by Ali Spooner
Marissa took the quilt and spread it across her bed, then waited for Nat’s return.
Nat walked back to her cabin and went to the bedroom. For the last several weeks, she had been working on the bear skin and had finally managed to clean all of the wild smell from it. If she placed the skin over the new quilt, Marissa would not be cold again at night, she thought as she took the pelt in her arms.
She carried it back to Marissa’s cabin and walked to the bed and spread it on top of the quilt. “Now you won’t get cold again,” Nat promised.
That night after they entered the bed, Nat pulled the covers over their bodies and they slept the night away wrapped in the toasty warmth of one another’s body.
PART TWELVE
Nat sat on the front porch while taking a break from splitting wood. The afternoon was fading quickly and Marissa would be home soon. She sat with one booted foot on the porch railing and watched the dripping of water from the roof line. Winter was almost over and the snow that had packed the roof for months was beginning to melt and Nat thought about the future as she was mesmerized by the falling droplets.
Earlier in the day, she had delivered the pickle barrels to Maggie’s home and placed them securely on the small cart they would use to go to the ocean. She also fashioned a small bench seat for Maggie to sit on while they traveled.
If the weather continued to warm over the next few days, they would leave for the ocean that weekend. She and Maggie made preparations for the trip, including proper pots and pans to do real cooking in the cave where they would shelter during the trip.
Nat also made a stop at the general store to purchase dungarees and warmer clothes for Marissa to travel in. There would be no comfort in dresses on this trip.
Gyp bounded off the front porch and ran to the road to greet Marissa who was returning home.
“Hello, Gyp,” she said as she knelt down to stroke the dog’s head.
Gyp walked with her until she came into contact with the cabin and saw Nat sitting on the porch waiting for her to arrive. Marissa carried a small bucket filled with chicken and biscuits she had prepared for their dinner.
“Hello, my love,” Nat said when Marissa stepped onto the porch.
“Hello, Nat, I hope you have had a good day,” Marissa said.
“I have at that,” Nat said. “I spent the morning preparing for our trip.”
“Is there anything I need to do?” Marissa asked.
“Other than try on your new outfit, no, I think we are set,” Nat said.
“What new outfit?” Marissa asked.
“I bought you some proper traveling clothes,” Nat said.
She followed Marissa into the cabin and sat down at the table as Marissa sat down the bucket and opened the package sitting on the table. Marissa held the dungarees next to her body and then took out a long sleeved undershirt and then a thick work shirt to wear on top.
“Let’s see how well you did on the sizes,” Marissa said as she disappeared into the bedroom to change.
Nat had actually done very well on selecting the correct sizes. Marissa slipped on the dungarees and then the undershirt, tucking it into the dungarees. She then slipped the work shirt over the undershirt and other than the sleeves being a little long, it fit her quite well. She put her leather boots back on and went to model the outfit for Nat.
“What do you think?” she asked as she stepped back into the room and made a slow circle for Nat.
“I think, you look like a proper out of doors woman now,” Nat said. “The fit looks good and should be ample to keep you warm during our journey.”
“It feels so odd to not be wearing a dress,” Marissa said.
“Have you never owned dungarees before?” Nat asked.
“Never,” Marissa said.
“So, this is another first for you,” Nat said with a warm smile.
“Yes it is, my love,” Marissa said as she sat in Nat’s lap and wrapped her arms around her neck.
“I have prepared our bedrolls for the trip also,” Nat said.
“I am so excited, I can barely wait,” Marissa said.
“We will leave soon, my love,” Nat promised.
For the next two days, Nat made the final preparations for their trip. She took Quincy into town to have his hooves filed and she hooked him up to the small cart and pulled it home. Nat intended to take a small load of split wood to use in the cave which would burn longer and hotter than the dried driftwood. She would load the wood the morning that they departed.
She also took Hardy and Buck into town to see the blacksmith for new shoes. While she waited on them to be shod, Nat went to the general store to buy several pounds of salt and a new box of cartridges for her rifle. They would camp at the small river on the return trip home while Nat hunted for the large buck she had seen. If she was successful in her hunt, she and Maggie would split the meat and coat it with heavy salt until they arrived home. Then they would smoke the fresh meat. She and Marissa still had a bounty of meat in the smoke house, so Nat intended the majority of the venison would be smoked for Maggie. She would also take the pelt and the head would be sold to Smithy along with several of the whale ribs if they were still present in the cave.
