10 Pound Bag Ch. 111-115

**** Chapter 111 -- Just another work day ****

Everybody came back in for dinner. This was the big meal of the day and we'd rest or nap afterwards, during the worst of the heat. After that, it was back to work until we could see the approach of sunset and suppertime. This was also when the children would start helping with the work. Once dinner was eaten, the younger kids would mostly help in the fields, while the older ones would learn how to chop firewood.

Firewood wasn't the split logs you'd see in the modern day. That split wood was only used for long overnight burns. We saved the split pieces for the overnight heating required mostly in the cold months, mid-October until mid-April. For cookfires and the like, we used short staves made from branches. These were all sorted out when the tree was dropped and cleaned. Wood chips and small branches were collected for kindling, along with pine cones and twigs. Those buckets of cones people paid too much money for in the modern world, weren't just for decoration, in this time. So there was a lot of sorting and stacking and moving piles of things about. This was where the dog cart came in really handy, and the kids loved to drive it.

After dinner was also office time for me, the most dreaded part of the day. Honestly, there was always another plan to be discussed, another request to be considered, and another meeting to attend. I set up the table and hung our map on the kitchen cupboards, so it could be easily viewed during discussion.

The first supplicants were Isaiah and Sarah. They had come to give me the overall view from the Black Community. The overall view was good, so no problems there, thus far. Everyone was worried about when they'd get their own land and houses, which honestly didn't surprise me. I wanted to get on with my own personal buildings, also. I let them know that I'd speak to the entire group, come Saturday. But, in general, I expected this first building phase to finish by July 1^st and we'd start issuing claims at that point. I also asked them to send me any craftsmen who intended to set up a shop. This was truly a council matter, though, and it would be best if we waited to discuss it later today, at the council meeting. That satisfied them and it was time for the next group update.

Fabiola was next. She had spoken with the crew last night and they were most concerned about when the next trip would start. They were happiest on the river and wanted to get started. Overall, they were happy and the extra work didn't bother them, as long as they were getting paid. I asked her to remind Timmons to give Sonya the weekly accounting of what they were owed. She also pointed out that they loved the rations. That was easy and it was time for the Pawnee next.

Pete and Mouse were next and it was fast. The only grumbling was over losing the slaves, but that had quieted down with news that the buffalo would be here soon. Soon being maybe one more moon. The herd was moving north at a slow pace because there were a lot of calves this year. That was good news and everyone was happy.

Finally, one of the white wives came in. She didn't have a lot to say and she admitted that she'd rather talk to Michelle. I allowed that and Sonya merely shrugged and noted it. That one, thankfully, finished quickly.

Then Fritz, the butcher, showed up next.

"Fritz, thanks for coming, my friend." I sounded like a politician already.

Fritz had a thick German accent and it took a second to shift my thinking so that I could understand him. "I am good and I thank you for letting me come here."

"Sit down at the table with us, please. We have business to discuss. You are an important man here and we really need you. Did you know we will be having a buffalo hunt during the next month or so?"

"I had heard, but I wasn't sure what that meant.

"Well, Fritz, it means you will be getting busy very quickly. It also means we will be building a shop for you. But it means you have to figure out how we will safely store all of that meat.

"How much meat?" was Fritz's obvious follow-up.

"Well, let's figure about one buffalo per person. The Pawnee will help us to process the meat their way, but I'm sure you might have other ideas.

"I still don't understand how much," was the answer I expected, and got.

"Fritz, I expect one buffalo per person, including the boat crew. So, at least fifty buffalo."

He cursed quietly in German which just made me grin.

"Mouse will tell you how the Pawnee preserve all of that, but I think it's mostly by drying it. However, I'm heading to St. Louis next week. So please meet with Sonya and list everything you'll need. I'll try to buy it. I will own the property and equipment, but you will own the store. I don't want to be a butcher and don't want to own a butcher shop." Well, that last brought a chuckle from him and he agreed to the deal. He walked away happy, which pleased me.

