Authors: Mercedes Keyes
Taking a few more steps to focus and add definition so
she might identify them, she squinted, trying to understand what there was about the way they rode and looked that seemed familiar.
A shock of fear shot her adrenaline to the boiling point - soldiers!
Their entire manner of riding was very different from those of the
Indians, who had a tendency of riding covertly, carefully... gracefully unless in an outright charge. The riders coming towards her were
riding hell for leather.
"Oh no." Hope dropped her bundle and started running toward
the bluff. Despite her inability to outrun the approaching soldiers,
panic shooting through her system would not let her just stand there and wait for them. At first, she tried to hold onto her blanket shawl, but soon dropped that as well in her futile sprint to escape capture.
The scouts had spotted her long before she had noticed them.
Their routine was to ride slowly while one viewed the area they
patrolled through spy glasses. Immediately upon catching sight of her,
the one holding the spy glasses announced.
"Let's go! We got a squaw!" They were on a mission.
They were sent out by Sgt. Dobbs, anything resembling an Indian was
brought back to their fort for questioning. So far, they were up to twenty-eight captured and brought in, with four still alive; not one
giving up any information on the whereabouts of Chief Red Crow.
Her chest was burning with the effort it took to keep running, but
she heard the horses hooves close behind her and in an instant, they
had her surrounded. She was coughing and choking from breathing in
the kicked up dusty soil, breathing deep from gasping for her next
breath made it worse. Her lungs hurt as she stopped with the large
animals snorting and blowing around her. Their riders looking down
at her as she struggled to breath, she dropped to her knees, feeling
suddenly ill.
"Well wud'yah lookie here. Look what we done got. I be
damned... a white squaw." One of the privates spoke, keeping her
within the center, with each horse standing side by side. Corp. Bankes
was the first to dismount and approach her.
"Alright, up on your feet, be quick about it." He ordered gruffly.
Hope was too tired to stand up, out of breath, she could only look up.
"Whoooeee! Wud'yah look at'her, ain't she a beaut'!"
"Shut up Lennit!" Bankes ordered over his shoulder, turning back
to Hope he bent down and grabbed her upper arm to assist her to her
feet. Stunned by his move, she snatched herself away.
"Looks to me she been with them Indians so long, ain't no white
man can touch her." Another observed leaning down on his saddle
horn, gazing down at her with lust filled eyes. Bankes ignored his
comment and Hope's efforts to elude him holding her up by
one arm anyway.
"Now... how about you tell me your name?" He asked none
too gently, gripping her arm tightly deliberately to inflict pain. Hope
clenched her jaw and took it, glaring at him without a change of
expression as he tightened his hold.
'Oh God... how am I going to get out
of this? Red Crow... wherever you are, now would be a good time to come looking
for me.'
"Maybe she got a hearing problem, deaf and dumb or something." Another suggested.
"She no doubt dumb, any decent white woman that would take
up with them nasty savages got to be dumb. Maybe she been wit'em
so long, she can't understand English."
Hope glared at the one who spoke, which gave away the fact
that she understood
every
word they spoke.
"See... she understands. I ask you a question. I wan’ah answer.
What's your name, squaw?!"
Hope’s eyes traveled over all the men surrounding her, in their eyes,
disdain and lust. She couldn't ever remember being as afraid as she
was right then. Her mind raced looking for a way out of this situation,
but it was useless, they had her closed in tight. All she could do was
pray now, because otherwise her hands were tied.
"You know, I hear they sometimes cut the tongues out of the
women they capture... could be she got no tongue to talk with, that
it lil'girlie huh?" Another started, now dismounting as well. "Them
horrible, nasty Indians cut your tongue out. I bet you can't even
scream can yah?" He picked up her long braid caressing it, admiring
its color and softness.
Hope pulled her head away to remove her braid, but only pulled it
over his hand slightly because of the length. He smiled still holding onto it.
"Her hair’s so soft and pretty, I bet the rest of her is too."
"That's enough Dhayes. We're not here for this, we're here to find that goddamn Red Crow!"
Hope's eyes widened and her heart leapt into her throat.
‘
They are
after Red Crow? What do they want with my husband?'
She worried.
"Aaah Bankes, what's the harm? She ain't no good to no white
man no more, cept' as a whore. We might as well take turns showing
her the ropes." He goaded, eyeing her as his lust increased, placing
her braid back down so that his knuckles could brush over her breast.
'No no no no no... please God... no... somebody c
ome for me ple-e-e-ease.'
Her mind screamed in supplication. His knuckles stroked up and
down over the area of her nipple, as the others looked on swallowing.
Hope turned away sharply, trembling in fear.
"Cut it out Dhayes!" Bankes commanded.
"You know you want a bit too. Look at her, what man wouldn't
want to climb between them thighs. Given the chance I'd ride her all
night."
Disgusted, Hope turned and spat in his face.
"You whore!" shouted Dhayes, followed by a backhand to her
mouth. Hope stumbled feeling her lip split, she could feel the warm
blood flow, but she did not fall with Bankes still holding her arm. He
drew back his fist to punch her when Bankes, blocked it.
"I said - enough! If you think I'm standing still in the middle of this godforsaken place you're crazy! I'll be scalped for no man." He
glanced back at Hope. "Or woman! That devil could be out right
now, riding as we were. Dhayes, mount up, now! You can worry about dipping your poker when we're safe behind the forts walls. Not another word from anyone, this is the kind of nonsense that gets men
killed."
