The sun rose with a plethora of color against the distant horizon of the Colorado Rockies. October was Kid's favorite time of year in Colorado, where blankets of yellow Aspen leaves stretched as far as the eye could see, and the early morning chill always surrendered to warm afternoon breezes that sent the Aspen leaves dancing with glitters of silver and gold.
Having filled their stomachs and packed their gear, Heyes and Curry traveled northwest at a leisurely gait. They had no specific destination in mind, opting instead to simply follow the rapid, white capped flow of the Big Thompson River leading them to even high elevations that promised amazing panoramic views of the valleys below.
Heyes rode lead which was often their morning routine. Kid followed two horse lengths behind, always keeping a sharp eye on the terrain before him. Heyes' horse snorted and, having essentially free rein at the gentle pace, the horse stopped and cast its nose downward. Kid pulled up beside his partner and tugged gently on his reins.
"What are you stopping for?" Kid asked.
Heyes shook his head. "No reason. I think this old sorrel just wanted to take in the view."
"Heyes, when we get amnesty, we should live in Colorado. This is some of the prettiest country I've ever seen, and that river is so clear I've just been watching the trout streaming right by me."
Heyes smiled. "Maybe we will, Kid... One day."
Kid suddenly lifted his head and perked his ears. "You hear something?" he asked Heyes.
Heyes listened but heard nothing out of the ordinary. "No," he said, shaking his head.
Kid continued to listen. "Over that way," he said, pointing in a straight northerly direction. "Come on," he said, spurring his chestnut and pulling right on the reins.
"What do you hear, Kid?" Heyes asked as he quickly followed behind his partner.
Kid held one finger to his mouth, then waved his companion to follow.
"Kid?" Heyes prodded.
"It sounds like a baby crying," Kid said in a voice low enough to carry only as far as he had intended. "Listen."
Heyes strained to hear but shook his head, failing to hear what Kid had described.
"Its muffled now," Kid explained and brought his horse to a sudden stop. "It was right around here," he continued and dismounted his horse and handed the reins to Heyes. "You stay here. I'm going to look around."
Heyes remained in his saddle and watched Kid exploring the underbrush, his right hand resting on the butt of his still holstered gun. After a few minutes Kid disappeared from sight and a few minutes later Heyes heard Kid shouting. "Heyes, come here!"
Heyes nudged his sorrel ahead, pulling Kid's chestnut behind. "Where are you?" Heyes shouted.
"Over here. Hurry up."
Heyes caught a glimpse of Kid's blue shirt and rode up to a small clearing. He saw Kid on his knees, bending over a figure that was lying in the grass.
"He hurt?" Heyes asked as he dismounted and quickly tethered the horses to a bush.
"He's hurt, but he ain't a he," Kid replied.
As Heyes drew near he saw the supine figure was that of an Indian woman lying unconscious, a squalling baby tucked in the crook of her arm.
"What's wrong with her?" Heyes asked as he dropped to his knees beside Kid.
"I don't know. Don't appear to have any physical injuries. Can't wake her."
"She Shoshone?"
"I think so."
"Breathing alright?"
"Yep. Nice and even."
Heyes moved around Kid and picked the baby up in his arms and bounced him gently to sooth him."
"Well, if we can't wake her, and we don't know where he people are, I guess we make camp very early today, Kid. We can't just leave her here."
"Guess so," Kid said and went over to his horse to get his bedroll and laid his blanket over the woman.
"You okay with the baby?"
"For now,"
"I'll get to work getting a fire started. The river is close by and full of trout. I'll get us supper tonight."
"Kid," Heyes said very anxiously
"What?"
"This baby's going to be hungry. He can't be more than six months old..."
"So?"
"So if she don't wake up soon, one of us is going to have to help her feed him."
Kid's eyes grew wide with the realization of what Heyes was saying. "I'm building a fire and getting supper. Getting the baby fed is your job, Heyes."
Heyes sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say the, Kid."
An hour later they had a warm fire burning and a baby squalling loudly.
"I'll get my saddle, Heyes. We can put it behind the woman and sit her up a bit to make things easier."
