The Long Journey Home (24 page)

Read The Long Journey Home Online

Authors: Don Coldsmith

BOOK: The Long Journey Home
13.1Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
I
n early spring, when Zack Miller stopped by as John was working with a young gelding. Miller leaned on the fence, said nothing, but merely watched and waited.
When the time came to pause, John left the animal for a few moments and walked over to the rail.
“Momin', Mr. Miller. You want to see me?”
“If you've a minute, John. Nice gelding, there.”
“Yes, sir. He's comin' along purty good.”
Miller reached into his pocket and drew out a coin, which he handed to John. It was shiny and new, and on one side bore the profile of an Indian's face; on the other, a buffalo.
“Know what that is?”
“A medal of some kind?”
“That's a nickel, John. New design, just out. But do you know the fella on it, there?”
John paused. Was Zack Miller teasing him? It was well known that to many whites all Indians look the same. It was a quiet inside joke that to Indians, all whites look alike. But joking about this was not like Zack Miller.
“I don't think so,” John said carefully. “Should I?”
“I dunno,” Miller answered. “Thought you might. You're Sioux, ain't you?”
“Yes, sir. Lakota.”
This had never come up since he joined the 101. What was going on?
“Well, this fella on the nickel, here, one of them that posed for the picture, is an Oglala Sioux named Iron Tail.”
“But what—”
Miller waved the question aside and continued.
“Iron Tail has been with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, but has contacted us. I guess things ain't goin' so well with the Two Bills. You knew they'd joined up? Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill?”
“I'd heard that.”
“Well, some of their people, particularly the Oglalas, are gettin' restless. Iron Tail's contacted us and will be with us this season … . Great opportunity for advertising, with the nickel and all.”
John nodded. Trust Zack Miller to think of every angle for publicity.
“I've heard my father speak of Iron Tail,” he said.
“Good! Well, just lettin' you know. He'll prob'ly bring some others with him. We're bookin' a big season … . You know, my brother Joe's over in Europe now. He's workin' on a deal with a German circus for some of our Oglalas to spend a season with them.”
“In Germany?”
“Yep. They'll announce it purty soon.”
“You'll go there?”
“No … Wayne Beasley will run that. I'm goin' south to pick up some cattle we're buyin'. Ten thousand head—about 350 carloads, we figger. Bring ‘em up here for the grazin' season. I'll take some cowboys down.”
“You want me to go?”
“No, no, John. Joe will need you for the show. Well, see you later!” Zack Miller turned and strolled away, leaving John with several questions. Was Zack talking about the show season starting soon in Hot Springs, or the show season with the Oglalas in Germany? Or both?
Well, he'd learn eventually.
 
Zack Miller's crew of cowboys were still shipping cattle when the show opened in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on April 5, 1913, with a great parade. Joe Miller led the procession on Ben-Hur, his Arabian stallion. He was riding in a new saddle, designed and built by S. D. Myres, the famous saddle maker of Sweetwater, Texas. The saddle itself was used in the 101 advertising and publicity. “The finest fancy saddle ever made … Valued at more than ten thousand dollars …” It was of hand-carved leather, decorated with fifteen pounds of silver and gold, and studded with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies.
All three Miller brothers were present; Zack had returned for the occasion. Joe, too, had completed his negotiations in Europe with the Sarrasani Circus, based in Dresden. The entire Miller family, including Mother Molly Miller, and Joe's wife, Lizzie, were on hand for the beginning of a whirlwind season, and
rode in motorcars in the parade. Also featured in the parade were a new steam calliope, Professor Donato La Banca's cowboy marching band, scores of floats, and hundreds of riders, including more than one hundred Indians.
 
The Sarrasani Circus, billed as Europe's “grandest,” featured wild-animal acts, acrobats, clowns, and a Wild West Show, patterned somewhat after Buffalo Bill Cody's show, which had toured Europe and Britain. Joe Miller had contracted to furnish fifty Oglala Sioux, to work under Beasley's direction.
 
Joe Miller approached John while the show was in New England.
“Buffalo, how'd you like to go back to Europe?”
“To do what?”
He was hesitant to leave the country, in case Hebbie tried to contact him. But …
“Well, let me tell you about it, John. The ol' Hunnerd and One is goin' international. We've got a deal to supply horses for that war in the Balkans. You know about that?”
“Not much.”
“Well, they're usually fightin' one another. The Greek Army is buyin' horses … Cavalry and artillery. We're supplyin' three thousand.”
“Does the 101
have
that many?”
“No … We're buyin' in Mexico an' Texas, to resell. We'll ship out of Galveston. I'll need a few cowboys to take 'em over.”
John's mind was racing. If Hebbie needed him, she would know that he'd probably be on the road with the show. If she happened to be where the troupe was performing, she'd ask the crew, and they'd tell her of his whereabouts. Similarly, if she went to the ranch. If she wrote instead, the message would be waiting on his return … .
“I don't see why not,” he told Miller.
“Okay. Good! Now, one other thing. You'll be over there—Europe, I mean. You've a little experience. Schprechen a little Deutsch?”
“
German
? Very little, Mr. Miller.”
“But you've been among Europeans, got along with 'em.”
“Tried to, anyway. But what—?”
“Well, Beasley's havin' some problems with the Oglalas at that circus in Dresden.”
“Problems?”
“Yep. Some of ‘em don't think they're bein' treated right. Couple of 'em even jumped ship and started home on their own.”
“Oh! Well, most of 'em speak some English, and a lot of the Europeans do. They could work their way home on a ship, I guess.”
“Hope they make it okay,” said Miller. “Anyhow, here's what I was thinkin'. If you could spend a few days talkin' to them … The ones still with the circus … I've got some watch fobs, made out of them nickels with Iron Tail's picture on ‘em. They look like medals … . Like you said. You can take a bunch of 'em over and hand ‘em out as gifts. Just try to keep most of 'em there till the contract's finished at the end of the season.”
“Well,” said John, “why not?”
“Good! You'll need to leave here tomorrow. Head to Galveston by train.”
 
