The Adventures of Cherokee (6 page)

“But the man can follow your tracks in the snow!” She answered.

“I must go!”

“Live in balance, Cherokee, squarely with the truth! You must reason that it is not the time to leave!”

For the first time in his life, Cherokee dismissed his Mother’s words. “I will talk to Father. He will advise me of the right thing to do!”

“You are like Sasa, a goose in a wheat field, that gobbles without a thought! But whatever you decide, remember that I love you.” And just to remind him of his bad manners, she added, “Others will reflect your mirror image. Always have pleasant manners.”

Cherokee did not answer her, but turned and walked away. He was embarrassed, but a little angry, also. He was so sure she would agree with him. Well, his father would tell him it was wise to leave tonight! He had not given a thought to talking with the Great Spirit or consulting with Sunee.

-6-
U tso nati
 

When Cherokee turned away from his mother, he saw Sunee watching him. “I did not think of my best friend,” he thought. “I am selfish.”

“Sunee,” he called out.

“I’m here, Cherokee. What is the matter?”

“I’ve nearly made a mistake again. I just talked to Mother about leaving tonight and when she disagreed with me, I got angry and told her I was going to Father for advice. I was not polite to her.”

“And?”

“And I did not think of what you would want to do or what the Great Spirit would have us do. I was only thinking of myself. I am sorry.”

“Then we must speak to the Great Spirit and discuss the matter together. When we have reached an agreement, we will again speak with
our elders.”

“Oh, Great Spirit,” pleaded Cherokee. “Please show us what to do. Should we leave our families behind? Is it time to journey so far without our elders to guide us?”

Sunee prayed, too. “Great Spirit, if we are to make this journey, travel with us wherever the path may take us. Talk to us often and keep us safe. Guide our steps.”

The two young horses finished their prayers and talked softly together. They decided that leaving with snow on the ground was not wise; they knew the sun would soon warm the air and this first snow would not stay. On the day that it melted, they would run away. In the meantime they would exercise by playing games that would keep them strengthened for jumping and running.

They talked with Flying Hawk once more, and he agreed that waiting for the snow to melt was a good idea. He also agreed that Cherokee should apologize to his mother for his bad
behavior.

Two nights later, Sunee spoke with her mother for the last time.

“Mother,” she said. “I have decided to go with Cherokee. We leave tonight before the moon comes up to light the way for Man. We do not want them to see where we are going.”

“I will miss you, Daughter.” With a warm touch of muzzle to muzzle, Unaca sadly said, “May you be warmed by the sun, rocked by the winds and sheltered by the trees.”

Sunee’s sister, Yellow Bird, peeked out from under her mother’s neck, and whispered shyly, “Good bye Sunee, I will miss you, too.”

Flying Hawk said nothing more to his son. He knew that the young stallion was taking on the unknown. Not even he knew what existed beyond the boundaries of this ranch. In fact, he had not even been as far as this ranch. He could only ask the Great Spirit to guide and protect the two young horses in whatever adventures they encountered. He said, “Stay on the white path,

my son.”

“The white path, Father?” repeated Cherokee.

“Yes. The white path. The white path represents good things. The blue path represents adventure and the red path is bad.”

“Thank you for telling me. I did not know that. I will try to stay on the white path and perhaps Sunee and I will enjoy the blue path also.”

The daylight hours turned into late afternoon. By the time darkness began to close around the horses, Cherokee and Sunee were almost ready. Since the horses were in corrals or paddocks, none of the men stood guard over them. After supper the cowboys usually retired to the bunkhouse to play cards, write letters or play the harmonica or guitar.

When the lights went out in the bunkhouse, Cherokee began to pace, his head bobbing up and down with each step. When the only sounds he could hear were bird sounds and coyote howls and the bark of the fox, he whispered to Sunee, “It’s time!”

Sunee followed Cherokee to the near side of the corral.

“I’m ready!” she said. Both horses tensed their muscles and broke into a dead run straight at the far end of the five foot corral. Front legs stretched high, hind legs tucked up, they cleared the top pole in unison.

