Apache Woman

Naleen dropped from her horse and carefully walked toward the man lying on the trailside, his army shirt soaked with blood. She looked around, hoping there was no one waiting to ambush her as she approached what could be a dying enemy of her tribe.

A low moan greeted her as her moccasin brushed against his side and she decided to try and save his life even though there was an unspoken war between their two peoples.

She went back to her horse and got the canteen which had been taken from a long forgotten enemy and gave some water to the wounded man. He moaned again, his hand slowly moving toward her wrist until he grabbed her hand and pulled her down, promptly causing him to pass out again.

Naleen pulled her hand away from him, wondering if trying to help him was stupid. She pulled his shirt open and looked at the flesh wound surrounded by a still bleeding cut across his chest. Ripping his shirt to form a crude bandage, she bound up his wound and took his pistol away, putting it in her bag on her horse. She returned to the trooper and once again poured water on his face, hoping that he would wake up.

He did.

*****

John looked at the Apache girl... then he changed his view. She was a fully grown Apache woman, armed with the sharpest knife he had seen in quite a while and as his hand reached for his missing gun he realized he was at her mercy, his life hanging in the balance of a war that never seemed to quit.

"Do you speak English?" he asked, wondering if his life depended on such a simple thing.

"Yes," she answered. "Missionary school."

Well, that answered that, he thought, hoping that she had learned more than just the language at the school. The fact that he was still alive gave him hope.

"Come, we go to my village." Naleen jumped up on her horse and pointed the way. John slowly followed her, realizing he had no other choice. His dog, Skipper, approached from around the boulder and followed at what it considered a safe distance.

*****

Entering the Apache village caused a silence to descend upon the group on braves that sat in front of the wikiups eating the day's portion of meat that had been brought by the army. They were angry that by treaty they were limited in what they could do.

Naleen brought John to the chief's wikiup and slid off her horse, then gave John's gun to the chief. She then spoke to him rapidly in their native language, explaining what had happened. The chief listened until she had finished her somewhat short story and then directed two braves to take the army sergeant inside the next wikiup and take care of his wound.

Several women entered and cleaned his deep cut and then bound it up once again using a clean bandage.

Naleen entered and knelt down next to the army trooper, putting her hand on his forehead and was satisfied that he was only running a slight temperature. "I will stay with him," she said. The women left her, her status as the chief's daughter was enough to sway them.

Several hours later, it was dark as the sun set and the only light given was from the various fires in front of the wikiups. Naleen had some roasted deer meat and had set some aside for her patient, or prisoner, she was sure which. The war between the army and the Apache nation was over, even if it caused a sour taste in the mouths of the braves.

John woke up to a dull ache that bothered him but not as much as the realization that he was a "guest" of the local natives. At least, he thought, he wasn't dead and he felt the new bandage tightly wrapped around his chest. He moved to sit up and saw Naleen in the firelight from the front of the wikiup,

"Hello," he ventured carefully, unsure of her feelings toward him, only remembering that she had probably saved his life by bringing him to the Apache camp.

She looked at him, finally bringing herself to answer, "Hello, Sergeant. I see that you are awake now. Are you in pain? The braves will not respect you if you show pain."

Surprised that she cared, John answered that he was alright, although his chest was very uncomfortable as the cut tightened while it healed.

"Can you walk?" she asked, extending her hand as if expecting a positive answer.

"Yes," he replied, grabbing her forearm and pulling himself up then letting her lead him outside into the bright Arizona sunshine many miles east of Phoenix. They walked together, quickly reaching the edge of the camp and continued toward the river, although the Apache culture did not eat fish.

"It's beautiful, here," he said, walking with her, his hand somehow in hers as they followed the riverbank alongside the water's riffles.

"We are here," she said, sitting on a large tree trunk near the river and waiting for John to join her side. It was quiet while they sat together, the only sound coming from the blue water that flowed nearby.

And then a shadow covered them, brought by an Apache brave who angrily began arguing with Naleen, demanding to know what she was doing. Skipper started barking, chasing around the two of them.

Naleen answered back, her position as the chief's daughter giving her strength in her argument, her voice rising as she stood up. The brave pushed her. John struck him in the jaw, causing the brave to fall back into the river. He weakly tried to push himself out of the water with his hands and arms. Water filled his lungs as he struggled to keep his head above the water.

John quickly knew the young brave was going to die and dove into the water toward him, putting his left arm around the brave's neck and dragged him back to the river bank. John pushed the youth over onto his stomach and pushed his back, hoping that it was enough to get the river water out of his lungs.

