Grail Quest Read online

  “Some leaves and roots. Berries, no way to carry. With skins I make bag. Bring back.”

  “Don’t be very long. Light is soon gone.”

  I knew she had very good vision in the dark, but we were in an unknown place. I didn’t want her straying too far.

  Pushing over a rotten tree trunk Moyock dug out enough wood to start a fire. He soon had one going in front of a downed pine tree that I was converting to shelter. The rain stopped and a continuing strong wind blew away most of the clouds, but we were still soaking wet. We needed to dry off. Twilight came and Leahna hadn’t returned. I felt very uneasy.

  “I wonder where that girl has got to.”

  “Not to worry. She too smart in woods to get lost.”

  “Yeah, but we don’t know what else is out there.” As well as beasts, I worried about two-legged predators.

  I walked to the edge of the clearing and facing the direction of the marsh hollered, “Leahna…Leahna. Come back. Come back in…don’t stay out any longer.”

  We listened but didn’t hear any reply. “Maybe she can’t hear you.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Around a marsh there could be sink holes. “Leahna…Leahna. If you can hear me, answer back.”

  Nothing. Moyock added his voice. “Leahna, Leahna, where are you?”

  No reply. Moyock’s face showed he was as worried as me. “I don’t like this. Build up the fire. I’m going to find her.”

  Walking with my back to the fire I waited until my eyesight adjusted to the moonlight. Then I crossed an open field towards the marsh. At the edge of the swampy ground I hesitated and looked all around me. Rotting vegetation assailed my nose. “Leahna… Leahna, answer me.” I couldn’t hear anything except the wind and croaking frogs. A beaver tail slapped water. Then I heard a large animal cough. Oh My God! What was that?

  “Leeahhhhnaaa! Leeaahhhhnaaa!

  Then I heard her faint voice. “Squire…Oh Squire…Help me!”

  Her panicked voice came from my right. Staying along the verge I ran toward her voice. “Leahna, keep talking!…Keep talking!…Where are you?…What is the matter?”

  I heard her again…not talking…moaning! She shocked my soul. I dashed through the muck toward her voice. Then…I heard melodic whistling! My heart banged against my throat. I burst into a clearing. My beloved crouched high in a tree! She clung to it’s trunk. Standing under her…a powerful Natural man! He whistled a hypnotic melody. I jerked my knife from its sheath… flung myself on his back! “Coyote!”

  Should have thrown my hatchet. Quick as a greased snake Coyote whirled. He dodged my thrust…grabbed my wrist… with his other hand reached for the knife. Coyote was strong enough to take away the knife. His torso was exposed. I slammed my knee into his groin. He squealed and doubled over. Desperately he clung to my wrist and knife. Coyote was still vulnerable… I kicked at his throat. He released me…fell over backwards. I jumped on him. The witch changed to raven He flew out from under my reach and away into the night.

  Frustrated and angry, I tried to catch my breath. I gazed up at my trembling woman. “He’s gone. You’re safe now. Come down, sweetheart.”

  She climbed down and ran sobbing into my arms. “I so glad you come. He was going to put bone-thing in me, Squire.” When she calmed down, I held my arm around her and started back to our camp. “I know why squaws not resist him. I held him off with charm,” she fingered her crucifix, “long enough to climb away from him. Then he make magic power music. His music made me weaken. If you not come…I think I cannot help myself.”

  So that is what her moaning was about. I will find a way to kill that slimy bastard.

  Back at our camp we huddled around the fire to dry out. I held Leahna close to me. When she calmed down for a while I said, “Do you want to talk about what happened? How did he find you? Did he say anything?”

  “Maybe he animal. Came up quiet while I pick berries. I hear noise. I jump up. See man with bone-thing ready. I see knick ear. I know Coyote. I hold up charm. I back up to tree. He say, ‘when you hear my magic music…that thing not help you.’ He walk toward me. I climb tree branches. I say, go away. I not want bone-thing. He stop, hands on hips, he look up at me.”

  Coyote say, “You make me mad. I help you to Mandan. Make you my witch-mate there. You betray me. Be waischu’s mate.”

  “I say, not want to be witch-mate. Too late for you. Go away.”

