Chapter Twenty-one

 

“REMEMBER WHEN OSH-TISCH brought me to the village?” Mayme asked Muha ai-wa one summer morning. They’d been able to shed their fur vests in favour of short-sleeved deerskin shirts. Mayme’s cotton clothing had finally succumbed to wear. Ponzo-bert and Muha ai-wa had surprised her one morning by presenting her with attire made entirely of tanned deer hide. Mayme spent evenings sewing beads onto it by firelight.

“Hadug. I mean, yes.” Muha ai-wa smiled at her quick translation. She stepped forward into the mud and with a skillful flick of her knife, decapitated a cattail flower from its spike.

Mayme took the cigar-looking blossom from her and dropped it into a pouch. Baked over a slow fire, they’d be eating them like corn-on-the-cob tonight. Ponzo-bert would pound some into a yellow-colored flour for biscuits at a later date. “Would I have been killed if I’d been a boy?”

“No.” Sticky mud squished beneath Muha ai-wa’s moccasins. Her feet sank a few inches deeper.

“Careful.” Mayme held the pouch open for three more flower heads. “Then why was it so important to find out?”

“Because Osh-Tisch wanted to know if you would be my companion or my husband.”

“Oh.” Mayme was confused. “The Shoshone are friendly with the white man? Um. Taipo?”

“Yes. Ponzo-bert was returned to our tribe by two taipos. She had been kidnapped many years ago by the Hidatsas tribe. We will forever be indebted to the taipos.”

They worked in silence for a while. Mayme was trying to make sense of what she’d been made to believe by the people in Oro Fino Creek and Eagle Rock. She’d learned that the Shoshone were not the blood-thirsty savages everybody thought them to be. In fact, she’d only known them to be a peaceful tribe. During the many months she’d lived with Osh-Tisch’s tribe, she’d only seen the men leave in hunting groups. She’d never seen a raiding or war party.

“Will you stay with the Shoshone?” Muha ai-wa broke into Mayme’s thoughts. She stood in mud nearly to her knees. Yellow cattail pollen covered her arms and parts of her face like a mask.

Mayme’s almost laughed at the sight before her until Muha ai-wa’s question sank in. 

“What do you mean? I don’t see as I have much of a choice. I can’t imagine Osh-Tisch would ever allow me to leave.”

Muha ai-wa shrugged and resumed harvesting cattails.

After a while, with two pouches full of cattails and a smaller one packed tight with serviceberries and field mint, they decided to follow the stream back to the village. In addition to washing off the mud from the marsh, they hoped to find some crawfish hiding under rocks.

Although the day was quite warm, the rushing channel still showed remnants of the snowmelt high in the mountains. The water was silt gray and ice cold. White birch and cottonwoods grew a safe distance from the water’s edge. Several ragged stumps and overturned trees were evidence of the ones that had succumbed to the raging spring floods. The force of the water had sheered everything in its path, leaving nothing but a nice silty area for grass to grow.

Muha ai-wa removed her moccasins and leggings and dropped them on the ground next to Mayme who was content to sit in the sun and rest. Although she had become quite fit in their meanderings afoot, Muha ai-wa had amazing stamina and could still run her ragged.

Mayme watched as Muha ai-wa took a tentative step into the water. And then another. She turned her head to look back at Mayme and playfully raised her eyebrows. Suddenly her feet went out from under her. With a sharp cry she went under and was quickly swept downstream.

“Muha ai-wa!” Mayme jumped to her feet and raced after her. The water was moving too fast. She saw the panic and fear on Muha ai-wa’s face. Her head bobbed above the water. And then she was gone.

Mayme ran hard until she finally had to stop, bend over, and gulp air. Sweat mixed with tears and snaked down her face. The blood pounded so loudly in her ears she couldn’t hear the roar of the water. She had to find her! Mayme filled her lungs with air and pushed on.

She nearly cried in frustration as she came upon a huge jam of wash and overturned trees as tall as she was piled in her path. The rushing water had forced tons of debris up onto the sharp bend. The undergrowth was too thick to go around it. She’d have to climb over.

It took nearly all of her strength to pull herself up and over the entwined pile of massive logs. Branches stuck out in every direction. Sand and pebbles filled some of the spaces, but they were precarious at best. As she stepped on them, her foot broke through, jolting every joint in her body.

Mayme finally got to the other side. She sported several scrapes and a slightly strained ankle. She felt bruised everywhere. Small prickles of blood and raised flesh peppered her arms from the unrelenting brambles. Wild rose had taken up residence on the other side and the thorns were relentless in their quest to hang onto clothes and skin. She gritted her teeth and pushed through, crying out in determination and pain.

