CHAPTER TEN
"Don't you think the glue started to weaken a little, Buck?" Cassie asked.
"Yeah, a little. To be expected. I think Raspy is right, it's a reaction to fright. But I also saw some prejudice there, didn't you? You know something Cassie?"
"What, Buck?"
"When this country was young, and the white men had not yet crossed the Mississippi River, the Indians fought whom?"
"I don't know, Buck, who?"
"Themselves, there was no one else to fight. Then when the white man crossed that river, those tribes joined together and who did they fight?"
"The white men."
"Exactly. Do you see what I'm driving at?"
"Well, I guess you're saying that it's your hope that our group joins together and puts aside their quarrels and fights the new enemy, is that your point?"
"It is, let's check on Ferd."
And there he was, same spot, half in, half out. "G'day mate, g'day Miss Cassandra."
"G'day Ferd, both of us replied.
I said, "You had us worried, Ferd, we came looking for you and you were nowhere to be found, what were you up to?"
"I was cleanin’ house, mate. Dar's way too many of us critters for this tiny space. Told dem snakes deys another bigger pond yonder. Told dem turtles da same thing. Some listened, some didn't. But hey, mate, we may have a bigger problem, yessiree. Look over to the northwest. See that?"
Smoke. Lots of it, raising up to the heavens by a good quarter mile. Mercy, what in the world?
"Take it easy, Ferd, going to check that out."
"G'day you two," as he quickly turned one eye to the side.
I turned my head and briefly looked at the meadow as we passed. Just doesn't seem the same. And then I realized, the meadow had not changed one bit, I had.
I told Cassie that we will run at half speed to the house. No sense being hasty and running into the enemy before it would be too late to put on the brakes.
There were no problems encountered and we arrived at the car park, then crossed to the kennel. As we went I looked toward the fire, this time I saw flames from this closer vantage point.
"How are you doing, Mort?"
"FFfeeellliiinnnn bbbbeeeettttttterrrr. Aa mmmannnn ssstttuuuccckk mmmeee wwwiitthhh aa nneeeeddllle."
"What's with the fire?"
"Ddooonnn'ttt kknnooww, bbuuttt II cccannn sssmmeeellll iiittt."
I wondered if I should approach the fire, but thought better of it. I imagined it had been set as a battle plan. Wonder if the whole cornfield is on fire. Bet it is. I'll wait for John, meantime think about what to do if I find out that the ants have not been contained.
Cassie and I sat near the kennel, but occasionally walked to the end of the house to get a line of sight to the fire, and looked for John, of course. The sun was sinking behind the pillar of smoke, but the blaze was definitely smaller now. I couldn't see flames anymore. So we sat and talked while we waited for John.
"Cassie, why would men seek to destroy us?"
"Buck, I don't have a clue. It could be retribution, or revenge, or just flat out meanness. I just don't know."
"You may be right, Cassie, on at least one of those. There's a couple of very basic things that motivate humans, I think. One being pride, and another being greed. If greed is the root cause of this, why would they seek to destroy our natural resources? Maybe pride is behind all this. I wish I knew more about the whys and wherefores. It's just so hard to comprehend. I hear what you say about meanness, but doesn't there have to be something that triggers that? Revenge? Maybe, but that would mean we started something, right?"
"I suppose so, Buck. You know, even if we knew the exact correct answer, we couldn't change things or make a difference."
"Guess so. It's like you and I live in our own little world and manage the best we can, and then there is a parallel world that exists, and we come and go in and out of that world but it is beyond anything controllable, we just visit. So we have a world that we can manage, and another one we can't." The thought of Ferd being half in, half out came to mind. "I know that doesn't make much sense, but what has these last two days?"
The sound of approaching vehicles interrupted us. Cassie and I walked to the far end of the house. A water truck left the tractor path, drove on to the driveway and headed out of the estate. Another truck followed behind. The smoke pillar had shrunk to a smoldering.
The field was lost, but I wondered if the fire had won. I saw John and two other men leave the wheat field that had partially blocked the view of the cornfield. They were coming this way, but turned away toward the back of the house. Cassie and I couldn't help but go there to see what was happening. There was the helicopter some fifty yards behind the house. John talked with the two men, shook their hands, and the two men boarded the chopper. The whirl and swish of the copter's blades gave way to the whop, whop, and away they went to who knows where.
John waved as he approached. I ran to him and did something he told me not to do. I jumped up on him and gave him a slobbery lick. He laughed, then said, "I'm tired, you two, let's go sit on the steps."
I had forgotten the dead bull ant had been placed on the steps by Oliver.
"Did you put that here Buck?"
What was I to do, shake my head no? That would cause him to get off track and wonder who did put it there. So I gave a bark in the affirmative. He seemed satisfied with that.
"Thank you, Buck, where did you find this?"
Uh oh, what to do, so I pointed my snout in the direction of the cornfield. I mean, that's kind of the truth. I don't like chicanery but it is what it is.
"Well, that's good, but I've seen enough of those things to last a lifetime. Have a few of them in my box here."