Ike Brister took a cautious step forward in the knee-deep snow, his gaze unwavering as he watched for the first indication that the confused bull elk was about to charge. His rifle was ready, but he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. The elk eyed him suspiciously, tossing his head back and forth and pawing the snow in warning. Moving very deliberately, Ike took one more step and stopped. He was as close to the huge animal as he dared. He glanced toward the clump of pines on the slope to his left. Hurry up, dammit, he thought. This son of a bitch is fixing to jump into my lap. The agitated bull elk had exhausted his patience, with the strange creature seeming to challenge him. He lowered his head and shook his huge antlers back and forth violently as he pawed the snow. Ike raised his rifle and aimed at the massive head, just in case the elk was preparing to charge. He waited, his finger on the trigger. A figure rose silently in the pines, and a second later the elk bolted sideways, an arrow embedded deep in his lung. Enraged and confused, the bull tried to sidestep away from the pain in his side, only to feel the lethal sting of a second arrow a few inches from the first. Ike kept his rifle sighted on the crazed animal in case it was still thinking about charging him. A bull elk sometimes took a little time dying, and this one might take a notion to take Ike with him. If at all possible, Ike wanted to avoid firing his rifle in this part of the mountains. The shot would echo through the canyons for miles and might bring a Sioux hunting party down on them. There had been several Sioux hunting parties working this side of the Bighorns within the past week.
Much to Ike’s relief, the elk did not charge. Confused, it tried to retreat, bounding up the slope, still trying to sidestep away from the pain. But before it could reach the top, its legs became wobbly, and it went down on its knees in the snow. There it remained, waiting for the two white men to finish the kill.
“What in hell was you waitin’ for?” Ike asked when he caught up to his younger friend. “I thought me and that damn elk was fixin’ to have us a dance.”
Already preparing to skin his kill, Matt Slaughter grinned up at his friend. “I’d have paid money to see that,” he teased. “Seein’ as how you two are about the same size, you’da made a handsome couple.”
“Huh,” the big man snorted. “Next time you can be the bait, and I’ll do the killin’.” They both knew that was just idle talk because Ike couldn’t hit the side of a barn with a bow. Ike would say that he had just never had any use for a bow as long as he had his Spencer rifle. Although he would never mention it, Matt knew there were other reasons, reasons that Ike didn’t care to acknowledge. Sometimes a man aged faster when forced to live by his wits. Lately, Matt could see signs of his partner’s aging—a hand that was not as steady as before, an eye that was not as keen as when he was a young man. Still, the old man was not ready to return to the settlements just yet. And before he reached that stage, Matt promised himself that he would take care of him.
As far as the bow was concerned, Matt took to it like he was born with one in his hand. This particular bow was special. It held sentimental value for both men. It had belonged to a young Cherokee boy who had been killed only a few months before by a white bushwhacker. Crooked Foot had been held in high regard by Matt and Ike, and Matt had kept the boy’s bow. He had spent a good deal of time practicing with the weapon, and it had proven to be time well spent. Making a winter camp in the Bighorn Mountains, the two partners found the bow essential. It was not only a silent weapon, it saved on the consumption of precious .44 cartridges.
The need for silence and secrecy was especially important now that there had been an increase in Indian activity between the Bighorns and South Pass. It was a dangerous time for two lone white men in the Powder River country, even in the dead of winter. The Sioux and Cheyenne had raided all summer along the Bozeman Trail, attacking any parties traveling that route to the Montana goldfields. It had not helped matters when the army built Fort Reno on the Powder River just that past August. The fort, originally called Camp Connor, had not been garrisoned as yet, but Chief High Backbone and Red Cloud knew there would be soldiers there soon. It was fairly obvious to the Sioux leaders that the purpose of the fort was to protect travelers on the Bozeman Trail.
At the beginning of winter, the partners had planned to wait out the cold weather at Fort Laramie. After a couple of idle weeks, however, they decided there was nothing for them to do for employment of any nature there. The army would not be hiring any more scouts until spring. And it was painfully obvious that what cash they had would soon disappear if they spent their days hanging around the post trader’s store. At the beginning of their third week at Fort Laramie, Ike announced, “Hell, I’d rather head for the hills and live like an Injun than set around here till spring.”
Matt wasn’t sure the bushy-faced old trapper was serious, but the idea suited him just fine. He wasn’t comfortable in crowded places, and Fort Laramie was beginning to close in on him. Ike’s remark was all it took. They set out for the Powder River country the next day. Even a blizzard on the second day out failed to dull their determination as they made their way northwest, with the Laramie Mountains to the west of their trail.
