Danny Blackgoat: Rugged Road to Freedom Page 5

  “The safe thing to do would be to hide until dark,” Danny said to himself. “But I have never done the safe thing. I’m following my grandfather.”

  From the hilltop, Danny hid in the shadows of thorny trees. He trailed after the wagon, watching it bump and bounce. His grandfather rolled from side to side.

  “Poor Grandfather,” he whispered.

  Soon the soldiers came to a stop, outside the gates of the fort. Fort Sumner was surrounded by small campsites. Hundreds of Navajo people huddled against the walls of the fort. They leaned against trees. But the trees had no branches or leaves. Most of the trees were even stripped of bark. They are using anything they can find for firewood, thought Danny.

  Grandfather crawled over the side of the wagon. He waved to the soldiers and they laughed and shouted, “Remember, old man. You’re a buzzard, not a fish! We might not pull you out of the water next time!”

  As soon as they were gone, Grandfather pointed to a group of Navajos against a nearby tree. He is telling me where my family is, Danny thought. A warm smile crept across his face. Now is the time to be safe. I can see my family after dark.

  Danny crept down the hill. He made his way to his hiding place near the rattlesnake cave. By the mouth of the cave he spotted a leather bag. A trail of ants climbed in and out of the bag.

  “Rick left me a water bag,” Danny said. “He’s the only one who knows where I am. I hope he didn’t reach inside the cave.” Danny walked as quietly as he could to the cave, grabbed the bag, and ran to his sleeping spot.

  “No, Rick is too smart to reach inside a cave,” he said to himself. “He knows something would claim it as a home.”

  He brushed the ants from the bag and untied the leather string at the opening. My first drink since I left the Gradys’, he thought.

  He balanced the bag on his right palm and circled his left fingers around the leather mouth hole. Slowly lifting the bag, he took several long gulps, swallowing every drop before he lowered the bag.

  “Ummmm,” he said, wiping his lips with his tongue. That’s when he noticed a funny taste to the water.

  It tastes like soup, he thought. Beef soup. He stretched the bag open and saw five thick strips of dried beef.

  Rick, what a surprise! You’re feeding my thirst and my hunger both. Oh, now I understand. That’s why the ants were crawling in the bag. They smelled the beef. I don’t blame them. I’d swim in a lake, too, for Rick’s dried beef.

  With his belly full of beef and good, clean water from Fort Davis, Danny leaned against the tree.

  I have had a good day, he thought. I saw my grandfather. Rick is watching out for me. But none of this would have happened without my good friend Jim Davis. I hope he is well.

  He decided to take an afternoon nap. As he fell asleep, he whispered a prayer for his friend.

  Danny hoped to wake up before sunset, but he didn’t realize how tired he was. He slept soundly until well after dark. He awoke to the sound of a voice only a few feet behind him. The clouds covered the moon and Danny lay unseen, on the other side of the tree.

  “Are you sure there ain’t no soldiers keeping watch?” a man asked.

  “No, hablo la verdad,” said another man. “I speak the truth.”

  Danny dropped his jaw. His body jerked, and he felt the cold breath of fear.

  The second voice belonged to Manny.

  Chapter 12

  Danny’s Promise

  Manny has new gang members, Danny thought. I wonder how many.

  In a moment he had his answer. The clouds parted and he saw four men on horseback. They stood high in their saddles and looked down at the fort.

  “Now is the best time to raid the camp,” Manny said. “The Navajos have no weapons. They are too hungry and too sick to fight, even if they had weapons.”

  Danny felt angry to hear his people being thought of so lightly. But he knew what Manny said was true. His people could not protect themselves.

  “No!” he said aloud, then slapped his hand over his mouth. He hoped no one had heard him.

  They thought I was helpless at Fort Davis. Danny’s mind was racing. But my friend came up with a plan. Maybe we can’t fight them with weapons. But we are smart. We can still win.

  He lay still and waited. When Manny and his men rode away, Danny followed, running in the shadows. They’ve never been here, he thought. They’ll ride slowly, and I can keep up with them.

