The Adventures of Cherokee (7 page)

As the ten wagons straightened out in a line he looked back to see that the two horses they had seen yesterday were following behind them at a discreet distance. He smiled, pleased that the horses considered them to be fit company.

Cherokee and Sunee had no trouble following the wagon train. They could have moved faster on their own, but they enjoyed the speaking and singing sounds the wind carried to them. They enjoyed the sight and smells of their own kind. Sometimes the young wild horses would move to one side or the other of the train nibbling grass and taking in the new and unfamiliar sights and sounds and smells.

When the wagon master stopped the train in early afternoon to let the animals rest briefly and graze, Cherokee and Sunee decided to go for a run to stretch their legs. They angled their direction, passing the left side of the wagon train at a gallop, racing up a hill. They wanted to see what was on the other side. Cherokee thought he smelled water and he wanted to check out his instincts.

He was right. It was not a big lake, but the water was clear and cold. The horses walked to the water’s edge and bent their heads to take a drink.

“This is the best water I’ve ever tasted, Cherokee,” said Sunee.

“Yes,” agreed the young stallion. “Let’s go for a swim!”

They jumped and played and splashed in the cold, deep water. When they tired, they scrambled out on the shore and shook themselves vigorously to get rid of the excess water. They grazed for a while on the abundant fall grass and then headed back toward the wagon train.

“They’ve moved on already.” said Sunee.

“Yes,” agreed Cherokee, “But they haven’t gone far. We will catch up.”

They trotted up the first knoll, and looked down into a very beautiful valley. The trail wound down and around rock ledges and large trees. Cherokee could see a stream that probably fed the lake he and Sunee had just been swimming in.

“Look,” said Cherokee. “There is the wagon train. Down there.”

“I see it,” said Sunee. “Let’s go.”

“Be careful!” warned Cherokee. “We do not know this trail. Some of it looks narrow and dangerous.”

They traveled at a leisurely pace, confident that they would arrive at the wagon train before dusk.

“Sunee,” said Cherokee. “I wonder if there are any spirit people out here.”

“Do you mean like your friend,
Nunne hi?”
she asked.

“Yes. I needed him very much when I was small. I know the
Nunne hi
help animals and are not supposed to be seen by people. What would that little girl have done with out us? Do you think Man has special spirits to help him?”

“I don’t know, Cherokee,” said Sunee. “If they do, not even one was there to help the small girl. Maybe
Asga ya galun Latí,
the Great Spirit, used us as his helper this time.”

“Perhaps,” mused Cherokee. “If that is so, we must always be ready to help him.”

The sun was quickly slipping below the horizon as the two young horses came up over the last ridge. They looked down and saw the wagons circled with the horses and oxen turned loose in the center so they would not wander away during the night. The campfires were lit and supper smells drifted on the evening breeze.

Cherokee watched the people, curious to know how they lived and what they did at certain times. His thoughts again turned to Wurteh and
Tsa tsi,
his Cherokee Indian friends and determined they were not all that different. People did chores and prepared food and talked and laughed and slept, whether they were Indian or like these people of the wagon train. He remembered, too, that Grandfather had told him that age is a measure of wisdom, a stage of life, the number of years you have lived means nothing. And he was proud to be learning!

Sunee was most interested to see that one of the mares had a colt, probably born this past spring, if its size was any indication. She loved young ones very much, and wanted to make friends with the mare so she could get to know the colt.

She would watch for an opportunity to do so in the future.

The two wild horses slept a short distance from the train, in a pine thicket. The needles from the trees muffled their footsteps as they walked. The warmth from the thicket made it comfortable to sleep. The folks in the wagon train were sound asleep. The twilight was eerily silent.

Cherokee woke in the night to the sound of owls. Lifting his head, he saw that the moon was nearing full and the night sky was almost as bright as day. He listened to the whoo-whooing of the owls and to the whir of their wings as they hunted their night meal. He watched Sunee as she slept. Cherokee flicked his ears back and forth and caught the sounds of the wagon train animals stirring quietly. All was well, so he laid his head back down and slept again.

