Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8







      Kate and Nine Mile were waiting for O'Malley.
     "I've been looking all over town for you!" Nine Mile gripped.
     "Slade left town for a few days." O'Malley said.
     "A few days hell! That's what I wanted to tell you. He's gone for good. The banker is really mad because Slade came into the bank this morning and took all his money out. Take my word for it, the skunk is on the run."
     "I'm going after him." O'Malley vowed.
     "Not without me, Buck and Charlie Small Bear, he's the best tracker in these here parts. You go to the cabin git the horses and gear ready, and I will round up Charlie Small Bear and pick up a few extra supplies.  We will have to move fast there isn't too many hours of daylight left."
     "I'll wait for you at the cabin." O'Malley said as he looked in Kate's direction.
     "I'll come by the cabin as soon as I can get a couple of things, I want you to take with you." Kate said.
     
     O'Malley had the horses saddled and the pack horses practically loaded when Kate arrived. 
     She was riding a buck skin mare. She handed O'Malley a heavy coat, "You will need a heavy coat on the plateau this time of the year. It belonged to my husband."
     "I appreciate the coat. I'll take it. But you; I won't take. So, no need for your horse."
     "John O'Malley, this is a free country and I will damn well go anywhere I please. I can ride a horse a well as any man. I run my ranch for over two years and I know hard times."
     "What about the cafe. Who will take care of it?" O'Malley asked, looking for some excuse. 
     "I have a good friend of mine coming in tomorrow, and she will run the place until I get back."
     "Look, this is not a camping or fishing trip to the back country. We will be after a killer, and I don't want to take a chance you might get hurt or caught in the line of fire." O'Malley tried to make sense to Kate.
     "It will be no more dangerous for you, than for me. You have chosen to go. I am a grown woman, and I chose to go." She said flatly.
     "We will be traveling hard and fast and the going will be tough." O'Malley tried again to persuade Kate to stay behind.
     "John O'Malley, I can, and will, ride as long and as hard you can." Kate was not going to be left in town. "I would much rather put up with the hardships of the trail, than to wonder and wait here in Red Lodge. I'm going!"
     O'Malley knew he couldn't talk her out of going and there was really no way to keep her in town. If they left without her, she could follow at a distance for a few hours and then join them and they could not turn back to take her back to town. O'Malley tried for a compromise.
      "I want your word. If, and when we do catch up with Slade and it looks like there will gunplay on the wind. I want you to stay behind a respectable distance. Will you agree to that condition?" O'Malley asked.
      "My word. I agree." Kate answered.

      When Nine Mile and Small Bear showed up it was nearly thirty minutes later. Nine Mile asked, "Where did you get the buck skin mare?"
      "It's Kate's" O'Malley answered.
      "Well what's it doing here?"
      "Kate's going with us."
      "What in the name of heaven are you thinking? Have you lost your senses? This ain't no Sunday picnic were goin' on!" Nine Mile shouted. 
      Kate rallied to O'Malley's defense, "Nine Mile, I have known you for years, and you know me well enough to know that when I make my mind up to something it is going to happen. It is my decision to go on this 'man hunt' and I will not be told by Nine Mile Bill or John O'Malley or any other man when or where I can ride. Is that clear?"
     "I hope you realize just what you are getting into. This is going to be dangerous." Nine Mile said, calming down just a bit.
     "I understand. I will do as I am asked once we are on the trail and not hold you back." Kate affirmed.
     "I don't like it one little bit." Nine Mile grumbled. "Not one little bit."
     They finished loading the rest of their gear for the trail and one last check was made by Nine Mile before he closed the cabin door. 
     "If Slade is heading to Cooke City he can take several trails up to the Plateau. There is a trail up the East Rosebud Creek canyon, but that could be the long way around. He could take the shortest trail across the plateau by going up either Silver Creek or follow the West Fork up to the Plateau. He could then go across the Silver Run Plateau to the Lake Fork trail to Sundance Pass and work his way west until he hits the trail from East Rosebud to Cooke City.  I think the Silver Run trail is the first trail up the West Fork and that is the trail me and Small Bear will scout first." Nine Mile suggested.
