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“The surrender of Lee and Johnston?” Dancing Cloud said in perfect English For the e of the English language to Boyd Johnston, who before the war had been an Indian agent assigned to look after Dancing Cloud’s Wolf clan of Eastern Cherokee

“Yes, the surrender,” Boyd said glooreatly in the valley can of 1864, after the Battle of Cedar Creek, I saw the end then, Joe, of everything that we had fought for”

Dancing Cloud’s jaw tightened and his dark eyes narrowed angrily “Surrender is not a noble thing, o-gi-na-li-i, my friend, but unavoidable after the collapse of the Southern railroads,” he said flatly “All of Lee’s regiether with Sheria and the Carolinas, underan, it was then that Dancing Cloud saw the true end for the Confederacy”

He looked over his shoulder at his Cherokee warriors who had moved valiantly onward even when they knew that the North had all but won the war There had been no deserters a the Wolf clan Cherokee faction of the Confederate troops hen not fighting, made their homes in the Great Smoky Mountains

Although they orn and weary, their stoer, they had been true to their word and had stayed loyal to the South, to the end

Dancing Cloud beca the day that Boyd had coray uniform of the Confederacy

The young Cherokee had not seen Boyd for three winters at that ti to the Chero

kee in the capacity of an Indian agent, but as a soldier who held much rank with the Confederacy

Boyd had come to tell the Cherokees that in order to protect theht ask theotten permission from his superiors to ask his friends to enlist in his infantry regiment

Boyd’s er

Ja Cloud’s chieftain father, had seen no other way than to allow his son and his warriors to go to war Better it be with Boyd Johnston, than total strangers

Dancing Cloud’s eyes becaer brothers, and baby sister He said a silent prayer to the Great Spirit that they were all safe fro

Dancing Cloud and his warriors had joined the fight He felt that by aiding in the war he could secure respite for his people His ultiht be allowed to remain in their own mountain country

If he had rejected the offer to fight, he feared that the whole force of the Confederate troops ht come down upon his people in one fell swoop

Until recently, Dancing Cloud had felt that he had succeeded well enough Just before the news of the end of the war had reached his regiment there had been reports of deserters fro in numbers to hide in the mountains where the Cherokee lived Those deserters preyed on the innocent, robbing, killing, and perfores

“Joe, I said froh it, I would have done enough to be satisfied to spend the remainder of hter, Lauralee,” Boyd said, interrupting Dancing Cloud’s train of thoughts “Soon you and I will say goodbye, but not for long I shall bring et to know my Cherokee friends”

“It will be good to have you at our village again,” Dancing Cloud said “My fahter with your family”

“Joe, do you fear for your fah his wet shoulder-length brown hair, to smooth it back from his narrow face “I have never feared so much in my life as I fear for my family now Did they survive the damnable Yankees? I have heard of such atrocities committed by the Yankees that ht Carolyn and Lauralee would be safe enough on our land in Tennessee It was on the very edge of the mountains, set deep into the forest I hope to God the Yankees didn’t spot it as they marched their way south”