Heyes nodded and paced with the bay in his arms.
Kid brought his saddle up behind the woman and Heyes set the baby gently on the ground. The each put a hand under the woman's shoulders and pulled her back toward the saddle. She didn't so much as stir.
Kid retrieved Heyes' bedroll and Heyes nervously untied the shoulder strings connecting the front and the back of the woman's garment. Kid tossed Heyes' blanket in his direction and it landed on the ground near his feet.
"You can cover her with that for privacy."
Heyes rolled his eyes. "Kid, it's you, me, and the woman. I have to look to see what I'm doing. You want to give her privacy, just turn away."
Kid turned his back to his partner and Heyes again rolled his eyes. "Kid, hand me the baby."
Kid picked up the baby and knelt down next to the woman. He held the baby out to Heyes and closed his eyes. Heyes shook his head and sighed as he took the baby and positioned him to the woman's breast.
"How long's he gonna do that?" Kid asked.
"I don't know, till he's full, I guess. Then you'll have to burp him while I get her dress tied back up."
"Tell me when he's ready," Kid said, his eyes still tightly closed.
Heyes watched until he saw the baby's sucking slow down. He gentle lifted the baby back into his arms and held him out to Kid. "Here, he's ready," Heyes said.
Kid opened his eyes, took the baby in his arms, and placed him against his shoulder. He slowly stood and began pacing slowly while gently patting the baby on his back. Heyes tied the strings of the woman's dress.
"Done," Heyes announced.
"Till the next time," Kid reminded him. "Aw Heyes," Kid moaned. "He spit up all over my shirt."
Heyes laughed. "Just wash it out when you go to catch some fish, Kid."
Kid wiped the baby's face with his sleeve. "He's falling asleep. What do I do with him?"
"Let's just set him back down between her arm and her body like we found him," Heyes suggested.
Kid knelt down and placed the baby next to the woman. Then he carefully covered them both with the blanket. He stood up and quickly pulled off his shirt and Henley. "Guess I'm going fishing now," he said and climbed into the saddle of the sorrel.
"Fill the coffee pot while you're down there. I think we're going to need a lot of coffee."
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Kid returned two hours later with a coffee pot of water, his wet clothes, and half a dozen good size trout. He handed Heyes the coffee pot and hung the shirt and Henley on branches to dry and put on a clean Henley and shirt before setting to work cleaning the fish.
"She woke up yet?" Kid asked, pulling the frying pan from a saddlebag.
Heyes sighed. "Nope."
"What are we going to do with her?" Kid asked.
Heyes sighed. "If she isn't awake by morning, I guess we'll make a travois and take her and the baby to the nearest town."
"What about her tribe?"
"We could do that, Kid. You got any idea where they're located?"
"Don't go getting proddy with me, Heyes."
"Sorry."
"Heyes?"
"Yea?"
"You smell that?"
"Smell what?"
"Well it ain't fish and it's coming from over there."
Crap," Heyes complained.
"That's what it smells like," Kid replied. "What do we use to change him?"
"Guess we'll have to cut up one of the blankets."
Good idea. Get started with that so you can get him cleaned up and changed."
"You know, Kid, I'm willing to bet that anyone looking at the two of us would guess that you possess a hell of a lot more maternal instincts than I do. So why am I doing all the feeding and changing?"
Kid grinned broadly. "Cause I'm doing the food gathering and the fish cleaning," he replied and hit his chest with his fist a couple of times.
"You're very aggravating, you know that?"
"It's the way of the world, Heyes."
"Yea, well, one day that's all going to change. I just hope I'm around to see it."
An hour later, with the baby, diapered, fed, burped, and again resting in the crook of his mother's arm, Kid and Heyes sat down for a supper of fresh trout and coffee."
"Maybe we should get that travois built tonight, so we can get an early start in the morning," Kid suggested.
"You're right, and you know this feeding and diaper business goes on during the night, too."
Kid nodded. "Heyes, wouldn't you think her people would realize she's missing and come looking for her?"
"Maybe they cast her out, Kid."
"How could anyone do such a thing to a woman and little baby?"
