Chapter 3

When we were at the airplane two days ago, I got my wind up watch. I set it as close as I could by sun rise. My watch went off at 5am.

Nina’s eyes were big as she looked at me as I turned off my alarm and said, “I am so proud of my man. You are like a Great Spirit to our people.”

“No, I don’t compare to God. I am just another person like all of you here in this village.”

“But you did not have to do this for us.”

“Nina, you did not have to marry me either. We all have choices to make throughout life. Some are good and some bad.”

“You make me as equal to you. I made a good choice.”

“I made the best choice I got a family with one kiss. But I have to get ready now. I have a lot to do today.”

“You are not going anywhere until I fix your morning meal.”

“Where I came from we call it breakfast.”

“I don’t understand break means to break something. Fast means to not eat.”

I had to laugh at that. I had never thought of it that way. I said, “I have no answer. I guess people really are stupid where I came from. I am driving to the plane. Send Opa to Get “Jacy, Lye, Gawonii, Dakotah, and Yancy to get ready, please.”

I will have their mates to come here for breakfast as you put it.”

“That will be great. I love you. I will be back before breakfast.” I kissed her then left.

It took only about three minutes to reach the plane. I did not even slow down at the creek. I just left a twenty foot high Rooster tail.

I already had the shovels so I got a couple of boxes of #6 nails about 3 inches long. I took a bundle of stakes I used to mark off lines for cabins. I got a keg of black powder and a 100 foot roll of fuse. I also got a two pound bag of flour.

We could cut the stakes into 6 inch pieces. Then drive the nails through them and then it would be OUCH.

I pulled back up to the hut just in time for breakfast. After we had eaten I gave Nina an arousing kiss. The other men not to be left out did the some to their mates.

“See how good an impression you are making on our people. You are making everyone horny,” Nina said the broke into a fit of giggles.

It was catching because everyone else joined her. “We have to go now we have a lot of work to do.”

We all piled into the Duramax Gabe whined to go but I told him to watch the kids. Everyone waved as we left.

Chief Running Brave had trouble getting everyone on track the next morning. He finally agreed to march them bunched up five abreast. It made them a line about 10 feet wide and 50 yards long.

They had gone about a mile with Chief Running Brave about the middle of the strike force surrounded by his elite men. The ones who protected him somewhat like a dictator would have.

He shouted, “Pass the word up to the front run for a mile and walk for a mile this way. We will make the clearing early.”

They set a fast jog and created a good close space behind each other. They were making good time chanting a good pace. They began to push each other to move a little faster. They were at their maximum pace when the first ones hit the line stretched across the pathway.

Just like in Edgar Allen Poe’s The Pendulum. The log began to swing back and forth. By the time the it stopped, it was on top of a pile of men.

Chief Running Brave saw it fall. He thought it was just a tree falling. He saw it swinging and the men in front of him stop. There was screaming ahead. He ran up front to see what had happened.

What he found was twelve dead and fourteen badly injured men. He had no choice but to make camp. He was pissed off like never before. This was war. No people were going to get away with this. As soon as this was cleared up they were going to be prepared the next time. They would just have men looking up next time. The men just did not have their eyes open.

“Taylo, take several men and fine what made this thing fall,” said Chief Running Brave.

Last night before we came back, I noticed about one hundred yards from where we had put the tree to the right was a ditch that ran a quarter of a mile. The road curved to the left and ran across the ditch.

“Men, we are going to watch Chief Running Brave and his men attack our trap.”

I drove at a rapid pace toward the ditch. When I was about a half mile from it, I slowed down and drove slowly so there would be no sound. I turned the Duramax around for a quick getaway.

I led the men along the trench about fifty yards when I spotted the log in the tree.

“There is the log we hung in the tree.” I said pointing to the log. I eased down on the ground where we could see the log without being seen.

We did not have long to wait. I could hear them coming. They were chanting and encouraging each other to speed up a little faster.

When they came into view they were moving like you would see in a triathlon. They were in close formation when they ran straight into the trip wire. The log came down in a quick swoop like you would expect of a giant pendulum.

It hit the first row right at the top of the head driving them straight down. The second row caught it in the chest. They were all slammed into oncoming rows. The log came back down pinning six rows of men in one big pile.

The men I was with groaned in pain. I got their attention and motioned for us to go. When we were about a mile away I said, “If you think that hurt wait until you see my next trap.”

“My head still hurts from that one” Yancy exclaimed.

“That was painful to see!” The others said together.

I went toward our camp and stopped a mile from the meadow where they would camp. I used the rake to clear away the leaves down the center of the path about fifty feet. I instructed Lye to dig a hole at end. I poured about two handfuls of black powder I put a fuse and explosive cap in the powder. I rolled out the twenty feet toward the oncoming warriors. I put enough powder to make it show the burning fuse. Then I mixed the flour with the dirt I used to cover the Bomb. I used another party popper to set off the fuse.

When it started they would stop and watch it run ahead of them and blow the powder up in a white explosion. It would show them that it could take them out if it went off under their feet.

I had the men get back into the Duramax. They started talking of how it would injure them.

“No it is just going to make them do what I want them to do. Wait until the next trap.