Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce by Kent Nerburn

Author:Kent Nerburn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

13

“Our People Are Hungry and Weak”

A HUNDRED MILES farther ahead, the Nez Perce sensed the weakening pursuit. Attacks by the Crow and Bannock had dwindled to almost nothing. The rear scouts saw little in the way of soldier movements to concern them. Their struggle now lay with the great emptiness of the buffalo plains.

Within the camp some felt that their spirit powers had saved them. Warriors like Yellow Wolf, who had received a vision in his youth that he could not be killed by bullets, had survived direct attacks by soldiers and the Crow. Old Wahnistas Aswetesk, whose body had been riddled by bullets in the battle of the Big Hole and had emitted steam rather than blood, not only was still alive but had healed. Many others too had been kept alive by their wayakins. Though the trail was littered with the graves of their dead, the medicine power of the people still seemed to be working. Their good fortune at finding the camp of Dumb Bull with its horses and store of dried meat had increased this feeling. There was more talk that the time had come to slow down and let the people rest.

But Poker Joe was insistent. He knew the soldiers, he knew their ways. Until the Nez Perce crossed the border into the Old Woman Country, they should not feel safe. As long as he was leader, they would not have easy rest.

The vast empty spaces allowed the groups to travel separately, each leaving when it saw fit and taking the route it chose. Many among them knew this country well, and the distant landmarks of low-lying mountain ranges and lines of hills allowed them to designate camping places where all would gather at the end of the day. By moving in small groups, they could hunt more effectively and find better forage for their horses as well as confuse any pursuing soldiers. But it also increased the divisions that were beginning to show in the hearts of the people.

The one constant was Joseph, who been steadfast and unwavering in his role as camp chief. The bands could disagree about the wisdom of the young warriors’ actions; they could differ on the leadership of Poker Joe and the speed with which he was driving them; they could be for or against the way Looking Glass had led them. But none could fault the steady hand and calming influence that Joseph had exercised in guiding the young boys to care for the horses and in making sure that the orphaned children were cared for and the elders clothed and fed.

All knew that he had opposed this war, and many now shared this feeling. They were moving north into unknown land to join with a tribe they did not know well and with whom they shared no strong bond. The peace that had been made between their people and the Sioux was a peace of warriors, not a peace of camp friendship. They were unsure how they would be received and what they would find.

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