Finally, the young Apache coughed and water gurgled from his mouth. He eventually sat up and glared at John and Naleen and then left as silently as he had approached several minutes earlier.

"Why was he so angry?" John asked.

"He is my brother," Naleen replied.

"Damn."

*****

"Your father wants to see you... now."

Naleen was angry, but worried just the same. While her father was lenient with her, this was a situation that had never happened before, especially with her brother.

As the two approached the camp, she unconsciously withdrew her hand from John's and straightened herself to face her father. She hoped her ancestors would give her strength and the traditional power that women had in Apache customs. She straightened her cotton clothing that her tribe had adopted from the Mexicans. Skipper followed, giving his attention to her.

"Explain yourself," her father demanded.

"We were just sitting on the log by the river and Naiche came up and yelled at me and then pushed me so John struck him and he fell into the water and John saved him."

"Not what your brother says."

Naleen looked at her father and then her brother and then quietly said, "He's lying. You know his name means 'mischief maker.'"

The chief looked at her and then her younger brother and finally the army sergeant. "I believe you," he said to her and she could tell he was unhappy that his son would lie. "Tend to his wound, now that Naiche owes him his life."

Naleen took John away to the wikiup he was using and once inside, unwrapped his bandage and checked the healing cut on his chest. "I am sorry," she said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Why is your hair cut short?"

"My husband is dead."

John embraced her and tenderly kissed her, breaking the tribal customs that their group followed.

"What are you doing?" her brother angrily asked, still determined to keep the two lovers apart. He pulled a hunting knife from his belt and approached John, blade first.

John retreated, pushing Naleen behind him, looking for a way out of his predicament. He pushed back, tripping the young woman to the ground. Not having her to worry about, John extended his arms to confuse the youth, not wanting to hurt him, knowing that would forever destroy the growing relationship he had with Naleen.

"Get back... I don't want to hurt you." John knew by now that a man married in the Apache custom had to live with her younger brother or sister and provide for them.

Skipper stood his ground and growled.

The Apache youth moved his knife in a great circle, point forward and then back and forth. He lunged at John who stepped aside, bringing his own fist down on Naiche's extended arm, the knife flying into the air as John struggled to keep the boy disarmed.

"Stop! Stop!" Naleen cried, coming to her feet and picking up the knife. "Don't you understand?"

Naiche wiped his mouth, feeling for blood and finding none. He tried to get up but his sister pointed the knife at him, convincing him to stay on the ground.

Suddenly the chief entered the wikiup and glowered at his son, who he once thought would have made a good chief. "I apologize for the actions of my son," he said quietly.

"That's all right," John replied, "I understand... it's his sister, after all."

"What are your intentions for my daughter? Are you an honorable man toward her?"

"Yes, Chief, I am and would like to make her my woman, my wife."

*****

Naleen's father was both angry and satisfied with what he heard. He knew full well what his tribe's customs were regarding marriage. "Are you prepared to do what is necessary? It will not be easy... you are a blue coat and many of our tribe do not like what is happening."

"I will do whatever is necessary to be accepted. I care for Naleen deeply."

"Tomorrow you will go with three braves hunting. I will give you a rifle." The chief dismissed John and as John left he could hear the men talking about him but was unable to to understand what they were saying.

*****

The next morning found the hunting party several miles west of the river in search of prey when they came across deer tracks heading back toward the river. Soon they came across a small group of deer that were drinking from the river. John waited for the others to shoot and then quickly drew a bead on one which he shot and killed.

They put the deer onto the horses they had ridden and headed back to camp in good spirits although John could tell that the relationship he had with the other three was still cold. Only the word of the chief had kept them from shooting him in an "accident."

The women took the deer and prepared the meat for eating as well as smoking it for eating later. Naleen worked with four women to smoke the meat, cutting the deer into usable portions.

Other women prepared corn, wild grapes, red raspberries, gooseberries, pinon nuts, and acorns.

Naiche was angry that he had not been allowed on the hunt. He felt it necessary to prove his manhood to the maidens of the camp; it was time to take a wife.

John sat on the ground in front of the wikiup he was sleeping in, watching the women work the meat. He hoped his success during the hunt would change the attitude of the tribe but he saw no change in the way they treated him. He sighed, wondering what he could do.

*****

That evening, Naleen sat next to him, marking him as her chosen one to the rest of the tribe and in the month that he had been there, her hair had begun to grow back out. Her father called her out for a private walk near the river.

