Adventure in Longwood Day 03

"There is no reason, when was the last attack in this area? The Apache I spoke with only talked of wishing for better land, they can't grow on the reservation, why they wished the bows. You round eyes shove us to the land you don't want and expect us to survive with no means of doing it."

Nobody has an answer for that apparently the last attack was a while ago. They only fear Apache attacks because they are Apache.

"If you don't mind I'll say the book now, go sit down have a sandwich together and speak or hear." Father Darren says looking a little worried.

I look at Chad, he moves toward the sandwiches, I follow then we move farther from the bar and sit. I spend the next while speaking on our tribe and Cherokee traditions, the ones I know. When the shadows lengthen Sally comes over and sits with us.

"I feel silly asking this, Janet are you going to work tonight?"

"I have to, no men during the day is hard on me. The only question is where does Chad go."

"I need to go pick up my book, and I would if I may borrow the one you say during the day."

"You can enjoy it in the room I have, there is a lamp it is quiet enough to sleep when you need. I'll walk with you I should make rounds of the town be sure everyone is getting along." Dan says as he walks over.

I watch Chad go out with Dan, I have to sigh he should be Dan's son. In a way I suppose he is now, Sally puts her hand on my shoulder.

"They may not be related but I think they will get along fine, go on up and get out of your shirt we will have men for you soon."

I go up with a smile I've been craving men something fierce now that I have my beautiful Chad back. I take the coin in my pocket out and into the dresser, make sure the revolver on the dresser is empty. Everything in place I go down the stairs to only a few men. Chun is standing at the bottom of the stairs where Sally normally is, Sally is speaking to a couple men sitting at a table.

"Chun, I ordered you a nice camisole like mine in green the man said you have been sighing at them." Chun looks at me in shock then grabs me up in a hug.

"Thank you so much, I've been sending my family all of my money so they can move here. Going to do laundry I've spoken with the townsfolk they are agreeable to it, might open eatery like saloon, no whores no drink to not compete with us."

"Good plan, I better get to mingling before Sally or Candice get all the men."

Chun giggles as I move past her into the tables I'm smiling at the men as I pass them. I put my hand on one's shoulder as I walk past he smiles up at me but otherwise makes no move. I get pulled into a man's lap playing poker with a squeak I look at his cards and call it a really good hand, the other men groan and fold.

"Dang you know I didn't think that would happen I just wanted to maybe get a little luck."

"Hey that is a bad hand what gives?" The man I am in the lap of had put the cards down, the others looked and one spoke up.

"Sorry, old habit I was given when I was young, the man that made me do it played poker a lot and always cheated. This one surprised me, it just came out."

"I think leave the pot there and new cards, no betting until we get new cards. You stay mum on my cards." I nod in agreement to this.

The one to my left hands out cards, I don't pay attention to that, he is starting to poke at me. I move around on him wanting to entice him into buying time with me. The man sitting straight across from me is grinning as he watches me move about. The hand seems to drag on before finally ending with the man I am sitting on winning, he pulls me down to him for a kiss.

"Well ain't you a spot of good luck, I know what you been doing and by god it worked. Sorry boys I got me a whore to ride, I'll be back in a bit."

I get set on my feet as he collects the coins, about twenty cents worth of pennies. He takes my arm and leads me over to Chun she smiles at us as he hands over four dollars. Once in my room he is all over me kissing me to the bed, I pull my skirt up knowing he is eager. He gets me on the bed and moved back before he gets on dropping his pants as he climbs up to me. He actually takes a feel of me to be sure, not often that happens then comes to me. I am moaning as he gets all the way in, his hands over my breasts.

He starts moving atop me, his hands kneading at me sending me to stars quickly. My own need making me move with him to get even better pleasure. I reach stars again quickly as he starts complementing my looks and body. I love this Dan is the only one who ever does that to me. I move a little faster under him ready for his finish. He delivers in good time falling on me as he twitches the last I wrap my arms around him very happy and a good way on the satisfied side.

