Camp Camel: The Heart of Texas

by Eaton, Rosemary

  Bryan smiled, “Honey cone. We call this a honeycomb and the dripping liquid honey. The bees make it. Try to make a Ha sound.”

  Bryan showed her several times and Jenny said, “AAH.”

  Bryan sighed, “No, try this.” He breathed in and out every fast like he was out of breath.”

  Jenny tried and she heard it when she breathed out and said, “Ha” pointing to the honeycomb. Then she looked puzzled and asked, “AAAH?”

  Bryan replied, “Just part of a word, not a thing. We call that a vowel. There are more like A, E, I, O, U. They help make words. You remember words with signs now, but you will remember how to speak them Jenny. It just takes saying the sounds until it feels easy to do it.” So started Bryan’s adventure of teaching Jenny to talk again. Before long there were young children coming to his teepee to learn the white man’s tongue. As he taught her, others said the sounds as well. But Wasapi wasn’t one of them. He was kept well away from both Jenny and Bryan. By mid-afternoon, Bryan found himself turned into a babysitter by the squaws. They turned their children over into his care and left to do chores. Jenny was coming and going as well as she ground corn, made jerky, skinned squirrels and other women’s work. She tried to practice while working, then when she had the chance came into the teepee and waited for Bryan to finish what ever he was doing with the children and would repeat what he asked her to say. She brought back a set of buckskin and presented them to Bryan and took her hands waving to the children to go. Bryan had man business to do apparently. He looked at them, “I should wear these I suppose?”

  Jenny nodded yes. Bryan said, “YES, try to say YES. That is what you said when you did this.” Bryan nodded his own head yes.

  It was getting easier. Some things weren’t so hard now that her tongue was working. Jenny concentrated, “Yesss.”

  Bryan looked to make sure there weren’t any prying eyes and started to change. He took his shirt and pants off. Jenny pulled at his long johns. Bryan said more to himself than her, “Oh, you’d have me naked under that leather.”

  Jenny grinned and pulled some more and started reaching around inserting her hands into what openings she could find. Bryan took a breath and sucked the air into his lungs as he felt his passion rising and looked back at the flap opening of the teepee, “Do you think we should do something, perhaps close it?”

  Jenny blushed and brought the flap down to where their teepee was closed off from the outside air and slipped off her own buckskin dress.

  Bryan sighed, “We shouldn’t. I want to but.”

  Jenny had his balls cupped in one hand and was pushing him toward the pallets. Bryan blinked his eyes a dozen times trying to focus or think but there was little blood in his brain and way too much right where her hands were concentrating. Bryan thought to himself, “Not the peyote fool. Lord have mercy on my soul. I want her something fierce.” Bryan stripped and gently laid her down and took his wife quickly then rolled off and let out the sound, “Aaah Ha,”

  Jenny looked over to Bryan and took a scoop of honey on her fingers and touched them to his lips and said, “Aaah Ha?”

  Bryan licked the honey off with his tongue and then gently licked each sticky finger clean and said, “Honey, sweet like you.”

  Jenny smiled and kissed his chest. She touched him and brought him once again inside her before Bryan decided he had to get air before he met Sparrow Hawk’s child face to face. He dressed quickly in the buckskin and went out.

  Jenny sighed. She was dressed and out the door with a bowl in her hands headed for the woods. Bryan looked after her and thought, “My God, she’s going for more honey. I sure hope wokwave isn’t that filling.”

  On the other side of the clearing Jenny handed Sparrow Hawk the bowl. Jenny said, “Aaah Ha.” Sparrow Hawk gave the bowl to Eagle Feather who quickly ran back into his teepee to share some ‘Aaah Ha’ with his own Squaw.

  Sparrow Hawk put his hand on Jenny abdomen and held his hand steady until he felt the child kick and nodded then sent her back with more honeycomb.

  Jenny waddled as fast as she could until she saw Bryan looking at the hills and village. She came upon him and presented him the honey and pulled at him to come back into the teepee. Sparrow Hawk walked up and nodded, “First day, you please her many times. She give you honey, you please her and give her ‘Aah Ha’. We eat wokwave tonight to get back your strength.” Sparrow Hawk lifted the flap and motioned Bryan to take her in.

