Camp Camel: The Heart of Texas

by Eaton, Rosemary

  Private Anderson spoke, “She might want us all dead. Maybe she doesn’t care who she kills as long as it’s men. I’d be pretty pissed if I knew my rescuers just watched while they did that to me.”

  Dallas frowned, “Private, you’re out of line. This isn’t necessary Lieutenant.” Dallas ordered Gage and Bryan, “Gage, Bryan, answer anything the Lieutenant asks and don’t interfere. Jenny just answer his questions. It will be over in a minute, you understand?”

  Jenny tried to respond she understood, but the Lieutenant had a clamp on her jaw as he pressed harder until she yelped out in pain. MacLeod looked disappointed as his lips pursed and teeth gritted. She wasn’t high. She shouldn’t have felt that at all if she had drank as much peyote as they had tried to drug her with. Lieutenant MacLeod relaxed his expression and spoke to Dallas, “Sorry Major, but you understand what she said about these levers, if that’s what they were, puts a new light on the recovery. And frankly, Captain Travers wasn’t suppose to be involved with this part of the mission. Captain Travis isn’t acting like I expected either. I’ve got questions for all of you.” The inquisitor took over. There was more than one way to get the truth.

  Bryan said, “Ask her what you want. She’s not high. I checked already.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod replied, “I’m sure you did, but you gave her something too”

  Bryan said, “Eucommia bark. Helps with swelling and joint pain and will bring help keep her from having another child. Dry up her milk. She lost her baby. Seems you know what happened, so do I need to explain why I came back? She found what you wanted, and this is her reward when she remembers something that might save your lives?”

  Lieutenant MacLeod asked, “You’re quite the rock hound aren’t you Captain Travers? You know your gem stones. Are the samples Captain Travis turned over worth anything?”

  Bryan replied, “Yes. They’re high quality cut and natural stones. I’d recommend you bring them up first. They’re lighter than gold and easier to convert or use to barter with the British.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod said, “A port side trading post would make an excellent way to smuggle those gems don’t you think? You could buy a passage on some boat and just disappear like you disappeared in Arkansas? You don’t exactly have a sterling record Sir.”

  Bryan said without apology, “I was paroled and I’ve not violated my parole since.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod said, “You’ve not violated it? Did you not have an order to leave her here with her brother and return to Camp Verde? Seems to me you could be classified as a deserter right now.”

  Bryan said, “I went back. I returned to Camp Verde and treated the Major’s wife. She is recovering from her injuries and doesn’t require me there. There wasn’t anyone that needed me more than she did. I’m her doctor. Jenny deserved to have a doctor stitch up her leg. We didn’t have anything other than a bandage and it’s been seeping since she was knifed. I care for her.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod replied, “Like you cared for Lacy Richardson? You intended to use her to help you get jewels, despite the risk to her did you not?”

  Gage frowned, “How did you get that. That’s classified.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod chuckled, “Says the PIU agent who told the Major to take one for the team. Get in bed with her and find out what Miss Richardson knew? You played rather loose with your affections Captain Travis. Not exactly a sterling character witness for Travers are you?”

  Lieutenant MacLeod turned to Gage, “Expendable. That’s the description in your sister’s file. Subject is expendable after the gold is located. Suggest use of peyote to trigger flash back dreams if needed. Wouldn’t surprise me if you didn’t give that to her sons and arrange for her escape. Captain Travis, wasn’t that your description? You didn’t care what happened to her as long as we took care of it?”

  Gage cussed, “Jenny, I said that but it was before the trip, before I met you and I was talking about the Knife, not you. Tell her MacLeod.”

  MacLeod looked into Jenny’s eyes, “M, what has he done to you. Scalped, raped, run ragged until you lost your baby. Sounds like expendable to me. You need better men. So who do I need to pay for your services this time?” Jenny struggled as he clamped down hard and told her to be still, he was talking.

