Chapter 19
Like a viper winding its way through the cracks and crags of the rock outcroppings, a man of slight build gazed down at the little cabin in the clearing. He stayed downwind of the small dog. He didn’t want the critter to catch scent of him before he had time to load his gun and take aim. A smirk crossed the young dirty face and traces of tobacco juice slipped down the corner of his mouth.
Dan was out for revenge. That preacher man had a lot of nerve killing his pa like that. So what if we took the girl. She wasn’t all that much. Shoot, they thought she was a boy before the kid yelled her name out. A sly smile widened across his leathery face. She was a girl. The first white girl he had ever taken.
His eyes scanned the property around the barn and house. What was that sound? A scream? The girl was screaming? He would sit a spell and observe the situation. Could it be that the preacher man was a man given to violence? Would he hit a woman? Maybe he wasn’t the “man of God” he pretended to be. After all, he was a killer!
Dan whistled through his blackened teeth and settled himself in for a spell. He would bide his time and take in the situation.
Another scream pierced the silence and then an infant’s cry bugled into the afternoon calm. A baby? The cries from the girl and the baby ceased and all was quiet once more. Dan formulated a plan in his evil, twisted mind. I’ll go into the cabin while the preacher is distracted and blow his head off before he knows what hit him. Without help that simpering girl and baby will die a slow death. It was perfect!
Quickly he slipped down the embankment. Where was that dog gone to now? He appeared to be running off to chase after something in the distance. Good. He edged his way around the house and busted through the door. His rifle was ready. The only occupants of the cabin were the girl and a newborn baby. Shoot, she hadn’t even cleaned him up yet.
The girl’s eyes were wide in horror but she appeared too weak to scream again. She grabbed the baby close to her and held on tight.
“Where’s the preacher?” barked the man.
Nan opened her mouth but no sound escaped past her lips. Dan stood there in confusion. Now what? Fred wasn’t there and it was useless to kill the girl. He might come get her later when she looked strong again, but he had no use for an ailing female.
The babe made a small whimpering sound. Without hesitation he grabbed the baby from the little mother and tore the quilt off the bed and stuffed it around the helpless little creature. Dan stood for a brief moment and looked down at the starkly pale face. She had fainted and looked dead against the white sheet.
The bed was covered in blood. Poor, stupid kid, she just didn’t have what it takes to make it in the wilderness. He tucked the baby under his arm and ran. Fred wouldn’t be very far away and he didn’t want to be caught in the cabin with a dead girl.
He made good time scrambling up the embankment up to his mule. Old Brute was of a mind to run and that was fine with Dan. The hooves ate up many miles before he pulled him to a stop. While riding at break neck speed he had come up with a plan. The Utes were camped just a piece over that next rise. They were always buying slaves and kids. Maybe he could unload this baby for a good pile of pelts. He had thought that he would just knock him in the head and kill him, but if there was profit in it, he could put up with the crying a little longer. In fact the crying had stopped or at least gotten very strained. Maybe the kid would die before he got to the Injun camp.
Small trails of smoke stained the still, white sky as Dan rode in to the winter camp of the Utes. Women and children rose from the cooking fires and stared at him. The men boldly strode up to his mule.
“I have trade for you. We gather!”
The largest most aggressive man indicated with a nod to a nearby fire where three other more assuming men sat. “What is it, Boy Man?”
Dan’s skin prickled over the stupid name they called him. He told them he was Dan and they enjoyed making sport of him.
“I found a newborn. His mother is dead. You will buy him from me.” As he said this, he uncovered the baby. The baby was still covered in the bloody mess from his birth. When the cold air hit the little body, the baby howled a piercing wail. The men were startled and speechless.
“We may be able to take him from you. He would die if we didn’t. You could give us five pelts.”
“I could give YOU five pelts?”
“He is just one more mouth to feed to us. Make it ten pelts.”
“You give me seven pelts and you can have this healthy man child.”
A young man from the camp came near the screaming child and quietly spoke, “I will give you seven beaver pelts for this child.”
The others looked at him and nodded their approval.
