Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas! We're in the middle of the story about an incident that happened to a Mountain Man named Sam and here is a recap for those who missed the first two parts of the story:
The time is the early 1800's, the place is in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming in the winter time. Sam's decision to free a pair of large Elk who were trapped by their own horns interlocking had taken his attention and alertness to his surroundings away and he had been surprised by a war party of Blackfeet who he was forced to surrender to.
The Blackfeet and Sam were mortal enemies as he had scalped and killed a number of them in previous fights. He knows they plan to ransom him to the Crow who will kill him in a horrendous fashion.
He's been bound with leather thongs attached to a rope and forced to walk through the snow on a trip back to their village. Sam doesn't know how many days travel it will take to get there but he knows he has to escape before they arrive or he may never have another opportunity.
Ok folks..well Sam is in a world of trouble. But he's smart, tough, resourceful and cunning. He's been in life and death situations before and he's determined to escape or at least not be taken alive to the Crow nation.
Day 2 was a repeat of day 1 with a cup of foul soup for breakfast and one at night. Two guards on him at night so no chance to escape. Day 3 was the same grind and Sam knows if he doesn't find a way to escape he'll either be too exhausted to try or they'll arrive at the village.
On the evening of the third day they stopped to make camp. The Chief had applied fresh war paint and his face was black and red. He rode up on Sam's mare, dismounted and walked up to him, his black eyes glittering.
After a few seconds of them staring at each other the Chief struck Sam in the face. Sam studied the Chief's features, memorizing each detail...the scars, the shape of his teeth when he snarled. His intention was to hunt him down when he got his freedom.
The Chief then yelled at one of his braves who walked up to Sam and began to speak in English. This surprised Sam because he didn't know any of them spoke English.
Things start to get out of hand
In broken English and gesturing with signs the warrior told him that they would trade him to the Crow and then began a long and detailed description of what the Crow would do to him, growing more and more animated and excited.
The other warriors were getting riled up and excited too. Sam knew that they'd been trying to convince the Chief to let them have the Rum and let them have Sam so they could have a big party and celebration.
This was the most concerned that Sam had been, he knew this moment might turn into a frenzy of lust for Rum and lust for his blood. He decided to speak.
Sam has to do something
But not in a normal human voice. Sam was a huge man over 6 ft 5 inches tall with a barrel chest and a booming voice. He gathered all the strength he could and spoke as their most feared enemy and as a great leader and chief.
His first sounds were a thunderous roar from the depth of his being that came out with a shattering explosion which stunned and astounded the warrior before him. The warrior backed away in fear and and so did the Chief.
All of his frustration and rage poured out as Sam lifted his mighty arms in the air and boomed "Almighty God up there in your kingdom, look down on your son, for he will be gone beaver before he will stand for such insults! These cowards have about used up my patience and I will stand no more of it!"
Sam blows their minds
Then he puffed his cheeks in and out, causing his golden beard to quiver and shake. He bugged and rolled his eyes to freak them out even more. Once again he thrust his arms to heaven and shouted.
"Almighty father, I wasn't born to be slapped around and spit upon. Look down and give me the strength of Samson!" Then he burst into wild exultation and acted like a crazy man hollerin and yahooin with all his might.
The entire bunch of Blackfeet, Sam had counted 58, were stunned. They were staring at him in wonderment. They had never seen such a deafening uproar.
Sam bellowed and even broke into song. He didn't know where the power came from but he vented all his rage and contempt for a full five minutes. Then, covered with sweat he leaned against the tree they had tied him to with 58 pairs of eyes entranced by this strange giant.
The warriors didn't know if they were dealing with a regular human or some kind of God. They didn't know what to think. lol. The Chief approached Sam cautiously like Sam could explode at any minute.
He pushes their buttons
Sam had them where he wanted them so he broke into a great roar and made it known with word and gestures that he would fight any 5 of them to the death in front of the entire Blackfeet nation. He knew they would never even consider that challenge but this was psychological warfare and he had the upper hand.
