Savage Conquest (31 page)

It seemed to Miranda that a happily married man
would make a better soldier. Clearly the US Army
disagreed. But those men who were fortunate enough
to have wives had private homes and relief from
boredom and sacrifice; they were in better health and
were better fed. Miranda quickly learned that a
female, especially a pretty one, was flooded with
proposals of all kinds. After a few days in this
territory, she was beginning to wonder if she should
pretend to be Lucas's wife rather than his sister to
dissuade so many men from pursuing her, including
the men on the ship!

Before leaving on the steamer, Lucas sent Amanda
another telegram, revealing their next destination.
He asked her to contact him at Pierre, for he intended
to be there for quite some time and needed to hear
how she was. To continue their charade, he told
Amanda to pass along his greetings to Miranda in
Charleston. He stated he would write a lengthy letter
from Pierre to relate his adventures there.

Lucas gradually uncovered facts which deeply distressed him. General William T. Sherman, who
had terrorized and destroyed much of the South and
boasted loudly of his atrocities, was the commanding
general of the Army and was in charge of this
territory. Lucas discovered he was operating out of
Fort Richardson in Texas. President Grant had given
Division of Missouri command to Philip Sheridan,
who was working the middle area near Fort Dodge
in Kansas.

The Division of Missouri was an immense tract, an
area which included the Dakota Territory, stretching
from Canada to the coast of Texas and from the
Rockies to the Mississippi River, and comprising
over a million frontier miles, including sacred and
hunting grounds of nearly one hundred tribes.
Several tribes which were causing major problems
for the Army were the Sioux, Cheyenne, Apache,
Comanche, and Kiowas-all known for fiercely
defending their homes, lands, and people.

Added to those powerful forces was George Custer,
known to have executed seven Rebels during the
Civil War without a trial, and now assigned to the
Seventh Cavalry at Fort Lincoln. During the Civil
War, Custer had risen to the rank of general; here in
the Cavalry, he was ranked a lieutenant colonel. But
from all Lucas had heard, Custer was rapidly
working on improving his rank to general once
more. As Sheridan told Custer, "Kill or hang all
warriors." This statement appeared to epitomize the
thoughts and actions of all three men. Lucas had
learned so much about Indians from Marie Law rence, and it alarmed him to realize the Army's
strategy was the annihilation of all Indians, male and
female, old and young, especially the awesome
and influential Sioux, Marie's family and people,
and Miranda's relatives.

After mutually devastating the South during the
war, all three leaders were now here trying to do the
same with the Indian in the West. No success could
be had until they realized this terrain, these battles,
and this enemy were vastly dissimilar to those of the
Civil War. Lucas's blood raced with elation at the
thought of not only exposing the vile war deeds of
these three men, but of revealing their grisly actions
here in the West. Surely the combined revelations
would be detrimental to their careers.

As the steamer made its way toward Pierre, Lucas
spent as much time as possible with the two soldiers
aboard who had been transferred from Sherman's
troop to Custer's. Having a weakness for whiskey and
suffering from boredom, the two men accepted the
drinks purchased by Lucas, in exchange for colorful
tales and intriguing facts about both men and their
campaigns. Led to believe Lucas Reardon was a
famous writer, the men boasted of exploits in which
they had participated, hoping to become as well
known as Custer and Sherman.

A wily reporter, Lucas found it easy to extract
information from these men. His only problem was
in separating fact from fiction. Lucas's genial
personality and boyish mien aided his quest for
truth. Lucas learned about the notorious "Indian Ring" of corruption and fraud. He discovered that
Sherman was on the rampage once more, now that
Satanta of the fierce Kiowa Indians had been released
from prison. He listened to grisly tales of massacres
which sickened, repulsed, and saddened him.

Both soldiers had shown a strong interest in
Miranda, and Lucas cautioned her to watch her step
around them. But she had to walk a fine line between
silencing them with haughty rejection and inspiring
a steady flow of confessions with cordial behavior.
The day before they were to join their new troop, the
two soldiers ceased their heavy drinking. It was time
to sober up minds and clean up appearances. But
clearer heads offered trouble for Lucas and Miranda.
When the two soldiers began to compare mental
notes on the cunning pair, they realized the couple
had been asking too many questions about their
leaders and exploits. Suddenly they feared Lucas
might be a government agent investigating war
crimes.

