The Wolf Hunters: A Story of the Buffalo PlainsPeck, Robert Morris
General
The Wolf Hunters: A Story of the Buffalo Plains
Peck, Robert Morris
Frontier and pioneer life -- Kansas; Hunting -- Kansas
Since returning from nursing the old chief, Tom had said little about
the ill feeling that he had stirred up in old Broken Nose, the Kiowa
medicine-man, but, overhearing a conversation between him and Wild
Bill, I learned that Tom was feeling uneasy about this. He suspected
that Broken Nose had sent a message to Satank which, he feared, boded
us no good. He asked Bill to try to find out something about it.
After their return next day, at supper Tom informed us that while at To
hausen's camp Bill had discovered that old Broken Nose had really sent
to Satank a secret message, the bearer of which had not returned. Bill
could not learn what the message was, but from the old Indian's evident
hostility toward Tom, and from certain unfriendly remarks he had been
heard to make concerning our killing so many buffalo and other game,
there were good reasons to suspect that his purpose was to stir up
Satank's well-known animosity toward the whites in general, and direct
his attention to us in particular, in order to even up with Tom by
bringing the hostiles down on us.
Some of To hausen's people had told Bill, in a friendly way, to warn
us to be sure to close up our work and get away from here, or else
look out for trouble from Satank's band as soon as the new grass began
to come; but they did not seem to think that Satank's horses would be
in condition for him and his warriors to make a raid on us before the
grass got up.
The fact that a few of To hausen's followers denied the report that
Broken Nose was trying to make trouble for us led Bill to conclude
that some of them were not so friendly to us as they pretended. After
stating the situation, Tom went on: "Bill says it ain't likely that
Satank will be in a condition to make any move for two or three weeks
yet, and by that time we'll be done skinning wolves and out of here;
but there's a possibility that the old rascal may make a forced march,
in order to catch us before we can get away. In that case we may have
to fight. He might be able to find a few of his ponies that are able
to travel and mount a party of his men and ride over here to see what
we're doing; or, if he and his bucks get very anxious for a row, they
might make the trip afoot. Anyway, from now on, we've got to keep a
sharp lookout for Injuns or fresh signs in this neighborhood, an' also
a close watch of To hausen's camp; for if Satank should come over this
way he'd be apt to go there first thing. To hausen himself an' most
of his people are friendly to us, but it's more'n likely that some of
'em'll be ready to give Satank any information about us that he wants."
Wild Bill had seemed rather serious and thoughtful this night--and
it was so uncommon for him to remain serious long at a time that it
attracted my attention--and as we were about to turn in he remarked:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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