she need help?”
Kineo had joined his brother and the two girls in laughter
at Adam. Two Wolves assured Adam. “She knows how to take care of herself. You just need to be her lookout.”
Adam’s face looked relieved and then he looked over at the
other children. “Anyone else?” No one responded, so he walked Morningstar
towards the bushes.
Once there, he let the little girl walk behind a bush. He turned his back to give her privacy. Adam waited patiently. Then he heard the little girl come out from
the bush. He took her hand and walked
back to the others.
By the time they returned, Two Wolves had all their gear packed. Adam saddled Sport and put the three on his
back. Sport was careful with his lighter
passengers. He wasn’t as frisky as he
could be when Adam rode him.
The small group moved on with their journey. They traveled slowly. The terrain was rocky. Some holes appeared in the ground where they
weren’t expected. Adam had three little
people riding on Sport’s back that couldn’t grasp onto the saddle horn like
Adam could when riding in such country.
Morningstar and Goldenstar sang a cheerful and charming
Indian children’s song. Adam walked
along side the horse listening to the girls sing. A couple of times, he hummed the tune.
Two Wolves led the group scouting the horizon like a good
brave would do. His brother
followed. When the road divided and
provided a choice of left or right, the group stopped. Two Wolves looked back at Adam and Adam asked
him. “Which way do you think we should
go, Two Wolves?”
Two Wolves looked for a moment at each road. He stretched his neck to try and see which would
be the best way to travel. Then he
looked at Adam while he pointed to the right one. “This way, Mr. Adam. This road heads to the East and is not as
rocky. It will take us near the mining
town of
Adam grinned big with his approval. He knew the correct way to go, but wanted to
see if Two Wolves could tell the difference between the roads and what might
lie ahead. “Good choice, Two
Wolves. You have a keen eye for
traveling.”
Adam and the kids then continued on. They stopped a couple of times to rest Sport
and give the kids some water. The lower
elevations of the mountains began to offer more comfortable temperatures. When they were only a couple of miles from
Coldwater, Adam left the children in a safe place with Two Wolves in charge and
he rode Sport into the camp to get some supplies.
The first thing he did was to get a supply horse to carry
the things they needed for the rest of the trip. It wouldn’t be fair to Sport if he had to
carry three children, Adam’s gear, the saddle, the rifle, and supplies, too.
Adam headed to the general store. He wanted some supplies that would let them
eat good meals. He stepped into the
large tent where he saw a burly man that looked more like he should be in the
logging business, instead of running a store.
“Howdy, mister!” The
man greeted Adam. His small eyes peered
out from under bushy eyebrows. His
mustache almost covered his mouth. When
he smiled, he looked friendly. When he
didn’t smile, his size and features made him appear mean and unforgiving.
Adam returned the greeting.
Then he pulled out the list of supplies and gave it to the burly
storekeeper. “If there’s something there
you don’t have, then maybe you have a good substitute for it,” Adam asked
courteously.
The burly man leaned back and laughed. “Mister, I know it may not look like it, but
we can just about supply you with anything.
Have to. We got a lot of people
that rely on us.” The burly man then
leaned towards Adam and lowered his voice.
“We even got some of that sweet smelling salts for a lady’s bath. Want some?”
“Uh…no thanks. Just
what’s on the list, please,” Adam said, not impressed. He adjusted his black hat.
When the man finished reading over the list, he hollered to
someone in the back of the store.
“HARRIET!! Get out here. We gotta a customer, you dumb injun.” The man smiled at Adam as though he hadn’t
been rude at all.
Adam just glared at him.
He didn’t think any Indian needed to be spoken to like that. Adam waited patiently, but when ‘Harriet’
came out from the back, his head swung into her direction.
A young, beautiful Indian woman appeared. She said nothing, but looked at Adam as she
went to stand by the burly man. She
looked to be around twenty years old.
She wore a tan Indian-style skin dress with beads that hung from
different parts of it. Her attire was
completed with moccasins and a headband.
Her long black hair hung down in long braids.
Adam looked at her closer and he saw faint bruises on her
cheekbone and on one side of her mouth.
It appeared that someone had hit her and Adam couldn’t help but wonder
if it was the burly man. Anytime the man
talked to the girl, it was forceful and impatient.
The man gave the list to the woman. She immediately went around the store getting
the items. Adam tried to look around for
other things, but he kept glancing at the girl.
The Indian woman would glance at Adam after looking at the other man to
make sure he wasn’t paying any attention.
“Uh…I have some children traveling with me. I wonder if you carry any candy or some type
of toys?” Adam asked the man.
“Yep, carry both. We
do have children in the camp, you know?”
The man told Adam while he pointed to the jars of candy on the side of
the tent and the toys piled up on a makeshift table in the corner.