Ignorant of the danger they faced, Lucas went over
his impending strategy with Miranda. One of those
soldiers told me our old friend, Thomas Baylor from
Virginia, is assigned to Sherman. If we can catch up
to him before going home, with luck Tom can get me
a personal interview with the beast."

"And what if Sherman guesses what you're trying
to pull?" she speculated fearfully, imagining what
that man alone could do to her cousin, not daring to
envision all three villains at his back.

He won't; I'll be careful. With the egos of those three, they'll think I'm glorifying their famous
names. Or should I say infamous. Besides, the way
things are going out here, the settlers are starting to
hate the soldiers more than the Indians. I heard a
group of them bragging at Fort Randall about
foraging on settlers between pay periods. They made
it sound like a common practice for the entire
territory."

"What's our next stop?" she inquired anxiously.

"After we load fuel once more, we're supposed to
halt at the Lower Brule Reservation to drop off
supplies-Indian annuities they called them. We'll
only be there a few hours, then head on to Pierre.
Good thing we're staying there because that's the
termination point for this steamer. The pilot said we
could either take another steamer or go north by
stage. From the hints I've been gathering, Pierre
sounds like a good place to linger," he stated,
piquing her curiosity.

"Why?" she quickly probed, eyes bright and wide.

"You'll see," he teased mysteriously, playfully.
"You get your letter finished to Mandy and we'll
mail it in Pierre. I surely hope we have word waiting
for us from her and Reis. It surely would help my
mood knowing Weber had been put away for keeps."

"Me too," she concurred.

When the steamer halted its engine, Lucas wondered why Miranda was so eager to go for a walk. She
looked as excited as a child on a birthday. She was
even more elated when she learned there was no
"woodhawk" here and the crew must cut wood-it would be a lengthy stop.

Once ashore, the two soldiers joined them for a talk
and stroll, vexing Miranda for more than one reason.
She didn't like these two males or trust them. She
preferred to be alone or with Lucas. Still, she
couldn't keep sneaking off without arousing suspicion. She was anxious to learn if the handsome
warrior was still trailing her. And she didn't want to
spend time with the two soldiers who made her
uneasy, especially today. She sensed something
different in their moods, their expressions, their
tones.

Anson Miller and Jim Rhodes chatted with Lucas
for five or ten minutes, but Miranda paid little
attention. A provocative word here and there brought
her to alertness. She listened as Jim told Lucas about
an old reservation within walking distance. Since
Lucas and Miranda had shown such an interest in the
Indians, Jim suggested they walk there, hinting they
might find arrowheads or such for souvenirs.

Anson remarked, "Surely you've heard of Spotted
Tail, the famous Sioux chief? They even named the
agency after him, Spotted Tail-Whetstone. The old
chief went to Washington in '70 to see Grant himself.
Told him the area was trouble 'cause of whiskey
traders. Had to have somebody to blame when his
warriors got falling-down drunk," he stated between
chuckles. "Old Spotted Tail was powerful and Grant
didn't want him on the warpath again, so he let them
move near White River close to them sacred Black
Hills. Didja know Spotted Tail's sister is Crazy Horse's mother? You do know who Crazy Horse is?"
he teased.

Before Lucas or Miranda could reply either way,
Jim quickly inserted, "They probably don't want to
see no remains of savages-you know there's still
bones in some of them trees from that crazy burial
practice afore it was outlawed-just old fires and
raggedy teepees."

"Luke here's a writer, Jim; he needs to see things
like that. Don't you, Luke?" Anson argued as they set
their trap for an unsuspecting Luke and Miranda.

"Well, I'm sure Miss Miranda don't care to gaze
upon such ugly sights," Jim remarked. He grinned
and muttered, "'Course she does seem the brave,
adventurous type. You got a good helper, Luke."

Lucas glanced at Miranda and asked, "You want to
see it?"