  Bryan swallowed as he asked Jenny, “So Comanche women share ‘Aah Ha’ with us?”

  He could hear Sparrow Hawk laugh, “And much pleasure Wokwave. I come get you when time to go eat tonight.”

  Jenny was already tearing at his clothes and spreading honey on his chest and letting it drip south to his belly button. Bryan sighed, “When in Rome.” Bryan thought, “No they never had it this good.” He chuckled and undressed and let her tickle his fancy once more. It was only after the third bowl of honey, that Bryan insisted, “Jenny, there is only so much a man my age can do. Please, I don’t want to walk bowed legged tonight.” She dressed and open the flap pointing toward the stream.

  Bryan grinned, “Cold water? Yes cold water might help.”

  Jenny motioned toward the stream and then to keep walking. Bryan took the hint and went down to the stream and walked it’s banks until he came to a drop off where the stream made a falls. Like the one back in Searcy, there were rocks behind the water where the men lay naked on the rocks enjoying the coolness of the stones on their backside. Bryan sighed and took his buckskin off once more and dove into the cool water then came up and lay on the rocks with the other men. Eagle Feather and Wolf were stretched out letting the water splash over their bodies.

  Bryan couldn’t help but admire the men’s lean muscular bodies, but when they looked him over like meat, he grinned and held his balls, “Too much honey.”

  The men grinned back, “Aaah Ha. Good seed make many sons.”

  Bryan just smiled, “Maybe after she gives Sparrow Hawk his baby. Now just my pleasure.”

  Eagle Feather asked, “You give more Aah Ha?”

  Bryan said, “I guess I didn’t do a good job explaining. Took her three times, I think she’s good.”

  Eagle Feather looked at his fellow pox victim a little confused, “Yes, she good squaw. Have many sons.”

  The other buck beat his chest and said, “Wolf.”

  Bryan imitated the brave and said, “Wokwave.”

  Wolf smiled, “Still think easier the other way. Squaw not care.”

  Bryan looked a little surprised. He hadn’t really considered that the Indians might do that but he wouldn’t shame Jenny, “Well, I’m sure she doesn’t. But we have to think of the child don’t we?”

  Eagle Feather laughed, “Let your woman sleep while you work tonight.” Bryan noticed a honey pot bowl next to Eagle Feather. He could swear it had the same design as one Jenny had left with earlier. Perhaps they had given her honey as a gift for his pleasure. Bryan pointed toward it, “Shared Aah Ha?”

  Eagle Feather rubbed it on his male member and smiled, “Yes, good seed not drip.”

  Bryan looked at the other brave as the brave held up his own bowl and rubbed it on himself and rose, “One more time before we take Wokwave.” He left heading quickly back toward the village.

  Bryan closed his eyes. Surely there were colors somewhere in his brain letting him know the peyote was still working on his senses. He could almost feel Jenny licking the honey off him. Eagle Feather touched his arm, “We eat Wokwave soon. Rest. It will be a long night for you.” The two cut back along the narrow path and up to the top of the falls and disappeared. Bryan found himself alone in the peace of the water falls.

  The Fight

  Lacy looked accusingly at Dallas, “You left him out there with WHO?” Gage Travis had died at the battle of Cotton Plant. Lacy had retrieved his body and bowie knife herself along with Doc Rayburn’s boys. Just how did Gage suddenly rise from the dead and find his way to Texas? This was on
e that even the gypsy hadn’t mentioned when she told Lacy what her future held. Why couldn’t she have told her she was going to bury a friend, but he wasn’t really dead and they’d meet up in Texas some day?

  Dallas said, “Gage is alive. I don’t know who you buried, but it wasn’t Gage. He walked right into camp. Not one person saw him until he was in front of our faces as pretty as you please claiming he was relieving me of command. I thought he was for a minute too.”

  Lacy said, “I don’t believe it. I’m going to skin his hide from one end to the other for not letting anyone know.”

  Dallas dusted his hat off. It was covered with the fine sand from the high plains they had traveled through. Lacy looked at him and stamped her foot, “Dallas Sanders, I just washed this floor. Is it too much to ask you to do that outside on the porch like Bryan does? You don’t see him tracking in mud clouts and sand every where do you?”