With a knock on the door he jumps off me looking about a little scared, giggling I get up and peak out the door. Dan is standing there looking a good way on the disturbed side of things. I bid him wait a moment get my new favorite customer dressed ushered out the door then Dan comes in.

"I hate to do this to you, but we got a situation, there was an attack on a farm, the son is here now. He described Apache and white men with rifles, killed his father and mother took his sister, he was hiding in the barn. Chad is now a deputy and we need you, round eye taught him to track."

"I'm not good tracking at night but we will go, they went wife raiding, the round eyes do not understand she is wife to all with them."

Dan stays as I pull my clothes off leaving it on the floor. I go to the bottom drawer and pull out my tracking clothes. Slipping that on I ponder about the bottle again, I get my belts on empty pistol loaded then pull out the Winchester with the two boxes. I move to go then stop, I grab up my big knife clipping it to one belt at an angle to ride with. I then grab up my tomahawk putting it in the belt at an angle on the other side. Pulling on my leather moccasins I lead Dan out of my room and down the stairs.

All conversation stops about halfway down the stairs as all eyes turn up to me. Chun looks a little nervous, as does Chad at the entrance to the bar standing next to a boy of perhaps twelve summers. Father Darren is speaking to the boy only glancing at me a few times as we walk toward him.

"Please get my sister back, leave them to rot if you wish but please get my sister." The boy says to me in a trembling voice wanting to grab my hand and afraid to.

"She will be returned, scarred but alive."

I move past him Chad and the boy looking a little confused, Dan speaks with the boy explaining a little. Father Darren starts saying a prayer asking the almighty god for our successful search.

"It's a hunt Father, not a search." Father Darren pauses, looks at me then starts praying for our successful hunt. "Which way to your farm and which way did they go after?"

"My farm is that way they went toward the hills after."

I follow his pointing finger seeing a building standing out in the almost dark of the night. Dan brings a lovely looking brown and white pinto horse over to me, a lantern in his hand. I drop the boxes of ammo in the saddlebags put the Winchester in the holster for it and get up. Dan and Chad mount up then follow me at a brisk trot out of town. Knowing there will be a path carved by the wagon from the farm to town I follow the ground dirt until there is a turn off. Dan follows along behind with Chad next to him, Chad is wondering how I know where to go.

"I could tell you the earth speaks to me that is hogwash to say to the round eyes. Our faith speaks of speaking with the earth and spirits this is usually done with herbs and fasting. I know where to go because the boy pointed to his farm I saw the barn I assume. Round eyes are predictable, this town has no space between buildings which means they would travel to the beaten path created to town with enough space to turn. Dan has the lantern so I can see the tracks better, I also would prefer you not see what they are doing to her. The presence of round eyes means she is a wife to all, not pretty."

"So rather like what was done to you." I turn and look at Chad.

"No, I was chained and told all I had to do was let them have their fun, she has no such thing. They likely not told her what they are doing, just using, round eyes are not good with saying their intentions."

"Enough of that, I think right now I want to know what you were thinking of while you got ready." I look over at Dan.

I turn back to look ahead, we are perhaps halfway to the farm the hills are a good distance past. Deciding now is as good a time as any for an argument over this I look back at Dan.

"I want to not use the bottle, I have my Chad I have you, we may not all live through McCalbane."

"I don't think that will be a problem, without me he only has an older man any good with a gun. He limps so doesn't go very far unless he needs to."

"Describe this man." I have a suspicion I know who this is.

"He's about Dan's height, broad shoulders spits a lot and his cheek is scratched up."

"Barnaby, I knew he was too ornery to die, he limps because I tried to shoot out his vittles. There were only five men at the ranch at the time I left, besides McCalbane locked up in his house. The other eight were out riding cattle for our tribe that we never got."

"I know you had a good reason for shooting at their vittles but Janet could you please stop saying it with such passion. Makes me want to hide my vittles behind an iron stove."

"Dan, I think you should think on one thing, when was the last time I asked for you on me since we started riding?"

