Wild Roses: A Tale of the RockiesDriggs, Howard R. (Howard Roscoe)
General
Wild Roses: A Tale of the Rockies
Driggs, Howard R. (Howard Roscoe)
Mountain life -- Fiction; Rocky Mountains -- Fiction
The Indians did nothing to molest them, but made hurried preparations to
steal away as they had planned. Silently the dusky forms glided here and
there among the tepees; then group after group disappeared along the
trail to the eastward until all were gone but Flying Arrow and half a
dozen young braves.
When morning broke to light the scene, Bud Nixon still lay where he had
fallen, and by his side the Indian girl whom he had wronged sat in
silent sorrow.
“Come, sister,” said the young chief in gentle Indian tongue, “I’ll take
care of you.” He raised her tenderly and led her away, while other
Indians, lifting up her White Chief’s body, carried it along the canyon
trail; another brave followed these, leading Ankanamp’s horse.
They buried him in a crevice among the lava rocks. Over this rough grave
they piled stones and sticks to keep bird or beast from molesting it.
His horse they killed and buried by him, that he might have something to
carry him to the Happy Hunting Grounds. The sorrow-stricken girl begged
to be killed too, but they forced her to leave with them.
This done, Flying Arrow returned to take a parting look at his old
friend. He gazed in silence for a moment. Then turning to Fred and Alta
he said,
“Now go, get friends, carry Long Beard home. Injun no hurt you any more.
Good-by.”
“Good-by, brave!” responded Alta with feeling.
“Good-by,” said Fred, reaching out his hand; “we’ll not forget your
kindness.”
The young chief took the proffered hand, turned quickly, sprang upon his
horse and disappeared along the trail through the pines. He was hardly
out of sight when hoof beats were heard down the canyon, and a few
moments later Colonel Morgan with Cap Hanks, Dan, Jim, Pat and several
other ranchers came upon the scene.
The Colonel leaped from his horse to take his “little squirrel” in his
arms, and to hold her there while they listened to Fred’s sad story.
Touched to tears, the group of rugged men stood in silence till Colonel
Morgan said quietly, “Let’s make a litter, boys, and carry his body
home.”
The next day a crowd of ranch folk from all over the valley gathered to
pay their last humble tribute to the old mountaineer. They buried him on
Sunset Cliff, just above his cabin. An elder made a few remarks, telling
the story of the old man’s noble self-sacrifice, read the Shepherd
Psalm, and offered a simple prayer. To mark the spot, a cairn of rough
stones was piled above the grave.
After the crowd had dispersed, Fred and Alta lingered to cover the cairn
and grave with autumn leaves. The sun was just setting when they
finished their loving work and took the trail toward the Morgan ranch;
for the Colonel would listen to no other plan than that Fred should stay
there as long as he remained in the valley.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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