Bittersweet Ecstasy (48 page)

Flaming Bow smiled and informed him, “He is dead. I killed him four moons past and gave the red cloth to Sun Cloud when we jointly attacked the bluecoat camp far away. He wore it during his Sacred Bow race and Sun Dance two moons past, and he seized great victories in both. He chose the hanging position and the heavens cried out at his pain and sacrifice. Word came to us this past sun of a new war council; that is where we ride. Have you not heard of it?”

“We have not been in our camp. We will ride with you and your warriors. Tell me all of Sun Cloud’s challenges and victories,” Silver Hawk coaxed with feigned pride and pleasure, but anger and envy surged madly within him, as the last things he wanted to hear about were Sun Cloud’s enormous prowess and Smith’s death. For a long time, he had looked forward to slaying both, very slowly and painfully. He had to find a way to make Bright Arrow chief swiftly…

As Sun Cloud figured, the war council was a very long meeting, for the tribal leaders wanted to hear all the details of Sun Cloud’s rituals and the reports from every band who had scouted or encountered the white enemy since their last meeting, before this one continued.

Mind-who-Roams and White Arrow delighted in relating the prowess of Gray Eagle’s youngest son. All agreed the Sacred Bow race and Sun Dance vision were powerful medicine; and all were amazed by Sun Cloud’s twofold stamina, bravery, and success. It was decided that Grandfather had blessed him and used him, and would do so again.

The joining of Silver Hawk to the daughter of Dull Knife was announced, and many congratulated the young chief, whose mind seemed to be on other matters and places today. The death of Medicine Bear was mentioned again, and his passing was mourned with a few moments of silence for he was well-liked and respected.

The joining of Tashina and Soul-of-Thunder was announced. Many congratulated him as he stood proudly between his father, Windrider, and Tashina’s
father, Bright Arrow. He smiled happily and thanked them.

Mild skirmishes with hay gatherers, woodcutters, and hunters from the fort were revealed and discussed. Flaming Bow’s band related the discovery of the tracks of the detachment to Fort Meade and the trails of three small units to the other forts.

Sun Cloud stated factually, “Their tracks are now two days old; they are out of our reach. They go to seek help to replace the men and supplies lost to them in our attack. They work as swiftly and eagerly as the beaver before a storm.” He pointedly questioned, “Why do they seek to make their home stronger and to store food? Do they prepare against being swept away by a flood of Indians, or seek to hold out against us until others come and they are strongest once more? We must not allow it. Our time is short and our moves crucial. We must strike swiftly and cunningly before more whites and weapons arrive.”

Big Elk stood and suggested, “Flaming Bow, Windrider, and Fire Brand can surround the fort and cut it off from supplies and help. We can defeat them by biting off a few at a time and chewing them carefully. Your warriors can sneak close to the fort in the darkness and slay as many as possible, and they can steal or destroy all supplies and weapons. Each man slain or supply ruined must have a bluebird and eagle feather painted or placed upon it; they will fear Gray Eagle has returned from the dead to avenge himself. His spirit strikes terror and trembling in them, and we must play upon those fears and doubts. You must nip at the bluecoats each moon until they are driven inside the fort. You must not allow them to fetch wood, water, or fresh game. They will be cramped tightly and will soon grow edgy. When
Wi
dries all things, you can pile brush around the fort. The smoke and fire will
drive terror into their hearts. If you can burn the wooden shield around them, they can be attacked. Even if you do not slay them all, they will flee our lands in fear and dread of our power.”

This idea was praised and accepted. Big Elk smiled gratefully at Sun Cloud, for his vision plan was a clever one. The Oglala war chief continued, “There are five forts in our sacred lands. The one nearby will be cut off from the others. Three bands of warriors must prevent the others from sending more men and supplies to Fort Dakota. They dared to build it upon the face of Mother Earth, then call it by our sacred name! Once Fire Brand nearly destroyed it, but they returned and made it strong again. Silver Hawk and his warriors must ride to the west to lay in wait for the soldiers from Fort Henry. Bright Arrow and his band must ride south toward Fort White. Sun Cloud will attack the bluecoats from Fort James. Those from Fort Meade to our north who return with those from Fort Dakota will be attacked nearby; we will let the ones inside witness our power and cunning. They will tremble and leave. If they do not, we will outwait them and slay them.”