     "Why don't you check the Silver Run trail out and see if there is any fresh sign and Kate and I will trail along behind with the pack horses." O'Malley said.
     "If we find Slade's trail I will double back and let you know. If we don't find his trail there we will have to go up the canyon and hope he takes the West Fork trail." Nine Mile said. "See you in a couple of hours." 
     
     Nine Mile, Buck and Small Bear left heading southwest toward Silver Run Creek.
     O'Malley and Kate left at a leisurely pace, with few words spoken between them for several miles.
     Finally the silence was broken by O'Malley, "Kate, I am really worried about you on this trip. I wish you would change your mind and stay in Red Lodge."
     "I appreciate your concern for me John, but I am strong minded and I am interested in your health. I would not be able to rest wondering what was going on in the high country of the Plateau." Kate said warmly. "Besides it will give us a chance to talk about what your future holds and mine." 
      O'Malley did not miss the parts about "interested in your health" and "what your future holds and mine." He knew he would have to talk seriously to Kate. He cared for her very much, but was it enough to make it a more permanent relationship. O'Malley hadn't thought too much about it, but he knew in time he would have to make a decision. She was a beautiful woman, strong willed with a wonderful mind. Not the normal type of woman you found out west. They had made love with the passion that O'Malley had only known with his first wife. Having a permanent relationship might not be too bad an idea. Would she go to Smith Valley with him? Would she leave Red Lodge for him? It was very clear she cared for him. Would it be enough to make a commitment and leave with him. Slade would have to be handled first, then he would decide if he should ask Kate to go away with him. 
      "We'll talk more about 'us' after Slade is either in hell or in jail." O'Malley said with resolve.
      No more was said. They rode on in silence passed Nichols Creek and crossed the West Fork about a half mile west and then turned south up Silver Creek. 
       
       Two hours on the trail brought Nine Mile and Buck back to meet up with O'Malley and Kate.
       "We cut a trail with two horses going up Silver Creek. The trail is about four hours old; the second horse is loaded and leaves tracks much deeper than the first. We can't be sure it is Slade, but there ain't too many people going up to the Silver Run Plateau this time of year. My best guess is that it is Slade. The only way to find out for sure is to dog the tracks until we catch up with him. Small Bear is still tracking."
       "The sun is getting low, we had better move at a faster pace." O'Malley suggested, "We want to make as much time on the flat before sundown as we can and before we begin the climb."
       They all broke into a gallop to the south in the Silver Creek valley. The trail abruptly took a right turn to the west and the climb began. The horses walked at a steady pace for about an hour. 
Small Bear came back down the trail and met them. "Find something." he said. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the stub of a cigar. It smelled freshly smoked and was well chewed on the end.
      "Slade smokes cigars." Nine Mile observed, "And he chews the ends. I think we're on Slade's trail."
      It was beginning to get cool and the sun had long since gone behind the mountains to the west. There was just a strip of sunlight left of the tops of the mountains to the east of the Silver Creek valley. It would be dark soon.
      "I find a place to camp." Small Bear said, "No can trail in dark."
      "Take us to the camp." Nine Mile said. They followed for another two miles where the trail flattened out on a ridge. They would camp there for the night.
      "I want to be ready to leave as soon as there is daylight enough to follow the trail." O'Malley said anxiously. "If we ride hard tomorrow we can catch up with Slade."
      "Well, that will depend on whether or not Slade camps tonight. He may know the country well enough not to get lost on the Plateau. If he moves on in the dark he could get lost on the Plateau. It is flat and not too many land marks to be seen at night. There are piles of rocks in the shape of a pyramid about three or four feet tall that have been set along the trail so you won't get lost, but it is hard to see them at night. He may also want to put as much distance as he can between him and Red Lodge, in case someone comes after him. He's on the run even if he doesn't know someone is following or not." Nine Mile reasoned.
