Culture Clash

Hope understood right away, and Charity was disappointed but cheered up when Hope said we could have the meal outside, and it would be ready in three to four hours. I smiled and walked away, thinking about the gift I could bring them for the meal.

I'd found a large pond where a few geese still lingered. It was mid-September and most had already gone South for the winter but they remained. It would be a fine gift for Hope, and there were some ribbons in the pack I'm sure Charity would approve of. I slipped silently to the edge of the pond and waited for them to fly in for the night. There was a slight rustling beside me and Jacob appeared. "It grows colder brother. Convince your new woman to leave soon or it will be a difficult journey."

"She's not my woman. Yet. I'm not completely convinced she'll go when the time comes."

"Then she'll never be your woman. I would not fret, brother, there are many fine maidens among our people who would be happy to share your blankets. Maybe more than one."

"Perhaps, but I want this one, and I want her to come willingly. Let me take two more weeks. If she is not convinced by then we'll start the path for home."

The geese appeared and I was about to raise my rifle when Jacob stood up and let go with both barrels. Three fell from the sky and one landed clumsily with one wing broken. The rest gave frightened honks and disappeared into the setting sun. Jacob gathered the two on the ground while I stripped off and swam out to the one floating in the water, then diving down and coming up beside the wounded one, quickly snapping its neck. I was shaking with cold by the time I redressed. Jacob pushed his point. "It's getting colder every day. Part of our path will be covered in snow as it is."

I just nodded and rubbed my hands, before tying three of the geese together and slinging them over my back. Jacob clasped my arm and turned away to present some fine young Mohawk girl with a gift for dinner.

Hope was delighted with the geese, promising to roast one the next day and share it with me. We ate outside on a little table she had set up out of the wind. I found her an excellent cook, praising her for the meal. She glowed with pride before reminding me that Charity had helped. It was the opportunity I was looking for.

"Well, then, I think I may have something here to express my gratitude if you'll allow it."

Curiosity got the better of her and she nodded her head. I pulled the ribbons out of my pack, giving some to both mother and daughter. Charity surprised me by crying and her mother's eyes were a little damp. Right after dinner she took Charity's hair down and wove the ribbons into it. When she was finished Charity ran inside to look in a mirror, We could hear her delighted giggles through the door.

"That was a very nice thing you did."

I smiled. "It was a little thing. No one here but you have made me welcome. I find that baffling. Most settlements are more than happy to see a trader arrive. It breaks the monotony of routine and saves them time by not having to travel to have their needs satisfied. May I ask you some questions?"

She nodded, interested to know where I was going. "Winter is coming and your village cannot survive as it stands now. Why aren't you more prepared?"

"We all had hopes and dreams when we moved here. I know you've seen the empty cabins. Many became disillusioned and left. It was not the idyllic setting we had been led to believe. I think we were all swayed by the large tracts of land the Governor granted us in order to expand his territory."

I had to interrupt. "You know he had no authority to do that. This land belongs to the Mohawk. They would have attacked already but after watching they decided to let nature eliminate you. When they find your starved and frozen bodies next spring it cannot be laid at the feet of the tribes."

"My husband was killed by the Mohawks!"

I looked at her sadly. "Do you have proof? I have talked to all three villages in the area and they have sworn that no settlers have died by their hands."

"But Reverend Harkness says..."

I couldn't help interrupting her. "I would take everything he says with a grain of salt. I think he is untrustworthy and arrogant, and he looks at you with naked lust every time he sees you."

"I have zero interest in the Reverend. He has no appeal to me at all. As far as that goes, without being vain, I know I am an attractive woman, and every man in the village has had the same look of lust in their eyes. Even you!"

I could not deny it so I grinned. "I admire your spirit as well as your physical beauty. I have no problem telling you that I find you very comely, but have I ever made a lewd comment or an advance? I will not, and I have no respect for men who exhibit lewd behavior. Let me change the subject. How did your husband die?"

"They found him dead on a trail when he went hunting and never returned, with an Indian arrow sticking out of his back."

