Trail of the River

Running Antelope left his watching place at the Anasazi wall and proceeded to his other lookout point on top of the adjacent mesa to the south.  From here, he watched for movement along flat terrain to the southeast.  Junipers, pinyon pines, mesquite trees and creosote bushes added patches of green to this plain.   Clumps of sage, prickly pear and pincushion cacti mixed more greenish colors to the generally tan colored land.   Gray light of dawn was gradually seeping along the horizon.  This light gave more distinct outlines to pinnacles of rock and mesas southward along with the flat desert in the southeast.  The initial grayness became infused by a pink glow before golden rays flashed from the horizon and emblazoned upper sections of pinnacles.  As the sun ascended into a pale sky, light moved gradually down the spires, hit the mesas then filled the plain.

Running Antelope watched the flat terrain brighten.  He noted the beauty while he watched for enemies.  When he saw a flash of light in the distance, on the plain, he knew that the sun’s rays had hit a metal object and this object was moving.  He observed the plain more closely.  In a short time, he could distinguish a column of men.  Some were on horseback.  Others were walking.

Always a cautious man, Running Antelope did not jump into immediate action.  He continued watching these enemies.  I always like to be sure of what I’m doing before I act, he told himself as he had informed others who had previously criticized his apparent slowness.  Everything about him was ordinary except the lines on his face and the brightness in his eyes.  He was a man who never acted in haste.  Only his eyes revealed the fire in his personality. 

The column of enemies was close to the mesa before, in the distance, he saw the second column.  He left his lookout point and returned to the canyon.