“Done.” Dan waited next to the fire holding the crying baby while the young man fetched the seven choice beaver pelts. He wondered what in the world the Ute would do with the kid. Probably make a sacrifice to a heathen god or something. That made his skin crawl, but seven pelts was seven pelts.
“Seven pelts.” The young man carefully transferred the newborn into his arms and walked to his teepee.
Dan observed the heathen, turned on his heel, and mounted Brute. There was no way he would spend the night here. The kid might die and he would have to give back the pelts. He gave a half-hearted salute to the man he supposed to be the chief and rode off.
*****
Nan awoke to another strong pain in the back that spread across the front of her stomach. She cried out in pain. Over and over the spasms came. She pushed again and again as the pain wracked her body. When she felt she could push no longer another little baby boy was born. He struggled in the bed and gave forth a strong wail. Nan reached for him and put him to her breast. He ate hungrily.
Fred noticed the tracks in front of the cabin the moment he approached. They were fresh. Would Nan leave the cabin so close to her time? Maybe she was getting a little exercise. She had a good month before the baby came. Elmer slid off the front of the saddle like an expert.
“Here, Elmer, take these pelts to the shed and I’ll put the horse in the barn.”
Elmer ran to the shed and disposed of the pelts. He then joined Fred in the barn and helped him remove the saddle and blanket. He took an old cloth and began wiping down the big horse. Fred measured out some oats and filled the manger with sweet smelling hay. Fred rubbed his big hand through the little fellow’s hair and mussed it up playfully. “Hey, Elmer, I’m gonna have to rename you Mop iffen we don’t get some scissors to that head of hair of yours.”
Elmer’s smile looked just like warm rays of sunshine. The sparkling blue eyes were clear and free from pain and his mop of white/blonde hair was long and shinny. Elmer could grin like no other human he had ever known. “Come on, Kid, lets see what Nan has for us to eat.”
The cabin was almost dark. The fire was the only light in the place. Fred swung his gaze around the room looking for Nan. He had decided that she was still out for a walk when he saw her face. “Oh, God! Help her!” He grabbed her hand. It was cool but not the icy cold that death settled into a body. She was very close to death. She was so pale. “Nan! Nan!” He lit a lamp and started from the blood that was staining the bed.
Elmer screamed, “Nan!”
Her eyes fluttered open briefly and closed just as quickly. Fred looked at her and saw the infant at her breast.
Nan’s eyes flew open. Fred was not prepared for the stark terror that radiated from her eyes. “He took my baby!” she croaked.
“Who took your baby, Nan? The baby is right here!”
She breathed one quiet word, “Trap…per.”
“Trapper? Nan! Nan! Look, the little baby is here! The trapper didn’t take it.” Fred tried to reason with Nan but she was holding on to life by a thread.
“Elmer, get a quilt out of the trunk on the other side of the room and bring it to me.”
“Is Nan dead?”
“No, but we got to take care of her.”
“
Look at the baby! Is it all right? Is it a boy or a girl?”
“Elmer, just get the quilt and we will take care of Nan first.”
Fred picked up the small little one and wrapped him in a soft blanket that Nan had made. He placed him in the newly made cradle next to the bed. “You are a little guy aren’t you, boy? Elmer, it’s a boy!”
Elmer brought the quilt to Fred and Fred asked him to put another log on the fire to heat up the stew that was on the fire hook.
“Elmer, I need you to watch that stew so that it doesn’t burn and I need to doctor your sister. Please stay over there while I take care of her. If she wakes up, I’ll holler at you and you can talk to her.”
“Okay, Fred.” Silently the tears streamed down his little face. He would be brave and not cry like a baby. He would try to pray for his beloved sister.
Fred was very concerned that Nan had already given birth to the baby. They were going to go his Mom and Dad’s house this week so that Nan would have a doctor for delivery. Had he calculated wrong? No, it had been seven and a half months since the attack. The baby came early. He carefully bathed her frail, little body with a warm soapy rag. Maybe she would awaken and tell him more. She did not stir. The birth must have gone roughly because there was a lot of tearing on her body. He bound her up carefully. She had lost a lot of blood. The baby wasn’t very big by coming so early, but Nan was a tiny woman. He put a fresh flannel gown on her and she moaned painfully.