After seemingly endless travel from one snowy camp to another, they found themselves in the Bighorn Mountains and decided to make their base camp there. In a narrow canyon, protected from the winter winds by steep, rocky walls, they built a shelter for the horses, using young pine trees. Game was not that plentiful where they made their camp, but they agreed that it was better to ride some distance from their base to hunt so as not to draw any curious Sioux. Firewood was also a problem. The canyon was convenient to abundant pine, but green wood burned with far too much smoke, so they had to travel considerable distances to find suitable fuel for the fire. If they had allowed themselves to consider the difficulty of their situation and the hardship it created, they might have headed back to the settlement.
“I’da heap druther you was a nice young cow,” Ike commented to the elk as he worked to force his knife through the tough flesh. “This ol’ boy was gettin’ on in years. I’ll bet he was as old as I am.”
“I hope to hell he’ll be better eatin’ than you’d be,” Matt teased as he packed snow into the chest cavity to soak up the blood. They had been so long without fresh meat that they did not have the luxury of being picky. Though old and tough, this elk was the first game they had found in almost a week. And to make matters worse, they had come across recent sign of Indian hunting parties close to their camp. Sioux or Cheyenne, they couldn’t tell which, but as Ike had commented, two white men in their country were not welcomed by either tribe.
“I reckon the Great Spirit took pity on us, and sent this old bull wanderin’ up here before we got so hungry we started eyeballin’ each other,” Ike said with a chuckle. “He musta got run off by some younger bull and lost his ladies.” He sat back on his heels and threw off his bearskin robe to give himself more room to work. “Well, it was just a matter of time before he got took down by a pack of wolves. He’ll serve a better purpose feedin’ the likes of us.” Ike rambled on as he worked steadily away at quartering the elk until he realized that Matt wasn’t listening. He looked up to see his partner signaling him to be silent.
Matt listened for a few moments, his ear turned to the wind. He turned then to look at the horses. The buckskin’s ears were twitching, and a moment later Ike’s horse neighed softly. “Best get that meat loaded on the horses,” he called back over his shoulder as he got to his feet and scrambled up to the top of the ridge.
Detecting a sense of urgency in his partner’s tone, Ike dropped his skinning knife on the elk hide beside the half-butchered carcass, and hurried after Matt. “Damn,” he exclaimed softly as he flattened himself beside Matt in the snow. Riding single file through a narrow gulch below the two white men, a hunting party of a dozen Sioux made their way at a leisurely pace toward the ridge. They were still more than half a mile away. “We ain’t cut meat in a week, and when we finally find one ol’ tough elk, along comes a huntin’ party,” Ike complained.
“I don’t know if they’ve been trackin’ the same elk,” Matt said, “but if they have, he’s gonna lead them right to us when they get to the snow line.” A couple hundred yards more and the hunting party would reach a clear trail with not only the elk’s tracks but also those of three horses, leading them right up the slope. “I expect we’d better get busy,” Matt said, his voice devoid of any sign of excitement.
They withdrew from the crest of the ridge and wasted no time getting back to the business at hand. The safest action would have been to flee immediately, but neither Matt nor Ike had any intention of leaving the entire supply of fresh meat to the Indians. Working feverishly over the carcass, both men chopped at the bones and sliced the flesh into quarters. While Ike started hefting the meat onto the packhorse, Matt ran back up to the top of the ridge to check on the progress of the hunting party. There was no time to linger. The Indians were already closer than he had anticipated, and had just discovered the tracks in the snow. He could hear bits of excited words carried on the wind as the Lakota hunters talked among themselves. Matt didn’t wait any longer.
“Tie down what you’ve got!” he sang out as he hurried down the hill. “We don’t have time to take the rest.” Ike did as he was told, and Matt grabbed one of the remaining sections of meat and tied it with the loose end of a strap while the big man ran for his horse. The pack secure, Matt stepped up in the saddle and held the buckskin back while he grabbed the packhorse’s lead rope. Ike, his huge bulk plowing through the knee-deep snow like a buffalo bull, took a giant leap for the saddle, only to miss the stirrup with his foot. The resulting collision between man and horse caused the bay to sidestep and kick its hind legs in the air.
“Damn you!” Ike roared. “Hold still!” The bay, however, was leery of further contact with the big trapper, and continued to pull away until Matt drove the buckskin up to block it. “Damfool horse,” Ike grumbled as he stuck his foot in the stirrup, embarrassed even in the face of imminent danger. It didn’t help when he looked up and saw Matt’s wide grin. “Let’s get the hell outta here,” he said, and gave the bay a sharp kick with his heels. Matt followed, and the two white men charged down the slope, driving their horses as hard as they dared through the snow.
* * *
Broken Bow paused at the crest of the ridge, and signaled the others. When the rest of the hunters rode up to him, he turned and pointed to the carcass in the snow some forty yards down the other side of the slope. Iron Claw, the leader of the party, nodded and pushed off down the hill toward the site of the butchering.