As it turned out, seventeen of the Oglalas had rebelled at the treatment they were receiving, and had “jumped ship.”
Anxious to avoid problems with the government, or any damage to the reputation of the Hundred and One, Joe Miller wrote to the Agency at Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Most of the Oglalas in the European contingent were from that reservation. In a letter addressed to Superintendent John Brennan, Miller acknowledged:
Several of our Indians have got tired of show business and have gone home … . Should any of the Indians who come in complain of mistreatment or things not going right with the show, I would be very glad to have you write to Iron Tail or any of the Indians on the show (on the U.S. Tour), and they will tell you that there is no show on the road that takes as good care of the Indians and treat them as well as we do.
John Buffalo arrived in Europe via the ship carrying horses to the Greek Army, and made his way on to Dresden by train. He had no trouble asking his way to the Sarrasani Circus. In fact, because of his manner of dress—boots, Stetson hat, and Levi's, the natives assumed that he was an American, associated with the circus. He was met with smiles everywhere.
He stepped off the train at the circus grounds, to find the afternoon performance under way. The German employees of Sarrasani nodded to him and motioned him on inside. Still holding his suitcase, he walked up the entrance ramp, listening to the roar and applause of the crowd. There was laughter; there must be a clown act in progress. But there was a thunder of hoofbeats, too … . More like the Indian attack and cavalry pursuit in the 101 show. But why the laughter?
He could see the ring now, and the galloping horses as they circled. He heard the war whoops of the Oglalas. Yet what—?
A painted warrior swayed and toppled from his horse, landing and rolling as other horses dodged around his limp form, or jumped easily over it. The
crowd roared with laughter, thinking it part of the show. But … Something must be wrong. Other riders were swaying drunkenly in the saddle, sliding, toppling … . This was not part of any show he'd ever seen.
The fallen warrior scrambled to his feet and staggered toward the ramp where John stood. He tried to evade the circling horsemen, dodging and falling, to scramble up again. John dropped his luggage and sprinted into the arena to help him. The brawny shoulder of a galloping horse struck John a glancing blow. He whirled and dodged another, grabbing the unhorsed Sioux by the elbow.
“Come, Uncle,” he yelled at the man in his own language, using the traditional term of respect for an older male. “I will help you.”
There was a startled look of surprise on the face of the bewildered Sioux. John slid an arm around the man's waist and half-carried him out of the galloping traffic. There was a whiff of alcohol on the man's breath as their faces came near.
Drinking
? How could that be? The Millers were quite strict. John was certain that the Oglalas' contract had a “morality clause” prohibiting their use of alcohol.
He dragged the stumbling warrior onto the ramp and to one side. Someone ran to help him, and he recognized Wayne Beasley.
“Buffalo!” exclaimed the startled Beasley. “What are you doin' here?”
“Joe sent me. What the hell is goin' on?”
“Tell you later—let's get Bear's Hand out of here.”
“What about the others?”
“Dunno … We'll see … . But I sure want you to talk to ‘em. Some of 'em quit and went home.”
“Yes, I heard. Okay, let's go!”
 
Away from the arena, with the inebriated Bear's Hand snoring comfortably on a pile of folded tarps, the two men had a chance to talk.
“It's gotten worse since you heard, I guess,” Beasley explained.
 
A young Indian girl, daughter of Dick White Calf, had walked too close to the animal cages of the Sarrasani Circus, and was mauled by a tiger.
“Just flesh wounds,” Beasley explained. “I wrote Joe Miller about it. I sent the girl to the hospital. Damn! We didn't need this. The Indians are sort of sulkin' anyway. Glad you're here, Buffalo. Mebbe you can make 'em understand.”
 
 
It was an uncomfortable position for John. Taking sides in the growing discontent would be disastrous. He spent the rest of the day talking to the Oglalas, and he and Beasley sat down late that night to discuss the situation.
“It's not that they don't understand, Wayne,” he noted. “They'd just like to either be treated better, or go home.”
“But I treat 'em good.”
“I know you do. They know that, too. But the German border guards, when you've made some of the short trips—they sort of look down on our Indians.”
“Hell, I know that!” Beasley sputtered. “That riles me, too. But I can't do anything about an uppity border guard or two!”
“I know. But you're white. The border guards are white. The Oglalas need
somebody
to be mad at.”
“What do they
want?”
“Just respect, I guess. Some left, I heard … . Went home.”
“Yeah … Broke their contracts. So, no pay comin'.”
John shook his head.
“Did they understand that?”
“Don't know.”
“Okay. Let me talk to them some more.”
 
It was much as he had thought, but there was still a lot of unrest. The daughter of White Calf was doing well, but that seemed to be only a small part of the problem. A faction among the Oglalas seemed determined to cause trouble. In talking to Dick White Calf, John learned that some of the troublemakers understood their contracts all too well.

Other books

Five Days of the Ghost by William Bell
Blood Cries Afar by Sean McGlynn
Frannie and Tru by Karen Hattrup
The Color of Darkness by Ruth Hatfield
Heart of Gold by May McGoldrick
The Subtle Beauty by Hunter, Ann