Wellington's Quest - Robert F. Clifton (beach books .TXT) 📗

“I'll be damned if it isn't Sandy Cahill. What brings you to my fire?”,asked Abner.

“Just making the rounds and talking to my scouts. Making sure they don't need anything”, said Cahill.

“Hell, I'm fixed. Got ammo, got grub, ain't the best the army has issued, but it will do. Horse is alright. He shy's a bit when the bugle blows, but he gets me into the fight', said Abner.

“Good, is there any coffee left in the pot?”, asked Cahill.

“Yep, let me get you a cup out of my possibles', said Abner.

Cahill looked at Jim. Are you that Deputy from Blue Earth County I've heard about?, he asked.

“Yes, but I'm a farmer by trade. I've only been deputized because I'm looking for one particular Sioux who took my fiance' and is probably responsible for killing her parents. The people of Blue Earth County want him for murder and arson. I figure that if I catch up with him maybe I'll find my Virginia, “said Jim.

Cahill took the tin cup that Abner handed him. Then, he reached over and took the coffee pot off of the fire and poured, filling the cup with black coffee. “What's this Indian's name?”, he asked Jim.

“Matosapa”.

“Black Bear. That all you got to go on?”, asked Cahill.

“All I got at the moment”, Jim answered.

Abner interrupted their conversation. “Bout time you two was introduced to each other proper like. Jim, this be one Saunders Cahill. Best damn scout in the U.S. Army, even tho he is a Texan. Sandy, meet Jim Wellington. A Minnesota boy. He's a lookin for his finance', like he told ya”.

The two men shook hands. “When was she taken?”, asked Cahill.

“AS far as I know it was on the first day of the uprising”, Jim answered.

“Well, there's two ways to look at it. I'm assuming that she's a full grown gal. In a way that may be a blessing”, Cahill mentioned.

“How so?”, asked Jim.

“Plains Indians, Sioux, Cheyenne, Comanche, sometimes the Apache take captives for one or two reasons. Those who take young girls or boys usually, but not always, adopt them and raise them as members of the tribe. Older captives are held as slaves, traded or sold. The young girls they raise marry into the tribe, bare children and become members of a clan, fully accepted as one of their own. However, older white women held captive as slaves are worked hard, beaten, tortured and even starved if food becomes scarce. Indian women resent them. One thing is certain. No captive white woman is going to lay with a warrior if a squaw has her way, Cahill explained.

“Well, I aim to find her and take her back to civilization”, said Jim.

“Civilization? Let me tell you about civilization and two gals down in Texas. One. Was taken captive by the Comanche when she was nine years old. The other gal was seventeen when she was taken. Years later, both girls grown into women were rescued and returned to what you call, civilization. There, the good Christian women of the county insisted that both females had slept with Indian men during their years with the tribes. The women of the county abused the two rescued girls so bad that the first woman, the one that was taken when she was nine years old ran away and went back to the Comanche where she was treated better than by white people. The second gal, hanged herself”, Cahill related.

“That don't mean the same thing will happen to me and Virginia”, said Jim.

“I hope not son, but allow me to tell you about another factual story. In 1851 a Mormon family by the name of Oatman was traveling to California. Somewhere near Yuma they were attacked by a lesser tribe, the

Yavapais. The man and his wife were murdered. The boy of thirteen was beaten and left for dead. Two sisters were taken as captives. Olive was fifteen and Mary Ann was seven. The Yavapais used them as slave labor, fetching water, gathering firewood and many was the time when they were beat because they worked too slow at their labor.

A year later, Mohave Indians visited the Yavapais village. They traded two horses, vegetables and blankets in exchange for the two girls.

They traveled for ten days to reach the Mohave village located on the Colorado River. Finally, after a time the girls were adopted by Chief Espanesay and his wife. They were so interested in the girls welfare that they gave them plots of land to farm. Then.,keeping with tribal tradition both girls were tattooed on their arms and chin.

About a year later there was a drought. Food became scarce and Mary Ann died from starvation. Olive continued to live with her adopted tribe until she was nineteen years old. Somehow, word reached those in Yuma that a white girls was being held captive. Then, after some deliberation the Mohave turned Olive over to the authorities. That was in 1857. The last I heard stories of her being raped continually by Mohave men were running rapid all through Texas. Guess who started the rumors.

It was the good Christian women who live in civilization”, said Cahill.

“Either way, what ever her condition, I've got to find her”, said Jim.

“Well, I wish you luck. If you find her and that's a big if. Take her somewhere where no one knows what happened to her. You've got a huge task ahead of you if all you have is a name. Indians can and do change their names usually for some good deed they did or at the whim of their parents. Well, thanks for the coffee. I 've got to check on a couple of other things before I turn in for the night. Jim, it was nice meeting you.

Good luck in your search for your fiance'. I hope you find her”, said Cahill as he got up off of the ground.

“Sandy, I'd like to take this greenhorn with me tomorrow if it's alright by you”, said Abner.