“Do you say you will allow them to ride away if they ask it?” Silver Hawk inquired, as if he disapproved of this show of mercy.

Sun Cloud replied, “We must not appear ‘bloodthirsty savages’ as they call us. We must seek to prove we have the power to destroy each white man, but do not because we are men of honor and control. We must teach them this is our land and we will defend it with our lives, but we slay no man without reason. We must prove we are higher beings than they are. If we slay them all, they will only send more bluecoats and weapons. If we show mercy and truce, they might linger a while to think of their greed and its demands. They might realize we only want to live in peace on our lands.
They might realize we are strong, yet gentle. We are firm, but our hearts are good. We must reveal the value of peace. We cannot survive if we are constantly at war; we must have time to hunt, to hold our ceremonies, to make weapons, to join in love, to train our children, to care for our old ones, to feel joy racing through our hearts, and to do many other things. Long ago, our father’s father’s fathers or beyond pushed others from these lands, now the whites seek to do the same with us. They are many and powerful. My father and others of you have battled them for countless winters; each time they are driven out, more take their places. Their forts are destroyed, but more are built. Even their weapons grow more powerful and dangerous with each passing season. We cannot hold them back forever. We must show signs which give them hopes of peace, or they will seek to destroy all of us.”

Silver Hawk saw these statements as a way to humiliate Sun Cloud and to make him appear flawed. He jumped to his feet and shouted incredulously, “You speak of weakness and cowardice! We must not yield! We must destroy them! How can you show such prowess and courage at the Sun Dance pole, then speak of yielding to our foes? Do you wish your people to live as the white man’s slaves? To hang around the forts as the Crow and live off white goods? Do you wish to see your braves take white mates or bluecoats take Indian mates and weaken the Indian bloodlines? Do you wish to hear your people insulted, and see them abused? Do you wish the white man’s whiskey to dull Indian heads, and their diseases to plague Indian bodies? They cannot live in our lands! Perhaps your white blood sways your thinking and your feelings; perhaps it does not wish to war against the whites,” he accused coldly, his insults barely cloaked.

Although it was a fierce struggle, Sun Cloud leashed
his fury and kept it under control. He asked in a calm tone, “Must all suffer and cease to exist to prove we are braver and stronger, more honorable, than our white foes? Must a truce and peace be viewed as a defeat or weakness? Have we not made truce with Indian foes? Is a white foe any different because of his skin color? Must we fear him more? Must we make special choices for him? A foe is a foe, Silver Hawk, if he be Indian or white. Must we all die because we remain blind to the truth, the truth that we cannot war against them forever?”

Silver Hawk almost committed a terrible offense by interrupting Sun Cloud, but Sun Cloud steadily continued his reasoning. “It is not the same as warring endlessly with the Crow and Pawnee: the whites do not count
coup;
they do not touch a man with a weapon or take his possessions; they kill and destroy. Indians, even foes, do not take another’s life easily or quickly, for we know the need and value of a warrior to his people and his family; we seek to defeat him in other ways, without death. Our Indian foes do not war each sun; they give time for the buffalo hunt and our other needs, which match theirs. They do not attack during sacred ceremonies, or attack like sneaky wolves who only wish to kill, not to count
coup.
The whites have no such feelings or honor.”

Sun Cloud knew he was being a little contradictory, but he needed to make these leaders think, think about this bitter war and think about peace. “How long can we keep destroying them and watching them destroy us? Surely they also grow weary of war and death. We must teach them how to live and feel and think as we do, or fight them forever. Which takes and reveals more courage, wisdom, cunning, honor, and patience: teaching and surviving, or warring and dying? From birth until death, must our lives be nothing more than
one endless battle? I desire more for my people, more for myself. Is it not our way to retreat honorably when the odds are against us? My mother and my father went to the white lands and they saw the power and greed of our foes; that is why my father sought peace when it was good, and battled when it was not, as we must do.”

