Chapter 113

Though we waited and grew anxious during the imposed hiding, when the time came it was almost anticlimactic. The men who thought they were going to be raiders were rather sloppy with their techniques. Maybe they felt completely safe so close to home. Whatever they felt they were wrong. They came strolling up the trail, on a brightly moonlit night, seeming to pay no attention to where they were going and talking among themselves as if they hadn't a care in the world.

When Bazallto and Cargato crossed the spot we had decided on, Galto and Dargo released their arrows and though their aim wasn't the best, the arrow through Bazallto's throat and the one in Cargato's upper abdomen were fatal. The other four were lucky enough to get two or more arrows each and the whole group was down and dead within seconds.

Dieta, Ameliea, and Roweea dropped their bows, pulled their Glocks just for safety's sake, and rushed to the corpses. It only took them seconds to see they wouldn't need their pistols. They pulled their knives then and began the first of the gory work to be done, seeming to enjoy their tasks.

As I'd planned, while Jonoco went back to bring the others up to join us, Dieta, Roweea, and Ameliea cut the clothes off the dead men and then relieved them all of their ears, balls, and dicks. Then they carved tiny sticks to place in their eyelids to make sure all of them stayed open.

When they were through we loaded the bodies and ourselves into the wagons and those of us who were riding remounted and we pulled up to within three hundred yards of the camp. It seemed to be asleep for the night when I crept up to look it over so I returned to my group and we spread our sleeping furs to rest.

I woke about three hours before sunrise and roused my people. We walked toward the northern edge of camp where there were two medium sized trees growing about thirty feet apart. Danlo went up one with a line and tied it fast about twenty feet up. He came down and went up the other tree with a stout loop of rope which had a pulley attached to it. He tied the loop around the tree and fed the other rope through the pulley, throwing its end to us on the ground.

We brought the dead bodies up and spaced them out on the rope, tying a loop around their necks and the end of it to the rope between the trees. When this was done we brought up one of the Clydesdales and attached the end of the cross rope to its harness. It didn't even strain him as he pulled the rope tight and suspended the mutilated dead bodies by pulling the cross rope taunt.

Danlo used a long thong of rawhide to secure the tension of the rope through the pulley and then came down. We unhitched the horse and took it back to the others. Then we waited for sunrise.

As the sun started peeking up over the horizon I signaled all my people to insert the foam earplugs I'd given them. We had practiced this move several times. I walked near a big open spot just inside the edge of the camp and pulled a half stick of dynamite, already fused, from my pocket. I lit the fuse and threw the dynamite into the open spot, hoping I was far enough back to avoid damage.

When it went off it seemed even louder than the thunder from the lightning which killed Ladeliea's first mate. I immediately lit and threw the whole stick then and as it hit the ground I had sense enough to back off about a hundred feet. Many of those in the camp who had heard the first blast were coming out of their huts now to see what was happening. Luckily none of them had time to come toward the spot where I'd thrown the last stick.

The noise was noticeably louder this time and most of those who were outside were knocked down by the blast, probably more from fear than anything else.

Of course our horses were spooked, but no one had lost their seat. Dieta rode up to me leading a wide-eyed Red and I mounted him with only a little trouble. We entered the camp then, many of us mounted and many more in the wagons.

As the others came out of their huts we herded them all into the center of camp. We directed their movement by hand signals since I was sure none of them could hear again yet.

When we were sure everyone was outside we moved them to the trees to see what had become of their raiding party. To say it made an impression would be quite an understatement. Most of the women turned away from the sight and when they tried to leave we let them. We made the men stay and get a good long look.

I made them stay there for about an hour before we herded them back into camp. I stayed on Red as some of the others had the women of camp join the men. When they were all assembled I spoke to them from Red's back.

"It seems none here pay any attention to what I say. I was here just two days ago telling you if you tried to sneak up on my camp again I would come back and kill half the men here. I see none of you believed me, or perhaps you didn't think we could do it. Which of you now doesn't believe I can do it?" I asked, and for once I got no lip from anyone.

"This camp is no more. All the women and all the men I let live will be joining my camp. The women may leave now to begin packing their things. You men will each be questioned - if you lie I will know it and you will be killed before you can finish lying. If you tell the truth you will probably be allowed to live, no matter what the truth is," I said.

I didn't really know whether I'd be able to tell who was lying and who wasn't. I was going to see if I thought I could though. I spotted the site of the meeting I had watched with Argent's help and I went to it, telling them the spot where they planned the last raid was a good place to question them. I saw by revealing this tidbit many of them were shocked.

I had Jonoco and Nadlo stand beside me with their rifles and I told them quietly to be ready to earn another mate.

Raalto began sending men from the camp to me, one at a time then. I sat down on a convenient large rock and cursed myself for poor planning since I hadn't brought a chair from home.

It was mostly my mates with their 25 caliber rifles guarding the group of men. I guess one of the men thought it would be easy to bully his way out past Ameliea. She didn't waste any time showing us all the 25 caliber rifle packed plenty of punch to deal with a cave man. I realized I had never asked Georgo who would have to take the widow if a man's mate killed a man. I was sure I was going to find out later today.

Ameliea's quick action pressed home the point to the captives they were going to do what we said or die. In fact she made mention of it herself as she kicked the dead one in the face while his body lay there bleeding.

When Dieta came over to take her place for a minute, Ameliea took out her knife and performed the mutilating surgery on the man she had just dispatched.

The remaining captives were completely silent while they watched this process and there was no more trouble from them - they waited very patiently and quietly for their chance to speak to me.

My worries about detecting lies were put to rest by Argent, who must have been watching closely. I was asking probably the third or fourth one some questions about what he had thought of the raids his leaders had organized against my camp. He was happy to announce he had been shocked at the behavior and it was repugnant to him. Argent tingled my neck and confirmed what I'd been thinking. I interrupted him then.

"How many mates do you have Chondoulo?" I asked.

"I have only one mate. Why do you ask?" he asked.

"Raalto, this one is lying and has one mate. Who is next in line for another mate?" I shouted.

"I believe it is Nadlo," Raalto answered, yelling also.

I turned in time to see Nadlo lowering his M1's barrel and then he smiled slightly as he cashed in Chondoulo's chips.