  Coyote say, “I gave much pleasure to you. Now I take my pleasure from you.”

  “I say, No, you can not do. I stay in tree. My man come. Kill you with white magic.”

  Coyote say, “Hah. I don’t fear your waischu. You come down when you hear my music.”

  “Then he make mouth music. At first I don’t care. I know you come. Then music wrap around me. I feel like in blanket of music. Then music all inside me. I feel I want his bone-thing. I not want his bone-thing. Music make me feel I want his bone-thing. I say, No! No! I hold tight on tree. I not want to moan. Moans come out of me anyway. I very happy when you come. I sorry you not kill him.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t kill him too. I love you so much, Leahna. I’m glad I found you in time.”

  What if he had seduced her with his magic? She was on the verge of succumbing to him. Since he failed he will be even more determined to have her. If he succeeded, how would I feel about that? I’ve got to protect her. Coyote Witch must have evil power of the devil. I really must find a way to kill him.

  The next day opened bight and beautiful. We scoured the area for more of our things. We recovered a couple of bows and several arrows. The furs and material items we spread in the sun to dry in a field back away from the river. We failed to find my pistol. While Leahna and I continued to search, Moyock went hunting. After he returned, and we sat around eating rabbit and squirrel, I said, “We need to take a hard look at our situation and decide what to do.”

  “Where we go, now Squire?”

  “To find your people…and the Holy Grail, Leahna…along the river.”

  Moyock said, “I think we walk, Squire. No fixing that smashed canoe.”

  “Moyock right, Squire. Walking we can not carry everything. What we take? What we leave behind?”

  “Well, we don’t know how far to the Mandan, so to make good time, we’ll travel light. The furs we took from the Sioux we’ll bundle up and cache. Once we get a canoe maybe we can come back for them.”

  “What we take with.?”

  “The weapons we have and the jerky. We can always get more game. We need to take the cooking pot, our blankets and the shelter. The only trade goods we have left are a little tobacco and the Sioux pipestones. I’ll carry them.”

  “Let me carry some,” said Moyock. “If you’re going to trade them it’s best no one knows how many you have.”

  A good idea. I kept five and gave him four. I abandoned the unwieldy Spanish helmet by jamming it between some branches of a cottonwood tree at the edge of the shore. “If we can come back for the cache, this helmet will help us find it.”

  While Leahna prepared packs for each of us to carry, Moyock and I hoisted the cache of furs into a tree that was out of sight of the river. When all was ready we started walking north, but well off to the side of the river. “I don’t have to tell you two to be alert. We don’t know who or what is ahead of us. If we come across humans, we want to know so before they do.”

  Breaking trail, Moyock led the way. Leahna walked in the middle. I brought up the rear. We stayed about thirty yards apart, never leaving the one in front out of sight. After making such good time in the canoe, our walking obviously reduced our pace. Where on water I estimated we made thirty to forty miles a day I reckoned we’d be lucky to make half that on foot. The ground was seldom flat. Keeping the river in sight we traveled over a gently rolling countryside often in deep grass. It might have been easier to walk along the shore, except we’d be very exposed to anyone living there, or out in canoes. From higher ground we could see riverside tree lines, and
so we skipped around some of the river’s meanders.

  On the second day out, we looked down on a smaller river entering the Missouri from the East. Several teepees were strung along that river’s banks. We remained hidden while I studied the settlement with my spyglass. “I don’t see any one with blond hair, so I doubt we’ve found the Mandan. More likely Sioux or some other tribe. Take a look and tell me what you think.”

  Moyock said, “No sign of a war party.”

  Leahna surveyed the village and as far up the river as she could see. “Squaws washing in the river. Others working hides, some tend children. Have crops growing in open place. I think maybe every day time for them.”

  “Can we go around…or should we visit them?”

  The decision was taken out of our hands. We weren’t hidden as well as I thought. A young man coming over a hill to the side of us began shouting and pointing in our direction. From teepees in the village men bearing weapons appeared and scrambled toward us.

  “Stand up, stand up. Act like we’re expected guests. Remember we’re powerful.”