Adam got the candy for the children and placed it on the
counter. Then he walked over to the
toys. He saw some small rag dolls, a
top, a little drum, a wooden horse, and a couple of other toys that would be
too big for the kids to carry on a horse.
His heart warmed as he picked up two of the dolls for the
girls. All little girls loved dolls no
matter what culture they were from.
That’s what Adam remembered. He
has seen little girls on stagecoaches, standing on the streets of
He pushed the toys around on the table. Then his eye spotted two small pocketknives
for the older boys. Both Two Wolves and
Kineo were old enough to handle the responsibility of carrying knives. Kineo would have to be supervised, but Adam
didn’t see that as a problem. Two Wolves
was a good older brother. He watched
after Kineo just like Adam did when Joe and Hoss were little.
Then he walked around the table. He looked for a moment to try and see if
there was something for Laughing Eyes.
He wasn’t sure what would be appropriate for a baby. He finally picked up the little wooden horse
and then carried all the toys to the front to pay for them.
Adam approached the counter where the Indian woman
stood. Adam tried to greet her,
“Ma’am!” He tipped his hat, but all she
did was look towards the ground. Like
she was ashamed of something.
The burly man shoved her and knocked her a little off her
balance. “Don’t stand there like a
filthy, stupid Indian. Go get a box for
this stuff.” He growled at the woman and
then smiled at Adam. “Sorry, about the
rudeness, but these injuns just don’t seem to have the sense for thinking on
their own.”
Adam didn’t answer back.
His anger rose inside and he gnashed his teeth. He didn’t appreciate the man’s rudeness to
the woman. But he was there to get supplies
and get back to the kids, so he didn’t try to get involved in anything. “Actually, I have a supply horse and could
use sacks. A box would be inconvenient,”
Adam said.
“You bet, my good man.”
The burly man said to Adam with courtesy. “HARRIET!!!!
Get out here and get some sacks.
The man don’t want boxes.”
The Indian woman appeared at the counter again. Adam looked her directly in the eyes and
thanked her. “Thank you for your
help. The children will enjoy the toys.”
“You have children?” the woman
asked softly. She glanced at the burly
man to see what his reaction might be to her talking to Adam. He said nor did anything.
Adam smiled at her.
“They’re not mine. I’m just
traveling with them and taking them to their people.”
“Their people? They
injun kids?” The burly man asked while
he picked his teeth with a toothpick.
“Injuns! Nothing but trouble,
mister. Get rid of ‘em.”
Adam refused to respond to the man’s ignorant
comments. If he had been traveling
alone, he might have gotten involved a little for the woman’s sake. But it was the children that were his
priority. They didn’t need more trouble
than what they had already experienced.
He paid for the things he bought and left.
When Adam returned, he gave the children some food, water,
and their toys. He saved the candy for
later. The small horse did turn out to
be an appropriate toy for Laughing Eyes.
It went immediately into his mouth.
The girls hugged their dolls and chatted to each other in their native
language. Adam gave the boys their
knives, but instructed Two Wolves to help his brother learn to use his
properly.
The small group traveled down the mountain until the sun
was getting ready to hide behind the top of the mountain for the night. Adam roped off a section and made a lean-to
for the children. He spread his blanket
on the ground and put his saddle in its position for his head. A piece of
rabbit that he and Two Wolves killed for dinner was left on the stake that it
had been cooked on. The aroma still smelt
good. Adam emptied the coffee that
remained in his cup.
Adam didn’t tell them a story this night. They were curious
about Adam and his family. So, he told
them about his father, brothers, and the Ponderosa. Two Wolves shared some information about
their lives in the tribe. The children
soon fell asleep. Adam pulled his book
out and read until his eyes wouldn’t stay open.
Adam wasn’t sure how long he’d slept when he was startled
by something touching him. He looked up
and it was Morningstar. She gave him a
toothless grin as she pulled on his arm.
The only way he was able to tell the twins apart was that Goldenstar had
all her teeth and Morningstar was missing her two front uppers. Adam gave her a sleepy smile and he knew she
needed to go to the woods again. He
didn’t protest. It was a duty he had to
do and couldn’t deny the child what was natural.
After she finished, he put her to bed on her blanket. Before she went to sleep, she kissed him on
his cheek and said something in her language to him. He didn’t understand her words, but he felt
he understood. She cuddled her doll and
immediately fell asleep. He went back to
his blanket and went right to sleep himself.
It didn’t seem long again when Adam woke up from a sudden
noise. His sleepy haze blurred his
vision for a moment. When his eyes were
focused, he saw someone by the fire. He
grabbed his gun from his holster incase it wasn’t one of the children. He was right.
