Comanche (4 page)

So learning to ride ranked among the Comanche boy’s prime achievements in life and probably the most vital part of his existence.

From that day Loncey would spend much of his waking hours with horses, especially while learning to ride. Guided by Long Walker, Ysabel and War Club—both of whom he called ap’, father—War Club’s brothers and oldest son, he spent hours on the gentle pony. From the men he learned how to care for his pony; when he must not allow it to eat and drink; by what means greater speed could be raised and maintained; the ways to keep the pony silent when it wished to whinny a greeting to others of its own kind and move it noiselessly from place to place. Trained by masters of all matters equestrian, he gained a knowledge of horse-handling second to none. Galloping, swimming, jumping the pony, staying on its back under all conditions and over any kind of country soon held no terrors for him. He learned to fall off without injury and to quit the pony’s back voluntarily, landing safely no matter what its speed. Before he reached his fifth birthday, he felt as much at home on a horse as afoot.

By the time Loncey reached six years of age, he left behind the gentle pony and rode bareback on a young colt. With his long hair, black and shiny as the wing of a raven, and his body clad only in a breechclout, tanned Indian dark by exposure to the elements, he might have been a pure Comanche. Only his face set him apart from the other
Pehnane
boys. Instead of the brown-eyed, high-cheekboned, broad face of the Comanche, Loncey looked European. There was an air of innocence about his handsome features that the wild red-hazel eyes belied. In build, he stood taller and more slender than his companions. Those were only externals. He spoke Comanche naturally and English haltingly only when in his father’s presence. Underneath his baby-faced innocent appearance beat the heart of a true
Pehnane
.

In addition to learning to ride, Loncey received other lessons. Before he celebrated his sixth birthday, he knew which roots, berries and plants could be eaten and where to find them. Lighting a fire with either the fire-bow or using a flint and steel formed an important lesson. He learned the value of patience and silence; a valuable lesson which would save his life many times in the future.

Not all the schooling was on practical matters. From Long Walker, Loncey learned the tribal history. At some time in the past, the
Pehnane
moved away from other bands of the Comanche Nation. Despite their name, which meant the Wasps, Quick Stingers, or Raiders, the
Pehnane
lived in comparative peace with the Texans and Mexicans whose towns and settlements bordered the eastern fringe of their territory. One reason for their being left in peace probably stemmed from their very able means of defending themselves.

During their separation from the Antelope, Yap, Liver-Eaters, Wanderers and other smaller bands of the Comanche Nation, the
Pehnane
never forgot to which tribe they belonged. Long Walker smoked the peace pipe with Plenty Kills, war chief of the Kiowa—from which tribe the
Pehnane
adopted the war lodge idea—but remained, in the best Comanche tradition, the enemy of all other Indians. Even the Kiowa retained the old-style title for the Comanche, saying ‘
Tshaoh
’, the Enemy People, despite their truce with the
Pehnane
. The Comanche referred to themselves, no matter to which band they belonged, as the
Nemenuh
, the People, and spoke the word with a pride of race and achievement.

Although Ysabel spent a fair amount of time away from the camp, Loncey did not feel neglected. All his companions’ fathers went off on raiding, hunting or war trips of varying duration, so he considered it only natural that Ysabel did so too. One way and another, life was too full and interesting for the boy ever to feel lonely.

He became a skilled hand with a lariat early, learning how to send its running noose flickering out to drop on a horse’s neck. While on the march, he helped herd the spare horses as became a useful young member of the band.

Early in his sixth year, Loncey went into another stage of his education. Long Walker presented the boy with his first bow and a few blunt-headed arrows. Once equipped, the boy received every encouragement to practise, In addition he also learned how to make arrows and build a bow, for there might come a time when he needed that knowledge.

Unaware of the political and social changes taking place in Eastern Texas, almost without knowledge of other white men, Loncey spent his early childhood contentedly. While keeping the peace with the white man, Long Walker did not encourage too much contact and apart from hunters, or an occasional visit of state by a company of Texas Rangers, had little to do with them.

