Credits
Colorist(s):
?
Letterer(s):
typeset
Subject Matter
Genres:
western
Feature(s):
Little Beaver text stories
Character(s):
Little Beaver (Navajo boy); Po-ko (Navajo girl); Tom Many Fires (Navajo freighter); Papoose (Little Beaver's horse); team of freight wagon horses; Zuni renegades; a dozen Navajo men; Hosteen Nezh (one of the dozen)
First Line:
Echoing through the canyon, a rattle of gunfire reached the ears of Little Beaver and Po-ko.
Synopsis:
Little Beaver and Po-ko track her lost sheep in the canyon. LB's friend, freighter Tom, shot, and his team, thunder down the trail pursued by Zuni renegades. Telling Po-ko to watch the back trail, LB aids Tom, who says take the Navajo treasure and ride. Papoose is wounded in the chase. LB takes Papoose and the treasure into the maze of caves. Zuni pursue. All are lost in the depths, but LB has a candle, and Papoose leads him out, where they are met by twelve armed Navajo brought by quick-witted Po-ko. Tom will live. LB praises Papoose. The Zuni are doomed. The men praise LB.
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:
Miscellaneous
Pages:
3
Notes:
Morris Gollub art i.d. by David Porta, November 2021.
Du Bois identifiers:
STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS:
Po-ko does more that what Little Beaver instructed her to do ("You watch-um back-trail"). She takes the initiative.
• "Po-ko! You watch-um back trail."
• "The little horse snorted, but kept going. And when Little Beaver dared to open his eyes, he saw a flicker of light, far ahead. Papoose broke into a trot . . . . . It was Po-ko, with a candle, trailing a long guide string behind her. And at her heels marched a dozen Navajo men armed to the teeth."
• "We find Zuni horses outside," said Hosteen Nezh. "Po-ko guided us to them."
PEOPLES OF THE WORLD:
• Navajo.
• Zuni.
LANGUAGE:
• "Po-ko! You watch-um back trail."
• "whickering" ("of a horse-- give a soft breathy whinny." Oxford Languages.)
• "his pony's withers" ("the highest part of a horse's back, lying at the base of the neck above the shoulders." Oxford Languages.)
• "a stretch of broken MALPAIS" ("Malpaís, in the Southwestern United States and other Spanish-speaking regions, are rough and barren landscapes that consist of relict and largely uneroded lava fields exhibiting recognizable lava flows, volcanic cones, and other volcanic landforms." Wikipedia)
• "Papoose's hackamore rope" ("A hackamore is a type of animal headgear which does not have a bit. Instead, it has a special type of noseband that works on pressure points on the face, nose, and chin. It is most commonly associated with certain styles of riding horses." Wikipedia.)
ANIMALS:
• "her lost sheep"
• "they ran to their ponies"
• "With a clatter of hoofs and wheels a team dashed into view. ... The horses, wild-eyed with fright, needed no whip. A red bullet burn along one sweating flank showed the reason."
• "His pony overhauled the wagon horses"
• "Little by little the frightened team slowed down and stopped. Papoose trotted up behind it, whickering softly.
• "The two bags of Navajo treasure were tied together. Little Beaver slung them across his pony's withers"
• "a leaden pellet nicked Papoose's shoulder. It was not a bad wound---just enough to slow the gallant little horse a trifle."
• "Papoose obeyed the guiding touch of Little Beaver's hand and knee."
• "his unshod hoofs"
• "The brave little pony stumbled and snorted in the dark, but he did not balk.."
• "He climbed on the pony's back, lighted his candle stub, and thumped with his heels. Papoose took a step forward, and stopped. Another thump---another step. Finally he got the idea---Little Beaver meant HIM to choose the way!"
• "There came a rush of unseen wings---pierced by vicious squeaks. Something knocked the candle from Little Beaver's hand. A bat?"
• "A bat? With a moan of terror he clutched Papoose's mane. The little horse snorted, but kept going."
• "We find Zuni horses outside ... But where are the robbers?"
• "Without a wise horse like Papoose to bring them out, they will die in the dark."
NATURE:
• "canyon"
• "rocky cleft"
• "the team's dusty wake"
• "a bend of the canyon"
• "An ancient lava flow, now cracked into waves of black, jagged rock!"
• "black, gritty lava rock"
• "billows of rock on either side"
• "a deep cave, with an entrance just big enough to admit a small pony"
• "In a certain niche of the cave they had left a candle and matches. A guide-string still led from the entrance past five or six branch tunnels or 'rooms.' How far the caverns went they could only guess."
• "a stalagmite that rose like a tree of stone from the cavern floor"
• "A torch of pinon knot"
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