Timecachers (51 page)

“You cannot condemn an entire race because of the actions of a few.”

“It is the white government that is inflicting this upon us. They are the representatives of them all, are they not?”

“Yes, but that does not mean they are all in agreement. You know there have been many whites who have argued in our favor.”

Jimmy could not understand how she could defend them after what she had been through. He knew she was wise, and perhaps it was his anger shaping his thoughts. He was not ready to concede, but he did not want to argue with her. He grunted noncommittally and pulled her more tightly to him. “You should try to get some rest now,” he told her.

Chapter forty-two

A
lice and Catherine were relieved by the news of Adam’s safe return. They listened in horror as Adam told them how Captain Martin defended himself against Jeb, and of the horrors Rebecca had suffered. They praised him for his bravery, and thanked him for bringing Rebecca back to Jimmy. Adam insisted that it was Captain Martin who deserved their praise, not him. He still felt guilty for leaving Rebecca behind in the first place.

It took firm persuasion from Benjamin to convince Catherine not to immediately seek out Rebecca. “Give them some time together, wife. That is the best medicine for them both right now. Adam has told you her hip has been reset. She will need you more later on.” His orders given, he tempered his strictness with a few words of praise. “You did well seeking out the other children for Billy and Sally. The distraction seems to have lifted their mood,” he said, pointing with his chin to the group of children.

“They are in much better spirits now,” Catherine agreed. “Alice enlivened them all with one of her funny stories.” Benjamin smiled and nodded his approval at Alice.

“Some of those children look ill, though,” said Alice. “I hope the stress of being here is not making the little ones sick. Gracious, the conditions here are very unhealthy!”

“Not very hygienic from what I have seen,” said Adam. “I noticed the toilet facilities are no more than an open pit. This whole place has an ungodly stench.”

“They are saying we will not have to be here for long,” said Benjamin. “Jesse Weaver told me the plan was for us to be sent to Ross’s Landing, and take a river boat from there to the western territory. I hope that happens soon; the weather is becoming quite warm.”

Adam and Alice shared a concerned look, remembering from their history how the hot weather devastated the first group sent to the western territory. It was so bad that John Ross convinced the government to delay the removals and let the subsequent groups be led by him in cooler weather. It was a well-meaning but misguided capitulation that resulted in more time spent within the horrible stockades and then dealing with extremely cold weather in a weakened condition. In either case their friends faced a perilous ordeal.

Their attention was drawn to a ripple of movement through the crowd. Captain Martin had returned to the stockade, the people becoming silent and pulling back from him as he passed. He was oblivious to the scornful looks he was getting from the incarcerated Cherokees, focusing his attention on his objective, which apparently was Adam.

“Adam,” he began, after giving a quick tip of his hat to Alice. “How is Mrs. Deerinwater?”

“About as well as can be expected, I guess. She is with her husband. How about her other two attackers? Locked up, I hope.”

“As I expected, they did not return to the fort.” Clearly it was not a subject he wanted to discuss inside the stockade. “I spoke with the colonel about you and Alice, and of course he agreed that you are both free to leave.”

“I don’t think either of us cares to abandon our friends,” he said, getting a nod from Alice. “Besides, we are a long way from home, and really have nowhere locally we can go for now.”

“I understand your situation. To remedy that, my wife and I would like to extend the hospitality of our home to you both. We have a house close by, outside of the fort boundaries. You are welcome to stay until you can make arrangements for transportation home.”

“That’s kind of you, but I don’t think we could consider staying with you while our friends are being held here in this place.”

“Certainly not,” said Alice in agreement. “These people have been very kind to us, and we are not going to desert them.”

“I encourage you to reconsider,” Captain Martin said sincerely.

Benjamin interjected before they could reply. “Adam, Alice… if I may suggest… perhaps you should take advantage of this man’s offer. I understand your reluctance, but there is no need to subject yourselves further to this place if there is another option.”