The kids were all fast asleep and weren’t awakened by the noise. He stood on his feet, still sleepy, but awake
enough to point his gun at the stranger that froze and stared back at him.
Adam looked closer and then he could see that the stranger
was a frightened young Indian woman.
When Adam got his senses, he recognized her as the Indian girl from the
general store in Coldwater.
Adam was shocked, but so was the woman. “You’re the woman from the store?” He questioned and was unaware he still had
his gun out.
“Please, I don’t wish trouble. I need your help.” The woman pled to Adam as she stood up
straight from her stooped position.
Then Adam realized he had his gun out. He put it away. “We need to keep our voices down. I’m traveling with five children.” Adam offered her to sit by the fire. He let her know that it was fine for her to
finish the food she was trying to eat.
“You will take me with you.
I not go back to that town.” The
woman was adamant.
“Why not? Won’t your
husband come looking for you?” Adam
inquired wanting to know if trouble would be coming after her. He didn’t need it with the children.
“No, he not come. He
not husband. He man I trusted and should
not have trusted.” She took another bite
of her meat. Adam heated the little bit
of coffee he had left and gave it to her.
“What is your name? I’m
sorry. I remember he said it, but I
don’t remember what it was.” Adam inquired.
“He call me Harriet,”
she replied.
“Harriet? Is that what you like to be called? What is your Indian name?”
“No!
Hate name. I no choice when I
with him. I am Dancing Moon.” She was defiant and showed her pride in her
Indian name.
“Dancing Moon. I like that.
It fits you.” Adam smiled at her
and she gave him a shy smile in return.
“You call me Dancing Moon?” She hoped Adam would honor her Indian name.
“It would be my pleasure, Dancing
Moon. He referred to you as his wife.
Yet, you say you weren’t.”
“I not wife. I his
captive. His slave to do what he want
and give him anything he want.”
Adam was very curious about the woman. He wanted to know more about her. “How did you meet him?”
“I belong to Shoshone tribe who live on North shore of the
“Did you try to find John Williams?” Adam
asked.
“No, not look. Before he go, he
say better for me to stay with tribe. He
not want me go with him. I go different
direction. I go here to N’vada. I hungry and cold. Meet Mountain Willie. Man in store.
He nice to me, at first. But when
we get to mining camp, he tell people I his wife. I work for him. I liked it.
It was a home and I liked being with white man. Much better than with poor, ignorant
Indians. Mountain Willie could afford
good life. Then he became mean. He beat me and…and…” Dancing Moon lowered her
eyes. “He take me when I not want
to. I cry and ask to stop, but he say he
master. He say I do what he say when he
say.” Dancing Moon’s voice trailed off
into a little sadness.
“How long have you been with him?” Adam
asked.
“Two year, now. I always hope someone
come along. A good white man. A white man to take Dancing Moon away. You came.”
She gave a warm smile to Adam.
The light from the fire reflected in her eyes and made them twinkle.
“I will help you find a place where you can live, Dancing Moon. A place that is safe for you and where you
will be respected.” Adam smiled before
his next statement. “That’s why you
followed me?”
“Yes. Dancing Moon saw kindness
in face. Dancing Moon also see goodness
in heart. You not like way Mountain
Willie treat me. I knew you help. You care so much for children. You can care for Dancing Moon.” Dancing Moon now looked Adam directly in the
face and gave him a smile.
“Dancing Moon, if you travel with us, then you will have to go to the
“Washoe good people. Dancing Moon
go and help you get children to their people.
Dancing Moon will help children.
Then we go your home.” Adam saw
kindness in Dancing Moon’s eyes and knew she would be a great help to him. He didn’t say anything else on her last
statement.
“I can appreciate the help with the children. We have two twin girls and a baby. I’m fine with girls, but in caring for the
baby I’m afraid I’m rusty. All I can do
is try to remember my brothers when they were that age. Unfortunately, that was a long time ago,”
Adam stated.
“It late. You sleep for
rest. Dancing Moon will sleep,
too.” Dancing Moon walked over to the
other side of the campfire. Adam
followed her with a blanket and folded his coat to give her a pillow. Then he covered her with the blanket and
returned to his bed. Soon, the only
noise in the camp was an occasional crack of a piece of wood that burned in the
campfire.
Adam must have rolled over on his stomach at one point. He woke to someone roughly massaging his
back. Sleepily, he turned over and saw
Dancing Moon hovering over him.
“Uh…Dancing Moon. I’m not quite
awake. But thank you for the back
rub. It’s not necessary, though.” Adam turned completely around and sat facing
her.
“Dancing Moon take care of you.
You walk long way. You carry wood
for fire. Know man like back
rubbed. Make feel better. You need Dancing Moon,” She smiled at
him.