To them nothing was more important than courage and honor so he started insulting them. He said that they were no braver than sick squaws or dying coyotes with their heads in holes..that they were no more than rabbits..a nation of magpies with broken wings.
That they should just take him to the Crow and get it over with.. but if it was a large ransom they wanted...tobacco and rum and guns, bullets and coffee..they should ransom him to the mountain men who would pay MUCH more for him and then after they set him free they could capture him again and sell him again for even more rum and goods!
Psychological warfare
This was a brilliant tactic, to remind them of the rum and to put it in their thoughts that they could recapture him for even more rum and supplies.
Then with all the indignation of a slighted king he warned them that whatever they did, they would die like puking coyotes in their vomit if they forgot that he was a great chief and mighty one...that he was to be treated with dignity and honor. And if he was not, all the mountain men would come against them and hunt them down.
To add to their confusion Sam then broke into tremendous singing while the braves stood in amazement like they were hypnotized. He stopped as suddenly as he started and roared for the English speaker to come forward.
The English speaking brave cautiously approached and Sam told him to tell his leader that Sam was a great chief, mightier than those eaters of crickets who had been slapping his face, and that he should be treated as such.
"Go, you quivering coyote! Tell him that Chief Samson is to be put in a tent, as befits a great one!"
There was a huge amount of talking and consulting among the warriors. The English speaker came back to Sam and told him that a tent would be prepared for him and he would have a robe to lie on.
Sam's story continues on the next post, thank you all for reading!
-jonboy Texas
the gentleman redneck
PS- ya know...you might just be a redneck if:
You think 'Hamlet' is on the McDonald's breakfast menu!
Im lagging behind, Im gonna read this as soon as this holiday has calmed down... Happy New Year @janton!
/FF
howdy there friendly-fenix! so you are being a party animal tonight? lol. I appreciate your comment and you have a happy New Year as well!
@janton
No... I hope I can be a party animal a few times during 2019...
People still think Im a bit of a party animal, (I used to be a big party animal), but Im rather relaxed now days... And how about yourself??
/FF
So you aren't doing much of anything tonight? We aren't doing a thing. lol. I'll probably be plugging away on steemit until 2 am and Mrs. J has been working 3rd shift but is off tonight and is pretty exhausted so she'll probably be in bed. Sounds like a couple of pitiful dinosaurs but I don't even know anyone who's having a party tonight, everyone I talked to said they were going to bed early. lol.
Sounds peaceful, thats good maybe 2019 will be a peaceful year. =)
/FF
haha! I thought it sounded boring as the dickens sir friendly-fenix! lol. It's fine, I don't need to have any kind of party. Some wine would be nice though! Do you have friends, family, or room mates that you live with or is that classified?
I have a dancing lady here, I know it sounds like a stripper, but its not...
Ha ha... Now I have to engage... Talk to you later! =)
/FF
Wow!!! Sam is really something!!! I can't believe how he outsmarted those jerks! What a show! LOL!!! Well his situation is nothing to laugh about, however, imagining their shocked faces is very amusing, lol. I am really curious what's next!!! Great story Janton!
Thank you so much Miss Lena, I agree. Sam is very very crafty and cunning and knows his enemy. They are pretty superstitious and they also love rum and luckily he has that 5 gallon keg of rum so he is playing his hand well. By the way, I left out the description of what the Crow would do to him. Remember that warrior who speaks English was taunting him and wanted to scare him by telling him all these horrible things? But I didn't want to get too graphic.
I do remember and I ma glad you didn't get graphic. Altough I can very well imagine if I try, but I rather not!!! And you are always welcome Janton and Happy New Year!!! I wish you and Mrs. J all the best in 2019.
Thank you Miss Lena, I think it's going to be a very good year don't you?
For me yes and for you too, but I don't know about Steemit, lol.
I agree and I tend to think that steemit will survive but may change names or be done from a different platform like esteem or steempeak.
