Brave Beginnings (35 page)

Sighing, she set the basket down on the edge
of the riverbank and collected her bar of soap and washboard. So it
would take her time to adjust to how the people lived here. If that
was the worst of it, she was doing quite well. And it wasn’t like
she hadn’t made progress. She wore two braids in her hair now, and
ever since she’d started this style, her hair was easier to comb.
So she was getting there. Maybe someday, she’d adapt as fully as
her brother had.

Turning her attention back to the soiled
clothes, she picked up a pantaloon. She certainly wouldn’t miss
this if she adopted the Mandan’s clothing. Her bare feet sank into
the sand as the water lapped in her direction. As she tried to
determine which article of clothing to wash first, someone shoved
her from behind.

Dropping the items in her hands, she lost her
balance and fell face first into the shallow water. Before she had
time to absorb what was happening, her attacker sat on her back and
pushed her head into the water.

Julia dug her hands into the sand and tried
to get up so she could throw the person off her back, but it was no
use. The person was sitting on top of her, pinning her firmly into
the water, and no amount of wiggling was working. Giving up on that
tactic, Julia clawed through the sand, hoping to find something she
might use to her advantage when she touched something jagged with a
sharp point. She took the rock and slammed it into her attacker’s
thigh.

The person shrieked and jerked back. Julia
pressed her hands into the sand and pulled herself up to her knees
so she could breathe again. Her attacker hung onto her shoulders
and hit her on the head. Screaming, Julia reached back, grabbed one
of her attacker’s wrists and dug her nails into the skin. Her
attacker cried in protest and Julia realized it was Sarita. Sarita
gave a hard pull on one of Julia’s braids, but Julia refused to let
go of Sarita’s wrist.

Sarita adjusted her weight so she was on
Julia’s back, but this time Julia fell to her side so that the two
women ended up splashing in the water together. Julia used her feet
to push herself back and rolled on top of Sarita who finally let go
of her.

Jumping to her feet, Julia whirled around to
face Sarita and gave her a hard slap across the face. Sarita
sputtered out some of the water and slapped Julia back. Julia
picked up a handful of sand and threw it at Sarita who grabbed her
by the ankle and made her trip so that she fell into the water.
Julia reached up and yanked Sarita’s braid as hard as she could
until Sarita let her go. With another slap and powerful shove,
Julia forced Sarita further back into the river. Panting, Julia
crawled out of the water, her skirts and pantaloons proving to be a
formidable obstacle as they tangled around her legs and slowed her
progress.

Just as she made it onto the riverbank,
Sarita caught her by the foot and tried to pull her back into the
water. Julia kicked at her, sand flying all around them as her
movements grew more anxious. After a few failed attempts, she
kicked Sarita in the jaw. Sarita howled and let her go.

Julia struggled to her feet and thought to
run to the tribe, but she was so furious with Sarita that she
turned right around and struck her, leaving nail marks on Sarita’s
cheek. Then she yanked on Sarita’s braids and drug her out of the
water, struggling against Sarita who grabbed her skirt and ripped
it along the seams so that Julia’s petticoats were exposed. Julia
tripped and Sarita tried to jump on her again, but Julia dodged her
and gave her a swift kick in the side so she went tumbling back
into the water.

Julia rushed over to her and slapped her
again and again until someone grabbed her and pulled her away from
Sarita. Gary had his arms securely around her, and though she
fought against him so she could give Sarita one more good slap, he
held firm.

“She tried to kill me!” Julia screamed. “She
came up behind me and shoved my head into the water!”

Woape and Onawa ran over to them, both
looking overwhelmed.

“Let me go!” Julia snapped at her brother.
“She’s the one who needs restraining. Not me!”

Sarita stood to her feet and wiped her face
the best she could. “You saw her. She was attacking me.”

“You tried to drown me,” Julia hissed,
struggling to get out of Gary’s stronghold. “Let me go!”

Sarita motioned to her. “See? She’s
vicious.”

“Vicious? You’re the one who came up to me
and pushed my head under the water!”

Gary sighed. “We need to take this to the
chief.”

Julia looked over her shoulder and demanded,
“Do you believe her?”

“Of course not,” he said. “We’ve all seen how
she’s been treating you, but we need to go to the chief.”