       They made camp, built a fire, cooked supper, and set around drinking coffee.
       "Do you think Slade will give up without a fight?" Kate asked. "If, we get the drop on him."
       "Slade will fight. I would just as soon fight a cougar as go after Slade. A cougar will run if he can, but if you corner him, he will fight. Slade will be like a cornered cougar. He'll fight." Nine Mile stated flatly.
      "I expect there will be gunplay before it is over." O'Malley reflected, as he stared into the dancing flames of the camp fire.
      As the fire began to die the blankets and heavy coats were brought out. It was beginning to get cold. There would be a heavy frost in the morning. Even for early September there could be snow in the high country. The horses were picketed and O'Malley hobbled Star. The cold gray snow clouds drifted down the valley from the north touching the tops of the mountains.
      "Snow come soon." Small Bear said, as he looked skyward.
      "How soon?" Nine Mile asked.
      "When fat gray cloud have belly ripped open by mountain top, then snow come. Snow come tonight." Small Bear predicted.
      They all turned in and snuggled down in the folds of their blankets letting the fire die out. During the night Small Bears prediction came true, the clouds gave birth to three inches of new snow.
      Nine Mile was the first one up. He began to find dry wood to build a fire. It wasn't even pink in the east so it was well before dawn. When the fire was roaring and coffee was cooking Nine Mile began kicking each one out of their blankets. "Get up you lazy bones. Daylight is a comin'. We got a long day ahead of us. Coffee is ready. Small Bear check the horses." he sounded like a top sergeant in the army issuing orders.
     After breakfast the horses were saddled and the pack horse was loaded the first faint rays of red began to show in the east above the mountain top promising the coming of a new day. They sat around the fire drinking coffee and warming themselves. The night had not only brought snow, but with it had come an intense cold for so early in the year. Heavy coats and gloves were the uniform of the day until it began to warm later in the morning, even for Small Bear.
       As daylight came a winter wonderland was exposed down the valley. "Damn, now isn't that a pretty sight?" Nine Mile said, as he looked out over the snow covered valley. "I remember when this country was this pure and innocent. It's a damn shame that this country will be chopped up and there will be people all over this area."
Nine mile grumbled.
       "Why do you mean by 'chopped up'?" Kate asked.
       "Have you ever seen a mine underground?" Nine Mile asked.
       "I guess not." Kate answered. "But that would just put a hole in the ground."
       "When they dig a shaft they have to shore up the roof to reduce the chance of a cave-in. To do that they use timbers. The coal people will hire crews to come up in this country to cut those timbers. These woods will have crews living up here in timber camps. They will cut the trees and the mules and wagons will haul them back to the mines. When they cut the trees they will limb and top them here in the forest. They will just let the branches lay there and rot. They will cut the best and easiest and then move on like a plague of locust. These mountain will never be the same. It will take a hundred years to return to what it is today if it ever does." Nine Mile spoke remorsefully. He had a love for the forest, the mountains, and the animals around him. He did not care for the idea that it could be destroyed or taken away.
     "Now, white man know how Indian feel." Small Bear said. "Big trouble, read tracks; we follow trail; much snow hide track, must go slow; not to lose." 
      They had no trouble following the trail, but the tracks under the snow were hidden. As the morning went on the sun appeared in the east and began to warm the air. Coats were removed by mid morning. Here and there the sun had melted the snow on the trail. Small Bear would get down and study tracks in the bare ground. The trail went steadily upward, turning back and forth at times following the side of a mountain and at others times would follow a ridge top. As they neared the Plateau Small Bear told them to wait until he returned. They dismounted and let their horses rest. It had been a long and hard ride.
     Small Bear returned shortly and said the top was just over the next rise and he did not see anyone on the open plateau. 
