Lou Silt Read online

  Earlier that afternoon I had borrowed money from Lucas and then wired back to Lost Path. I gave a brief description of our journey and where we were headed. I also told Al to wire Lucas the money I had borrowed. I asked Lucas about wiring ahead to the nearest town from the pass and to ask them to keep an eye out for Larue and his party. Lucas told me that the lines were down over the pass and would be for some time. We thanked Lucas for his help and after saying our goodbyes, Hitch and I went back to the stables and bought a mule. We fitted it with a pack saddle and loaded it with goods for the trip over the pass. We had to buy heavy coats and scarves. Lucas had warned us that once we reached the summit we could encounter an early fall blizzard. He said it got mighty cold up there.

  We returned to the hotel and collected Breezy. The coat we got for her was a might big but so was everything else she was wearing. We stopped at the bar on the way out and had one last drink. Breezy took both our hands and said, “We will get them soon. Ain’t no escaping such determined folks as us. Let’s ride.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  We left town and started our ascent up the Lolo Pass. Clouds had moved in and the temperature began to drop. I was mighty happy that we had purchased winter clothing. As we climbed up through the thick forest the smells of the late summer filled our senses and it was as if we were traveling through a flask of ladies perfume. The pine needles and cones crunched beneath the horses hoofs while birds flitted around us and ground critters scurried across the leafy floor. Through the trees we could catch glimpses off to our left of huge peaks in the distance. It was slow going as we had the pack mule to hold us up. The mule was proving to be obstinate and Hitch was ready to shoot it. Breezy and I got quite a laugh out of Hitch’s constant hectoring of the poor beast.

  The clouds increased and we spent a chilly night camped above the tree line in an improvised lean-to. We sat huddled against the wind and got little sleep. The next day was much the same. We saw no one. I was hoping to come across someone who had seen Josephus and could point us in the right direction once we had exited the pass.

  Near the end of our second day on the pass we could see that a storm was coming. Near what we thought must be the summit we found a large cave like indentation in the mountainside and decided to stop for the night. We placed the animals behind us and lit a fire to cook the evening’s meal. By nightfall the sound of thunder rumbled up from below and lightning flashed across the sky. A burning smell rent the air and as it got colder, snowflakes began to fall. We put out the fire and moved deeper into the mountain. The animals were mighty jumpy from the storm and we had to keep them settled as best we could. We gathered all the wood and brush we could find and placed it at the entrance. The wind picked up and the snow began to build up. Without a fire it was very cold but there was little we could do but try to ride out the storm. We passed the night tending to the horses and stomping around trying to keep warm.

  “Jesus, but its cold; maybe we should have kept that fire going, Lou.”

  “I know Hitch, but we got no ventilation. Unless we open the front but then we will be buried in snow. And that is what I fear. It is piling up and this trail is going to be impossible until the snow melts. Breezy, how much food we got on that damned mule?”

  Breezy spoke up from under her coat and blanket. “I reckon we got plenty for a few days. I am more worried about the animals. There ain’t going to be no grass for them unless we get a lot lower on the mountain. At least we got plenty of water but it is going to be a little smelly in here with these animals shitting all over.”

  “Well that shit does give off a lot of heat so it ain’t all bad, Breezy.”

  “You is real funny, Hitch. Maybe when we get back to Lost Path Al Berg can put you up on the stage with Violett and you can tell your funny stories to them drunken miners.”

  The mention of Violett threw me once again into a black, dark place. What hope could I have for her now? I did not want to dwell on what horrid things may have already transpired or what Josephus had done to her. I had to concentrate on keeping an opening at the front of our partial cave so that we could breathe. We tried to take turns sleeping but it was no use. The cold, the wind and the blowing snow kept us awake through the night.

  When the dawn broke we swept aside all the snow covering the entrance to our little cave. We quickly piled all the wood and branches we had kept dry and started a fire. Breezy led the animals out onto the trail. The snow was high but she walked the animals in circles, tamping everything down. As the sun rose we could feel the temperature rise and with clear skies I figured we could at least try and move ahead. Hitch and I wanted to scout out the path for a piece and see if it was any clearer. We faced a curve and it appeared to signal a drop to a lower elevation.