Adam gave her an uncomfortable smile and stood up. He saw the children lined up looking very
curiously at him and Dancing Moon.
Except for Laughing Eyes. He was
more interested in his wooden horse than he was the strange woman.
“This is Dancing Moon.” Adam said
to the children. “ She will be traveling with us.”
Dancing Moon looked at the children.
“Hello. I am happy to be here.”
Adam started down the line.
“Dancing Moon, this is Two Wolves.
He’s my right hand man.” Two
Wolves smiled real big. Adam continued,
“This is Kineo, which means high bluff.
He was named after the sacred place where his grandfather went many
times. These two little ladies are
twins, Morningstar and Goldenstar.” Adam
bent down a little and tapped Morningstar once on the tip of her nose with his
forefinger, which caused her to give him a toothless grin. “Oh, and Morningstar is the one with the
missing teeth.” Adam then walked over to
Laughing Eyes, “And this little guy is Laughing Eyes.”
Dancing Moon assured Adam, “I take care of little boys and know them
well. I take care of Laughing Eyes. I take care of children. I take care of you. Important that man of family be taken care
of.”
“Man of family?” Adam questioned with both eyebrows
standing high above his eyes. “Dancing
Moon. You help with the children, then I
will plan the best way for us to travel down the mountain.”
Dancing Moon added, “Oh, I cook, too. O.K. for me to cook?”
Adam immediately responded.
“Absolutely! These kids have been
living on my cooking and I’m afraid that’s not my specialty.”
Dancing Moon took some supplies and made breakfast for everyone. Everyone ate like they hadn’t eaten for days,
including Adam.
“This was excellent. Thank
you.” Adam complimented Dancing Moon on
her cooking. He elbowed Two Wolves who
was sitting next to him. Two Wolves gave
Adam a puzzled look not quite knowing what Adam wanted. Then Adam leaned over to Two Wolves. “Say ‘thank you’ or we might be back to my
cooking.”
“Thank you very much, Dancing Moon.
This was a great meal. Make Two
Wolves strong.” Two Wolves looked at
Adam quickly to get his approval. Adam
winked and acknowledged him.
Dancing Moon smiled at Two Wolves, but it was Adam she watched. She was beginning to believe that she found
the right white man to be with.
Adam then jerked his head and looked up into the rocks and bushes. He heard something that no one else seemed to
hear. The look on his face made everyone
a little scared. “Everyone stay here,”
Adam ordered.
He got up slowly and grabbed his rifle.
Cautiously, he moved towards the big rocks with the bushes around
them. Adam hesitated to see if he could
hear anything else. Then suddenly, a mountain
lion jumped from the rocks right onto Adam.
He fought and rolled around the dirt with the mountain lion trying to
bite him. Twice, the mountain lion
succeeded.
The girls began to scream in terror with Laughing Eyes crying because of
the fear he could feel from the others.
Dancing Moon gathered the young ones in her arms.
Two Wolves stood up and called out.
“MR. ADAM! MR. ADAM!” Two Wolves began to approach Adam who was in
a full fight with the mountain lion. The
rifle had been knocked out of Adam’s hand when the mountain lion hit him full
force. Two Wolves grabbed the rifle,
took aim, and fired once. The mountain
lion screamed in pain and then fell off of Adam…dead.
Everyone stayed where they were until Adam grabbed his bloody left arm
and moaned with pain. Two Wolves kept
the gun on the mountain lion for a moment before he knelt next to Adam. Dancing Moon left the other children where
they were and went to Adam to help him.
Adam’s face wrinkled up with pain as he hung
onto his arm. He tried to sit up.
Dancing Moon pulled his hand away and looked at the wound. “Injuries not bad. Dancing Moon take care of them.” Dancing Moon’s face was a few inches from
Adam’s. She looked sweetly at him. He looked back at her, but said nothing.
Adam sat partially up and looked over at Two Wolves. “Two Wolves, you are very brave. You saved my life and I am grateful.”
Two Wolves looked proud of what he did, but tried to sound a little
humble. “You would do the same for me,
Mr. Adam. You are my friend and we must
look out for each other.”
“And I now know a great warrior as my friend.” Adam tried to smile, but it didn’t last and
pain returned to his face.
Dancing Moon had gone to retrieve some bandages and some herbs that she
had found and picked on the trail. She
made a simple mash to help keep infection down.
Then she applied some of it to the wound and bandaged Adam’s arm. There was a bite mark on the left side of his
forehead. She cleaned the wound and
applied some herbs to it. Adam was
lucky. What could have been devastating
injuries would not be a threat to his recovery.
After he was bandaged, he got to his feet. “Let’s get started so we can make some
distance today.”
