xymnovel Chapter 102 Even in the cold winter, Native Americans die!
Chapter 102 Even in the cold winter, Native Americans die!
Chapter 102 Even in the cold winter, Native Americans die!
James gave a wink and quietly led Tom out of the house, braving the biting cold wind, and headed towards the cowboy shed at the neighboring Covington Ranch.
The shed was empty.
"Once the weather gets a little better," James's voice was exceptionally clear and resolute in the empty shed, "we'll go."
Tom looked up abruptly: "Go? Where to?"
"Oregon," James uttered the name, looking calmly at his son.
"Oregon?" Tom almost thought he'd misheard. He stared at his father in disbelief. "Our ranches, our valleys, our gold mines? We're just going to throw them all away?"
"Yes," James's voice was firm, "but not now. After we've settled down in Oregon, after this damn winter is over—"
He paused, his eyes sharpening, "Then, whether it's a gold mine, a valley, or a ranch, everything will fetch a good price!"
Tom stared at his father in shock.
A thought, like a cold snake, suddenly burrowed into my mind.
He's sure of it!
James, the father, had his eyes completely blinded by the hellish winter of Montana!
The change came unexpectedly!
Perhaps because Tom took Dan in but prevented him from seeking revenge, "Snow Wolf" chose to leave.
Tom didn't insist that he stay, and before leaving, he let him take a beef cow with him, after all, the precious ointment that treated his right hand was a great favor.
In exchange, "Snow Wolf" left behind Tom's tent, sleeping bag, and the mysterious sphere.
Time flies, and it's already the end of the month.
The bandits that everyone was on high alert didn't come, but instead, they were greeted by unexpected visitors: the Klaus tribe!
"Tom! Someone's coming!" Zack, patrolling the perimeter, shouted urgently, his binoculars raised. "A group of men is heading this way!"
Tom's heart tightened, and he immediately rushed out, shouting, "Notify everyone! Something's happened!"
Zach nodded, then turned and ran towards the livestock shed.
Tom instinctively tightened his leather coat.
Everyone says the weather should warm up by the end of March, but this awful weather, with the cold wind carrying a few snowflakes, is still biting, though it's "gentle" compared to the previous blizzard.
His eyes had already clearly seen who it was, and his brows instantly furrowed: "How could it be him? It's only been a few days, and he's already bringing people to our door?"
It's no wonder Tom was suspicious; the leader was clearly "Snow Wolf," who had just left!
"Did you see who it was?" Dan, carrying a gun, rushed to Tom's side, panting, with grease still sticking to the corner of his mouth.
Tom glanced at him, not caring that his lips would crack from the cold.
It's no wonder, though, since everyone has moved to Covington Ranch.
Anyone who sees so many cattle will be amazed, exclaiming, "Wow, there are so many cattle!"
There was a gluttonous Jonah with excellent cooking skills on the ranch, and with his mother Margaret's strict order to "replenish nutrition" for Dan's beautiful wife, beef was practically available everywhere.
With herds of cattle around, who would worry about not having meat to eat?
"Go, put on the hood." Tom's answer surprised Dan. It seemed that the person who came was at least not a vicious criminal.
Soon, everyone gathered around the fence.
Tom looked at his father, James, and lowered his voice: "What are they trying to do?"
"Robbery?" James shook his head, his tone calm. "It doesn't seem like it. The Indians know very well that daring to leave the reservation and rob a ranch is like handing a knife to the lords of Washington. They wouldn't be that stupid."
That makes sense.
The federal government is looking for an excuse to further shrink their living space.
"So what's the point of all this fuss?"
Zach frowned, his hand unconsciously resting on the gun handle.
He really didn't want to fight "Snow Wolf." Based on their previous interactions, he was definitely a respectable and brave warrior.
Finally, the group was invited into the ranch and settled in a spacious cowboy shed.
Unexpectedly, the Klaus people showed great sincerity and respect.
Under the leadership of "Snow Wolf," they unloaded all the conspicuous weapons—the heavy battle axe, the sturdy horn bow, and the gleaming longsword—and neatly placed them on the ground at the entrance of the work shed.
The small shed was instantly filled with more than twenty Klaue men, and the air seemed to become a little heavier.
"Snow Wolf" stood at the front, pointing to the two key figures: "James, this is our chieftain, and this is our shaman."
The clan leader was no stranger to the group, but the appearance of the shaman secretly alarmed everyone.
The old man was wrapped in a thick animal skin, revealing only a face etched with the lines of time, yet with exceptionally clear eyes.
In the dead of winter, the most esteemed and mysterious shaman of the tribe actually traveled all the way here in person?
Tom couldn't help but cast a questioning glance at "Snow Wolf," but the wolf seemed not to notice and looked away.
"James, please forgive our intrusion."
The chieftain spoke first, his tone carrying the straightforwardness characteristic of the Klaus people, yet also revealing a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.
James' heart skipped a beat.
A tribal chief and a shaman both appeared on the immigrants' ranch.
If word gets out, what will those ambitious gentlemen in Washington think?
He said in a deep voice, "Clan leader, please state your purpose directly."
The chieftain took a deep breath: "We know you have a large number of cattle. The Klaus tribe wants to make a deal with you."
transaction?
Everyone's eyes immediately focused on the "Snow Wolf," filled with curiosity and a hint of understanding.
"Speak!" James's voice was deep and serious, and he leaned forward slightly.
"We need a hundred head of cattle!" the chieftain declared firmly.
hiss--!
A collective gasp of astonishment filled the shed.
One hundred!
It's fine if other immigrants want it, but what about the Native Americans?
Who doesn't know how bison became extinct?
Behind that are the shadows of the federal government and greedy fur traders!
Without even a second thought, James flatly refused: "No way! That's impossible!"
"Name your terms!" The clan chief seemed to have expected this, his tone carrying a resolute determination, clearly having witnessed Tom's "outrageous demands."
"I said, no!" James refused to back down.
Just then, the "Snow Wolf," which had been silent all along, suddenly raised its head and let out a suppressed growl, like a wounded wolf: "Do you know what's happened outside?!"
His voice, filled with indescribable pain and anger, instantly drew everyone's attention.
"The tribe has lost too much food! This damned cold has frozen our prey to death and depleted our reserves! We want to buy, we'll take gold to buy! But those white merchants won't sell us a single grain!"
He surveyed every face in the shed, his eyes bloodshot. "It's not just us Klaus! Our Shoshone people, who have stood by us through thick and thin, their camp is almost empty! The old and the children are almost gone! They're about to run out of food! Completely out of food!"
"Snow Wolf's" words were like icicles, piercing through the previously restrained atmosphere in the shed.
A bone-chilling cold, even more intense than the raging snow outside the shed, instantly gripped everyone's heart.
Behind the plea for a hundred cows lies a shocking abyss of despair!