He turned to Hope yanking her toward his horse. "As for you, if
you won't talk here, you most certainly will talk when we get you back
to the fort. Let's go!"
Hope started sitting back on her heels, tugging and pulling her
arm trying to break free. "Come on squaw, I don't trust this. Don't make sense for a squaw with your looks to be wondering about out
here alone."
"Maybe they got tired of her and threw her away."
"Not nothing that young and pretty. She still got a whole lot
o'good years left. No sir, I think you right, somethin' suspicious 'bout
this."
"I said get up!" Bankes ground out, struggling to get her up on his
horse, he was getting more afraid by the moment. Hope began
struggling harder, she couldn't let them take her away, Red Crow
might not be able to find her.
"No! No, you let me go! I've done no wrong! N
othing you hear?! Please, leave me be! There is no reason for you to - take me
- anywhere!" She fought with him.
"See! She can talk! It was all a put on. Get her on that horse, my
hackles is up! This is spooky. Let's go!" One of the mounted men
called about to leave them all and take off.
"Holy Mary, mother of Jesus Christ!" Lennit exclaimed with wide
eyes. "Look at her dress! Look at the beads on it! It's a raven with red
marks!"
Bankes, paused the struggle to look down at her bodice as he and Hope gasped for air. His eyes widened stunned by the symbol, aware
of what it, or who - it represented. He looked up and also noticed a gold chain around her neck that was hidden beneath her dress.
"Lord God..." Dhayes exclaimed, now quick to mount up.
Bankes reached for the chain and pulled it with its attachment out
of her dress. Hope stood with her heart pounding, her ears ringing,
praying for a miracle. She could feel herself sinking further and
further into trouble.
Looking at the medallion, with a gold raven in flight alongside a
black one which showed red marks, made Bankes drop it and
look up into her eyes.
"What is your name squaw, and what connection have you with
Red Crow?"
Hope stood wondering what would happen if she could just get a
hold of her knife in her boot, refusing to answer Banke's questions
.
"Look's like some cat come right under our nose and take her
tongue for sure this time." Dhayes commented. Bankes ignored his
comments focusing on Hope. "You know him don't you? What are
you to him, answer me!"
"Why do you ask me about this Red Crow?" She asked cautiously.
"Because we're looking for him that's why, now
what is your
connection to him?"
Hope stared a moment more. She had no idea why they were after
him, but whatever the reason, she was not about to turn her husband over to them.
"I cannot help you. I do not know of what you speak."
"You lying whore!" He slapped her to the ground, furious with
her refusal to give them what they wanted.
Igniting her anger, Hope
snatched her blade from her boot, springing to her feet she charged him. In
reflex to her attack, he threw his hand up to fend her off when the
blade sliced through his palm. Dhayes in the meantime, dismounted and grabbed her from behind before she could do further damage.
"You'll pay for that!
You're
that savage’s whore, and you'll pay," He
spat as Dhayes forced the knife from her hand. Bankes snatched his kerchief from around his neck and tired it around his bleeding hand.
"Let's make her pay now. Let us all have her for a bit." Dhayes
pleaded, forcing Hope back against his body so she could feel his
erection, clamping his arms around her, a hand squeezing at her
breast while she struggled to free herself.
"I said we don't have time, and I meant it!"
He then went up to
Hope, grabbed the chain around her neck with his good hand,
twisting it tightly to squeeze and scar while choking
her. Hope felt it cutting into her skin, tightening painfully as she tried
to swallow. He twisted until her face was red, pulling her face close to
his.
"You know about Red Crow. You know where he is. You know
how we can find him. Not only that, but I'd wager you to be his
squaw. This here jewelry proves it. Before this day is over little missy, we'll know exactly where this Red Crow is." He twisted until it finally
cut into her skin and broke. Hope was gasping as her neck stung and
her eyes watered.
"Tie her hands behind her Dhayes. We're getting the hell out'ah here. Our parts done, the rest is for Sgt. Dobbs and the major."
Disappointed, Dhayes did as he was told. Bankes removed his
saddle and passed it to one of the other men to carry for him, and then he
took Hope, who was tied, and slung her over his horse as if she were
a sack of grain.
"I swear to you I don't know where he is! You have no right to do
this to me! I don't know him! I swear I don't-..." A gag went into her
mouth and she threw up purging it and spraying Bankes. "Please
don't, I'm gonna be sick again. I can't — I can't ride like this."
Bankes stared a moment. He pulled her off to her feet, climbed
on his horse, and then had Dhayes hand her up to him to ride astride
in front of him, "Do one more thing, make one more move and
you'll be vulture feed."
Refusing to say anything more, he signaled his men to ride and
ride hard, they were off.
* * *
"What do you mean she went back to our dwelling? I just came
from there, she is not there!" Red Crow shouted to a nervous
Butterfly.
He’d woke at dawn after falling asleep in the
cave, following a night spent in deep thought. Returning to the
village, he cleaned himself up, then headed straight for Greeneye's
dwelling, who was angry with him for slapping his wife. Red Crow
apologized to Silkie Whisper and Greeneye, begging their forgiveness,
which they readily gave.
Silkie also apologized for doing what she knew was wrong. Even
though her husband was angry at Red Crow for striking her, he also reprimanded her for doing what she’d done. So while there mending his
wrong, Red Crow discussed the decisions that he had reached.