Eagle People (5 page)

Morning was cool, but the rain had moved on, and the sky was clear of any clouds. Baker was on point and Thomas rode drag, with Amon sitting crooked in his saddle as Wilson rode beside him. Calvin was still hogtied over his horse and could be heard grunting and groaning from pain.

Finally, Amon said, “Give the prisoner some whiskey. I'm not doing it so much out of kindness, but to keep the noise down. I think he'll get much louder before he passes out from pain.”

Wilson dismounted, pulled the jar of whiskey from his crude saddlebags, and walked to Calvin.  Grasping the wounded man's hair, he poured some into his mouth.  After close to two cups of the strong clear drink was down him, Wilson put the lid back on the jar, and returned to his horse.

Mounting, he said, “How are you holding out?”

“I can use a long sip about now.”

He handed the jar to Amon and said, “Keep it with you. I suspect you'll need it again before we reach the village.”

Amon took a long gulp, placed the lid on the jar, and then slipped it into his saddlebags. Almost immediately he felt the alcohol in his system and his pain lessened, but it didn't completely go away.  Nonetheless, he found it easier to live with a slight throb.

At their nooning, both wounded men were untied and fed a little meat and broth. The others had crackers and lamb in brine, and they were soon back on the trail. The weather remained nice, with a light warm wind, and no clouds overhead.

A couple of hours before dusk, Wilson, who'd been riding point, returned and said, “I just spotted a Dog Soldier of The People and he waved at me. We can expect guests at some point tonight or in the morning.”

“They'll come before dark. I'm sure he spotted Lee's body, saw we have a prisoner and they know I've been wounded.” Amon said and then asked, “Do we keep moving or wait for them?”

“Let's continue to ride until about an hour before dark, then we'll hole up and wait for them. I figure the more riding we do now, the less we'll have to do later.”

They began to move again, but this time Baker was on point, and he stayed ready, because there was a good chance he'd run into someone.

Near dark, they pulled into some trees near a narrow stream, and made a quick camp. They'd just put some meat on sticks, which they leaned toward the flames, when a female voice was heard, “Evening, my brothers, can others of the Eagle Clan join you for a meal? We have fresh meat and some vegetables.”

“Yes, come, but how many of you are there, Georgia?”  Wilson asked.

“Six of us and we surround you, so relax as we come to your fire, Wilson.”

Six members of the Eagle People walked to the small fire and heavy packs were lowered to the ground. As they sat in the dirt around the dancing flames, Wilson explained what had happened and how Lee had been killed.

Georgia, a tall thin woman, with few teeth, said, “Mongoose will be happy to have a prisoner. I feel she is greatly worried about the guns. No one has had guns in our lifetime and for them to show now is not good.”

“The man I have is injured, but he should live. Do we spend the night here, or return to the village?”

The tall woman thought for a few minutes and then said, “We'll eat, let your horses rest for a while and then we'll return. Your prisoner is too valuable to wait, or so I feel.”

“We shall do as you wish.” Wilson said with a grin, and then added, “I'm sure Amon needs a better doctor than me, and while the information he gathered at the village showed few guns used in the attack, we need to know for sure.”

“Some of the survivors from the attacked village have made their way to us, only none remember hearing gunshots, but I think they escaped early in the attack and may not really know.”

“That's true. I suspect a few of the Eagle warriors were told to take women and children and flee when the battle first started.”

“We have close to fifty people in the village now, but you're right, only about five are warriors.  The remainder are old men and women, women, and children.”

“Well,” Amon slurred, “I counted close to 200 dead, and only one shot to death, besides the man on the trail. If they, uh, have guns, they don't have many of them.” He took another sip from his jar.

“Pistol shots?”

“Well, I don't really know a pistol injury from a rifle, but the bullet wounds I saw were all about the same size as the man who died on the trail. None of the exit holes were very big.”

“Let us rest and then we will leave in the few hours. Ella, Ralph, and Baker, you three pull guard until we're ready to leave. I want two of you by the horses at all times. The rest of you need to get some rest, because we'll ride fast and hard to the village.”

“Good.” Wilson said as he rolled up in his blanket.

It was just after midnight when the group arrived at the village. Dogs barked and some folks left their homes to check on the noise, but seeing it was a party of warriors, they returned to bed. Georgia rode right to the lodge of Mongoose, and then she ordered Ralph go for the shaman and preacher. The injured man was starting to turn sour and even with the strong drink in him, he'd been talking out of his head for the whole trip.

Mongoose walked from her lodge, saw the prisoner and said, “Good, we'll speak with him later.  Who has died?” She'd moved to the horse with his body and lowered her head as she prayed.

“Lee took an arrow and there was nothing we could do.” Amon said.

“People die, so, let's go into my lodge and speak. Baker and Wilson, stay with the prisoner, and we need someone to get a doctor. I can smell his infection from here.”

“I've sent Ralph for both the shaman and preacher, so maybe working together they can save him.”

“Let's hope he lives long enough to tell us what we need to know. Now, let's go into my lodge and speak of what you found at the village.”

A fire burned in the center of the lodge, smoke exiting from a small hole at the top. The lodge was constructed of sod, furs of different large game covered most of the floor, and a small cast iron pot of tea was heating on the coals.

Once all were seated around the flames, Mongoose asked, “Amon, is your wound healing?”