  After some hot coffee and beans we set off through the ankle high snow. The sun had begun to warm everything up and the snow was starting to melt. We found our way around another large curve and saw a flattening out of the trail with less snow. Hitch, who was walking in front of me, stopped and lifted his hand. I froze and raised my rifle.

  “What is it, Hitch?”

  He was looking over my shoulder. “Not sure, Lou, I could of swore I saw something behind us.”

  We both crouched down and scanned the trail to our rear. I saw and heard nothing. We stood and began to continue forward. A huge roar froze us in our tracks. We turned to our left. Down the small hill came a lumbering grizzly. It was one of the largest I had ever seen. He was running at us at full speed. I lifted my rifle to my shoulder but he was on us so fast that when I fired, I missed. He ran by me, knocking me over and sending my rifle flying. Hitch, who only had his pistol, drew it and fired at the beast but with no effect.

  The bear rose on its two hind legs and swiped at Hitch, sending him flying. He landed in a seated position against a mound with blood gushing out of his chest. The animal kept roaring and swinging its massive head. Spittle and foam flew from its mouth. I could see his huge yellow teeth dripping with saliva. The bear turned to me and came forward. I looked around for my rifle as I slid backwards on my ass, trying to scramble away as fast as possible. I had no chance. In a futile attempt to stop him, I tried to throw snow in the bears face. He once again rose up. He must have been 9 feet tall. His eyes looked crazed and dull at the same time. I knew I was finished and curled into a ball. I heard something swish by my head.

  I opened my eyes as the bear came back down on all fours inches from my foot. His fall forward expelled the wind from his gaping mouth and I felt enveloped in his fetid breath. It was as if a damp blanket had been thrown over me. He was wildly twisting his head back and forth, trying to dislodge the two arrows that were embedded in his neck. He was howling and making ungodly noises. I began scurrying away from him. Time had all but stopped. My heart was racing. I feared not for myself but for Hitch who was sitting helpless just behind the bear. I managed to get up on my feet. The bear could not get the arrows out and again started coming towards me. I heard something behind me as two figures rushed by. The bear rose up to meet the attack. I watched in awe as two Indians rammed lances into the bears chest sending it tumbling backwards. You could have knocked me for a loop when the Indians turned out to be Two Leggings and Bull. Two Leggings raced back towards me and started scrambling in the snow. Bull raced to Hitch and took his pistol and turned to face the oncoming bear. The animal had broken the lances in his fall but one of them was still in his chest. Blood was flying out of the beast’s mouth as he advanced on Bull Does Not Fall Down.

  Bull waited until the bear was nearly on him and then fired the remaining bullets into the animal. It did not stop the beast and with blood flying everywhere he lifted Bull in his jaws and swung his entire body wildly, finally throwing him to the ground where he lay crushed and limp.

  I had recovered enough to get up and was looking in the snow for my Colt when Two Leggings fell to his knee beside me. He had found my rifle and was firing round after round into the bear. The grizzly dropped until his h
ead hit the snow in a spray of blood. Two Leggings walked up to the animal and continued firing until the hammer clicked on an empty chamber. He then lifted his face to the blazing sun and let out a high pitched, blood curdling war cry. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  I got up and ran to Hitch. I pulled off my coat and tore a strip from my shirt and pressed it against his wound. It looked like the bear had opened quite a gash but it did not appear to be too deep.

  “How you doin’, pard? Just hang on and we will fix you right up. Looks like your Crow brothers did not desert us after all. Matter of fact, they saved our bacon.”

  Hitch grinned weakly and I could see he was in a lot of pain. Two Leggings was now kneeling over Bull and keening in a strange voice. I went to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me.

  “Thank you for our lives. We never knew you was following us. I am sorry about Bull. That was the bravest thing I have ever seen a man do. He stood and looked at Hitch. “Crow are brothers. We fight and we die as one.”