"Do you still have the arrow?"

"I never saw it. He was brought back after the arrow was removed."

"Then how do you know it was an Indian arrow?"

"Because Reverend Hark....oh."

"Yes, oh. Let's change the subject for a moment. How come you haven't laid in supplies for the winter?"

"We sent four men with a wagon out about six weeks ago with what money we had to purchase staples to see us through the winter. They should have returned a week ago. I tried to get the Reverend to send a couple of men to look for them but he declined, saying everyone was needed here."

Charity returned and we changed the subject. I left shortly after. The next morning I took Zeke out and taught him the basics of hunting and woodcraft. He was a quick study and was inordinately proud when he stalked a deer, getting close enough to kill it with his bow. I guided him through how to skin and dress it. He even cut and built the travois we used to haul the meat and hide back.

His young wife was very impressed and it pleased him immensely. I told her Zeke should be made the permanent hunter for the settlement and she glowed even more. I helped him distribute the meat before cleaning up and joining my ladies for the evening meal.

Hope had been busy, roasting all three and giving the other two to the elderly of the settlement. It was a fine meal, until Woolsey (I had a hard time thinking of him as a preacher) marred it. He stormed up with two of his lackeys.

"Where did these birds come from?"

Hope grinned. "Henry got them. I'm sorry there is little left to share. They were quite tasty. The Emersons or the Douglases may have some left. They were very big birds and they are only four people. Then again, they probably need to keep the meat left over for another couple of meals. They have no one to hunt for them."

One of his flunkies spoke up. "I hunt for them!"

She smiled. "Yes you do, Miles, and I have every confidence you try very hard. However, there has not been much game acquired lately. Perhaps you should go out with Brother Zeke. He seems to have gotten a grasp on what it takes to be a successful hunter."

The Preacher glowered while Miles look thoughtful. The next morning, I noted that when Zeke went out, Miles went with him.

*****

I told my ladies I would not be around for the next few days because I had some things to attend to. They both looked at me like they were afraid I would not return, so I asked Charity if she would watch my pack while I was gone. That reassured them, but they both seemed a little tearful when I left.

I decided to state my intentions more forcefully when I returned. There was not a lot of finesse in courtship in this day and time. I'd read an advertisement in a Charlottetown paper the last time I was there and there was a large ad in the back asking ladies to consider being frontier brides. There were few requirements. They must have a pleasing personality, be disease-free, and of breeding age. Looks were not important. Most found more than one suitor waiting for them when they stepped off the coach.

It turns out I was gone six days. It took that long to find what was left of the wagon and the hastily buried bodies of the men. The wagon had been burned and all I found was a partial hub and some hardware. The four men lay in a shallow grave and the scavengers of the forest had gotten to some of them. Judging by the decomposition they had lain here for about two weeks. I found a gold cross and chain, and a lapel button. Other than that, nothing. The bodies had been stripped. Bear Man stepped out of the shadows.

"It was not us."

"I agree. If it had been your tribe or another, the bodies wouldn't have been buried or the wagon burned so thoroughly. Do you know of the livestock?"

He shook his head. "One of our young braves found this five days ago. He made sure he didn't leave any sign, rushing back to us to tell of this. We came to the white village to share this with you, but you had already gone. I saw from the sign you left that this was your direction, so we followed along. What should we do?"

"Go back home and say nothing. Instruct your village to do the same. Once this is found out, white men will come looking for someone to blame. The less you are associated with this the better."

I didn't have to tell them to destroy any sign they had been here, so I started back to the village using a different route. I had to wade a large stream a day out and looked down to see fat pike sitting in an eddy. I made four quick shots with my bow and got three. The other swam away with my arrow in his tail. They were huge fish, twenty to thirty pounds apiece. They lost a third of their weight but it was still a lot. I stopped and smoked them a little before continuing my journey. I was surprised at how glad I was when the little settlement came into view.

Charity was standing in the shadows looking up the trail when I came into view and she immediately ran to me. "Where have you been? You were supposed to be back days ago! I thought something had happened to you."