  Soon Manny and his men topped the hill overlooking the lake. Danny crept closer and crouched behind a boulder to listen.

  “Mira, como dije,” Manny said, pointing at the camps below. “No guards, like I told you. We can ride into the camp. They won’t expect us. Each of us can capture an Indian. The ones that fight the most, those are the ones we want. They are young and will bring the most money.”

  Manny was pointing to the camps near Danny’s family.

  “Let’s water the horses first,” Manny said. “After we catch the Indians, we might have a long ride. They don’t have horses, but they’ll chase us on foot.”

  I have to warn them, Danny thought.

  While Manny and his men rode to the lake, Danny dashed down the hill. He saw his family sitting in the shade of blankets stretched over a tree. He ducked under the blankets.

  “Grandfather!” he shouted. “They are coming.”

  His father stood. “Who is coming?” he asked. “The soldiers?”

  “No, far worse,” Danny said, shaking his head. “The men who took me. They capture people and sell them to be slaves. They are watering their horses now. But it won’t be long. They have guns. They will be here!”

  “We should let everyone know,” his grandfather said.

  “Will the soldiers help us?” Danny asked.

  “Maybe,” Grandfather said. “But we cannot be sure.”

  “Mother, I am free,” Danny whispered.

  “Yes, son,” she said, pulling him close for a brief moment. “Now, take us to a safe place.”

  Danny helped his sister Jeanne to her feet. “Stay with me, Jeanne. We’ll be all right.”

  Then Danny turned to his grandfather. “Do you know of a place where we can hide?” he asked.

  “Yes.” He pointed to a high hill, on the other side of an arroyo. “Every morning I go there to pray. It’s a steep climb,” he said, “but if I can do it, we all can.”

  “Danny, take the family to the praying spot. I’m going to let the others know,” his father said. Danny nodded.

  More Navajos than he had ever seen surrounded the fort—more than when Danny and his family arrived at the fort almost a year ago. Danny’s father moved from one camp to another, shouting a warning.

  Danny took Jeanne by the hand. “Let’s go,” he said. “Walk fast but watch every step. Remember, snakes are out at night.”

  As Danny and his family hurried to the arroyo, his father yelled loud enough for a thousand Navajos to hear. “The raiders are coming!” he shouted. “They are here! Hide your children. The slave traders are here!”

  Danny looked over his shoulder. In the dim light of the moon he saw people rising and moving about. They have no place to go, he thought.

  “Danny,” Grandfather said, “watch where you are going. We are following you now. Remember that. You are our leader.”

  His grandfather had never called him a leader before. No one had ever called Danny Blackgoat a leader. But in one year, Danny had grown from a tough young man who fought with his fists to a strong young leader who fought with his thinking.

  Danny walked quickly to the edge of the arroyo. He paused and looked down at the steep canyon walls.

  “Grandfather?” he asked.

  “That way,” Grandfather said, pointing to a narrow path beside a clump of sage bushes. Danny nodded and gripped his sister’s hand.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “We will be safe soon.”

  Jeanne squeezed his hand hard. With his mother and grandfather behind him, Danny began the dangerous climb down th
e arroyo wall. Danny’s foot hit a loose rock and he slipped and fell backwards.

  “Careful,” he said over his shoulder.

  He tried to grab a bush, but yanked it from the dirt. He rolled down the path to the bottom of the canyon. Dusting himself off, he stood and helped the others. Soon they all stood on the canyon floor.

  Danny was searching the opposite wall for a place to climb when the first gunshots exploded.

  Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

  He heard screams coming from the Navajo camps. He looked to his grandfather.

  “We can only help them if we are still alive,” his grandfather said. He pointed to the path before them.

  “But where is my father?” Danny asked. He stared at the canyon wall behind him, hoping to see his father hurrying down the path. He saw no one.

  Pow! Pow!

  Gunshots echoed through the canyon. Danny’s mother stopped. She looked at Danny, bowed her head and spoke.