“He’s right,” Woape added. “This can’t go on.
Sooner or later, one of you will kill the other. One in murder or
the other in defense.”

Julia quit struggling and nodded. “Alright.”
She had plenty of witnesses who could vouch for her, and just as
Chogan said, his relatives didn’t believe Sarita that day in the
garden.

Woape rubbed her large belly. “Sarita, the
chief has selected someone else for you. Is that not good
enough?”

Sarita refused to answer the question.
Instead, she glared at Julia.

Undaunted by the threatening look, Julia
glared right back at her.

Gary let go of Julia. “I’ll take Sarita.”

Sarita grimaced but walked forward and passed
Julia, letting out a low growl.

Julia took a step forward and got a mild
sense of satisfaction when Sarita jerked away from her.

“I’ll carry you if I have to,” Gary warned
Sarita.

“You think the chief will get rid of me but
he won’t,” Sarita told Julia.

“We’ll see about that,” Woape said, standing
between Julia and Sarita.

“I don’t understand why you want to be with
Chogan,” Onawa told Sarita. “Chogan loves Julia. He doesn’t love
you.”

Crossing her arms, Sarita replied, “You’re
one to talk. Citlali doesn’t love you either, but you will gladly
marry him.”

Onawa’s countenance fell, and Julia put her
arm around Onawa’s shoulders.

“Enough,” Gary said. “Come on.”

Sarita proceeded forward and the others
followed.

***

After hearing about the event, the chief
inhaled the tobacco in his long pipe and blew out the smoke. He
closed his eyes and remained seated. Citlali, who stood behind him,
glanced at Gary who remained in the lodge while the women left.
Never in a million years did Citlali think Sarita would try to kill
Julia. He figured Sarita might try something petty, like putting
dye into her clothes or putting a hot spice into her food, but he
didn’t think she’d try to murder her in order to get Chogan.

The chief set his pipe down and stood so he
could walk to the center of the lodge where Gary stood. “I realize
Julia is your sister and because of that, you have a sense of
loyalty to her.”

Citlali noted the frown on Gary’s face. Yes,
this would be bad news for Julia, just as Citlali feared when Gary
brought the women into the lodge to discuss what happened at the
river.

The chief clasped his hands together. “Julia
must either learn to live here in peace or leave. Sarita is a born
member of this tribe. She will have Mandan children whereas Julia
will not.”

Gary shook his head. “I can’t either. Are you
telling me if I get into a fight with a Mandan, then I’ll have to
leave too?”

“Men do not bicker over meaningless things
like who they marry or want to marry. That is a woman’s doing.”

“I see,” Gary snapped. “If Julia leaves, then
will Chogan?”

The chief shrugged. “Chogan may stay.”

“Because he’s Mandan?”

“Your sister is not a blood member of this
tribe. She cannot keep our people or way of life preserved.”

Citlali resisted the urge to flinch at the
hurt look on Gary’s face.

Chogan stormed into the lodge. “What’s going
on?” He stopped in front of the chief, towering a good foot over
him. “I designate the man to lead the buffalo hunt this summer, and
when I come out of the lodge, I hear Julia’s been attacked?”

The chief shook his head. “A mere woman’s
quarrel.”

“Sarita was trying to drown Julia in the
river,” Gary said. “I hardly call that a woman’s quarrel.”

“Sarita did what?” Chogan shouted.

“I doubt Sarita is capable of drowning
Julia,” the chief replied, giving Gary a slight scowl. “In fact,
wasn’t Julia the one above Sarita when you found them?”

Gary rolled his eyes.

“What does that matter?” Chogan demanded.
“Sarita’s been harassing Julia ever since we came here. Either you
make her stop or throw her out of the tribe.”

Gary turned to Chogan. “He wants Julia to put
up with it or leave.”

Chogan’s face grew red and Citlali took a
step back. He wasn’t near Chogan, but he didn’t see any reason to
be closer than necessary.

“No,” Chogan growled. “Make Sarita leave.
She’s dangerous.”

The chief shook his head, even as he backed
up so Chogan wasn’t so close to him. “It’s not that simple. We must
think of what’s best for the tribe.”

