Shadows of Caesar's Creek Read online

  Rico agreed and put the arrowhead carefully into his pocket. They walked back down to the beach where Noni was showing the girls how to put a worm on a hook to fish.

  “EEEK” screamed Mimi. “It jumped out of my hand Now I don’t have to do this.”

  Rico ran over and picked up the worm. “Here, Mimi,” he said with a grin. “I think you dropped your worm.” He smashed the worm into her hand. She screamed again and threw it at him. Rico chuckled and ducked.

  Liza had baited her own hook and now stared at the water, waiting for a bite. “Shhh” she whispered fiercely. “You’ll chase away my fish.”

  Ziggy and Rico called to Rashawn and Jerome, and the four boys walked down the beach a little ways from where the girls were fishing. “We got something to show you, mon,” Ziggy told them.

  Rico pulled the arrowhead out of his pocket and showed them.

  “It’s quartz,” stated Jerome. “That was a very special arrowhead—used for special occasions or special people.”

  “How do you know so much?” asked Rashawn.

  “Don’t you remember? I did a report in school last year on Native Americans. I remember what I read about the arrowheads because I thought it would be really cool to find one,” Jerome explained. “What are you going to do with it?”

  “I don’t know yet,” Rico admitted. “I have a feeling there’s something very special about this.” They all agreed.

  “Let’s ask Noni what she knows about the Native Americans who used to live here,” Jerome suggested.

  “Yeah, mon, and she’s got to tell us about the dude named Caesar, too,” added Ziggy.

  “I think she knows a lot,” Rico said. “Doesn’t she look a little like an Indian to you?”

  “Just because she’s got long black hair doesn’t make her Indian. She looks Black to me,” commented Rashawn.

  “I thought she was Chinese, mon” Ziggy exclaimed. “What difference does it make? I’m hungry”

  By the time everyone finished fishing, the shadows of the evening were beginning to darken the skies over the lake. Mimi had caught six fish—more than anybody—and she carried them proudly back to the camp with the others.

  The neat pile of sticks over a circle of rocks was ready to become their campfire. Noni said, “Come and look closely. I’m going to show you a very special method of starting a fire.”

  “You gonna rub two sticks together?” Rico asked.

  “No, you gotta rub a stone and a flint,” said Jerome with authority.

  “No, that’s not it,” Noni said with a little mystery in her voice. “Are you ready? Here is it is”

  Tiana gasped as Noni pulled out a book of matches. Everybody groaned and laughed. Noni started the fire and showed them how to keep it safe. It sparkled and crackled with bright orange fire.

  “Let’s fry this fish now,” she said as she pulled a pan out of her pack.

  “We’re gonna eat dead fish, mon?” asked Ziggy.

  Mimi laughed. “No, Ziggy,” she teased. “We’re gonna eat live fish instead”

  “Well, that’s better” Ziggy replied.

  Noni just shook her head at Ziggy as she showed them how to prepare and cook the fish they had caught. The sizzling smell of frying fish made the campers realize how hungry they were. Noni added some sliced potatoes and onions, and dinner was ready in no time. Cold water from their canteens topped off the meal.

  “Delicious” Ziggy burped as he finished the last of his dinner.

  “I’d never eat this at home,” admitted Liza. “But it was really good.”

  “Thanks,” Noni replied. “I’m glad you liked it. Now let’s get this stuff cleaned up.”

  Everyone pitched in. Rashawn collected the paper plates and cups and tossed them into a trash bag, while Tiana collected all of the rest of the trash. Liza and Brandy gathered more sticks and branches for the fire, and Ziggy and Rico ran down to the edge of the lake to wash the pan. Jerome followed them with the plastic forks.

  “Look, mon” cried Ziggy. “I wonder who owns that canoe.”

  “I know how to paddle a canoe,” Rico boasted. “My dad taught me last summer when I went to visit him.”

  “I wish we could try it out, mon,” Ziggy said wistfully. “It looks like it’s been hidden here awhile. Do you think Noni knows it’s here?”

  “Probably not,” Jerome figured. “Look how old it is. It hasn’t been used for a very long time.”