     They mounted up and rode for the top. Five minutes later the ground began to flatten out and as they broke out of the fir trees there was a sight to behold. The Silver Run Plateau was flat with a few low rolling hills, and patches of trees here and there, but for the most part it had large open areas with little or no cover. Off to the south across the Lake Fork canyon was the Hill Roaring Plateau which only connected to Silver Run at Sundance Pass. To the east looking across Rock Creek canyon was the flat and almost treeless Line Creek Plateau, to the west was Silver Run Peak and southwest was Sundance Pass.
     O'Malley reached into his saddle bag and pulled out his binoculars. He scanned the open areas for horses, a rider or tracks in the snow. All he saw were hundreds of elk. He also looked for any smoke rising from what could be a camp. There were plenty of tracks, but from that distance there was to telling whether they were made by elk or horses. The snow was only left in patches and drifts on the plateau. Small Bear dismounted, squatted down and looked closely at the tracks left by two horses. He walked along for a few feet studying the direction and pointed in a direction of a pyramid of rocks which marked the trail. "Trail go there." Small Bear announced. He remounted and began to follow.
     O'Malley watched the open areas ahead for any movement of horses and rider. In places you could see for miles. They followed the trail as it went in the direction of the Silver Run Peak. 
      Small Bear stopped once again and dismounted. He walked the trail and then came back. "Him head for trees. Maybe camp." 
      "Kate, I want you stay behind and follow us in when it is clear. Slade could still be in camp or holding up in the trees watching us. I don't want you in the line of fire." O'Malley ordered.
      Kate nodded her head and held her place on the trail.
      "We had better spread out just a bit before going into the trees." Nine Mile suggested.
      They rode into the trees slowly and cautiously. Small Bear found the camp and called them over. Slade had spent the night there. Small Bear checked the ashes and the horse droppings and said "Him leave after sun come over mountain top."
      "This time of the year that would be about two hours ago." Nine Mile contributed.
      O'Malley rode to the edge of the trees and waved Kate over. He also glassed the area ahead for any sign of a rider. Nothing.
      They all dismounted let their horses rest and decided on their approach on Slade.
      "I think we should let Small Bear lead out for a quarter of a mile or more and the rest of us follow. That way one man on horse back will have less chance of being seen. If he spots Slade he can wave us on up and keep him in sight." Nine Mile suggested.
      "Well that would keep Kate out of harms way if Slade tries to ambush us on the trail." O'Malley agreed.
      Small Bear followed the trail as it led across the Plateau. The trail abruptly turned north and Small Bear waited at that point.
    "Man leave trail him head to Sundance Pass. This trail go back to West Fork down Timberline Creek." Small Bear pointed. Small Bear took the lead and followed Slade's tracks across the plateau. The going was an easy ride with very little change in elevation. 
       O'Malley stopped occasionally to glass the vast open landscape ahead of them. Beside the great numbers of elk and a few foxes he did not see another living creature. As they approached a stand of trees Small Bear had dismounted and examined the ground where he was standing.
      "What did you find?" Nine Mile asked.
      "Man stop here, watch back trail. He leave in big hurry." Small Bear answered.
      "Damn! I knew it would be hard to trail Slade in this open country without being seen. He knew that too. I was hoping he wouldn't be watching his back trail. He's a crafty old fox." Nine Mile lamented.
      "What do you suggest? He knows we are trailing him." O'Malley said.
      "Hanged if I know for sure." Nine Mile shook his head. "If you follow his trail he can set us up and pick us off with a rifle. We can circle around to the south and come up on Sundance pass from a different direction. If, he has already gone through the pass we can ride west to Elephant Lake and then down the creek to Rainbow Lake. The trail to Cooke City goes on the west side of the lake. If we try that way we might get between him and Cooke City. Then we would have the drop on him. If we don't cut him off, we will see his tracks going into Cooke City and we will be in the same spot as we are now of having to follow him into Cooke City" 
      "What if he doesn't go to Cooke City? Where else could he go from up here?" O'Malley asked.
      "Well, he could always double back and go down the East Rosebud follow that to Absorkee, Bozeman, Billings or just about anywhere along the Yellowstone." Nine Mile answered.