Arriving at the carcass, the hunters rode back and forth around the site of the killing, looking at the trampled snow and the signs of the activity they had just interrupted. Wasicu, Iron Claw thought as he stared at the remains of the elk. This had to be the work of the two white men who had camped in the mountains all winter. Iron Claw’s nostrils flared in anger. None of his scouts had actually seen the two white men, but there had been occasional sign that told of their presence in the land of the Lakota. This day, the Great Spirit might be smiling upon them, for the wasicu could not be far ahead of them. Iron Claw jerked his head around to look at Broken Bow. “We may have caught the white coyotes this time. Leave the meat,” he directed several of the hunters who were examining the carcass.
With Iron Claw in the lead, the Lakota hunters took up the obvious trail the white men had left in their haste to depart. Pushing their Indian ponies as hard as possible without tumbling in the snow, they followed the trail down the slope to the point where the line of snow stopped. There they paused only long enough to examine the tracks left in the loose shale to make sure they were still on the trail.
Broken Bow looked down the narrow gulch toward the valley beyond. The white men had made no effort to hide their trail. They had obviously been intent upon escaping as fast as possible. “We will catch these coyotes,” he shouted, bringing a chorus of war cries from the others. Descending rapidly to the bottom of the slope, they raced down the gulch at a gallop.
Barely half a mile ahead of the Sioux party, Matt and Ike pushed their horses for all the speed they could muster. At first there was nothing but the sound of their hooves pounding upon the valley floor. But gradually the sounds of excited war whoops began to carry over the beat of the horses. It was not a good sign, for it meant their mounts were being outrun by the swift Indian ponies. To add to their disadvantage, the packhorse was slowing them down. Although not a match for speed with the Indian ponies, the buckskin was holding his own in endurance, but the other two horses were beginning to show signs of fatigue. The Sioux ponies were gradually closing the gap. With no other option available, Matt and Ike both started looking for a suitable place to make a stand.
As they thundered down the valley, Ike shouted something. Matt couldn’t understand what he was yelling about, but the big man pointed toward a rocky defile near the end of the valley. Matt nodded and promptly guided the buckskin toward it. The big horse responded without breaking stride.
Into the mouth of a deep ravine they charged, dismounting as the horses slid to a stop. They led the horses back within the walls of the ravine where they would be safe, then hurried to take up positions on either side of the opening. “If we’re lucky,” Ike said, “they’ll ride right on by.”
With rifles ready and cartridge belts at hand, they prepared for an assault. While they waited, Matt couldn’t resist taking a playful jab at his oversized partner. “Sometime when we ain’t so busy, I’d like you to teach me that quick mount technique you demonstrated back there on the ridge.”
The big man blushed behind his whiskers. “That damfool horse wouldn’t hold still,” he offered lamely. He grinned sheepishly. “I reckon I did come pretty close to bustin’ my ass.”
They didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes, the Lakota hunters rode out of the valley, their ponies grunting with the effort. Deerskin fringes fluttering in the wind, the party drove toward the passage that led to the next valley. Suddenly the leader held up his hand and halted his warriors. He had seen something in the soft floor of the valley, a sharp hoofprint where the white men had swerved toward the ravine. “Well, I reckon we ain’t lucky,” Ike opined when he saw them stop.
* * *
“We have them trapped,” Broken Bow exclaimed as he pulled his pony up beside Iron Claw. “There is no way out of that ravine but the way they went in.”
“There are only two of them,” one of the other hunters said. “Why don’t we rush them?”
“We would risk losing lives if we charge them,” Iron Claw said. “I think it would be wise to find out how well they are armed before we decide the best way to attack.”
“Maybe they don’t have guns,” Broken Bow offered. “The elk was killed with arrows.”
“I think they have guns,” Iron Claw replied. “I think these are the two white men who have been camping in the mountains all winter, and some of our hunting parties said they have heard gunshots on several occasions.” Iron Claw was especially interested in seeing the white men who had made their winter camp in Lakota hunting ground. There had been many times when evidence of their existence was found, even though no one had ever actually seen the white hunters. Some in his village were even beginning to speak of them as ghosts that were impossible to see. Iron Claw was not one to believe such stories, but he had come to be fascinated with the white men.
“I’ll find out if they have guns,” Gray Bull, the warrior who had suggested rushing them, volunteered. “Who will go with me?”
Two of the others quickly spoke up. Iron Claw cautioned them. “If you go charging into that ravine, you will be killed. A better plan would be to divide our party and climb the slopes on both sides. There is plenty of cover above them, and we will have them in a cross fire.”
“Iron Claw is right,” Broken Bow said. “Why risk our lives foolishly?” Without waiting for further discussion, he wheeled his pony and said, “Half of you come with me. We’ll circle around this side. The rest can go with Iron Claw.”