  “Let’s get back,” Rico suggested. “We’ll check it out in the morning.”

  Darkness was falling quickly. The fire at the campsite looked bright and inviting. The boys raced back to it as the shadows of the evening became the blackness of night.

  “Gather around the fire,” Noni called. “Bring your sleeping bags to sit on. I’ve got a story to tell you”

  Jerome, Ziggy, and Rico sat together on Rico’s bag. Mimi sat next to Noni, while Liza and Brandy sat on the other side of the circle. The only space left was next to Tiana, so Rashawn plopped down beside her. She smiled shyly. His look told the boys they’d better not dare tease him. Ziggy rolled on the sleeping bag, hands covering his mouth, trying not to burst out laughing.

  The fire at the middle of their circle was warm and cheerful. Beyond it lay only darkness. Everyone stared at it for a few moments, watching it eat the sticks and branches with a bright red sizzle and pop.

  “Tell us about Caesar,” Mimi whispered.

  “A long time ago,” Noni began quietly, “no one lived in what we know as the Ohio Valley except for Native Americans. This was their land, and they roamed from the lakes to the forests and beyond, hunting only what they needed to eat, living in harmony with the land and the animals. The air was clean, the waters were blue, and nature was respected by the people who lived in it and loved it.

  “About three hundred years ago, European settlers began to arrive here. Their way of life was very different. They destroyed the forests to build houses and towns. They built large farms on which they grew crops to buy and sell. And instead of trying to live with the Native Americans, they chased them out of their own land.”

  Rashawn tossed a stick into the fire, a frown on his face. “We studied about this in school,” he said. “The Indians got treated really dirty.”

  “Didn’t the Indians fight back?” asked Rico.

  “I’ve seen movies about the settlers and the Indians on TV,” Liza said. “Usually the settlers win.”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen movies where it seems like one bullet from a settler’s gun kills about five Indians,” added Rashawn.

  “It was a terrible time,” Noni continued. “Thousands of people died from both cultures. Many of the government policies about the Indians were unfair and cruel. Hatred and sorrow seemed to rule.”

  “Speaking of hatred and sorrow, wasn’t this about the same time that slavery started?” asked Jerome. “We learned about that in school too.”

  “You’re right,” Noni said with a sigh. “Black people from Africa were being brought here as slaves to work on the huge farms in the South.”

  “Why didn’t they make the Indians be slaves?” Tiana asked.

  “Well, they tried. But the Native Americans lived here and knew the land and forests well. They could escape and never be found because they had friends nearby who spoke their language and who could help them. Black people looked different and were easily spotted. And they had no one to help them, except …”

  Noni paused to make sure everyone was listening. The fire crackled and insects chirped in the distance.

  “Except who, mon?” Ziggy interrupted.

  “… except the Indians” Noni concluded dramatically.

  “Indians?” Brandy asked. “Why would they help runaway slaves?”

  “They probably thought it was cool to upset the slave owners,” Liza said.

  “Yeah, and they probably wanted to help anybody who was being mistreated even worse than they were,” added Mimi.

  “You’re both right,” Noni
admitted. “Thousands of runaway slaves were helped by Native Americans. But there’s more.”

  “So tell us, mon” Ziggy insisted. He loved stories with secrets.

  “Many of the runaways stayed with the Indians. They were accepted and adopted into the Indian tribes and became part of their families.”

  “Awesome” declared Rashawn.

  “How come that wasn’t in the books when I did my report on Native Americans last year?” asked Jerome.

  “There’s quite a bit that’s sometimes left out of history books,” Noni admitted. “This is just another fact of history that’s often overlooked.”

  “Yeah, like this Caesar dude, mon,” added Ziggy. “If he was so great and got a park named after him, how come we never heard of him?”

  “And how come you know so much about him?” Brandy asked.

  “Caesar was my great-great-grandfather,” Noni responded softly.

  “WOW” LIZA EXCLAIMED. “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL us?”

  “You didn’t ask,” Noni said with a smile.

  “He was a slave, right?” Jerome asked.

