The House of Crow

Chapter 6

The winter wind whistled across the smoke-hole of the tipi, rattling the hide-walls against the lodge poles. Buffalo robes covered the floor. The flickering yellow firelight cast a moving shadow of a man on the walls of the tipi. Yahoo Putnam sat cross-legged as he worked on a broken trap. The slightest bump and it would snap shut. Putnam looked up from his work when wind, snow, and an Indian came through the tipi entrance. The young brave was handsome with thick black hair; his hair was so long that it was held in a net hanging down his back. Putnam eyed the rabbit held in the Indian"s hand and smiled.

“What you got there?” He asked.

“White Crow gives to you,” he said, handing the dressed rabbit to Putnam.

“Well set yourself down. I"ll stick this critter on the fire. You"ll stay and eat?”

White Crow answered with a flash of teeth in a broad smile. Dropping his buffalo robe to the floor, he squatted by the fire. His blue eyes watched Putnam"s every move as the Mountain Man prepared the rabbit for the fire.

As Putnam worked, he watched the boy. This was the first time he had wintered with this tribe. He"d heard about the white Indian from other trappers but shrugged it off as just another tall tale told around the fire.

While the rabbit cooked, Putnam again began to fiddle with the trigger of the trap. White Crow watched as Putnam set the trap and placed it on the floor. Taking a stick, he poked the trap from the side. When nothing happened, he poked the trigger, and the jaws snapped shut on the stick.

“That ought-a get it,” he said, as he removed the stick from the jaws. Handing the trap to White Crow, he said, “Here, put that in the sack with the others.”

White Crow took the trap and pulled the sack to him and placed the trap into the bag. There were now sixteen traps inside, cleaned and ready for the spring season. He pulled the drawstring tight and then pushed the bag upright. That"s when he saw the thick book with water stained covers. The covers had once been black, but wear and moisture had turned them a dirty gray. White Crow opened the book. On a page, he saw a drawing of a boy dressed in a loincloth, his arm pulled back, a sling whirling over his head. At the feet of the boy lay a pile of armor, in front of him stood a giant dressed in full armor, with a spear and sword. White Crow looked up at Putnam questioningly.

“That"s David and Goliath,” said Putnam. “See the armor? The king, David"s chief, gave him armor to fight the warrior Goliath, but David didn"t use it. He said the Great Spirit would protect him. That"s a sling he"s using. It can throw a rock like a bullet. He killed Goliath with it, and the enemy ran away.”

“He was a Dog Soldier?” asked White Crow.

“Well, no, he was a shepherd; a boy who protected the tribe"s sheep. He had a vision that told him to fight, and that he would win a great victory and become chief.”

“What are these?” asked White Crow, pointing at the words.

“Those are words, they tell the story. Here let me show you. "And David went down to the river and selected five round stones and placed them in his pouch." ”

“They say that?”

“Yes, here.” Putnam placed his finger under each word as he read.

“You will show me how this is?” asked White Crow.

“So you want me to teach you how to read, do you?”

The blue eyes fixed on Putnam"s face, “Yes, teach me to read.”

Present Day

Uncle Bill shook his head. “Old Putnam worked with White Crow all that winter. White Crow was smart and a quick study. Of course, Putnam was no slouch himself. He had several books; even some Shakespeare. When spring came, White Crow could get by, and later, there was many a night the two read to each other. It was just the beginning of what White Crow was to learn from Yahoo Putnam.

“Putnam was born and raised in Virginia. His father grew cotton and tobacco. He was schooled; even had some college. It was at college where his life changed. He met a girl whom he fell in love with. However, a local boy took offense and challenged Putnam to a duel. Putnam chose pistols and shot him dead. Well, there was hell to pay because both boys" families were wealthy and powerful. The duel had been held in the dead boy"s town, so his family had the edge with the law and had Putnam arrested. Sometime during the night, two men that worked for Putnam"s father showed up and broke him out of jail. His father met him on the road with a good horse and a bag of coin and sent him on his way. Putnam ended up in Missouri, and because he could read, write, and do numbers, he got work with a fur company. The next year he went out with the supply wagon to buy furs and sell supplies to the Mountain Men. Well, when he returned to Missouri, he quit his job, bought two horses, a set of traps and a fine Hawken rifle. He headed for the Yellowstone and never looked back.”

Charles asked, “Why"d they call him Yahoo?”

“He got the name Yahoo when he"d gone out with the supply train. Putnam had a voice that could be heard over a stampede in a thunderstorm. When excited or angry, his voice would rise, and anything with ears could hear him for miles!”

Uncle Bill took a sip of his brandy. Quiet, he became lost in thought until Charles asked, “White Crow left the tribe then? He went with Putnam?”

“Yes, he left that spring with Putnam, but it wasn"t an easy thing for him. He went to his Indian father and told him what he wanted to do. He told his father that he was excited to go, but that he felt great pain at leaving. He was unsure of which feeling he should follow. His father told him, "You have learned the way of the Crow. You followed the path of the Dog Soldier and have counted many coups. You should go with the white man, learn their ways. Then you can decide which path to follow." ”

Charles asked, “Dog Soldier? What"s a Dog Soldier?”

“They were the top of the heap. The Dog Soldiers wore their hair uncut, some having to carry it in a net or pocket, it being so long and heavy. Around their waist, they wore a sash called a Dog Rope. When they fought, they"d drive a peg or arrow into the ground, and then tie the sash to it. They would unfurl their long hair, and that"s where they"d fight. There was no retreat for them. Some mighty serious folks they were. They gave away what they took in raids to the widows and orphans and watched over those that couldn"t fend for themselves. They were looked up to.”

“And my great, great grandpa, he was one of those?” asked Charles.

“Yes, and the discipline of the Dog Soldier made him good to a fault. He thought nothing of giving away what he had if someone was in need. But he would kill a man in a heartbeat if he thought he"d been wronged or challenged.”

“What happened to them?” asked Charles.

“Well, the story goes that they trapped together for two, maybe three years. Putnam taught White Crow how to read, write, and do numbers. Putnam gave him the Christian name, Isaiah Crow; after the Christian Saint Isaiah, the protector of widows and orphans, just like a Dog Soldier was. Your great, great, grandpa was called by many names during his life, but Isaiah Crow was the name he used. Years later, using the name engraved on the cross, we found out about Brian Pringle.

“Well, it was about three years or so after he and Putnam left the tribe. They were running their trap line when Yahoo started talking in a slurred voice and then fell to the ground. From the description, I think he had a stroke because he lost the use of his arm, and his great voice could only make terrible sounds.

“Your great, great, grandpa took him back to their camp. When he saw that Putnam wasn"t going to get better, he built a cabin. A short time later, Yahoo Putnam died.”

Charles was fascinated with the story. He took a sip of beer, and then asked, “What did he do after Putnam died?”

“Well, shortly after Putnam passed, Isaiah got mauled by a grizzly bear. He would have died, but a man named LeRue came along and saved his life. LeRue was an original Texican and had left home three or four years before he met your great, great, grandpa. He"d joined the Hudson Bay Company but heard about the Americans they were beginning to call Mountaineers, later to be called Mountain Men. So he headed for the Yellow Stone for a look-see. When they met, Isaiah and LeRue were both having a bad day.”