Chapter 9
The party got off about one in the afternoon. Sir Wallace and several of his men covered the rear of the procession. The canoes did fair time and the river bottom was rock and sand. Fish were seen in some of the pools that formed in the eddys around arge bolders. The hardwoods were thick with towering heights. This caused them to look dark and forbidding to the canoests passing up stream. Shadows closed inward as they poled further upstream. Meriwether thought that around seven in the evening was a good time to camp. He waited til Wallace and his men pulled up to shore to tell him that they had the duty to gurd the camp that night.
"Aye, we'll be up anyways sence that skirmish earlier."
The party set up fire places, some went for water blatters to fill upstream, some un-packed food for the evening meal. Kahuna prepared dried venison sausage with corn and carrots on the side. Down in camp Meriwether was walking through and pondering the days action, and he watched his men . Jack was busy preparing a bear rib dinner over a pit. As he turned the spit, he'd douse the meat with a sause that filled the air with plesant smells. RustyN was envolved with making something from a rock and a tree limb some four foot long. He'd wrap leather string around the rock and back then to the limb. Leaving about three feet between the two. Without breaking stride he continued onward to the next group where he watched several men cleaning muskets and tieing pieces of leather together to form a pack of sorts. Interesting he thought. Onwards he walked past three men conversing the days travel.
"Did you see the elk on the river?"
"Aye and twas a beaute!"
" If the major hadn't suspend the musket firing , we'd have fresh meat tonight."
"Then ya haven't smelled Jack's supper yet!"
"Nay."
"You'd be better off with that for now."
They looked up and saw the major walking past them."Evening major!" they stated. "Evening lads," came the reply. "Tomorrow's to be a hard day. So eat hearty tonight and rest for we have eyes watching our every move."
"Aye sir! But not to worry, for we have to many here that wish to tangle with the likes of them bushwackers."
a low,"Yes." as all the major said as he continued past.
Now it was one down. The first one. This isn't easy. Even if only one causulty in the entire trip, it is one to many. And why? There was no warning, no reason as far as that goes. Why had they attcked them? Looking around he saw many displays of how the men slept at night . There were of course the regular bed rolls tossed on the forest floor. There was also pine needles gathered to make beds of straw for added comfort. One had made himself a table of sorts. A rather time consuming project for just a stop over. But then he had an idea who would do that. Doc. The man who can build two log cabins at the same time. He was noted for his establishing homes within small time frames. Always on the move. Doc came from behind a tree and waved at the major. Meriwether waved back. Yes, he thought, Doc can put that table together in a matter of minutes. It added comfort to the camp, and then too he realized that Doc was a man of comfort. Thinking, he soon realized that he was glad to among these men who had know the wilderness and knew of its dangers. Both from nature and from man. Yes, he'd sleep good tonight also. The one sleeping pad made of a large buffaloe hide looked comfortable. The Commador waved now.
The party got off about one in the afternoon. Sir Wallace and several of his men covered the rear of the procession. The canoes did fair time and the river bottom was rock and sand. Fish were seen in some of the pools that formed in the eddys around arge bolders. The hardwoods were thick with towering heights. This caused them to look dark and forbidding to the canoests passing up stream. Shadows closed inward as they poled further upstream. Meriwether thought that around seven in the evening was a good time to camp. He waited til Wallace and his men pulled up to shore to tell him that they had the duty to gurd the camp that night.
"Aye, we'll be up anyways sence that skirmish earlier."
The party set up fire places, some went for water blatters to fill upstream, some un-packed food for the evening meal. Kahuna prepared dried venison sausage with corn and carrots on the side. Down in camp Meriwether was walking through and pondering the days action, and he watched his men . Jack was busy preparing a bear rib dinner over a pit. As he turned the spit, he'd douse the meat with a sause that filled the air with plesant smells. RustyN was envolved with making something from a rock and a tree limb some four foot long. He'd wrap leather string around the rock and back then to the limb. Leaving about three feet between the two. Without breaking stride he continued onward to the next group where he watched several men cleaning muskets and tieing pieces of leather together to form a pack of sorts. Interesting he thought. Onwards he walked past three men conversing the days travel.
"Did you see the elk on the river?"
"Aye and twas a beaute!"
" If the major hadn't suspend the musket firing , we'd have fresh meat tonight."
"Then ya haven't smelled Jack's supper yet!"
"Nay."
"You'd be better off with that for now."
They looked up and saw the major walking past them."Evening major!" they stated. "Evening lads," came the reply. "Tomorrow's to be a hard day. So eat hearty tonight and rest for we have eyes watching our every move."
"Aye sir! But not to worry, for we have to many here that wish to tangle with the likes of them bushwackers."
a low,"Yes." as all the major said as he continued past.
Now it was one down. The first one. This isn't easy. Even if only one causulty in the entire trip, it is one to many. And why? There was no warning, no reason as far as that goes. Why had they attcked them? Looking around he saw many displays of how the men slept at night . There were of course the regular bed rolls tossed on the forest floor. There was also pine needles gathered to make beds of straw for added comfort. One had made himself a table of sorts. A rather time consuming project for just a stop over. But then he had an idea who would do that. Doc. The man who can build two log cabins at the same time. He was noted for his establishing homes within small time frames. Always on the move. Doc came from behind a tree and waved at the major. Meriwether waved back. Yes, he thought, Doc can put that table together in a matter of minutes. It added comfort to the camp, and then too he realized that Doc was a man of comfort. Thinking, he soon realized that he was glad to among these men who had know the wilderness and knew of its dangers. Both from nature and from man. Yes, he'd sleep good tonight also. The one sleeping pad made of a large buffaloe hide looked comfortable. The Commador waved now.