Camp Camel: The Heart of Texas

by Eaton, Rosemary

  Dallas eyes twinkled, “Cut her hair with her bowie knife so that it looked like some wild boy from the hills. Her face was covered in dirt, mud, you name it, plus she wore this baggy hat that covered her eyes all the way down to her nose and she spoke different with a twang like the hill folks.”

  Sergeant Major Vincent asked, “Sir so what happened? Did you catch her with her britches down or what?”

  Dallas said, “I can relate to Gage’s Aah Haa moment with Jenny. Private Luellen, that’s what she called herself in the army. Well, I signed him up as my clerk. After all Private Luellen could read and write a fair hand, but he was only a hundred pounds, and had lost his balls to the Yankees on the way to enlist or so she told me. Rather than make the others a little squeamish about sharing a tent or subject the poor boy to further humiliation and taunting, I took the boy under my wing. Being short on tents, my clerk shared my tent. Let’s just say, it was only a matter of time as you said before her softness in the right places gave her away. Frankly I didn’t know if I was going to beat her or make love to her when I first found out. Then I realized Lacy had done the very thing the PIU had ordered me to do before our company was ordered to move out to meet General Curtis. She had me in her bed right where she wanted me. How could I blame her for that?”

  The Sergeant Major agreed, “Yes, Sir. That wouldn’t be fair at all. I heard of some that got to bring their slaves with them, so why not a wife if you weren’t so close to the fighting at the time. So I heard that you helped recover the Heart of Texas Sir. Would that be what your Mrs. was helping you find there in Arkansas?”

  Dallas’ eyes focused on something in the distance, “Do you see a dust cloud headed for us?”

  Sergeant Major said, “Yes, Sir.”

  Dallas said, “Good to know.” Dallas called out, “Captain Bowman, Captain Tyler, ready the troops. Looks like someone is being chased.”

  Dallas answered the Sergeant’s question about Lacy quickly as he made a final check of his own guns, “Yep, that and a few others stones. And the rest is history. Bo has taken a herd of cattle to Beauregard’s troops bought and paid for by jewels Lacy and the PIU helped find in Arkansas.”

  Dallas squinted in the direction of the object coming toward them, “Sergeant Major I think we found my wife. That’s Daisy.”

  Captain Bowman rode up to Dallas, “Awaiting your orders Sir.”

  Dallas said, “It worked well enough last time, camels flank east and get in between them and my wife and horses up the center Captain.” The order went out and the men charged. The bugler announced their deadly intentions to Red Eagle and his warriors that were in hot pursuit of Gage, Lacy, and JC. Daisy was still out of rifle range of the Indians, but not by much.

  Gage saw the dust being kicked up to the South. Yes, camels and horse soldiers from the fort were coming toward them. He looked behind and yelled out to Lacy, “Faster.” Gage had one of the rifles and was trying to aim at one of the lead ponies and fired. The pony fell taking down the brave and the horse behind him but the hole was quickly filled as another set of warriors moved up on their ponies whooping and yelling encouraging their fellow braves to catch the desert beast.

  Lacy took a quick look back and encouraged Daisy to run faster as an arrow struck the saddle and glanced off. Daisy went into another gear and stretched her legs out growling guttural noises in protest. Lacy knew Daisy was probably at her limits. They had been running for the last thirty minutes at least. The good news was that Gage, Lacy, and JC were still less than a pack animal would carry walking. But there was the arrow that didn’t miss the saddle. How far had it pierced the skin? They were in no condition to stop and find out with what seemed like half the entire known Comanche nation on their tail.

  Gage aimed again and another brave fell off his horse, then the horse veered off to the side. Again any opening in the dust was quickly filled. Gage pointed in the direction of a rocky outcrop, “There, head for those rocks.”

  Dallas and his camels were galloping full out with their rifles shooting to their left as they cut between Daisy and the Indians on their tail. Dallas cried out, “Push them back to the center boys!” The sound of guns firing into the charge echoed back to Gage and Lacy from the west and was met by more rounds of fire from the South into the heart of the Comanches. There was confusion as their horses started to rear and buck as the camels charged into their mist. The braves in the center turned North then turned back trying to circle around the camels toward the rocks that held the objects they had been chasing. Most the ponies would have nothing to do with the growling giants of the dessert, but not all. Several braves circled wider and had the rocks flanked on the back dismounting and pursuing their targets on foot.