  Moyock in front, Leahna on my arm we strolled down toward the camp. At the edge of the clearing, on my signal we raised simultaneous peace signs. Then boldly we walked up to a center where men awaited us. Using signs and what Sioux words he knew, Moyock announced the arrival of a great White Chief called Squire.

  The head man raised hand in peace. “You are strangers to us. You come in peace. You are our guests. We will smoke.”

  He indicated a place in front of the largest teepee. When Moyock and I sat down, two women came to take Leahna with them. After a suitable smoky silence, Chief Akaska explained that his village was part of the larger Arikara tribe. Although taken aback by my apparent total whiteness and full beard, he was not surprised by Leahna’s red hair and Moyock’s light skin. “We have seen many people of the See-pohs-ka-mah-ka-kee tribe. They are our friends. Like us they are planters. They live north up the river from here.”

  “We want to take my mate, Princess Leahna to her own people. She has never seen them. She only heard tales that they lived on a great river. Is it far to your friends we call the Mandan?”

  “By canoe, maybe four days. Walking I think maybe eight days. We are surprised you are walking.”

  “We have come a long way, Chief Akaska, and traveled by many means. We were struck by a great whirling wind which destroyed our canoe. My nephew speaks clearer than I do. I will have him tell you of our trip.”

  In English, Moyock said, “So now I’m your nephew, Squire. Does that make me a prince?”

  Smarty. Genially, I said, “Shut up and tell them how we got here.”

  Moyock’s story created awe and maybe some disbelief. I noticed some frowns and mumbling among the younger set sitting around us. Chief Akaska ignored them and invited us into his tent to eat. Afterwards, Moyock went off with some of the young men to see their village. I offered one of the Sioux pipes to the Chief.

  “That very nice. I surprised you have Sioux pipe. Sioux want much for them.”

  “They were in the canoe abandoned by the Sioux after they tried to kill us.”

  “Sioux very touchy. Sometimes friends, sometimes enemies. Be very careful near them.”

  “We have learned that lesson. We stay away from them when we can.”

  “If they see you have many pipes, they want to know where you get. Maybe canoe better for you than pipes.”

  Another horse trader. I’ve heard this song before. “What does Chief Akaska have in mind?”

  “Many Sioux around here. Come and go all the time. I think you not want to see them. Maybe better for you, if you ride in canoe. They see you three, only walking. Think you weak.”

  I banged the stock of my flintlock on the ground. “I do not fear the Sioux. I have great power in my staff.”

  He wasn’t impressed and shrugged. “You have strange symbol. I not see any power in it.”

  I wasn’t about to demonstrate. “My great power comes from the sky. We fought the Sioux before and won.”

  “You had canoe then. Walk now. Not the same.”

  “Chief Akaska speaks wisdom. So perhaps we could get canoe from our friends the Arikara?”

  “I think maybe someone trade canoe for pipes. Maybe trade for big knife you carry.”

  “I see. Big knife is my personal weapon. Not for trade. How many pipes you think for canoe.”

  I could see the wheels turning behind Akaska’s silent stare. “Take many pipes. How many pipes you got?”

  “You say Sioux get big trade for pipes. Then I think maybe one canoe, one pipe.”

  Akaska laughed. “Hah. No, no, no. I think maybe,” he held up eight fingers, “this many.”

  My turn to laugh. “I think my friend, Chief Akaska jokes. I do not have eight pipes. Now only four left.”

  “Hunh. That not many. Maybe for small canoe. I talk with elders.”

  Early evening by now, he offered us bed space in his teepee. When the three of us got back together I asked what they had learned.

  “Young men think they test Moyock. While we walk, man who say I lie, keep bumping into me. Keep pushing. Others chuckle. When we near river, I trip and push him into water. He mad. Now others laugh at him. He walk away. I think he not brave man. Only bully. No problem with others.”

  Leahna said, “Squaws hear my people live in huge village. Not have teepees. Have big houses from ground. Many things different about them. Canoes are round.”

  Round canoes? That sounds like the Welsh coracles. Houses from the ground? That we’ll have to see. “What did you learn, Moyock?”

  “Young men say Mandan village surrounded by high fence. Big ditch behind. Protection from enemies. Many, many people. Talk of torture ceremony for young men before they can have wife. Must prove courage. Say they glad they not Mandan.”

