Spirit Horses (26 page)

“Yes, sir, I agree. Do you know of someone who can
keep their emotions in check, and their mouth shut, who could help me find the
oil company’s base? They have to be set up somewhere near the reservation’s
north property line. Once I find out where they’re camped, I could keep an eye
on them and see what they’re up to.” Shane sat patiently as he waited for Tigee
to consider his proposal. He knew the wise old shaman wouldn’t jump into any
plan of action until he’d thoroughly thought it through. After some time Tigee
began to speak,

“We would need someone who can take you around the
guards I’ve posted to watch the herd. They check in with me regularly on their
radios. I can send them south for a while. This would clear your way, allowing
you to slip by them and get close to Nethers’s property line unseen. Once
you’re in place, there should be three or four miles between you and my braves.
I’ll give you a radio with a different
frequency, so we can keep in contact. I’ll take you, your guide, and your
horses to a drop-off point well north of where our other men have been
unloading. Hopefully, we can keep all this quiet. I do know someone we can
trust who will understand how fragile this
situation is. If this person agrees to guide you, we could take you in as soon
as tomorrow. I can set you up with the food and supplies you will need, along
with a pack horse. You’ll need to take warm clothes, a rain suit, your gun, and
binoculars. Make sure your horse has a fresh set of shoes.”

“Yes sir. I’ll be ready in the morning.”

It was now late afternoon, and he knew he would find
Tommy at the barn feeding up. “I’ll be leaving for a few days, so I won’t be
here to help you. I’ll be taking Tory with me, but I’d like you to ride Sloppy
everyday to keep her legged up.”

“Yes sir, I’ll work her every morning.”

Shane continued, “I’ll help you with the young mare
in the morning. After tomorrow I want you to leave her alone until I’m back.
You can work with the two geldings on your own. Just be careful, and I’ll check
your progress with them as soon as I return. I’ll be out here first thing
tomorrow to start with the filly.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Shane.”

Shane tossed and turned all night in anticipation of his trip. He woke
up early to prepare for a possible extended stay in the wilderness before going
to the barn.

The dependable Tommy had already fed the horses and
was saddling up the filly when Shane arrived. “How does she seem this morning?”

“She’s seems calmer than I’ve ever seen her,” Tommy
bragged.

“Good,” Shane replied. “Maybe all our hard work is
finally paying off.”

Shane led her into the corral, and for the first
time she began the session on a good note. Tommy was learning more every day by
watching Shane work with this tough horse, and Shane was enjoying the challenge
as well as the satisfaction of spending time with the kid. The boy truly had a
natural-born feel for these animals, along with an uncanny ability to
communicate with them and bring out their try. Shane was really beginning to
feel like Tommy could be a top pro someday.

When Shane was finished with the young mare, he
handed her to Tommy. “We’ll work with her again as soon as I get back, okay?”

“Yes sir, I promise to wait. Where are you going
with Tory?”

“Oh, just a little camping trip.”

“Mr. Shane, have a good time, and don’t worry, I’ll
take good care of Sloppy. Whatever made you start calling her Sloppy anyway?”

Shane wasn’t sure how to answer this since it was
his little girl who named her. He paused for a second, then said, “It’s a long
story, I’ll tell you about it another time.” Tommy nodded, told Shane good-bye
and took the filly to the barn.

Shane finished packing, then saddled up Tory. He
tied him up to the trailer that was hooked up to Tigee’s old truck. There was a
pack horse already loaded up in the first stall of the four-horse rig. The weather
was good this morning, and he hoped it would hold for the rest of the week.
Even though the circumstances surrounding this trip were of a serious nature,
Shane felt a sense of exhilaration about going out to the valley again. He knew
there were plenty of people from his world who would pay a small fortune for a
trip like this. He made sure to pack his camera this time so he could take
pictures of the dazzling landscape, as well as any evidence they found.

Shane’s curiosity was beginning to get the best of
him, wondering who his guide was going to be. As he walked up the porch steps,
he could see Tigee through the screen door, motioning him to come in. The old
Indian was on the phone, so he sat down and waited.

“There was a small problem with your guide, but I’ve
worked it all out and she’ll be here soon.”
    

Shane looked puzzled, “She?”

“Yes,” the old man answered, “When she found out it
was a strange white man she was packing in, she became uncomfortable about
going with you on her own. So, now you’ll have two guides.”

Shane didn’t know what to say, so he just sat
quietly while the old man continued.

“The woman’s name is Tashawa. Her family has been
among the best of our hunting and fishing guides for generations. I’ve seen her
spot signs of elk that were a week old and follow them until she found the
animals. Tashawa has spent a large part of her life in the outdoors and knows
how to live off the land.

“Her grandfather, who is no longer with us, was my
good friend. We use to spend a lot of time together in that backcountry camping
and hunting. We would often take Tashawa, Tara, and my grandsons with us. We
made sure from a young age they were all capable of surviving in the
wilderness.”

Chapter 18

Shane heard a truck drive up. It was Tara. She got out of her truck,
then immediately headed for the barn.

Tigee looked at Shane. “I am telling anyone who asks
that you have hired Tashawa as a guide for a fishing trip. This is a common
thing for her family’s guide service to do. So, no one would second-guess this
is a cover story.”

A few minutes later, Tara came in. She smiled at
Shane as she walked by him and said, “I’ll be ready to go as soon as I pack
some clothes.”

Shane looked at Tigee, surprised. “What does she
mean by that?”

He replied, “I was getting ready to tell you, your
guide, Tashawa, asked Tara to go along. I had to find someone who I could count
on to keep quiet. So, when Tashawa asked for Tara, I thought it would be a good
idea.”