In the future Loncey would become involved in the affairs of the Lone Star State, taking an important part in some of them; but during the first six years of his life, he knew nothing of them. His time was fully occupied in learning those things he must know to become a brave-heart warrior of the Comanche Nation.

CHAPTER FOUR

SHORTLY before his seventh birthday, Loncey performed an act which became the first step in making his name among his people. The
Pehnane
had been moving towards their pre-winter buffalo hunting ground for almost two weeks, travelling through most of the daylight hours and throwing up a hasty temporary camp at sundown. At last they had reached the desired area and the various lodge chiefs told their people to halt and settle down.

Having reached the end of their journey, the younger boys found themselves free from the task of horse herding. At such a time, boys and girls of from six to about ten gathered in bands to play. Loncey ran with one of the groups consisting of children from Dog Soldier lodge families. Already his group had built up a reputation for high-spirited behaviour and the knowing among the lodge members nodded in satisfaction, saying that Loncey, his foster brother and another of the group, Comes For Food, showed the signs of making true brave-hearts if their present actions be any sign.

On settling down for any length of time, the mixed groups sought out a deep hole in a near-by stream and made it their gathering point. Thinking back to the previous year’s visit to the area, Loncey recalled the ideal spot for their play-camp. One small snag arose as he suggested the location; it lay beyond the Dog Soldier tepee area. Unless the group moved fast, a bunch from the Fox lodge might reach the place first.

‘They have a shorter ride to it,’ Loud Voice warned.

‘Not if we go through the camp,’ replied Loncey and ran to where his pony stood waiting.

Eagerly the rest of the boys collected their mounts, going astride the bare backs like squirrels climbing a pine tree. Kicking his heels against the pony’s ribs, Loncey started it moving. Always willing to join in any kind of fun, the remainder of the boys followed Loncey’s lead. Ten colts and ponies raced away from the horse herd, to tear at speed through a camp busily engaged in setting up homes.

Riders racing through the village had never been so rare a sight as to excite comment. The women grew accustomed to erecting tepees in the face of such distractions. Normally the riders showed sufficient consideration to keep their running horses away from the working women. However on this occasion Loud Voice sat afork a slightly larger, more spirited colt then usual, and lacked the strength to control it properly. So while his companions steered their mounts clear of trouble, he found his heading straight into it.

Following his usual practice, Old Sleeps Long And Deep, skilled bow-maker of the village, stood close by so as to supervise the erection of his main tepee. While his wives secretly objected to what they regarded as an unwarrantable intrusion into their domain, they could do nothing to change the old man’s ways.

Already much of the work had been completed. After fastening the four fourteen foot long cedar poles at the upper end, the women stood them erect, spreading the lower ends outwards evenly as the start of a circle. Against this foundation a further eighteen poles—their butts sunk about two feet deep into the ground for added strength and security, rose up to be tied to the main poles. Using the pyramid of poles as a skeleton, the women hung the carefully cut and fitted buffalo hides into place to form the walls of the dwelling.

All this had been completed and the women worked on the final outside task, that of fastening the buffalo-hide covering at the top. A task calling for some skill and knowledge, fastening the top and arranging the tepee’s smokehole fell upon the oldest, most experienced wife. Sleeps Long And Deep’s
pairaivo
, showing remarkable agility for an elderly woman, stood on the shoulders of his other two wives, from that vantage point she had already pinned the covering’s edges together with wooden skewets about the size of a white man’s pencil and fastened the top into position. When Loud Voice made his hurried appearance, the old woman leaned forward to fix the smoke-hole. By folding the upper skins back a short distance, giving the appearance of a jacket’s lapels, then fastening the turned back sections to poles outside the tepee, the hole made could be shielded from the wind and create a draught that sucked the smoke from inside. Leaning forward precariously, the
pairaivo
could not have picked a more inconvenient position had she tried.