  “Holy shit, I knew you understood us. Why did you not say you understood our language?”

  He only shrugged and went to Hitch. They spoke to each other in Crow. Even though I could not understand the words, I could sense the deep feeling between them. Suddenly I heard

  movement from around the bend. It was Breezy slogging through the mushy wetness pulling her horse behind her. She was red faced and out of breath when she stopped in front of me.

  “Sweet Jesus, Lou, what the hell

  happened? I was tending the horses when up came them Injuns. They tied up their horses with nary a word and took off running. When I heard them gunshots I come….”

  She had spotted Hitch against the mound with Two Leggings kneeling in front of him. Then she saw the bear and what remained of Bull. Her face went white as she rushed to Hitch’s side.

  She knelt beside Two Leggings, lifted my improvised bandage and looked at Hitch’s wound. “Lou, we got to get Hitch back to the fire and keep him warm; this wound needs some cleaning and stitching. Let’s get him on my horse.”

  We got Hitch in the saddle and wrapped Bull in his robes and laid him across the horse’s rump. We walked back to the fire and put Hitch down on a bed of blankets. Breezy saw to his wound. She washed it out with some water, sewed what she could and bound him in linen bandages. He was in and out of consciousness. Two Leggings looked on as Breezy tended to Hitch.

  “I am Medicine Man,” He said. “Will make Sun That Rises good. Go now to get meat from bear. You come.” He pointed at me and motioned to follow him.

  We went out and he had me help him cover Bull with snow. I believed that the Crow generally buried their dead by building a platform and putting them up high. But we had no trees so I did not know what he had in mind.

  After we covered Bull we trekked back to the bear. Two Leggings sliced the beast down the belly and cut out its heart. He held it aloft and made offerings to the spirits. He then took a bite out of the heart. He offered it to me but I refused. He shrugged and then went digging for the bear’s liver. He also ate some of that. We cut out some steaks and wrapped them in burlap. We would have to keep watch tonight because the smell of the dead meat would bring wolves. We would have to keep the fire going all night.

  When we got back to Breezy, she was feeding Hitch some hot water. Two Leggings left us alone.

  I told Breezy what had happened and how the Indians had saved our lives. I also told her that, as I suspected, Two Leggings spoke our lingo. As for the reason why they followed us, that was still a mystery.

  Two Leggings returned with a bundle. “I make medicine for Sun That Rises. We

  must put on wound. Take off cloth.” Breezy looked at me. I shrugged. I figured he knew what he was doing.

  He first pulled the skin together as best as he could. Breezy’s needlework was not the best. He then applied what looked like a mix of mud and bark all over Hitch’s chest. Then he recovered it with the linen.

  “He need rest. We cook bear, make him strong.”

  We all slept some in the afternoon and awoke as the sun was setting. The horses had tamped down the ground enough to root out some grasses and we had melted snow for water. We kept the fire going all night and were serenaded by the howling of the feeding wolves.

  I asked Two Leggings why he had followed us. I told him we thought he had returned home. In his halting English he explained that it was better that we were not seen traveling with the Crows. Not with all the whites so scared and trigger happy. But when they saw us heading over the pass they thought this was another chance to steal horses from the remaining Nez Perce and ride home in triumph. I can only thank the lord that they did follow us.

  The bear meat was gamey but good and gave us all back our strength. Breezy was concerned with Hitch but I could see that his color was returning.

  “Lou,” she said that night, “You think there is a town near the bottom of the pass. Might be that Hitch could do with a doctor. I do not doubt Two Leggings ability as a medicine man but I would feel a lot better if a real doc looked at him.”

  “I agree, Breezy. We will find a doc as soon as we can. I’m thinkin’ he will be fine what with his two nurses. What I ain’t happy about is losing all this time. Shit, that bastard could be halfway to Oregon territory by now.”

  We spent two more days tending to Hitch. Two Leggings changed the poultice a few times and did ceremonies over Hitch which involved a lot of chanting and blowing of smoke over and around his body. The weather had held and most of the snow was melting. I was afraid that Bull’s body would be getting kind of ripe. I tried to convey to Two Leggings that maybe we should try and bury him but he said no.