You mentioned that before. To me doesn't matter how, as long it's survives and thrives. I am getting new computer, so I will download the esteem app.
A bunch of simpletons being manipulated by a desperate situation.
howdy sir cryptoandcoffee! yes sir, the warriors were superstitious and have a lust for rum and Sam took advantage of both of those things, he knows his enemy well!
Great story. I thought he was a goner !
Posted using Partiko iOS
thank you sir blanchy but the story isn't over yet, he still may be a goner!
Although I think he's part Irish so he's probably too ornery to kill.
WHAT??? A happy ending is not going to happen in the wild west ???? No way!
haha! what are you doing on steemit? you're supposed to be on a romantic getaway and recovery. I think you have an addiction problem.
Hey there WAS ONE character in my stories that didn't get killed and that was Squirrel Tooth Alice. lol. She lived to be 98 and had a successful life, at least be some natural standards.
So by the law of averages this lad isn’t brown bread . Had to cancel cork. My wife’s father ( the guy I was in Liverpool with) was hospitalised with flu . His son is not much better. And now my daughter Is poorly so we are keeping an eye so we hadn’t to cancel . They are asking me why I’m not sick but I never get sick . The years of boozing have me immune to any of that plalava
sir blanchy! I'm sorry to hear about your daughter, that ain't fun and I'm sorry to hear that your wife's father is so sick that he had to go to the hospital! dang. Here's hoping for a fast recovery.
ha! your immune system..yes well you can't afford to get sick, especially during the holidays, your job at work is too darn important. Do you get a nice Christmas bonus from your company or do they still do that type of thing. Is business competition heating up or has it always been brutal?
In fact, sorry about all the questions but since you aren't on vacation....what is your biggest competition, are online sales and companies like Amazon cutting into business?
One last question, what does this sentence mean, I haven't a clue: "So by the law of averages this lad isn’t brown bread ."
Hello @janton....
Most awesome you are telling the story about Sam Minard/ Jeremiah Johnson......!!!!!
I believe they truly thought he was possessed...!!!!!!
(:
haha! Well either that or some kind of superhuman. they got scared of him that's for sure, just when they expected to put the fear into him he turns it around. I'm glad you like the story!
Congratulations @janton! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click here to view your Board
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPDo not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
Howdy tonight steemitboard! Thanks for keeping track of all these stats for us!
Sounds like maybe there were magic mushrooms in that soup.
haha! good thinking sir fotosdenada! They thought they were going to make him sick and instead it just made him go a little nuts!
The story is starting to swing towards Sam’s escape. Sounds like Sam was a charismatic fellow with a powerful voice.
haha! yes Sam was a wily wildman and a savage fighter. His whole life was quite a story.
Congratulations @janton! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click here to view your Board
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
Howdy there steemitboard! Thanks for keeping track of all the stats!
I read through the past three stories of black feet and Sam I am reminded why my dad used to call me and my brothers the tribe of black feet.
haha! wow mineopoly, I fugured that was because you were grungy little kids with dirty feet? Or you were like totally wild?
Hi, @janton!
You just got a 11.25% upvote from SteemPlus!
To get higher upvotes, earn more SteemPlus Points (SPP). On your Steemit wallet, check your SPP balance and click on "How to earn SPP?" to find out all the ways to earn.
If you're not using SteemPlus yet, please check our last posts in here to see the many ways in which SteemPlus can improve your Steem experience on Steemit and Busy.
Howdy steem-plus and thank you for the upvote and for helping so many!
Congratulations @janton! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click here to view your Board
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPHowdy steemitboard and thank you for keeping track of these stats for us!
Although I don't recognize that name, this story is starting to have a familiar ring to it!
oh really? that's cool.. I'm not familiar with it at all. Do you know from where? I'm sure there's been books written about him so probably shows or movies based on his life too.
I read the novel Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher years ago and his fictional character, Sam Minard , was the inspiration for the Sydney Pollack film Jeremiah Johnson, starring Robert Redford.
