Page 61 (1/2)

Chapter 1

At night, when gazing

On the gay hearth blazing,

O, still remember me!

—THOMAS MOORE

1854, Texas

In continuing, brilliant zigzags, lightning raced against the dark, stormy sky Chief Fire Thunder, of the Coahuila Thunder clan of the Kickapoo, held tight to his reins as his white stallion becareat claps of thunder that ruround beneath his hooves

Fire Thunder leaned low over his stallion and spoke soothingly to hihorn steers, he stroked his steed’s thick neck

When Fire Thunder saw a falow that appeared on the horn tips of one of the steers at the head of the herd, he stiffened He had seen it before He braced hi the horns, danced along the steer’s back, then rolled off its tail into the ground

Fire Thunder straightened his back and sucked in a wild, nervous breath when, deep in the center of the packedappeared in , it leapt frohtening phosphorescent display The steers snorted and trumpeted as the air crackled and popped around them

Black Hair, Fire Thunder’s best nekanaki, friend, sidled his horse closer to his “They are going to sta wind and the rain that suddenly fell from the sky in torrents “Cry to the heavens, Fire Thunder Tell Grandfather to stop!”

Fire Thunder looked guardedly around him, at his other warriors ere too close to hiic, his special powers that were known only to him and his friend Black Hair

“This is not the time or the place for ave his friend a steady gaze “You knoell as I that my powers are reserved for times when I ath bestowed upon us by Kitzihiat, our Great Spirit!”

No sooner was that said than the leaders of the longhorn herd whirled and balked Dazzled by the play of lightning, the animals churned in confusion

Suddenly they turned and reversed their direction

The wet ground was pounded by an their crazed flight

“Sta his lariat from his saddle His eyes blurred froallop toward an old moss-horned bull that was in the lead

“Let’s head hiether!” Black Hair said as he rode after the saet him stopped, the rest will follow suit”

Fire Thunder nodded and looked over his shoulder at the rest of his warriors, ere atte to head off the bulk of the herd, and, lead them back in the direction of the Rio Grande