RED DEER'S CHILDRENS ADVENTURES ( PART FIFTEEN )

Red Deer put the wooden bowl down, when he'd finished drinking, his eyes were getting weary, he
closed them and as he did, he heard the soft trotting of a horse from outside the entrance, he
opened his eyes and there before him, to his surprise was his horse, he could not believe his
eyes, he wiped them to make sure he wasn't dreaming. It was the most wonderful sight, he had
seen in a long time.

"Swift as Wind, what are you doing out here?" he
stood up and walked over to the horse, gently
hugging him, his eyes now wide open. "Quick!" said
Red Deer, "we have to get away from this place."
his determination, kept him awake, as he jumped up
on to the horse's back...and was gone into the night.

As he rode, he thought about finding his way straight home, after all he had his Eagle feather
now, but without his bow and arrows and his knife,
it would be dangerous and he needed his warm clothing. So he decided to make his way back to
the camp.

Red Deer slumped forward, feeling the effects of
sleep taking him. "Please boy, take us back to the
camp," he whispered into the horse's ear.

It did not take long before they left the Canyon,
once out, the temperature went right down. Red Deer
awoke all of a sudden, rain seemed to appear from
nowhere. He felt cold and tired and was desperate
to get some warm clothing on.

Although he felt woozy, he managed to stay awake,
watching and listening in the darkness.

It was still night time, when Swift as Wind rode
into the camp, the light rain was still falling
and Red Deer shivered, feeling cold and wet.

He dismounted feeling very stiff, then made his
way, as quietly as possible over to Two Feathers
lodge, lifting the flap at the entrance, he went
inside, it was very dark, there wasn't a fire,
which Red Deer thought was unusual, then he noticed
that the lodge was empty, 'where were Two Feathers
and Amadahy?' he thought to himself.

He felt his way over to where he had slept the night before, he found his bow and arrows and his
knife, also his clothes and blanket.

Quickly getting dressed, he picked up all his belongings and walked to the entrance, he wondered
where everyone was, feeling a little bit guilty,
but then he thought about the fact he had been kidnapped and taken in to the Canyon, so then he
didn't feel quite so bad.

He placed the blanket over the horse's back, then
with everything he needed, he jumped up on Swift as
Winds back. He checked his pouch, to make sure the
Eagle feather was still there, he wanted to be sure
he hadn't dreamt the whole thing.

Then he turned, "come on boy, we're going home," he
said to the horse. He rode out of the camp and back
along the river.

To be continued ..............