  “Yes. From what we know, he was a harness maker and blacksmith in Maryland. His master brought him on a trip to this area sometime around 1775.”

  “Gee, that was the year of the start of the Revolutionary War,” Mimi remembered.

  “Right. Americans fought for freedom in that war, but not freedom for slaves. It took another hundred years for that,” Noni added.

  “But what about Caesar, mon? Finish the story” cried Ziggy impatiently.

  “Okay, Ziggy,” Noni responded. “We’re not sure, but Caesar may have escaped from his owner while he was here, or another story says his owner was killed.”

  “I bet he saw this valley and just took off ” said Rico.

  “The Shawnee Indians found him hiding in the woods and took him to their village. They fed him and gave him a warm and safe place to sleep,” Noni continued.

  “I wonder if he was scared,” Mimi said.

  “He was probably so happy to be safe and free that he didn’t have time to be scared” Liza answered.

  “Caesar found a safe haven with the Shawnee Indians. They taught him their language and how to find food as well as joy in the forest.”

  “They saved his life,” Jerome said. “Awesome.”

  “Yes,” Noni acknowledged. “But in a way, Caesar saved their lives as well.”

  “How?” asked Brandy. She was gobbling jelly beans again.

  “Caesar was a harness maker. He knew how to make belts and harnesses and ropes from leather, and how to connect buckles to hold them. The Indian harnesses were thin and broke easily. When they went into battle, sometimes they lost control of their horses because of the weak harnesses.”

  “They would fall off ?” asked Mimi.

  “With a thud” answered Noni.

  “Ouch”

  “Many times the harnesses were so weak,” Noni added with a chuckle, “the only reason the Indians didn’t fall off was because they had such a strong bond with their horses.”

  “I bet I could ride a horse bareback” boasted Rico.

  “And I bet he’d throw you on your bare back, mon” Ziggy teased.

  Noni continued, “Anyway, Caesar taught the Indians how to make tight leather harnesses with buckles for their horses. It really made a difference. In addition, he was wise and kind, and they loved him for his gentle spirit.”

  “So that’s why the Shawnees gave him the land?” asked Liza.

  “Yes, they first found him by a creek that they named Caesar’s Creek. And when they gave him this valley as a token of their appreciation for him, hundreds and hundreds of beautiful acres, this whole area became known as the Caesar’s Creek area.”

  “I thought you said he was an Indian chief,” declared Rashawn.

  “Yes, he was” Noni replied proudly. “He stayed with the Shawnee for the rest of his life. He married a Shawnee woman and had several children. Later he was placed in charge of several other families and rose to the rank of subchief, second only to the principal chief of the tribe.”

  “Wow”

  “Do you think he could make arrowheads?” Rico asked.

  “Sure, Rico,” Noni answered. “He probably used quartz tips, since he was a chief. Why do you ask?”

  Rico and Ziggy looked at each other and grinned. “Oh, no special reason,” Rico said quickly. “Do you think there are any arrowheads around here? It would be cool to find one.”

  “It’s possible to find flint arrowheads, but quartz tips are very rare and special,” Noni replied. “Indian boys about your age were taught to make tips for their arrows by the older men of the tribe.”

  “What was it like for Indian kids our age?” Jerome asked.

  “All children were loved and adored. Every adult in the tribe helped care for and discipline the children, so it was like one big family.”

  “Did the girls get stuck doing dumb stuff like sewing and cooking?” asked Liza.

  “The women and girls usually took care of making the clothes and preparing the food, yes, but they also had power in the tribal council and could even be chief.”

  “Well, I guess that makes me feel a little better,” Liza said, “but could girls go hunting for game?”

  “Yes, they could. Many of the women were

  expert hunters—some could even outshoot the men,” Noni informed her.

  “Cool”

  “What about the boys?” asked Rico. “Didn’t they have to do mighty deeds to prove their courage and stuff?”

  “You’re right, Rico,” Noni responded, “the boys did have manhood ceremonies. Really cool stuff.”

