Chapter 33
The Meeting of Kodahs (Friends)
The flames from the campfire snapped and crackled as the mesquite logs burned. Little Elk and Esben sat close, wrapped in buffalo robes, to keep the cold night away. They finished chewing on lengths of buffalo intestines that Little Elk had just stripped. They finished a meal of raw brains and liver smeared with juices of gall bladder and raw marrow raked from the broken bones of the buffalo and were smoking kinnik-kinnik, which is made from the inner bark of the red willow. The Sioux use it as a substitute for tobacco. It has an aromatic and very pungent flavor. It is prepared for smoking by being scraped in thin curly flakes from the slender saplings, and crisped before the fire, after which it is rubbed between the hands into a form resembling leaf-tobacco, and stored in skin bags for use. It has a highly narcotic effect on those not habituated to its use, and produces a heaviness sometimes approaching stupefaction. It is for this reason Esben rarely smoked it. This night he did.
Looking toward the sky, Yellow Hair said, “It appears Thunderbird, God of Rain, will soon bring us more rain. We have had a difficult time getting the wagons across some of the rivers. They are gorged with the waters and in many cases, overflowing their banks.”
Little Elk grunted, inhaling deeply the smoke from the kinnik-kinnik, “Our ponies have no trouble with the rivers” he replied.
They were quiet for awhile before Little Elk turned and inquired about Grey Wolf and his mother’s murder and what had been done to avenge their death.
“I have killed Turk Turner, my mother’s killer and three others. I will find Isom Prentice Olive, who killed Grey Wolf, and I will kill him as well,” Yellow Hair replied .
“This Olive is a monster and must die. I owe this to Grey Wolf. It is what I have to do.”
“Word reaches our people that he is the one who shot my father. I want to be with you when you find this person. The Wasichus won’t do anything because he killed Sioux, not white people”, Little Elk said.
“I don’t think that is a good idea. They will come after all of the Sioux if they know a Sioux killed a white man. If I am alone and they catch me, there is no one else they can hurt.
“Would I deny you?” Little Elk asked. “You must let me ride with you. It is what’s right. When you return, come for me. I will be ready.”
He knew it was pointless to argue with Little Elk as his mind was made up.
“Ok, my friend, I will welcome your company and help. It has been a long time since we rode together.”
“Is that stallion, Thunder, getting any better at hunting the buffalo, or do you wait in the teepees with the squaws for the warriors to bring you your food?” Yellow Hair asked laughing at the frown on Little Elk’s face.
“He has learned quickly, my friend, and can now beat that little pony of yours,” Little Elk replied.”
“Little Elk, it is more than just the pony, it’s the rider and the pony together. My little mare and I can beat you and Thunder anytime and you know it.”
“We’ll see,” he said. “When you come back through we will find the buffalo and you can show me how you and your mare work together. I will watch you try to catch a calf as Thunder and I skin our bull.”
“You have been sleeping under the dream catcher for too long and smoking too much kinnik-kinnik, Little Elk. It will not happen. But I look forward to the hunt. Maybe I will ride my pony backward like the heyoka who warriors call "foolish ones". I will do this so you and Thunder can see me better as I drop the biggest bull in the herd,” Yellow Hair said as he reached for Little Elk’s pipe.
Little Elk pushed away his hand and said, “You are a heyoka, you will have to prove your worth to smoke any more from this pipe.” He threw off his robe and stood over Yellow Hair in a playful stance. Many times they played this game of wrestling and, with Little Elk’s quickness and strength, Yellow Hair had all he could do to keep from eating dirt as Little Elk wrestled him to the ground.
“Ok, Little Elk, you proved your point. I am too tired to fight tonight. You and Thunder are almost as good at hunting the buffalo as my pony and I.”
Little Elk laughed and sat down, handing Yellow Hair the pipe as he wrapped himself in his buffalo robe.
He said, “We Sioux seldom used guns in hunting buffalo until we were given breechloaders. By the time Wasichus could load his old muzzleloader, we could ride three hundred yards and shoot twenty arrows. Many of us could kill a buffalo with two arrows. We could do that because of our buffalo horses. They are trained to run beside the buffalo during a hunt. I keep my buffalo horse inside my lodge at night. You should do the same with yours or a Crow may come and steal her.”
“Now that I know you are around, I will keep her in my lodge. Thanks for telling me,” Yellow Hair said.
With a serious look on his face, Little Elk asked, “What is the wagon train willing to give my people for letting them pass through our land.”
“What do you want?”
“Two ponies and four cows. One of the ponies is to be yours”, he said with a grin.
“That won’t happen”, Yellow Hair replied, and Little laughed.
It felt good being with him again and Yellow Hair vowed he would make a point of seeing him more often.
They agreed on the two ponies and four cows and Yellow Hair said, “I will cut them out tomorrow when I get back to the wagon train.”
Little Elk grunted his approval.
It wasn’t long before both the pipe and the fire were dying out as was the light in their eyes and they settled in for a deep sleep.
The next morning, as the sun struggled to break through the haze rising from the mesa, they set off toward the wagon train. The chill was still hanging in the air and Yellow Hair put his poncho on and Little Elk wore his buffalo robe. It didn’t take them long to come up on them. Little Elk rode to a ridge north of the wagons as Esben rode in to talk to Lt. Steckel about the agreement he had made the night before with Little Elk. Lt Steckel agreed and had one of his men help Yellow Hair cut out the four cows and two horses.
As he led the horses and drove the cows toward the ridge, Little Elk rode to meet him and gave a war whoop and got the cows running.
After they slowed down, Yellow Hair gave the horses to Little Elk; “I will see you by the first frost.”
“Egogahan le mita cola - until we meet again my friend” Little Elk replied.
He raised his Sharp’s Buffalo Rifle in his right hand and gave another cry and the cows picked up their pace as Yellow Hair watched them head off into the Grand Teton toward the Brule nation.
He turned and set out at a slow walk back to the wagon train.