"Well now this is an improvement, when we first started doing bounties together she wanted to hire a wagon and a man to drive it so I could trade with him on who was on her. In between pointing to where our man is headed she would ask me to get on her, why I got her working in a brothel. Once she opened up with why she was like that I went searching for McCalbane. Took a long while, had to stay near to her so I was sending letters out asking."

"Why did you have to stay near her?"

"He really liked what I was giving out." I say in answer to Chad, Dan groans.

"I had to stay near her she had a temper as well as needing men. The brothel owner was happy enough I kept her from killing the customers and kept the brothel guarded. Didn't much enjoy me taking her out on hunts though Janet was seven a day most every day. Hunts would take up to a month depending on how far away the start was. The courthouse would actually come to me with posters, Janet tracked better than any of the marshals."

"I just asked better questions." Dan snorts then starts to laugh as we reach the farm.

"She would go up to friends of the target and give them a sob story about how her tribe kicked her out and she's swelling with the man's child. I swear to you she got coins from about half of them and all told us where to go." Chad starts to laugh with Dan.

"You skipped the best one, the target's girl, she got so mad she started to beat on him. Once we explained what we wanted him for she kicked him a few times in the vittles, I think Dan was limping for two days after watching."

I motion for the lantern get down and light it up with a match from Chad. I look about the farm to find the folks lying dead, multiple shots, a few puddles of blood on the bodies, they were shot down then shot on the ground. I look around more, lots of tracks dense dirt so hard to make heads or tails until I move toward the hills. I find a few casings long ones, I take one in my pocket get Dan and Chad going on putting the bodies in the barn and shutting the doors to discourage wolves then keep looking.

Past the perimeter of the buildings I find tracks and some tobacco traces in an area not traveled by cows, two sets of tracks, one coming in one going out. Dan and Chad come over with my horse, I hand the light up to Dan get on my horse and shut my eyes opening them again I blink a few times then look around. Nothing for a good distance no fires, no lumps that speak of anything just flat until the hills.

"Chad, do you know of anything in this area?"

"I've heard talk of an abandoned house just a little south of the hills, farmsteader I reckon got killed long while back."

"That is where we go, round eyes favor buildings."

We get under way going at a good trot, horse noise travels a good distance on flat land, gallops are to noisy. Dan moves up next to me looking like he wants to say something.

"Not all of us are stuck in houses you know, cowboys spend more time out with the herd than in a building."

"Yes and when they are not with herd they are in saloon or brothel. I traveled with a herd remember, spent most of time in the wagon closed up."

"Can we not talk about bed sharing please." I look over at Chad, he's looking colored.

"Best to stop saying, we are halfway there if they have a lookout she may not live if we keep talking."

Dan checks his Winchester, Chad checks his, both have the longer rifle. I leave mine alone I know there is not a bullet in the chamber. A little farther along I slow us down to be quieter, not that there seems to be a reason, the woman they took is screaming. Can barely hear it I have to hold on to Chad to keep him from charging ahead. As we get closer still a shadow moves in front of the window."

"Chad if you can shoot him with your rifle do so we have to charge."

I urge my horse into a run Dan doing the same next to me, the shadow seems to shimmer for a second then there is a crack of the Winchester. The shadow shakes then falls down, the screaming inside is unabated. Wondering how she can still be screaming, they could not have just started I urge my horse to angle then go straight at the door. I leap into the door when the horse falters hitting it feet first, it does not even hold for a moment it gives way sending the door and me behind it into a very surprised man sitting at a bench.

I shoot him then turn to the rest, the one doing the poor girl is still going staring at me, I shoot him then a second as he moves for a revolver. One comes for me with his fists raised screaming for protection I put two in him then start talking to the rest of the Apache in my language. As one they fall to their knees, Dan comes in looks about shoots the first one I shot then brings a blanket over to the poor woman.

He ushers her out into Chad's arms, she seems terrified of Dan, Chad on the other hand she clings to. Dan comes back in looks about goes and collects a few revolvers and some rifles then stands next to me.

"Do you suppose any speak Spanish?" I give him a wry look then speak to them in Spanish asking why they did this with round eyes.