“Having a woman who’s willing to kill someone
else is not in the tribe’s best interest,” Chogan said.

“Sarita will marry Mankato next month, and
then she’ll be with child and focus on her duty to the tribe. As it
is, she is restless because she has no children to occupy her
time.”

“That’s what this is about?” Chogan took
another step toward the chief and yelled, “You will let my wife’s
attacker go because you want more Mandan children in this tribe? If
Sarita was white, she wouldn’t be allowed to get away with this. Is
that right?”

“Sometimes you have to make allowances for
the good of the tribe. Our survival is that good.”

Citlali heard the sound of the punch before
it registered in his mind that Chogan’s fist landed squarely on the
chief’s jaw. The chief fell to the floor, so Citlali ran to help
the old man up. “Chogan, you should remember to respect your
elders.”

“Don’t talk to me about respect!” Chogan
bitterly replied. “You have no respect for the sacred love between
a man and his wife.”

“Disagree with him, but don’t hit him,”
Citlali said.

“It’s alright, Citlali,” the chief replied,
adjusting his feathered headdress. “Some members of our tribe have
lost sight of what’s important.”

Chogan’s fists clenched, and Citlali braced
himself in case Chogan decided to throw another punch at the chief,
but Chogan turned around and hurried out of the lodge.

Citlali sighed, partially with relief and
partially with regret. “Chogan has been good to us,” he softly told
the chief. “Is it not understandable that he’d be upset?”

The chief shook his head and sat back down so
he could pick up his pipe. “Chogan has lost his focus. He no longer
cares for the ways of our people.”

“He does care,” Gary said. “And he’s been
good to my sister. Your ways may include having more than one wife,
but a man is happiest with one wife he can love instead of a couple
wives he can have children with.”

As Gary left, the chief inhaled the smoke
from his pipe as if the recent events didn’t bother him, and for
all Citlali knew, they hadn’t. Citlali took a deep breath to steady
his nerves. The events hadn’t bothered the chief, and they wouldn’t
bother him either.

***

Chogan found Sarita in her family’s lodge.
Without waiting for an invitation to speak, he approached her. She
looked up from the spot where she sat, combing her hair.

Ignoring the others in the lodge, he said, “I
will never marry you. Even if Julia dies, I will not marry you. You
disgust me.”

Without waiting for a response, he strode out
of the lodge and found Julia at Woape’s lodge where Woape and Onawa
stood close to her and offered words of comfort. As he closed the
distance between them, they turned to him, and he saw the worried
frown on Julia’s face.

“What did the chief say?” Woape asked
apprehensively.

“The chief won’t do anything about Sarita,”
he sourly said.

“You mean he’s going to let her keep
attacking me?” Julia asked, her tone indignant.

Chogan bit back on his anger. “The chief does
not value marriage. With him, it is all about having full-blooded
Mandan babies.”

“He isn’t going to do anything about Sarita?”
Woape demanded.

“He’ll marry her off,” Chogan replied. “He
thinks that as soon as she’s married and has a child, she will be
too busy to do anything to Julia.”

“And that’s punishment?” Woape asked,
gritting her teeth.

“It is for Mankato,” Onawa said, her eyebrows
furrowed.

Chogan took Julia’s hand and drew her to his
side. “I won’t let her near you again. For now, I need to get away
from here and sort things out. You will come with me?”

“Where?” Julia asked.

“On the prairie. Nowhere in particular.”

“Like we do when we hunt?”

“Yes.” He noted the hurt in her eyes and
squeezed her hand. “I won’t let Sarita hurt you ever again. I
promise.”

She leaned against him, suddenly sounding
tired. “I know, Chogan.”

Glancing at Woape and Onawa, he thanked them
for taking care of Julia in his absence and led Julia back to his
family’s lodge. “We’ll get away for a few days and decide what to
do about this.” One way or another, they wouldn’t have to worry
about Sarita anymore.

~~********~~

Julia glanced at the bow and arrows Chogan
gave her and put them on the ground beside her. She remained
sitting in front of the teepee Chogan had set up in the middle of
the prairie, far from anyone or anything. The green grass swayed in
the breeze, and she thought it ought to be comforting. She
swallowed the lump in her throat and brushed a tear from her
eye.