  “Danny, when we saw you tied to the horse like a saddle, I wanted to run to you. I had to hold your father back.”

  “The soldiers would have shot you both,” said Danny.

  “Yes,” she nodded, “and they will shoot you now if you try to help. Your father knows where we are going. He will find us. You have to believe that.”

  “One day I will have a horse of my own,” Danny said. He took a deep breath and looked to the path in front of him. “I will have a weapon to protect my family. I will have friends that ride with me. I will not wait for soldiers to come, or raiders to come.”

  “Danny,” his grandfather said, “I believe you. I believe you are strong and will use what you have learned to help us. But you must stay alive.”

  “My father needs me,” said Danny.

  “Your father needs you here, with us. If you run to the gunshots, you make your father’s job harder.”

  “You are right, Grandfather,” Danny said. But he never forgot the promise he made to himself: I will not always run away.

  Chapter 13

  Grandfather’s Healing

  Leaving the Navajo camps behind them, Danny and his family climbed the path and found a site high on the mesa overlooking the fort. Juniper trees poked up from a boulder, casting long shadows across the ground.

  “This is a safe place for now,” Grandfather said. Jeanne and Danny’s mother broke leafy branches from the trees and swept the ground.

  “Sweep good, Jeanne,” their mother said. “We don’t want to sit on scorpions or spiders.”

  Soon Danny’s family was settled, leaning against the boulder.

  “Mother, Grandfather,” Danny said, “please trust me. I will not go to the camp. I won’t try to rescue anybody. Not today. But we cannot stay here for long without water.”

  “The lake is a long way from here,” said his mother.

  “And you know the water is not good to drink,” His grandfather said. “It’s what made your sister sick.”

  “Rick brought me good water yesterday,” Danny said. “He will get us water from the fort, the water the soldiers drink. Let me find him.”

  Danny’s mother closed her eyes. “We are safe, Danny. Sit down and be with us. The water can wait.” Danny was not one to argue with his mother. He sat beside her. She put her hand to his cheek.

  “I have missed you, Danny,” she said. “I prayed for you every day. I was so afraid for you.”

  “Grandfather,” Danny said. “I am afraid we will never be safe. I have something to tell you.”

  “You have been close to death,” Grandfather said. “I knew it when I saw you climb into the wagon at the lake.”

  “What can you do?” Danny asked. He had learned, long ago, that death was evil and must be avoided. When a Navajo dies inside their hogan, their home, the body is quickly buried and everyone moves away. “Can you help me?”

  “Yes,” Grandfather said. “We must cleanse you of death. Tonight we will have a healing ceremony.”

  The Blackgoat family huddled together, high above the screams and gunshots from the camp below. Every throat burned, but no one mentioned water again. When the sun dipped behind the mountains, Grandfather knelt down and scratched out a circle in the sand with a stone. He took Danny by the palms and led him to the center of the circle.

  “Sit down, Danny,” he said. “Everyone gather around the circle.”

  Danny never saw his grandfather take the rattle from his pocket. He closed his eyes and listened to the sweet shaking sound of the rattle, soon joined by Grandfather’s voice. The old man turned slowly, moving around the circle, singing his healing chant.

  Danny slumped over and rested his chin on his chest. To anyone watching, he looked to be asleep. He was dreaming, dreams he would never share with anyone.

  The night was long and dark. Grandfather sang and circled behind the family. The shifting sound of his rattle whispered a soft rhythm. He moved more slowly as the hours passed, and his voice fell to a whisper.

  As morning neared and streaks of red lined the horizon, Danny opened his eyes. His hand went to the leather pouch around his neck. He looked to Grandfather.

  “You may bless the morning,” Grandfather said. He took Danny’s arms and lifted him to his feet.

  Danny felt every muscle of his body as if for the first time. He flexed his fingers. He stretched his arms high over his head. He moved his ankles back and forth to make sure his feet still worked.

  He took a deep breath before taking his first step, like a child learning to walk. After a few steps he turned to face his family. Everyone looked to him. His mother smiled.