The final meeting of day was the town council. The primary topic was the upcoming trip to St. Louis and what our goals should be there. At first, they wanted to send someone with me, but I pointed out that Timmons would be there and he was also familiar with the city. That settled them down until I pointed out that I intended to bring back a herd of mares overland, to avoid the long boat ride back. Poling back up the Missouri was not a minor feat and would take at least three weeks. I should be able to make it in about five days on horseback. I would be heavily armed and not carrying any significant valuables. Pete offered to join me, but we would be far too close to Kansa land for me to be comfortable that I could protect the Pawnee.

They finally accepted my decision and we adjourned for the day.

**** Chapter 112 -- Working man ****

I get up at seven, yeah,

and I go to work at nine.

I got no time for livin'.

Yes, I'm workin' all the time. -- Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

Ahh, the work week. A good old, stick to schedule and get things done without the drama, life. Sore muscles and chafed hands, boring repetitive meals, and half-funny jokes from the guys you're working with. Swing the axe, dig the dirt, and drag the log. It was all a very nice change from the constant drama and stress of the management life. I knew this would be short-lived for me, but I tried to take advantage of it while I could.

I still had to attend afternoon meetings and we needed to see Thomas about his claim. So, today I'd head up there, to invite the family down for dinner on Saturday. I also wanted to time the travel each way, at both a walk and a slow gallop. I knew Lunch was wanting a good run, anyway. That meant it was a shortened work day for me; I still had mayoral duties calling my name.

I started out by pulling a stump down to the beach. I merely wrapped a length of rope around it and secured the rope to the pommel. I walked Lunch down to the beach and he didn't seem to mind in the least bit. Morgans were well known to be good light draft horses. Timmons and I talked boats for a while and the shipwright explained to me what he was doing, I wasn't much use down in that specialty area, so I moved on again.

An hour spent digging out stumps is a miserable hour. Thankfully, the larger ones were few and far between, but all of the little stumps, even from saplings, had to be removed. I would swear that those were the worst. Both Brin and Lunch watched my labors with sort of an amused contempt. When I asked Lunch just to kick out one particularly stubborn sapling stump, he simply ignored me. So much for the 'Trusty Steed' title. He was back to being a flea-bitten nag in my book.

I knew lunch was on its way, so I took my leave to head up to the wood shop. Over the lunch break, we discussed progress and plans. I let them know we needed a prioritized shopping list from them, soon. I'd still have trouble getting decent deals on the proper equipment, but at least I'd know what to shop for. At the end of it all, Jeb offered to go with me. He'd know what they needed and be able to ensure I was getting the right tools, as well as help me argue price. He would also get everyone off my back about traveling alone; I had a companion now. On the down side, I'd need to properly arm him. We'd already seen the advantages of carrying modern weapons in dangerous times. I thought the Sharps might do him well, plus he could have a revolver for when we were on the road. Now I just had to train him on those.

After an hour or so clearing with this crew, I headed out to the homestead. Esther wanted to go up to visit Daisy. Mouse offered to ride along with her. I didn't mind having either along. Esther was always funny with her little girl ways and Mouse was just comforting to be with. The girls each had their own mount and we meandered on down to where the road crew was working.

The crew greeted Mouse and me like normal arrivals. Once they saw Esther, they all broke into big smiles and were cracking jokes with her. She was apparently hugely popular throughout the camp; her attitude just seemed to breed happiness. Any plans to hang out with the guys and clear wood ended right there. We just chatted for a while and then headed out down to the prairie.

I stayed out of the tree line this and we simply rode out to the grass to make our way down. I decided to take the trip up at a nice canter, to work on Esther's riding skill a little and get a better judge of travel time. She was a bit nervous at first, but quickly settled into the rhythm of the gait and we moved along nicely. The miles quickly fell away. As we rode, I kept an eye on the surrounding grassland, observing the terrain and conditions. The good news was that it was ready for haying and we'd probably be out here in July for the first cutting. Before I knew it, we were turning up to Thomas's homestead and the first leg of the trip was over. It was just a hair over fifteen minutes at a canter out on the prairie and would be faster once we got a road worn in.

