A Mountain Man's Tale, Part V
V.
She knew he was right, and had little choice,
winter had set in, travel was hard,
but Reid had killed elk, frozen meat to spare,
the ponds he worked were never that far.
Mink kept her guard up when they ate each night,
but over time saw he was a good man,
the long weeks went on, her ankle healed,
but the snow was now too deep on the land.
As the cold grew bitter she saw him there,
curled by the fire, still sleeping outside,
and finally said, “Fool man you will freeze!
Get in this tent now, I won’t see you die.”
Reid’s heart pounded, but he did not refuse,
they pulled the flaps closed and hid under skins,
Mink just looked at him, and he looked at her,
the warm feel of her breath bathing his skin.
“Until the spring comes, you will be my man,”
she said abruptly, pulling at his clothes.
Reid was shocked but soon was pulling at hers,
it wasn’t long before they were in the throes.
They settled into a quite pleasant life
despite the bite of the Rockies cruel cold,
where Reid had been nervous before it all,
now he was growing increasingly bold.
He knew that this woman wouldn’t be his,
she was Cheyenne and he stood with the Crow,
he supposed this made things all more frantic,
they knew in a few months they’d have to go.
He lingered longer than he had last year,
and Mink kept finding excuses to stay,
but by mid-April they knew it was done,
both would then have to go there separate ways.
But he would make sure she got to her home,
played the trader, took her to the Cheyenne,
her father was not there, but her mother cried,
and to her lost daughter rapidly ran.
She invited him to stay there with them,
thinking him just some trapper, just some white,
and though he wanted to keep holding Mink,
he knew he had to go, dreams were not life.
So Reid rode away, and sold off his plews,
made decent money and set off for home,
the new warmth of spring felt good on his breath
he missed his sisters, so long had he roamed.
But as he rode to his band’s latest camp
he didn’t see many people about,
and those that were there seemed to be grieving,
just then his old friend Otter walked on out.
The young man’s face was cast grey with despair,
he said,“Grey Fox, there are hearts on the ground.
Raiders came by, Cheyenne road through the camp,
they killed men, knocked half of our lodges down.”
Reid spurred his horse, and frantically went looking,
found his father’s lodge all battered and torn,
outside Eagle Vision lay still in death,
over him his mother and sisters mourned.
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