Camp Camel: The Heart of Texas

by Eaton, Rosemary

  Red Cedar’s eyes twinkled knowingly but he kept his face serious and nodded, “Good questions to think on Paaka. I will talk with your father and the others. What of the Chief of their army? Does he have sons?”

  Itsee replied, “Yes one son and one girl new girl child.”

  Red Cedar asked, “And her new man?”

  Paaka answered, “No sons or daughters. He says he hopes she gives him sons like she gave Sparrow Hawk good sons.”

  Red Cedar nodded again, “Wise man, and he is strong medicine man?”

  Itsee replied, “He say only him and his new wife go treat sick. Not risk their chief or other men. His hair is black as raven like ours.”

  Red Cedar smiled, “Maybe we want him. Her brother most upset the last time we honor him. That caused his man seed to only plant in a few.”

  Itsee lowered his eyes, “Grandfather. Is Wasapi or Peekwi white? Not Indian?”

  Red Cedar lost his smile, “It is possible that they many not have Indian blood, but they are Comanche and beloved of your father. They are your brother whether white or Indian. They carry her blood as do you. You must not say what you said to me too loud. It would hurt your father’s heart to loose any of his sons. Their other father has agreed there is no proof he is not Indian and will let him stay Comanche for an alliance with the Gray soldiers.”

  Itsee whispered into Red Cedar’s ear, “Gage is rich. He owns a great ranch as do we. My white father Bryan said their ranch will be ours when Gage’s father is no more. You can be my guest. We can stay but there is measles on his ranch. We must burn it yes?”

  Red Cedar shook his head, “White man will cheat you from your land Itsee. It is something to burn tobacco over and consider, but I think it better to take what has been offered and leave. Too many can not survive the pox. You must decide for yourself which path to walk. You must decide who to trust.” Then Red Cedar looked at his grandsons, “First you eat. Then your father may want you to talk in front of the council and tell them all of your adventure and the nature of the men you met.”

  The Offer

  There was two trails of dust covering the path toward the mountains as Dallas and the rest of their party headed back toward Camp Verde. One aimed further north and another straight West. Dallas tried to keep an eye on the one headed West as long as his eye sight could pickup the boys. He would have loved to follow them to Sparrow Hawk’s village, but without a sizable company, that would be asking for further trouble and as Itsee and Paaka had put it, they would look strange without their scalp. He didn’t think Lacy would appreciate being left a widow so soon either with two small children to raise.

  Dallas hoped Bryan and Gage knew what they were doing. They would be an easy target until they reached the Travis ranch. Even then, it would be easy enough for scouts to track the stretcher dragging Jenny or the camel tracks in the sandy soil. They had to hope the fear of measles would be enough discouragement to give them time for the boys to present their offer from a point of strength, or at least from the point of still having the unborn child. He would have liked more time to talk to Gage about exactly how he thought he could let Jenny stay with Sparrow Hawk. Maybe he had worked something out with Albert Pike that made the Indian Agent see more reason in losing one unwilling white hostage compared to starting a bloody war to prove a point, but Gage wasn’t saying how he could do that.

  Not sharing information usually meant he definitely didn’t want others to know what was up. It was either a PIU issue or something so personal he wouldn’t say in front of the Sergeant or within ear shot of the other men camped with them. Gage wasn’t normally a shy person and bragged openly how Dallas was getting soft in Searcy when he refused to take advantage of Lacy. But sleeping with your own sister, whether you knew it or not, that went past even what Dallas considered Gage capable of personally. It did occur to him that Gage was capable of killing her. Maybe his solution was to end this for his father and family. The way Jenny was trying to run, maybe he had already tried and failed. What might he do if he found himself in bed with his sister in the light of day. Dallas shuddered to think of it. There had been a few times when they were younger he had said what he’d do if he ever found her. He’d finish what the Indians didn’t. He’d slit her throat like she tried to do before Sparrow Hawk took the knife or strangle her with his own hands. Hopefully, he had a change of heart. Saying something and doing it often got blurred when there was a real person, not just some blank face in front of you. Seeing your own face as they died, well, that put a whole new perspective on how much resolve it might take to actually carry out the deed.