  In the next fifteen minutes Indians fought the Calvary hand to hand, in close contact as each side took their vengeance on the other as wave after wave of braves pushed into the center of the fight. There were braves that took more than one person’s help to stop. They had multiple shots in their body and still fought until someone took a head shot or stuck a knife in their heart tearing through muscle and veins. They were dying but they felt no pain. There was just blood lust in their eyes and a fierce determination to kill or be killed.

  Lacy and Gage had taken JC and their guns and water up the rocks and found a protected position. Gage fired as Lacy reloaded. The war party pursued them with dogged determination. JC asked, “Why they so mad Mommy? We do something wrong?”

  Lacy handed a rife back to Gage, “Lacy shook her head as she pushed bullets into the chamber of a pistol, then picked up the rife Gage threw to her, “I think he wants my hair, or maybe Daisy’s hair. You just keep that head down JC and covered with that nice helmet, alright?”

  Gage took a shot and pushed JC’s head further down, “Now where did Red Eagle go? You see him Lacy?”

  To the rear of the rock pile, Red Eagle and his warriors moved swiftly toward the small rise of rocky ground. His face was painted red like clay with multiple eagle feathers hanging from his war bonnet. His brow was yellow with a yellow streak down his nose making it look like a beak of a bird of prey. They moved swiftly weaving between the rocks as they honed in on Lacy like dogs going for the same bone. Gage fired the shot in his rife and took the loaded pistols as they once again exchanged guns. JC yelled out, “Mommy I see Injuns!”

  Lacy tried to calm him as she reloaded the rifle, “Yes, lots of Injuns JC. Keep your head down for Mommy now.”

  JC pulled on her blouse, “NO, MOMMY HERE!” JC flung a rock toward the top of the hill above them.

  There above them was Red Eagle holding his tomahawk screaming out at the top of his lungs as he displayed fresh scalps on his belt. Lacy screamed out, “GAGE BEHIND US!”

  Lacy fired and hit him in the abdomen. Then she heard the thud of bullets. One after another and the man was still stumbling toward her with his tomahawk in one hand and scalping knife in the other. Lacy grabbed JC as Gage pushed her behind him with his own bowie knife out ready to slice the man up when Dallas jumped him from the back. With a quick move, Dallas pulled his head back and sliced his neck from one ear to the other like some mad man. He jerked his head back toward him and with one swift stroke stuck his knife through his eye and pushed his brains out and dropped the corpse.

  Gage was on another brave stabbing his knife in his chest until blood spurted from his heart and ran like a river over his body. There was the sound of gun fire on the other side as more soldiers joined the fight with Red Eagle’s men. Five braves lay dead at Lacy’s feet torn into shreds. Gage and Dallas were splattered with blood, rage, and something else. Lacy had seen that look in Mouse Dog’s eyes. For one moment she thought Dallas was going to take her right in front of JC, Gage, and half the men in the fort. But he breathed and took more breaths as tears filled his eyes and he took her in his arms and said as calm as he could manage, “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me for him.”

  Gage looked out over the blood soaked earth, sheathed his knife and
sat to reload his guns. He looked down at his bandage, “It’s clotted. I might live through this yet.” Gage picked up JC, there now big boy, how about we see how bad the beastie is hurt.” With that he took the little conquistador and gently put his fingers under the saddle and felt the tip of the arrow. It had pierced the saddle and Daisy’s coat but luckily for them it looked like it might not have done serious harm. JC gave the order for her to rise. In another five minutes Gage had her saddle off and the arrow removed.

  Dallas looked at JC and back to Lacy, “You stole a helmet didn’t you?”

  Lacy said in her defense, “The old bag of bones gave it to JC. It worked too. Beside there are plenty of them down in that cavern. He can get one of his buddies to loan him one.”

  Dallas inspected the helmet. There was new scratch that looked like a knife or maybe an arrow head. Dallas looked at Gage, “Buddies? This wasn’t yours?”

  Gage grinned, “Oh, twenty or more of them from what we found wouldn’t you say Lacy?”