“No. You rest after attack.” Dancing Moon said looking at him concerned.
“I’ll be all right, Dancing Moon.
If I begin to feel weak or just need to rest, then we will stop. But right now, I just want to move on.”
Dancing Moon and Two Wolves put the kids onto Sport, instead of
Adam. The supplies and gear were placed
onto the supply horse. They negotiated
with Adam. If he sat and rested while
they got everything ready, then they would be willing to move on. Adam had no choice and he agreed. His arm did hurt, but he kept the pain to
himself or he would, most likely, lose a battle to move on. Right now, Dancing Moon and Two Wolves would
be too much for him to take on.
They traveled for four hours and Dancing Moon could see Adam
weaken. He needed to rest. On her insistence, they stopped and rested under
a grove of trees. The children were
hungry and thirsty. Dancing Moon got
Adam’s cooperation by telling him the children were the ones who needed the
rest. Adam obliged and leaned back into
the grassy hill. He fell asleep and they
let him rest. He napped for about an
hour before he woke.
Dancing Moon was there and had something for him to eat. “This will help feel better. Give strength.”
“We’ve lost a lot of time stopping, Dancing Moon, but considering how I
feel right now compared to earlier, I appreciate the rest.” Adam told Dancing Moon who knew some rest and
food would make him feel better.
“We camp here tonight?” she said with a
little authority.
“I was hoping we might be able to go a little farther.” Adam replied, but as soon as he saw the
children playing and the pain in his arm, he changed his mind. “All right.
We’ll stop here tonight, but I want us up early to leave out tomorrow.”
Adam leaned back and watched everyone.
Two Wolves had a piece of stick that he was whittling with his
pocketknife. Kineo also had a piece of
wood and copied his brother. The girls
were playing together with their dolls.
Dancing Moon sat by the fire using her thumbs to rub the outside of
Laughing Eyes’ mouth. He had been crying
earlier.
“What are you doing?” Adam inquired.
“Dancing Moon massage Laughing Eyes’ mouth. Soothe gums.
Has new teeth.” She smiled at the
baby while she performed this on him.
“Where did you learn how to do that?
Have you had any children?” Adam asked.
“No,” Dancing Moon smiled, “I take care of many children. I learn many things from white people.”
“This is why it’s so important for you to live with Indian people. You have so much to give them and show them
in taking care of themselves,” Adam said.
Dancing Moon smiled and put a satisfied Laughing Eyes down on his
blanket. She moved over to Adam. She sat close enough that her shoulder
touched his uninjured arm. She put the
palm of her hand on his cheek when she spoke.
“Dancing Moon learn from white people.
Teach Dancing Moon many things. I
show you.” Dancing now smiled big.
Adam looked at her, but made no response. He glanced quickly at the children playing to
see if they had noticed them while he removed her hand from his cheek. “Dancing Moon. It’s your people that need you and the skills
that you have. Look at these
children. They have made this journey
with such bravery and they are so young.
They have learned good skills from their people and they will have a lot
to return to their tribe.” Adam tried so
hard to get her to see the value in what he was saying.
It was like Dancing Moon didn’t hear him and she leaned a little closer
to him. “Adam. Dancing Moon can make you very happy. Make good love. Dancing Moon want very little.”
“You didn’t hear a word I said,” Adam looked at her solemnly, “I…”
Dancing Moon put her fingers on his lips to quiet him. “I hear you.
I hear your words all time. I
like Adam Cartwright. I like very
much. Want to show you.”
Adam pushed Dancing Moon away from him gently, “Dancing Moon. I like you very much, but not in that
way.” Dancing Moon cocked her head a
little surprised at his words. He went
on, “What I mean is…I uh…” Adam fought for words. He wanted her to understand his feelings
without making her feel rejected.
Dancing Moon smiled, “I know what you try say. Maybe, Adam Cartwright, you feel different
later. When we get to Indian camp, you
see Dancing Moon different and like her much better.”
Adam said nothing, but just smiled at her.
“Dancing Moon! Come look at what
I did.” Kineo was on his feet jumping up
and down in delight.
Dancing Moon got up and walked over to the boys. Kineo had carved the foot of the animal he
was trying to whittle out of the wood he had with the knife Adam gave him. She laughed and hugged him. “Very good, Kineo. You will be fine brave someday. You learn fast.”
“We are good braves, now, Dancing Moon.”
Two Wolves offered. Then he
showed her what he had been whittling with his knife.
Adam watched her converse with the boys about their crafts. He stayed quiet while he watched her
eventually get up and walk over to the girls, who were still playing with their
dolls. The way she touched them and
talked to them made him smile. He
finally felt tired and laid down to fall asleep.
It was a few hours into the night.
