Sharon waited and waited, so afraid for her life, she could barely move. However, as time went on and she heard no more sounds of a fight, she raised her head and peeped out from the blanket of furs. No one was about.
Slowly, she sat up onto to her knees and glanced quickly around the environment. In the east she could see the beginning of a gray haze announcing the coming of the sun. Would now be the right time to set out to find David? It was still dark enough to provide cover for her, yet it was light enough so she could see her way.
Picking up the buckskin blanket and throwing it over her head and shoulders both for protection as well as a disguise, she came up to her feet and stepped toward the path leading upward toward the high butte—the one where she and David had set out his equipment.
Hopefully, David, too, had successfully hidden from the enemy warriors. She couldn't for a moment imagine him fighting the Indians; for one reason, he was ill-equipped to go into battle. Although he always carried a gun for self-defense, he would have been caught unprepared to fight off this kind of enemy.
Deeply relieved at still being alive, she breathed in a long breath and, letting it out, stepped a foot upon the path leading upward. That's when the awful yelp of an Indian war whoop spilt through the air; it sounded close to her, and, spinning around, she beheld the sight of a horse and rider speeding toward her.
Momentarily, she was struck with the unreality of what was taking place. The rider on the horse was a huge man, was painted in black stripes covering his face, and, below his shoulders, he looked to be naked. The sight sickened her.
It was a reality she could barely believe was happening to her, and one she had hoped to never experience in this strange and foreign land. Watching him race toward her, she felt as though this were no more than a nightmare and she merely needed to awaken and the awful sight would be gone. But, as he came closer and closer, she realized this was no dream.
As quickly as possible, she threw off the blanket and ran up the path, her screams for help loud to her ears. But, no help was to be seen or experienced this morning.
Again, she wondered: where was David?
As the enemy darted toward her, she suddenly discovered a shred of courage within her, and, realizing that fleeing would do her no good—she could not outrun a horse—she stopped her flight. She would take her stand here.
She turned then to watch the big, ugly warrior ride toward her as though he would knock her down and kill her with his lance. Oddly, she wondered if the man would fetch a good price for her scalp because of the unusual coloring of her hair. It was strange because she felt suddenly unafraid. Indeed, if David were dead and if this were to be the place where she would die, too, she would face the event with as little flinching as possible. After all, death came unto all creatures upon this earth. She wished, however, that the event wasn't happening to her so soon in this life.
Even though the warrior's actions were quick, it seemed to her as if the events taking place around her were in slow motion, giving her more than enough time to consider her own death. After all, mightn't death be preferable to being taken captive by an enemy? Hopefully, the end of her would be quick and with as little pain as possible.
She watched as though from above herself as the horse continued to speed toward her, and, coming right upon her, the warrior's big arm came out to grab hold of her. She was jerked upward and thrown before her captor onto his racing steed; she faced downward as the awful scent of a sweat-drenched man and horseflesh made her gag. It was a painful position; she had been thrown onto her stomach, and, closing her eyes, she prayed to God for a quick death and an everlasting salvation.
It was her last thought before, thankfully, she lost all consciousness.
****
At last, the sounds of the battle faded into the distance. Still, neither Amelia nor her sister, Laylah, moved. Even Ikoan, Laylah's son, was unusually silent. The two women and Laylah's son had found sanctuary in the nearby wooded area; they were hiding in the midst of a bunch of bushes. Around them were several other women who had fled into these same woods in search of a hiding place.
Gradually the soft tones of other women came into prominence, and Amelia whispered, "Do you think we should leave here to find our husbands? I fear I am anxious to know if they came away from the fight with their lives still intact?"
Laylah nodded. "Yes, it does seem as if the danger has passed. However, let us stay here for a while longer and not be too anxious to be the first to come out of the woods. After all, I have my son to consider, also."
Amelia nodded, then asked, "Does an attack on your Pikuni camp happen very often?"
Laylah shook her head. "This is the first I have ever witnessed. In all these five years I have been here, I cannot recall an enemy coming into our camp intent on murdering us. The Blackfoot warriors are known to be fierce in battle, and so our enemies do not usually seek to engage us when we are together and strong. Perhaps they think we are weak because we are in the shadows of the fort and our warriors could have been made weak last night from the traders' whiskey. But, this is not true; the chiefs have warned the warriors against drinking whiskey while we are in the fort's vicinity. Perhaps the enemy has only now discovered this. Still, let us linger here a little longer before we seek to discover what has happened to our husbands. They would not appreciate our leaving the safety we've found if the enemy is still about."
Amelia nodded, then asked, "Did you seen Sharon?"
"I did not," answered Laylah.
"She would not have known to leave our tepee and hide," murmured Amelia. "As soon as you think it is safe to leave here, I will go there. Hopefully, she took refuge in the lodge we share and has come through this without harm."
"Yes. But, let us give it a few more minutes before we go back into camp. I would be certain our enemy is gone."
Amelia nodded.
****
No sooner had Amelia and her sister stepped out from the woods than both Eagle Heart and Gray Falcon ran toward them. It was obvious their husbands had been looking for the three of them; indeed, what a wonderful sight it was to behold their men rushing toward them. As Gray Falcon came to stand before her, Amelia looked him up and down critically, but she saw no injuries. She inhaled deeply, more than a little relieved to have him with her again, alive and healthy.
"The enemy has fled," Eagle Heart told them in a matter-of-fact manner. "They were not wise to attack us since we are camped together in force, although they were many. Yet, we outnumbered them and presented more of a resistance than they had perhaps considered."
"Who were they?" asked Laylah.
"They were Crow and Assiniboine. They have fled, and our warriors are following them, for they stole many of our horses. They also injured some of our women and children who were the first to encounter their attack, but not one of them died in the assault."