“Yes, but once I speak with you, I will see the shaman. I see no traces of infection, but the pain is severe at times.”

“Tell me what you discovered at the village.”

Amon spoke of what he knew, and Mongoose didn't comment until he grew quiet. Then she said, “I don't think they have many guns, but why did they attack us out of the blue like they did?  I realize they're our enemies, but neither of us have attacked villages previously. We raid for women or children or steal horses, only I know of no instance where a complete settlement has been wiped out.”

“Maybe they've decided to wage full war on us.” Ella said, as she gazed into the eyes of Mongoose.

“It could be they're being pressured by another clan and being forced west.” Georgia said and then shrugged.

“Well, this attack on us cannot go without us teaching them they cannot lash out violently, kill and capture people of the Eagle. They cannot go unpunished. We must meet force with force, and in three days time we will visit the village responsible for this attack. The Wolf Clan, like ours, is made up of many small villages. Since each of us must move frequently to follow game and gather our wild foods, most villages are small. The prisoner will tell us what we ask, or his torture will be great.”

“This man is a brave warrior and I think,” Amon said, “torture will gain little. Allow him to drink alcohol or smoke marihuana and his tongue may loosen faster.”

Mongoose nodded and said, “That is an idea, but if the infection is bad, we may never learn what he knows.”

The chief passed around sassafras tea as they discussed the coming attack. The shaman entered and said, “The body of Lee has been removed and will be prepared for a warrior's funeral. The prisoner is in sad shape, and my assistant Lucius is cleaning the man now. I do not think the man will live, no matter what we do for him.”

“It matters little, Julian, because he'll be put to death anyway.” Mongoose said, and then continued, “When you leave, I'll go to your lodge and see what I can learn of the guns. If I feed him our strong drink, he may speak openly with a woman.” She finished her tea and said, “I have many ideas that I need to speak to the council about tomorrow. We must strengthen our village, have more Dog Soldiers in the field, and get their approval to attack the Wolf Clan. I'll ask them to meet at noon, when the sun is at it's highest.”

Julian stood and said, “If you wish to speak with our prisoner, we must hurry. I do not think he will last this night.”

“Come, Ella, and help Amon stand and move to the shaman's lodge. Once we are there, you will no longer be needed and may leave, because he will remain there.”

The walk to the shaman's lodge was short and soon Amon's injury was cleaned, bandaged and wrapped. He was given a new bottle of alcohol to sip from and a cup of beef broth to drink.

Mongoose squatted beside Calvin and asked, “What is your name?”

“C . . . Calvin. Friends . . . call me . . . Badger.”

“Badger, I was sent to ask you who has the guns.” Using a rag in pan of cool water, Mongoose wiped the dying man's forehead as she spoke. Her tone was tender, as she was caring for him.

“Asa . . . has them.”

“How many does he have?”

“J . . . just three . . . pistols. Two . . . with him.”

“Are you in pain?”

“Y . . . yes, I . . . hurt.” His body quivered as he spoke.

She poured him a cup of the drink and fed it to him slowly. He was sweating and his flesh smelled sour.

“Does Asa have many bullets for his guns?” she asked a few minutes later as she wiped sweat from his bare chest.

“He . . . he claimed . . . a case, only he . . . lied. When . . . he gave  . . . one pistol to . . . Byron, he gave . . . him one box.” Calvin arched his back, gave a loud groan, and his body quivered violently.  A minute later he said, “H . . . he had two . . . boxes . . . left.”

“Where did the guns come from?”

“C . . . Cave People.” Calvin suddenly gave a hideous scream. His eyes grew large, he attempted to sit up, and a rattling was heard deep in his chest as his body jerked madly. He then fell back to the blanket, his open eyes unseeing—he was dead.

In his drunken stupor, Amon said, “Damn me, is he dead?”

Mongoose knew death well, but she felt his neck for a pulse, and found nothing. She replied, “Uh-huh, he's dead.”

The next day at noon, the council of elders was meeting to discuss the changes in their security and to hear what Mongoose had to say. Most were old men, years past their prime, but they were wise with many years of war behind them. Each had at one point been a brave and respected warrior or chief; now they served the tribe with their wisdom.

Mongoose explained what she'd discovered during her conversation with Calvin and Amon.  The old men listened closely, but said nothing. Then Amon, who'd been brought to the meeting on a stretcher asked, “If I may speak to the elders?'

Jeptha, one of the oldest, said, “Of course you may speak and from your heart. You are a proven warrior among The People.”

“I would stand out of respect for all of my elders, could I do so, but it is not possible.”

“We know of your injury, so speak, my son.”

“The attackers were many and I guessed their number at a hundred or slightly more. Of our dead, most died from the bow or lance. Only two died by guns. Once the attack was complete, the Wolf People moved toward home, but we saw where a small group was following us. Then, after it was full darkness, we attacked them, but one man got away. The captive, the one that just died, was the escapee and he returned later to follow us toward home. I think the Wolf People want to attack this village next.”

Silas, another of the old ones, asked, “Mongoose, what ideas do you have for defense?”

“First, father,” She addressed him in such as a term out of honor and respect, “I do not think three pistols are something to fear and would not turn the course of a battle. I do agree with Amon, that our village is the next target for them, if they can find us. We need to increase the number of Dog Soldiers we have scouting around our village, prepare more traps, and have a plan of action in the event we are attacked.”