Camp Camel: The Heart of Texas

by Eaton, Rosemary

  Outside the window Itsee was shaking the end of a rattle making sounds that sounded like a rattle snake. The snake under the table was a King snake with a rattle tied to it’s tale. In the dark of the office it would be close enough to make Sergeant Cook think they actually found a rattle snake and safe enough that if it bit someone it wouldn’t be fatal. Beyond that they had every confidence in Sia that she would dispatch the snake with her pen knife. She had done so often enough at home.

  Bryan considered his options. His surgical knives hanging from the wall were small. All except the bone saw, but that wouldn’t do. It had no point. Where was a good old fashion Bowie knife when you needed one. Dallas would have had one on him and Jenny’s brother as well. Bryan made a mental note to himself, “Start wearing a weapon. Bowie knife, revolver, derringer, anything at all would have been better than where he found himself. He had one half wild woman crouched looking like she was going to jump on top of him and a rattle snake somewhere at his feet. Maybe it would hit his boots. Maybe she should jump and then he’d hope he stayed on his feet and she didn’t just run over the top of him. Even worse, it sounded like his office was suddenly on top of a pit of rattlers. He swore he heard another right under the window. So much for that exit. Bryan put his fingers to his lips and made sure he had Jenny’s attention, “Now Dear, come to me and I’m going to carry you out of here very slowly. You’re not going to jump me Jenny. But I’ll walk us both out of here just like we walked in alright?”

  Light Feather shook her head no making a sign with her fingers making them move quickly back and forth. She wasn’t putting herself between him and the snake. Name or not, he hadn’t earned that type of trust. She reached down into her moccasin and pulled out the lining and handed it slowly to the medicine man.

  Bryan gave her a lopsided grin, “Your shoe? Then he looked down in the sole, a knife. Bryan pulled the small knife out. An old army pen knife. He saw the sucker move just the slightest. He might or might not be able to get it with the knife but it might be enough. He had been pretty good at mumbly peg as a boy. Bryan took aim and let the knife fly. It hit it square in the throat or as close to where a throat might be if snakes had throats. The knife pinned it to the floor and it squirmed and wiggled violently whipping back and forth trying to free itself.

  The boys saw the Major’s wife coming toward them and ran back out of the sight.

  Lacy opened the door with a dress in her hands and screamed to bloody hell as the snake flung back and forth. Bryan was backing up quickly afraid it would free itself at any moment and take it revenge somewhere above his boot top and below his waist. Light Feather looked at the girl in the door with the baby in one arm and the toddler shrieking with delight at her skirts and lunging for tail of the monster. Light Feather quickly jumped from the table hitting the snake close to the knife with both feet firmly placed on the floor. She yanked the knife out of the floor and snake with one hand as the other hand held it’s head and fangs away and sliced the bloodless body from it’s head hanging on to the nasty thing until it stopped moving.

  JC looked at her with wide eyes and shrieked out, “Again! Again!”

  Light Feather shook her head and held up one finger and shrugged her shoulders at the toddler. She stuck the head in one of Bryan’s metal pans and when she went to cut off the rattle from the tail it came off in her hand. Not a rattler at all. She shook her head. It smelled of something her sons had schemed up. It might have worked if not for the Major’s wife coming in just then. But there was no way to over power the man before she yelled in alarm now. Little Feather gave the dried up rattle to the boy as a present. She took the rest of the snake and skinned it quickly before Bryan even had the lantern lit and handed the meat to Bryan, threw the skin out the window, and took her shoe back and put the knife in his palm. There on the handle was the name Gage scratched into the wood. There was a loud noise outside of men running and cocking their weapons in anticipation of a fight. Men rushed onto the porch with pistols drawn.

  Private White called out, “Everyone alright in there? Doc Travers, you alright?”

  Bryan called back, “We’re fine. Just a little excitement Private White. Rattlesnake decided he wanted to be our dinner.”

  Private White asked, “Mrs. Sanders, no one is holding you hostage are they?”

