The Mandie Collection (18 page)

“It's too late now,” Mandie replied. “When we get back to Uncle Ned's I'm going to eat everything in the house.” She laughed, tossing her long, wet hair back out of her face.

“Even owl stew?” Joe teased her.

“I said everything,” she replied.

“Everyone must be worried about us by now,” Sallie said. “I am certain my grandfather has a party searching—if we only knew which direction they were coming from.”

“Looks like a level place for a while here,” Joe remarked as they came down into a meadow.

At that moment an arrow suddenly shot through the trees near Mandie, who was carrying the kitten. Snowball, frightened by the
sudden movement, jumped down and darted ahead. He ran up the first tree he came to and peered down from a limb.

Mandie, not noticing the kitten, stared and pointed to the arrow imbedded in another tree. “Joe! Sallie! Look!”

“Land o'Goshen, don't stand there! Come on!” Joe grabbed her hand and turned to grip Sallie's hand. They ran along until they came to a thick clump of bushes, where they hid. From there they saw a young Indian appear in the clearing and go to the arrow in the tree.

Sallie immediately felt relief. She was certain the boy would help them. She broke out of the bushes, calling back, “That is an Indian boy. He will help us. Come on!” She ran toward the boy. “We are lost! Please help us!”

Mandie and Joe, not trusting the boy, stayed behind the bushes. The boy turned to look at Sallie. “Where did you come from?”

“I am Sallie Sweetwater. My friends and I are lost. Will you help us?” she asked as she stood before the boy who seemed to be not much older than she was.

The boy looked around. “Your friends? Where are they?”

“They are behind the bushes because you almost hit us with your arrow and they are frightened,” she told him.

“I am very sorry. I will not harm any of you. Tell them to come out,” he said.

Sallie called to her friends. “Come on, Mandie, Joe. He will help us find the way!”

Mandie and Joe reluctantly appeared from their shelter and came forward. The boy's eyes lit up when he saw the blonde-haired girl.

She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen
, he was thinking as she came nearer.
And blue eyes! How beautiful!

Mandie returned his stare, thinking what a handsome boy he was!

“Where are you going?” the boy asked.

“We are trying to find the way to Deep Creek where I live with my grandfather,” Sallie told him.

“Deep Creek.” he repeated. “You are going in the wrong direction!”

“Oh, no!” Joe moaned. “I'm starving to death!”

“Yes,” the boy said. “My name is Dimar Walkingstick. I live with my mother not far from here. I will take you to her for food and dry clothes. Come!” He turned, expecting them to follow him.

“I am certain my grandfather has a search party looking for us by now,” the Indian girl said. “We shall leave a trail for him.”

“Of course. I will go ahead and break the twigs as we go. He will see them and find the way to my house,” Dimar said, as he began marking their way.

“Food!” Joe murmured. “At last, some food!”

“That's what he said,” Mandie replied, following along with Joe as Sallie stayed with Dimar, marking their trail. “And a fire to dry our clothes. This rain will never stop!”

Snowball was completely forgotten in the excitement. He clung desperately to the limb of the tree, too frightened to descend.

CHAPTER FIVE

UNCLE NED TO THE RESCUE

Elizabeth and Morning Star arrived at Bird-town, hurriedly told Mandie's great-uncle, Wirt Pindar, what they had come for and in no time flat they were riding toward the mountain with Wirt leading a group of men. Elizabeth insisted on going along and was given a pony to ride, but Uncle Wirt reminded her that she would have to climb the mountain on foot when they reached it.

By the time the foot of the mountain was in sight, the rain began.

“Well, looks like we're going to have a wet hike,” she remarked as she dismounted. Gathering her long skirt about her, she tucked the hem into the waistband so as not to be slowed down by the weight of the wet material about her feet.

“Yes, will be hard find trail in rain,” Uncle Wirt told her. He motioned for his men to come together and then gave them directions to spread out up the mountain as they climbed.

Morning Star took Elizabeth's hand and motioned toward the men. Together they followed Uncle Wirt up the incline in the downpour.