"Dan this is not our problem anymore, the dead ones besides him are soldiers." I say after getting the answer, Dan groans.

"Do they have horses? Can't walk them back in time for bed, we can put them in the cells and leave Chad to watch." I ask and get a yes answer.

We usher them out of the house, I help Dan get the door propped in front of the opening then we collect their horses. After some discussion I end up with the girl on my horse. She doesn't say anything at first, after a while of her starting at every little thing she looks up at me.

"Thank you for saving me, I don't know what I am going to tell my brother."

"Tell him it was horrible. I should ask, did the Apache or just the round eyes?"

"An Apache started to, he was doing it soft and I liked it in a scared for my life way. One of the white guys came over shoved him away and just took me that was number three when you came in."

"Starting to sound like the soldiers wanted to scare people into calling for more soldiers or to call for an uprising raid." Dan says riding near.

"I think more likely they were trying to use the Apache as a cover for them getting their enjoyment. Did you see the Apache shoot your parents?"

"It happened so fast I really can't be sure but I think no, most did not even have a rifle."

We ride on in silence for a while, one of the Apache builds up the courage to ask what we will do with them.

"Dan they want to know what we will do with them now."

"Tell them they are going in the sheriff office for tonight and we will send word to the soldiers in the morning."

There is a bit of alarm at this one, until I remind them a Cherokee killed the soldiers. We reach the town finally Chad and Dan herding the Apache over to the sheriff's office, I stop at the saloon Father Darren helping her down. I get down tie my horse off give it a rub on his nose then go inside. Father Darren and I help the girl, well woman she isn't that young up the stairs to the empty room. Sally comes up with Amanda and some pails of water for the bath.

At the girls request Father Darren stays with her while she takes a bath. I head downstairs to go into the kitchen for vittles, instead Amanda gets me to sit at one of the tables. I look around there isn't a person here besides us whores and Ishmael downstairs. Sally sits next to me with Chun, Candice, and Celeste next to her leaving the last three chairs on my other side open.

"We had a good night despite you leaving in that get up, seems a goodly number of the men been wanting me. Celeste and I decided to swap who takes the money after Chun is back to whoring. I admit I missed being under men so much, despite what Amanda thinks."

"It is a good feeling, though I think perhaps I can stop whoring, I only had one before we left. Usually I am asking to be under Dan on a hunt, this time I didn't ask."

"Oh well that might be good, can have you collect the money, still under contract. I'm flexible so long as there is a whore in that room I'll call it filled, me or you." Sally is looking at me rather happy, she really missed being under men.

"I didn't say I would stop just think I can, we can trade off with Celeste on who is on the stairs. At least once I'm not sure if I can or not, the one I had was very nice to me and complemented me."

"He sounds wonderful, here I thought I was the only one doing that." Dan says as he plops down next to me.

Amanda comes in with the tray really loaded with plates she puts them in front of us and one in the empty chair next to Dan.

"Chad is sitting on the prisoners, keep this one warm and put up five more after we eat I'll walk it over."

Amanda takes up the plate and disappears into the kitchen again, she returns with one glass of water that is put in front of me. Ishmael comes over with beers for everyone else.

"Dan are you telling all of my secrets?" Dan looks over at me taking a sip of the water and chuckles.

"That was me, I think he mentioned it in the letters but as close to a reservation as we are we know to not give drink to the injuns." I look up at Sally she is smiling at me.

"What if I demand a beer?" Not really expecting anything Dan and Sally push theirs closer to me.

I giggle and start eating this is a good chili with cornbread. Dan and Sally get their beers back with a couple of sighs. There isn't much conversation, apparently I'm not the only one hungry.

"Dan if you don't mind I'll take the food over to Chad." Chun says making me lean forward to see her better.

"No go right ahead, let's me take Janet upstairs earlier."

I'm a little lost at this, it's late and I want to just shut my eyes. Dan takes my arm and up we go. He helps me out of my belts and clothes, when he puts me on the bed I give him room my clothes and weapons on the floor and dresser. He gets in with me not trying to get on me, he just lies down I curl up with him and drop right off.