Chapter 13

I had no idea what was going on, but the horse didn't get up. Then I heard another shot. I managed to roll over behind the horse. Somehow, I got my revolver out of its holster. I pointed it into the air, and fired off two shots. Then I just lay there, trying to figure out what had happened.

My calf was hurting like all the demons of hell were running through it, so I figured I must have been shot. I was afraid to try to look at it, in case I'd expose myself to whomever was shooting at me.

I could hear everyone in camp starting to move around and then John was yelling to me, "What's the shooting about, Jase?"

"Be careful, John. I think someone just shot me. The shot must have come from over by the river," I yelled back.

"Are you okay, Jase?" Lettie yelled.

"Yeah, Honey. You stay put."

By now, everyone in camp was up. I could see a couple of people moving down toward the river on each side of me. Then there was another gunshot off to my left, and I heard someone yell. The next thing I heard was two or three horses, moving away from us at a full gallop.

"Is anyone hurt?" I yelled.

"None of us are," Ab yelled. "I got one of them, though."

I lay there for what seemed like forever before George and Matthew came up with a torch.

"I think they're all gone, Jase," George said. "We're gonna get you back to camp."

They got on either side of me and helped me to my feet. I guess I should say helped me to my foot. My left leg hurt so bad when I tried to put any weight on it, that I ended up standing on my right foot only. I used them like a pair of crutches as we headed back to the campfire.

Lettie and Wanda were standing there with tears running out of their eyes when I came into view. No sooner had they spotted me than they, along with Tess, came running to me.

All of them were crying and trying to look at my leg while George and Matthew were still trying to get me close to the fire. Jo was right behind them.

They finally managed to get me stretched out by the fire. Lettie untied my trousers and pulled them off of me. Thank God I had on drawers.

I heard Tess gasp, as Lettie said, "Oh, shit! You're bleeding like a stuck pig, Jase."

They rolled me over on my stomach. "Hang on, Jase," Jo said, then she ran over to her pack and pulled out the shirt she had been wearing when we found her. Luckily, it had been washed. She ripped off a sleeve, as if she was tearing paper, then she folded it and pressed it against both sides of the wound.

Lettie had totally lost her composure. She was crying and saying "Shit!" almost continuously. Tess was running back and forth, between the chuck wagon and a pot she had suspended over the fire. She poured in some water, then started sprinkling in several different herbs. Wanda cradled my head in her lap and every minute or two she'd lean down and kiss me, while Jo was holding the shirtsleeve tightly against my wounds.

"Lettie, it's going to be okay," I said.

She just ignored me so I practically yelled, "Lettie, damn it, listen to me!"

Lettie jumped as if I'd slapped her.

"Honey, I'm going to be okay."

"He's going to be fine Lettie," Jo said. "The bleeding is slowing down already. The bullet went right through the calf of his leg. He's going to be sore for a few days, but it'll get well."

"Does anyone have any whiskey?" Tess asked in a loud voice.

"This is no time to be getting drunk, Sis," I teased.

"No. Mom told me that on a wound like this you should pour whiskey through it to wash it out."

"I've got a pint of moonshine," George said.

"Get it and bring it here please. Lettie, get the other sleeve off of Jo's shirt and soak it in the moonshine. Jo, can you rip off a couple of strips of the shirt a couple of inches wide please."

"What can I do?" Pris asked.

"Stir the pot for me, Pris. I'm making a tea that'll ease his pain some."

George came back with the moonshine and Lettie snatched it from him.

"Save plenty for pouring through the wound," Tess cautioned her.

Lettie got the other shirtsleeve she'd ripped off wet with the moonshine, then she passed the bottle to Tess, as she moved me onto my side.

Tess handed me a stick and said, "Bite down on this, Jase. This is going to hurt like all hell."

Someone was stroking my back while Tess was getting ready to pour the moonshine through the wound. I turned my head to that side and I saw Jo with big tears running down her cheeks.

"Maybe Lettie is right," I thought.

"Are you ready for this?" Tess asked.

'Mom wouldn't make a whimper if this was her, ' I thought, so I told myself I wouldn't either. I nodded my head at Tess and bit down on the stick.

I'll swear it felt like she was pouring liquid fire through my leg. I didn't make a sound, but I thought I was going to pass out. I broke out in sweat. I felt Lettie take one of my hands and I assume it was Jo holding my other one. Wanda was smoothing my hair and touching my face.

"Squeeze our hands, Jase," Lettie said.