Being astride a fast-running horse, even one almost out of control, held no terrors for a Comanche boy. As he tore along, Loud Voice whooped in delight and showed how he gained his name by the volume of noise he could turn loose. He shot at an angle between the tepees of Sleeps Long And Deep and the
tsukup’s
next-door neighbour, coming into the tepee builders’ view unexpectedly. Seeing the charging pony headed straight at her, the youngest wife not unnaturally decided to avoid being run down. Unfortunately she forgot that the
pairaivo
perched insecurely with a foot on her shoulder. With a shriek, the woman flung herself backwards and the
pairaivo
found herself deprived of one support. Letting out a howl of mingled surprise, fright and anger, the
pairaivo
lost her balance. Her other foot slipped from the second wife’s shoulder and she fell forward. While sturdily constructed, the tepee lacked its final supports. The
pairaivo’s
weight, being at the upper part, caused the tepee to collapse.

Never noted for a mild, even temper when things went wrong, Sleeps Long And Deep did not view the incident calmly. Showing some speed on his feet, he nimbly avoided the falling tepee and leg-waving, curse-screaming
pairaivo
and so came to no actual harm. However he knew that he would not be fed until after the erection of the tepee and, being a man who enjoyed food, did not care for the idea. Letting out a screech of rage, he shook his fist after the whooping, delighted, departing youngsters who regarded the affair as a glorious joke.

‘May
Piamempits
take you!’ he howled.

None of the youngsters took any notice of the words, being more concerned with reaching the desired play-area before any other band arrived. Watching the departing children, Sleeps Long And Deep snorted angrily. Despite the fact that they tended to act soberly and show a serious outlook when in the presence of strange white men, the Comanche people possessed a well-developed sense of humour and enjoyed their fun the more if it be boisterous and visual. So the mishap at Sleeps Long And Deep’s tepee brought about much mirth among the onlookers.

Followed by laughter, which did nothing to lesson his wrath, Sleeps Long And Deep stalked angrily off in search of War Club; Loncey and Loud Voice being the acknowledged leaders of that particular bunch of youngsters. Although War Club and Ysabel—the latter just returned from a most profitable trading trip to the white settlements—managed to put on a straight, unsmiling face by the time the
tsukup
reached them, they declined to take any action against the boys. True it did not become very young Comanches to treat a respected
tsukup
and craftsman in such a manner, but one had to excuse their wildness as part of growing up to make useful warriors.

Nor did Sleeps Long And Deep receive any more comfort on carrying his grievance to other members of the family circle. Loud Voice’s older brother and paternal uncles—the latter classing as his father by Comanche tradition—only laughed. While on a less formal basis than War Club’s brothers, the
ara
* took a more definite line in the matter and stated that no punishment would come to the boys. As a sop to Sleeps Long And Deep’s wounded pride, however, the
ara
presented him with a week’s supply of wapiti meat. That had always been the Comanche way, the
ara
and his nephew being on an easygoing friendly footing. Any boy could treat his
ara’s
property as his own and rely on the other’s support and protection should be get into trouble.

In the face of such determined opposition. Sleeps Long And Deep obtained no satisfaction for his injured dignity. The offer of a week’s supply of meat, while tempting and generous, did not lessen his determination to carry the matter further. By the time he had returned to his tepee area, he had decided to take firm action himself lest the boys grew up with no respect for old age, wisdom and dignity. With that thought in mind, he told his wives that he would need certain items which had proved most useful on other occasions when discipline had been required for the children.

Unaware of their impending lesson, the children reached their selected site and gained possession by right of prior occupancy. Swiftly they set about building the miniature village which would form their home during the daylight hours as long as they stayed in the area.

While regarding their activities in the light of play, the children spent much of their time performing tasks which fitted them for their future life. The girls erected small windbreaks, for shelter, such being woman’s work, and prepared fires ready for the return of the boys from foraging missions. Already Loncey and his companions knew how to locate birds’ nests and collect the eggs. They knew which kind of plants might be eaten safely, the kind of berries they must avoid and could differentiate between edible and poisonous mushrooms.

