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Show TV Listings, April 25, 198S Page 8 the back of a galloping horse - but at the present there was no alternative. I leaped back upon the roan stallion, behind Red Leaf, and urged the horse into into a full gallop up the rocky trail. Soon the terrain leveled again and the horse ran even faster. The June sun was already behind the western peaks when we reached the little stream where Brown Wolf . LEE NELSON and had seen the many beaver ponds. Remembering some thick musswelling bulges as the steel-harcles labored with perfect rhythm. Occasionally I looked back in an ef- I d effort to reach the willows before dark. The ground wasnt as rocky now, and the horse didnt have to pick his footing with as much care as earlier. I I cut the rawhide rope that bound Red Leaf to the post and grabbed her arm to pull her towards the horse. She jerked away, and in a sobbing voice ordered me to leave her. I grabbed her again, jerked her around, took a firm hold on both of her wrists, and pulling her face up to mine, started to tell her that I didnt know what was wrong, but that there was no way would leave without. . . For the first time, I saw the face she had been covering with her hands and understood why she was resisting my efforts to rescue her. The significance of her refusal to leave began to sink in. What kind of love did this Ute girl have for me? Surely, in all our courtship and brief marriage I hadnt even scratched the surface of how much she really cared forme. Red Leaf would rather die than be a burden to me. What kind of love was that? She would rather give up her life I than bring inconvenience to me. I pulled her close, wrapping my arms tightly around her shoulders and back, and as the tears streamed down my cheeks with a new understanding and feeling in my heart. told her that we would either flee together, or stay and die together, but that I would not leave her. She could forget about that. I told her her blindness didnt . , Com-manch- Chapter 44 The roan stallion galloped tirelessly over the grassy plain towards the dis- tant mountains. The afternoon sun glistened brilliantly upon the sweat-soake- d hide, alive with liquid lines and away from the Commanches. I pulled the stallion back to an easy lope when we reached the foothills. As the trail began winding its way up a steep, rocky ridge, I dismounted and ran ahead, giving the sweating stallion somewhat of a breather. As strong and fast as he was, it wouldnt be easy for a horse carrying two people to keep ahead of the Commanches. When we reached the top of the ridge, I looked back over the grassy plain. It didnt take but a moment to spot four galloping horses, our Commanche pursuers. The fact that there were only four gave me hope that Brown Wolf was still on the loose, being pursued by the rest of the Commanche warriors. The thing that bothered me about our pursuers was that they were closer than I had hoped. Maybe a mile back, but no more. I looked up at Red Leaf, sitting quietly on the horse, shoulders pine-studde- I change anything. If anything, I loved her more. The ugly, black sores where her eyes had been would heal and we would have a good life together, but first we must get away from the one of whom had just seen me and was calling to the others. I leaped upon the roan stallion and reached down to take Red Leafs hand. This time she didnt resist. I pulled her up behind me and urged the stallion into a full gallop. Fortunately, all the Commanches with horses were out in the meadow chasing Brown Wolf, allowing us to get a good head start before they came after us. Suddenly, the horse broke stride and began stumbling brokenly to a halt. As dismounted to see what was wrong, the stallion shifted his weight away from his left front foot. picked up the hoof. Red blood was oozing slowly from a crooked gash behind the frog, or center part, of the hoof. Apparently the animal had stepped on a sharp stone. I let go of the hoof and tried to lead the horse ahead. Reluctantly it tried to follow, trying to keep weight off the injured hoof. The swift, strong stallion had suddenly become useless to us. Helping Red Lead to the ground, I took her by the hand and started running. We hadnt gone more than fifty feet when she collapsed. She was too weak. It had been difficult for her to ride the horse, but running or even walking was too much for her now. I took her in my arms and started running ahead - keeping a sharp eye out for a good hiding place. A short time later we rested at the place where Brown Wolf and I had , cussion. While she waded into the water next to the shore, I splashed water on the sandy bank to I arrow-shape- - camped during the rainstorm the night before, next to the big beaver lodge. I looked back towards the headwaters of the little stream. The four hide from the rapidly-approachin- g Commanches.' In . hunched forward, elbows straight, palms on the horse's back, as she used her arms to prop her in an upright position. There was a weariness about her that didnt fit her desperation and frustration at not knowing what to do, I fingered my medicine pouch as I looked about for some kind of clue as to what we should do. The gold nugget, with enough value to buy three or four rifles, was useless. With a good rifle I could put up a good fight. I didnt even have a bow and arrows. Only a knife. I felt the beaver tooth, then brought about the huge lodge in the stream. Beaver George had taught me all about beaver lodges - the underwater entrance, the