A Mountain Man's Tale, Part Ii
II.
They did not use Reid Gibson that kindly
as they drove him swiftly on up the trail,
when he fell behind or misunderstood
the two would both strike him without fail.
Was he to be held for a big ransom?
if so they would be facing a long wait,
he had no family that had gold to pay,
was some form of slavery then his fate?
He was chewing this over late one night
when in the dark woods he heard a twig snap,
his captors jumped up, prepared for a fight,
but arrows flew in, denying them that.
Reid huddled low, his breath coming in gasps,
and saw a party of men moving in,
they were Indians, from another tribe,
six of them stood there, enjoying their win.
The leader of them saw Reid in the dirt,
and looked confused, realizing he was white,
they dragged the dead Arikara away,
then settled down there to wait out the night.
Reid feared his new captors were no better,
but in the morning, as they made to go,
the old man cuts his bonds, and waved him on,
on a small horse Reid was told to follow.
They rode and rode, through lands he’d never seen,
passed a place where the steam burst from the Earth,
until in small hills, beneath tall mountains
he gazed down upon some Indian works.
Dozens of teepees all clustered about,
horses grazing prairie grass on the slopes,
young children playing amidst the women,
travois being hooked up to steeds with rope.
Reid had never seen anything like this,
and as the small party rode into camp,
people looked curiously at young Reid,
he was not sure what to expect from them.
He’d heard stories of torment and torture
for captives caught up in Indian hands,
but before he had time to think too much
he saw a white man there amongst the band.
The fellow spoke quickly with the leader,
then walked up to Reid still there on his horse,
the man spoke with a heavy French accent,
“I am the trader Jaques LeMans, of course.
“Eagle Vision has told me he found you
in the hands of the Arikara type.
he says he intends no harm to you,
he tires of seeing youth live their lives.
“He wants to here how you came to be there,
and asks me to relate all of your words.”
For the first time sin days, Reid felt relief,
they brought him down and his story was heard.
Many gathered there to hear the boy’s tale,
listened to LeMans, who spoke decent Crow,
and the end the leader spoke a few words,
on the trader’s face a smile did grow.
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