Nor did they stop at vegetable matter for their food, but hunted with their bows and blunt-headed arrows. Showing that skilled co-ordination between hand and eye which would one day make him famous as a rifle-shot, Loncey excelled in the matter of driving an arrow into and killing the large grasshoppers which leapt and fluttered about. Once killed, the grasshopper could be roasted over a fire and made a much-prized delicacy. Rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, prairie-dogs, small birds or anything the boys’ arrows could bring down gave bulk to the meals. The boys hunted with grim determination, never relying on the fact that they could obtain a meal in the village if they failed to lessen their attempts. They were encouraged to be self-reliant, taught to fend for themselves and praised when they succeeded. Although the game might sometimes fail, the
Pehnane
rarely faced prolonged periods of starvation such as the Shoshone and other more northern tribes met. In winter food might be short, but that had to be borne. Even so the foraging boys often had a full belly gained by their own efforts when their parents tightened belts and made medicine to guide them to deer, elk or buffalo.

Not all the time in the play-area was spent in hunting or house-keeping practice. In the late afternoon, after a meal of baked grasshopper, gopher, pinon nuts, pigweed, the inner bark of a birch tree and bulbous roots of the sego lily, the children decided to play ‘Grizzly Bear’.

Going out on to a large, sandy bank of the river, the children built a mound of sand. Loncey and Loud Voice up-ended the youngest member of their band and dragged him around the mound by his heels until they smoothed down the surface. With everything ready Loncey stepped on to the smoothed down area to be the ‘grizzly bear’. Outside the circle Loud Voice formed the others into single file, each child holding the preceding one’s waist.

‘Now!’ commanded Loud Voice and advanced, leading the line towards the level area.

Crouching slightly, Loncey watched the line approach him. As the ‘grizzly bear’ he had to protect the mound of ‘sugar’ and also try to catch the ‘mother’, Loud Voice, or one of the youngsters.

For a time Loud Voice managed to keep his ‘family’ safe. Swinging the line back and forwards, he steered them clear of Loncey’s grabbing hands. However, the white boy’s slim build gave him added speed that enabled him to cover the ‘sugar’ effectively and prevented the others from stealing any of it. Then one of the girls in the line made the mistake of coming too close. Out shot Loncey’s right arm and the girl screeched as his fingers closed on her shoulder. Instantly the line broke up and the children scattered, leaving the girl to be hauled into the circle to be ‘eaten’; which meant nothing more serious than a tickling administered by the ‘grizzly bear’.

On making the first capture, Loncey changed the course of the game. Instead of a single line coming, now he had to protect the ‘sugar’ from the individual rushes. Darting in, the children either grabbed off a handful of sand or were captured and ‘eaten’. Such games developed hard, tireless muscles, especially when acting as the ‘grizzly bear’ and Loncey showed no signs of tiring even after defending the ‘sugar’ continuously for over an hour. All the girls fell victim early in the game, but the boys proved more elusive. Darting around, leaping over the mound, flashing from side to side, Loncey captured boy after boy, ‘eating’ them and sending them to watch from the sidelines. Of course he could not protect the entire area at once and the mound diminished gradually as the number of boys decreased.

Comes For Food evaded Loncey until the last. With the complete circle to move in and only one assailant to watch, Loncey could protect the ‘sugar’ easily. Making a feint at going left, Comes For Food lunged suddenly to the right. Shrieks of delight rose from the spectators as he reached the edge of the circle. Then Loncey, pretending to be fooled by the feint, turned and dived forward to lock his arms about the other’s waist. Together they crashed to the sand and sat up grinning at each other.

‘What now?’ asked Loud Voice, coming forward.

For a moment none of the others replied, but all glanced up towards the sky. Already the sun had sunk down in the west and long shadows spread over the land. With the excitement of the game over, the youngsters became aware of the passing of time. Night would soon be on them and all cast darting looks in the direction of the main village’s glowing fires. Each of the youngsters remembered stories, told around the winter fires of their tepees, about
Piamempits
, the Big Cannibal Owl. As the sun sank in the west,
Piamempits
left his home cave in the south slopes of the Wichita Mountains and flew in search of his favourite food, young children who had behaved badly during the day.

