by Joel Baker
Jacy pulled his knife and pried off the top of the crate. James stood and took one of the rifles up and pulled off the cloth covering.
“This is a Colter Repeating Rifle,” James said. “The rifle was manufactured in Haven, Tennessee by an uncle of mine some years ago. It uses standard fort five caliber rounds. Someone who knows what they’re doing, can fire ten rounds into a target the size of your hand in less than a minute and reload.”
James handed the rifle to Mato. Mato looked it over, then opened and closed the breech. He sighted down the barrel and felt the weight.
“This is a fine weapon,” Mato said.
“It is the weapon six of us used at Horseshoe Massacre,” James said. “We killed those Sioux and their horses in less than three minutes. But all of us were expert shots.”
“You killed over forty Sioux warriors in less than three minutes?” Cass asked disbelief in his voice.
“Their horses too,” Dalton said. “It was closer to two minutes than three. Then the Chippewa swarmed those few Sioux that were still moving.”
“We’ll want to train your best shots,” James said. “We suggest we form a select group made up of the best three or four fighters from each of your villages. This group will train and fight as a special unit.”
“You will give them these rifles?” Cass asked.
“We will loan them these rifles,” James said. “We want them back when the danger passes. They will be available if they’re needed again.”
Mato didn’t look please, but nodded his head in agreement.
“What about ammunition?” Cass asked. “We have no forty five caliber cartridges.”
“We’ll provide a hundred cartridges with each rifle for training,” James said. “When we decide it is time to take on the Sioux, we’ll pass out another hundred rounds.”
“You said ‘we’ will decide when to fight,” Cass said. Who is ‘we’?”
“Mato, you, me, and Dalton,” James said. “If you agree with this, I want to suggest we send scouts to find out where the Sioux are in the early spring. We are looking for a target we can attack. We need to keep the fighting away from our homes if we can.”
“What kind of target?” Mato asked.
“One that will scare the hell out of the Sioux,” James said. “It could be a meeting of their leaders. Or maybe we’ll find a gathering of their shamans. We want to inflict the most damage possible. One way or another, we don’t stop until the Sioux quit or we are dead.”
Mato and Cass looked at each other, then back to James.
“We fight for our very existence,” Cass said. “The Sioux want to kill us then take our wives and children as slaves. We will fight beside you, James Colter. If it comes to that, we will die beside you.”
Chapter 19
Max knew he was dying. He wasn’t sure exactly when he would die. He felt it would be soon. Perhaps by the time the snow was gone, or the leaves were back on the trees. He’d been in pain now for some time. He didn’t regret passing over. The dogs knew there was something on the other side.
The dogs had always been able to communicate for several minutes after death. The place they went to had no name. The Colters were there. Every kind of animal was there too, except for cats. For some reason there weren’t any cats.
It was a beautiful place. So Max did not fear death. He would miss Jessica. She had changed his life. He didn’t know if the change was for the good or bad. But he would miss her until she passed over too.
The dogs knew there was danger coming to the Colters. Matthew and Shannon had told them. They would hide their young. The older dogs would trail the Colters in case they were needed. Max had decided to go with them.
When he was very young he’d thought the dogs would be better off without the Colters. He’d been wrong about that. Jessica had changed everything. The dogs needed the Colters as much as food and water. Max wished he knew why.
****
Winter passed and the snow was melting. Jacy and James were meeting with the Lakota scouts. Gunshots could be heard echoing through the trees. Four men from each Lakota village gathered for training. The women were preparing buffalo jerky for the men to take when they left. It was light weight and provided some nourishment while they were moving on horseback.
The Colters were packing what they could take when they were forced to evacuate. They were going to hide what they couldn’t take in the forest. Where they would go hadn’t been decided yet. Most of the Lakota were going to stay near their villages. They would be easy to find by the Sioux if they tried to run anyway.
Shannon saw Banner watching a group of puppies. The pups surrounded Jason and were sitting in a circle. Jason was making drawings in the dirt with a stick. The puppies all watched him draw intently. Jason would laugh at some private joke. The puppies would run madly around before rejoining the circle around Jason, all staring intently at the ground.
What are the puppies doing? Shannon asked.
I have no idea, Banner said. It looks like some sort of game.
They seem to be having fun, Shannon said.
Jason is a special boy, Banner said.
How so? Shannon asked.
He has a way about him that is…, Banner said, hesitating. I don’t know the word.
Endearing? Shannon asked.
Yes, Banner said. He makes the dog want to be near him.
That afternoon Shannon saw Matthew and Fala on the front porch of their cabin. It wasn’t really that warm yet, but everyone was tired of being indoors. Matthew had made the bench they were sitting on. It wobbled because the legs were uneven. Shannon thought Fala was brave for even sitting on it.
“Hey you two!” Shannon called, waving at the couple. “Do you know where Dalton is?”
“He and dad went to talk with Cass about gunpowder,” Matthew said.
“Okay,” Shannon said, walking up the steps of their porch. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. Have either of you noticed how much time Jason spends with the dogs?”
“I know,” Fala said. “I told Matthew he was spending too much time with them.”
