The mountain people

Chapter II

They have been riding for a few hours now and they still haven't reached the mountains opposite. They expect to meet other Apaches in the valley behind the mountain after a while, as the circumstances are paradisiacal for hunting and living there. But on the way there, in the steppe, they meet nothing except small prairie dogs and coyotes. Occasionally you can see antelope in the far distance and even some herds of cattle. As far as possible, they keep away from any traces of civilization caused by white people. They ride for a very long time and will have to ride for a long time to finally reach the mountains. "Shitaa, will we have to go to the reserve sometime?" Dééní Béésh asked a little scared. When the father heard this question, he became angry at the same time that his son was asking him such a question, but at the same time he was aware that this question was not very unrealistic. ,,Shiyé', do you think that our people can no longer be saved and that the white man has already defeated us?'', the father replied bluntly, remained silent and, with a sharp look, told his son to do the same. They rode for a long time until they reached the mountain. As they reach the mountain and ride into the forest, they look around for good positions. They are looking for a good spot to set up camp. The camp should be hidden, on a hill, have a forest not far from it and you should be able to see far over the prairies from e.g. a tree. In the best case, the camp is even in a place where you can easily get over the mountain and into the aforementioned paradise valley.

They had been looking for a place that was close to the requirements for a long time, so they decided to split up. Yazhí Shash combs through the forest and looks for a small hollow in the ground, or rather a small rise. After a long search he found the hill he had in mind. It is a small triangular hill seen from above, with a tree on the eastern side. Pretty much in the middle of the hill is a hole where you could well build the Kowa. A little further south from the hill, a small belly flows through the forest. Yazhí Shash follows the course of the stream to the source and has thus discovered a good route up into the mountains. If you now climb over a rock for a short while, then you are already at the summit. Meanwhile steppe a little further down and look for a river course. He quickly finds what he is looking for and follows it to the mountains, where he notices that the river has literally divided the mountains. The mountain around the riverbank isn't even a mountain anymore, it's more of a hill. A little higher up in the mountains he looks for a good spot for the Kowa. Much further up the mountain, Goshni Bah'choh is walking up the mountain hoping to find the perfect spot. He finds a spot where there is an old spruce tree. Around them all the ground is bare and solid and is surrounded by a rock wall, only one side is open but this is hidden by a hill. From the top of the spruce you can also see far into the valley and above the rock face a kind of path has been washed into the ground by rainwater, so you can walk far up to a very high point and through the small river bed , which has eaten its way through the rock, can be climbed using the so-called chimney technique to reach the summit. This is a well located spot, but the others may have found better spots, so Goshni Bah'choh is waiting at the agreed meeting point. When everyone has appeared at the meeting point, they show each other the places and then discuss where the Kowa will be built. They decide to camp at Dééní Béésh's location, but want to build their Kowa even higher in the mountains to be on the safe side. When they found a pretty good spot, they chop down some young spruce trees, dig holes in the ground for the spruce logs, place the spruce trees in the holes, and fasten them there. Then they bend the spruces in half and tie them together in the middle to form a dome. When the dome is in place, the cut branches of the young spruce trees are added to the side. They tie the branches to the main dome and then cover the roof with some branches, saplings, layers of leaves and earth, and skins to make it tight. Once the Kowa is done, they unload all the items they took with them. When the Kowa is finished and the sleds are empty, they build a drying rack with the sturdy branches of the sleds and a tanning rack with other branches. When all that is done and their camp complete, they unload some of the meat and other food they brought with them and prepare supper. They eat the succulent rabbit meat and the soft, delicious antelope meat, with which they wipe the remains of the honey out of the jar. After dinner they treat themselves to a few more mushrooms and berries before digging a pit where they store their food wrapped in skins or in jars. After they've finished eating and set up camp, they go to the Kowa and go to sleep. When they wake up the next day, they realize someone is outside in their camp. Someone is rummaging through their supplies. As Goshni Bah'choh walks out, someone immediately grabs and holds him. The noise outside also wakes the others up. They go out and find only one indigenous man, also an Apache, holding a knife to her father's throat. Behind them stand men who threaten them with the weapons that were in front of the Kowa. There are five men in all, the first one wears his hair down and no headband. He has taken the shotgun and is wearing leather trousers with a loincloth over them, and on his upper body he is wearing a shirt with a few embroidered animals. The other man standing to the left of the Kowa's entrance, wearing only a loincloth, with some objects hanging from his belt, he took the bow of Yazhí Shash. Behind him stood a man wearing a bandana. The bandana was red and he wore a leather waistcoat with a white shirt underneath. He's wearing black leather pants. The man threatening Goshni Bah'choh with his knife is wearing a loincloth and leather pants underneath. The other man leads the men's horses by the rope, but at the same time sits on the horse himself. The men shout at the three Apaches in the language of the Mescaleros. they ask, ''Why do you think you can build your Kowa here in our home?'' If they hadn't been able to answer, the men would probably have killed their father. "We waited here for the arrival of a free Mescalero tribe to be able to join them again," the two brothers reply. Upon hearing this, the Apaches remain silent and ponder the situation. They communicate practically only with looks, because they look into each other's faces and examine each other as if they can talk in their heads. In the end, everyone nods, only one is not convinced. After they're done with that, they tie up the family and blindfold them. then rotate them a few times to disorient them. then they load the horses with the sons and the father. Especially Yazhí Shash is thrown very hard on the horse. They feel helpless as they are taken away by the men. They don't know if they will survive this day. All they know is that men are in full control of their destiny. A feeling that drives you crazy after a long time. By the time they rode for a long time, it seemed that they had arrived in the village. When all the horses stopped, the Mescaleros unloaded them, like goods, and threw them briskly on the ground. After lying on the ground, their blindfolds were ripped off their faces and they were watched by a large group of men and women. You are greeted and repelled by them at the same time. They are supposed to prove themselves to the Apaches before they are accepted. In order to be accepted, Yazhí Shash and Dééní Béésh are to raid a nearby farm and bring as much booty as they can to the tribe. However, this farm was well protected and even many warriors didn't make it, so a few men, out of sheer humanity, came to the young warriors because they wanted to support them.