Eluwilussit shuddered as he walked the perimeter of the camp.  He felt as if he was invading a burial ground that was filled with the spirits of the dead who had yet to find peace in the afterlife.  Invading a ground of such unrest was never good.  Regrets for agreeing with the council to tend to this white man’s problem abounded. It was his brother’s son, Kitchi, who had so foolishly allowed himself to get tangled up with a bunch of wild white men.  He had no doubt that Kitchi wouldn’t have survived their vicious treatment if Roy hadn’t come along and rescued him.   He listened to his nephew tell the story of how brave Roy was to face down half a dozen men on his own for the sake of an Indian boy he’d never met at many tribal meetings.  He spoke of how fast Roy was with a gun and how he’d shot the pistols out of two of the men’s hands and wounded another in the shoulder before the rest of the

Roy stared out of the window in disbelief as he watched the old Indian sit peacefully next to the fire he’d built while men, women, and children in flames scrambled all around him.  Their screams permeated the inside of his head.  “Is this real?”“It sure feels real,” Pete stammered as he and Jacob tossed water onto the shutters in hopes of preventing the rustic building from catching fire.  “We need to be doin’ this to the outside. ““Do ya really want to brave goin’ out with that ghost mob after seein’ what happened to Harold?”Adam stepped forward.  “Do you think they’ll pay us any mind with all that’s happening out there now? They weren’t on fire when they attacked Harold.”“Ya mean, killed Harold,” Jacob corrected.Mike had to make several attempts to light his cigarette with his trembling hands.  “Ho

Jackson marveled over how quickly Adam managed to maneuver his way across the charred grass, while Angel still struggled to gain ground toward them.  It was a testimony to the strength of the medicine man’s magic.   He turned to the old man and asked, “How long do you think you can hold her back?”“She is very powerful.  I have called in the ancestors for help.  We will see if they can give it.”“If they can’t?” Jackson asked with raised brow.“She will take possession of his soul and leave the body where it lies.”Adam scowled.  “I see the mess house is singed, but still standing.  I need to either get him into the mess house so that I can treat him or fetch my doctor’s bag so that I can do something for him here.”Pete’s fear of the happenings kept him from following Adam and Melody when they returned from the river.  The ex

Melody’s refusal to abandon their boss and the courage she showed during the ordeal earned her a new and permanent respect with the men; even the newly hired ones. Jackson smiled with a heartfelt warmth in her direction as he watched her pamper Ian back to health.  There was no denying that she’d make him a good wife.It was decided that the old Indian would sleep until the light of day, after which he insisted that he be taken back to his people.  He was exhausted from the ordeal, the tension of fetching the old man and what happened afterward, but how could Roy refuse? He made his excuses and fell onto his cot to grab what little sleep he could manage before he’d be called upon to return the medicine man to the Blackfoot encampment. His only consolation was the old woman he knew the chief would send to his tent as a gesture of hospitality.  It wasn’t even the sex that he was thinking of. It was simply the comfort of a warm, loving body