The Quest of the Four: A Story of the Comanches and Buena Vista

Before Phil lay a fairly level plain about a mile inwidth and of unknown length, as in either direction itparsed out of sight among the hills. In the center of itwas a shallow but wide creek which perhaps flowed into thenameless river. The valley was very fertile, as the grasswas already rich and high, despite the earliness of spring.

At the widest point of the valley stood a large Indianvillage, two hundred lodges at least, and Phil could notdoubt that it was a village of the Comanches. Hundredsof ponies, grazing in the meadows to the north, andguarded by boys, proved that they were horse Indians, and no other tribe dared to ride where the Comanchesroamed.

Phil could see far in the dazzling sunlight, and all thenormal activities of human life, that is, of wild life, seemed to prevail in the Comanche village. Evidentlythe warriors had been on a great buffalo hunt. Perhapsthey had struck at another point the same herd intowhich the train had run. Over a wide space buffalohides were pegged down. Old squaws were scraping theflesh from some with little knives, while others, alreadycleaned, were drying in the sun. Vast quantities ofbuffalo meat were being jerked on temporary platforms.Little Indian boys and girls carried in their hand bonesof buffalo or deer, from which they ate whenever they felthungry. Everywhere it was a scene of savage plenty andenjoyment, although signs of industry were not whollylacking, even among the warriors. Many of these, sitting on the grass, were cleaning their rifles or makingnew bows and arrows. Now and then one would make atest, sending into the air an arrow which some little boywas glad to run after and bring back. At another pointa number of boys were practicing at a target with smallbows and blunt-headed arrows. Two warriors on theirponies came up the valley, each carrying before him thebody of a black-tailed deer. They were received withshouts, but soon disappeared with their spoils among thelodges, which were made universally of the skin of thebuffalo. Down at the end of the village some warriors, naked to the breech cloth, danced monotonously back andforth, while an old man blew an equally monotonoustune on a whistle made of the bone of an eagle.

Phil, lying close in his covert, watched with absorbedeyes, and with mind and vision alike quick and keen,he took in every detail. The warriors were tall men, with intelligent faces, aquiline noses, thin lips, blackeyes and hair, and but little beard. The hair grew verylong, as they never cut it, and in many cases it wasornamented with bright beads and little pieces of silver.They wore deerskin leggins or moccasins, and a cloth ofsome bright color, bought from American Mexicantraders, wrapped around the loins. The body from theloin cloth upward was naked, but in winter was coveredwith a buffalo robe. The women were physically verymuch inferior to the men. They were short and withcrooked legs. Moreover, they wore their hair cut close, being compelled to do so by tribal law, the long-hairedComanche men and the short-haired Comanche womenthus reversing the custom of civilization. Both men andwomen wore amulets. The Comanches, like most Indiantribes, were great believers in dreams, and the amuletswere supposed to protect them from such as were bad.

Phil's roving eye lighted upon a small frame structurebuilt of slight poles, the only one in the village not ofhides. Such a building was always to be found in everyComanche village, but he did not know until later that itwas a combined medicine lodge and vapor bath house.It was spherical in shape, and securely covered withbuffalo hides. When a warrior fell seriously ill, he wasseated in this lodge, beside several heated stone ovens, onwhich water was thrown in profusion. Then, while adense, hot vapor arose, the shaman, or medicine man, practiced incantations, while men outside made music onwhistles or the Indian drums. The hot bath was ofteneffective, but the Comanche ascribed at least a part ofthe cure to the medicine man's incantations. YoungComanche men, also, often took a vapor bath before goingon the war path, thinking that it had power to protectthem from wounds.

Then Philip saw to the right a far larger buildingthan that of the vapor bath, although it was made ofdressed skins with just enough poles to support it. Thiswas the medicine lodge of the Comanche village, a buildingused for important purposes, some of which Phil wasto learn soon.

The boy did not doubt that his comrade had beentaken, and, unless killed, was even now a captive in theComanche village. He might be held in that hugemedicine lodge, and the boy's resolution strengthened to thetemper of steel. He could not go back to the trainwithout Bill Breakstone; so he would rescue him. He didnot yet have any idea how, but he would find a way.There were depths of courage in his nature of which hehimself did not know, and springing from this couragewas the belief that he would succeed.

While he yet lay in the covert he saw a band ofIndians, about a dozen in number, riding up the valley.They were apparently visitors, but they were welcomedwith loud cries. The leader of the band, a large manwith brilliant feathers in his hair, replied with a shout. IThen a horseman rode forth to meet him. Even at thedistance Phil recognized the horseman as Black Panther.He, too, was arrayed in his finest, and, as a great crowdgathered, the two chiefs slowly approached each other.When their horses were side by side, Black Pantherleaned over in his saddle, put his head on the other'sshoulder, clasped his arms around his chest, and gavehim a tremendous squeeze. The stranger returned thesalute in kind, and then the two, amid great shouts ofapproval, rode among the lodges, disappearing fromPhil's sight.