Fisher's novel romanticized the folklore surrounding John "Liver-eatin'" Johnston, so I think the Sam Minard character was based on the myths that surrounded Johnston.
Oh I see, yes. I've seen the name Vardis Fisher but wasn't sure where, I think I remembered it because it was so unusual. Well this has to be it then, don't tell anybody how it ends! lol.
I am going to delete my comment and leave it up to you to tell this story! I don't want to ruin it for you!
Happy New Year Janton!
Just wanted to drop a line to one of my favorite Partners in crime, in your case, crime meant literally.
Have been busy as ever the past 4 days and haven't had much time to sit and enjoy your stuff, as I always do.
Counted 7 posts I missed and can't wait to get caught up. Before visiting @janton, i was hoping for a coulpe of good redneck qualifiers.
Well, sure and behold I see the title of one of your posts is all about REDNECKS. First chance I get, my plans are to sit down and be thouroghly entertained by the Redneck Gentleman stories.
haha! you're too kind sir bigsweed! I don't know how entertaining they are but I try to make them interesting! lol. I bet you have some great posts coming about the big holiday times? I bet you guys did some cooking on the outside fire too and had it with home-made beer. wow! That's livin!
Wow, this guy had some guts that's for sure! So they actually put him in a tent? Amazing!
haha! It is amazing. Psychological warfare plus he knew his enemies well and they were all about honor and courage, they were also superstitious so I think all those things played into it.
haha! It is amazing. Psychological warfare plus he knew his enemies well and they were all about honor and courage, they were also superstitious so I think all those things played into it.
Besides his physical prowess, he is obviously a pretty smart guy.
howdy back sir bigsweed! yes sir...smart, cunning, and knows his enemy well. They're pretty superstitious besides being all about honor and courage.
Great tactics.... That Psyops would have given him the edge.
howdy again sir preppervetuk! yes sir, he knew his enemy well and knew they were all about honor and courage but also superstitious.
I have a lot of respect for the Native American Indians, they knew their land, lived sustainably and fought honourably against white invaders....
A spiritual people.
Absolutely sir preppervetuk! it's why I've done some posts just to honor them. We were so stupid to not learn from them the ways of living with the land and all the medicinal uses for the plants that were almost completely lost because we decimated their tribes. I think it was the greatest evil we have commited as a country, the wiping out and stealing the land from these great nations. They are the original homesteaders, herbalists, preppers and survivalists!
Hi @janton -This might be the contest for you :)
https://steemit.com/competition/@shepz1/25-sbi-prizes-for-no-self-voters
~ Sharon @fitinfun on my son's account when I got to this :)
I wish you would tweet your awesome posts and make me happy. Thank you.
Howdy there fitinfun! good to hear from you and thank you for that recommendation. I'm not on twitter and have never had an interest to be, I don't even have enough time to do everything I want on steemit!
Oh Wow. Yup. Smart Man. I really like this story and look forward to seeing how it end. Ya know, I was thinking about something while I was reading this. Barrel chested. All our men now, especially under 40, not only don't have low booming voices, they don't have barrel chests anymore. They have flat flask shaped chests now. Men are smaller too. Interesting. Anyway, really good story!
Howdy squirrelbait! really? Men don't have big chests now? And they're smaller? I didn't know that, I figured people were bigger these days because of all the growth hormones in the meats. Or at least that's what I heard sometime ago. What about girls, are they smaller too?
Just my observations. I haven't noticed much in us gals. But I see noticeable difference between men now and men back in the wild west days. Hell, I see a difference between men now and men of my grandparent's generation. Maybe it's me but its something I've noticed over the years.
What did you do this evening? I'm about to go to bed.
Well Mrs. J didn't have to work so we didn't do anything special because she was pretty tired from working a bunch of third shifts, we just watched a movie and then I've been on steemit. The jail's been crazy the last couple of days with all the drunks being hauled in from partying and tonight she was really glad she wasn't working!
Oh I bet! Drunk Texans....a handful for sure! Relaxing with a loved one is always nice.