They headed west at a fast gallop, through a meadow, around a stand of hickory trees, across a narrow stream. They continued over small and large rock formations until reaching what appeared to be a great bowl in the earth. After traveling for many hours, it seemed a likely place to hide and rest. They found a way into the bowl. There was grass to eat and overhanging rock ledges to hide beneath. They were very tired.

Morning came. The cowboys had wakened, dressed, and stepped outside to shave and wash their hands and faces before breakfast. While waiting his turn, Monty was looking over the corrals.

“Hey, J.D!” he shouted. “Unless somebody moved ‘em, the two year olds are missing! Somebody check the gate!”

Two cowboys already finished at the wash bowl, ran toward the corral Cherokee and Sunee had been in. They discovered the gate still carefully shut, but sure enough, the horses were gone!

“Gate’s shut, J.D. Tracks show they leaped the fence some time last night.”

Just then Cookie rang the bell for breakfast and nobody was late for breakfast! While eating a familiar breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, biscuits and coffee, they broke a cardinal rule and talked, discussing the missing horses. “Do you want us to go after them, Boss?” asked J.D.

“No, J.D.” said Bobby. “We’ll just continue to work on the others you brought in. Funny, I would have thought the stallion would have been the one to make a break for it. Let’s go put in some more time on that young black colt,” strangely dismissing the loss of the two horses.

Meanwhile, Cherokee and Sunee had wakened with the sun, climbed back out of the bowl in the earth, and continued west. The air was chilly, but the morning sun felt warm on their backs as they trotted side by side. They did not speak for a long time. Good companions don’t need constant conversation; besides they were enjoying the scenery. The land was beginning to change. It was a little flatter and sandier, but they could see hills in the distance. The trees were scrubbier, shorter and not many leaves were left on them. The sun rose higher in the sky. They smelled water and stopped to rest when they found it.

Just before dusk, after a week of pleasant travel and peaceful days, they heard unfamiliar noises. Being curious they climbed a hill wanting to see what it was. There in a little valley, resting in a circle, were ten covered wagons.

Many people were moving around inside the circle of the wagons, building fires. The two horses were cautious, but not afraid. As they watched from the top of the hill, they heard laughing and talking. They saw children playing games, men hauling water and tending to the animals. They saw the women gathering fire wood, lighting fires.

Cherokee had fleeting thoughts of Tsa tsi and his mother and how nice it was to have someone look after him. He remembered the smells that came from the cooking fires and how it felt to be petted and touched. He shook his head to get rid of the memories. “Look, Cherokee,” whispered Sunee. “Some of the small people are coming this way!”

“Those are children,” answered Cherokee. “Children are good. They like horses. But we don’t want to get caught! Let’s hide in those trees near the river.”

The two horses quickly but quietly trotted toward a stand of trees not far away. The darkness in the shelter of the forest hid them well. It allowed them a vantage point to watch the people on the wagon train. The children were gathering firewood for the campfires.

Cherokee and Sunee could hear the families talking and laughing separating into family groups, preparing their evening meal. They continued to watch and listen.

“I smell their coffee,” said Sunee. “It always smells so strong and bitter!”

“I agree,” answered Cherokee, “But Man seems to like it. Other things smell good, though, don’t they?” he continued.

“Yes. I think I am hungry, too. Let’s find some grass.”

And so they went their own way, nosing through the fallen leaves and nibbling any grass they could find. The happy family sounds were pleasant to their ears and made them long for their own families.

“Emily!” Someone called. “Emily! Where are you?”

Cherokee and Sunee lifted their heads and looked toward the wagon train. They were too far away to see well, so they moved in that direction, watching carefully for danger.

At the same time the woman again called, “Emily, Emily! Where have you gone?” Sunee spotted a little girl walking toward the forest. She was humming a little tune, picking wild flowers. The horses both watched her with interest.

She appeared to be about three years old, wearing a long blue cotton dress that reached the ankles of her high top shoes. Her sun bonnet was pushed back from her head of long brown hair and tied loosely in a knot at her throat. She walked this way and that, her direction determined by which wild flowers appealed to her the most. Suddenly she stopped.

Sunee watched the little girl for a moment and then let her eyes search the ground in front of the child. A slight movement! A rattling sound! The filly was in a dead run before
Cherokee could make a move.