Phil watched awhile longer, but he saw nothingexcept the ordinary life of the village. Then he went backto the glen in which the horses were tethered. They werestill grazing, and Bill Breakstone had not returned. Philled them down to a little brook, let them drink, and then, after some thought, took off the lariats, coiled themaround the saddles, and turned the animals loose. Hebelieved they would stay in the glen or near it, as thepasturage was good, and the water plentiful, and thatthey could be found when needed.

Having attended to the horses, he returned to theedge of the forest and sat himself down to think out theplan of his great adventure.

It was his intention to enter the Comanche villagewithout detection, and, hard as such a task seemed tohim, it was even harder in reality. No race more warythan the Comanches ever lived. Besides the boys whohabitually watched the ponies, they had regular details ofwarriors as herdsmen. Other details served as sentriesabout the village, and the adjacent heights were alwaysoccupied by scouts. All these guards were maintainednight and day. Phil could see some of them nowpatrolling, and, knowing that any attempt of his would beimpossible in the daylight, he waited patiently for night.He had with him enough food to last for a day or two, and, choosing a place in the dense covert, he lay down.He called up now all the wilderness lore of Breakstone,Arenberg, Middleton, and the others in the train. Heknew that he must restrain all impulsiveness until theappointed time, and that he must lie without motion lestthe keen eyes of wandering warriors should see the bushesabove him moving in a direction other than that of thewind. He also laid his rifle parallel with his body, inthe position in which it could be used most quickly, andloaded the pistol. It was hardest of all to lie perfectlystill. He wished to turn over, to crawl to a new place, and his bones fairly ached, but he restrained himself.Naturally a youth of strength and determination, hismind took the mastery over his body, and held it fastand motionless among the bushes.

It was well that he controlled himself so completely.Indians came near the edge of the woods, and once someboys passed, driving a herd of ponies. But he croucheda little closer, and they went on. The day was fearfullylong. The high sun poured down a shower of verticalbeams that reached him even in the shelter of the bushes.The perspiration stood out on his brow, and his collarclung to his neck. He envied the freedom of theComanches in the villages and the easy way in whichthey went about the pleasure of savage life. Morewarriors, evidently hunters, came in. Some bore portions ofthe buffalo, and others were loaded with wild turkeys.

In these hard hours the boy learned much. He hadpassed safely through battle. But there one was borneup by the thrill and excitement of the charge, the firingand shouting and the comradeship of his fellows. Herehe was alone, silent and waiting. Enduring such as that, his will achieved new powers. A single day saw themental growth of a year or two.

The sun passed the zenith and crept slowly down thewestern heavens. Welcome shadows appeared in theeast, and the far lodges of the Comanches grew misty.Phil thought now that the village would sink into quiet, but he noticed instead a great bustle, and many peoplegoing about. Squaws bore torches which made a brightcore of flame in the increasing dusk, and Phil was quitesure now that something unusual was going to occur. Itseemed to him that the whole population of the villagewas gathering about the great medicine lodge. It mustbe the beginning of some important ceremony, and thetime to enter the Comanche village was propitious. Heinferred that on such an occasion the guard would berelaxed, at least in part, and as he heard the sound ofhundreds of voices chanting monotonously he preparedfor his great adventure.

The twilight faded, and the night came in its place, thick and dark. The sound of many voices, some singing, some talking, came clearly through the crisp, dryair. The core of light before the medicine lodgeincreased, and, by its radiance, he saw dusky figureshastening toward it to join the great group gathered there.

Phil took off his cap and hid it in the bushes. Hewould be bareheaded like the Comanches, wishing to lookas much like them as possible. Fortunately his hair hadgrown somewhat long, and his face was deeply tanned.Once he thought of stripping to the waist in Comanchefashion, but his body, protected from the sun, was white, and he would be detected instantly.

He spent a little time flexing and stretching hismuscles, because, when he first rose to his feet, he couldscarcely stand, and the blood, choked up in the arteriesand veins, tingled for lack of circulation. But thestiffness and pain soon departed, and he felt stronger thanever before in his life. Then he started.

He advanced boldly into the plain, bent very low, stopping at times to look and listen, and, also, to resthimself. More than once he lay flat upon the groundand allowed his muscles to relax. Once he saw upon hisright two Indian warriors standing upon a knoll. Theywere a part of the night guard, and their figures wereoutlined duskily against the dusky sky. Their faces werenot disclosed. But Phil knew that they were watching-watchingwith all the effectiveness of eye and ear forwhich the Indian is famous. At this point he crawled, and, in his crawling, he was so nearly flat upon hisstomach that his advance was more like a serpent's than thatof anything else.

He left the patrol behind, and then he saw another onhis left, and much nearer to him, two more warriors, whodid not occupy any knoll, but who merely walked backand forth on the flat plain. They were between him andthe great fire, and he saw them very distinctly, tall menof light copper color, with high cheek-bones and longblack hair. Both were armed with rifles, of which theComanches were beginning to obtain a supply, and theirfaces in the glow of the firelight seemed very savage andvery cruel to Phil. Now he flattened himself outentirely, and moved forward in a slow series of writhings, until he had passed them. There was an icy rim aroundhis heart until he left these two behind, but when theywere gone in the darkness his courage leaped up anew.