  Gage swore, “I said you wouldn’t be needed after we located the treasure. There’s a big difference and he knows it. He’s trying to confuse you.” Gage looked at the Lieutenant, “Not expendable. She’s my sister and I swear, I will hunt you down and kill you if you touch one hair on her head.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod sighed, “Oh, I think someone else already touched one hair on her head didn’t he? Was that Mouse Dog or Lizard that took her hair? You saw that didn’t you. Both you and the Major sat watching it happen. Is that what’s eating at your guts?” MacLeod could tell it was working. The Knife’s chest heaved as if he had struck his blade in and hit bone. It was time.

  The Lieutenant squatted in front of Jenny, “Well it’s not going to be her hair, Captain. How about let’s see how close I can come to breaking a bone before she gives me an answer I trust. Just a small one.” The Lieutenant took Jenny’s right hand and pressed her pinky back until he could see the tears in her eyes, “Who is Mouse Dog and what made you so mad you would do something like that to a man? That’s a death sentence for a Comanche woman.”

  Jenny stared straight at the Lieutenant, “Traitor, prick, enemy to my sons, enemy to Bryan’s tribe. I did not care if I died.”

  Bryan spoke up quickly, “That’s true. The boys drugged her. She was still having peyote flashbacks. We all were.”

  Gage said, “He was Sparrow Hawk’s first wife’s brother. He was plotting with Red Eagle to take over. She’s a second wife for God sake. She did her job. That’s when I realized not only she remembered, but she wasn’t completely gone.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod asked Bryan, “Captain Travers, you were bringing her here to turn her over correct?” Lieutenant MacLeod pressed harder until Bryan heard a large pop. Jenny let out a groan and muffled it as the tears ran down her checks. Her body was shaking as he pressed against her pinky until she screamed out in pain.

  Gage yelled out, “Stop! I was in charge of bringing her. He was just suppose to keep the baby alive until it was in Sparrow Hawk’s hands. He didn’t realize I had my own agenda to locate the treasure room.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod asked, “Why not ask your Father?”

  Gage said, “He didn’t know I was alive. Besides, he’s never gone back since they took Jenny. Not even when my Mother begged him to look for her. I tried, I couldn’t remember and I just couldn’t stay in there.”

  Bryan swallowed and quickly said something. Anything to keep MacLeod’s thought off Jenny, “I thought I was married. I went after her when the boys took her because. Well because of multiple reasons. But I cared what happened to her. I was going to return her to Camp Verde. My orders didn’t include any of this until the Major ordered me home.”

  Dallas chimed in and said, “His orders were only to escort her to safely and deliver the child. He thought they were going to the Travis ranch. If she lived, bring her back. He left her with Gage because my wife needed him and the issue was time sensitive. I thought I had convinced him Jenny deserved a fresh start and professional help.” Dallas looked at the Lieutenant, “You better hope your real rank is higher than mine MacLeod, or you’ll find yourself wishing you’d settled for just asking Mr. Travis if there were any levers today. Travers has done everything I asked since recovering those jewels. His family jewels were used to help support the war effort in Arkansas and he helped locate the Heart of Texas diamond and more.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod asked Bryan, “Captain Travers, what happened here after the Indian attack?” He had them talking and he’d keep them talking. For PIU agents they were awful squeamish. Maybe they did feel guilty. If it had been any other woman, he might have felt sorry for her, but she wasn’t. She was the Knife.”

  Bryan said, “After Mouse
Dog tried to kill Lacy and JC, Jenny fought to distract him by stoning him and yelling. I was coming up the ravine, but the ladies got to him first. Between Lacy and Jenny they killed him. I helped Gage and when it was over we noticed Jenny had run with JC into the cave. We didn’t realize it went back further and by the time I did, she had disappeared. I went down the rope after them, Lacy was coming after me and the rope broke leaving us stranded at the bottom in the dark. Gage was trying to figure out how to get us out. That’s when Jenny took the boy to the treasure room. He came back with a coin and the helmet off one of those Conquistadors.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod asked, “Why take him there M?”

  Jenny muttered, “Safe, not safe outside. Mouse Dog try to kill him. Other braves still out there. I try to save Gage. Then realize he was not Gage.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod asked, “Then why is it not safe now. You took the Major’s son in there.”

