Beatrice and the Beast, page 23
The Indians they were following stopped by a tepee which was set slightly apart from the others and one of them called out something in the Cheyenne language and it wasn’t long before an elderly man who Zelletta knew to be a chief, emerged from the lodge closely followed by a white man. The old man made his way to the travois that held Rappo and peered down at him before speaking in words that only their friend was apparently, able to understand. Rappo painfully, answered him and the chief returned to the watching group and addressed Zelletta who had dismounted and stood by his horse watching.
‘Arapaho not friend of Cheyenne,’ said the chief. ‘But we know this man and he good friend. Fix him good.’
He said something to one of the children who scurried away between the tepees. Then he signalled them all to dismount and as soon as Beatrice alighted on the ground, she was quickly surrounded by chattering women who began touching her face and stroking her long dark hair. The bemused girl looked at Zelletta imploringly but he simply smiled and followed the chief and the middle-aged white man into his tepee as did Charlie.
Beatrice was left to the mercy of the Cheyenne women and girls who took her arms and forcefully led her away. She turned her head to see the same was happening to Grace who was following on surrounded by more Cheyenne females. However, the younger girl didn’t appear to be experiencing the same level of anxiety as she was and it came to her that Grace trusted Zelletta’s judgement as she herself should. He had made it clear on several occasions, he would never allow her to be harmed and so, some of the fear left her and she stopped resisting. Instead, she composed herself which gave rise to some of the tension leaving her body and she allowed, still with a little trepidation, her chattering guides to lead her to whatever destiny awaited.
Eventually Beatrice and Grace were made to enter one of the tepees a little closer to the stream. Two of the women followed them in and signalled them to sit on some buffalo furs near the far wall. A small fire was burning in the middle of the floor surrounded by stones to catch the ashes and more buffalo furs were scattered around the large floor area.
Beatrice and Grace huddled together and watched the two women, one who seemed very old and the other much younger and prettier, perhaps just a couple of years older than Beatrice. They stood watching the open entrance to the tepee as though they were expecting somebody else to arrive.
Eventually, after just a few minutes of silent waiting, a young girl around the same age as Grace, entered and stood for a moment while her eyes became accustomed to the gloom.
The older woman spoke to her and the child looked over to appraise the two white girls, then stared in fascination at Beatrice for a long uncomfortable time, until finally, the old woman spoke again but sharply, in her native language. This didn’t appear to concern the girl in the least who simply grinned and sat down cross legged to face the two white girls. She smiled at Beatrice, then spoke in perfect English.
‘Hello,’ she said enthusiastically. ‘I am Lona. It means beautiful in your language.’
‘Oh!’ Exclaimed Beatrice in surprise. ‘You speak English.’
‘Yes of course. I have been going to school here for a long time. Most of the children here speak English as well as Cheyenne.’
She paused for a moment before continuing.
‘But I am the best English speaker on the reservation and it was me who taught my grandfather to speak English.’
‘Your grandfather?’
‘Yes, Avonaco. He is the Chief of the reservation. I taught him to speak English so he would be able to understand the Agent, Mister Mathews.’
The old woman spoke sharply to the girl again and she snapped back just as sharply, before turning her attention back to Beatrice.
‘Neha wants me to welcome you and ask if you are hungry.’
‘Neha?’
‘The old woman. She thinks she is the boss lady around here because she is the number one wife of the chief.’
‘Then she is your grandmother.’
‘No, my grandmother is chief’s number two wife.’
‘Oh, I see.’
Beatrice didn’t see at all and could not comprehend how a man could have more than one wife no matter who he was. However, she didn’t have time to dwell on it because the old woman snapped at the child once more and she sounded very angry. The girl leapt to her feet and yelled at the woman who raised a hand as though to strike her and Beatrice gasped fearfully. But the woman lowered her arm and simply glowered at Lona who glared back in defiance until the other young woman stepped between them and spoke gently to the girl. Lona sat back down and the young Cheyenne woman turned her attention to and spoke quietly but forcibly, to the old woman who stormed out of the tepee.
The younger woman sat down next to Lona and smiled at the two white girls. Lona took her hand and gripped it tight before speaking again.
‘This is Elina, she is the real boss lady of the reservation. Even my grandfather is very careful what he says to her. She is very wise and always knows what to do when there is danger or any kind of trouble and she advises my grandfather when he is bargaining with the agent or traders.
Beatrice smiled at the attractive young woman and said hello while Grace remained silently gazing at the two Cheyenne females. Elina smiled back, showing her even white teeth which Beatrice thought, made her even more attractive if that were possible.
‘Your men will eat with my grandfather and you will eat with us,’ announced Lona. ‘The Arapaho is being taken care of as we speak, so you should not worry about him.’
‘Why have we been separated from the men?’ Asked Beatrice.
‘Men talk and hunt. Women do everything else. Sometimes women join the men when they are talking if they are important like Elina but not very often.’
At the mention of her name Elina looked at the girl questioningly and Lona spoke to her in Cheyenne. Elina returned with more dialogue which the girl translated into English.
