Soul Stance River - 23

We are hours into the mountain riverway, the current unfriendly to us paddling earlier had simply strained the men to burning exhaustion, those who have the shoulder strength are paddling the two larger canoes while the other six vessels are being pulled along in the side shadows with elk skin rope, their feet and ankles paying the price, an incredible sight is rapidly, dramatically coming towards us, two hundred yards from where the river bends an unmanned horse is galloping in our direction with a confident craze in it's agility as it stomps through the rocky mud shore to the left, running like a messenger of madness, reckless and unstoppable in passion, a white, grey spotted horse, mane long, white and smoking in the wind, it has already run past my canoe 50 yards off shore but Sheild's canoe, being pulled very close to it's path and McNeal has gotten a rope to lasso this animal, in trying to claim it they have only sped the horse's instincts McNeal nearly trampled, has gotten a face full of rock water for his effort, that beauty is long gone, but everyone saw the sign, the hip of the horse had a skull, and crossbones of rifles painted in black, suffice it to say our hearts are humpin hot! down here where we are predictable targets confined to the river's warpath in order to saddle up on the upcoming banks some of our men must remain exposed everyone else has rifles lead ready and hugged, telescopes spying space, Clark and I kneeling with plank boards for armor, rifles in hand Sacagawea standing inbetween us at the nose of our trespassing vessel breasts uncovered, her son Jean in her arms swaddled in a U.S. flag repeating a Shoshone lyric of peace, her clarion voice of sincere spirit echoing through the mountain passes like an angel of sapphire wisdom in this methodical moment of cautious maneuver I realize that I love her, I love her like eyes love color, she is so above the ordinary, so forbidden to me, we must clarify to the unseen onlookers that we are no warparty but that we are no laundry squaws either, 20 minutes later we find a suitable shore line and disembark swiftly, there be no indication of Indians, no presence of hostility, J.A.B.