  Jenny swallowed, “Maybe safe. Maybe I wrong. You go now. Stay as long as you want Prick.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod replied, “Really? So you’ll go with me and stay as long as I do?”

  Jenny said, “No problem, but you have to carry me on your back now. Can’t climb. That why you do this? You scared to die alone. I not scared, we see who run first.”

  Gage put his hand over his face trying to hide a grin as he said, “Dad keeps drawings. He keeps everything, but you would know that wouldn’t you?”

  Lieutenant MacLeod looked at Gage, “Yes, I know that. We’ve been working over the last year trying to get ready for this day. No mention of any levers that control the direction of steam or water. Think about that. The power of a geyser would blow off any cover, metal or wood even if you could cap it. The water and steam may have caused changes over time, but I don’t think there is a lever.”

  Gage said, “I’m no engineer. But I’m telling you there was something running through the other side of the cave tunnel yesterday. This place isn’t safe. There were coins being pushed out into the bottom of that falls. The water was hot enough to make the snakes run for their lives too. If I just closed that off what do you think would happen if that is high pressured steam?”

  Lieutenant MacLeod replied, “I’m not speculating on what that was. We’ll find out soon enough once we’re down there. But you spent time in a prisoner of war camp in a confined place. You’re definitely claustrophobic. You probably couldn’t even think straight yesterday. So what did you mark the walls with for us?”

  Gage looked over at Jenny, and felt helpless, “Mostly blood. Ran out of chalk a long time before we reached the treasure room. I rubbed my finger tips raw. But there are torch sconces from the treasure room to the cavern down there. I used the tip of a cross, and dropped silver spoons and forks to mark the tunnels back.”

  Corporal Gibbons let out a sigh, “Thank God, I thought he was going to say bread crumbs and we could follow the rats.”

  Dallas sighed, “My God, did she drug you? Was she high last night Gage. Think carefully.”

  Jenny looked at Dallas and answered before Gage told Bryan how hard she shook last night and made it as long and confusing as she could think of in the time she had, “Poor boy, rich boy. You teach boy soldier shell game? Which cup was poisoned? Who sees colors now? Not me and yet me. But I give you another puzzle to think on. What mule can you lead to water, but will never drink? Like walk out burning arrow, you’re time is running out and you jabber at me and each other. I can feel the earth. It rumbles like woman early with child. It will spit out it’s guts at you soon.” She turned to Bryan crying, “I ate Red Cedar’s honor piece. If I not, you would have been shamed and killed for me refusing. I am not sorry, it is me that is shamed and not you. I shook and clung to brother last night. But I can smell it on someone here. I am not the only one.”

  What Goes Up

  Jenny turned her head toward the ravine and said, “Bats, can you hear them? They’re leaving.”

  Private Anderson looked toward Jenny, “Can’t we shut her up? We don’t need her Lieutenant.”

  Gage frowned, “Awful sure of that aren’t you Private. What if water went through those tunnels last night. No telling where those forks are now and even my blood could have been steamed off the walls. She can find it in the dark. Can you?”

  Corporal Gibbons asked, “In the dark?”

  Bryan realized the Private seemed pretty eager to be done with the Knife. Gage was trying to create a reason for her to still be deemed necessary before Jenny found out what MacLeod considered expendable meant. Bryan added added on to what Gage had started, “There wasn’t any light down there when she took JC and brought him back. I think she was moving based on sound. She echoed her voice off the wall like those bats catching a bug.”

  Dallas picked upon what they were doing and searched the sky as he said, “I hear them. Gage, we got company coming. Maybe we should just leave quickly.”

  Gage turned his head toward Dallas, “What did you say? Daisy’s coming and she looks sickly? Of course she’s sickly, she was shot with an arrow Dallas.”

  Just then there was a flutter of wings darkening the opening of the cave as the bats swarmed out as if frightened by something. They circled over the plateau blotting out the sun confused as to where to go. There was an explosion in the distance as part of the earth shot skyward raining dirt, and rocks in the direction of Sparrow Hawk’s cave.