I tried not to, but I'm sure I did. Then I felt Tess cleaning up around the wound with the sleeve Lettie had dampened with the moonshine. When she was satisfied, she folded a piece of cloth and placed it so it covered both holes. Then she used the strips of cloth to tie it in place. The women rolled me over on my back, then propped my head up against a saddle.

Pris handed me a cup of tea and said, "Drink it all, Jase."

I did. It tasted terrible, but I managed to get it down.

Things got a little fuzzy after that.

May 19, 1848

When I awoke, I knew it was late in the day. The sun was high overhead. I was in our tent and Lettie was snuggled up to one side of me.

"He's awake," she said to whoever was snuggled up to the other side of me.

"It's about time," Jo said.

"Where's Wanda?" I asked.

"She's helping Pris fix lunch for the guys," Lettie said.

I was lying on my back. There was a dull ache in my leg, but it wasn't too bad. I put my arms around both girls.

"Why are we still in camp?"

"Because we're not going anywhere, today," Lettie said.

"Jase, don't try to prove how strong you are," Jo said. "Today is going to be devoted to doctoring your leg. Tess has a poultice she wants to put on it for a while, then we just want you to rest it for the rest of today."

"I'm sure I could ride," I said.

"You're going to be 'riding' a wagon for the next few days, Jase," Lettie said. "John made a crutch for you to use to get around camp. We can't take a chance of this getting infected."

"But..."

"Just shut up, Jase. Your women know what's best for you," Lettie said.

"Lettie, I need to take care of my necessaries," I said.

"Then Jo and Wanda and I will help you," Lettie said calmly. "If you won't agree to that, we'll tie you up and then clean you when we have to."

"You are hard, ladies," I said.

"No, we are ladies that love you. We don't want anything bad happening to you, Jase. We want you to live to be a hundred."

I pulled Lettie over to me and kissed her. "Okay, my love. You win. I'll do as you ask."

"Hey, could I have one of those, too?" Jo asked. "I've never been kissed."

I gave her a soft kiss on the lips. When our lips broke apart, I felt her whole body tremble.

"Now, could you ladies help me to get up? I really do need to take care of my necessaries."

.oO~Oo.

The poultice Tess put on my leg felt both hot and cold. She left it on there for half an hour or so, then got down and smelled of the wound. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was checking for infection.

John and Ab came over while I was lying there with the poultice on my leg.

"Jase, I got one of them last night. I don't know if he was the one who shot you or not. Phillip recognized him. He says he was a drunk who hung around the bars in St Jo."

"So, we don't know if he was connected to Adams or not," I said.

"That's right. Jo says she's never seen him. Of course, if he's a drunk, Mrs. Graves wouldn't have allowed him on her ranch, and Jo probably wouldn't have seen him."

"So, are we going to get back on the trail tomorrow?"

"The women haven't told me," Ab grinned. "They did tell me you're going to be riding a wagon for a while."

"Shit!" I said. "Would you guys talk to your wives? I'm sure I can sit a saddle."

"Not me!" John said. "If I suggested something like that, Tess would take my head off."

I just shook my head.

Late in the afternoon, Lettie, Wanda and Jo told me they were going to go off and take a bath.

"I'll be damned if you are. We have no idea if any of the people who shot me are still around."

Lettie looked like I'd slapped her.

"I'm sorry, Jase. I never thought of that."

I gave her a hug and said, "You'll just have to wash up in the tent until we know for sure they're not going to be back."

Lettie nodded and snuggled in.

"We can do that," she said.

.oO~Oo.

Tess checked out my wound just before the four younger women put me to bed. She said it looked and smelled good.

May 20, 1848

Lettie woke me early and then she brought Tess in to check my wound again. She said it looked fine, so everyone started getting ready to start moving west again.

I managed to get off by myself, using a crutch, to take care of my morning necessaries. The girls made me up a bed on one of the wagons and insisted I lie there. I tried it, I really did, but after a couple of hours I waved Lettie over and told her she was going to have to let me ride sitting up on the wagon box.

"Lettie, my love, every bump we go over hurts my leg. If I was on the wagon seat, it has springs and I wouldn't be feeling the bumps nearly as bad."

Lettie reluctantly agreed, so she padded the seat of the wagon I had been riding on, then she sent Phillip, who had been driving it, off to help with the cattle and she took over the driving herself.

"Lettie, you remind me of an old broody hen," I said. "You're not going to let your chick out of your sight, are you?"

Lettie laughed and said, "I guess you haven't seen Tess and Wanda and Jo checking on you too, have you?"