“She hasn't had it, but is a shaman's helper and is willing to risk the disease to help our people.”
Eldon stood and said, “I'll come and speak with you, but only me. My men will stay here.”
“Come.”
Eldon was a big man, very close to six feet and five inches, and two hundred and forty pounds, all of it muscle. His head and face were clean of all hair, he was wearing a loin cloth and moccasins, and carried a metal sword in his hand. On his back he packed a bow, quiver, shield, and a small buckskin pack.
About five feet from the women he stopped in the rain and squatted in the mud.
Two minutes passed before he said, “Think seriously about what you are both volunteering to do. The illness may kill both of you, but I'm no shaman, only a warrior. If you come with us, you'll be forced to remain in the village until the illness has run its course. I'm Eldon, Chief of the Dog Soldiers, of the Eagle People, and I will see you remain.”
“I'll come. We are from the destroyed village and we have no other place to go. Men of the Wolf People were tracking us, but since I'm a true warrior, they lost me.” Ada said and thought, He is a very handsome man.
“I'll go as well, even if it means my death, because to remain alone will surely bring my ending. I must help our people.”
“Gather your things and we'll leave.” Eldon said, and then turning toward his men he said, “Bring some blankets; these women have little to wear in this rain.”
Five men soon walked to the shelter, and one handed Ada two wool blankets.
“Thank you,” she said and then asked, “Do you have horses?”
“Yes and they are near. We know you are both mounted, because we have watched you during your travels most of this afternoon. Come, this is poor weather for people.”
“What of those following us?” Ada asked.
“We will prepare a warm welcome for those who follow.”
Byron was furious and said, “If the women get away from us, Ora, I'll personally remove your head. I cannot believe two women have thrown us off their trails so easily!”
“My tracks show only one of them caused all this damage, and she's been trained as a warrior. This is not some woman who stays in a lodge and cooks all day, or craws into your bed at night to satisfy your lust. She is an ingenious warrior and a cold-blooded calculating killer.”
“As are we. Now, get your ass to moving, and let's collect these two or Asa will have all our heads on a pole. We, none of us, can return without these women. I know Asa wanted them alive, but if they're dead he may still let us live.” Why can't these dumb-shits understand, we seriously cannot return without something to show the chief? he thought.
They were deep in the woods, following the tracks of the women that ran parallel to the more heavily traveled course about twenty feet away. The travois that carried Ezra made group movement slow, especially in the cluttered woods, and often the group was forced to wait as the poles were lifted over one obstacle or another.
“Ezra, we're putting your ass on a horse. The travois is seriously holding us back, and you'll either ride or die. Lum, I want you and Lucian to tie Ezra to his horse, but keep one hand free so he can carry a jar of the alcohol. Ezra, you can drink and stay drunk as a skunk, as long as you're quiet. Start making noise and we'll gag you. Understand?”
“You're about uncaring sonofa —”
“I asked if you understood? It's a yes or no question. Answer me or we'll gag you now.”
“Yes, I understand.” Ezra replied but thought, I'll kill your ass once I'm strong again and this is behind us.
The sun was out and it would have been a great day to ride, if they weren't following a woman as dangerous as a grizzly bear with a toothache. A gentle and warm breeze blew from the west, and most of the remaining men were glad to be out of the rain. As they moved, Azra was sitting crooked in his saddle, but he'd said not a word once secured in place. Off and on he took a swig of his drink.
For hours they tracked the women and then Nimrod, who was riding point, stopped.
Byron rode to the point man and asked, “What's the problem?”
“Something doesn't feel right.”
“What in the hell is that suppose to mean?”
“I get a feeling when something is wrong or I'm being watched. I have that feeling now.”
“Well, dismount and lead your horse a few hundred feet and see if the feeling disappears. There may be another trap, but at ground level you'll see any cord or vines stretched across the trail. The trap will be made for a man on horseback, right?”
“Make sense to me, but I don't like it.”