“Yes,” said Catherine. “It would make sense to go if you can. No one would stay here if they were not forced to,” she said, emphasizing her words with a glare at the captain.

“You would be free to come and go as you please,” said Captain Martin, not rising to Catherine’s bait. “So there is no need to feel you are abandoning your friends. I must report each morning, and you could return each day with me if you like.”

Adam and Alice exchanged a tentative look, still not convinced that accepting the captain’s hospitality was entirely proper. As honorable as he may be, he still represented those who had forced their friends from their homes.

Benjamin sensed their hesitation and offered some additional points for them to consider. “This stockade is becoming quite crowded. If you choose to stay with this man, it will make more room for those who have no choice but to stay. You should also consider that there is likely to be some that hold animosity toward all whites—forcing someone from their home and incarcerating them just because they are Cherokee can cause those types of feelings in people who would normally not have them. Therefore, your safety here, especially at night, may be at risk. That is a difficult thing for me to say, but it is true. You are both always welcome to be with us, and I believe especially beneficial for our children, but staying through the night would only needlessly endanger you. I strongly encourage you to accept this man’s accommodations. Visit us here each day if you wish.”

Adam noted Alice’s determined look, and was well aware how stubborn she could be once her mind was made up. He recognized the astuteness in what Benjamin said—that there was likely to be animosity toward them. Adam felt obligated to persuade her to accept the relative safety of Captain Martin’s home. He’d seen the outcome of the ruthless attack on Rebecca. The last thing he wanted was for Alice to be subjected to such violence; he still felt responsible for getting her into this dangerous situation. He knew she would not allow herself to be terrorized, but he hoped her stubbornness could be penetrated by a sensible argument.

“Alice,” he began, “Benjamin has a good point. I don’t think now is the time to stop taking his advice. Maybe we should stay with Captain Martin. There is little we can do here at night, and our presence just might infuriate many of those who are being kept here. It could even bring trouble for the Rogers’ if they are seen to be protecting us. I know you wouldn’t want that any more than I would.”

“Yes, you’re right, I most certainly wouldn’t want that.” She gave a hard stare to Captain Martin as she considered. “Alright, I will agree as long as staying with them isn’t going to offend Benjamin and Catherine.”

Both Benjamin and Catherine shook their head adamantly.

“But first,” Alice insisted, “I have to talk to Sally and Billy to let them know, and reassure them that I’ll be back to see them in the morning.”

“Sure,” said Adam. “And I’ll tell Jimmy and Rebecca.”

Captain Martin was visibly relieved that they had finally agreed. He was hoping he would not have to tell them that they had no choice. Colonel Lindsay had made it clear to him that because they were not Cherokee they were to be released immediately and would not be allowed to spend nights in the stockade. It would certainly be asking for trouble; all civilians who were not incarcerated or in the employ of the military must leave at sunset.

“That will be fine,” the captain said. “I have some additional duties to perform, so talk to your friends and I will meet you at the gate in thirty minutes.” He politely excused himself, turned smartly, and left the stockade.

Alice spent the next thirty minutes with the children. Both Sally and Billy easily accepted that she would be spending the night elsewhere. To them, it seemed completely practical, and they were delighted to hear she would be back to spend time with them again tomorrow.

Catherine insisted on going with Adam to attend to Rebecca. Benjamin did not complain—he had done his part by giving them some time alone. Rebecca’s injuries should also be looked after, and he believed it would be beneficial for her to have another woman to talk to.

Rebecca was genuinely pleased to know that the captain offered his home to Adam and Alice. She expressed her gratitude to Adam once again for him coming to her rescue. Adam replied to her with more words of outrage of what had been done to her. He began to tell her he hoped she would soon be feeling better, but Catherine shooed him away so she could examine Rebecca’s injuries.