She ignored the burn in her legs and lungs as she ran. She had to keep going.

Mayme focused on the ground. It wouldn’t do Muha ai-wa any good if she broke her leg while trying to find her.

She flung her leg over another log to get over it. And saw Muha ai-wa’s body. The water had deposited the lifeless form on a sandbar in the middle of where the creek had widened out.

“Oh no. Please, no.” Mayme hurried into the water. Although it was much shallower, the water still reached to the middle of her calves. She kept her eyes on Muha ai-wa and avoided looking at the running water. Her heart flew into her throat when she tripped over a submerged rock. Somehow she was able to regain her footing and balance.

“Muha ai-wa!” Mayme struggled to run the remaining distance. She fell to her knees as she reached her. She worked to catch her breath. Exhaustion made her hands shake as she reached for Muha ai-wa. Mayme sent a silent prayer to all the gods that she was still alive. She grasped her by the shoulder and tried to flip her onto her back. But her arms lacked the strength and she only succeeded in getting Muha ai-wa’s halfway over. She rested on her side against Mayme’s hip. Muha ai-wa’s eyes were rolled back into her head. There was no rise and fall of her chest. Mayme leaned over and tried to hear a heartbeat. In doing so, she inadvertently put pressure on Muha ai-wa’s stomach just below her ribs.

Water suddenly gushed from Muha ai-wa’s mouth and she gave a great gasp, followed by a gut-wrenching cough. She looked at Mayme and coughed again. Mayme helped her get to her knees and she bent over heaving in her search for air. Muha ai-wa vomited brown water for several minutes. She hacked and spit to clear the remainder of the silty water from her stomach. Mayme rubbed Muha ai-wa’s back, tears of relief streaming down her face.

Muha ai-wa’s teeth chattered incessantly. Gooseflesh maintained a constant presence on Mayme’s flesh too.

“We’ve got to get you warm. Can you walk?”

“Hadug.”

Mayme helped her stand and draped Muha ai-wa’s arm over her shoulder. “I’ve got you. Just hold on tight.” Mayme wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

They waded slowly to the streambank. Mayme made sure each step was steady and solid to hold both of them. They reached the other side and took a rest in the remaining sunlight. Dusk wasn’t that far off. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, indicative of an oncoming chilly night.

“Stay here. I’ll get a fire going.” Mayme rose unsteadily. She closed her eyes and let the relief of finding Muha ai-wa alive give her strength. Although she was bone tired, there was work to do.

Firewood was plentiful and Mayme didn’t have to go too far to gather it. She had a crackling fire going in no time, thanks to the flint she and Muha ai-wa always carried.

They sat huddled next to the fire and warmth gradually reached the core of their bodies. Because of the breeze generated by the water, they wore their garments to dry, although Muha ai-wa only had on a deerskin shirt. Steam rose lazily from their bodies and was gently carried away. Neither said anything and eventually they both fell asleep with their heads resting on each other.

 

MAYME OPENED HER eyes the next morning and felt every bruise and ache from yesterday’s event. She looked to Muha ai-wa, who was still sound asleep with her head resting on Mayme’s shoulder.

Only ash and a few unburned end pieces of wood remained of the fire. But at least they were warm and dry again. Muha ai-wa’s teeth no longer clacked together. Her body was still but for her breathing. The relentless shaking of her body to get warm had stopped.

Mayme stared into the remnants of the fire. It scared her to think how close she’d come to losing Muha ai-wa. She’d grown to love her as a sister. She felt that same familial affection toward Ponzo-bert as a mother, and the old woman, who she now knew as Muha ada,or Moon Raven, as a grandmother. Over the months, Osh-Tisch had become friendlier toward her. Although they rarely spoke, he treated her fairly and with kindness.

Muha ai-wa stirred and gradually woke. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. “Before the sun set, I didn’t think I would see another dawn.”

Mayme hugged her close. “I didn’t think you would either. You almost scared the life out of me.”

Muha ai-wa’s stomach growled.

“We should start walking. The pouches and your leggings and moccasins are a ways back.”

The sun was hot and high in the sky again when they finally reached the spot where Muha ai-wa had been swept away. Along the way they ate whatever crickets and gooseberries they could find. But they still arrived hungry. Muha ai-wa shoved handfuls of berries and mint into her mouth and chewed while she dressed. Mayme rested on a log while she ate.

