Algren and Gant finally met Kettle, the chief of the Cheyenne tribe. Unlike what they imagined being surrounded by countless naked men with colorful paintings on their upper bodies, the young chiefs and elders, although slightly hostile, still invited them
He went to the largest tent and entertained them with a blanket full of fruits and dried meats - perhaps it was directly related to Algren's knowledge of some Indian languages.
You must know that these days Indians are regarded as wild beasts by white people. In this harsh living situation, there are definitely far fewer white people who can speak Indian languages than Indians who can speak English, Spanish and Spanish.
"We are not beasts, you white people are! When your white ancestors came to this land hundreds of years ago, we saved their lives and gave them food, medicine, seeds and a lot of help. Now, you are not only greedy
They robbed our land and brutally killed our compatriots." Chief Ketel shouted excitedly.
"Go back. This is an Indian reservation recognized by your government. If you think you can drive us away with a hundred cavalry, then just try it. Cheyenne warriors are never afraid of war!"
Captain Algren hurriedly waved his hand and explained: "Dear leader of the Cheyenne people, are we here for peace?"
"Peace?" Keitel repeated in Indian language again, eliciting wanton ridicule from a kind of Indian warrior in the tent.
"Yes, peace." Algren said calmly: "Our Seventh Cavalry Brigade was ordered to be stationed to ensure the safety of the trade routes. You must know that there are many groups of bandits in this generation. Some large chambers of commerce have applied to the state Congress to send troops to protect them. Believe me
, we have no ill intentions, you Cheyenne people also need merchants to exchange some goods. And... our 7th Cavalry Brigade are all elite soldiers who have fought against the Southerners."
The young chief remained silent. He understood what Algren had not stated but was obvious - he had nothing to do with this group of cavalry. For the survival of the tribe, he could not openly attack the cavalry station if this group of people stayed nearby.
There is actually no good way to leave him.
So the best result is just not to interfere with each other.
Seeing the other party's expression, Algren knew that his words had an effect, and he decided to try harder: "I can use my personal connections to contact several honest businessmen and trade with you at a reasonable price to improve the tribe.
living environment,"
"Let me tell you clearly, Captain Algren, I don't believe in the promises of you white people. You have deceived us too many times. If your purpose is to inform us that you are coming, well, now I already know, please go back.
." Chief Kettle said solemnly.
Algren nodded. This mission has been completed here. The so-called peaceful coexistence cannot be achieved with his mouth. He thought for a while and said in a sincere tone: "Chief Kettle, I personally feel sorry for the United States.
The policy adopted by the government is negative. Please give me some time. If the chief agrees, I will contact the caravan as soon as possible. I swear on my character that you will definitely get what you want."
Watching Algren and Gant leave, the young chief fell into a dilemma.
If you don’t believe what Algren said, then at least half of the warriors must be stationed in the tribe at any time. Only in this way can we prevent the attack of this group of soldiers. This also means that the number of hunting manpower will be reduced by half. In another two months of winter at most
will come, and if we don’t store enough food, many people will starve to death.
After discussing with the elders and warriors for a long time, he decided not to believe too much in Algren's words for the time being. Recently, he asked the warriors to hunt near the tribe and mobilized all women and children to collect nuts in the mountains. No attacks occurred at the end.
Well, once those cavalry arrive, they can quickly come back for reinforcements.
"I hope we can get through this crisis safely." Keitel thought silently.
After the two of them left the Cheyenne tribe and ran for a long time, Sergeant Gant, who said nothing in the camp, finally exhaled. He tugged on the collar button and complained: "It's really boring. I thought there would be a battle. Captain.
, these red lords seem to be close to civilized people, and they actually understand our language."
Algren ignored him. As an upright officer who kept his word, he was thinking about which caravans he should find familiar with to trade here. After fighting with the South for so many years, he knew many of the soldiers who followed him.
Businessmen, some businesses operating with integrity have a good relationship with him.
"Captain, you don't really want to trade fairly with them!" As an old comrade, Gant obviously knew what the young commander was thinking, "These red lords have nothing but bison skins, and, I swear to God
The traders were far more interested in their scalps than in the smelly bison hides."
"Have you heard of the famous saying, Sergeant?" Algren said calmly: "Friendship based on trade is better than trade based on friendship."
"Humph, the first person to say this must be a damn businessman. What do they know about friendship?" Gant muttered, then patted his forehead as if he remembered something and said: "Captain, Major Bagley
Will you agree? He is not as kind as you."
"I think he will. If we fight against these Indians, we cavalry will not dare to roam freely in the wilderness. Who knows if we will be ambushed by them one day. After all, they have lived here for many years.
The terrain is much more familiar to us.”