Morning light slipped in through the trees, gently touching the eyes of the sleeping horses. Cherokee and Sunee stood up and shook themselves awake.

“I wonder what our friends are doing?” asked Sunee.

“I can hear them moving around,” answered Cherokee. “Let’s go and watch them get ready to travel.”

The young horses walked from the shelter of the pines into the open spaces of the valley. They saw that all the wagons were hitched and ready to move out. One wagon had a cow tied to it and there were several dogs running around loose. The mare with the colt was not hitched today, but was tied to the back of the last wagon, her colt playing around her.

It took a few minutes for the wagons to get properly lined up. Finally the last wagon, with the mare tied to it, started out, but the colt was slow to follow his mother. Sunee and Cherokee had moved quietly toward the wagon train in order to see and hear the people and sounds they liked. Suddenly the colt saw them out of the corner of his eye and quickly galloped after his mother. The two wild horses looked at each other, amused, that one of
their own kind could find them a possible danger.

The wagon train moved slowly, but steadily westward without a stop at midday. Suddenly, several Indian riders appeared on the horizon. Some of the outriders of the wagon train moved ahead to meet them and Cherokee trotted in for a closer look. The rest of the folks in the train stopped to await the outcome, a little fearful of the Indians.

The Indians were riding spotted ponies bareback. The only thing they used to control their horses was a length of rawhide fastened around the lower jaw of the horse that ran up one side of it’s face, behind the ears and down the other side of the face. There was one long rein on the left side of the mount’s neck. Each pony wore a multicolored feather.

One of the Indians dismounted and said, “My name is Dancing Eagle. Welcome to our land. We invite you to cross the next ridge of hills and join us at Chickasaw Bluffs, at the great Father of
Waters.”

Joseph, the wagon master, noticed that the Indian was tall, very brown, with medium length black hair, brown eyes and a smooth complexion. He would notice in days to come that Indians did not ever have beards. He also noticed that the Indian’s eyes were clear and bright, telling him that the man was honest. Joseph extended his hand in friendship to Dancing Eagle.

“My name is Joseph,” he said. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Cherokee moved in closer in order to observe the actions of the men and to hear what was being said. He looked closely at the faces of both, listening intently.

“Where are you traveling?” asked the Indian.

“We are moving west. All these families have left their homes in the east and are looking for a place to live and raise crops and make a better living than they could in the cities.”

“The only way west is across the great river,” said the Indian, shaking his head.

“Tell me more about the river,” said Joseph.

“It is very wide and deep,” replied Dancing
Eagle.

“But, is it possible to cross?” asked the wagon master.

“Yes,” answered the Indian. “But you must use a raft built of huge logs fastened together to take your wagons and people across. Sometimes the rafts come apart and people are lost.”

“You have rafts already built?”

“Yes, but still it is not an easy crossing. Most people cross much farther north.”

“But,” asked the wagon master, “How many wagons can be moved at one time? How will my animals cross?”

“Please,” answered the Indian. “Wait. When you arrive at the great river, you can rest your animals and people. We will have a great feast so your people and mine can meet and be friends. Then you and I together will decide what is the best way to solve your problem.”

Joseph decided that they would do just that.

“It will take us at least another day to reach Chickasaw Bluffs,” said the wagon master to the Indian. “We thank you for your invitation and will be glad to take you up on your offer.”

“Then we will see you tomorrow or the next day,” answered the Indian. And with a wave of his hand, rode back the way he and his friends had come.

Joseph and his outriders rode back to the wagon train and suggested that they set up camp for the night and called a meeting after the evening meal.

Cherokee trotted back to Sunee and told her of the things he had heard. He was very excited that something was about to happen. He wanted to see the great river the Indian had talked about. He wanted to see this thing called a raft. He wanted to make an acquaintance with the Indians he had seen talking with the pioneers.

“I believe our adventure is beginning, Sunee.” said Cherokee. “Soon we will be experiencing some of the things I set out to do.”