“Move, and do it now,” Byron said and then pulled his pistol, “or I'll shoot your ass where you stand. We're moving way to slowly to satisfy me.”
Nimrod moved forward slowly, scanning the ground in front of him for anything that looked unnatural, but saw nothing.
“See, all your worry was pure foolishness and you have —”
Nimrods right foot suddenly disappeared into the ground, he fell on his ass, and then gave a loud piercing scream. He kept jerking the right side of his body.
His screams continued as Byron carefully stepped in his footprints and made his way to the man. Once standing over him, he saw the man's foot was in a hole and impaled by a sharp stake driven into the ground. A mat made of woven reeds was pushed under Nimrods foot. He counted over fifteen barbed stakes before he quit counting and called out, “Ora, bring Seth, and the two of you come to me. Bring the whiskey, too.”
Once the men were beside the hole, Ora said, “Oldest trap in the book. Dig a hole, fill it with barbed stakes, cover it with a mat and sprinkle dirt on top of it.”
Angry, Byron said, “I know all of that, but how in the hell do we get his foot out?” Nimrod was still screaming, and blood covered his foot.
“These stakes might be buried a foot or more, so we're going to have pull his foot from the barb. He's going to lose his mind when we do it too, but it's the only way I know to do the job. Seth, you take his left side and I'll take his right. On the count of three, we pull 'em up and out.”
They both moved into position and Ora said, “One, two, three!”
At the number three, they both pulled Nimrod straight up, and the pain was so bad he passed out. They placed his limp body on the ground and then cut his boot off. Each tribe had a cobbler, but shoe and boot quality depended on the skills of the individual shoemaker. In this case, the boot was poorly made. When Ora removed the boot, blood poured from it as he sat it aside. Looking at the foot, he said, “Right through the center of his foot, so he'll have problems with this the rest of his life, but that won't be very long anyway.”
“Why's that? It's just a wound to his foot.” Byron asked. Hell, he'll be up and around within a month.
“Look at the barbs in the trap. See the dried brown stains on the top half of each barb?”
“Sure, but so what?”
“It's dried human shit, Bryon, and Nimrod's injury will soon become infected. We have nothing to fight the contagion, so he'll die.”
“Good God.”
“My opinion is you cut his throat while he's unconscious and end it now. If not, it'll take him weeks to die and the pain will be horrible. Only, in the end, he will die.” Ora said as he gazed into Byron's eyes.
Byron pulled his knife and with a quick slash of the sharp blade, Nimrod began to die as blood spurted from his severed throat.
“Help me pull him into the brush, and we'll tell everyone he was killed instantly.”
Once he was in the brush, a cherry-red blood trail led right to the dead man. Wiping his bloody hands on his trousers, Byron said, “Let's move again and Seth, you take point.”
“Me?”
“Yep, from now on all of us, including me will rotate on and off point. Pull the job for an hour, then I'll send your replacement.”
“I'll do it, but I don't like it at all.”
“Who gives a shit what you like o
r don't like? Move, but watch your ass.” Byron said, and then laughed.
Chapter 7
“PEOPLE OF THE EAGLE, we have an illness that will soon sicken many of us, and it is possible that four out of ten of us will die. We have no prevention against this disease and while we can treat it, we cannot cure it. The warriors of the Black Mountain People brought this sickness to us, and all we can do is prepare.”
“How can we prepare?” a voice from the very back asked.
“We need much meat, honey, salt and water.”
“I know where there are some honey trees, so I will take women with me and gather all I can.”, a woman Mongoose knew as Ruth said from near the front.
“Amon will make teams to hunt cattle, so we may drink broth during our illness. Thomas will lead a group of men to the salt lick and bring salt back for us.”
“How much time do we have, and what is this disease we have?” Tork asked from the side of the group.
“By the end of two weeks many will be ill. The illness is small pox.”
A few loud gasps of fear were heard, and then someone asked the about the symptoms and the illness.