  Dallas muttered, “No, but he’s not out in the mud and sand doing what I do either. He’s spending time getting his pipes cleaned out with you and Jenny while I’m out in the desert trying to keep our scalps in tact.”

  Lacy turned, “What did you say? You think either of us wanted that to happen? We were drugged and you know it. Those boys drugged us Dallas.”

  Dallas looked at Lacy, “Peyote and not a lot. Just enough to help their mother deal with the separation from her family. How were they to know they had unleashed an orgy of pent up feelings between the three of you.” Dallas had an orgy of pent up feelings himself to deal with. Lacy looked like a steak that had been put on the fire and turned once and was ready to chow down on to him. She was sweating from the warm Texas heat as she put her frustrations into cleaning their home from top to bottom trying to get the memory of Jenny’s advances out of her mind. He was grinning and moving her backwards toward their bed room. The children were asleep already and his dinner could wait.

  Lacy looked up. She had seen this look before many times. The man had one thing on his mind and it wasn’t their dinner. Dallas could make love in his sleep and never even realize he took her until he woke up. Lacy sighed, “It’s been a long day. Bryan wasn’t here to help with the children so dinner was later than normal. JC was into everything.”

  Dallas kept pushing gently using his body weight to keep her moving toward their bed. “Missed your second husband today? Well, he’s busy enough tonight trying to keep Jenny from getting back into Sparrow Hawk’s hands. Sure hope Gage doesn’t kill them both before they get to his ranch.”

  Lacy asked, “What do you mean by that? Why would they go there? Didn’t his father say he would shoot her?”

  Dallas had made it to the bed and started unbuttoning Lacy’s blouse giving her a kiss on her neck and biting her ear lobe then came up, “Measles. His old man has measles according to Gage. Thought that might keep the Indians away.”

  Lacy said, “You exposed them to measles on purpose?”

  Dallas said, “Better than Sparrow Hawk. Bryan said she couldn’t travel much further. That ravine’s not safe and beats that bat dung filled hole she was hiding in when Daisy found her too. She was going to wait out her time in a small cave full of bats. Sure made that cave on your father’s farm look good Lacy.”

  Dallas had her down her back with a breast in his hand and kissed her nipple and latched on and suckled just enough to get a taste. Lacy was squirming under him, “Stop that Dallas. You get my milk going and I’m going to have to wake up Lu.”

  Dallas said, “So you haven’t forgiven him yet? People aren’t going to know what to think, Lacy. Brianna is her name and now it’s Lu? You’re trying to make him feel guilty for what? You don’t own the man. He has a right to a life of his own you know. You should be happy. It did him a world of good. Why he’s happier than he’s been since you shot his lover back in Searcy.”

  Lacy slapped Dallas’ face, “How dare you. You know I thought that was Bryan. I thought I’d shot him to save your horny toad life!”

  Dallas grunted, “Still true. You did him a favor and saved him for a mute Comanche squaw. Can’t say a mute wife right now wouldn’t be appreciated. Too much talk Lacy.”

  Dallas pushed her skirts up and felt to see if she was as wet as he was. It was hard to tell, she was sweaty and the salt on her belly tasted good as he moved his knee between her legs and joined her. Dallas’ breath escaped in a heavy moan, “God you feel so good Lacy.” There was several grunts and Dallas whispered into her ears, “I’m sorry. After dinner, baby I’ll make it up.” With that and less than a dozen thrusts, Dallas let his weight come down on her and rolled off. That had been really quick like greased lightning. Dallas was still dealing with the occasional side effect of that little bit of peyote he told her wasn’t that much. Dallas looked over to Lacy, “Maybe if Gage really is who he implied, we could take leave and go see Anna Maria and her family in Santa Fe. Would you like that?”

  Lacy had met Anna Maria Vegas once. She had come to take JC when Brianna was born. The lady spoke English, but most of the conversations had been in Spanish. Lacy thought that was to keep her from knowing what was being said to Dallas. Bryan had tried to translate but in the end the high born lady and her maid had decided Dallas had spoiled JC to the point they didn’t want to take care of him and left in a huff. Bryan thought they had mistreated JC or at least never treated him like family delegating him to some loveless servant to care for him and Lacy was inclined to agree with Bryan. Anna Maria was beautiful, even more than Victoria, Dallas’ old flame. The clothes they wanted JC to wear was more like a straight jacket than play clothes for a boy. The thought of making nice to this Spanish nobility while she insulted her behind her back wasn’t her idea of a nice get away at all. If they were going somewhere, why not a trip home. Maybe even a trip to Judsonia. Right now Lacy would like to dig up Gage’s grave and make sure that coffin wasn’t empty. She didn’t have any reason to believe that wasn’t Gage. Maybe it would help if she saw him in the flesh.”

