Chapter 26

Kate proved herself to be an excellent trail cook when she made dinner for all of us that evening. She made an Irish Stew that was delicious.

"Where are you from, Kate?" I asked as we were partaking of her stew.

"I'm from Pennsylvania. We had a farm there. We'd had a couple of bad years before pa left to go trapping and we were also having problems with one of our neighbors. He and pa had a real feud going."

"What happened with your neighbor after your pa left?"

"He was quiet for over a year, then he started pestering ma, saying pa owed him money. She'd just let him talk and when he had wound down, she'd tell him she didn't know anything about it. After ma died, he came in with a constable and said the farm belonged to him now."

"Did you just let him have it?"

"Sure, and I didn't see there was much else I could be doing. I didn't really want the blamed thing anyway. I took what I wanted and never looked back. Now I don't have anything left."

"We'll help you get set up again, Kate," I said.

"Maybe you're a better man than I first thought, Ed Hill. If I ever find the bastards that left me that way, I'll skin their hides off them while they're still alive though."

"You'll have some back-up if we run into them again, Kate. There isn't anyone here who wouldn't stand behind you if there's trouble."

"I just wish I had my revolver. I wouldn't even need any back-up."

Delia got up and rummaged around in the back of the wagon for a few minutes, then she came back over to the rest of us and handed Kate a Paterson Colt.

Kate's eyes lighted up and she asked, "Can I use this?"

"You can have it," Delia said. "We have several that aren't being used."

Kate thanked Delia profusely, then asked about her family. Delia told her the tale about us buying them, then setting them free. Then Delia said proudly, "Now I am Ed's wife."

"I was wondering how all that came about. I knew right away you were good people."

Day 115 - Monday, August 23, 1847

We had camped last night just outside a little town called Ironton or Iron Town. This was an area that was rich in iron ore. One man that I talked to briefly said there were several iron furnaces in the area.

I asked the man what the next town we came to would be and he said that Portsmouth was around thirty miles down the river. He also said we'd pass through a couple of settlements before we got there, but they were very small.

It was after we had taken our nooning when we had our excitement for the day. We didn't have a horse for Kate, so she had been riding behind each of us for a while, so we didn't tire out the horses. At that point, she was riding behind Cassie.

As we were passing by another iron furnace, they came riding over to where I was riding. "Kate says that's her horse back there," Cassie said.

"I raised her from a foal," Kate said. "She's mine alright."

We had just reached a cluster of houses that had a sign out that said Franklin Furnace. I signaled for Jud to stop the wagon and when he did, Andy, Stu, Rawhide, and Sam came riding over. "Kate spotted her horse back there by the furnace," I said. "I think we should go back and get her and see what else we can find."

Everyone nodded agreement, so we moved off in that direction. Kate pointed to a sorrel and said, "That's her."

We spread out as we got to the horse and I dismounted and started looking her over. A man yelled, "What are you doing to my horse," and came running over.

"Where did you get this horse?" I asked him.

"I bought her from Jacob Anderson," he said.

"She was stolen from the lady here," I said as I pointed at Kate.

"He's not one of them," Kate said.

"Four men robbed this lady yesterday morning up around Ironton," I said. "They took everything she had and left her naked on the side of the road. She raised this filly from a foal and she wants her back. How much did you pay for her?"

"I gave him thirty dollars for the horse and saddle," the man said.

I handed him three gold eagles and said, "We'll get our money back from Anderson. Where does he live?"

"Him and his brother have a cabin about a mile up that creek there," he said.

By now, Kate had dismounted and was petting and making over the filly. She adjusted the stirrups before she even started to mount.

"I'm sorry to lose the horse. She's a fine one," the man said. "I hope you get your things back, ma'am."

"Thank you kindly, sir," Kate said.

We all rode back over to the wagon and everyone wanted to know what was going on. "The men who robbed Kate live about a mile up that creek," I said. "I'd like for Rawhide, Andy, Kate and Cassie to go with me to get her things back. Stu, I'd like for you to get everyone else moving toward Portsmouth again. We'll catch up with you on the trail."

"What about me?" Sam asked.

"I'd like for you to go with Stu and protect our baby."

Sam started to argue, but Rawhide said, "He's right. Honey." and she calmed down.

We got everyone organized and moved out in the direction the man had indicated. It wasn't long before we saw wood smoke rising in front of us. We pulled up when we saw a cabin come into view.

"Kate, why don't you wait here until we have them outside where we can talk to them. When they're all outside, ride in slowly and we'll watch their reactions," I said.

Kate just nodded her head and watched as the rest of us rode off toward the cabin. We were all the way into the yard before anyone noticed us. We sat on our horses and waited as a man came outside.

"Howdy, mister," I said. "I'm Ed Hill and this is my wife Cassie."