Why did she think that the trapper took her baby? What was he to do to help her? He hated the thought of that trapper taking the helpless infant. “Lord, what can I do? She is so weak. Let her know that the baby is here next to her.”
“Pray,” was the answer.
“Please help her! Don’t let her die! I love her so much!”
*****
Blue Bird sat quietly stirring the venison stew inside her cozy home. Tears escaped her guarded eyes. She must keep working and not think of the sadness in her life. Just as she wiped the tears away the flap of the teepee opened and in came Strong Bear carrying a strange wrapping. “I have purchased something for you, my wife.”
As he spoke he unwound the wrapping. She blinked in disbelief as she laid her eyes on the most beautiful sight her eyes could behold. It was a newborn baby boy! As the little one cried, Blue Bird asked, “Where did you get him, Bear?”
“A man found him. The mother is dead. The young one needs a mother. You need a son.” Blue Bird became aware of the warm milk dripping down onto her stomach. The cries of the child brought the milk in as if it had been her own son crying. She put the baby to her breast and he sucked hungrily. Not too many days ago she buried her third child. She was a mother and yet not a mother. There would be no laughter of children in her home, until now. She had prayed for a son and one had been born to her. He had lived only three days. Now the Great God of the white man had given her another son. Tears flowed down her brown cheeks and she did nothing to hide them.
Chapter 20
Seven days passed since the birth of Nan’s child. Fred could not understand why Nan insisted that one of the trappers had stolen her baby when little Teddy was in her arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she desperately tried to get Fred to understand. “The trapper came and took my baby! He did!”
“Nan, what are you saying? Do you not see little Teddy there in your arms?”
“Yes, but there was another baby!”
“Try to get some rest. We are heading to Mama and Papa’s tomorrow. I will get you to the Doctor and he can help you get well.”
“But the trapper came…”
“Nan, listen to me. You are safe. Elmer is safe and the baby is safe. The trapper is not here. Go to sleep.”
Nan turned on her side and put little Teddy in the crook of her arm. He looked perfect to her. He had a head of soft downy blonde hair. Maybe Fred was right. There was no trapper. Maybe she had dreamed of the horrible man coming and taking her baby. It seemed so real. First the birth of the child and then that awful leering face. Fred was right the trapper hadn’t been here. It had been a bad dream during a difficult labor. Finally, she drifted off to the first peaceful sleep since the birth of her children.
Fred cleared the table and started packing the bedrolls for the trip to his parents. They would take most of the supplies they had left. The snow was thawing and the stars were out so it looked to him that the weather would be clear on the way down the pass. He packed most of their belongings because he had no plans of returning here to live. Nan’s fear of the trapper was a tangible thing. He wouldn’t have her living in fear. He looked at her face and noted the peaceful look that it held. He hadn’t seen that in quite some time. Little Teddy was wiggling around so Fred retrieved him from his place next to Nan and held him to his chest.
“You are quite the little man! Look at you. You are so little, yet you think you should be going somewhere. Well, you get to meet your grandma and grandpa in a couple of days. How about that?”
Elmer came into the cabin after watering the stock. He edged closer to Fred and Teddy. “You want to hold him, Elmer?”
“Nope. Not yet. My fingers are like ice. I best warm them up first lest he let out a yell to wake the dead.”
“Good thinking, Pard. What do you think of your little nephew?”
“He is so little; I hope nothing bad happens to him. Do you think he will be alright?”
“He has already fattened up some this past week so I think he will be okay, but we will let doc take a look at him to be sure.”
“How will we keep him warm on the way to grandpa’s house?”
“Lookie here, I traded the traps and chickens for a cradle board at the Indian camp yesterday. I knew that the people in James’ camp could use them. James was gone so I gave them to a man called Strong Bear. His squaw showed me how to wrap him up and tie him in just right. I think he will do well.”
“There is fur and deer skin and all kinds of beads and stuff. It is kinda pretty, too.” Elmer thought it would be a great way for his little nephew to travel in the cold weather.