  Lacy’s brow went up, “No Private. Just startled by the rattler. Lacy slowly opened the door to inquiring eyes as several soldiers lowered their pistols upon seeing the snake meat nicely sliced and skinned and the head in the good doctor’s pan. Light Feather was sitting on the table top with her feet scrunched up and hands plainly visible. The only weapon, her knife was in Bryan Travers palm. He closed the blade and put it in his pocket.

  Private White looked at everyone convince no one was missing their hair or hurt and the men left except Private White. He looked at Light Feather, “She has to go back Doc. Let me know when you’re done. Sponsored or not, she can’t be loose. It’s not right for folks to have to see her acting like it’s nothing at all after what those Indians did to that family.”

  Bryan sighed, “She didn’t kill them.”

  Private White replied, “Yes Captain, I’m sure you’re right on that, but they wouldn’t be dead if she was still with him would they?”

  Bryan frowned, “There is some weeping mother in Missouri saying the same about you Private White. You were at Cotton Plant weren’t you?”

  Private White replied, “Yes, Sir, you know I was. You treated my wound.”

  Bryan asked, “Who saved your hide on the field?”

  Private White said, “Why Captain Travis, Sir. I’ve said that often enough. He pulled me to the side.”

  Bryan pulled the army knife out, “That would be this man right?”

  Private White looked at the knife and the name scratched into the handle, “Yes, Sir. That’s his alright.”

  Bryan said, “And if you met his sister some day do you think you could make sure nothing happened to her out of respect for Captain Travis?”

  Private White came to attention, “Yes Sir. Why I’d marry her no matter how plain if she needed me to. I owe him my life!”

  Bryan grinned, “Well then meet your future wife Private White. May I present Jenny Travis, now my adopted ward come back from captivity and renamed Jenny May Travers. She gave me this knife to kill the snake and saved our lives. She could have stabbed you anytime with it or any of the other men guarding her but she didn’t did she?”

  Private White was standing there with his mouth open taking a serious look at Light Feather, “But she’s Chief Sparrow Hawk’s woman Sir. She slept with him, She’s having his baby. She probably had several already too. I can’t. My Ma would kill me.”

  Light Feather shook her head no, she wanted nothing to do with Private White. There was a real dislike of her guard as she spit on his boots.”

  Private White grinned, “See she doesn’t like me either. You were pulling my leg. Major always said you had a strange sort of humor Sir. You had me going.” The Private became serious again, “Well, I guess I get your drift well enough. Not her fault what that Indian did. So she didn’t kill that snake either. You did. I’m sure that will make someone happy, but I was betting on her.”

  Bryan asked, “Betting on her? Hum, would someone have bet on how many days Daisy kept her from eating too?”

  Private White looked a little alarmed and changed the subject, “I’ll have them put bars on your windows and we’ll lock you in at night and post a guard. But these cabins burn easier than mud Sir. You might be safer in the pen.”

  Bryan frowned, “You just tell them if anything and I mean anything happens to her or me or anyone trying to protect her, I know where every one of those cursed Bowie knives are kept and it will end up in their assigned weapons.”

  Private White swallowed, “Yes Sir. Understood.”

  Bryan growled, “Private warm up enough water for a long hot bath and bring a tub to me.”

  Private White replied
, “But it’s dark and my super is waiting for …” Private White stopped, “Yes, Sir. Right away Sir.”

  Bryan look pleased. He didn’t often assert his rank, but with Dallas gone, he was close to the highest officer still in camp. Certainly higher than a Private and could make enough trouble for most enlisted men to avoid getting on his bad side. The boy had taken a stab at his honor and Bryan knew exactly what he was inferring by that remark. Bryan didn’t join the men at the local brothel with the whores or court any of the widows or spinsters. He claimed himself a devout bachelor and he was for more than one reason. Bryan was sure that’s why Dallas put him in charge of the woman. There was little chance he would be tempted to use her like some of the others might have done if they thought they could have gotten away with it or Light Feather’s hands wondered unexpectedly again. Then there were those like Private White that were mortified at the thought of being with a woman who had laid with an Indian. Certainly not wife material. But apparently Jenny didn’t consider Private White husband material either.

  Lacy picked up the papers on Bryan’s desk, “Bryan, did you agree to this?”