“Morning Star, pray,” Elizabeth told her, clasping her hands together and looking toward the sky. She knew the Cherokees always looked up to God in the sky rather than bowing their heads when they prayed. “Pray!”

Morning Star understood and stopped to raise her face and hold her hand on her heart as she prayed in Cherokee.

“Please, God, guide and direct us to our lost children!” Elizabeth implored. “We put our faith in you!”

They quickly caught up with Wirt as he climbed through thick, wet underbrush. Morning Star was experienced in this kind of thing, while Elizabeth was hardly a match for the dense undergrowth in the pouring rain. But in her determination to find the children, she quickly adapted to the way the Indians were stepping and making their way.

“We climb opposite side. Ned climb from Deep Creek. We climb from Bird-town,” Wirt explained as they kept going.

“Yes, I realize that,” Elizabeth replied, pulling a brier from her skirt. “That is good; we will be covering two sides of the mountain between us,”

It was a long, tedious journey up the mountainside in the heavy rain. The Indians were watchful for any sign of a trail and now and then paused to send a loud whistle through the woods in hopes of being heard by the children.

Covered with bruises and scratches, Elizabeth forced herself to keep up with Morning Star who, in spite of her age, was as agile as the men in the party. She paused only a second to catch her breath after a steep climb over boulders that were constantly in their way. She kept a prayer in her heart that no harm come to the missing ones. She had lost her twelve-year-old daughter when she was a baby and had only recently been reunited with her. Those memories kept her diligent on the path now.

Wirt, worried about the white woman trying to keep up with the Indians, called for a rest stop at the bottom of a huge boulder.

“We sit,” he commanded, pointing to a clearing under a ledge projecting from the boulder above. “Rest.”

“Please don't stop on my account,” Elizabeth called breathlessly. “I can keep up with you.”

“Sit, rest,” he told her. “Morning Star need rest, too.” He pointed to the old Indian woman who sat down on the rocky floor under the ledge.

Elizabeth followed her, glad for the rest. The men also came under the shelter to get out of the rain.

“While we rest, we send message,” Wirt told them. Stepping back out into the rain, he gave his loud whistle that rang through the trees. Turning, he instructed the men, “You next, then you, until all give message.”

The men, one at a time, stepped out and repeated the loud call through the woods. As the last one turned to sit down, there came an answering call in the distance, barely discernible through the sound of the rain.

“Ned near us. His call.” Wirt cried excitedly as he ran up the face of the boulder, whistling again. His men followed.

Morning Star and Elizabeth smiled joyfully. Maybe Uncle Ned had some good news. They lifted their skirts and ran after the men as fast as they could manage.

Uncle Ned, hearing the call and answering, turned to Uncle John as they stopped beneath a tree.

“Wirt must be near. That his call,” the old Indian said.

“Someone must have let him know,” Uncle John replied. Then he spoke up excitedly. “Elizabeth! Of course—she wouldn't sit there all this time and do nothing. She has rounded up our kinpeople at Bird-town.”

Uncle Ned grunted and the two men, with the others following, started out in the direction from which the call had come.

It didn't take the two parties long to meet. Elizabeth ran forward as John came to meet her.

“Any word?” they both asked at once.

They both shook their heads in the negative as their arms flew around each other.

Wirt was speaking in Cherokee to Uncle Ned. Elizabeth, raising her head from John's shoulder, heard a soft meow. She looked up to see Snowball still clinging to a limb in the tree.

“Snowball!” she cried, pointing.

Everyone turned to look. John quickly scaled the tree, picked up the frightened kitten and brought it down to Elizabeth.

She stroked the wet kitten who clung to the shoulder of her dress. Her voice trembled as she spoke, “Oh, John, where can Mandie be without Snowball?”

Uncle Ned walked over to the tree. There his quick eyes caught sight of the broken branches on the bushes.

“Trail!” he said, quickly pointing to twigs jutting out at angles on the bushes ahead. “Quick! Follow trail!” He hurried ahead, watching for the marked bushes.

The two parties of searchers fell in behind him and made their way through the brush.

Meanwhile, the three children arrived at Dimar's mother's house and were welcomed in to dry by the fire and to partake of a meal. As soon as they had gotten inside the log cabin, the rain stopped.