  Lacy said, “Well, I only touched one personally, but I’ll take your word for that Gage. I couldn’t see so good down there.” Lacy turned to Dallas, “We left Bryan in there with Jenny. See, we were trapped and Gage was the only one not in the cavern and he was hurt too bad to try to ride a camel for the first time.”

  Gage looked at Dallas and tried to explain, “Wound wouldn’t clot.” Gage showed Dallas the blood soaked bandage and added, “I didn’t think I could keep from falling off so I sent that bull with a message for help.”

  Dallas wasn’t asking Gage why that would be his first time on a camel when he knew he spent months with Bo riding camels to California. Perhaps it was the peyote or he had some memory loss after Cotton Plant. Dallas replied, “We got it. Met Beast while we were on patrol being chased by a smaller band.” Dallas asked, “Are they dead? Did you leave them dead or alive?”

  Gage said, “They were alive when we left them. So you don’t think those attacks were accidental?”

  Dallas said, “Red Eagle decided to declare war about the same time Sparrow Hawk started moving North. We’ve had a busy day,.”

  Gage replied, “As have we. Especially your wife and son. Bryan did alright. Saved her life and Jenny’s from some depraved crazed brave that Jenny called Mouse Dog. I’m not sure if that’s his name or a description she thought fit.” Gage was giving the women credit for stoning Mouse Dog or Lacy’s pig-sticker in his back bringing the brave down. That would only lead to more questions Lacy didn’t want asked.

  Dallas looked at the ponies and looked over the bloody field. There were casualties this time. Dallas looked at Lacy, “Stay here. Right here.” Dallas looked out at the cavalry horses without their riders, “Captain Tyler!”

  Captain Tyler rode over to the Major, “Yes, Sir.”

  Dallas said, “Casualties.”

  Captain Tyler let out a breath then sucked more air into his lungs, “Cook, Davidson, Edwards, Lamont, Owens, and Vinson. Another five wounded but able to ride once we have them dressed.”

  Dallas took a breath. For one moment he thought Captain Tyler was going to tell him Millie Vincent was a widow thanks to the boy her husband had volunteered for her to mind. It didn’t make it a lot easier. Dallas could think of a lot of people to blame for this, even one of the dead men played a role that lead indirectly to his death. Sergeant Cook had been too concerned with the betting pool to notice who Itsee and Paaka were. Maybe if Gage had come to him directly instead of dealing with Sparrow Hawk, he would have been more prepared for this. Maybe if Sparrow Hawk hadn’t killed the Hardgrove family, they wouldn’t have put pressure on him to get her before the child came. There were too many maybes and there were still more work to do. But if Sergeant Vincent was correct, it would have happened, only a matter of when Sparrow Hawk left. Now the question was, would he return?

  Captain Bowman rode up, “Sir the ponies. What’s your orders?”

  Dallas turned to Gage, “Can you sit well enough to lead a company back to Camp Verde with our dead and my wife and son Captain Travis?”

  Gage cocked his head, “What?”

  Dallas glared, “I thought so, you can barely hear on this side. Bloody cannon damaged your hearing didn’t it?”

  Gage said, “I get by. It’s only one side.” Dallas moved to his other ear, “I said can you lead a company for me?”

  Gage said, “Yes. I can sit a horse.”

  Dallas said, “GOOD, THEN TAKE OUR MEN HOME. TAKE LACY AND JC BACK.”

  Gage cringed, “I’m not deaf in that one yet Dallas! I’d rather stay.”

  Dallas said, “I can’t spare a lot of men and I don’t want to leave them for buzzard bate, they deserve better. Their wives deserve better than this. God Damned you could have told me you were back and we could have talked this through before it got to this.” Dallas added, “You can go back under my command, or I can have Captain Tyler arrest you for refusing a direct order. Which will it be?”

  Gage didn’t answer. He was being addressed by a superior officer, not by a friend at the moment. If he had felt better, perhaps he would have tried to think of some smart remark, but he didn’t feel better. The fight had taken lot out of him. It was pride or bravado talking when he told Dallas he wanted to stay. Dallas was offering him a way back into the fold. However he got home, he was out there by himself with no cover or excuse for not being assigned to an active unit.

