Did he want to go back to his people? He remembered a thought that had come to him while talking with Andrew Jackson. Each man owning his own land. That was the key to the white way of life.
But he longed to see Redbird and Eagle Feather again. Were they well or sick? He wanted to hold Redbird in his arms, mourn Floating Lily with her. That wonderful story he had heard from Owl Carver about Eagle Feather and the calumet--he wanted to tell Eagle Feather he had done well.
But, go back to the Sauk? He knew now, especially after talking to Jackson, what the future of the Sauk would be. Never to see the Great River again. To lose their land bit by bit. To be confined to a tract of land in Ioway far smaller than the territory they"d formerly ranged over. Not permitted to hunt where they wished. Might have to beg food from an Indian agent, as Jackson had said. They would not choose their own chiefs as they always had, but would have chiefs picked for them by the whites, men like He Who Moves Alertly, who knew how to use both the pale eyes and their own people to advance themselves. A miserable life, a prison life, a slave"s life.
Memories crowded his mind. The words of the Turtle: _You will be guardian of that land that has been placed in your keeping._ Sun Woman"s lifeless brown eyes staring up at him at the Bad Axe. The charred ribs of Victoire under a three-quarter moon.
He thought of the endless acres of farm and grazing land stretching around Victoire. He remembered the verdict Not Guilty. The eyes of David Cooper, hard but honest.
If he could take Victoire away from Raoul ...
Then he would have something to offer Redbird and Eagle Feather. If he won his rightful place in the world the whites were building, he could bring his wife and son to share it with him.
"What"s the matter?" said Davis, breaking in on his thoughts. "Doesn"t the idea of going back to your people make you happy?"
Auguste shook his head. "No."
"What other choice do you have?"
"I could do more for my people by staying in the white world. Not as Jackson"s Judas goat, but as master of Victoire."
Davis took a step backward, astonished. "Master of Victoire! Have you lost your senses, man? We barely got you out of Smith County alive."
"Will you take me back there instead of to the Sauk in Ioway?"
Davis shook his head. "I"m not authorized to do that."
"Am I still a prisoner?"
"You"re a guest of Uncle Sam. But that doesn"t mean I can spend Uncle Sam"s money taking you anywhere you want to go." Davis frowned in thought. "But I could turn you loose in Galena instead of taking you all the way over to Ioway. That wouldn"t make any difference, monetarily.
Not that I"m ready to go along with this, but could you manage to make it to Victor from there?"
"I"ll write to my grandfather and ask him to send a horse to Galena for me."
"If your grandfather has any sense he"ll tell you to get the h.e.l.l across the Mississippi to the Sauk reservation."
"My grandfather has a power of sense. But he also loves me and will want to see me again."
"If you show your face in Victor you"ll be swinging from a tree limb before the sun sets."
"Not if I can take Raoul by surprise."
Davis shook his head. "This is wrong. I"m letting you go to your death."
Frightened, seeing his plan through Davis"s eyes, Auguste was tempted to change his mind. Yes, go back to Ioway, live safely in the warm heart of the tribe. Why face a mob of rifle-toting bullies led by Raoul? It was hopeless. He would surely die.
But he saw again those rolling acres, the great house rebuilt, the wealth and what he could do with it. If he turned his back on that, he would stunt the rest of his life with regret and longing.
He said, "It"s not suicide. I"m risking my life, yes. But if I don"t try to right the wrong that has been done to me, life will not be worth living."
Davis sighed. "A man has to stand up for what he believes in, even if it looks like a lost cause. I guess that"s what you and Black Hawk and all your people have been doing all along."
Now that Auguste was committed, fear came back. He"d have to face Raoul"s men, dozens of them, alone. Even the Bear spirit could not give him the strength and skill to do that.
There must be a way to meet Raoul alone. Ambush him? But that way, even if he succeeded in killing Raoul, the town and Raoul"s friends would never accept him as master of Victoire.
The man he"d just met, Andrew Jackson, was well known as a duelist. In his years at Victoire Auguste had heard more than once of Raoul meeting men in single combat. Pierre and Elysee had spoken with disgust of Raoul"s dozen or more killings.
A duel. That would be the way to do it. If he succeeded in killing Raoul in a duel, no one would try to stop him from retaking Victoire. With Raoul gone, his men would be leaderless.
Of course, Raoul had killed many men and Auguste had killed none. But the Bear spirit would fight on Auguste"s side. And if he failed, he would rather die fighting for what was rightfully his than spend his life drinking the bitter water of defeat.
A few days before he left Fort Monroe, Auguste persuaded Davis to let him be allowed to walk on the parade ground at the same time as Owl Carver. A sadness came over him at the sight of the old shaman, a gray army blanket thrown over his shoulders despite the warmth of the day, walking with stiff steps across the gra.s.s. The heavy-lidded eyes did not light up with recognition until Auguste came close to him.
Then Owl Carver took both Auguste"s hands in his, and Auguste noticed something he had never seen before. The sudden realization awed him.
_His eyes look so much like those of the Turtle!_
Wondering how Owl Carver would think of what he was doing, he told him, "I am going back to the pale eyes" town. Back to Star Arrow"s home. I mean to try to take back the land from my uncle."
Owl Carver closed those ancient eyes. He spoke after a moment"s hesitation, and when he did his voice frightened Auguste. It was the eerie singsong voice he used when he was prophesying for the tribe.
"When a man or woman suffers an injury too great for them to bear, an evil spirit is born in them, a spirit of hate. The evil spirit ruins whoever harbors it. The evil spirit occupies a man and drives him onward until he does things to others that make them hate in their turn, and thus the spirit continues. I think your uncle has been carrying such an evil spirit."
Auguste broke out in a cold sweat hearing the warning in Owl Carver"s words. He remembered the hatred that rose in him whenever he thought of Raoul. Was the spirit of hatred kindled in Raoul at Fort Dearborn now pa.s.sing to him?
"I pledged to my father, smoking the sacred tobacco, that I would hold the land he gave me," Auguste said, as much to hearten himself as to persuade Owl Carver. "Tobacco bound you and Black Hawk in honor to surrender when Eagle Feather smoked it. I must honor my promise."
But he still felt cold within, as Owl Carver, his eyes now clear-sighted and grave, gripped his wrist tightly. "Do not let your uncle"s evil spirit cross over to you. See that it be your promise, and not greed, like the greed of the pale eyes, that takes you back to that land. And, above all, do not use your shaman"s power to harm your enemy, or you will suffer for it."
"I will not," said Auguste, but he felt unsure of himself. After all the evil he had endured, how could he _know_ that he would not unleash his greatest powers if that were the only way he could destroy Raoul?
The grip of the bony fingers on his wrist tightened. "Set your heart, White Bear, not upon getting back this land, but just upon walking your path."
The deep lines in Owl Carver"s face were drawn downward with pain, and Auguste felt the crushing weight of grief as he realized they were both thinking the same thought--that they would never see each other again.
24
Challenge
Following the dimly seen figures of Guichard and his horse, Auguste breathlessly climbed a narrow, steep pathway that switched back and forth up the steep, wooded hillside. He led his horse by the reins.
Halfway up the hill they came to a flat place, an open clearing. Auguste smelled wood smoke. The windows of a cottage glowed yellow, promising safety.
While Auguste waited in the dark, Guichard stabled the horses, then knocked on the cottage door.