  Sergeant Major Vincent moved his camel up beside the Major’s, “Sir, did you notice that Colonel or Captain Traver’s uniform had a bloody hole right over his heart?”

  Dallas said, “Yes. I noticed. Didn’t seem to bother him. As he said, the man was dead and he was in need of provisions. I guess the Yanks weren’t buying them clothes. Maybe that Colonel didn’t make it in their escape attempt. Sure don’t think that hole was there when he was captured.”

  Sergeant Major Vincent agreed, “Yes Sir, that would be a good trick for sure. Unless the man’s a ghost. How exactly was he identified when they put his body in the ground you think?”

  Dallas’ mind went back to his friends when they finally admitted Gage didn’t make it. He swallowed, “I wasn’t there Sergeant. I was in the hospital, in bad shape. They didn’t tell me until after he was buried. But I had the impression my wife found his body or a body under his horse with his face and chest pretty much blown away ten feet in front of where their cannon was positioned. We tried to charge it, but it got the best of us and without reinforcements, Colonel Parsons finally decided it was not our day. She and the young boys Doc Rayburn lead dressed like women walked right up to their burial detail and offered to bury their dead along with ours in a proper graveyard. Got their knives and left the rest for the Yankees as spoils of war. Swore those knives would never be seen in battle again that day. Cursed every one of them that we wore. We shouldn’t have been so brazen, just invited General Hindman to make an example of all of us, including Lacy. She wore a bowie knife. Did you know that?”

  Sergeant Major Vincent replied, “I think I’ve seen it on her Sir, that and in JC’s hands a time or two. But Gage’s knife was the one from the Alamo wasn’t it?”

  Dallas said, “Yes, or so he told me. You never knew for sure with Gage. I have to admit I still don’t. But I intend to find out when we get back. He might have disappeared on purpose that day. There were times our orders asked us to do mighty strange things.”

  Sergeant Major Vincent encouraged Dallas to continue his story, “Like what Sir?”

  Dallas’ mind went to his chase of Bryan and Lacy toward Curtis’ camp. Contrived escape and hostage situation by Bryan to get his hide out of of General Hindman’s noose and said, “Captain Travers for example. He was embedded with Curtis. A PIU agent, not a traitor did you know that? He gave Hindman the proof Curtis was moving down the White and not through Searcy toward Little Rock. Lacy and Bryan saved their family farm from being poisoned for hundreds of years. Underground rivers, water that burned from natural gas seeping up to the surface, mineral water that gave you the shits worse than the flux and catfish that swallowed diamonds. We found diamonds in their guts the day I married Lacy. Maybe we should have let Hindman burn them out, given that spring water and gas, but they didn’t have much to keep them going and he was taking it all.”

  Sergeant Major Vincent looked shocked, “Captain Travers a hero like that and your Mrs. too? Well I guess they wouldn’t suspect some pansy doctor with a leaning toward the wrong way if you know what I mean.” The good Sergeant Major made a mental note. They did find diamonds in catfish. Lordy what would make a bottom dweller eat a rock? What did he say? Burning water? Na, he must still be having visions for sure and us with no proper doctor to treat him.

  Dallas said, “You better not say that too loudly if you want to keep your scalp. I think Jen
ny could take the hide off both of us in quick fashion if she had more than a dull pen knife. I’ve seen them skin buffalo hides. What ever leaning he had, she’s done something to him, don’t you think?”

  Sergeant Major Vincent agreed, “Confirmed Indian squaw lover for sure. I’ve heard a preacher or two that put the fear of God in men and washed the demon out of them.” Sergeant Major chuckled as the thought to himself, “But not the demon into them. He’s gone from the pan straight to the fire.”

  Dallas grinned, “I’m sure you have. Mrs. Sanders knew one like that growing up too. I can’t say I paid attention. I think I must have been the demon they were talking about. JC takes after me that way.”