It would be a fun trip for them as well as a profitable one, if their plans worked out.
The night before they were due to depart, Marissa was overcome with excitement. She baked biscuits and a fresh pie to take with them on the trip. Nat was worried she would not sleep that night as she bustled around the kitchen, but when she curled up in Nat’s arms later that evening, she slept soundly throughout the night.
Nat woke before the sun rose and dressed in her breeches and travel clothes. She slipped quietly from the house and hitched Quincy to the cart, filling the back of it with the split wood she intended to take with them. She also loaded the axe and a small rake into the back of the cart.
She went inside to wake Marissa. She sat down on the side of the bed and leaned down to kiss Marissa. “It is time to wake, my love,” she softly whispered.
Marissa stretched and turned toward Nat. “Good morning, love,” she said with a sweet smile.
“It is time to be up and moving about,” Nat said. “I have Quincy hitched and will take him into town to load Maggie’s supplies and bring her here.”
“I will be ready when you return my love. I will cook some bacon to go with the biscuits and then douse both fireplaces,” Marissa said.
“I will saddle the horses when I return and we will be ready to depart,” Nat said. She leaned down to kiss Marissa. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Marissa said as she threw her arms around Nat’s neck and hugged her close.
Gyp and Nat walked Quincy into town. Maggie had her bundles ready and they loaded them into the cart. “All set?” Nat asked.
“I think I have everything we need,” Maggie said.
“Let’s be off then,” Nat said.
Maggie walked beside Nat and Quincy, choosing to walk the short distance. She led Quincy the last way to Marissa’s while Nat stopped off to saddle Hardy and Buck for the trip. Maggie and Marissa were sitting on the porch eating a bacon filled biscuit when Nat led the two horses into the yard.
Nat ate a biscuit with them and then walked back inside the cabin to get the rifle and her range coat which she tied across her bedroll. She handed Marissa her coat as she tied it across her bedroll as well. The sun had risen and was shining down on them as they prepared to leave.
Nat helped Marissa into the saddle and then mounted Hardy. Maggie walked beside Quincy preferring to stretch her city legs for most of the morning. They made good time and by the time the sun was overhead they stopped at the small river.
“We will camp here on the return home as this is where I plan to take that buck,” Nat said.
“I saw his tracks a small way back and he is huge,” Maggie said.
“He will provide enough meat to feed you through next winter,” Nat said with a grin.
Maggie smiled back at her. “How much further?” she asked.
“We will arrive by midafternoon,” Nat said. “We should water the animals here and fill our flasks as fresh water is rare once we get to the ocean.”
After the animals were watered and flasks filled, the travelers continued on their journey. In another hour of travel, Nat could begin to smell the scent of salt on the breeze and she knew that they were coming close.
“Can you smell the ocean on the air?” she asked Marissa who was riding beside her.
“Faintly, yes,” Marissa said. “Will we be there soon?”
“Very soon,” Nat said.
As they approached the final hilltop, Nat could hear the roar of the water and she knew they had arrived. “Here we are,” Nat said as they crested the hill and looked down onto the beach.
Nat dismounted Hardy and handed her reins to Marissa, then took Quincy’s halter and led him down to the beach and up the narrow path to the cave. Maggie and Marissa followed closely behind. “Let’s set up camp and then we can go explore those pools,” she said to her friends.
Nat carried the wood into the back of the cave as Maggie lit a fire and she and Marissa carried their supplies inside. Nat unsaddled the horses and placed the saddles deep in the cave and watched as Hardy and Buck ran down to the water’s edge. Nat then unhitched Quincy, propping the arms of the cart on a large bolder to keep it upright. She then watched as Quincy joined his larger friends, rushing to them in his fastest speed, a slow trot.
She watched the three animals down at the water’s edge and then moved inside to see how the camp was coming. Marissa was looking at the painted walls with great curiosity as Maggie interpreted the meaning of each painting for her. Nat looked into the rear corner and saw that the whale bones were still tucked away in the shadows.
“Are we ready to walk down to the pools?” Nat asked.
Both Maggie and Marissa nodded their heads and followed Nat to the mouth of the cave. Nat stopped to take the rifle from her saddle and then led her friends to the rock pools.
She watched as Maggie and Marissa walked around the pools pointing out various types of ocean life, but also taking inventory. “I have counted twenty-five lobsters,” Marissa said excitedly.
“Wait here and I will bring one of the barrels and we can begin the harvest,” Nat said.