      O'Malley felt frustrated. The man who was responsible for his brothers death was just an hour or so away but just exactly where could not be determined. A decision had to be made. "Let's try to cut him off on the trail to Cooke City. If we don't find his tracks on the trail we will ride back up the trail to meet him. We will just have to make sure he doesn't see us first. One thing in our favor is that he is expecting us on his back trail. If he does see someone coming up the trail from Cooke City, it won't spook him so bad." 
      "We will have to ride hard and fast to get ahead of him. We had better move out. Small Bear and I will lead the way, you two follow our trail." Nine Mile said and spurred his horse southwest.
       They all broke into a gallop and maintained the pace for several miles across the nearly flat open ground of the high country. The horses were all lathered up and all the previous snows had melted as they rode on. They turned to the west in the late afternoon and soon hit the Lake Fork trail near September Morn Lake. They followed the trail for another mile and found Slade's track going through Sundance Pass. They followed the trail and began to descend toward Sundance Lake. As they reached the headwaters of the West Fork the trail turned north and they saw where Slade had left the trail and head west. Slade was heading toward Elk Mountain.
     "I kinda thought this might happen. Going cross country with no trail to follow it looks like one of two things. Slade is either a little lost and riding too far north or he isn't going to Cooke City." Nine Mile said.
     "Should we follow his tracks or go to Rainbow Lake?" O'Malley asked.
     "In high country if you haven't spent much time up here it is easy to get a few miles off of where you want to be. Slade knows if he keeps going west he will eventually hit the East Rosebud trail to Cooke City. What he may not know is that there ain't no easy way to get to the trail in direction he is going except for Snow Creek. There are plenty of cliff and steep slopes that a man on horseback would risk breaking his neck if he tried to go down anywhere except Snow Creek. We will have a easy ride after we pass Bowback Mountain." Nine Mile said.
     "What if he isn't lost?" O'Malley asked.
    "Then he isn't going to Cooke City and he changed his mind about that since he came up on the plateau." Nine Mile speculated.
    "Let's stop following Slade's tracks and ride hard for Rainbow Lake." O'Malley said. "It's a gamble, but I don't want to be ambushed following Slade's tracks. He can pick us off at a place of his choosing."
    Small Bear, Nine Mile and Buck led the group around the north side of Sundance Mountain and toward Elephant Lake. They rode mostly down hill for the next six or so miles getting to Rainbow Lake after dark.
    O'Malley saw Small Bear and Nine Mile waiting beside a pyramid of rocks on the trial to Cooke City.
      "He hasn't come by here on the trail yet." Nine Mile said. "He is either still coming, camped out or he has changed direction completely and isn't going to Cooke City."
       "Do you think he would leave this trail and still go to Cooke City?" O'Malley asked.
       "Not likely. If a fellar was to try and come off the Plateau in the wrong place he could get his neck broke. If you go off the wrong ridge or into the wrong drainage you could wind up twenty or thirty mile away from where you want to be. No; in the high country it is better to stick to the trails when there are some." Nine Mile reasoned.
       "There's a stand of trees about a quarter of a mile up the trail from here. We could camp there for the night. Buck would let us know if anyone came down the trail should Slade decide to ride at night. We can take turns watching the trail." Nine Mile said.
        They all rode into the trees and fed some grain to five very tired horses. It felt strange to walk around on two feet after being in the saddle all day. O'Malley felt stiff and noticeable sore. The camp was set up and a fire built. Small Bear and Buck watched the trail as they prepared something to eat. Coffee was ready and everyone except Small Bear had a hot cup. After they ate O'Malley volunteered to relieve Small Bear on the trail watch while Small Bear had something to eat. When O'Malley wandered out of camp for trail watch Kate tagged along.
      "How do you feel?" O'Malley asked Kate.
      "Oh fine considering I haven't done any riding like that for over two years. It is almost as hard as herding cattle. I'll be just fine."
