Walks Far Woman is unforgettable. She’s a Blackfoot grandmother who in the summer of 1946 at a very lively ninety years of age tells her extraordinary adventures from 1874 (when she was eighteen) until 1885 (when the Indian way of life she had known had changed forever). Captivated by her stories—as their own romance develops—are her grandson, recently returned from combat on Okinawa, and a local white girl, whose grandfather once saved Walks Far’s life, and whose own life years later was saved by Walks Far. As an old woman, Walks Far gambles at cards (and wins), delights in using a short-wave radio, talks with coyotes, understands UFOs, appears to have the power to stop thunderstorms, and remembers: • The night of lovemaking with the mysterious Cherokee trader • the beautiful horse, Crazy One, which she attempted to break after many warriors had failed • the Battle of Little Big Horn, which she witnessed from a short distance • Horses Ghost, the handsome Sioux warrior, who in a sudden public outburst spurred her to an act of violence • the footrace she was forced to run against a strong, young warrior when her adopted Sioux band contrived to challenge his pride • the Battle of Cut Knife Hill she fought during the half-breed rebellion in Saskatchewan “Those gone times have plenty bad Indian things, too,” Walks Far once commented. And with honesty and humor she recalls the fierceness and pride of the Sioux in the 1870s—those last few years when, not believing that their life would ever be greatly different, some northern plains Indians still lived the good, free life. Colin Stuart has created Walks Far from boyhood memories of stories told by two elderly Montana Indian women. He has also carefully recreated many actual historical figures, both Indian and white, from surviving accounts of their behavior and experiences. Mr. Stuart is a writer old enough to have heard some of his character types recount their attitudes and adventures before they, like their traditional way of life, departed from the prairie scene forever. Throughout the book he has provided authentic detail.