“Fine with me, just as long as you do your job. I heard he handled himself in that little fracas you had today”, Cahill replied.

“Yep. He's one I'd ride the river with Sandy”, Abner responded.

Turning to Jim, Cahill said, “I heard that you killed one of those Sioux that attacked you and Abner today. That right?”

“Yes, first time I ever killed a man and I didn't like it. I hope I never have to do it again”, Jim answered.

“If you stay with us there will be more killing. Good night and good luck tomorrow”, Cahill replied as he walked off into the darkness.

The scouts were out before daylight. As they searched the land before them back at the encampment Sibley's troops began to form. Boots and Saddles was played by the bugler and the men of the Calvary prepared to move out enforce. Sergeants called the infantry to form ranks. Army surgeons and their staff climbed up and into mule drawn ambulances. Cook wagons would be the last in the long line now formed, prepared and ready to go into battle.

Abner Dooley brought his horse to a halt. Jim rode up and stopped beside him. “Do you smell that?”, asked Abner.

“Smell what? I don't smell anything”, Jim answered.

“Course not. You being a farmer you'd be use to the smell of horse shit! Can't you smell it being carried on the breeze? Means the Sioux pony herd is or was near by. Ifin those pony's are all herded together then we got the jump on them. Ifin they ain't, then the Sioux is ready to fight. We got to get closer and take a look see”, said Abner.

After hobbling their horses Abner and Jim moved slowly up the face of a hill. After taking off their hats they then peeked over the top of the rise. As the morning sun began to rise a dark blue, morning sky gradually presented pink, puffy clouds. The prairie grass appeared as a river of gold as the morning breeze moved the tall vegetation.

In the distance they saw the numerous tipi's appearing stark, white against the sky. In front of each lodge a pony stood waiting for its rider to release the tether. Women were at the cooking fires. Warriors were seen entering and leaving the buffalo hide dwellings. Some wore paint. Others sat applying paint to their face and bodies. Others stood decorating their horses.

Abner tapped Jim on the shoulder and with hand gestures indicated that they should back off slowly from their position on the hill.

When the reached the bottom Abner said, “Now's the time the Army should be here. Now, when the Sioux is getting prepared to fight. Not when they're ready. Sibley has to march his force fourteen miles just to get here. Three thousand men, horses, mules and equipment moving fourteen miles means a hell of a lot of stoppin and restin. Meanwhile, over this here hill top the Sioux is havin a big breakfast, painting himself and getting ready to fight”. Both men mounted their horses and headed back to report what they had found.

Shortly before noon, Sibley had his army in position. The Sioux, each warrior fighting independently made demonstrations towards the militia now prepared for combat. Still, they stayed out of range of the soldiers rifles. War cries and insults were hurled at the blue clad combatants who for the most part held their fire.

The Calvary, mounted and ready waited for orders to charge. Nonetheless the mules had been unhitched from the wagons and herded together. Eventually, the Sioux found the herd and decided to attack and drive off the animals. They attacked the left side of Sibley's forces, but the Calvary and Infantry held, presenting a wall of rifle fire that drove off the Indian attack. The Sioux retreated. Sibley ordered a count of his dead and wounded. At the end of the day it was reported that fifteen men had been wounded and seven killed.

“Well, that was easy”, said Abner.

“Easy? They say we lost seven men killed”.Jim replied.

“Hell of a lot better than seventy, ain't it?”Abner responded.

“Now what?”, asked Jim.

“Now, the General will send word back that he fought a great battle and defeated the Sioux at a place called Dead Buffalo lake. Truth be told he won a skirmish, What he wants to do is keep driving the Sioux southwest', said Abner.

“Why?”,asked Jim

“Way I heard it, General Sully is heading north with two thousand men. He is to prevent the Sioux from crossing the Missouri River. The plan is to catch the Sioux between the two advancing armies. When we do, we'll destroy them.”

“Seems to me the Indian is right. If it wasn't for all of the lying and cheating by the government and traders the Sioux would have never raised up and killed and burned”, said Jim.

“Yep, I'm forced to agree with ya. How some ever, the Indian, and not just the Sioux mind ya, but all Indians are either now in the way or soon be in the way of what the white man calls progress”, explained Abner.

“That don't make it right”,Jim responded.

“Nope, it sure don't, but that's the way it's going to be. When this war ends against the Confederacy there will be a lot of veterans, veterans from both sides, mind ya. Them boys have seen the elephant. They'll want land, land to homestead. Their eyes will look west, seeing California and Oregon and to get there they'll have to pass through Indian territory. It don't take much thought that the Indian is going to resist and fight”, Abner answered.

“What do you think we'll do next?”, asked Jim

“Far as I know, we'll stay on the Sioux like a tick on a buffalo's ass.

Two days later, Jim and the army scout rode out in front of Sibley's advancing columns. The early morning night sky presented millions of stars in the heavens as the men traveled over the grassland finding their way through the illuminated landscape.

Abner wanted to be in position to find