  Sergeant Major Vincent nodded, “Yes, Sir, I think all us boys do. My Mama made me listen until I ran away and joined the army.” The Sergeant was hoping the Major would relate something of his own youth like what led him to join up, both to open the lines of communication and for a matter of a the enlisted men’s curiosity about their young Major. Dallas wasn’t talking about what caused him to join up. The Sergeant Major being the highest ranked enlisted man had been asked to intercede on behalf of Sergeant Cook and Private White in what surely was going to lead to their court martial. They had taken actions that lead to the drugging of their commanding officer. Intended or not, they had put his judgment at risk as well as the camp’s doctor. The Sergeant Major didn’t need any more proof that the Major’s ability to think clearly was compromised letting her leave with Captain Travers and her brother who looked more like a deserter than a hero to him right now.

  The Sergeant Major’s attention came back to a more pressing matter as they worked their way back to Camp Verde. The only reason Sergeant Cook and Private White weren’t in the stockade right this very minute was the fact that it seemed unnatural to the men what was going on between the Major, the Captain and his wife and not to mention that Spanish lady that had come the day little Brianna was born. The rumors of their involvement with PIU was all through the camp. Many of the men hadn’t been part of the cavalry unit that went to Mississippi or were stranded in Arkansas. They had been at Camp Verde since the CSA took the fort over at the beginning of the war. Major Bo Callahan had served here. They knew the man and through him some knew enough about the Sanders, the Vegas, the Callahans, the Beauregards, the Mavericks, the Conroes, and the Travis families to have heard rumors of scandal, family feuds, forsaking family names, the Heart of Texas diamond being stuck into some tree in Arkansas by their Major’s mother Marcy May, and stories of old men stealing young wives and bastards fathered before the weddings by brothers of the groom to make your ears burn red. They had even met Victoria Vegas Conroe once when she stayed a night at the camp. He could see how such a lady could cause those ranchers to fight an all out range war for the beauty, but smart poor men didn’t spread rumors if they wanted the business of the powerful men who ran Southern Texas and New Mexico and Sergeant Major’s knew when to shut up if he wanted to keep those hard earned stripes that said you were the highest ranking enlisted man in camp. He also knew how to create favors that could be called on in a pinch. Tit for Tat to keep your scalp or stripes.

  There were bets a plenty on how Junior Sanders ended up their Major and what names he went by in the PIU. His Daddy could have bought his way out or bought him some cushy job far out of danger’s path. Not that Camp Verde was as bad as being around the Eastern front, but as the Major had told his wife, there were plenty of things that could kill you just as quick and Chief Sparrow Hawk certainly was one of them.

  It was obvious his Major and the Captain knew they had been drugged, not who did it yet, but they knew. By now Sergeant Major Vincent was pretty sure John and Paul had used the men’s betting vice to try to take Sparrow Hawk’s squaw. He wouldn’t say his men were completely innocent, but they didn’t have access to peyote before the boys showed up. Maybe that was why they weren’t welcome at the mission. Sergeant Major Vincent cleared his throat.

  Dallas looked over, “Did you say something Sergeant Major?”

  Sergeant Major Vincent continued now that his Major had addressed him, “The good Friar told the boys they were damned if they did a vision quest. You know, use peyote to clear their mind and ease their bodies with it. You know it’s medicine for the savages out West. Helps with joint pain.”

  The good Sergeant Major seemed to be working his way up to a point. One that was a rather sore one right now with Dallas. He was sure someone had drugged him, Lacy, and Bryan with peyote. The symptoms fit. Colored visions, floating in bliss, and it certainly helped with Bryan’s joint problems but the effects lingered and popped back up at unexpected times. Peyote could affect a person for days.

  Sergeant Major Vincent didn’t look at the Major, just said it looking straight ahead where he didn’t have to meet his eyes, “It was the peyote for sure Sir and if there was any kissing being done, I’m sure the squaw did it. Your wife was making too much noise to have her mouth shut smacking on her. It was never meant for her, your Mrs. Sir. The men thought the Captain needed his pipes cleaned out and John swore it would help his rheumatism and all. We have no idea how it ended up in your canteen. Sergeant Cook asked me to tell you that, not one bet laid on you or your Mrs.” With that the Sergeant thought it safer to drop back and leave the Major to his own thoughts.