  Jenny looked up at the heavens and as if speaking to the bats muttered, “May you die full of glory and without fear.”

  Bryan looked toward the village, “Sure hope there wasn’t anyone in there. I think that was the falls entrance.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod said, “Private Garner is just closing the entrance. Nothing to be concerned about.”

  Gage swallowed, “Jenny you didn’t just remember running to the falls did you? You’ve had every foot step down like you ran for your life every day. Like they gifted you wokwave and made you run when the snakes ran and bet on you. If Dad had just come back, we might have found you. If he’d just left the mule, you could have gotten away.” Gage looked at Dallas, “Shit, she’s remembering the levers that free the mule and the brakes on the mule, the mining cart that’s below our house. We had to use some arm bones once for brakes when the stick broke.”

  Dallas said, “The puzzle. It’s a mining mule. You can lead it to water and it won’t drink.”

  Bryan asked, “That’s it, there’s carts that can go to the baths. That’s the water. So, there’s track down there?”

  Gage said, “There is track under our home. Not sure about to the baths. I didn’t see any, but I heard steam. Damned, we could load the mule up and send it home. Even if the caverns collapsed, we could probably dig it out.”

  Lieutenant MacLeod asked Gage, “Can you show us to where this track is located? I don’t know about trying to get a cart all the way from your Father’s ranch, but we could take the rails and build a track back to this opening.”

  Gage said, “I didn’t see it yesterday.” Gage asked, “Jenny you remember where the mule started it’s trip from?”

  Jenny looked skyward and whispered, “Shush now, don’t cry. I take you out.”

  Bryan looked concerned, “Another flashback?”

  Private Anderson followed her gaze and yelled out, “BATS! Colored bats with huge teeth!”

  Jenny ducked and ran for Gage as a shot rang out in the air, then another and another as the air filled with bats dropping toward the earth flying through the men so thickly it was impossible to see in front of their noses. Private Anderson screamed as he kept firing his pistol at the bats. Men cussed, and swatted as people tried to get them out of their hair and clothes as they bats tried to find any opening to seek refuge in until they finally headed down into the ravine and disappeared.

  Bryan looked where he last saw his wife and yelled out, “JENNY! My God where are you!” Private Anderson lay on the ground dead with his pistol gripped in his hand. His eyes and face were bloodied, bats still flopped caugh
t in his hair and mouth.

  Gage called out, “TRAVERS, over here quick.” Gage took his bowie knife and cut through her hair throwing the locks tangled in bats as far away he he could. Bryan ran and cussed as his ribs poked into his lungs, “Don’t you dare die on me again. Not now!”

  Dallas was beating the crap out of Lieutenant MacLeod as Sergeant Long, Corporal Gibbons, and Private Garner looked on. The Corporal asked, “You think we should help him?”

  Sergeant Long said, “Definitely. I want my turn at the prick just as soon as the Major is through. Did any of you know him from anywhere?”

  Corporal Gibbons didn’t answer his Sergeant directly but put out another concern for his companions to chew on, “If he spent so much time on this, how come he didn’t know about that mule cart?”

  Sergeant Long said, “My thoughts exactly. I think we need to move before those bats come back or it starts raining gold coins on our heads.”

  Corporal Gibbons poked at Private Anderson making sure he was dead, “Seems like Private Anderson should have known not to shoot at them. Duck and cover is what they always told me.”

  Bryan looked down at what was left of Jenny’s hair, “Jesus Gage, you’d think you were trying to scalp her.” Bryan looked closer, “Shit, she’s shot. That fool hit her in the arm.” Bryan knelt down, “You’re definitely not helping the prick find any caverns today Jenny. Bryan found a stick, “Bite on this for me honey. Sorry, this is going to hurt.” Bryan pushed until he felt the ball in her arm and pinched down and pulled.

  Jenny groaned, then went limp in Gage’s arms. Gage took the stick out of her mouth, “Jenny? Shoot, did you kill her?”

  Bryan put his fingers on her pulse, “No, she’s passed out. It will make this easier. Bryan took the finger and put tension on it as he pulled it back into the socket as it made a loud popping noise.”