"Naleen, you know you are my daughter and I want the best for you. Are you sure you know what you are doing? He is... was... an enemy to our people. I still find it hard to accept this and your brother is very angry with your relationship with this man."

"Father, I find him to be my mate. He gives me comfort for what I want to be... I don't find that with other men here. I'm sorry but that is the truth and I'd rather be alone than have to choose one of them."

The chief was saddened to hear that. He had hoped she would choose between two braves he had thought of but he knew how stubborn she could be. "I..." He stopped speaking, realizing that there was nothing he could do and still maintain her love.

*****

That night, Naleen dreamed of John and the children they could have. John, on the other hand, slept fitfully, worried that he would never by accepted by the tribe no matter what he did. He decided to try and be friends with her brother but unsure how to do so.

*****

Five men rode into the tribe's camp bringing everything to a standstill. They were from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and had heard rumors of an army man living with the Apache tribe. Without hesitation, the chief led them to John who stood up from the ground he had sitting on.

"We've heard about you but weren't sure it was true. You're John Carswell, aren't you?"

"Sergeant John Carswell... survivor of bushwackers who ambushed us several miles from here. The Apaches here patched me up and helped me survive the attack."

"We've got orders to take you back with us."

"No, by my count, my enlistment is up and I want to stay here." John looked back at the standing crowd that surrounded the unwelcome visitors. He became worried for their safety. "Please, leave. You are not welcome at this time."

He could tell they were angry but unable to do anything.

"Are you sure, Sergeant? This is not good." They didn't make a move to leave.

"You must leave, for your own safety." John once again looked behind him at the growing crowd. Naleen was translating for her father faster than he could understand by himself and the old man was getting worried there might be bloodshed by the unwelcome visitors who had disrupted the tribe's calm afternoon.

"How can you stay with a bunch of savages?"

It soon became obvious that John was not going to leave peaceably with the Indian Bureau riders and so they left, Skipper following and barking.

'Now what?' he asked himself, watching the five riders finally disappear into the dusty afternoon.

The chief gave John back his gun and holster, a sign to the camp that he trusted him. Without another sign, the old man walked to his wikiup and sat down on the ground, waiting for any disagreement from the camp.

Skipper walked up to the chief and lay down in the ground next to him, panting in the Arizona heat, wanting a petting from him. The man rubbed the dog's stomach and then gave it some water. He liked the dog. The tribe had dogs but as time went by they had all died for one reason or another.

*****

"What are we going to do?" asked one of the Bureau men to the others. "We can't leave him there, you know."

"Why not? It doesn't make any difference to me."

"Are you forgetting about the reward? It's a year's pay for me."

The two men looked at one another, ignoring the other three until one gave up and they headed back toward the Apache camp.

An hour later they approached from the north to the barking of the lone dog in the camp. Skipper stood his ground, growling as they came in, hands on guns.

"What do you want? I told you I wasn't going back, I'm done with the army, my enlistment is up and my life is here now."

"Listen, you're coming with us, one way or another." The leader shot Skipper and the wounded dog fell.

A shot rang out, then another and another and another and another. The five men dropped from their saddles to the ground, fatally bleeding into the dusty dirt.

John looked behind him only to see Naleen and her brother standing there, rifles in their hands. When he gave them an inquiring look, the brother just looked back with a smile on his face while he began to take the weapons from the dead men.

"Well, I'll be damned," said John to himself.

*****

It was late evening before the five dead men were buried a mile from the tribe's camp. John rested his shovel against a nearby tree and took a drink from his canteen. One moment he was sorry the men were dead but then he remembered his dog had been shot. Finally he turned toward Naleen's brother and thanked him. Naiche just smiled, thinking of the wealth he had acquired from the five dead men.

The two rode their horses back to camp, a newfound friendship between the men brought together by happenstance. Naleen waited for them, hot food still ready in her wikiup.

John missed his dog, now buried with the five dead men, guarding them in the afterlife.

*****

The simple marriage ceremony joined Naleen and John and their first week was private with Naiche staying with his parents. There was a quiet truce between the two men after all the events following John's arrival. John and Naleen spent their afternoons walking hand in hand by the river, talking quietly, saying the things that only new lovers knew. Every few steps John would stop and kiss Naleen, hoping to keep her in his heart forever.

*****

"He's awake! Call the doctor!"

The doctor arrived and immediately began to check his patient. The nurse moved closer, her charge finally waking up after a month in a coma.

"I'm your nurse," she said, "my name is Naleen."

John, the policeman who had been shot and in a coma for more than a month, looked at the nurse and said, "I'm in love with you."