  Dallas gritted his teeth, “Yes, the Sergeant Major was probably correct. What ever had happened was a result of Jenny’s life more than any natural attraction between the parties involved. Much was his own fault if he admitted it. He didn’t think. He had acted impulsively to get her from Sparrow Hawk’s clutches, cock sure of himself. Dallas hadn’t considered she needed to be re-introduced slowly or that Jenny’s expectations of what he wanted was completely different from his own. He hadn’t noticed that John and Paul had been tailing him as he took her from one place to another. It would have been easy for them to put the stuff in his water. Maybe they thought she needed it to manage the pain of her separation from them and her younger children or the late stages of child birth. Dallas had held the unrealistic expectation that the white woman inside her would just pop right out of that buckskin if given the chance. Gage was right about that. She had been with them too long to just go back to being Jenny Travis without time and lots of help.

  Jenny couldn’t speak or she wouldn’t speak. But one thing was certain, Sparrow Hawk took extra care to keep her hidden while she grew up from any contact with other whites. She was probably living not twenty miles from the Travis ranch, and yet no one reported where she was all those years.

  Despite that, it looked like her sons had been right under the old man’s nose for the last several years. Their grandmother, the Nun, had been able to convince the Friar of the value of trying to convert the heathens and in the process found two that reminded her of her own daughter’s eyes and Paaka’s grin was definitely like Gage’s even if his cheek bones, hair color and skin tone was Sparrow Hawk’s. A family resemblance was undeniable. But if the boys had admitted to eating peyote, that would have been the end to their welcome at the mission.

  A comforting thought came to Dallas. Maybe their father wanted his sons to know English and Spanish. Maybe there was hope that he saw the writing on the wall and would give them a choice when the time came of walking as an Indian or in the White man’s world. But no half-bred would be considered white any more than a mulatto was considered white. Skin color mattered in Texas just as much in the rest of the South whether it was black, or the dark tan of the Indian. But the Spanish and Mexican could own land. Juan and Pablo Diaz could own land and John and Paul Diaz certainly could own land. No one would question their skin color with a name like Diaz. No one was deporting Mexicans to Indian Territory where there was no choice but to continue to fight off the advance toward the West by people trying to escape the ravages of war.

  Then reality hit Dallas. They were Comanche. They lived for war. The Comanche war chief was as likely to sign a treaty with one side, just so he could dec
lare war on the other. But why travel when Dallas gave him the perfect excuse to fight right here. That sly fox was probably just acting like he cared about her or her child. War was the favorite hobby for the Comanche. War was the favorite hobby for Gage Travis too.

  It was occurring to Dallas that Gage might have been more than aware of a time table for the Indians to relocate when they left Texas for Mississippi. He wasn’t the happiest person to be leaving Texas to fight in the East. Maybe his impatience in Searcy was more than good natured ribbing to encourage him to move on with the task at hand. What was it Bryan said? When you let your mind consider things you had no way to know the truth of in advance, sometimes it leads you straight to the obvious. Some times the simplest explanation is the correct one. What was Gage doing here now? It’s not just he’s back from the dead, he could have reported to a dozen places between here and any northern prisoner of war camp. He came home. Why did he think anyone was letting Jenny stay or that he had that much influence with Sparrow Hawk? What did Sparrow Hawk have that he hadn’t already brought up that would change Albert Pike’s mind? Nothing. The boys said it themselves. She knew, they knew, Sparrow Hawk knew she couldn’t stay with him. Dallas thought to himself, “It’s obvious all right. It’s obvious I’m no closer to knowing what he’s doing here than I was before. Gage, what are you doing buddy and why can’t you tell me? Just what did you tell those boys?”

  Back close to the mountains Bryan asked Gage, “How much further? She can’t travel much further like this. You sure we’re not heading back? Seems to me I saw that mountain top further south about an hour a ago.”

  Gage just continued the slow walk. He looked over to Bryan, “What you think I don’t know my way home? I grew up here Captain. I cut my teeth on this land. I know every inch like the back of my hand. We’ll be there soon enough. I slowed down for you. I can’t make it any easier on her. Believe me, this is the easy part and she is a lot better suited to the hardships than you are. She’s probably wondering if she’s going to be beaten back there because you didn’t ask her to walk or carry a pack. Isn’t that right Jenny?” Gage said it just like Jenny would answer him any minute. As if on queue she rolled off the stretcher and got to her feet. She took Gage’s bed roll and his canteen and was trying to come over to Bryan and take his as well as she walked.