‘Elina wants to know if you would like to wash at the creek before we eat and she wants to know what you are called.’
‘This is Grace and I am Beatrice.’
Lona relayed the names to her older friend which Elina attempted to repeat.
‘Grez – Bitruz,’ she said and Lona giggled merrily which set Elina off and the two laughed uncontrollably while Beatrice and Grace looked on and smiled uncertainly because their unfamiliarity of the Cheyenne ways, meant they were unable to comprehend what they found so funny.
When Lona calmed down enough to speak coherently, she regarded the two half smiling girls and became serious.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I just thought it funny the way Elina spoke your names. I should not have laughed.’
Beatrice was relieved it was the only motivation for their merriment. She had speculated on them having a joke at their expense and were giving them a false sense of security before imprisoning them or something. She had already feared the worse as far as the men were concerned and envisioned them being captured and tortured by the Indians and strangely, her main concern was for the well-being of Frank Zelletta over anyone else’s including her own. She felt her heart would break if anything bad happened to him or if he was hurt in any way.
Elina stood and after a moment, so did Lona.
‘Come,’ she said brightly. ‘We will go to the creek and wash. Then we will eat.’
Elina took Beatrice’s hand and helped her to her feet and Lona did the same with Grace. Then still holding hands, the Cheyenne girls led the white girls through the tepee opening and between more of the lodges and made their way to the creek. On the way, many other women and children, halted whatever tasks they were attending to and stared curiously at the four females strolling hand in hand as they passed by their tepees.
At the creek, Beatrice was surprised to see how many people had congregated there, mostly women who were either washing clothing or themselves in the shallow water. There were also children of all ages enjoying the creek. The younger ones paddling in the shallows and the older one’s swimming in the deeper water.
Beatrice and Grace were led upstream a little way from the laughing, screaming children, where the two Cheyenne removed their moccasins and after sitting her down on the grassy bank, helped Beatrice remove her boots. Grace was already barefooted, so before long, the Cheyenne girls had led the white girls into the shallow, knee deep water of the creek. The water was cold but invigorating where Beatrice and also Grace to a certain extent, began to relax secure in the knowledge the two Cheyenne girls were only trying to make them feel at ease and extend their hospitality toward them.
That changed suddenly when Lona suddenly scooped water two handed and splashed her friend. Elina shrieked and duplicated the movement covering her laughing young friend with water and soon they were splashing each other furiously and both became soaked along with Beatrice and Grace who were unable to avoid the flying liquid.
The frivolity became infectious and soon, Grace joined in and splashed Beatrice who squealed and splashed the laughing girl in return. Soon all four girls were throwing water indiscriminately at each other and by the time their sport had come to an end, they were soaked and exhausted and finished up lying side by side on the bank still giggling softly.
Both Beatrice and Grace were unable to remember laughing so much in their short lives. Beatrice’s upbringing had been more cultured and silliness had been frowned upon. Grace had only known hardship and toil from a very early age and had rarely found anything to even smile about never mind laugh.
As they lay on the bank allowing the sun to dry their clothes, each of them became lost in thought. Grace had never in her short life, felt so at ease and her young mind which had always been a place of turmoil, suddenly, found a kind of peace and she wondered if this was how normal folks felt all the time. If so, she hoped she would become normal and find at last, the kind of tranquillity she felt at that precise moment in time.
Beatrice felt liberated from the staid and decorous existence that had been a way of life for her ever since she could remember. She had been shown by the two lovely Cheyenne girls, how to have fun and be free from the constraints of decorum. It had opened her eyes and she craved more of this wonderful freedom she had briefly, experienced.
Elina was thinking about Beatrice and how she had suddenly burst free from her chrysalis, like a butterfly and shown her beautiful wings to all who witnessed them. She thought the young white woman was the most beautiful creature she had ever set eyes upon and wished with all her heart she had asked Lona to teach her English a long time ago. Then she would be able to communicate without the use of her friend’s translating skills.
Lona’s thoughts were on both Grace and Beatrice, but mainly on Grace. The girl was very thin and looked undernourished and all she seemed to have to wear, was a thin cotton dress that was very faded and worn. She didn’t even appear to have any kind of footwear and her feet looked calloused and scarred. The poor girl seemed to have nothing apart from what she stood up in and Lona thought she looked completely out of place in the company of Beatrice and the two white men.
Eventually, Elina propped herself up on an elbow and spoke to Lona, who relayed what she had said to the white girls.
‘Elina wants you both to come to her tepee and eat some food she has cooked.’
Beatrice smiled.
‘Thank you so very much. I believe I speak for Grace as well as myself, when I say we will be pleased to accept Elina’s kind invitation to lunch with you both.’
The younger girl giggled softly before repeating most of what Beatrice had said, to her friend who smiled happily. Lona thought Beatrice’s strange way of speaking was funny and found herself stifling her humour each time the young woman spoke. However, like Elina, she thought Beatrice was a beautiful young woman, the like of which she had never seen before in her entire young life.