He had a long rifle in his left hand, with the butt sitting on the floor of the porch. He looked like he was about half drunk and the man who showed up as I was introducing us looked like he was more than half.

"I'm Jake Anderson and this here's my brother, Ralph," he said. Another man joined them, but Anderson didn't introduce him.

"We're looking for some mangey polecats who robbed a lady up around Ironton yesterday," I said.

"I wouldn't know anything about that," Anderson said, then he saw Kate riding toward us and he tried to raise his rifle. In less time than it takes to tell about it, all of us had our revolvers drawn and pointed at the three of them. Anderson froze, in place, with his rifle half raised.

"Just hold it right there, men," I said just before a shot rang out from inside the cabin.

I saw Rawhide flinch, then he started firing at the men on the porch. We started to scatter, then I saw that Kate was coming on at a gallop. She slowed as she reached the house, but rode right up onto the porch and into the house.

By the time she cleared the door, all three men on the porch were down. One of them was trying to fire again, but a bullet from Andy put him out. We heard one shot from inside the house and then Kate came riding back out.

She dismounted and said, "The one in there is dead."

"Looks like the ones out here are too," Rawhide said.

"These are the people who robbed me," Kate said.

"That's what I figured," I said. "Let's go through the cabin and see if we can find the rest of your stuff."

All of us started to go into the cabin when I saw blood on the sleeve of Rawhide's shirt. I stopped him and said, "Let me look at it."

"Taint nothing but a scratch. Just leave it be," he said.

"No way, Rawhide. Sam will have my head if I don't at least look at it."

Rawhide chuckled and said, "She is a feisty one, ain't she?"

"Yes, and she cares a lot for you, Rawhide. She told me you remind her of her grandfather," I said as I pulled up his sleeve. He was right. It was just a scratch. Even at that, it had left a furrow in his forearm that was about a quarter of an inch deep and about two inches long.

The bleeding had mostly stopped, so I wrapped a clean handkerchief around it and tied it off. Rawhide smiled at me and closed his sleeve. "Let's see what these young whippersnappers are up to," he said.

When Rawhide and I got inside, it looked like there was a big sale going on at Macy's. Kate, Andy, and Cassie were tearing through things like there was no tomorrow. For the Anderson brothers I guess there wasn't.

Kate found everything that belonged to her, except for her clothes. The robbers must have thrown them away. When she had everything of hers. Kate asked, "There has to be three or four hundred dollars here that don't belong to me. What should we do with it?"

"Well, if we leave it here, the next person who comes along will just take it. You deserve part of it or most of it for the embarrassment they put you through and for your clothes. Thirty dollars of it is mine for your horse. I'd say leave around ten dollars each to bury them and take the rest," I said.

"That makes sense to me," Andy said. "I'm going to load up their horses and tack and their guns for the danger they put us in."

"Well, now, boys and girls," Rawhide said. "I agree with all you've said, but I think we should leave everything else. That way we won't feel like we're stealing from them."

We all agreed with that and went about getting everything we were taking ready to go.

When we caught up to the wagon, everyone had to stop and hear what had gone on. It made for a screwy day of travel, but we still made seventeen miles for the day.

Sam made a big fuss over Rawhide's arm and had to clean and re-bandage it. He took it like a man.

True to form, Cassie attacked me that evening when we went into the wagon. Sam and Delia watched in awe as Cassie rode me to four or five orgasms before I emptied into her. She collapsed on top of me and we went to sleep with me still inside her.

Day 121 - Sunday, August 29, 1847

We passed through Portsmouth, Ohio on Tuesday and a man there told us the best way to get to Dayton from there was to ford the Scioto River about ten miles north of town, then head northwest.

This was our first experience of traveling cross country with the wagon, but it went well. I decided that when we left Missouri we'd have oxen to pull it though. The mules did well on level ground or rolling hills. They struggled crossing streams or if the land was rugged.

It took us five days to get to Dayton, two of which were rainy. I hate to travel in the rain, but there was no getting around it. On both days the rain started after we had broken camp and were already moving.

Kate started to meld in with our family as if she had always been a part of it. She is bright and funny and a joy to be around. I noticed she seemed to be spending a lot of time with Stu and that they seemed to spend a lot of time in serious conversation. Maybe something was brewing there.

We got into the Dayton area on a Sunday. Rawhide had no idea where his sister's ranch was located, so we had to wait until Monday to contact the attorney who had written him. We spent the afternoon just lazing around camp.

Day 122 - Monday, August 30, 1847

Rawhide asked Sam and me to go in to see the attorney with him this morning. "I just never was one for talking to them fancy people," he said.

Of course we agreed to go with him. Mortimer Slade, Esq, was a fine figure of a man of his times. He was probably in his forties and carried himself with dignity. He welcomed us into his office and when Rawhide told him who he was, he brightened immediately.