The pioneers did as instructed, and moved their wagons in a large circle. They turned their animals out to graze, and began to set up camp fires for the evening meal. Older children gathered up the younger children, washed their hands and faces and took them to their prospective family campsites.

Supper over, the women and older girls sand washed the dishes and put away the food while the men lit pipes and other smokes and talked about future plans. The fires were banked for the night and discussion turned to what the men and women could provide for the upcoming feast.

“I’ve picked some persimmons,” said Emily’s mother. “I can make several pies.”

“And I have starter mix for bread,” said Annie, Joseph’s wife. “I will make bread for us.”

“Good,” said Joseph. “John, tomorrow morning you take a couple men with you and shoot us a couple of bucks. I’m sure the Indians will have plenty of other food to add to our contributions.”

That settled, everyone went to bed, knowing that tomorrow would be an eventful day.

-8-
A Thanksgiving Feast
 

Cherokee and Sunee were trailing peacefully behind the wagons on that crisp November night under a golden Harvest moon, when they sensed excitement from the pioneers.

“Here we are!” shouted Joseph, as they topped the last ridge. The delicious scent of roasting meat greeted their noses. Dancing Eagle stepped out of his lodge to invite the tired travelers to circle up their wagons in a large, grassy area that would be accessible to both the village and the Mississippi River, and offer plenty of grazing for the animals. With so many people around, it was not necessary to corral them with the wagons.

“It’s good to see you again,” said the wagon master to Dancing Eagle, as they shook hands.

“You must be tired,” responded Dancing Eagle. “Will your people meet with us around our fires? We will begin our celebration tonight. A Thanksgiving feast is being prepared for tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” answered Joseph. “We have brought venison, home made bread and sweet persimmon pies to add to what you have prepared.”

“We will sit and talk while the young men build fires to roast the venison. We, too, have been busy since meeting you. Can you smell the wild pig? We also have rabbit, pheasant, duck and geese for the feast. The women have gathered wild carrots and sweet potatoes and we have much corn.”

The children, as children do the world over, met each other with smiles and friendship. Stick ball and hide and seek are universal games.

As they were playing, one of the young Indian braves said, “Look! There is a wild horse up there!”

Emily, feeling quite knowledgeable about these horses, said, “There are two of them and they saved my life.”

Looking skeptical, the children stared at Cherokee and Sunee. “Let’s go and see them,” said the young brave.

“I don’t know,” said Emily. “I’m not sure we should.”

“Come on,” he replied. “I will look after you and the others. The moon is bright and we can’t get lost.”

“Well, alright.”

And several children started walking toward the two wild horses.

Sunee was not sure at first what the children were up to, but as they continued to walk toward them, she said, “Cherokee? What should we do?”

“Wait.” he replied. “Let’s see how far they will come. Perhaps they will not come all the way. Let’s graze and watch them.”

Heads lowered to the ground, eyes facing the direction from which the children came, the two horses watched and waited.

The length of two tall trees from the horses, (about sixty feet) the young Indian brave whispered, “Let’s sit down and be quiet.” The other boys and girls did as he suggested and watched in awe as the two horses grazed closer and
closer to them.

Cherokee was curious. “Let’s go and see them,” he whispered.

“Yes,” agreed Sunee. “I see the little girl we saved. Do you think we will be safe?”

“If there is danger, we can outrun them,” answered Cherokee promptly.

As they got closer to the children, Emily stood up and held her hand out to the horses. Sunee walked directly to the child touching her nose gently to the little girl’s chest.

The other children gasped in surprise, that the small child could, indeed, touch a wild horse!

“I want to touch it!” said one. More confident now, they all stood up and moved around the two horses. “Me, too! Me, too!” they all cried.

Cherokee and Sunee were careful to stand still while the children walked in and around their feet and under their bellies, only turning their heads so they could keep watch on the movements of the small ones in order not to hurt them. Many small hands patted them, rubbed their legs and
pulled their manes and tails.