“This is my mother, Jerusha,” Dimar told them, and turning to his mother, he said, “These are friends I found lost in the woods—Mandie, Sallie, and Joe.”

“Ah, my papooses,” she said, hurrying to them. “Come.” She took the girls by the hand and led them behind a curtain at the far end of the room. “You wrap in blanket,” she said, handing them each a blanket from the beds.

Sallie explained in Cherokee that they must find the way back to her grandfather's house as soon as their clothes had dried and they had eaten.

The girls went back to the fire, and Jerusha spread their dresses to dry. Dimar helped Joe find a blanket and hung up his wet clothes.

“Now, we eat,” the woman said smiling.

She brought them tin plates filled with ham, corn, and beanbread, and cups of steaming hot coffee were set on the hearth. The three ate as though they had not eaten in a week.

“Oh, how good.” Joe said, with his mouth full as he continued to cram in the food.

“This is the best meal I think I've ever had,” Mandie added.

“Good food,” Sallie agreed.

Dimar and his mother sat nearby, having their meal and watching the three. Jerusha kept turning the clothes so the heat would dry them.

“Eat. Much food,” she told them. She rose and refilled Joe's plate but the two girls refused.

“I just can't eat anymore,” Mandie told her. “I'm full up to here.” She touched her throat and laughed.

“Me, too. The food was very good. We thank you.” Sallie smiled as she pulled the blanket closely around her.

Even though it was summertime and terribly hot during the day, the rain cooled the air considerably. All the homes had a fire in the fireplace for cooking, and today it felt especially good.

Everyone jumped at the sound of voices outside. Mandie was the first to look out.

“It's Uncle Ned!” she cried and, securing her blanket, ran to open the door. Joe and Sallie joined her.

Uncle Ned cried with joy as he took the three into his arms. John and Elizabeth crowded in behind him.

“Uncle Ned! Mother! Uncle John!” Mandie cried excitedly. Elizabeth handed the wet kitten to Mandie.

“Snowball! How could I not have missed you?” she said, cuddling the kitten to her blanket. She ran to the fireside and fed him the scraps on her plate, which he swallowed at once and began searching for more. Jerusha was quick to comply.

It was a joyous occasion and everyone was talking at once. Jerusha made them all feel welcome and brought out more food. The cabin was filled with so many people, there was only room to stand. Tsa'ni sulked over in a corner, afraid to mingle with the crowd. His eyes kept darting from Mandie to Sallie to Joe. Mandie ignored him. She could feel the hatred in the air between them, though she knew she shouldn't hate him. She shouldn't hate anyone. But it was so hard to be nice to an enemy. She was afraid all her
Cherokee kinpeople would be like Tsa'ni and would not like her because she was mostly white.

Uncle John grabbed her hand and led her to Wirt Pindar.

“Mandie, this is your Great-Uncle Wirt. He is your grandmother's youngest brother,”

The old man bent to embrace her.

“My real uncle!” she exclaimed, backing off a little to look at him. He was also looking her over. “My very own uncle!”

“Jim Shaw's papoose.” the old man said softly. “Look like Jim Shaw, but have Indian thumb.” He was holding her hand and examining it.

“Indian thumb?” the girl questioned him.

“Short, blunt thumb,” he explained, holding his own next to hers. They were similar in shape.

“I have a Cherokee thumb!” she cried. “I'm so glad!” She turned to John. “Uncle John, let me see your thumb.”

He held out his thumb and laughed. “We both have one like Uncle Wirt's.”

“Little one come to Wirt's house,” the old man said.

“Oh, yes, Uncle Wirt. We
are
coming to visit you,” Mandie replied.

“Today,” he said. “Not far to Bird-town.”

Uncle Ned was standing nearby listening. “Close to Bird-town. Far to Deep Creek. We go to Bird-town.”

“Now,” began Elizabeth as the three gathered around her, “I want to know exactly what happened.
Where
have you been?”

Tsa'ni, wide-eyed and listening from across the room, moved in closer to hear what they would say. Mandie saw him and took pity on him. She thought,
I won't tell a lie. I just won't tell everything
.