Riders on the Wind by Vance Tillman

Author:Vance Tillman [Tillman, Vance]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Robert Hale
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The morning passed and they stopped at noon. The air was warm and swarms of flies hung in clouds, attracted by the horses. Towards the end of the afternoon they saw ahead of them a creek bottom and they headed towards it. As they got closer Birds Landing pointed to something that her keen eyes had detected. Hauck could see nothing at first, then he saw that it was a horse, screened by the trees.

‘Now who do you suppose that could be?’ Hauck said.

‘Could be more of those outlaw scum,’ Hobbs suggested.

‘I don’t think so. They would have been more careful. Besides, we turned ’em loose without any irons.’

They rode a little further. ‘Wait here,’ Hauck said. ‘Me an’ Birds Landing will go on ahead.’

While the others sat their horses, Hauck and Birds Landing rode the rest of the way. Coming through the trees, they saw someone sitting with his back to them. Even before he turned his head it was perfectly obvious who he was.

‘Otoktay!’ Hauck breathed.

It was the old Sioux chief, but he looked different. In place of the routine attire of the previous day he was wearing a buckskin shirt decorated with intricate beadwork together with a breechcloth and leggings of tanned hide. On his head was a war bonnet of notched eagle feathers. For a few moments Hauck was reminded once again of the way he had looked when they first encountered one another. Hauck glanced at the horse. The dun-coloured mustang was brightly decorated with circles round its eyes, yellow arrow heads on its hoofs and purple thunder stripes on its front legs. A medicine bag had been woven into the bridle and coup feathers braided into the forelock and tail. What struck Hauck the most was the upside-down hand-print on the horse’s chest. It was the most prized symbol a warrior could use and it signified a do-or-die mission.

‘I knew you would come this way,’ Otoktay said.

Hauck dismounted and as Otoktay rose to his feet, they embraced. Afterwards Hauck took a step back to admire his friend in all his finery.

‘If this was twenty years ago, I’d think you were goin’ into battle,’ Hauck said.

A smile spread across the Indian’s face. ‘Some government agency somewhere probably wouldn’t like it,’ he replied.

‘So what’s the reason?’

‘I’ve had enough of living on the reservation,’ Otoktay said, and then breaking into a former manner of speech, ‘Otoktay ride with his old friend Cetanwakuwa.’

‘I’d be glad to have you along. But I don’t want to go frightening the ladies.’

Again the old Indian smiled. ‘Never figured to ride all the way to the Blue Smokes like this,’ he said. He glanced at the sky. ‘It’s gettin’ along. Why don’t the rest of you ride right on in and make yourselves comfortable for the night.’

It seemed a reasonable proposition so Birds Landing went to get the others. When she saw the Indian chief in his ceremonial gear Eustacia was very impressed and even more so when she learned he would be coming along with them.

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