Miranda didn't know which she wanted to see
more, the old campsite or ... Suppose this was that
mysterious warrior's old campground; he had
spoken Sioux, and the soldier had stated that Spotted
Tail was Sioux. Suppose he had returned to his old
territory or ancestral grounds for a special reason.
She mentally chided herself for centering her plans
around a man who might be days away from here. If
the warrior wanted to see her again, he would find a
way, as he had twice before. She smiled amiably and
nodded trustingly, taking Lucas's hand to walk near
him.

Anson and Jim talked freely as they guided the two
out of earshot of the steamer. Finally, Lucas asked. "This seems a mite far, Jim. Maybe we should head
back. We don't want to get lost."

Anson stopped and informed them, "Let me check
the marker back there. Maybe we took a wrong path.
We should be there by now." He walked past them,
then suddenly turned and struck Lucas on the head
with its pistol butt, rendering him unconscious.

Miranda screamed, dropping to her knees to check
on her cousin. Lucas was out cold and blood was
wetting his hair. Alarmed and stunned, her head
jerked upward as she shrieked, "Why did you do
that?"

Anson leaned over and seized her around the waist.
He flung her to the grass and straddled her. He stated
ominously, "So I could do this," then kissed her.

Miranda struggled in his tight grasp as his
slobbery lips refused to leave hers. From above their
tangled bodies, she could hear Jim's laughter and
jests, encouraging Anson to hurry and to give him a
turn with her. As Jim verbally planned his coming
actions ahead, she cringed in terror as she comprehended their plan-rapel

Miranda knew it was useless to -plead, and she
didn't. It would only be amusing to them. Considering the distance they had walked, she also knew it
was futile to yell for help. Lucas was injured, and she
had no weapon. She was at their mercy. If only she
were standing, she could use the Chinese defense
movements taught to her. She thrashed wildly on the
ground, but Anson was strong and heavy. When she
tried to claw at his face, he told Jim to tie her wrists.

The other soldier delighted in tearing a strip from
her dress then binding her hands tightly. You want
me to tie her feet?" Jim asked when she continued to
kick at Anson.

"Hell, nol" Anson shrieked. "How would I get
twixt her legs, fool? You just hold her still while I
shuck these pants."

With Anson standing between her parted thighs,
Jim straddled Miranda's middle. Anson wiggled his
pants down to his boots. Jim laughed when she beat
at his leg with tightly bound hands and tried to twist
free. "You ain't gonna git undressed?" he asked when
Anson merely lowered his pants and unfastened the
crotch of his longjohns to free a thick shaft which
was taut and drooling with hunger.

"Ain't got time. I'm hurting as it is. This big stud
needs a fast mating," Anson replied crudely, fondly
caressing his aching manhood. He knelt, seizing her
imprisoned hands and throwing his confining body
on hers as Jim lifted his weight.

By that time, Lucas was stirring and groaning.
Anson laughed satanically as Jim struck him again,
this time harder. "I'll tie that sly fox whilst you have
your turn with her. You ain't gonna spoil our fun,
boy. You just lie still 'til we git some relief."

Miranda prayed Lucas was alive, but she feared he
wasn't. He was so still and his chest didn't appear to
rise and fall. There was so much blood running
down into his brown curls. For a time, she had more
concern and attention for Lucas than for herself. But
with his groin exposed and hardened, Anson's forceful and lewd grinding against her private region
refreshed her peril.

When she screamed and fought with renewed
energy from fear and fury, Jim asked if Anson wanted
her silenced. Anson laughed coldly and said, "No
need. Can't nobody hear her. 'Sides, she'll be sighing
in pleasure real soon. You know how them women
from Newman's wagons fight over who's gonna take
care of this boy. Hell, most of the time they don't even
charge me!" he boasted falsely. "You tie that
youngster, then git ready to follow me. Let's get some
relief, then we'll have some slow fun. These two'll
pay for tricking us. Luke there won't make no reports
to nobody. As for this little filly, we might find
somebody willing to pay hefty for 'er, if they's
anything left."

There wasn't time for Miranda to ponder his odd
words or ominous threat. While she tried to resist the
demands of Anson, Jim bound Lucas with his belt
and rolled him into the bushes, saying he didn't want
no kin staring at him while he enjoyed a "good
balling."