When Grnadfather Journeys Into Winter Read Online Free

ones from getting into the food before everyone
else had a chance.
    Little Thunder and Tayhua climbed atop the
fence, sitting next to their saddles on the top rail.
    A big black stallion paced nervously around
the corral. A heavy-set white man in a big white stetson hat was giving orders to several other
men who were trying to corner the stallion against the side of the corral with a hand-held wooden
gate.
    "Who's that?" asked Little Thunder,
motioning toward the white man in the white stetson.
    "That's the man from Texas. They say he is
very rich and owns much land and many horses," said Tayhua.
    Little Thunder and the old man watched the
black stallion carefully. He was one very fine, high-spirited horse.
    The big black horse reared against the fence
as the ranch hands pushed the gate against the horse's side, forcing him up against the rails of
the corral.
    The horse struggled valiantly against the
gate as the men struggled to hold him against the fence. Even with many men pushing against the
gate, the big black was almost able to knock the men right off their feet. The horse drove his
body solidly against the gate, staggering the men.
    "That is some horse!" said Tayhua with
admiration. "See how his nostrils flare! See how his back arches like a proud cat stretching
before the fire. They will not ride that horse so easily."
    For a minute it seemed that the men would
not be able to hold the horse, but then a few more men came down off the corral rails to help.
With enough of them holding on, the black stallion had no choice but to stand still, trapped
between the corral rails and the gate the men held.
    The white man stood in the center of the
corral. He took off his stetson and fanned himself in the hot sun.
    "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, sweeping
his hat in an arc that took in everybody around the corral. "My name is Wilson Tanner and I've
just bought a lot of land next to the reservation, so looks like we're going to be
neighbors."
    He looked around as if expecting applause or
some indication of welcome. No one spoke. No one smiled.
    The white man grinned uncomfortably and went
on with his speech. "I thought I'd provide everybody with a special treat today. I've got a
stallion"--he motioned toward the big black horse that the men held against the side of the
corral----"that nobody can ride and nobody can break. I call the horse Rolling Thunder because
once he gets rolling the rider usually gets launched from his seat like a lightning
bolt."
    Around the corral, a few people laughed
quietly, politely.
    "I'm offering five hundred dollars to the
man who can ride him down."
    There was a gasp from the crowd. Five
hundred dollars was a great deal of money. Few Indians here had ever had that much money at one
time. Times were very hard for the people who lived on the reservation.
    The black stallion whinnied furiously and
shook his head angrily. He did not enjoy being trapped against the fence. The men holding the
gate had to keep steady pressure on the gate to hold him back.
    "Now a few of my best ranch hands are going
to ride him first. I promised a couple of them they could have first go, and if none of them can
make the ride I welcome any of you to try and ride Rolling Thunder," said Tanner.
    Tayhua bent over and whispered to Little
Thunder again. "You see with one hand he offers a prize and with the other he allows himself a
chance to win it back. Be careful in your dealings with white people. It is said the large print
giveth and the small print taketh away."
    Little Thunder nodded. He
understood.
    One of Tanner's ranch hands stood up on the
top rails of the corral above the stallion. Carefully, he lowered himself on the back of the
struggling horse.
    Seeing the rider getting in place, Wilson
Tanner plunked his stetson back on his head and made a beeline for the side of the corral. He had
no wish to be near the horse when they let him go.
    The cowboy took a tight grip on the