"I don't know."
"I wish she'd wake up, could tell us where she belongs."
"You're assuming she speaks English, are you."
"Oh, I hadn't thought of that...How do we get in these situations?"
"It's a rhetorical question that I have no answer for, Kid."
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They were up twice during the night, feeding and changing the baby. After the second feeding, Kid was returning the baby to his mother and Heyes was cinching the dress thongs when they heard the woman make one quiet, soothing noise.
"Maybe she's waking up?" Kid said hopefully.
"Maybe we'd better take two hour watches for the rest of the night. Wouldn't want her up and running off on us."
"You want the first one or the second one?"
Heyes knew the second one would be ending at another feeding time and he knew how nervous Kid was about performing such a task. "You take the first watch. Wake me in two hours," Heyes said.
The first watch was uneventful and Kid woke Heyes after his two hour watch. Having no blankets themselves, both slept very close to the fire to keep warm.
"Heyes, you can wake me in two hours to help you with the baby stuff," Kid said.
Heyes smiled. "Thanks, Kid."
Heyes woke Kid at sunrise and they set to work changing the baby. Then they settled in to get the baby fed. But when Heyes reached up to untie the shoulder thong, he was met with a quick slap to his hand. He jerked his hand away and looked down at the woman.
"You're awake." Heyes proclaimed.
Dark eyes met dark eyes, both refusing to look away.
"You speak English?" Kid asked.
Without taking her eyes off Heyes, she nodded her head once.
"My name is Heyes. His name is Curry. What do we call you?" Heyes asked with a smile that reflected in his softening stare.
"Winter Dove," she replied and finally looked away and picked up her child and cradled him in her arms.
"Why are you out here all alone?" Heyes asked.
"Soldiers. My people scattered."
"Did they hurt you?" Kid asked "You've been unconscious a long time."
"I swallowed berries...not enough."
"You were trying to kill yourself?"
"To get away from the soldiers."
"Did you give any to the baby?"
She shook her head. "The soldiers would not want a baby."
"So you were just going to let him die out here all alone."
"My spirit would be with him. He would not be alone."
"How do we get you back to your people?"
"You would do that? You are white men."
"Yes, Winter Dove, we will do that," Heyes promised her.
"Leave me, my son is hungry."
"I'll go get some more fish for breakfast," Kid said and climbed bareback onto his chestnut and rode off toward the river.
Heyes picked up the blanket and draped it over her shoulder. "For privacy," he explained.
After breakfast, they packed up their things and Winter Dove climbed into the travois. Heyes then handed her the baby."
"My people are headed for the Medicine Line. You're soldiers cannot cross the Medicine Line."
"Do they have horses, or are they on foot?"
"Many are on foot. Not all."
"We'll travel as quickly as we can. You tell us if we're going too fast or if you need to stop at any time," Heyes instructed her. "If they are on foot, we should be able to catch up with them some time today
With the travois secured to the chestnut, they started out in a northern direction. By mid afternoon they reached the slopes leading to a large valley. From their elevation, they could see her tribe nearing the far side of the valley.
"What will happen when two white men ride up with you in tow?" Heyes asked.
"Those on foot are not warriors. They are mostly women, children, old men. You will not be harmed."
Heyes looked at Kid and took a deep breath. "You ready, Kid."
"Let's go."
They moved slowly down the slope and into the valley. Near they end of the afternoon, they reached the Indian party. They pulled their horses off to the side so as not to appear intrusive or aggressive. Soon a few of the women began to approach them and Winter Dove spoke to them in their native language, telling them these two white men were not like the soldiers, but were good and had helped her and her child survive and return to her people.
"They tell me they will be stopping soon to make camp for the night. They offer you food, shelter for the night if you wish,"
"Thank you Winter Dove, but I think we best be on our way. You can have the travois if you want it. It might come in handy to carry things or transport one of the older ones."
"Thank you. We will make good use of it."
"Good luck reaching the Medicine Line," Kid added.
Winter Dove stood with several other woman and watched the two white men turn back the way they had come. Then they turned, and joined the others on the trek to the Medicine Line.