Mina looked ahead at the long line of wagons bumping along the rocky road. They were
following an Indian trail through the hilly countryside.
"Papa, Texas is beginning to look like Germany."
"You are right, Mina."
"Remember what we said when we left Wehrstedt?"
"Ja." Papa nodded his head thoughtfully.
"Well, I think my wish came true. We are going to live in the hills again."
Mina flipped her braid over her shoulder. "How much longer till we get there?"
"Not long. We should see the Pedernales River late today."
"Will this be our home to stay forever?" Mina asked, and watched Papa's
face as he answered.
"Ja, Mina, I think so."
Mina heaved a deep sigh. She hoped Papa really meant that, for she did not want to
travel any farther. The days had been long since they left New Braunfels.
The only exciting incident so far was when an old Indian had visited their camp one
evening, and cured a man's infected foot by applying some kind of leaf to the wound.
By the next day the swelling had gone down and the redness had disappeared. Mina
wondered whether the healing was because of the leaf, or the magic words the old
Indian had muttered while he pressed the leaf to the wound.
Now they were traveling more and more into Indian territory. Mina felt safe though
with the Verein soldiers that were escorting the wagon train to the new colony.
One of them rode by on his horse toward the head of the train. He looked so brave
and handsome.
The day passed slowly. Mina was tired of games she and Anna had made up along the
way. No one had spoken for a long while. Mina held a stick in one hand, and watched
idly as the spokes of the wheel tapped it.
"Look, there is the river up ahead," Papa said.
The lead wagon halted, and everyone stopped. A soldier rode by swiftly, pulling his
rifle from his shoulder.
"What is it, Papa?" Mina shielded her eyes from the sun in order to see
better. On the riverbank just off the road was an Indian camp of tipis.
"Papa, Indians!" Mina pointed toward the camp.
The lead wagon started up again, and began to cross the river. A gunshot rang out.
"Behind the wagon, everyone," Papa commanded.
Mina stepped up on the wheel enough to see over the wagon. The whole wagon train
had halted. Herr Kaufmann steadied the oxen as Papa made his gun ready.
"Are we being attacked, Heinrich?" asked Frau Kaufmann in a shrill
whisper.
"Oh, Mama, are they going to scalp us?" Anna asked. Her eyes were wild
with fear. Frau Kaufmann put her arm around Anna's shoulders.
Seeing Anna in such a fright made Mina feel determined to be brave-to look at what
was happening with clear eyes. She felt the beaded belt around her waist and thought
of Amaya.
At the river's edge Mina could see a group of men, soldiers and Indians, gathered
around something on the ground. Their horses stood nearby. The men were gesturing
to each other. The blade of a knife flashed in the sunlight as a soldier took it
out of his belt.
Mina climbed down and stood beside Papa. He did not even notice as she moved away,
up the wagon train, keeping behind the wagons as she went. Everyone was watching
the group. No one noticed Mina. She reached the lead wagon, and stood on tiptoe to
look over the backs of the oxen toward the group of men. They stood in a circle on
the riverbank. Mina moved from behind the oxen to get a better look. At their feet
lay the body of a black bear. An arrow protruded from his shoulder, and blood dampened
his fur.
One of the Indians towered above the others, and in his long braid which rested over
the front of his shoulder was blond hair! Mina caught her breath and covered her
mouth with her hands. Was it possible that this was the same Indian? As her heartbeat
quickened, she looked at him closely. Yes . . . he was the same. Mina's hand went
up to her braid, and she felt the cut end absently. Just then she heard the Indian
speak, and he pointed at her. All the men turned and looked at Mina. One of them
motioned for her to come over.
"Well, little Fräulein," said the soldier, "it appears that you are acquainted with Chief Custaleta." He pointed toward the tall Indian.
Mina looked once again into the exotic face that had so frightened her before. A
chief, she thought. What a strange land this is. To think that I, a simple German
girl, am friend to an Indian chief! Something stirred inside her as she looked at
Custaleta. It was not fear, but a feeling there was a bond between them that no one
else understood.
Then the silence was broken as the chief uttered some words, pointing first at the
bear, then at the soldiers. Then he held out his hands in front of him, one clasped
over the other.
"That means peace," said a soldier.
The chief spoke to the others. They mounted their horses, turned, and rode away toward
the camp. As Chief Custaleta rode, the long braid with Mina's hair in it dangled
gracefully behind. He turned once and looked at Mina.
"Well, I never saw anything like that," said the soldier. People began
gathering around. "The Indians were arguing about who was going to have this
bear I shot. Then a little girl comes up, and the chief backs down, just like that."
He shook his head in disbelief.
Mina just stood there watching the Indians gallop back toward their camp. Then she
heard the soldier talking to her.
"Fräulein, how do you know him?"
At first Mina could not speak. She turned and looked at the soldier, but she was
thinking of the tall Indian. Then she took her braid in her hand again, and showed
it to the soldier.
"Because . . . because I once gave him locks of my hair."
Suddenly Mina thought of Papa, turned and ran back to the wagon. Papa had started
toward them.
"Papa, that was my Indian friend, and everything is all right. He is the chief!"
"Mina, why did you leave the wagon without telling me?" Papa held her at
arm's length and looked at her closely.
"But Papa, I . . ."
Herr Kaufmann came up. "What was the shot?"
"It was only one of our soldiers shooting a bear." Mina said, "but
the Indians had shot him too with an arrow. "
Papa looked at Mina for a moment sternly, and then his face broke into a smile. He
shook his head from side to side.
"You are quite a pioneer girl, Mina."
"Do you think we shall eat bear meat tonight, Papa?"
"Ja, Mina, the soldiers are butchering it now."
Would cousin Christine believe that she was eating bear meat in the wilderness, Mina
wondered?
They got back into the wagon. Mina felt proud when she saw how Anna looked at her.
The wagon train started up once more, and slowly they approached the river. Water
came up to the axles, but it was flowing gently. The oxen held their heads up, and
their eyes looked wild. But they trudged along obediently through the wide river,
up the bank, and on the few more miles to the site of Fredericksburg.
The only sign that man had been here was a clearing and an unfinished blockhouse
the surveyors had started. It was to be used for storing Verein supplies.
The trees grew tall and the underbrush so thick that the clearing was the only place
to make camp. That night a huge fire blazed up in the center of the clearing, and the bear meat was roasted, fat side up. The firelight flickered on the wagons and surrounding forest,
making the clearing an island of light and warmth.