‘Let’s go back to the village,’ suggested one of the girls, throwing scared glances at the gloomy darkness of the river-side woods. ‘Perhaps
Piamempits
will be so hungry that he cannot tell the difference between good and bad children.’

While the words caused most of the children to think about returning home, they tended to have the opposite effect upon Loncey and Loud Voice. Soon the two boys would reach the age when they put aside childish things, ceased playing with little girls and joined the all-male band of adolescent youths in learning to be warriors. So the two boys did not wish to rush back to the village just because the sun happened to be going down.

‘Shall we have another game of “Grizzly Bear”?’ asked Loncey, trying to sound bold and casual.

‘Why not ask a
tsukup
to come and play “Do you?” with us?’ Loud Voice answered, attempting to appear unconcerned by the possible danger of
Piamempits
.

Loncey nodded his agreement. Before they could play at ‘Do You?’, an old man had to volunteer his services in the game. Few
tsukup
ever refused such a request, but finding one meant returning to camp. Once there the group could break up and return to its various homes, giving its leaders an excuse for not returning to the play-area without any hint of being afraid of
Piamempits
.

‘We can ask old Tamina,’ Loncey said. ‘He will always find time to play.’

‘Let’s go then,’ replied Loud Voice. ‘I know where to find—”

At that moment they all heard the eerie, spine-chilling sound of an owl hooting among the trees—only sounding far louder than the cry made by any normal bird. Being shrewd practical students of nature, all the party realised that no ordinary owl produced such a volume of noise. Instinctively the youngsters bunched closer together and with their leaders before them. Again the owl hooted, closer than before. One of the girls let out a scream of terror and pointed off towards the near-by trees. Following the direction she indicated, the remainder of the party saw a sight which chilled them to the marrow.

Coming out of the darkness was a vague, unreal white shape which looked neither animal nor human. Long white wings fluttered, spreading out menacingly, as the thing advanced on the children and again came the hooting of the owl—from the approaching thing.

‘
Piamempits!
’ screamed a girl.

Which exactly matched the thoughts reached by every member of the band and fired them all with the desire to escape.

Another hoot rang out from the creature and it darted forward like an ordinary owl swooping upon a fear-frozen mouse. Instantly the party scattered, screaming and shrieking in terror as they darted towards the safety of the village. Last to surrender the field were Loncey, Loud Voice and Comes For Food. Showing commendable courage, they allowed their younger companions to flee first, then whirled and ran themselves. In going Loud Voice caught his foot on the top of the depleted mound of ‘sugar’ sand, tripped and went crashing to the ground. He rolled over and let out a howl of terror as the shape bore down on him.

Hearing and recognising his foster-brother’s voice, Loncey skidded to a halt and twisted around. While as scared as any of the others, Loncey saw his ‘brother’ in trouble and showed something of the kind of man he would grow up to be. Flinging himself forwards with a juvenile attempt at a war yell that was three parts fear, Loncey hurled over his fallen ‘brother’ and crashed head first into the fluttering white shape. The force of his arrival brought a startled, very human-sounding grunt of pain from the thing, causing it to reel backwards and sit down hard. Unable to stop himself, Loncey landed on top of the shape and bore it backwards until it lay flat on the ground. Sheer instinct for self-preservation caused the terrified youngster to launch wild blows at the shape, while his lungs churned out screeches loud enough to waken the dead and drowned certain sounds made by ‘
Piamempits
’.

Loud Voice sat up, amazed to find himself still alive instead of being carried away by
Piamempits
. Then he saw Loncey and guessed what must have happened. A leg, looking surprisingly human, showed from the white form of
Piamempits
and waved wildly before the boy’s face. Grabbing hold of it, he sank his sharp teeth into its calf and hung on like a bulldog laying hold of a beef-critter’s nose.