Adam felt hot and slowly he began to wake up. When he did, he found Dancing Moon leaning
over him. She had a cool, wet cloth in
her hand and was wiping his face with it.
Adam tried to sit up, but couldn’t.
He knew from how he felt and Dancing Moon’s actions that he had some
fever.
He looked up at Dancing Moon.
“I’m sorry I woke you up. I must
have.”
“Dancing Moon not care. You need
help. I care for you. You just rest.” Dancing Moon’s voice was soft and sweet.
It was what Adam needed at the time.
He just laid there and let her do what she was doing. He didn’t want his fever to delay them in the
morning. “I must admit how nice it is to
look up at a pretty, caring face. When I’m
sick at home, it’s usually my Pa or brothers.”
Adam said weakly in his attempt to be humorous. Then he looked serious, “What about the
children? Are they asleep? I don’t want to wake them. They will worry.”
“Yes, children sleep. Only
Dancing Moon wake.” She bent down and
sweetly kissed him on the lips. Adam let
her kiss him. Dancing Moon lifted her
head and whispered, “Dancing Moon much better to look at. Dancing Moon give you what Pa and brothers
cannot.” She took the cloth from his
face, “You rest now. You not as hot as
you were. Good sign.”
“Thank you, Dancing Moon. I am
tired.” Adam barely got that out before
he fell asleep. Dancing Moon laid down
along Adam’s right side and slept with her head on his shoulder.
Dancing Moon proved to be a real asset to Adam. She traveled well, not seeming to be bothered
by the rugged terrain and a couple of hardships they had to overcome when they
proceeded down one side of a large ravine and climbed up the other side. She helped all of the children and
particularly took good care of Laughing Eyes.
She didn’t disappoint them in her cooking. Adam and the children ate very well. She made such a big difference in the quality
of their travel.
An afternoon break was welcomed. Adam and Dancing Moon sat under a tree and
talked about various topics while the children played nearby. Two Wolves watched over Laughing Eyes while
they hunted for interesting rocks. Kineo
had a string and decided to try the fishing method Hoss used. He tied the string to his big toe and laid
back. He closed his eyes, but made sure
he stayed awake. Morningstar walked
around the area not really looking at anything in particular, while Goldenstar
took a nap.
Dancing Moon sat close to Adam. He didn’t seem to mind. Everyone seemed to be content and the journey
was coming to an end.
“Adam?” Dancing Moon
had a question.
“H’mm?” Adam answered.
He was very content.
“Why you no woman?” Dancing Moon asked.
Adam’s eyebrow went up and he looked over at her without
completely turning his head in her direction.
“I like women very much. But it
just takes time to really get to know someone.
To make sure you want to live with them the rest of your life.”
“You sure, you not run all time?” Dancing Moon laughed softly.
Her laughter made him grin.
“No. I don’t run from that kind
of a commitment. I just want to make
sure I am in love and with the right woman.”
“You make good father.
Dancing Moon watch you with children.”
She moved slowly behind him and began to gently massage his back.
“I like children very much.
I don’t care if they are white children, Indian children, or any other
culture. They all need an adult’s
care.” Adam talked while he enjoyed his
back rub.
“You would be good father to all of children. I tell they like you much. They feel safe and trust you.” Dancing Moon continued and then waited for
Adam’s response.
“Well, I don’t think Two Wolves’ and Kineo’s father would
like that. They need him more than
me. Boys need to learn skills and their
heritage from their father. Like I
learned from mine. It’s good for Indian
boys to have good contact with white men.
But it’s very important that they carry on the rituals and customs of
their tribe.” Adam reflected his
thoughts.
“You no think you would have child with Indian woman?” Dancing Moon’s voice trailed off a little
with that statement.
He chuckled a little at her question. “Dancing Moon. If I loved a woman, it just wouldn’t matter
if she were Indian.” He then softened
his voice, as he knew what direction she was heading. “Take your time, Dancing Moon. The right man will come your way. You will know when it happens.”
Adam now turned around and faced her. She leaned forward and kissed him. It wasn’t a passionate kiss. It was just a sweet kiss on his lips. He didn’t reject it.
Then…the quiet of
the afternoon was frightfully disturbed by the scream and call for help from
Two Wolves. “MR. ADAM!! MR. ADAM!!
PLEASE, PLEASE HELP.”
Adam never heard Two Wolves cry. He was always full of laughter.
Adam jumped up and ran towards Two Wolves, who was down by
the edge of the small river. Dancing
Moon and the other children, including Goldenstar, ran behind him. When they arrived, Two Wolves was standing
over a motionless Laughing Eyes.
Laughing Eyes’ body lay still. He was wet.
