Thunder Rolling in the Mountains Read Online Free PDF Page B

other warriors followed. Many of them had only knives or bows." His eyes sparkled as he told of the battle.
    "The bullets sang like bees around us, but no one was hit," he said. "We hung to the side of our horses where the Blue Coats could not see us and shot from beneath the neck. Our guns and arrows found their mark. The soldiers stopped shooting. Their horses went wild and tossed them on the ground. They dropped their guns and ran for their lives."
    I clapped my hands with joy.
    "I have plenty of bullets now," said Swan Necklace. "And all the warriors have rifles. The soldiers won't need them anymore."

Eight
    W E FOUGHT the white soldiers again on the banks of the rushing Clearwater. This time many Blue Coats died and we lost four warriors. Six other of our young men were hit, but only one had a bad wound. A soldier's bullet went in the back of his shoulder and came out through his chest. He was shot when he rode his horse close to the Blue Coats to show he was a brave man. But he was strong and continued to fight.
    More than a moon had passed since the battle at White Bird Canyon. The soldiers still followed, but we moved fast, so fast we had to leave our cattle behind.
    Looking Glass took us out of the valley and high into the mountains. We traveled toward the rising sun and the country of the Crows. The way was hard. Spruce, hemlock, and pine grew close. The trail was narrow and dark. It twisted up the steep mountainside. Boulders choked the path and sharp rocks cut
the horses' feet. Trees felled by spring storms blocked the way.
    At night we camped. We lived on roots we dug from the ground and bark we peeled from the trees. When cooked in water, the bark made a soft mush that filled the stomach. Some nights we went to bed hungry. The ponies grazed on the bushes and stiff wiregrass.
    Five of our warriors stayed behind to scout the back trail for soldiers. The Red Coats scouted the trail ahead. My heart was with them, but I helped dig roots, pound bark, and care for the children. Bending Willow now smiled when lifted from her cradleboard.
    It rained every day. As we neared the top of the pass, the path grew steeper. Here it was so narrow that we had to get off our horses and lead them. We pressed against the mountain, moving slowly along the edge of the cliff on a carpet of pine needles. Far below us, a stream wound between rock walls. The trail was slippery, but none of our ponies stumbled.
    At last we reached the summit and started down the other side of the pass. The rain stopped and the sun came out. We reached a place beside a creek where hot springs came out of the ground. Steam rose from the rocks. Where the water boiled out it was so hot you could not keep your finger in it. We bathed in shallow pools below the rocks where the water was not so hot. We stayed in the water until we could no
longer bear its heat. Then we ran to the creek and plunged into the cold current. The water washed away our weariness.
    That day our tipis stood in the high grass. Bushes that grew here made good tea, and we gathered leaves to take with us. There were so many fish in the stream that we called it Salmon Creek. We would have a good meal that night. Water lilies grew in small ponds nearby, and after I washed my hair I twisted a white flower into each braid. I thought the lilies would make a pretty design for moccasins.
    As I thought about where I could get some soft deerskin and porcupine quills, the Red Coats rode noisily into camp. Wah-lit-its drew up beside the men who were mending bridles.
    "Soldiers in front of us!" he said. He was out of breath and had to rest between words. "Building fort! They will head us off."
    Swan Necklace rode to my side and slipped off his horse. "There is danger," he said. He drew me close to him. "The soldiers know our camp. They have drawn logs across the trail so that we cannot pass. They are building a fort. We may have to fight."
    "This time I will fight, too," I said. "There are many guns