“It doesn’t seem to be hurting him or the dogs,” Matthew said. “I think he’s just getting used to being able to talk with them. He just found he had a hundred friends and is trying to figure out what it all means.”
“Banner told me Jason is special,” Shannon said. “It’s nothing to be concerned about, but I thought you’d want to know.”
Shannon waved as she headed for her cabin. Fala waved back, watching her out of sight. Fala worried about Jason and his growing attachment to the dogs. She wished Jessica would play with him or something. But Jessica had her own problems with Max. It helped to know Matthew had grown up close to the dogs without being harmed.
Right now she had other more pressing concerns anyway. Matthew had decided he would go fight the Sioux with his father, Dalton, and Jacy. There was also the baby who kept kicking Fala enough to keep her awake at night. Then there was the move coming up. No, Fala thought. Worrying about Jason and the dogs would just have to wait.
****
Dalton and James sat waiting for an answer. Mato and Cass seemed hesitant to tell them their source of gunpowder.
“We make it,” Cass said.
“Nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal,” James said. “We make it too. How much gun powder do you have?”
Cass and Mato looked visibly relieved that they weren’t being asked to divulge any secrets the Colters didn’t already have. It irritated Dalton, but he decided to keep quiet.
“We have much,” Mato said. “We also keep it in sealed barrels and stored away from the villages. Ours are stored in a cave not too far from here.”
“Would this cave have bats?” Dalton asked, knowing the guano was probably their source of Nitrate.
“Yes,” Mato said. “Many bats.”
“Is there just the one cave?” James asked.
“No, there are several,” Cass said. “It is a wh
ole system of caves called the Wind Caves. They are very large.”
Cass drew a map of where the caves were located. They were very close to the border with the land of the dogs. In fact the caves seemed to be sitting on the border.
“Have you given any thought to when the scouts should leave?” James asked.
“Some have left already,” Mato said. I’m trying to time their arrival so all the major Sioux camps are visited at about the same time. The ones I sent out have the farthest to go. Others will leave over the next two weeks.”
“They will all return at about the same time also,” Cass said.
What about Jacy?” Dalton asked.
“He’ll be one of the last,” Mato said, smiling. “I’m putting him with Hotah. His name means strong in Lakota. I thought it was time for Jacy to get to know him. They are the same age and have much in common.”
The last comment wasn’t lost on Dalton or James. Matthew had told them Copa, Fala and Jacy little sister, wasn’t so little anymore. She’d been meeting someone in the forest. It was one of the young men of the Lakota. Dalton was told his name was Hotah.
“Let us know if there is anything we can do,” James said.
“Thank you,” Cass said. “Will you be visiting Wind Cave?”
“We may,” James said. “Would you like to go with us?”
“No,” Cass said. “We’ve got a lot to do. By the way, do you think we’re sending these scouts out with enough ammunition?”
I think a hundred rounds is plenty,” James said. “Let me tell you a story. We found ourselves on the edge of a large Sioux encampment. Dalton volunteered to sneak into the camp and rescue someone. As he was preparing to go in, he took all his guns and his rifle and laid them on the ground. I asked him why he was going in unarmed. He told me it made him careful. He couldn’t shoot his way out anyway.”
“I see your point,” Cass said. “A hundred rounds will be plenty.”
****
Dalton and Shannon wanted to ride out to the caves later that same week. Jessica decided to ride along. Max wasn’t feeling good, so he stayed at the cabin. Banner and two other dogs went with them. Shannon was in her fourth month and was finally feeling good again. The ride was only going to be a few hours there and back. Besides, Shannon, like everyone else, was tired of sitting indoors.
They left early in the morning even before the morning mists had lifted. There was an eerie filtering of sunlight through the gray fog as they listened to the clip clop of their horse’s hoofs. They stopped by a stream to water the horses and eat some biscuits and honey Shannon had brought along.
“It’s been awhile since the three of us did anything by ourselves,” Dalton said. “This is kind of nice.”
“Is Max alright?” Shannon asked.
“I think so,” Jessica said. “He’s getting old fast. I don’t know why and neither does Max. But he says not to worry. He thinks if we spend less time together it might help. He wants to follow Daddy and the others when they leave.”
“Do you know where daddy and the others are going?” Shannon asked.
“Max told me bad people were planning to hurt us,” Jessica said. Daddy and the others are going to make sure they don’t.”
Max wants to go with us?” Dalton asked.
“I think he just wants to follow along,” Jessica said.
The morning mist burned off and the temperatures warmed. The forests of pines and hardwood trees thickened. The three riders slowed until they found a road cut through the forest. Judging by the old signage this used to be some sort of entrance road to a park surrounding the caves.
The road they followed branched and ended in a large field of broken concrete and weeds. There were whites stripes painted on some of the concrete chunks. A narrow path into the forest headed toward where the Lakota said the caves entrance was located. The three Colters had to walk their horses because of the low hanging limbs.
At the end of the path was a staircase of broken concrete steps leading up a hill toward a rocky ledge. Once they reached the ledge Dalton headed one direction and Shannon headed the other with Jessica.
“Over here!” Dalton called.
Shannon and Jessica hurried back around the ledge. Dalton stood in the gapping mouth of a large cavern above the ledge.