He now reached the eastern end of the village andcrept among the lodges. They were all deserted. Theiroccupants had gone to witness the ceremony that was nowat hand, whatever it might be. Not a woman, not achild was left. Phil stood up straight, and it was animmense relief to him to do so. It was a relief to the spiritas well as the body. He felt like a human being again, and not some creeping animal, a human being who standsupon his two feet, a human being who has a brain withwhich he thinks before he acts. It was strange, but thismere physical change gave him a further supply ofcourage and hope, as if he had already achieved his victory.

He passed between two lodges and saw a gleam beyond.It was the surface of the wide but shallow creek, showing through the dusk. The banks were five or sixfeet high, and there was a broad bed of sand extendingon either side of the water.

Phil glanced up the stream, and saw that it flowedvery close to the medicine lodge. An idea sprang up atonce in his alert brain. Here was his line of approach.He dropped softly down the bank, taking his chance ofquicksand, but finding instead that it was fairly firm tothe feet. Then, hugging the bank, he advanced withnoiseless tread toward the medicine lodge. Chance andhis own quick mind served him well. His feet did notsink more than a few inches in the sand, and the bankcontinued at its uniform height of about six feet. Hecontinued slowly, pausing on occasion to listen, becausehe could see nothing in the village. But occasional straybeams from the fires, passing over his head, fell upon thecreek, lingering there for a moment or two in a red glow.Above him on the bank, but some distance back, the firesseemed to grow, and the monotonous beat of the singinggrew louder. Phil knew that he was now very near themedicine lodge, and he paused a little longer than usual, leaning hard against the sandy bank with a sort ofinvoluntary impulse, as if he would press his body into it toescape observation.

He looked up and saw two or three boughs projectingover the bank. Then the medicine lodge was somedistance away, perhaps fifteen or twenty yards, and, therefore, the adventure would increase in peril! Anotherglance at the boughs reassured him. Perhaps there wasa little grove between the creek and the medicine lodge, and it would afford him hiding! The largest of theboughs, amply able to support his weight, was not morethan three or four feet above the bank, and, climbingcautiously the sandy slope, he grasped it and drewhimself up. Then he slid along it until he came to the crotchof the tree, where he crouched, holding his rifle in onehand.

He was right in his surmise about the grove, althoughit was narrower than he had supposed, not more thanseven or eight yards across at the utmost. But the treeswere oak, heavy-limbed and heavy-trunked, and theygrew close together. Nevertheless, the light from someof the fires showed through them, and at one side loomedthe dark mass of the medicine lodge. As nearly as hecould see, it was built directly against some of the trees.He crawled from his tree to the one next to it, and thento a third. There he stopped, and a violent fit ofshuddering seized him. The trees were occupied already.

On boughs so near that he could touch them rested aplatform of poles about eight feet long and four feetwide. The poles were tied tightly together withrawhide thongs, and over them were spread leaves, grass, and small boughs. Upon these couches rested two longfigures wrapped tightly in buffalo hide. They were thebodies of the dead. Farther on were other platforms andother bodies. Phil knew what the dark objects were. Hehad read and heard too much about Indian life to bemistaken, and, despite his power of will over self, heshuddered again and again. He surmised that these might betemporary burial platforms, as they were usually put inisolated places away from the village, but here they were, and now it occurred to him that their presence would beto his advantage. Superstition is strong among theComanches, and they would not walk under the trees thatsupported the burial platforms on their boughs.

He advanced from bough to bough until he camedirectly against the skin walls of the great medicinelodge. There he lay along a strong and horizontal boughwith his body pressed close to the wall, and a human eyeten feet away would not have seen him. Just abovePhil's head was a place where two of the buffalo hideshad not been sewn closely together, and the light fromwithin shone out. He raised his head, widened the placewith his knife, and looked down into the medicine lodge.

The boy beheld an extraordinary scene. From theroof of the lodge hung a joss or image, with the profile ofa man, rudely carved from a split log. One side of theface was painted white, and the other black. Beneath itwas a circular space about twenty feet in diameter, ropedoff and surrounded by a great crowd of people. Oldsquaws held aloft torches of pine or other wood that casta ruddy light over eager and intense faces.

A great medicine dance was about to be held; andnow the shaman, or chief medicine man, an old, darkIndian named Okapa, who for the present took precedenceover both Black Panther and his visitor, who was thegreat chief Santana, was preparing to begin. Phil couldsee Okapa clearly as he stood alone in the center of thecleared circular space, carrying in his hands a short, carved stick, like a baton. It is hard to judge anIndian's age, but Phil Bedford believed that this manmust be at least seventy. Nevertheless, despite his deeplylined and seamed face, he was erect and strong. But itwas, a cruel face, with thin, compressed lips, a largehooked nose, and jet black eyes that smoldered withdark fire. It was a face to inspire fear, and it was allthe more ominous when the light of many torches fellupon it, tinting it a deeper and darker red.

Okapa raised his hand. Save for the tense breathingof the multitude there was silence in the lodge. Phil, forgetful of all danger, pressed more closely against thebuffalo skin to see.