  On the third day after the bear attack I awoke to see Two Leggings, wearing only his boots and breech-cloth, tending to Hitch.

  “Morning, Two Leggings,” I said shivering. It was cold enough for me to see my breath. “Damn, but it is cold. How you able to walk around half naked like that?”

  He looked up at me and pointed to my crotch. “Is cock cold?”

  I laughed and said, “Why, no it’s not.” He laughed and said, “Indian all cock.”

  This brought a real chuckle and series of hacking coughs from Hitch. “Guess he told you, Lou. These Crow’s got a wicked humorous side to them.”

  I asked Hitch if he knew that Two Leggings spoke English and if he did, why he said nothing. He said that it was up to Two Leggings to tell us himself. It wasn’t Hitch’s place to say anything. I guess this was Injun logic and Hitch was still enough Injun that it did not bother him.

  Both Two Leggings and Breezy now believed that Hitch could ride if we moved slowly. We bound his wound as tight as possible and got all our gear together. We put Bull across his pony and got Hitch in the saddle. Once the pack mule was cinched up tight we started down the mountain.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  The sun rose, warming us, as we began the descent from the high arc of the pass. By late afternoon we were low enough to encounter some trees. Two Leggings stopped us and motioned that he wanted to fell some of the trees. Hitch explained that he wanted to build a burial loft for Bull. The three of us set to work with Hitch watching. We soon saw that we had neither the tools nor ability to create what was required. In the end, with the aid of a rope, we put Bull in the crook of a tree on high. Two Leggings sang, chanted, and offered smoke to the four directions of the wind. We looked on in a solemn hush. Breezy, despite her avowed distaste for the Injuns, sobbed softly and I felt myself getting choked up when I thought back on how Bull had rushed that bear without a second thought. People this brave deserved a better fate than we were giving them. I could see now that asking these nomadic warriors to become settled farmers was a foolish and cruel notion.

  We said our final goodbyes, each in our own way, and moved on while we still had light. Our evening camp that night was a sad and quiet affair. We got a big fire going and ate the last of the bear along with some beans and fritters. Hitch was doing a lot better
. He would have some terrible scars on his chest but other than that he was nearly his old self. The series of sunny days had cleared the trail and Two Leggings, who had been through here before, said we would be in the valley tomorrow.

  We sat and talked about just how much longer we could be gone. I hated the thought of giving up the chase but other considerations were coming into play. I was still a sworn marshal who had deserted his town and his duty. I had no idea what might be transpiring in Lost Path. For all I knew they might be having pitched battles between the Nez Perce, Crow and the U.S. Army. I was probably out of a job anyway and would be lucky to avoid jail. Sheriff Walker in Missoula said he would speak to the Governor about my situation but I held no hope there. The thought of returning to my home, especially without Violett, left me feeling empty and sad beyond words. All the joy in our planned double wedding ceremony faded into self hatred and an utter feeling of failure. I had never really doubted myself but now realized how foolish I had been. I always believed, as Pappy had taught me, that hard work and righteousness could conquer all. I guess I forgot my bible. Pride goeth before the fall, it said. How well I understood that now.

  Without Bull there was little Two Leggings could do and he counseled returning home. We talked it over and decided that we would continue until the next settlement to see if they had any news or had any sighting of Josephus. If not then I would give a detailed description to the local law and hope that someone would spot them and make an arrest. I feared that at this point poor Violett was probably no longer alive.

  We spent another morose night keeping watch and moping around the campfire. The glorious spring that had started so hopefully was now a foul tasting lump of ash in my mouth. My decision to give up my notion of more cowboying and settle down had proven to be a fool’s choice. I could no longer see the future, and the past was bitter medicine indeed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  It was a sorrowful procession that came walking down the pass and into a meadow of blazing fall colors. A light breeze rustled the changing leaves and set the tall grasses to waving. I was in the lead, holding the reins of the pack mule. Breezy was behind me next to Hitch. Two Leggings, as always, trailed far behind.