       "I hope so. I know it's hard on you. But, you were the one who wouldn't stay in Red Lodge." O'Malley grinned.
       Small Bear left the two of them watching the trail. 
       The stars came out in the dark heaven by the thousands. A crescent moon began to rise in the east and a coyote howled off in the distance. The night was cold but the wind was gentle. O'Malley could smell the womanliness of Kate as she stood close and wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the cold.
     "Kate, about the other night. I want you to know I really didn't mean for things to go as far as they did." O'Malley said softly and sincerely.
     "John, we were two people who are attracted to each other. It has been a very long time since I have been in a man's arms. The other night was the first time since my husband died. I guess we just got caught up in our own whirlpool of feelings and lust and then natural desires took over for awhile. It doesn't make you or me a bad person. It is not a life long commitment. I don't regret it and neither should you." 
     "It meant a great deal to me because of the feelings I have for you Kate."
     Kate looked deeply into John’s eyes, and said,  "Believe me, if I didn't have such strong feelings for you I wouldn't have done what I did the other night. But, I want you to understand something else. You have no obligation to make an 'honest' woman out of me. If you feel you want to continue our relationship I am open to that but, without obligations on either of our parts.                   
       "Kate, I have been thinking. How committed are you to staying in Red Lodge? Would you consider living some place else? I mean on a ranch again." O'Malley asked.
       "Well I haven't really thought about it. Since my husband died I never really had any reason to leave Red Lodge. I have made many friends there and I would hate to leave them, but it would depend on what reason or where else I would go. As far as living on a ranch again, I guess it would be all right. I know from personal experience that it is a very hard life for a woman alone. Why do you ask?" Kate answered honestly.
       "We have gotten very close in a short period of time Kate. I was just thinking maybe about the future." O'Malley continued.
       "John, I don't want you to misunderstand what I am about to say. I would like to have another man in my life again. I would like to marry and have the children I have never had. More importantly, I want to love and be loved by the man I marry. While we have been lovers, once; I am not certain you are in love with me and I am not sure if I am in love with you. Physical attraction is a strong motivator, but over time people need much more to keep them together. Commitment, love, understanding, caring, compromise, patience, fidelity, and being able to talk when problems do come up and then work them out, together." Kate said solemnly.  
       "Kate, I am not sure about my feelings either. I know I care for you a great deal, but I am not sure you could call it love. I wanted to talk about this now because I know when this thing with Slade is over with I will go back to Smith Valley because I have a ranch to run. We really haven't had much time to get to really know each other and it doesn't look like there will be much time left when we get back to Red Lodge. I just thought we should talk about it." 
      "I like a man who can talk about his feeling and is honest and up front. There are many things about you that I do like, at the same time there are still many things I don't know about you. We may as well accept the fact that we may not have the time together to fall in love and have a future together. One last point. I would not consider such a change in my life without it including marriage. I think we need to know each other much better before any marriage plans are a part of our future."
      "I guess life can bring two people together for a while to ride the same trail and when the fork comes along they can ride off in a different direction, always remaining friends and never to be forgotten." O'Malley said philosophically."
      "I know we will always be friends and certainly never forgotten." Kate confirmed O'Malley's philosophy.
      "I feel better since we talked and let each other know where we stand."
      "Friends are always like that." Kate smiled and held O'Malley's hand.
      Kate stayed and talked about many things over the next hours. It was really cold by the time Nine Mile came to relieve O'Malley. Kate and O'Malley went to the campfire had a hot cup of coffee and turned in for the night.

      Everyone was up at dawn. Nine Mile and Small Bear had watched the trail the rest of the night without anyone passing the camp. After breakfast they broke camp, packed up and prepared to follow the East Rosebud toward Absorkee hoping to meet up with Slade.
      Small Bear would take the lead and if he saw anyone coming down the trail he would hightail it back to the group.
      Small Bear got a half mile head start and they followed in his tracks. They rode past Rimrock Lake, Arch Creek, Five Mile Creek, and Elk Lake. They rode until nearly noon when they saw Small Bear waiting on the trail where Snow Creek emptied into the Rosebud.