“Our shaman will now explain the illness. After he has done so, we must quickly gather what we need, because once sick, we'll not be able to do much.”
Eldon, Chief of Dog Soldiers walked to Mongoose and said, “We have two women from our attacked village with us near your lodge. They have both been informed of the dangers of small pox, but as members of The People, they wanted to join us. One claims she will not get the illness, for one reason or the other, but the other does not know. They'd been kept by the Wolf People for sex slaves. They killed a shaman of the Wolf Clan to escape, and there are men following them.”
“Lead me to them, and then have a dozen warriors send the Wolf warriors to the other side. Not one must escape, because we, especially now, must keep our location a secret.” Then moving to Amon, she whispered, “I have urgent business, so when the shaman is finished, start the people to work preparing for the sickness. We have many people, but little time.”
Amon nodded.
Standing near the lodge of Mongoose were the Dog Soldiers and both women. Theo looked relieved, but Ada was expressionless, like most warriors.
When he neared, Eldon said, “John, gather a dozen Dog Soldiers and kill the Wolf warriors. Not one must be allowed to escape. Any questions?”
“Can we try the new crossbow?”
“Yes, but only take two of them. If you are killed, we'd lose all we have. Now go; they must die today.”
“It will be done as you have requested.”
Mongoose said, “I want both of you women and Eldon of the Dog Soldiers to come with me to my lodge; we must speak.” She then walked to her lodge and held the entrance open until all entered. Entering last, she added, “Please be seated around my small fire.”
Eldon said, “The thin one is Theodosia, but goes by the name of Theo. The other is a warrior and is called Ada. She is the one who killed the Wolf shaman so they could escape.”
Mongoose nodded to each and then asked, “Are you not scared the disease will kill you?”
Ada spoke first, “I was exposed to the sickness once, became very ill with a fever, but did not get the red dots or scars from my exposure. I was told I could not get sick from it again.”
“And you?” Mongoose asked Theo.
“I am of the Eagle People, and if God decides I must die while helping the sick ones, then I will die. I have no choice, because to remain alone would have meant my death too, but my main reason is I'm of this clan. If I die, I will die helping those I love and care for, and that adds meaning to my life. Honor is important.”
“Noble words spoken, but let's hope you can die with as much honor as you speak. The death is a hard one, or so I've been told by the Learned Ones.”
“I hope to help, is all.”
“Now, Eldon, brief me on what you have found during the last few days with these women.”
“John is leading a group back now to ambush the Wolf warriors and, as you know, he's one of the best I have. When we left them, they had just killed one of their own, who'd stepped in a trap. The trap was Ada's idea, and it worked well. By last count, there are but six or so of them uninjured. They keep one man tied to a horse, drunk, who took three of Ada's arrows to slow them down. Other than this, we saw no one moving on the plains or in the woods.”
“The Black Mountain People will soon be as weak as we are, so as a threat, they'll be nothing to worry about for a year or two. A lot depends on how many of each tribe die. Ada, you are to work with Eldon and his men as a Dog Soldier and Theo, you may help Julian, our shaman. Eldon will take you both to lodges where you will sleep. In the days to come, always remember you're Eagle People and we are strong. Now go, as I must meet with others.”
Amon was miles out on the plains searching for a herd of cattle. He'd found plenty of cow patties and tracks, but hungry people could eat neither. It was early morning, with light clouds off to the west, and no wind. Ralph, who'd been riding point, suddenly turned his horse and then rode hard for the main group.
“Over the next hill is a large herd of cattle.” he said, once beside Amon.
“We will all dismount just before we reach the crest and walk our horses to the cattle. Just keep the horses between us and the cattle. Once within easy bow range, we will drop as many as we can, and when they start to run, we follow. Kill as many as you can, because lives will depend on the meat we bring back.”
He glanced at the fifteen warriors who rode with him, heard nothing, so said, “Let's go. If they stampede, get the hell out of their way, or we'll bury you where they grind your bones into the soil.”