Shane was at a loss for words. It wasn’t that he had
any objections to going with the two women. It was just that he naturally was
expecting a man. Shane questioned Tigee, “Sir, what if we run into the
shooters?”

“You are to avoid any trouble. You three are only
out there to gather information. If you see any shooters coming after the herd,
you are to stay out of sight and call me on the radio. I’ll send over my men
who are posted out there. You’ll be staying in an old hunting shack located
near the northeast border. It’s next to a place called Shadow Creek, so you’ll
have plenty of water and there’s a corral next to it for the horses. This is
one of the places Tashawa’s grandfather and I used during our hunting trips.
You would have to be a Shoshone to know where this place is, so you’ll be safe
there.”

Tara was still in her room packing when Shane heard
another vehicle pull up. A young woman about Tara’s age walked to the front
door and knocked. The old man hollered to her in their tribal tongue.
Apparently he told her to come in, because she did just that. Tigee introduced
them, which prompted a quick nod from her in Shane’s direction, but no eye
contact.

Shane said, “Hello,” and left it at that. He figured
that trying to converse with her right now was out of the question. Just then
Tara came into the room, and the girl immediately lit up. The two were
obviously close friends.

Tashawa was definitely all Shoshone. She had the
typical high cheekbones and dark skin of most of this tribe. She was small in
stature, about five foot five and slightly built. Her jeans and T-shirt were
clean, but worn�—�unlike the dirty old Aussie-style hat she wore
on her head. While they were in the house, she only spoke to Tara, and then all
she said to her was, “It has been too long.”

Tara replied, “We’ve missed you, too. I see you’ve
met Shane.” The girl looked at him for the first time, with a slight grin. Tara
commented, “Tashawa doesn’t talk much, so don’t take it personally.”

“No problem, I’m just glad she is here to help out.
Now, is everyone ready to go?”

Tigee stood up. “Yes, let’s head out.” The horses
were loaded on Tigee’s trailer in no time, and the last of the provisions were
being put in the pickup when Shane noticed the two wolf dogs, sitting next to
the trailer. Tigee remarked, “Looks like they want to go. I think those two
could be helpful. They seem to have a quiet way of letting you know when there
are strangers around, and they’re also good at staying out of sight.”

“Yes, sir, now that I think about it, I’d like to
take them. I’ll grab some dog food.”

The old Indian laughed. “You don’t need dog food,
they’re half wolf. They can hunt for their meals. You’ve got them spoiled.”

“Well, sir, maybe that’s why they like me so much.”
Shane knew the dogs would hunt, but he hoped the dry food would help keep them
close to camp, if for no other reason than to keep the horses safe from any
large predators that might be sneaking around at night.

Both dogs were apprehensive about getting into the
bed of the old pickup. Since it was their first ride in a truck, Shane decided
to sit back there with them, to make sure they wouldn’t jump out and hurt
themselves.

The spot where they finally stopped to unload was a
heavily wooded area. Tigee told Shane they would have about a two-mile ride to
a steep drop-off that would lead down to the valley. From there, it was another
three miles to the river, and then a few more miles downriver to the cabin they
would call home for the next week.

“Some of the ride will be slow going,” Tara said,
“but we should be there before dark.”

Tashawa said something to Tara in Shoshone and then
shook her head.

Tigee translated, “She couldn’t believe you rode in
the back of the truck with the two dogs. She has heard the joke that they
believe you’re their mother. Now she knows why people say this.”

Tashawa tried to reach out and pet Jessie who
quickly pinned his ears and slipped away. Shane laughed, “They’re kind of shy,
like you, Tashawa.”

She had no response to Shane’s comment as she
continued getting the packhorse ready for the long ride. Tashawa was not happy
about the packhorse having to carry the ten-pound bag of dog food Shane had
brought along. Tigee told her it was okay, so she reluctantly tied it on. The
three were finally mounted and ready to go.

Tigee gave Shane the radio, along with extra
batteries. “You check in with me at eight a.m. and eight p.m., every day, to
let me know you’re okay.”

Tashawa started riding toward the thick woods with
Tara behind her, followed by Shane riding Tory and leading the packhorse. Tara
told Shane, “The first part of the trip will be the slowest, because there are
no trails through this forest.”

“Do you know the way to Shadow Creek?” he asked.

“Kind of,” Tara answered. “I could get there on my
own, but it would take me a lot longer than Tashawa. She knows every deer trail
and hilltop out here by heart. With her in the lead, we’ll get there much
quicker and a lot easier.”

It took a couple of hours to wind their way through
the thick, green trees, before finally getting to the drop-off that led down
into the valley. They stopped to rest the horses before continuing down the
steep trail, which would be the most strenuous part of the trip for the
animals. Shane tied Tory to a small tree, then climbed up on a high rock to
have a long look at the view. It was a bright, clear day, so he could see a
great distance from this vantage point. Tara climbed up and stood next to him.
She took a deep breath. “I’ve seen this so many times, but every time I look
out there it takes my breath away!”

Shane pulled his camera out of the case hanging on
his shoulder and took some pictures of the view. He couldn’t help but snap one
of Tara as she sat on the edge of the rock looking across the valley at the
mountains. She looked so much like she belonged to this country! For a moment,
Shane found himself intrigued watching this young Indian woman as he thought
how much her natural, native beauty blended in with the remarkable scenery
around her. Out of the corner of her eye, Tara caught a glimpse of him looking
at her. Like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar, his face turned a
light shade of red. He promptly turned away and gazed back down toward the
valley below. Tara merely shifted her eyes out toward the mountains, then
smiled at the idea of him looking at her that way.