  Gage turned to Lacy, “Mrs. Sanders would you rather ride a camel or horse back to camp? Surely you could get that fine camel to follow you. She seems a little adverse to me. I think maybe I should go with the Major. He’s not seen the cavern Captain Travers and Jenny are hiding in. It’s not what you think Major.”

  Lacy looked at Dallas. There was no doubt in his face that he meant for her to take JC and go home.

  Dallas asked, Just what was so important that you had to risk JC’s life? You knew there could be trouble and you took our son. You are restricted to the base do you understand me?”

  Lacy slapped Dallas’ face, “Bastard. I went to warn Bryan and Gage. Mrs. Tyler said the Indians would try to kill her and anyone with her when Sparrow Hawk left. How was I to know he left? You told me she was at the Travis ranch.”

  Gage frowned, “She couldn’t wait to have that baby so we exchanged her for Jake when the opportunity came up before I reached the ranch Major.” Gage quickly changed the subject to address Lacy, “I have to side your husband on this one. Travers and I had things under control until you brought Red Eagles braves down on top of us. You never should have been there by yourself. Travers would tell you the same think if he was here right now too.”

  Lacy retorted, “They were chasing you too. I saw them.”

  Gage said, “They were chasing Sparrow Hawk’s teepee and property. Travers didn’t understand he should have left it. Sparrow Hawk’s men stopped chasing us as soon as they got his stuff back.”

  Lacy said, “I was fine until Daisy decided to park herself. So exactly where did you disappear to. I lost you after you and Jenny ran down into the ravine? Oh yeah, the cave. Your Indian sister almost got us all killed, more than once today.

  Lacy’s face was beet red and her chest was rising and falling so fast that Dallas thought she was going to faint dead away. Dallas started say something, but he didn’t have to. Her face always gave it way. Something awful had happened to her. Her eyes were teared up but she was trying not to let her lips quiver.

  Dallas said, “Enough. Lacy go over there and take care of that problem you’ve got before all the men in my command are wanting to touch your breasts and take a sip.”

  Lacy tried to slap his face again but Dallas caught her hand. He was ready this time taking her hands as she struggled and pulled her into his chest, “Yes, I know I’m a bastard. Now next time someone has you like this use your head to hit their Adam’s apple or head or if they try to kiss you bite their tongue, cheek, lips and pull hard. Bite it off. And if he has you in his elbow around your neck with his weight
on top of you.” Dallas was looking at the bruised on her neck, the tear in her blouse and war paint smeared over it and her neck. Dallas looked down quickly and her shirt was shredded in several places showing hand prints on her calves and thigh. Dallas choked down his bile, “There isn’t any way short of someone else helping you’re getting out of that. So just imagine me cutting off his prick when I find him and know I’m not leaving and I want you back, not dead. If you ever get taken, Lacy fight to survive.”

  Lacy nodded her head to where he could feel it in his chest as her hands relaxed into his. He just let her cry. He didn’t want to think about his prick in her. He just kept telling himself it was going to be alright. It was nothing. She wasn’t a virgin and a man’s prick was nothing either of them couldn’t live with considering he could have lost both JC and Lacy today. Given how long it had taken them to conceive Brianna, and her still nursing. This man’s seed wasn’t going to plant itself. And if there was any doubt, then Brianna would be weaned and she’d bleed settling the matter in her mind that there was no child to remind her or him of Mouse Dog.

  Dallas whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry I have to leave you like this. I have to do this Lacy or they’ll come back. I’ll tell Bryan what you said and I’ll bring him back for you.”

  Lacy asked, “And her? You’re bringing her back?”

  Dallas said, “What would you have me do leave her there? She could be sick. The peyote could have been masking her pain.”

  Lacy said softly, “She climbed a thirty foot wall multiple times like it was nothing and Bryan claiming she hemorrhaged. Something is not right about that.”

  Gage had his head cocked so he could hear what was being said. Alright, they had gotten into something about Jenny climbing that cliff and Bryan saying she was deathly ill. Gage piped up, “She’s a peyote addict. Think about it. She knew exactly what to use to clot my cut. Not because Bryan told her, but because she has to use them herself. Her blood wasn’t clotting when she cut herself Lacy. You can go until your heart bursts as long as enough of it is in your system.”