The small child had drowned. Two
Wolves cried harder when Adam couldn’t revive the baby. Then he ran into the forest. Adam told Dancing Moon to stay with the other
children while he followed Two Wolves.
He found Two Wolves uncontrollably crying. Adam put his hands on the boy’s arms and
turned him around. Adam wanted to
console him and talk to him like an adult.
That’s what Two Wolves would want.
But when Two Wolves turned and saw Adam, the boy threw his arms around
his shoulders and buried his face into the crook of Adam’s neck.
Adam became a little choked up. He was a smart man, but his emotions
overwhelmed him at the moment and he found himself a little lost for words. Adam cared deeply for Two Wolves. Feeling Two Wolves hug him made him think of
when he hugged Little Joe when Joe was a small boy. Ben had no choice but to shoot a loved horse
and put it out of its misery. It was
Adam that Joe ran to and hugged while he cried.
He held Two Wolves close.
Finally, Adam managed to find some words. His voice quivered a little, as he tried to
console the boy, but as the child that he was.
“It’s going to be all right.
There is nothing more that can happen to Laughing Eyes. He will journey with his mother now.”
“He wouldn’t be dead if I had watched him better, Mr.
Adam. I’m not a good brave. I didn’t take care of him.” Two Wolves now looked into Adam’s eyes. Tears flowed down his cheeks. “I should have watched him and he wouldn’t
have fallen into the river.”
“Two Wolves, things can just happen and there’s nothing we
can do. Just like the adults of your
family. It just happened.” Adam kept trying to find the right
words. He didn’t want Two Wolves to go
through life feeling guilty about the death of Laughing Eyes. “We have to be happy that Laughing Eyes knew
he was loved and cared for.”
Two Wolves’ crying began to let up a little. “I know, Mr. Adam. But when his mother was killed, I promised
him I would take care of him.”
Adam pulled him in closer to him again. “Son, it’s not your fault. Maybe his mother needed him with her. There’s got to be a reason when things like
this happens to such a small child. I’ve
lived it myself. I just don’t know what
the answer is.” Adam hoped that would
help him deal with his pain and accept the death.
“My father and my Chief will not be happy with me. They will see me as weak and not brave. I didn’t take care of Laughing Eyes when his
mother couldn’t. This shouldn’t have
happened to Laughing Eyes. He didn’t
deserve to die, Mr. Adam. I loved
him.” Two Wolves began to stop crying,
but the tears still rolled down his cheeks.
“Two Wolves, your father and your Chief will be very proud
of you. Just like I am right now.” Adam now looked into the boy’s eyes.
This made Two Wolves stop crying completely. “You are proud of me? Why? I
didn’t act like a man to stand by your side when you needed me. I ran like a child and I cried like a baby.”
This made Adam smile at Two Wolves. “You are a man. You have helped me in this difficult
journey. I needed a man when I was
attacked and you were there. You cry
because you miss Laughing Eyes, not because you are a baby. I will see that your father and your Chief
know how brave you are and how much of a man you have been.” Adam stood up and took Two Wolves by the
hand. “Come on. We must bury Laughing Eyes.”
“Yes, Mr. Adam, we must honor Laughing Eyes. We must make sure the children get back to
the tribe.” Two Wolves wiped the tears
from his eyes and the two of them walked towards the others.
But then, Adam heard Dancing Moon cry out. “ADAM!
ADAM! WHERE ARE YOU?”
Adam dropped Two Wolves’ hand and ran towards Dancing
Moon. ‘What now?’ he thought as he
ran. He felt a panic inside
himself. They didn’t need anything else
to happen after the death of Laughing Eyes.
Two Wolves ran close behind his friend.
When Adam reached her, Dancing Moon had tears running down
her cheeks. Adam stopped abruptly and
was shocked when he saw a crying Laughing Eyes in her arms. Dancing Moon smiled with joy. “Adam, Adam, he’s alive. He spit out water and took deep breath. Then he cry.”
Adam took the baby from her arms and began to check him
over. Laughing Eyes cried until he began
to hiccup. Dancing Moon kept explaining
to Adam. “I took blanket to wrap him up
before we bury. I not believe ears when
I hear cry.”
Adam hugged the baby and patted him gently on his
back. He quickly kissed the baby on the
side of his head and handed him back to Dancing Moon who cuddled him in her
arms. Dancing Moon and the children then
walked back to the horses to get ready to leave. Adam and Two Wolves hesitated.
Adam turned to Two Wolves and knelt on one knee to be at
the boy’s level. “See, Two Wolves, I
said it would be all right. I didn’t
know it would end this way. But my heart
said it would be all right.”
Two Wolves grinned, “Yes, Mr. Adam. You have a wise heart. My ancestors are smiling because Laughing
Eyes lives.” Two Wolves then began to
laugh. “I see water in your eyes. You cry just like Two Wolves.”