  “Did you ask what their attitude toward strangers is?”

  Leahna answered, “Squaws say Mandan very friendly people. Wealthy people. Have many crops. Have strong medicine. Have powerful Wakan Totem.”

  “They become more and more interesting. I’ve talked to Chief Akaska about trading for a canoe. I said all I have left is four pipes. I hope you’ve kept yours hidden, Moyock.”

  “I leave in my pack here. Not talk about them.”

  “Good. I don’t think our things have been out of my sight. We may get a small canoe for four pipes, but if it’ll carry us, that’s all we need.”

  In the morning soon after daylight I approached Chief Akaska about the canoe. We gathered up our belongings and followed him to the beach. He kept glancing at my saber. “Canoes very valuable. I think you not have enough to trade.”

  Only six canoes rested in the sand. We walked over to the smallest. It was big enough. ‘That’s not much of a canoe for four pipes. I think bigger canoe for four pipes,” I said.

  “No, no, no. Many people need big canoe. You only need small one. I think four pipes and big knife for small canoe.”

  This fellow could be a back street trader in London. It was time to talk tough. “My friend, Chief Akaska’s price is too high. I can not part with big knife. My personal weapon. We walk.” To my companions, “Pick up your things, we’re heading out of here.”

  Moyock took the lead, followed by Leahna. As I set out I heard a loud buzz of talk behind me. “Squire, Squire, we would not let our friends walk. Men say give friends canoe. We take four pipes. That better for everybody.”

  To my pair, “Hold up folks. We seem to have a trade after all.” I’d heard enough to know that some of the other men, not to be out shown by the Chief, also wanted pipes. To Chief Akaska, “My heart is full that our friends, the Arikara, have chosen to be so generous to us.”

  Just before stepping into the canoe, I went around shaking hands with the elders while Moyock explained that was a sign of trust and friendship among White Men. “When we reach the Mandan, we will say how friendly and generous our friends the Arikara were.” That brought smiles from the gr
oup seeing us off.

  Well a little grease might help our relations with the people we met. I hoped this rickety craft would last long enough to get us to the Mandan.

  Chief Akaska said four days by canoe to the Mandan. Anxious to get there we pushed hard, paddling into darkness. With any waves on the water, Leahna had to bail out the wash over our gunnels. I thought we had to get as far as we could while the canoe lasted. In the moonlight we found a place to halt on the shore. I doubted many canoe paddlers would come upon us during the night. We made cold camp anyway.

  We brought some food with us from the Arikara. We used it up and our own supply of jerky by the end of the second day. The following morning we pulled the canoe out of sight and set out to hunt and pick. Leahna’s knowledge of edible plants and roots was a life saver. The three of us stayed within sight of one another. Didn’t want Coyote pulling another surprise attack. Leahna soon found some wild berries and Moyock surprised a hen duck on her nest. We lived high on the hog with duck and black berries.

  “Are you going to eat those?” I pointed to unhatched ducklings that Moyock had cracked out of their shells.

  “Yes, you can do too.”

  “They very tender,” Leahna said. “Can eat bones and all.”

  “They might make you sick.”

  Through chewing, Moyock said, “No, no. They not rotten. They fresh. Try one.”

  But I couldn’t join my companions in fresh unhatched duckling. I wasn’t that hungry. They didn’t amount to much, and I just hoped those two didn’t get sick from eating them.

  On the third day we saw small parties of Naturals off in the distance. They were too far away for us to take time to contact them. We didn’t know who they were and we were anxious to reach the Mandan. We pushed on until almost dark before we camped. Game was so plentiful Moyock soon brought down a large bird that I didn’t recognize. From the amount of fat on it I guessed it was some sort of goose.

  On the fourth day the river turned from north to northwest. Mid-afternoon we came around a bend and couldn’t believe our eyes. An astonishing number of naked Natural women swam, bathed, cavorted and played in the river. Upon seeing us the nearest ones shouted at some men standing guard way back on a terrace. The curious women covered their nudity with the river. We watched three men bearing long lances race down to the shore. We turned toward the men and shipped our paddles. “Together lets raise our hands in the peace sign.”