  Danny walked quietly away from his family. Facing the morning sun, he said his prayer.

  When morning casts its light on the canyon wall

  A new house is made,

  A house made of dawn.

  Before me, everything is beautiful

  Behind me, everything is beautiful

  Above me, everything is beautiful

  Below me, everything is beautiful

  Around me, everything is beautiful

  Within me, everything is beautiful.

  Taja ahotahe, nothing will change.

  As he glanced down at the fort, Danny saw flames rising from the camp. He remembered the first morning the soldiers came. They burned the Navajo homes, the hogans. They destroyed the cornfields. They killed his sheep.

  “Now Manny and his men have come to hurt us. I will be strong enough someday to stop them,” he said aloud.

  “Yes, son. Someday,” a voice behind him said. Danny turned to face his father. “I am proud of you, son,” his father said, pulling him close to his chest. Danny felt a warm breeze blow over them.

  “I was afraid for you,” he said. “We all were. I wanted to look for you. Mother wouldn’t let me go.”

  “Your mother is smart, Danny. One of the raiders was asking for you. He said your name over and over. What did you do to make him so angry?”

  “His name is Manny,” said Danny. “His men were going to kill Rick. They knocked him out and were about to kill him. I told Manny to let Rick live. I told him I would take him to a place with young people. People they could take as slaves.”

  “Did you do that?”

  “No, Father. I lied to Manny. I led them to a ranch with guards and rifles. All of his men were killed. Only Manny escaped.”

  “Danny,” his father said, “you have seen too much death.”

  “Yes. And I have done things I never thought I would do.”

  “You know that Manny will never stop looking for you, don’t you?”

  Danny waited for a long moment before speaking. He looked to the ground. When he lifted his eyes, he had left Manny behind him. His thoughts moved to his family.

  “Father, we need water,” he said. “Rick left water and food for me at my hiding place. He will do it every day, I know he will. I have to return.”

  “Danny, I don’t want to lose you again. But Manny and his men are gone.”

  “Did they take anyone
?”

  “Yes, son. They left with three young Navajos. Two girls and a boy your age.”

  “No one will notice me if I go now,” Danny said. “They have their own families. Please let me go. I will be careful.”

  “You are alive, Danny. So I know you have learned their ways. Yes, go now. I will tell your mother.”

  Chapter 14

  In the Shadow of Death

  Danny gave one last look over his shoulder. His family was huddled together, hiding in the shadows from the scorching sun. Danny slid down the path and hurried up the canyon wall.

  Soon he walked among the Navajo camps. Children cried and men and women helped their neighbors put their fires out. Danny passed unnoticed through the hundreds of campsites. When he reached the hilltop overlooking the lake, he crouched down.

  Now I must be careful, he thought.

  He scanned the lake from shore to shore. He saw no one. Finally, he rose and hurried to the far side of the lake. He cast his gaze over the lake and camps and surrounding hills.

  Convinced he was alone, Danny ran to the mouth of the rattlesnake cave, his hiding place. As he hoped, Rick had returned and left two large leather bags.

  “Enough water and food for my family,” Danny said aloud.

  “That’s what I was hoping for,” said Rick. Danny jumped to hear his voice. Rick was sitting in the cave.

  “Rattlesnakes live there!” Danny shouted. “You better be careful.”

  “Not anymore they don’t,” said Rick. “I smoked them out last night. They didn’t mind leaving. But they made me promise to scare you before they left.”

  “That’s not funny,” Danny said. “I am tired of people sneaking up on me.”

  “You make it so easy,” Rick said, laughing. “You always look over your shoulder. Maybe somebody is smart enough to know where you’re going, and they beat you there.”

  Danny smiled. “I won’t forgive you for scaring me. Not yet. But I do thank you for the food and water.”

  “You’re welcome,” said Rick. “I brought enough for your family. But we need to talk about something else, Danny.”

  “What?”

  “You remember the talk about Jim Davis being in danger?”