      "Man take Rosebud Trail north." Small Bear announced.
      "Damn! Slade is slicker than a greased eel." Nine Mile cursed. "He sure as hell ain't going to Cooke City if he is headed north. He could have led us up on the plateau just to make sure no one was doggin' his trail, or he could have changed his mind when he saw us following. Cooke City is too small a place for him to hide."
      "We have plenty of supplies, so we follow Slade down the East Rosebud." O'Malley said.
      "Let's let Small Bear take the lead in case there is an ambush somewhere along the trail." Nine Mile said.
      "OK. What type of country are we going into?" O'Malley asked.
      "We have East Rosebud Lake about two miles north of here, trail goes steadily down and flattens out pretty much after Rosebud Lake. East Rosebud Creek goes on past the old Crow Indian Agency to where the West Rosebud meets up about four miles south of Absorkee. We will get into some open rolling hills and some flat country and we'll be about fifteen miles west and north of Red Lodge and pretty close to the Bozeman Trail. Slade could hookup with the Bozeman Trail or swing back east along the Yellowstone to Billings." Nine Mile said.
       "How rough is the country?"
       "Not too bad after Rosebud Lake." 
       "Let's ride. Slade won't wait for us." O'Malley said. "The sooner we cross paths with Slade the sooner this thing will be over with." 
     The rate of travel was slow as Small Bear tracked Slade. The trail was well traveled and Slade would have no trouble making good time. O'Malley was anxious to catch Slade. Small Bear once again waited on the trail by a camp site.
     "Him leave not long. We see him bye and bye. Pack horse lose iron shoe" Small Bear said as he held up the thrown horseshoe.
     Nine Mile and O'Malley checked the camp site and found a cigar stub. Nine mile figured Slade left about an hour before they got there. 
    "Small Bear you keep a close watch for Slade he ain't far ahead." Nine Mile warned.
    They rode on until dark without catching Slade as he was pushing hard. He was not running his horse but pushing hard. Nine Mile guessed Slade would stop for the night and camp. He knew that no one could trail him in the dark. 
    When Small Bear could track Slade no longer because of darkness he stopped and waited for the others.
    "Follow trail or camp? No can see track." Small Bear asked. 
    "We camp we don't want to ride by him in the dark." O'Malley reluctantly answered.
    They had been after Slade for three full days now and were closer, but had not even caught a glimpse of him on the horizon. They were all getting saddle sore and tired. The cold was bitter that night and dropped below freezing shortly after sundown. They camped in a stand of fir trees to be sheltered from a sharp north wind and build a fire.
Hot coffee and food made them all feel better.
    "Do you think we will catch Slade tomorrow?" O'Malley asked Nine Mile.
    "Well if we do; I think of the brave Indians who said, 'It is a good day to die'; because I think someone is going to die tomorrow."
    Small Bear spoke, "Death flies the wind tonight, will land close tomorrow." 
    No one spoke for awhile, each watching the fire dance, hiss and crack. Each was looking inward examining all their inner thoughts. High country can do that to anyone who has ever spent the night on a high country plateau. A place like that can make you realize how really small you are compared to the country around you and how fragile and uncertain life really can be. It makes you wonder about all the great mysteries of life. What am I doing here? Is there really a plan for me by the 'Great Spirit' and what is the meaning of my life? When you finally realize you will never answer those questions, just decide to go on with life and keep looking for the answers never really expecting to find the answers to the great questions of life.  You look around at the most beautiful country you have ever seen and return to reality with a new found sense of appreciation for just living your life and your surroundings.

    Everyone turned in soon after the fire began to die. The warm blankets were appreciated as protection from the cold north wind and everyone was bone tired. They would be up at dawn again. Maybe Slade would be seen tomorrow. O'Malley wondered about Small Bear's prediction, that death would be close by tomorrow.
Proceed to Chapter 9