The horses were blowing gently when we rode up and hailed the farm. We walked them the rest of the way and, by time we reached the barn, they were breathing easy again. Thomas was just coming down from the field as we turned the horses in to his small corral. We'd had a couple of minutes to remove the tack and let them water.

Esther was already chatting away with Daisy and getting a personalized tour of the house. It was cute to watch because Daisy was barely half her age and apparently already idolized our little Esther. Esther was a pre-teen superstar who just happened to live with us. I suppose that even the worst of us get a gift in life, sometimes.

I spent the next few hours chatting with Thomas and discussing our individual spreads...just neighborly talk, if you will. I invited the family up for dinner on Saturday and told him to bring me a shopping list for St. Louis. I also told him that Michelle could take their measurements and I could pick up a nice dress for each of his womenfolk while we were down there. Anything to help a buddy, after all. He fussed a little about money, but I told him to let it go. It would all work out between us over time; we were neighbors, don't you know.

I chose that point to start the claims discussion. The topic obviously made him a bit uncomfortable. I reassured him that he was at the head of the line. As part of our township, he had the right to use our equipment and even draft stock, if need be. I also pointed out that I was asking how much he claimed so that we didn't infringe.

He seemed to calm down a little and said he'd talk it over with Martha and let me know when they came up this weekend. That worked just fine with me. I also told him about the upcoming buffalo hunt and that we'd help him put his meat up. I explained we had a butcher and the Pawnee, so a couple of more buffalo wouldn't trouble us. Well, that, in itself, cheered him. They were rationing their meat right now and he was getting tired of it. I laughed and told him I'd have a fat juicy steak waiting for him on Saturday. With that, we went into the cabin to chat with the girls.

We left about a half-hour later. We had Daisy with us for a 'stay-over.' I didn't mind. On the way back, she rode double with Esther and we kept things to a slow walk. I chatted with Mouse as we went along, while keeping an eye out for trouble. I knew we had at least one scout trailing us, so I wasn't too worried. Pete, on the other hand, was a worry-wart. It took us an hour to get all the way to camp. It was a pleasant hour in the afternoon heat, but far from idyllic. On the plus side, Mouse was sweating and she allowed me to cool her down with some water from my water bag. It was a beautiful sight and cheered me the rest of the way home.

**** Chapter 113 -- Preparing for a trip ****

Road trips have always been a favorite part of my life. I spent most of my youth moving about and I always seemed a little more comfortable on the road. In other words, I was looking forward to this trip. I was even happy that the next two days would be spent in preparation.

First priority was to insure Jeb was properly armed and prepared. After breakfast I issued him his weapons for the trip. He was happy to replace his musket with the Harper rifle and the musket pistol was nothing new to him. He did marvel at the quality of each and promised to take care with them. The revolver simply amazed him. I spent a half an hour explaining the operation and maintenance before we went out shooting. Most importantly, I explained to him that it was advanced technology and had to be hidden away. People would kill him just to get that weapon.

I would carry the double barrel, my musket pistol, and, of course, the M1911. For a long gun, I finally settled on the 30.06. When in the scabbard, it looked no different from a musket. Plus, we used full length scabbard that covered even the butt of the rifle. I had been using those for years, after tiring of my rifle getting wet and dirty.

So we went out shooting. Familiarization fire was the term for it. Basically, Jeb practiced with each piece until he could reload and shoot confidently. He loved the rate of fire out of the pistol and commented several times on the accuracy of the rifle. I'd have a hard time getting him happy with his old musket again and needed to look into procuring some more rifles. I decided that I would find a way to replicate our repeating rifles in the next decade and who cared if we made our mark in the world as an arms dealer?

We spent a couple of hours on shooting drills and then another hour on proper cleaning and maintenance. By then, dinnertime was approaching and I told Jeb we'd work on our travel packs after the break. Thomas had shown up while we were gone and he joined us for a nice meal that Matilda and company had created. We were treated to a full three courses, with a brisk summer salad to start. I could taste my good balsamic in the dressing and we had the first of the tomatoes. The tomatoes were sweet and meaty; they could have been a meal all on their own.