 

PONZO-BERT AND MUHA ada clucked disapprovingly as they arrived back at the village. Once Muha ai-wa relayed the story of how Mayme had rescued her and brought her back to life, Ponzo-bert set about preparing a hearty meal for them. She insisted they rest atop two buffalo hides placed on top of one another.

Osh-Tisch ate silently while Muha ai-wa retold the story. He flicked his eyes to Mayme. “Eshi eshi.”

Mayme smiled and nodded. She knew it was a big deal for him to voice his thanks.

Mayme woke to an empty tepee the next morning. She was too comfortable to move, and if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be reminded of the beating her body had taken two days before. So she let her eyes drift to the blue sky through the hole at the top of the tepee. The poles seemed to point to the sky and she was reminded of what Muha ai-wa had taught her one snowy day when they chose to hide inside away from the frigid wind. The tepee floor is the symbol of the earth, the walls a symbol of the sky, and the poles are links between the earth, man, and the spirit world in the sky.

Mother would give birth to a cow if she saw me living here. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t thought about her parents in a very long time. Several full moons, in fact. She reminisced about Mr. Smart and Betty oftentimes but admittedly, although she felt bad that they undoubtedly thought her dead, she didn’t miss them as much anymore.

She heard scratching outside the tepee just before the flap was flung aside.

“Are you going to sleep all day?” Muha ai-wa walked in and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I thought I might. You’re a hard one to rescue.” Mayme pushed herself up and stretched her back. She ran her fingers through hair that had grown past her shoulders. Later she’d divide it into two braids to keep cooler in the afternoon heat.

Mayme yawned. Muha ai-wa was obviously waiting for her. Besides, she had to pee anyway. She rose to her feet and stretched. She tested her ankle. Although it was still sore, she could bear weight on it. She followed Muha ai-wa out and kept her gaze to the ground while her eyes adjusted to the bright sun.

Giggling made Mayme look up. What appeared like the entire village stood in a semi-circle around Osh-Tisch’s tepee. Every person wore a smile and she heard several call out, “Pop-pank.”

Mayme looked at Muha ai-wa who stood next to Ponzo-bert.

“What is going on?”

Several people moved to the side to make way for Osh-Tisch to walk through. He held a rifle, her rifle, in his hand.

Mayme took a step backward in confusion and felt her heels against the tepee.

Osh-Tisch stopped in front of her. Their eyes met and held. He finally broke the silence. “We have waited a long time for this moment. You will now forever be known as Pop-pank.”

“It means jumping fish,” Muha ai-wa whispered and grinned at her.

The villagers nodded and repeated her name. “Pop-pank.”

“When I found you many moons ago, I took this from your saddle. I honor you by returning it.” Osh-Tisch handed the gun to her.

Mayme looked at him in amazement.

“Yaakki.” Osh-Tisch turned around and faced the direction he had come.

Once again, the people parted, but this time gave a wider path to a warrior who led Duster beside him. Duster pranced, shook her head, and snorted in defiance. She alternately pinned her ears and tried to grab his arm with her teeth.

Although Mayme had caught glimpses of Duster and Red from afar, she’d never been allowed to visit her horses. She assumed because they thought she might take that opportunity to escape. But here Duster was, saddled and bridled, and looking fat and sassy. She stood there with her mouth agape.

The warrior passed Duster’s reins to Osh-Tisch and joined the crowd.

“This horse is also yours. I honor you by returning her. She is with foal.”

Duster lunged and nipped Osh-Tisch on the shoulder. She walked forward and put her muzzle against Mayme’s chest and nickered.

Tears streaked down Mayme’s face. She wrapped her arms around Duster’s neck and squeezed. She didn’t dare ask about Red as it would be a sign of greed on her part.

“Osh-Tisch is pleased to be rid of her. She has bitten and kicked him more than once.” Muha ai-wa came to Mayme’s side.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Osh-Tisch is giving you your freedom.”

Mayme looked at Osh-Tisch and then back to Muha ai-wa. “You knew? That’s why you asked me that question while we picked cattails.”

“I only knew he would let you go. And I knew you would go.”

“But—” Mayme was speechless.

“You may go back to your people, Pop-pank,” Osh-Tisch said. “But the Shoshone want you to know, the Shoshone are now your people too.”

Mayme looked to Muha ai-wa for clarification.

“Osh-Tisch means that you are free to come and go as you like. But if you choose to stay away, he must accept that. But if you choose to stay or come back, he would be very much honored.”