“Come on up,” Dalton called. “We can look around.”
The girls scrambled up by Dalton.
“What’s that smell?” Shannon asked.
“Bats,” Dalton said. “Well actually it’s bat poop.”
Jessica giggled, while Shannon made a face.
“You’ve thought this through Dalton?” Shannon asked. “You expect us to wade through bat… stuff, under ceilings covered with bats, with nothing but a torch?”
“Is that wrong?” Dalton asked.
“It simply is not going to happen,” Shannon said. “I suggest we find a different way in.”
The three continued around the massive rock ledge. There were a number of hollowed out places under what appeared to be limestone rock. None of them led into the cave.
“Maybe we should head back the other way,” Shannon said.
“What about there?” Jessica said, pointing at a fissure running up the ledge.
Dalton clambered up the layers of rock protruding from the ledge to the crevice. Suddenly he disappeared.
“Dalton!” Shannon called.
Dalton stepped out of the crevice.
“Come on up,” Dalton said. “You got to see this.”
Shannon followed Jessica up the ledge. Once at the fissure, she could see a crack wide enough for one person to squeeze through at a time. Jessica disappeared through the opening in the ledge. Shannon followed her into the darkness.
It took a few seconds for Shannon’s eyes to adjust to the dark. A faint light fell on the floor from a crack in the wall of the cave higher up. They were in a round room, roughly fifteen feet in diameter. The ceiling was high over Shannon’s head. Judging by the rocks and rubble littering the floor of the cave, no one had been in this part of the cave in a long time.
“Are you alright Jessica?” Shannon asked.
“I’m fine,” Jessica said. “Daddy told me to wait here. He went through there.”
Jessica pointed to a hole in the back wall about four feet high. There was a constant stream of air moving through the room disappearing into the hole in the back of the cave. Dalton had told Shannon that was why these caves were called the Wind Caves. Dalton’s head appeared in the hole at the back of the chamber.
“You two just have to see this,” Dalton said, smiling with dirt on his face.
“Not without a torch or something,” Shannon said.
“Wait here,” Dalton said. “I’ll be right back.”
Dalton exited through the narrow entrance, leaving Shannon and Jessica standing in the half lit room. The single shaft of light was alive with dust motes stirred up by the movement of Jessica as she explored the room.
“Why don’t we move some of these stones over by the wall?” Shannon suggested. “The floor looks relatively smooth underneath.”
“Can I throw them?” Jessica asked.
“Sure,” Shannon said. I’ll help you.”
Shannon and Jessica had cleared a path from the fissure to the hole in the back wall, when Dalton entered with a lit pine knot torch and another one under his arm as backup.
“We have light,” Dalton said.
“Here,” Shannon said. “Let me carry the backup and don’t let that one go out.”
Jessica was already peeking into the hole in the far wall. Dalton ducked down and went through the hole, followed by Jessica and Shannon. Dalton held the torch up as they walked into the center of what seemed to be a very large room. It was so high Shannon couldn’t see the ceiling.
“Hello!” Dalton called, into the silence.
A distant echo returned and then silence. Shannon walked up by where Dalton stood.
“Be quiet,” Shannon said, listening i
ntently.
Shannon heard something in darkness. It sounded like rustling. Then she thought she heard something else. It was a high, tinny chirping. No, it was more of a squeaking sound.
“Dalton, they’re bats!” Shannon whispered. “It has to be bats. I am so out of here.”
Shannon grabbed Jessica’s hand and headed back the way they came.
“Wait,” Dalton said. “They’re not even in this part of the cave. Just stand near the entrance and I’ll look around.”
“Here, take the spare torch with you,” Shannon said. “I’m not bringing it to you. I hate bats!”
Dalton was gone for twenty minutes, but it seemed it was hours. Shannon could see the light moving around in the next chamber as Dalton moved away from them. Then he stepped through another hole in the wall and the light disappeared.
“Dalton?” Shannon called.
“Just a second,” Dalton called back. “I found the problem.”
After a few more minutes that seemed like an hour, Dalton stuck his head back in the chamber smiling.
“Come on,” Dalton said. “It’s safe. I found a hole going into the other cave where the bats are. I plugged in with rocks. We’re good to go.”
Jessica walked to her dad, avoiding the rocks on the floor. Dalton held the torch up so Shannon could see to walk over as well.
“Feel better?” Dalton asked.
“I better not see a single bat,” Shannon said, still not convinced.
“You won’t,” Dalton said, excitement sounding in his voice. “But wait till you see what I found.”
“What?” Shannon asked.
“Running water in the back of this chamber,” Dalton said. “Do you know what that means?”
“No,” Shannon said.
“It means we found the perfect refuge for you,” Dalton said. “The Sioux will never find you hidden in this place.”
“You’re serious?” Shannon asked. “You expect us to wedge our way in here? Stay here with Fala and me both pregnant? Stay here for weeks or months?”
“I guess I haven’t really thought this completely through yet,” Dalton said, sounding disappointed.
“Well, when you have, let me know.” Shannon said, turning back towards the entrance to the cave, still sputtering. “I sometimes wonder…”