It was New Year’s day, just after lunch, and I was sitting in the front room watching an old cowboy film on the TV with my uncle Ianto.
Outside it was a cold but very sunny day with only a few snowy white clouds moving slowly across the blue sky, casting their shadows on the mountain opposite, changing the shades of colour of the various pine trees and heather as they went.
On the TV the Red Indians had just appeared coming over the hill and were lined up all along the crest of the hill. The camera panned across the line of Indians, showing them sitting on their horses with their feather headdress and war paint, holding either Spears, with feathers near the top, or their bows with the arrows in a quiver strapped across their backs
Below them, down in the valley, the wagon master was yelling at the settlers to circle the wagons and set-up a defensive position. The settlers encircled the wagons and then released the horses from the harnesses and corralled them in the centre of the circle.
The men positioned themselves behind the wagons resting their rifles on the barricades that they had set up using their belongings from inside the covered wagons.
On the given signal, which basically amounted to the chief raising his hand holding his spear and yelling at the top of his voice.
The Indians charged down the hill and started to attack the wagon train, in their usual way of galloping their horses around the encircled wagons, throwing their spears, and shooting the arrows into the encircled wagons.
This went on for a few minutes until the settlers had shot enough of the Indians for the rest of them to run off back up the hill.
On seeing the remaining Indians galloping away, the settler’s started yelling and shouting before they settled down to tending to the wounded and calming the horses and checking on the women and children.
It was at this point that I was called by mam, to get the mugs of tea that she had prepared for myself and Ianto.
Still excited by the Indian attack I had been watching on the TV, I returned to the front room mugs of tea in hand. I put the cups of tea on the table between the chairs Ianto and I were sitting on, and sat back down in to my armchair.
It was at this point that, on the TV, the Indians re-appeared on the top of the hill preparing for another attack.
It was at this moment that I turned and glanced out of front room window and saw, much to my surprise some red Indians going across the top of the mountain opposite our house, silhouetted by the sun that was shinning behind them.
I quickly stood up out my chair and run upstairs to retrieve my rifle from my bedroom. Running back down the stairs and into the front room I squatted down behind the coffee table that was in its usual place in the middle of the bay window. I thought this would give me ample protection from the Indians spears and arrows.
It was at this point mam entered the room, to tell me off for running up and down the stairs like an elephant, and asked me what was I doing.
I stood looking at mam while pointing out of the window to the mountain opposite and shouting “There’s Indians on the top of the mountain and I was preparing to protect the house from them”.
Whilst mam told me to stop being ridiculous and Ianto burst out laughing, I just continued pointing out of the windows shouting there are Indians on the top of the mountain.
Ianto, once he had stopped laughing, got out of his chair and came to the window, where he and mam stood looking at the mountain opposite. Then both stated in unison, what are you talking about there’s nothing there!
I quickly turned my head away from my mother and looked out of the window only to find that there was indeed no one on the top of the mountain. I couldn’t believe it had I imaged it all?
I kept saying the Indians were there a minute ago, and then in desperation I stated that perhaps they were going to attack Quaker’s Yard, which was a small village just over the mountain from us.
But my mam, and Ianto, wouldn’t believe me, and mam was just about to leave the room, and Ianto return to his chair, when all of a sudden they appeared again further along the top of the mountain.
So I stood there and started to point to the mountain top again and say. “Look, look I told you the Indians were coming” and again went down on my knees behind the coffee table.
I later discovered that the track they must have been following wound across the top of the mountain from one side to the other, and be following this track the had just gone out of sight for a few moments.
Mam and Ianto returned to the window, and again started to laugh, at this point I wasn’t sure if they were brave or just crazy.
Then mam turned to me and said “Martyn They aren’t Indians they are the local hunt returning from their New Year’s Day meeting, and just as she said that I could just make out the hounds following behind them.
My mother then returned to the kitchen, and Ianto to his chair by the fire still chuckling to himself.
It took a long time before I lived that little episode down. For some time after that, whenever Ianto and I were watching a cowboy film on TV, whenever the Indians appeared on horseback, he would say “Don’t worry Martyn the hounds will be along soon”.
But lets be fair, they may not have been real red skins, but at least some of them were wearing red coats!