Chapter 2

We wuz headed toward south central Alabama cuz we heard that the land wuz right fertile around there, an' there wuz plenty of land fer folks what wanted it. We didn't make real good time on our trip cuz of the lousy roads an' not really knowin' where we wuz goin'. I figured that we wuz only inta Alabama 'bout 60 miles, though we must have traveled over a hundred miles on these windin' halfassed roads.

We'd seen a few Creek Injuns, though they preferred ta be called Muscogee, an' they had all been right friendly an' helpful. But one day we wuz camped an' settlin' in fer the night when a strange sight did appear runnin' inta our camp. It wuz a naked Muscogee girl what wuz exhausted an' cryin'. She begged us ta protect her from some Muscogee warriors what wuz chasin' her. Sarah threw a spare blanket over the poor girl, an' we said that we would do our damnedest ta protect her from whatever tried ta hurt her.

Wildflower (that's what her Muscogee name translated ta in English) wuz bein' chased by some Muscogee men what wanted ta return the tribe ta its purity an' traditions afore the White Man showed up. Part of what they wuz doin' wuz killin' any Muscogee people of mixed blood, an' Wildflower fit that description. Her pa wuz White, but her ma wuz Muscogee. Her family had been attacked by the Red Sticks, as these Muscogee men called themselves. Her whole family had been murdered by the Red Sticks, except that she had been saved fer a rape party after supper that evenin'. Wildflower had escaped, an' she had thrown away what few clothes she'd had so that she could run faster.

The Red Sticks were followin' her, an' she had no idea how much of a lead she still had. She said that we would be in fer a fight, cuz these men were first class trackers an' would have no trouble followin' her trail. There were five warriors in the gang, an' they were fierce fighters. In keepin' with Muscogee tradition, their only weapon wuz a deadly war club called a "Red Stick" cuz it wuz painted red ta simulate blood.

OK, we were in fer a fight, but we foolishly thought that we could easily handle "only" five Injuns. That right there showed our inexperience. Wildflower wuzn't so sure, but we were her only hope, so she stuck with us. Sarah found a dress fer Wildflower ta wear while Elizabeth rounded up a quick supper. I looked after Mable, an' the dogs went out huntin'.

After supper, I set up our defenses. We were gonna hide under the wagon, since it wuz the nearest thin' we had ta a fort. I didn't think that the Injuns would harm Mable, but there wuzn't no choice. I led Mable 'bout 50 yards from the camp an' hobbled her. There wuz plenty of grass around there, so I hoped that she would stay.

I gave Elizabeth the responsibility fer watchin' the right side of the wagon an' usin' the tomahawk fer her weapon. Sarah had the left side an' used the war club she had used afore. Wildflower wuz given our largest knife an' stationed at the wagon's rear. I carefully laid out the eight loaded muskets so that I could get ta them in a hurry, an' I took up the halberd as my main weapon. I wuz gonna be the mobile reserve what helped any woman who needed support. I wuz also gonna direct the war dogs, what wuz gonna be our main means of defense.

We ate the jerky an' pemmican that Elizabeth prepared fer us while we waited fer the Red Sticks ta show up. The dogs came in afore we finished eating, so we wuz as fully prepared fer our first real battle as we ever wuz gonna be. Now came the hard part, the waitin'.

It wuz high summer, so the sun didn't set until right late, an' twilight hung on a long time. That meant that we had no trouble seein' the Red Sticks when they finally showed up. The women grabbed Danny an' scurried under the wagon. Actin' as if they owned the world, the Red Sticks marched inta camp an' demanded that we turn Wildflower over ta them. They were actually surprised when I refused.

They blustered an' demanded, but I stuck ta my guns an' refused ta give in. Finally, one of them lost patience an' raised his club. He wuz out of reach, so he had ta step toward me ta strike. That may have been what saved my life, cuz it gave me time ta shout, "SAM! SUE! ATTACK!"

I ain't shore the Red Sticks even noticed the dogs lollin' off ta one side, or maybe they dismissed them as the sort of dogs what wuz in an Injun camp. Whatever, they were totally unprepared fer the ferocious attack by the two Great Danes. Sam went fer the Injun wavin' his war club. He had a bad angle fer an attack on the Injun's body, so he went fer the arm swingin' that there war club. Sam's jaws clamped around the wrist holdin' the war club an' closed as hard as he could with his bone-crushin' teeth. I could hear the bones shatter over the sound of the man's scream of pain. Sam snapped his head, an' the wrist an' hand separated from the rest of the arm. The Injun fell ta the ground, an' now his throat wuz exposed at a convenient angle. Sam clamped down an' very nearly bit the man's neck in two.

Sue did not have that sort of difficulty with her target. She simply ripped out the man's throat casually in passing, it seemed. The Injun wuz standin' there, tryin' ta look threatenin' an' doin' a good job of it when the dog went flyin' at his throat. The next thin' we knew, blood wuz spurtin' everywhere, an' Sue wuz busy lookin' fer another victim.

It took me a moment ta wake up an' help with the fight. I wuz well out of reach of the nearest Injun with his war club, so I had time ta brin' my halberd down an' chop the man from his skull ta his waist. That halberd wuz sharp an' heavy, so most of my work wuz in gettin' it inta position an' guidin' it as the blade dropped. It's a good thin' that I am strong an' agile, cuz the halberd is not an easy weapon ta use.

Meanwhile, the dogs took care of the last two Injuns in short order, 'bout as fast as they had with the first two. In less than a minute, there were five dead Injuns litterin' our camp, an' the women were starin' at the dogs, an', yes, at me, too, in absolute awe. I freely admit that the dogs did most of the work, but I wuz exhausted. I had no idea how tirin' war could be. The dogs were puffin' an' blowin' a lot, too, but I wuz shore more tired than them. Maybe it wuz cuz they had done this sort of thin' more times than me, but they seem ta be better adapted ta the action than I wuz.

The three women rushed from under the wagon an' all three embraced me in a gigantic hug of relief an' love. The dogs walked over ta take part in the love fest, an' they received their fair share of the attention. It wuz at least five minutes after the fightin' wuz over that I noticed that all of the women wuz naked! I asked fer the reason, an' Sarah said that Wildflower convinced them that they could fight better naked than they could encumbered by a dress. This certainly had ta be true, but it left them especially vulnerable ta knife wounds. We were gonna have ta find the women suitable fightin' clothes.

We couldn't leave the five dead Injuns lyin' at our doorstep, so I wuz gonna have ta move either them or us afore we went ta sleep. We settled fer movin' the Injuns. I fetched Mable, an' she an' I dragged them bodies well away from the camp while the women straightened up an' got things ready fer bed. Of course, I noticed that none of them bothered ta put a dress on.

When things finally settled down enough fer us ta go ta bed, I discovered that I now had another wife! I ain't shore when the women had time ta talk 'bout it, but I wuz told the facts of life when Wildflower joined us in our blankets. Sarah explained that the women had discussed the situation an' felt that the only proper solution wuz fer me ta take Wildflower as wife number three. Hell, here I wuz 13 years old, almost 14, do ya think that I wuz gonna argue?