Maggie had already removed her boots and was rolling the legs of her breeches up as Nat made her comment. Marissa followed suit and within minutes, Nat returned with a barrel.
Marissa watched as Maggie grabbed a lobster behind its massive head, steering clear of the powerful claws that could inflict a painful blow if they were not careful. Nat removed her boots and joined the in the harvest of the creatures, until they had taken all of them from the pools.
Nat had also brought her spear back from the cave. “Would you like fresh fish tonight for dinner?” she asked.
“I saw two large ones in that pool that should do quite well,” Maggie said as she pointed to a larger rock pool.
Nat used her spear to impale the fish and then carried them back to where Maggie and Marissa were waiting for her.
“If you will take the fish and rifle, I will carry the barrel back to the cave,” Nat said. “Then we will use a bucket to add water to the barrel.”
Nat lifted the heavy barrel and walked quickly toward the cave, stopping halfway to catch her breath.
“Can I help?” Marissa asked.
“You could have had I thought to fashion some sort of handles on the barrel,” Nat said. “I am almost there,” Nat said as she lifted the barrel again.
When they reached the cave, Nat sat on a nearby rock to catch her wind.
“I will clean these for dinner if you will begin carrying water,” Maggie said to Marissa.
Nat began to stand. “You rest for now,” Maggie said.
“You heard the lady,” Marissa said with a grin as she picked up the bucket and started toward the water, with Gyp on her heels.
Maggie carried the fish down to the water’s edge and cleaned them as she prepared them for roasting. When she returned to the cave she walked past Nat and placed the fish on the spit above the fire to begin cooking.
Marissa dumped five buckets of water into the barrel to cover the lobsters and then sat beside Nat. “I have a surprise for you,” Maggie said. “Bring your bucket and your rake and follow me.”
Nat picked up the rake as Marissa took the bucket and they followed Maggie down to the beach. She took the rake from Nat and began raking when she saw bubbles forming in the wet sand and Nat and Marissa picked up the clams and dropped them into the bucket.
“I brought the cream broth for some chowder,” Maggie said. “All we need is fresh clams,” she said. “I will put it on to cook if you will help me shell these.”
“Just show me how,” Nat said.
Maggie took Nat’s knife from her boot and showed Nat how to pry the shell open and then used the tip to cut the small morsel of meat from the shell.
“Just drop them in the pot as you shell them and they will cook into the broth,” Maggie said with a grin. She then took containers of seasoning out and shook them across the fish and shook more into the pot of cooking chowder. “We shall feast tonight.”
Nat sat with her hand running through Gyp’s fur as she talked with Maggie and Marissa while they waited for dinner to cook. “I think we had a good harvest for a first day,” Nat said.
“Yes, we did,” Maggie agreed. “It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings to see if the rock pools refill with ocean life.”
“I may journey past the rock pools tomorrow to see what else exists,” Nat said. “If you think you and Marissa can handle the harvest.”
“I think we will do just fine,” Marissa said. “I will take the bucket and bring it back here as we fill it,” she said. “Taking a full barrel is just too much strain.”
“I agree,” Maggie said. “You stretch your legs and we will care for the harvest.”
Gyp’s ears perked as she heard a sound unheard by human ears and she rose to her feet and ran to the mouth of the cave.
“I wonder what she heard,” Nat said as she stood to follow her companion, closely followed by Marissa and Maggie.
When she reached the mouth of the cave, Nat looked out across the water and saw what Gyp had heard.
“Whales,” she said as she pointed out across the water.
They walked down to the edge of the water and watched as the creatures reached the water’s surface, expelling air and water from their bodies as they took their next breaths. They watched until they swam beyond sight as the night began to bloom.
When they returned to the cave, Maggie and Marissa took out bowls, plates and spoons from their packs and prepared to serve dinner. Maggie dipped out chowder and set it out to cool as she served up portions of the flakey fish. She crumbled pieces of fish into Gyp’s bowl of chowder as Gyp sat waiting patiently.
“It has to cool first, Gyp,” Maggie said.
Marissa poured coffee for each of them as they gathered around the fire to share their first meal.
“Thank you for this wondrous bounty,” Maggie said to no one in particular.
They nibbled on the cooling fish as they waited for the chowder to cool enough to eat. Between the four of them, they finished the fish and a bowl of chowder each. Gyp had an extra portion of fish as the women had a slice of Marissa’s pie.