Then the tears started. I had a little experience with this from my youngest sisters, so I picked her up and petted her while I walked. She had recovered from her sniffles but seemed disinclined to leave my arms. As soon as I was on the common she slid down, yelling at the top of her lungs. "Momma! Mr. Henry is back!"

She walked up to me with a slow smile breaking. "So he is, daughter. Perhaps you'd like to get down now so we can offer him food and rest."

Charity blushed but took her own sweet time sliding out of my arms. One of her hands got entangled with mine and she seemed disinclined to move it.

"Aye, I could use some water. I haven't eaten since lunch but before I break my fast again I think you should tell everyone to gather in your meeting hall. I have news of some import that concerns you all."

Charity brought me a cool dipper of water and I unwrapped the fish, telling her to soak them in cold water and we'd have them for dinner. People started gathering and the preacher came up in a huff. "What is the meaning of this! You have no right to call a meeting and defile our house of worship with your heathen presence! Begone from this place."

I eyed him until he flushed deeper in nervousness. "Were you not a man of the cloth, and I find it hard to make that distinction, I'd have you dead at my feet before another word drips from your venomous mouth. The meeting was the only way I could tell everyone of my news at the same time. However, I am more than willing to be standing on a stump in five minutes to share my news. I'll probably breathe better."

I strode towards the stump, felling the heat of his hate on my back. When most of them were gathered round I raised my hands while MIles and Zeke called for quiet.

I looked over the people, scant sixty strong, and knew my news would hurt more than others. Every man I found murdered had relatives here; wives, children, parents, and my words would wound them greatly.

"A week ago, I went on a search for your overdue supply wagon. I found it."

Cheers burst out and many demanded to know how soon they were arriving. "They are never arriving. I found the men three days hence, murdered and buried in a shallow grave. All I could find of the wagon was this." I held out the partial hub and harness harware to wails and cries of despair. Then I held up the button and the small cross. "Are these familiar to anyone?"

One woman screamed and collapsed, and an older couple supported each other while they sobbed. The cross had belonged to the young woman's husband, and the button was one the older woman had found in a shop and lovingly sewed to her son's new jacket.

"It was Indians! Murderous scum! We should mount an offensive and wipe them from the face of God's earth!" The Reverend went into a full rant until he was literally foaming at the mouth. He worked his followers into a frenzy, while at least half of the others looked doubtful.

"Would you guide us, Brother Henry?"

"I would not, friend Miles."

"Do you see? Do you understand now? He is in league with the savages. He is probably helping plan our massacre! "

"I would not lead you, because I would be guiding you to sure death, mine included. How many men have you, Reverend? Twenty, maybe thirty if we include a few of the older ones? The last village I was in had eighty-three warriors that I could count, and that's not including the two score more who were out hunting or traveling. Think you they would take it kindly if we killed a few? They'd come after you with everything they had, maybe even invite a few sister villages in for the fun and the bounty. Your women would be slaves, the children would be adopted into the tribe. The younger ones will never remember anything but village life, the boys raised in the way of the warrior, the girl groomed by their adopted mothers to marry well."

"What of the men?"

I looked at the young man. "Most of you would end up with a war club buried in your skull, dismembered and mutilated so you would not be a threat in the afterlife. Some of the wounded would be tortured slowly to test their bravery. I've seen them raise a post, lead a prisoner out with his hands tied behind his back, and slice his stomach open, tying his entrails to the post and making him walk in a circle until his insides are wrapped around the pole. It is a particularly painful way to die. I've seen some last hours before they breathe their last. The youngest they would castrate and remove their fingers, making them slaves and beasts of burden until they die from starvation, the elements, or abuse. If they're fortunate they will not last long."

The young man was a definite shade of green by now. I smiled. "But, to be safe, all you have to do is not bother the villages. Besides, as I said before, I don't think it was Indians."

The Reverend had gathered his wits again. "What makes you so sure?"