  Lacy looked over to Dallas, “We could go home. My family would like to see Lu. I got a letter from Paw and he’s going to be sent to Vicksburg to reinforce troops there soon.”

  Dallas said, “No, not going up there. It’s likely the next time the Union pushes toward Little Rock, they’ll take it. We left to get you away from the fighting remember?”

  Lacy said, “What about your father? He’s closer. I’ve never met him Dallas. Don’t you think he’d want to see Lu and JC? Does he even know we’re married?”

  Dallas rolled off the bed and pulled his pants back up, “I told you I don’t talk to him now. Besides, I’m sure he knows we’re here Lacy. Doesn’t the fact that he’s never once written say anything to you? Let Bo and Victoria deal with him. I don’t need him in my life.” Dallas said, “So is there dinner?”

  Lacy rose up and pushed her skirts down and started buttoning her blouse. She had to find a cloth to stuff over her now dripping breasts and a sponge to wipe the dripping evidence of his needs off her legs. Maybe Lu would wake up soon and help with the the first mess he made of her. Lacy said, “I made some soup from what was left. I was cleaning Dallas. I just didn’t feel like doing a lot of cooking tonight.”

  Dallas replied, “You know we slept on the ground Lacy. Clean floors are nice, but I think if you’d asked, I would have rather had steak and potatoes and a dirty floor than bits of ham with beans watered down into soup tonight.”

  Lacy said, “Is that right. Maybe Anna Maria will cook you a steak.”

  Dallas replied, “Maybe I’d like her to cook me a steak that wasn’t burned to a crisp. I like my steaks raw.”

  Lacy bit her lip, “Maybe you like your women bloody too. Just stick it in and flip once and you’re done.”

  Dallas said, “For God’s sake Lacy, have you no pity at all on me tonight. My best friend shows up fresh from his grave telling me he’s taking over my command because he needs to fix the little problem I’ve created with his sister and Sparrow Hawk. The same sister by my account that was
presumed dead by his family for how many years? If that wasn’t bad enough he shows up wearing a Colonel’s uniform with a bloody hole in it while I’m chasing two boys who managed to not only get inside the fort, but extract their mother right under our noses while she apparently had relations with my wife and your second husband! I think Jenny saw that plain enough. Just when did we get like this?”

  The sound of Brianna crying interrupted their fight. Lacy looked at Dallas and kept her eyes turned down, “I need to feed her. If you don’t want soup, I guess you could eat in the mess tonight.”

  Dallas growled, “Fine, I will. Maybe we should take a break to cool off.”

  As he left Lacy said, “Maybe you should take Brianna or Lu or what ever new name you want to give her Dallas and go see Anna Maria for the next eighteen years!”

  Dallas yelled back, “I’m sleeping in my office. Maybe the crazy will wear off by the time I come back.” Lacy thought, “Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I need a break too.”

  The next morning Lacy feed Brianna and turned her over to Mrs. Tyler telling her she and JC were going for a camel ride. She needed some air and Daisy needed the exercise. Mrs. Tyler warned her, “Mamacita, it’s not safe just you and the boy. There are rumors the Injuns are on the war path.”

  Lacy said, “They aren’t the only one on the war path.”

  Mrs. Tyler shook her head, “Mamacita, you fought with the Major and now you do something foolish and make him even madder. Stay. This squaw is gone, si?”

  Lacy said, “Well, she’s not in the fort right now, but I don’t think she’s gone. Captain Travers married her. She’s going to live here.”

  Mrs. Tyler crossed herself, “Holy Mother Mary, have mercy on our souls. He will scalp us all. Can you not tell Captain Travers he must take her somewhere else where they don’t know her. The Comanche will not leave her be even if Sparrow Hawk leaves her. They will take her scalp and anyone they find with her. She will always be looked on as Injun. You can dress her, but you can not wash what has been off her.”