* * *
Matt and Ike watched the Sioux party as they decided upon their plan of attack. “That one doin’ most of the talkin’ must be the big dog,” Ike remarked, referring to Iron Claw. Even at that distance, the Sioux warrior was an imposing figure.
“I reckon,” Matt replied. Like Ike, he had focused upon the warrior riding the paint pony. With deep-set eyes glaring out from under a prominent brow, and a pronounced hook nose, the warrior reminded Matt of a hawk.
In the next moment, the Indians split up and rode off in different directions. It didn’t take a great deal of speculation to determine what was about to take place. Both men looked around them at the steep sides of the ravine and the rocky patches above. There was plenty of cover for the Sioux on either side. “Next time it would be nice to pick a ravine with a back door to it,” Matt commented as he repositioned himself to cover his side of the ravine.
“Next time maybe we can ask the Injuns to give us a little notice so’s we can pick a better spot,” Ike replied.
Using a trench for cover, both men knelt and watched the rim of the ravine above them. “Most likely they’re gonna test us to see what kind of firepower we’re totin’,” Ike said. “So when they show up, just shoot once, then wait a little between shots. Make ’em think we’ve just got single-shot rifles. My guess is they might try to rush us if they think we have to take time to reload. That’s when we’ll have the best chance to cut down the odds, maybe make ’em think twice about jumpin’ us again.”
“All right,” Matt said. The plan sounded good to him. He felt no need to comment that if it didn’t work, they could be trapped there indefinitely.
The first shot came from Ike’s side of the ravine, the bullet kicking up dirt some two feet in front of the trench. Ike aimed at the spot where he thought he’d seen a muzzle flash and fired a return shot. Moments later, a barrage of shots rained down from both sides of the ravine, pinning Matt and Ike down in the trench. When there was a lull in the firing, they each returned a single shot. This was repeated several times, with the Sioux firing at random and the two white men responding with single shots spaced about thirty seconds apart. Thus far in the assault, there were no casualties and none likely since there were no clear targets on either side. There followed a lull in the firing from the Sioux, and Ike warned Matt to get ready. “They’re thinkin’ it over now.”
* * *
“We’re wasting bullets,” Three Horses complained. “They don’t have the spirit guns. They are reloading after every shot. I say we should attack them after they shoot again. We can be upon them before they have a chance to reload.”
Iron Claw considered Three Horses’ words for a few moments. What his friend said was probably true, but what if the white men were trying to fool them? “What do you think, Gray Bull?” Iron Claw asked.
“I think Three Horses is right,” the warrior replied. He, like most of the others, was getting impatient with the ineffective assault. “I think we should rush them after their next shots. We can kill them with our knives before they have a chance to reload.” It was agreed then, and Iron Claw signaled to Broken Bow on the other side of the ravine.
* * *
Down in the trench, Matt watched the rim of the ravine carefully. “They’ve been talkin’ a long time,” he said. As soon as he had uttered the words, a fresh barrage of lead was thrown down upon them.
“Here they come!” Ike warned as they both answered with single shots. Moments later, the Sioux warriors poured over the sides of the ravine and charged down the slopes.
There was no time for either man to worry about his back. Each had to trust his partner to take care of business on his side of the fight. Matt raised up enough to clear his upper body so that he had freedom of motion to sweep the slope with rifle fire. Firing and cocking and firing again without pause, he proceeded to cut down three of the charging Sioux with deadly precision. He could hear Ike’s Spencer barking behind him, but dared not take time to judge the results. The three remaining warriors on his side, realizing the killing machine they had triggered, tried to turn as fast as they could. But the steepness of the slope made retreat difficult. Two managed to escape over the rim of the ravine unharmed. The third, the hawk-faced warrior, was hit in the thigh but made it over the rim with the help of his friends. Only then could Matt turn to see what was taking place behind him.
“I got two,” Ike said, reloading his rifle as quickly as he could. “I maybe hit another one. I ain’t sure. But we sure as hell run ’em off for now.”
Matt didn’t wait to talk it over. He ran back down the ravine to get the horses. Leading them toward the mouth of the gulch, he yelled, “We need to get the hell outta here while we’ve got the chance. I don’t fancy spending the night here.”
Ike was in complete agreement. If the village the hunting party had come from was close by, the six or seven survivors of the fight would soon be back with reinforcements. He jumped up in the stirrup and followed Matt, who was already galloping out of the ravine, leading the packhorse with their supply of elk meat.
Back on the ridge, Iron Claw, furious over having been tricked by the white men, struggled to his feet with the help of his two comrades. Ignoring the blood that soaked his thigh, he stared angrily at the fleeing white men, burning the image of the young rifleman with the spirit gun into his memory.