  Bryan stepped over, “I agreed to sponsor her. She’s Gage’s sister Lacy. Meet Jenny Travis, now Jenny Travers.”

  Lacy put the paper down, “Dallas, what have you done. My God, they’ve convicted the baby without a trial for something it had no say in.”

  Bryan picked the papers up quickly and read, “I Bryan Travers agree to sponsor Nahuu, also known as the Knife, former wife to the War Chief Sparrow Hawk of the Comanche Nation. I promise to deliver one live child conceived prior to my sponsorship by said War Chief. If the hostage known to be taken by said War Chief, Jake Hardgrove, who is known to be in the custody of said War Chief’s family and village, is killed or maimed, the same shall be done to the prior mentioned child before the child is turned over to the hostiles by said sponsor. Once the baby has been delivered, the Knife will be turned over to the PIU team tasked to search Comanche Sands for objects of interest to the CSA.

  Bryan felt sick. He found the chamber pot and puked. To his surprise it was Jenny who held his head and wiped a cold cloth over his face. Her eyes were sad. She didn’t understand what the words said fully, but there were a lot of words which usually wasn’t good. One time she might have read some, but after so many years, they were just white man’s lies. That’s what the elders called their scribbles, just white man lies. The words made no difference, they would be broken soon enough.

  The men returned with the tub and buckets of hot water were toted from the kitchen by John and Paul to fill the tub to Bryan’s satisfaction. Private White had the blacksmith working on the windows quick enough. Before Bryan realized it, his office had turned into a mini guard house with extra bolts on the outside. Bryan looked at Lacy, “Let me take the children. Could you help her Lacy.” Bryan pointed to the ends of her braids, “I’m not sure if her hair was like that before Dallas took her or if that is Daisy’s doing but I guess we’ll see if it washes out. Might be camel pee.” The more Bryan looked at it, the more the streaks of red looked like her strands had been dipped in blood.

  Private White knocked on the door and handed Bryan a pitcher of lemonade, “From Cookie Sir. He said it might help being so hot tonight. He had John and Paul squeeze fresh lemons for you.”

  Lacy smiled and thanked the Private. Then she turned to Bryan, “Seems I remember you using pee on my cuts once Bryan. I guess we’ll see if she has any cuts under there or not.” Lacy handed over Brianna and JC into their Unc Bryan’s care and found herself and Jenny alone in a room with a nice hot bath. Lacy poured two glasses of lemonade and gave one to Jenny and drank one herself. Lacy pointed to the water, “Bath. You use soap and scrub the dirt off.” Lacy picked up a cloth, a bar of soap and made gestures like she was taking her clothes off to bathe.

  Jenny took a sip of the lemonade and made a face. It was sour and tart but it did help clear the dust from her throat. She drank the rest quickly then looked at Lacy trying to figure out what the woman wanted her to do. There were colors starting to form in her eyes and Jenny smiled. Someone had gifted them wokwave. She knew what to do now. Jenny moved to undress Lacy so she could boil her skin in hot water. Was the medicine man now going to take this one? Maybe Jenny saving his life had changed his mind about eating her flesh or maybe he wanted to eat it in a different way? She felt sorry for her sons. They would grow up with Tatsinuupi as their mother, but what was done was done and her sons expected her to take another husband or maybe a wife?

  Lacy pulled back, “No you don’t understand. The bath is for you. Lacy took the hand towel and wet it in the water and scrubbed her arm and hands and washed her face trying to show Jenny it didn’t hurt. Colors were popping up in her eyes randomly like rockets from ships at night being fired from a river boat. Well bathing didn’t hurt unless you got the damned soap in your eyes. That must be what was causing those splotches of color. Lacy handed Jenny the cloth and motioned for her to do the same.

  Jenny cautiously touched the water. It was warm, not hot. It actually felt good on her hands. Lacy guessed here was no way around it, and stripped and got into the tub and motioned for Jenny to join her. Jenny pulled her buckskin off and stepped into the water. She slowly sank until she was completely covered and stayed that way. She let the bubbles slowly go from her mouth and considered just breathing in the water. She had seen their faces when they read the terms of what ever sponsorship meant. The man couldn’t hide his horror. What fate awaited her and her new born. Would it be a kindness to just let him go to the spirit world now? What was the prayer she prayed? It had been a while since she said the words in her head.

  Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to take. Something like that. Before Sparrow Hawk took her for his wife, there was nothing in her day that made her want to live one more day. She just did somehow. She hoped against hope she’d see Gage again, safe. They had done a lot to her. She should want every one of them dead, and yet she didn’t anymore. She saw how they were pushed, lied to over and over. She felt their fear and hatred of those who begrudged them land to grow crops and raise cattle or goats to keep their children through the winters.

  She kept her word. Nahuu heard the words in her mind, “PLEASE! I’ll not tell anyone. Don’t hurt Gage! Let him go! Leave, just leave!”

  The warrior had laughed at her when she held out the same army knife she had used to kill the snake tonight. She had offered to cut her own throat if he’d just let the boy go free. Then she did. She started to cut her throat and his hand came out quickly to stop her. Sparrow Hawk frowned shaking his head and putting his hand over her bleeding neck. He scooped her up and left Gage sitting there crying.

  Nahuu, he called her Nahuu and had been placed with the women of the tribe to raise as Comanche. Nahuu worked as a slave until she came of age. Then the warrior who took her away and gave her the name Nahuu as a young girl, claimed her for his second wife and the real education of what a second wife does began. Her life depended on him and belonged to him except for once when she was sent west to take care of beasts of burden for men mapping out trails and exploring the west. But like a bad penny she always came back to Sparrow Hawk to be use as he wished until the day the white soldier took her back and gave her the name Light Feather.

  How ironic to be taken hostage by the very people Jenny belonged to once and feel so strange in their presence. Now even the one who suffered a wound to get her, gave her up to this medicine man named Bryan. He had named her too many names. One was more than enough and yet he tried to give her away before he even had her for one night to that boy who put the unhappy foul smelling beast in her sleeping place.

  Lacy looked down through the water at Jenny’s face. It was calm in reflection of some memory far away. But there were no bubbles coming back up now. She was a little alarmed. Either she could hold her breath a really long time, or she was. Lacy panic and pulled Jenny up by her arms.

  Jenny frowned, then relaxed.
She took the cloth Lacy had been worrying with and rubbed it hard against the tub like she rubbed clothes against a rock in the creek. Then Jenny gently put some of the thing Lacy seemed to think so high of on the cloth and did Lacy’s back and moved behind her cradling her body in her own letting Lacy use her body to keep her head about water. Her hands gently circled her body as she washed her stomach and cupped her breasts feeling the heaviness of milk waiting on her child. Then she did something totally unexpected and Lacy almost stopped her, but didn’t. Her hands moved to places only Dallas touched and it felt good. Jenny moved on to her legs and calves. Jenny moved again in front of Lacy to finish her feet then she dove under the water and Lacy gasped.

  Lacy thought, “My God, I’ve gone to heaven and back at the hands of a woman, a squaw. Do all of them do this? Is it normal. Lord, maybe I’m like Bryan. What am I going to tell Dallas?” Lacy realized that she had bathed. Jenny had just soaked in the water taking care of her. She should return the favor. Lacy shook her head at the towel and indicated Jenny should rejoin her in the tube. She lathered the rag and washed her clean. Lacy gently rubbed over her full belly and paused when she felt the baby kick and smiled at Jenny. She washed her hair and when she was satisfied she smelled of lie soap, not a man’s pee or anything foul, they got out.

  Once she had Jenny dressed, and her hair combed out, it would have been hard to know she had ever been raised as an Indian except for that light scar on her neck and her dark tan on her face, arms, and legs. Jenny quickly braided her hair. She had no desire to leave it loose like Lacy’s blowing in her face. The red streaks in her hair were still there. That couldn’t have been some accident. There were fine individual dark red strands that ran through her braids. Now that the mud was off, it was actually quite beautiful. Where the buckskin covered her she was white like her. No cuts or wounds that required desperate measures like a man’s pee to stave off infection.