Adam smiled at his little friend who didn’t seem to miss
much. “Yes, I have water in my
eyes. But they are tears of joy. We didn’t lose our little friend.”
After giving Laughing Eyes a little time to recover from
this ordeal, the group moved forward.
The long journey down the mountain was coming closer to the end. Soon, the children would be reunited with
their people and Adam will start home to be with his family. He will have so much to share.
The small group traveled as long as they could so they
would be in the Valley by nightfall where the tribe would be camped.
Part VI
By the time they reached the camp, the sun was almost
down. It had been a long trip and they
were all eager to eat and get some rest.
Adam and Two Wolves were invited to eat with Chief Tecumseh and Two
Wolves’ father, Black Wolf. The men sat
and ate while Two Wolves helped the Chief and his father understand what had
happened. Adam felt it was good for Two
Wolves to be the one that gave the information and he gladly stayed quiet.
Two Wolves left out the story of the incident where
Laughing Eyes almost drowned. He looked
at Adam wondering if he should share this.
Adam quietly shook his head and winked at Two Wolves. He knew then that there would be a better
time to tell what happened.
After Two Wolves and his father left to go to their tee-pee
to sleep, Adam stayed briefly with the Chief.
He explained how Dancing Moon came to travel with them. How she took care of the children, cooked for
them, and helped when he was injured.
The Chief was pleased with the stories he heard and assured Adam that
Dancing Moon was welcomed in his tribe.
Adam woke
the next morning, dressed, shaved, and went to find the children to say his
‘good-bye.’ He found them all sitting
outside eating and he joined them. He
spoke with Two Wolves and Kineo to let them know how much their friendship met
to him.
“Your
Chief knows how brave the two of you were and how helpful you were in getting
the children home.” The boys smiled at
what Adam just told them. Adam then
asked Two Wolves, “Will you let Morningstar and Goldenstar that I liked knowing
them?”
“Yes, Mr.
Adam. I will tell them. But I think they know.” Two Wolves said with confidence.
Adam said,
“I promise I will come see you. When I
do, I will bring my father and brothers.
I want them to meet you.”
“And will
you bring Hoss, too?” Kineo asked.
“Yes,
Kineo, I will bring Hoss. I know he’d like
to meet you.” Adam grinned as he patted
the boy on the shoulder. “My other
brother, Little Joe, has a beautiful black and white Pinto horse. I bet he’d let you ride him. Would you like that?”
“Yeah!” Kineo said with excitement.
“I have to
go now. I promise that I will come see
you.” Adam wanted to make sure that the
boys knew he would be back.
Two Wolves
nodded, “We would like that very much.
Friends never really go away. Do
they, Mr. Adam?”
“No, Two
Wolves, friends never say good-bye. They
only part for awhile.” Adam got up to
leave his little friends.
Adam spotted Dancing Moon coming his
way and carrying Laughing Eyes. The baby
looked at Adam and smiled.
“Dancing Moon. Are you all right?” He wanted to make sure that she was fine.
She had a glow on her face and
smiled at him. “Dancing Moon feel very
good. Her life has good future.”
“You should say ‘I’ and not always
use your name when you describe your feelings.
It makes it sound that someone else named Dancing Moon feels very good
and not you,” Adam said tenderly.
Dancing Moon smiled bigger than she
had. “Dan…I very happy. I think a lot and I know I like living
here. Chief welcome me to his tribe and
say I be Laughing Eyes’ mother.”
“Good, Dancing Moon. You will
make him a very good mother.”
Dancing Moon assured Adam, “You show
Dancing Moon…uh…me that important to wait for good man to come in life. Not rush.
I like. Let me have say in my
future.”
Adam was very pleased with what he
heard. He kissed her on her cheek. Then he mounted Sport, turned him towards the
Ponderosa, and headed for home.
Adam finally reached the meadow that was very close to home. Then he heard a familiar voice.
“Adam! Hey Adam!!”
Adam turned to see who was calling him and an immediate smile was on his
face when he recognized Joe and Cochise riding up to him. “Hey, little brother. You out for a morning ride?” Adam teased.
“No,” Joe smiled back. “Pa sent
me to go look for you. When you didn’t
get home yesterday, we waited until this morning and we all worried. So, where have you been?”
“It’s quite a story, Joe. How
about we all sit down when we get home and I’ll share the whole story?” Adam
offered.
“Great!
Right now, I’ll race you home,” Joe said.
“You think you can stay up with me?” Adam challenged.
“Yep!” Joe said and then he and
Cochise took off with Adam and Sport close behind. Soon the brothers were neck and neck. It was good to be home.
THE END