Thomas got his promised steak at this meal, also. It was one of my thick ribeye cuts from the freezer, broiled over fire to medium-rare perfection, then topped with a few pan-fried crayfish. Pete, Timmons, Holder and I each got one, also, while the women had a variety of dishes almost like they'd ordered from a restaurant. Matilda and Sarah stood by while Esther and the older girls served, Matilda glowed with pride and Sarah looked simply exhausted.

The final course was a rich New England brown bread, sweet and completely filling. Even coffee would make it difficult to avoid a nap after this meal. I was gone before the coffee even got there, deep in a steak-induced food coma. Someone sweet led me to my bed and even set a fan on me. I snoozed for almost a full hour and woke feeling completely refreshed.

The after-dinner mission was to prepare for the journey. I wanted to spend some time with those close to me on Sunday. I also wanted to insure that the boatmen were well provisioned for their journey, so I opened the larders to Timmons. I also reminded him that we would be purchasing goods in St. Louis, so we didn't need to restock completely here.

I made a surprise last minute decision and added Amos to the group. It was an intuitive move which might prove to be a mistake, but I followed my gut. Sonya was happy to use some of our limited parchment paper to create a Bill of Sale showing me to have purchased Amos almost five years ago. Amos, being a typical young man, was eager for the adventure and didn't even shrug when I went over his duties with him. His main purpose was to accompany Brin until we started our return journey. On the return, he would be fully armed and simply part of the team. I gave him the .22 rifle and revolver and reminded him that he wasn't to carry them in the open.

I also had Jeb and Amos pick out their favorite saddles. Michelle stepped in to help them with that bit. I hoped to bring back a string of mares to expand our herd. As well, I'd hoped to pick up some tack, despite by desire to limit my spending as much as possible. Contrary to all of my wishes, a money tree apparently did not come with our particular model of time glitch.

I showed the guys how to pack their riding horses and made sure we had a lean-to half for each of them. Summer was quickly approaching and all we needed was protection from the weather. Matilda promised us enough food for the trip down and even pre-mixed bread flour for the trip back, which would surely save us time in meal preparation. We had a pack of hardened travel foods. It didn't make sense to buy what we were making daily. For meat, Matilda kept that smokehouse running constantly. Holder and Isaiah had gotten involved. Now, even the wood type was manipulated for flavor. Already, the amount of meat and fish in there was staggering.

I hadn't really paid attention to the fishing that Michelle had organized. On any given day there were two to four women down at the river harvesting fresh fish. Matilda also had one or two working the shoreline with her, harvesting crayfish and clams. Some of this catch was stored in our freezer, but most were being smoked.

We needed more barrels for storage, which meant we needed to get our cooper going. More problems to work on. There would be plenty of time for contemplation on our journey.

We finished going over our body and main packs. Each of us would carry the common traveler's bag of the era. It was basically a utilitarian version of the modern hipster messenger bag - highly useful and easy to carry.

After outfitting with the proper ammo, food, water skins, and weapons, I told the fellas I'd see them after supper tomorrow. We were leaving at first light Monday morning and would be spending Sunday night down at the landing with the boatmen.

**** Chapter 114 - Retraining Amos ****

Saturday Night was a private family party with only our core group invited. Everyone travelling with me had their own families to spend time with that night, so it was just us on our own again, and that was just fine by me. I'd gone over the town map with Thomas earlier and he was happy to map out a small chunk of about three hundred acres. I told him how to put up markers and we officially drew it on the large map I had hanging in the camper. He and his family headed home shortly thereafter.

Our family party was fairly subdued; it wasn't a jump around type of party. Everyone had overeaten at dinner, so we had a light supper and then enjoyed wine and beer for a couple of hours more, while I did research and wrote out plans. Michelle and Mouse both fawned over me all evening. 'Lovey dovey' would be the correct phrase. It was a laid back evening and I, for one, was definitely getting laid that night.