Jimmy reacted coolly, not speaking much or seeming to care what Adam had to say. Adam assumed he was preoccupied with concern for his wife, and the anger at what had happened to her. He would have liked to say something to console Jimmy, but his better judgment told him it was probably best to remain silent. If it were his wife who had been attacked, he could not imagine anything that anyone could say that would make him feel better. He told Jimmy he would see him tomorrow, but received only a grumble in reply.

When Adam and Alice arrived at the gate, they found Captain Martin waiting. “It has been a long day for all of us,” he said to them, “and I will be glad to put it behind me. My home is within walking distance, so if you are ready…”

“Lead the way,” said Adam.

Alice waved goodbye to Sally and Billy through the closing gates, following despondently behind the two men.

Chapter forty-three

T
he hand that clamped forcefully over Sal’s mouth smelled of fish and damp dirt.

Drowsy from the huge meal Henri Acres brought them, Sal and Yonah fell asleep quickly and soundly. Yonah had prepared a sleeping mat for Sal next to the unlit fireplace, and then retired to his own sleeping area in the cabin loft. The last thing Sal remembered was lying down on the mat. He slept soundly until the rude awakening.

He was staring into the rheumy eyes of some middle-aged hooligan, breathing the stench of his clammy, foul smelling hand. He had the feeling this was not going to be one of his better days.

The rube crouched closer, putting his face next to Sal’s ear and muttered, “Don’t ya dare move, princess!”

The stink of the man’s hand was overwhelmed by his putrid breath. Sal realized there were a lot of twenty-first century amenities that one could do without, but oral hygiene wasn’t one of them. The only thing that kept him from attempting to respond to the “princess” remark was the thought of opening his mouth and getting a taste of the rancid smelling hand. That and the fact that in the man’s other hand was an enormous, bone-handled hunting knife.

Sal worked to clear the sleep from his mind and evaluate his situation. There were bright rays of sunlight streaming through the cabin window indicating it was already early morning. He heard the footsteps of at least one other person inside the cabin. He glanced up at the loft. It was empty. Yonah was nowhere in sight.

Sal’s thoughts were interrupted by more foul-smelling invectives. “Now lookee here, princess. I’m a gonna take my hand away so you can answer a few questions. If’n ya holler, I’ll gut ya with this here knife.” The rube flashed the knife in Sal’s face. “You understand?” he asked as he slid his hand down from Sal’s mouth and took a grip around his neck.

“Up yours, fish-breath,” said Sal fiercely. “Get your stinking hands off of me!” Following directions wasn’t one of Sal’s strong suits.

The man tightened his grip on Sal’s neck, throttling him before he could speak again. He flipped the hunting knife in his other hand, grabbing the blade and sharply flicking the heavy haft down on Sal’s forehead with a sickening thump. It struck Sal right between the eyes, the pain so intense it blurred his vision. He tasted that stomach-turning metallic tang caused by a sharp blow to the nose. Sal was blinded by a dazzling starburst, as if someone had set off a camera flash in his eyes, and felt a warm stinging in his right eye as the blood from his forehead trickled into it. He choked on the blood from his bleeding nose running down the back of his throat.

“You smart-mouth me again, princess, and I’ll drive this knife right into your brainpan. Now, first thing I wanna know is, are you the only one here?”

The grip of the man’s hand around his neck prevented him from speaking, but it loosened enough that he could nod affirmatively. Better, he thought, not to tell them about Yonah.

“If yer lyin’, yer dyin’. I know this ain’t your place. Where’s that injun what lives here?” He loosened his grip on Sal’s neck slightly.

Sal’s mind raced to form a credible response. He coughed, and said hoarsely, “Gone hunting.”

“Huntin’, huh?” He stood, pulling Sal up to his feet by his neck. “And just who might you be, princess?”

The sudden shift to a vertical position caused Sal’s forehead to throb intensely. The blood was still flowing, as head wounds do, and Sal had to blink to keep it out of his eyes. He felt the point of the blade dig into his side, just below his rib cage. He put aside a wisecrack about who he might be and sputtered, “Watching the place for him.”