The Adventures of Cherokee by Nancy Johnson Read Free Book Online Page A

missing horses. “Do you want us to go after them, Boss?” asked J.D.
    “No, J.D.” said Bobby. “We’ll just continue to work on the others you brought in. Funny, I would have thought the stallion would have been the one to make a break for it. Let’s go put in some more time on that young black colt,” strangely dismissing the loss of the two horses.
    Meanwhile, Cherokee and Sunee had wakened with the sun, climbed back out of the bowl in the earth, and continued west. The air was chilly, but the morning sun felt warm on their backs as they trotted side by side. They did not speak for a long time. Good companions don’t need constant conversation; besides they were enjoying the scenery. The land was beginning to change. It was a little flatter and sandier, but they could see hills in the distance. The trees were scrubbier, shorter and not many leaves were left on them. The sun rose higher in the sky. They smelled water and stopped to rest when they found it.
    Just before dusk, after a week of pleasant travel and peaceful days, they heard unfamiliar noises. Being curious they climbed a hill wanting to see what it was. There in a little valley, resting in a circle, were ten covered wagons.
    Many people were moving around inside the circle of the wagons, building fires. The two horses were cautious, but not afraid. As they watched from the top of the hill, they heard laughing and talking. They saw children playing games, men hauling water and tending to the animals. They saw the women gathering fire wood, lighting fires.
    Cherokee had fleeting thoughts of Tsa tsi and his mother and how nice it was to have someone look after him. He remembered the smells that came from the cooking fires and how it felt to be petted and touched. He shook his head to get rid of the memories. “Look, Cherokee,” whispered Sunee. “Some of the small people are coming this way!”
    “Those are children,” answered Cherokee. “Children are good. They like horses. But we don’t want to get caught! Let’s hide in those trees near the river.”
    The two horses quickly but quietly trotted toward a stand of trees not far away. The darkness in the shelter of the forest hid them well. It allowed them a vantage point to watch the people on the wagon train. The children were gathering firewood for the campfires.
    Cherokee and Sunee could hear the families talking and laughing separating into family groups, preparing their evening meal. They continued to watch and listen.
    “I smell their coffee,” said Sunee. “It always smells so strong and bitter!”
    “I agree,” answered Cherokee, “But Man seems to like it. Other things smell good, though, don’t they?” he continued.
    “Yes. I think I am hungry, too. Let’s find some grass.”
    And so they went their own way, nosing through the fallen leaves and nibbling any grass they could find. The happy family sounds were pleasant to their ears and made them long for their own families.
    “Emily!” Someone called. “Emily! Where are you?”
    Cherokee and Sunee lifted their heads and looked toward the wagon train. They were too far away to see well, so they moved in that direction, watching carefully for danger.
    At the same time the woman again called, “Emily, Emily! Where have you gone?” Sunee spotted a little girl walking toward the forest. She was humming a little tune, picking wild flowers. The horses both watched her with interest.
    She appeared to be about three years old, wearing a long blue cotton dress that reached the ankles of her high top shoes. Her sun bonnet was pushed back from her head of long brown hair and tied loosely in a knot at her throat. She walked this way and that, her direction determined by which wild flowers appealed to her the most. Suddenly she stopped.
    Sunee watched the little girl for a moment and then let her eyes search the ground in front of the child. A slight movement! A rattling sound! The filly was in a dead run beforeCherokee could make a