  Ziggy stood up and raised his fists like a warrior. “That’s me, mon Cool Indian brave”

  The girls rolled their eyes at Ziggy’s boasting. Noni smiled halfheartedly and whispered to Liza and Brandy, “Watch this”

  “Okay, Ziggy,” Noni called, “would you like to demonstrate one of the Shawnee ceremonies that boys did to prove their manhood?”

  “Yeah, mon” Ziggy jumped and danced around the fire, copying movies he had seen on TV.

  Noni explained, “Every boy in the tribe, at the age of eight, had to take a walk every morning.”

  “I can do that” Ziggy declared. “No problem, mon”

  “They had to walk to the river.”

  “No problem”

  “Every morning for three months.”

  “No problem”

  “Did I mention the three months were December, January, and February?”

  “No problem I’d wear a coat”

  “Did I mention that at the end of the walk, the boy had to jump in the river?”

  “No problem Uh, wouldn’t my shoes and coat get wet?”

  Noni was about to pop with laughter. “Did I mention that the boy took this walk every morning in the snow with no shoes?”

  “No prob—uh, no shoes?”

  “Did I mention that the boy took this walk every morning and then jumped into the frozen river with no clothes on?”

  “No way, mon” Ziggy sat back down in a hurry and shivered. The girls were rolling with laughter.

  “Really cool manhood stuff, Ziggy” teased Tiana. “So cool you’d be frozen”

  Noni laughed too. “You know, people still talk about when the great Shawnee warrior Tecumseh was a boy and had to do his challenge in the snow.”

  “I know about Tecumseh” Brandy exclaimed. “We read about him in school. What did he do for his challenge?”

  “Tecumseh walked naked in the snow in the coldest winter ever known; the water was frozen most mornings and had to be broken for him so he could jump in.”

  “Ouch Maybe I’m not ready to be a warrior just yet, mon,” Ziggy admitted. “Were there any easier tests?” he asked with a grin.

  “There were other manhood tests as well, and special challenges for the young girls, also,” Noni answered. “The young people would have to go on trip
s alone, sometimes in the woods at night, sometimes on the water, sometimes to the Great House, which was their place of the spirit.”

  “Look at the moon,” Brandy said suddenly. Above, the moon was bright and golden—a full moon. It shone on the dark, still water of the lake in the distance, shimmering like candlelight.

  “A mystery moon,” Noni whispered. “Strange events will happen tonight Shadows walk in the moonlight.”

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ’STRANGE EVENTS’?”ASKED Mimi. She looked up at the moon and back into the flames of the sparkling fire.

  “And what kind of shadows will walk?” added Brandy. Tiana shivered and moved a fraction closer to Rashawn.

  Noni’s face looked dark and mysterious. Her voice was low and scary as she whispered again, “Shadows walk in the moonlight”

  “You mean like ghosts?” asked Rico.

  “You trying to scare us, mon?” Ziggy asked. “’Cause you might be doing a good job”

  “There are spirits everywhere,” Noni continued. “Spirits of the past, and spirits of hope, and spirits of those who once walked this land. Are you brave enough to sleep in the darkness with the shadows of the past?”

  “You can’t scare us” boasted Rashawn. “We’re ready to go to sleep without any flashlights, even”

  “No problem, mon” Ziggy added.

  Jerome said boldly, “Bring on all your ghosts and shadows and spirits. We’re the Black Dinosaurs We’re not scared of anything”

  Rico joined them as they stood and marched to their tent, but he looked scared. They could hear Noni and the girls laughing behind them.

  “Dumb girls” Rico said. “They got Noni to protect them, though.”

  “We don’t need anybody, mon,” Ziggy boasted. “She was just trying to scare us. That’s what you’re supposed to do to kids on a campout”

  They crawled into their sleeping bags, which fit snugly into the tent. Each boy had a flashlight. “Ready to zip the tent?” Jerome asked.

  “Ready, mon”

  “Let her zip” added Rico.

  “Now, flashlights off” commanded Rashawn.

  The darkness was almost total. They could see faint shadows from the light of the fading campfire. The light of the moon cast an eerie glow.