Chapter 62

Cartallow looked like he was getting wound up to ask even more questions, but we were saved by the lunch, so to speak. His mate, Minga, called us to come out and eat then.

It was a good meal, and plenty of it, even though it was of a stew variety since their only way of preserving meat was drying it. Still, they knew how to cook it well and I ate as much as I could hold. After it was over, George, Zeeta, Layta, Lieta, and I took Cartallow on a little walk back to the skidder, pickup, and trailer.

Cartallow was more than struck dumb this time. He had nothing to compare the equipment with, but he could easily tell it was something which had been made and not grown. George started the skidder back up and drove it around a little and I even made a circle in the pickup for demonstration purposes.

"We have an even bigger truck which can carry more at our camp. We didn't bring it this time because we weren't sure it could travel with so much snow on the ground. We now know it can. We will go back and get it, coming back to your camp tomorrow.

"But you only had a few with you when you were here before. How can you have so much now?"

"I just kept at it. You will see if you come to join our camp. We have plenty of hay for your horses and we have a good place to keep them for the winter. Tell us if you want to join us and we will go back for the other things to help you move," I said.

"If you can feed our horses we will come. We have come to depend on them since you showed us how to catch and train them, and I do not even want to think of losing them now.

"I will go tell the others and have them start packing travois," he said.

"You will not need travois to move. You will see tomorrow. Just pack up your things and be ready. We will come early," I said.

He left then and we loaded the horses back up and headed home. The trip back was easier then the one out since all the skidder work which needed doing was done on the way out. We pulled back to the door at the end of the plateau about three and it was opening as we approached.

Rose had watched the whole thing of course, but she didn't know the outcome for sure even though she'd guessed they were coming to join us. We talked it over while supper was being prepared and kept it up during the meal.

Finally we came up with a plan. Routata and Goondoe were going with me along with George and Bill. We had decided to take the big truck pulling the dry van and pulling the bullrack as a double. It was a little risky taking doubles, but George was going to drive the skidder again and it would be able to pull us out of any potential hole we got into.

George, Bill, and I went to the garage after supper and built our miniature road train and then we went to bed since we'd be wanting an early start in the morning.

We were up early and fed plenty. Goondoe ate with us this morning since he was coming along. We didn't take any other helpers along since we figured Cartallow and his people could do the loading with only Bill watching the placement in the trailer.

It was all easier than we thought it would be, until we reached their camp at least. Most of his people caught on well enough to loading the trailer, but their horses were a little bit of a bother.

The bullrack was easily large enough for all the horses, but getting them into it wasn't so easy. They'd never been called on to go into anything like the big trailer, or any trailer, and they were not pleased to be doing it. Of course Cartallow's men had no idea how to help at all.

After a few aborted tries at leading them into the trailer we gave up and blindfolded them and worked them slowly inside it. It was the same trick for each one of them too, since they couldn't seem to pick up the plan from watching others being loaded.

The rest of the things had long been loaded, and even the huts had been disassembled and put into the trailer before we got all the horses aboard and the door shut. It was nearing lunchtime before we were ready to go, but lunch was skipped in favor of getting home before dark.

Cartallow and Minga were shocked again at the accommodations in the truck's sleeper. The rest of their people had to ride in the dry van, but we traveled with the doors open and only a warning not to get near the opening lest they fall out.

Once I got us moving I didn't want to stop, because I knew some of the people would want to get out if I did. I keep strictly to the ruts we'd made this morning so we didn't find any soft spots to slow us down.

Our only hang up came when it was time to navigate back into the tunnel where we had to swing so wide to get lined up. I let Cartallow out and told him to keep his people in the trailer even though we were slowing down.