They rode to near the crest, dismounted and in a long line, moved over the hill and into the valley below. Amon saw hundreds of the animals, but wasn't interested in counting them. What mattered most was how many they'd manage to kill. A few cows looked toward the horses, but then lowered their heads unconcerned and continued eating.
When close enough, Amon signed, “Make each shot count.” He then pulled his bowstring back and released an arrow. Cows began to drop, but the dying made noises, which spooked the herd and they began to move away at a fast trot.
“Mount!”
The hunters were soon mounted and riding hard on the outside edges of the cattle, shooting arrow after arrow into the big beasts. Finally, they turned quickly to the left to avoid a gully and Amon saw a rider go down, heard a scream that was cut short, and then dust covered the area.
“We have killed enough!” Amon yelled and then added, “Form on me.”
When the hunters neared he saw their youngest hunter, Victor, was missing. He's the one I saw fall, he thought, and then shook his head. It's usually the young and old that die on battlefields or while hunting. Now, I will have to tell his mother. His father has gone before him.
“We lost Victor,” he said when the others neared, “but we'll not look for his body. The bulk of the herd rode over him, so there is no use. However, if all of you will bow your heads, I will say a prayer for our brave young hunter.”
As heads bowed, he said, “Lord, I ask you to accept Victor into heaven with you this day. He was but a young man with no known vices and a follower of your word. He died trying to get meat for his people, so that during the coming sickness others will be able to eat. It shows he was a lover of his People, Lord, and cared about their welfare. This I ask, in the name of Jesus, amen.”
“Amen,” others echoed.
“Now, lets get the travois' rigged up, butcher these cows and get back. Be sure to save the livers and hearts for those who will be ill and need it most.” Amon ordered as he pulled his skinning knife.
Three hours before dark, as they rode toward the village, Zedock rode to Amon and said, “Look behind us.”
When he looked behind them, he noticed a wide trail of blood being left in the grasses, and off in the distance he spotted wolves. Glancing at the
nearest travois, he spotted blood dripping onto the grass. The wolves were following them, obviously intending at some point to make an attempt at the meat.
“Tonight we may have to make a ring of fires around us, to keep the wolves from the meat.” Amon said.
“We can just keep riding.”
“No, once dark, if we keep riding, they will dart in and out stealing meat as they can. An hour before darkness we'll place the meat all in one location, circle it with small fires and we will all remain on guard all night. It will be a rough night, but we must save this meat. That means we need every dry cow pie we can find, because it will be a long night.”
Cow pies were gathered and stacked near the spot where the fires would be, and Amon had them positioned in a circle about fifty feet from the meat. The men then ate a little roasted meat and moved to stand near their fire. The weather was cool, but not cold, and the wind was light. Once the sun was gone, the light of the fires didn't seem to reach far into the darkness, or at least not as far as Amon had hoped it would. He already spotted dark shadows moving just outside the light.
“Do not shoot at anything not threatening you or the meat. I suspect the pack leader will send a couple to check us later tonight, but right now the blood scent is exciting them. The other wolves must be feeding on the remains of the cows we killed, while these were run off. Keep your eyes open and be ready at all times. That means from this point until full daylight.”
All went well until after midnight, when a full day of hunting and riding started to wear the men out, and staying awake became a real chore. Fatigue was falling over the whole group like an invisible veil. Heads nodded, men cursed and walked in circles to stay awake.
In the darkness, in front of Amon, he saw a shape moving toward him, so he made an arrow ready, and waited.
Suddenly the shape was airborne and struck him hard in the chest, and down he went. He turned, saw the wolf moving for the meat and screamed, “The meat!”
An arrow flew through the air, took the wolf in the side and a loud whine was heard as the animal nipped at the bloody arrow shaft. When one hunter moved toward the downed animal with his spear, Amon said, “Stay in your position.”
Eagle People Page 7