“U tso nati
!” shouted Sunee, as she raced toward the little girl. “Cherokee! Get the snake! I’ll take care of the child!”

Cherokee leaped into action, eyes scanning the ground as he ran. He spotted the rattle snake and headed directly for it.

The movement of the two wild horses attracted the people at the wagon train. Emily’s mother screamed. The child looked up as the buckskin and spotted horse, ears flat to their heads, flew directly at her, but she could not move. In seconds, Sunee slid to a standstill between Emily and the snake. Putting her head gently against the girl, Sunee pressed her backward, away from danger. Emily, not wanting to drop her flowers, placed one tiny hand on the mare’s face. She was forced to back up several steps until finally she lost her balance and plopped down on her bottom.

Cherokee reached the rattler at the same time. He reared on his hind legs stomping the snake, once, twice, three times, killing it with his sharp hooves.

The people in the wagon train did not see the snake and thought the horses were going to hurt Emily. Weapons out, the men raced toward the child to protect her. Several men fired their guns while running, but the shots went wild. Sunee and Cherokee saw them coming, quickly turned and raced back toward the woods and safety.

“Thank you, Jesus!” said the little girl’s mother, as she picked her up, hugging her to her breast, wild flowers flying everywhere. Both of them were crying. The men, looking around, saw a 6 foot Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake on the ground where Cherokee had been stomping.

“Look, Joseph! Those horses killed a snake!” said John.

John, the father of the child, stood in awe, as he looked at the bruised and torn body of the deadly reptile, and then after the horses.

“I wonder why two wild horses protected our child, Martha,” he said to his wife. “Maybe they aren’t so wild after all. Suppose?”

“It is a miracle,” she replied. “Tame or wild, I will always be grateful to those horses, and that you didn’t injure them with your guns!”

“Let’s clean it and take it back for a meal. They are very good to eat. Tastes like chicken. I’m going to keep the rattles, too,” commented John. “Someday Emily might want them to remind her of her near death experience on her way out west.”

He bent over, picked up the large reptile and followed the others back to camp.

The sun was setting and the fall air turning cooler. The horses cantered toward the forest in companionable silence. Once they reached the edge of the trees, they slowed to a walk and entered the darkening woods. Their hooves caused the leaves to make crisp noises with each step. It was very pleasant indeed. They felt safe in the bosom of Mother Earth and the memories of Grandfather’s words.

“We do have
a uno ligo so,
a partnership, don’t we?” asked Cherokee.

“Yes, Cherokee,” answered Sunee. “I was just thinking the same thing. It is good that we decided to make thisjourney together. The Great Spirit has already given us his blessing, by putting us in this place and giving us the ability to save the small child.”

“You protected her,” said Cherokee.

“And you killed
u tso nati,”
responded Sunee.

Sunee rubbed her nose on Cherokee’s shoulder affectionately.

“Let’s thank the Great Spirit for his gifts and then rest. Perhaps we can follow the people again tomorrow,” she suggested.

-7-
Indians
 

Cherokee and Sunee rose early and watched as the women cooked breakfast and the men saw to the hitching of the teams of horses and oxen. The day started early for the folks in the wagon train, too.

Sunee observed that the women kept their children close, making sure they didn’t stray into rattlesnake infested territory. After breakfast, supplies were loaded and Joseph, the wagon master, called for them to start out.

Cherokee noticed that the train was going in the direction his vision had shown him, so he and Sunee decided to follow at a distance.

“Where do you suppose they are going?” asked Sunee.

“I don’t know,” answered Cherokee, “But it’s nice to have them near. I like the sounds of people. And I like the children.”

“Yes,” said Sunee. “I don’t want to think about serving man, but if it becomes necessary, I would like to be with people like those down there.”

The wagon train moved out slowly. Joseph, the leader of the wagon train had a great responsibility trying to keep these families fed and moving on the right trails. He knew their journey would be a long one. They were headed for Oregon, but because of their late start, he also knew they would not reach their destination before winter overtook them. His first goal was to cross the Mississippi River when it was at its lowest. He thought perhaps they could winter at one of the forts or find a hospitable town where they could send their children to school, the men could work and the women could make further preparations for continuing on their long journey in the spring.