CHAPTER TWO #3
Red Fox had once been aboard one of these steamers and knew that there were rooms abutting these pathways. He remembered there was even a large room where all the people aboard the ship dined or engaged in several different recreations.
With disappointment seeping into his heart, Red Fox realized that perhaps he would not get to see Poka'aki at this time. Of course, he could always call to her in the mind-to-mind speak.
But, no. He had already decided he would not present himself to her face-to-face. There was no purpose in it; too much had changed in these last two winters, he being now convinced that, although he loved her deeply, they must not marry.
Still, he wished to steal a glimpse of her.
"Take heart, human. She will come," Hunts-with-the-wind expressed in the mind-to-mind communication.
At a point where the river narrowed slightly, the boat came in closer to the shoreline, there up close and in front of Red Fox.
Then, the entire ship slowed to a halt, as though the steamboat were alive and had ceased moving simply because Red Fox wished it to do so.
And then, within a few moments, she was there, having stepped out from one of the second-level compartments along the ship's pathways.
Slowly, she paced toward the railing of the ship until she stood directly in front of him.
From his position atop a high butte, he looked down upon her, knowing her at once, even despite her foreign appearance.
Though she had clothed herself in the style of the white man's society, there was no mistaking who she was.
Donned in green and white, she was dressed in a gown that fell all the way to the deck of the ship, hiding her lovely feet.
He frowned slightly because of the style of her dress. It was an oddity to his eye; indeed, the dress, though pretty, was puffed out in back, while the front of her dress was tightly drawn in, accenting her figure. Was her waist really so small?
He gulped. He had always believed her to be the most beautiful woman of his acquaintance. But, the dress she was wearing accentuated her every feminine curve.
Comparing her appearance now to an Indian woman's style of dress, he was overly conscious that he had never before seen her flaunt her womanly endowment so obviously.
Certainly, amongst the women of his tribe there were no low-cut or tight-fitting dresses, no hats or headgear, except perhaps a beaded clasp.
And, without doubt, Indian women did not wear footgear designed to make the woman appear taller than she was.
Warming to his subject, he studied her more closely.
She wore a small hat on her head, and tied around her neck was a green ribbon.
Her complexion was white compared to his people's tanned appearance, though her cheeks were rosy and her lips were a shade of red.
Her dark-red hair appeared to have been pulled up on top of her head, allowing only a few long tight curls to escape.
But, foreign-looking though she was, she was still the most beautiful woman in all this world.
Despite the danger of becoming visible to her, as his pet, Hunts-with-the-wind had done, Red Fox also stood up. If she would only look up, she would see them both.
As though he had willed it, she did look up. And, as her gaze met his own, the world around him stopped momentarily.
They looked at one another for what must have been a short time only, but it seemed as though the pacing hand of time had obliged him and had stopped altogether for that short period. He and she said not a word to one another, not even in the ethereal world of mind-speak.
He might not have spoken to her at all, except he "heard" her say, mind-to-mind, "I love you."
"And I, you," he responded.
Though nothing more was said, they continued to stare at one another; it was as though they were each one hungry for the mere sight of the other.
Whatever problem the steamboat might have been experiencing, it appeared to be now fixed, for the boat was moving slowly forward.
But, before it went out of sight completely, Red Fox saw Poka'aki step around a corner of the boat so as to be able to keep him within her sight.
He stared back at her until the boat moved forward, it slowly becoming a mere speck on the western horizon.
Then her words came into his mind, and he listened as she said, "I will look for you when this steamboat pulls into port at Fort Benton tomorrow."
He didn't answer.
"You will be there, won't you?" she asked.
When he still didn't answer, she asked again, "Won't you?"
He paused, but at last he told her via the mind-speak, "It is complicated."
"Are you married, then?"
"I am not," he answered.
"I am glad to know this," she said. "But, why is it complicated?"
He could no longer see the steamship when he answered, "Our world is not the same as it was when we were younger."
"Of course it isn't," she answered, although they could no longer see one another. "After all, two years have gone by since we last saw each other. But, there is one aspect about me that has not changed, my long-ago tutor. I love you still. Always, I will love you."
"I, too, feel this way."
"Then, what is the problem?"
"There are many," he answered. "Do not fear. We will see one another again, but perhaps not when the boat-that-walks-on-water comes to Fort Benton."
"Please? Please be there when this boat pulls into its landing. I ache to catch sight of you again, if only for a moment. Won't you please make the journey to be there?"
Red Fox sighed. Perhaps it had not been wise to come here to see her.
"Of course it was wise," came her reply to his thought, and he smiled. He had forgotten for a moment that his mind was still open to hers.
In mind-speak, then, he said, "I will be there. You will have to look for me, but I will be there."
He could feel her relief before he "heard" her say, "Thank you. I will hunt for you if I have to."
And, then the communication between them ended, and glancing down at Hunts-with-the-wind, he asked, "You heard?"
"Yes," answered his pet.
Red Fox gulped down a sigh before he turned about to retrace his steps back to camp. But, before he set out upon the trail, he heard Hunts-with-the-wind say, "I want to see this female two-legged who loves you so much."
"And, so you shall, my friend. So you shall."