"Well, first, they wouldn't have burned the wagon, nor would they have buried the bodies. They would have left them in a pile as a warning. But most of all, I think it wasn't the locals because two of the four had been killed by musket. They were shot from behind at close range. Indians with muskets are pretty scarce, I've only seen one while I've been up here. Last but not least is the missing supplies. They would have taken what they wanted and left the rest to rot. And before I forget, I could find no sign of the oxen. They would have been slaughtered and eaten on the spot. I found no remains or bones, and there would have been some left."

Everyone was looking thoughtful when the supposed man of God spoke again. "Or maybe the heathens were led by a renegade white man, someone who has become familiar with our ways and lay in wait."

Everyone got very quiet. The ones I hadn't associated with much were looking at me fearfully, and the ones I'd befriended, even Hope, looked uncertain. The place got quiet as they stared at my face.

"Do you suspect me, Preacher? Perhaps you're right. I came in peace and friendship and have gotten precious little returned. I'll be gone in a week, but in the meantime, if you have something to say, look me in the eye and say it, if you're man enough to face the consequences."

"I would not lower myself to your level. If you wish to stay, surrender your rifle!"

"Why don't you take it, preacher? I guarantee you'll get the ball first, and if you still have any energy left you can have it."

He stood, uncertain and redfaced. I laughed. "As I thought. You're a small man with a small mind and no courage. As for the rest of you, if any are willing to listen, I have advice. Leave this place before the snow flies. Report the murders and theft to the constabulary and let them deal with it. Flee before you die."

*****

I turned to walk away when I heard steps and felt a tug on my sleeve. "Are you going to have supper with us? Momma needs you because she isn't sure how to fix the fish."

I looked back at Hope and she was smiling. Zeke and his wife, as well as Miles and one of the younger women, joined us. I showed them how to roast the fish over the coals until they were about to fall apart, then sprinkled them with my secret ingredient, red sumac berries that had been powdered. I explained what it was and promised to show them some the next day. I also warned them to be careful, because while the red was beneficial, white sumac was poisonous and could kill you if you consumed it. Hope had roasted some potatoes and carrots to accompany the fish and they complimented the meat well. I praised her cooking. She blushed a little.

"Well, vanity is a sin, but it isn't vanity if it's the truth. I'm a good cook. My mother taught me well, and I've learned from others."

We were relaxing around the fire when I gave them a warning. "Perhaps it would be best if you kept some distance from me. I'll be leaving soon, but you still have to live here. I do not think Reverend Harkness is a forgiving person, despite his religion."

Miles sighed. "You are right. He has warned me several times not to associate with you lest you lead me down a path of sin and debauchery."

Zeke and his wife agreed. "I'm sure he cannot wait for your departure. Tread carefully, he would to have you in the stocks if he could."

I'd seen the stocks, a crude affair that looked damned uncomfortable. They were almost unheard of at home.

"He would have to catch me unawares and have a lot of help. I would not willingly submit, nor forgive when I was released."

We all agreed to be as circumspect as possible. They left, leaving Hope and I, with Temperance as chaperone. Charity had long since fallen asleep and had been put to bed. They asked, so I told them of my home, my family and part of my travels, leaving out the women who'd shared my blankets and glossing over the lives I'd had to take.

Hope sighed. "I thought it would be better here. We were free to worship as we saw fit without interference, but my mother told me she feared our faith was growing as intolerant of those that do not follow our ways as our former overlords."

Temperance looked at her like she had spoken of devil worship and her lips tightened. "Well, maybe as time goes by it will get better. I'm off to bed now, I will see you on the morrow. Good evening."

Hope shocked Temperance by taking my hand. "I and a certain little girl I know are very glad you came. Tell me, before you go, do you really think we'll starve if we don't abandon our settlement?"

"Maybe not all. The old and weak, the very young, those are at the most risk. I'm not telling you to give up, but I am telling you your people need to look to their families. You can overwinter somewhere else and return in the spring with a better plan."

"I will take that under advisement. Perhaps I'll try to convince them to try a warmer clime. I hear the Carolinas are quite nice."