To get his points across, Sun Cloud used what the ex-scout Powchutu had related to him. “Eagle’s Arm, my father’s brother, visited the white lands and lived there many winters to study them; he told us the white lands are large and the whites are many and their weapons are terrible. Eagle’s Arm said the white-eyes had battled larger and stronger foes than all tribes banded together, and they had won those two battles in less than eleven winters. This space of time is nothing when compared to how many winters they have battled us, and they are not at full strength. Eagle’s Arm said, now that these white foes were conquered, more whites would enter our lands, and the white warriors who won those victories will be sent here to protect them. My father’s brother said they believe they purchased all Indian lands from those who came as trappers long ago and called themselves French and Spanish. Their people are many; they need and desire more lands, these lands. They will fight us for them, for they believe these lands are theirs,” he stressed to open their eyes and minds.

“To rush foolishly into battle accomplishes nothing but the deaths of many good warriors. We must teach them they are mistaken and greedy. We must teach them of counting
coup,
of how we battle; we must show them we do not slay good warriors unless they force us to defend our lives and lands. We must teach them the value of life, and the honor of a true warrior. I was born Oglala; I have lived as Oglala; and I will die as Oglala. I would never allow my people to be crushed beneath the
bluecoats’ boots, but peace is survival. We must battle the whites until we can seek it with honor. What little white blood I carry from my mother’s mother does not enter or sway my thoughts.”

Big Elk stated, “Sun Cloud has proven himself to Grandfather and to his people, so your fiery words shot as wounding arrows must be withdrawn from his body. He does not fear to battle the whites; each plan we have made and accepted came from his sacred vision and cunning mind. You heard the vision, Silver Hawk; it spoke of war, but also of peace. Sun Cloud was commanded by Grandfather to seek it to save all tribes from total destruction. Even as you insulted him, he held a tight rein on his anger. Such control and wisdom are great
coups.”

Silver Hawk recognized his error and quickly sought to correct it to keep from drawing unnecessary or suspicious attention to himself. “Your words are true and wise, Big Elk. I spoke too swiftly from the fires of my hatred which burn within my head and heart for the whites. I still suffer from the losses of Chief Medicine Bear and his sons at the hands of our white foes. I still suffer from the evil slaying of my second father Gray Eagle, which caused the death of my beloved second mother Shalee. It is hard to consider truce when a hunger for revenge and righting wrongs chews viciously at me. I was trained as a warrior, to defend my people, even with my life. Wisdom comes with age and experience, as with those of you who sit on tribal councils. That is why we need your guidance and knowing. Many evils of the whites trouble my mind these moons, for I know more of my people will die before we settle this new conflict. I forget I am not a chief, and we are no longer boys who can quarrel when we disagree. The taste of a truce with the whites is bitter in my mouth, but perhaps Sun Cloud speaks wisely.
We must think of survival for our peoples and lands. I ask my brother Sun Cloud’s understanding and forgiveness.”

Sun Cloud knew Silver Hawk was lying, but he was doing it so artfully that others did not see through him. Sun Cloud smiled and said, “Many heads are hot against our foes this sun. Soon, we will cool them with victory and peace. Grandfather has spoken. I promise you, Silver Hawk; I will do all in my power to destroy all enemies of our peoples, white or Indian.” He smiled again and took his seat.

Sun Cloud sat around a small campfire with his friends Thunder Spirit and Soul-of-Thunder. He was thinking perhaps the Thunder beings, who controlled their names and influenced their Life-circles, had drawn them together and made them fast friends. To forget his worries, he coaxed eagerly, “Tell me of Tashina and your family.”

The Cheyenne warrior beamed with happiness as he began talking about his new wife, the sister of Thunder Spirit’s new wife. Sun Cloud could see how much love and joy his two friends were experiencing and he could not help but envy them. He had not dared tell the Cheyenne warrior of his misconduct with the promised mate of his wife’s father, and he continued to hold his defensive silence. Sun Cloud was closer to the son of White Arrow and knew he could trust him completely.

Sun Cloud smiled as he received news of Windrider’s wife, Bonnie “Sky Eyes” Thorne, who had been a close friend of Rebecca “Wahea” Kenny. He listened to tales about the children of Windrider and Sky Eyes: Three Son, Little Turtle, Heart Flower, and Sky Warrior. He wondered if the fifteen-year-old blue-eyed blond named Sky Warrior would remain with the Cheyenne;
often life was difficult for a half-breed, and Sky Warrior’s looks loudly proclaimed him as halfblooded.