The two white girls were led to Elina’s tepee, one she shared with her husband who, despite his young age, was one of the higher-ranking braves amongst the Cheyenne and was presently with Avonaco talking to the white visitors.
The floor of the tepee was scattered with the usual buffalo furs and three girls, each sat on a pile of them while Elina heated up a clay pot of a delicious smelling stew, she had previously prepared over the fire. Once hot enough, it was ladled into wooden bowls and eaten with wooden spoons.
Beatrice had become accustomed to unconventional ways of eating since leaving Wichita, therefore she was quite happy to feed herself with a wooden spoon, especially as the stew was so delicious.
After they had eaten, Lona exited the tepee with the announcement, she would be back shortly which left the other three sitting in silence unable to communicate without a translator. However, within just a few minutes, the young Cheyenne girl had returned carrying a deerskin dress and a pair of moccasins. These, she presented to Grace who could not prevent her jaw dropping as she gaped at Lona in shock and surprise.
‘What…?’ She began.
Lona replied with a broad smile on her pretty face.
‘For you,’ she said happily. ‘They are a gift from me.’
For a moment Grace displayed a mixture of confusion and wonderment on her young face. Then she spoke incredulously.
‘I ain’t never been given a gift before, not by nobody. Can I keep ‘em?’
Lona giggled happily.
‘Yes, gifts are to keep. I want you to keep them and I want you to wear them while you are here.’
Grace regarded Lona through eyes that had suddenly become moist with tears.
‘Can I hug you Lona?’ She whispered.
The Indian girl smiled.
‘Yes, I would like that.’
They embraced with Beatrice and Elina looking on with smiles on their faces. After a few moments, Grace spoke.
‘Can I wear them now?’
‘Yes, please put them on, they will make you look pretty.’
‘Now? Here?’
‘Yes, nobody is allowed to enter so nobody will see you except us.’
Grace stepped back a pace and audaciously pulled her dress over her head, leaving her standing naked with her thin body on show to the three girls. Lona helped her to don the Indian dress which was very ornate and decorated with different coloured beads, shells and porcupine quills. It was a little loose on the girl’s emaciated body, but already enhanced her looks and induced in Beatrice an impression of how pretty Grace would be once she had filled out a little. After Lona had helped her to put on the moccasins, Grace twirled around and around laughing with pleasure. The dress felt wonderful and it was so pleasurable to wear something on her feet, especially as the moccasins felt so light and comfortable to wear.
‘Oh Lona,’ she enthused. ‘I love the dress and I love the shoes and I love you for giving them to me.’
Elina moved close and spoke softly to Lona who nodded briefly before addressing Beatrice.
‘Elina wishes to gift you one of her dresses and moccasins,’
‘Oh! I couldn’t expect her to do that for me,’ answered the young woman. ‘I don’t need clothes or shoes the way Grace does.’
Lona frowned.
‘If you refuse her gift, Elina will lose face and think you don’t respect her.’
‘Oh no! I greatly respect her and think she is lovely. But I don’t have anything to give her in return.’
‘Show her you are happy with the gift. That is the best thing you could give her.’
‘Of course, and I’m sorry I appeared so ungrateful. I will gladly accept it and treasure it for always.’
‘You must show her you really want to wear it and ask if you can put it on now.’
‘But…’
‘If you do not, she will think you do not like the dress and are only accepting because you feel sorry for her and that will cause her to feel worthless in your eyes.’
Elina watched the exchange of words with ever increasing doubt. Perhaps she was being disrespectful to the beautiful white woman by offering her the gift when she clearly preferred western clothes and very likely considered an Indian dress below her dignity.
Beatrice felt she would do anything to spare the feelings of the likeable young Indian woman. Therefore, she took the gift with a bright smile and indicated with arm movements that she would like to wear it. That had the desired effect and Elina’s face lit up as she nodded furiously to signal her ascent. Beatrice turned to Lona.
‘Do I have to try it on here? Now?’
‘Yes,’ replied the girl shortly.
The young woman took a deep breath and quickly removed her boots, riding skirt and shirt to leave her standing in her underwear. Elina stifled a giggle when she saw what the woman wore under her clothing. But Beatrice didn’t notice. She was too interested in donning the Indian dress as quickly as possible in order to preserve her modesty. However, Lona stopped her with a word.
‘No!’
Beatrice held the dress in front of her and turned to face the girl.
‘What?’
‘You must remove your underwear first. The dress is tight and won’t go over those things.’
‘I can’t wear a dress without underwear.’
‘You can. We do. It will make you feel free.’
With that she advanced on Beatrice and began undoing the buttons to her chemise while Elina knelt before her and tugged on the waistband of her pantaloons.
‘Oh, my goodness,’ gasped the young woman. ‘Is this really necessary?’
However, as much as it went against everything that had been indoctrinated into her. She did not resist their attentions for fear of hurting Elina’s feelings. Instead, she nervously allowed them to undress her and help her on with Elina’s dress. The soft deerskin material felt wonderful against her skin and despite her misgivings, it was incredibly liberating to be free of her underwear.