“Pard, I didn’t forget about you. See here, I got you some new deer skin trousers and moccasins.”
Elmer tried them on. The trousers tucked inside the moccasins, which laced all the way up to his knees. Man, did they feel good compared to the boots he had been wearing. He had tried not to let on that he had outgrown them weeks ago.
“You have been growing like a weed ever since you had your teeth taken care of. Those old boots were about to lose hold of those big toes of yours and your pants were almost half way to your knees!”
Elmer grinned at the exaggeration. The trousers were a few inches up his leg but not that far.
“I also got you this traveling coat from the trading post.” Elmer was in awe. He had never seen anything as colorful and warm looking as this new coat. It was a creamy color with wide stripes of red and yellow across the chest. It looked like it was made of an Indian blanket. He put it on and boy was it warm! He had never owned anything so luxurious!
“Thank you so much Fred! I love it!” Then Elmer looked anxiously toward the small figure in the bed. “How will we keep Nan warm enough? She needs this coat more than I do.”
“No, Elmer, I got something special for her. While I was in the Indian camp I asked the squaw that I traded goods with for her advice as to how to move a very sick person down the pass and keep them warm. I explained that a travois would be far too rough and bumpy down the trail. She agreed and showed me how to wrap and bundle Nan up in blankets and a buffalo robe somewhat like the cradleboard. Nan will have to ride in front of me on the horse while I hold her like an infant. You will have to let me strap little Teddy on your back. You must listen for his cries and care for him.”
Elmer’s eyes were very serious as Fred explained the traveling arrangements. The pack mule would follow Fred’s horse and Elmer would be in front of Fred on the other mule so that Fred could keep his eye on Elmer and baby Teddy. If Nan wo
uld have been getting stronger, the trip could have waited a couple of months, but she seemed to be withering before his eyes. He knew he could not chance the loss.
*****
Bright and early the next morning Fred packed the items on the Ruby. He got Sonny ready. No saddle, just saddle blankets. He saddled Moon Shadow for Elmer. The bedrolls were in place and grub for the trip in the saddlebags. He spread the little furs on the bed and then the soft blankets on top. He placed Teddy in the middle and tightly wrapped them around him swaddling him with arms wrapped tightly to his side. He placed the infant thus wrapped, in the cradleboard and began tying the laces snuggly. He placed the soft deerskin over the head frame and made a cozy little tent over the little face. Elmer stood beside the bed and allowed Fred to place the small burden on his back.
Fred threw the big buffalo hide on the bed and placed deerskin and quilts on top. He lifted Nan from the rocker. She had been dressed in a long deer skin dress and moccasins like Elmer’s. He placed her in the middle of the covers. He began to wrap the quilt, deerskin and buffalo hide tightly around her from head to toe. He then took strips of deer hide and tied them around her snuggly. Nan meekly lay there feeling the warmth of the nest he made for her. How lovingly he smoothed the covers. He was as tender in his care of her as he had been with baby Teddy. He wrapped a heavy scarf over her head and left her a peephole so that she could see. He placed Elmer and his little bundle on Moon Shadow and came into the cabin to get Nan. He carried her to Sonny and sat her sideways on top of him. Fred then climbed on him and put his arms around Nan and held the reins. Ruby trailed behind them with packs on her back. “Nan, I am going to move you closer to me so that you can lean back and I will hold you in my arms. We will move slowly so that you will not be jolted. Try to rest as much as you can. Sleep if at all possible. Let me know when you need to stop to rest.”
Nan nodded and nestled in his arms. She had no fear when Fred was this close to her. His strong arms seemed to hold her effortlessly and she did sleep. When she woke the sun was high in the clear blue sky. She saw the tops of the lovely spruce trees and the white bark tops of the aspen. She turned her head ever so slightly and saw the handsome, sun- darkened face of her husband. She observed the lines around his eyes as he squinted in the bright daylight. As he glanced down at her, she was struck, yet again, at the bright color of blue that twinkled in his large eyes. He smiled at her and gave her a wink. “You doing alright, little Misses?”