Algren did not break his promise. After obtaining Major Bagley's consent, he began to send telegrams to familiar caravans nearby. Finally, two companies agreed to allow him to come here to trade with the Indians.
Two weeks later, when Algren came to the Cheyenne tribe again, he was not accompanied by Gant, but with two caravans loaded with goods. Chief Kettle was dubious, and the tribe made a deal with the caravans.
Sure enough, just as Algren promised, the merchants he introduced this time were not as greedy as those in the past, and the barter was quite fair. This made him feel a little fond of Algren and felt that the white people
Not all of them are bad people.
That night, he specially invited Algren and the caravan to a grand bonfire banquet, and brought out two large barrels of rum from the transaction.
However, when Algren and Gant saw Yiye from the empty mountain approaching slowly, their scalps suddenly went numb... He never expected to meet the mysterious "Oriental Wizard" from last time on such an occasion.
Kazuyo Sorayama's injuries have actually healed. It's not that he doesn't want to leave, but that he really can't leave.
First of all, as Algren said, if he walked to San Francisco on his own legs, it would take at least two months! Not to mention the large number of bandits in the wilderness, how would he get food and water? He didn't want to be like a man who drank blood.
monster.
Secondly, he didn't know the road. Don't think this is a joke. According to Kazuyo Sorayama, it was modest to say that the western United States was vast and sparsely populated at this time. It was normal to walk for half a month without seeing anyone.
In the end, he had no money. Whether it was horses, food, or everything needed to survive in the wild, he needed money to buy it. Originally, he had not thought about how to repay their life-saving and sheltering kindness, and he could not even offer money to the already poor people.
The Indians begged for it. And he was penniless. What could he do even if he arrived in San Francisco? He had no money to buy a boat ticket. Should he become a robber and rob?
However, he has already made a plan in his mind. Although he will not take the initiative to become a robber, it might be a good idea to lure robbers to rob him...
Kazuyo Sorayama walked to Algren and sat on the ground. He had heard some news from Keitel these days, and he had a good impression of this upright young officer.
"Hello, sir." Algren bravely stretched out his hand and said hello.
Kazuyo Sorayama thought for a while and asked, "I have a question. Do you know where there are more robbers nearby?"
"Uh..." Algren was stunned. He was a little confused as to what Sorayama Kazuha wanted to do. The other party didn't seem to be doing business. Or was there some other reason why he needed to avoid the bandits?
Gant, who was already drunk at the side, couldn't help but replied: "Hey! You asked the right person about this. People call me well-informed Gant. Let me think about it..."
The strong man burped: "I remembered. It takes about three days to ride a horse from Horseshoe Town, the town where we are stationed, to the south. There is a group of bandits nearby. There are about a dozen of them.
, the leader is called Cripple Bill, this guy does all kinds of evil, and the state has raised his reward to ten thousand dollars! Anyone who catches him, whether alive or dead, and delivers him to any police station can get the reward. Plus several others
A villain, a dozen of them should be worth thirty thousand US dollars! If I retire one day and he has not been killed, I will become a bounty hunter, gather a few old guys, catch that group and get rich! You say
Isn't that right, Captain?"
Algren nodded helplessly and said: "The bounty of their group is not easy to get. I don't think this gentleman asked just to earn the bounty." He carefully looked at Sora Ichiyo, just like last time,
Apart from a robe with obvious ethnic characteristics, he only has a long knife at his waist and no other weapons. Even if he possesses mysterious witchcraft, he is no match for a dozen tough bandits armed with long and short firearms.
Sorayama Ichiyo was noncommittal and continued to ask: "It's too far. Is there anything closer?"
Gant laughed: "That's too much. Otherwise, why would the masters above send us to station in this inhospitable place? It's just that we have to try our luck to meet them. The West is really too big! And they are all small people.
The character only dares to rob some lone travelers and is not even qualified to be wanted."
He glanced at Kazuyo Sorayama with a sarcastic look, but the lesson he learned last time made him dare not be too presumptuous: "But be careful if you want to trick them. Two legs can't run as fast as four legs, even if you can stop them
, do you have to point a knife at a gunman and say to him, 'Hey, bastard, rob, hand over your money and keep your horse, otherwise I will hack you to death', hahaha, hack to death!"
Gant imagined this scene in his mind and couldn't help laughing. But Algren didn't laugh. With his marksmanship, which was considered the best in the entire 7th Cavalry Brigade, he was captured by the opponent without making any reaction.
If the gun was taken away, if he hadn't experienced it personally, he would never have believed that there were such powerful people in the world.
Did the man in front of him really want to rob those bandits? Algren couldn't figure it out. He simply shook his head and took a sip of bad wine. The spicy taste made him frown. When he looked next to him again,
But he found that Yiye in the empty mountain had long since disappeared.
"What a weirdo... but good luck to him," Algren thought.