inside ledges where the beavers were safe from their natural enemies. Suddenly I had an idea. Making sure the Commanches were far enough down the ridge to be out of sight, I dove into the icy water of the beaver pond and swam to the lodge. I circled the mound of sticks, feeling beneath the surface, until I found what appeared to be the entrance. Taking a deep breath and using the sticks from the lodge as handles, I pulled myself under the water until I was facing the entrance. mud-plastere- . knee-dee- d Commanches were working their way down the ridge towards the valley floor. They would soon be upon us, and there was no way I could outdistance them carrying Red Leaf. She looked almost unconscious on the grass at my feet. She so desperately; needed rest and care, but the cover was sparse. There just werent any good hiding places where we could d young body. I offered her a piece of jerky, but she said she wasnt hungry. I wondered when she had last had a good sleep, or good nourishment. Her face was swollen and dirty. The black sores where the firebrands had burned her eyes were open and oozing a clear liquid, almost as if she were crying. The wounds needed to be cleaned and bandaged. She needed rest and nourishment, not a long hard ride on . I longed. Perhaps I should take her back east to white civilization. I pushed these thoughts out of my mind, realizing that first we had to get ; gether at the back of the lodge to form the flat, mudslick floor of a little cave, about four feet deep and 15 inches high. Two beavers were huddled at the back of the cave. It wasn't much of a hiding place, and it certainly would be crowded with the four of us - Red Leaf and i and the two beavers. Red Leaf was reluctant to enter the water, but with the Commanches approaching, there was no time for dis- clumps of willow a few miles downstream, we hurried even faster in an fort to see how many Commances were on our trail, and how far away they were. But the terrain was too level, and there were too many juniper and pine trees blocking my vision. figured in the event Brown Wolf was caught and killed, the entire troop of Commanche warriors would be free to come after me and Red Leaf. If Brown Wolf managed to escape onto the plain, or down the river, the Commanches would have to split their forces. In any case, I figured we had a pretty good lead on them. The roan stallion was fast and strong, and didn't need any coaxing to keep going. It was exhilarating to feel the strength of the horse beneath me. That, combined with the warmth of the afternoon sun, and Red Leafs arms about my waist, would have given me a sense of well being and confidence, but it had not been for the nagging worry of Red Leafs blindness. How would that change our future life together? How could she live the nomadic life of the wandering Utes? Perhaps I would build her a log cabin where she could have confidence knowing where everything be- When I was finally close enough to speak quietly, so only she could hear, I called her name. She didn't respond. I called again still no response. After jerking some of the sticks away in an effort to enlarge the opening, I forced my way into the black tunnel, scratching my ribs and shoulders on sharp sticks as I pushed my way into the dark lodge. It wasnt completely dark inside. Some daylight filtered through the air hole in the ceiling. There was a ledge just above the water level, about eight inches wide on two sides, coming to- d p wash away our tracks. When I turned to Red Leaf, she was already shivering from contact with the icy water. We swam the 15 feet of deep water to the lodge, then guided her into the underwater entrance. It was easier for her to get through the opening, because of her smaller size, although twice her dress snagged on pointed sticks. When I followed her, I pulled two sticks with me which I positioned crossways over the opening to help prevent us from sliding into the water. We situated ourselves on opposite sides of the opening, facing each other, our heads towards the two huddling beavers who seemed content to remain at the back of the den. The same openings that allowed light to filter through the matted ceiling allowed sound to enter, too. At first, the only sound was the distant rushing of water over the dam at the lower end of the pond, but soon we heard hoofbeats and voices, obviously the Commanches. Even though I couldnt understand any of the words, it was obvious from the excited nature of their conversation that they had discovered the roan stallion. Red Leaf was still shivering, and there was little hope of getting warm and dry in the damp, cool beaver lodge. Our buckskins were soaked, and would remain so through the night. I had hoped the Commanches would continue their journey downstream, thinking we had gone in that direction. Had they done so, we would have abandoned the lodge and found a warmer and drier place to spend the night. As it was, however, the Commanches figured we were hiding near the horse. Instead of moving on, they were searching behind every bush and I . rock for us. Chapter 45 It was almost dark when we heard some splashing in the outside pond. Suddenly the stick and mud roof of the lodge began to creak and crunch as an Indian climbed on top. He began shouting something to his companions on shore. They shouted back. I drew my knife. If that Indian had the courage to swim into the dark underwater tunnel in search of an enemy, I would be ready for him. I didnt think he would try to dig in from the top. |