Chapter 11

A couple of days later, while Jake was looking for a good spot to spend the night, he noticed some greener vegetation off to the right of the trail. The ground had been a bit hillier for the last few hours, and there seemed to be a spot worth checking out towards the base of a rise two or three hundred yards back from the trail.

There was no obvious track in that direction, but the vegetation wasn't so thick - as though people had passed that way not too long ago. Jake led Sue off the trail, and after a short while he came across a surprising sight.

It was a small cabin. At least, it was the remains of a small cabin. The walls looked sound, made of logs probably from trees that were growing a bit further up the low hill. The roof looked more-or-less intact although it had sagged a bit. The door hung at a crazy angle from just one hinge at the bottom, and the two windows were empty. The cleared area around it had been overgrown by low brush and scrub, and the whole thing looked as though it hadn't been used or cared for in years.

To the right was another building in even worse condition. It had probably been a small barn, but now looked more like a lean-to that wasn't leaning against anything. A good wind would probably take the whole thing down.

Jake dismounted as Sue pulled up beside him. She seemed intrigued at their discovery, looking around to find if there was anything else to see.

Once they had secured the horses, they cautiously approached the cabin. It looked deserted, but who knew what could be inside. Poking his head through the door, it was apparent that all that was inside was dirt which had either been blown in or had been left by animals that had sheltered there. Earth, droppings and even the remains of something that had been eaten were all present, but no sign of human habitation.

It was single large room, although large may be the wrong term. It took up the whole of the cabin area. A fireplace at the back was blackened from earlier use. The door at the front was in the middle, with a window space each side. There was another doorway on the right hand end of the back wall, and a window to the left of the fireplace. The side walls were blank. A couple of shelves were on the walls, one of them fastened by only one end.

Rather than disturb the back door, once open it might never shut again, they walked out of the front of the cabin and around the side to see where it would lead. As at the front, small bushes had grown up everywhere, but they soon discovered that, just fifteen yards from the back of the cabin, a stream snaked around the base of the hill. It gave a ready supply of water and was no doubt the reason that the cabin had been built there in the first place. It was perhaps a bit bigger than the word stream implies, being a few feet across, but certainly wasn't a river. The banks were a foot or so high, and the one nearest the cabin had been broken down a bit, probably from use.

Although decidedly imperfect, to Jake the cabin meant two things. It was a place they could camp for a while - the water supply seemed clean and the surrounding trees and bushes should be a good source of game and other food. And also, if this cabin had been built here, maybe others weren't too far away.

Jake looked at Sue, and she looked back. "What do you think?" he asked. His meaning was clear, and Sue was undecided. This was nothing like any shelter she had experienced, although some tribes built semi-permanent shelters that weren't too different in concept. Did she want to stay here for a while? It would certainly be preferable to being on the move every day. She nodded, and started to unload the horses.

However, Sue was not going to sleep in the derelict cabin. Not until it was in much better condition. So she looked around for a suitable open space to light a fire and to lay out the bedding.

A few days later, the place was looking better. They had cleared a small area to use as a campsite. While the horses weren't kept in the shelter, Jake was afraid it would fall on them, they were at least tethered close to it. However, they had to be watered two or three times a day and also be led off to find forage as there wasn't much grass amongst the bushes around the cabin. Their coats shone from being brushed frequently and they were looking in good condition.

Jake had set up a rail, looking a bit like a hitching rail but now it had six saddles hung over it. He had also checked out the cabin to see what was actually wrong with it. There was nothing that some tools, nails and a bit of lumber couldn't put right, but he didn't have any.

Sue had set up a fire with a circle of stones around it, and had even made a stew with some meat she had trapped and some plants she found growing nearby. Jake had found that a welcome change from the cooked meat he'd been eating for the last couple of weeks and his body was already feeling the benefits of the improvement in his diet.

However, winter was approaching and he would need to get the cabin weatherproof before then. He also had to find out if someone owned it before he did too much to it. And keeping eight horses around the place was just making work. He therefore decided to check out his theory that there must be some sort of town not too far away. That evening, by a combination of speaking slow English, waving his arms and gesturing with his fingers, he told Sue that he was going away for a few days to look for people, but that he would be back. He was going to go alone, without any of the extra horses, to not be conspicuous while he checked out how things were in the area.

Sue had taken advantage of the nearby stream and washed everything. She had even insisted that Jake washed himself every day, a concept he found new but was getting to like. He preferred feeling fresh, and putting on clean clothes, and wondered why he hadn't done it a long time ago. It probably took a woman to tell him he stank and she wouldn't sleep with him unless he was clean.

And Sue was still sleeping with him. Every night, before falling asleep, she rubbed herself against him while he kissed her and played with her nipples and breasts and anything else within reach. Jake did wonder if he was making her pregnant, but she had been pleased to find a particular plant early in their stay which Jake had never seen in his dinner, so he presumed that she was taking care of it. He tried to ask, by making a sign of a woman with a big stomach, but she had just smiled and shaken her head.

Jake realised he was falling in love with the slight young Indian girl. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to him, and she seemed equally happy.

They did most things together. Every day they rode a few miles away, taking different horses to make sure that they all got some exercise, so that Sue could practise her shooting. She was getting quite good, and had adapted well to the revolver, firing all four shots off quickly and accurately. Jake had showed her how to never load the fifth chamber so that there was no risk of the gun firing unexpectedly, and how to cock it while she held it vertical so any pieces of broken percussion cap fell clear and didn't jam the mechanism. She also kept it spotlessly clean.

She was not coming along quite so quickly with the rifle. Being short, loading the long gun from the muzzle wasn't too easy for her. She could do it, but she wasn't as quick as she might be. To be accurate, she also had to rest the barrel on something, such as the fork of a tree, as otherwise the weight was not easy for her to balance. However, despite that, she was quite a good shot, just not as good as she was with the pistol.

They also still practiced with the wooden knives. Jake had less bruises these days, but he felt that was because he was getting better at avoiding her lightning-quick strikes. Against someone who wasn't expecting it, she would be formidable.

For all these reasons, Jake didn't feel too bad about leaving her for a short while. However, he still wanted her to be careful. They loaded all the guns and placed them around the area in handy spots, so if she was in trouble she could pick up a fresh weapon wherever she was. The revolver she wore in the black gunbelt, but it wasn't an ideal fit on her.

The morning came and he started out. Blaze, his own horse, seemed pleased to be on the move again and wanted to run for a while. Jake indulged him as they hadn't galloped much when they had been leading the other horses and it was good to get going again. After a while he slowed down to an easy lope that covered the ground quite quickly without expending too much energy.

That night, Jake was starting to wonder if his theory had been correct. He had seen no-one all day, and there was no sign of any habitation. He set up a cold camp, ate some of the food that Sue had packed for him, and made an early start the next day. His blanket had felt strangely empty and he wanted to get back to Sue as soon as he could.

Everything changed about noon the next day. He rounded a bend and there, a little below him and maybe a mile away, was a town of sorts. Jake resisted the temptation to speed up, and continued at his steady pace as he got nearer.

It seemed like a small place. Twenty to twenty-five buildings were set along a central street. A trail led out of town from each end of that street, much bigger and more well used than the one he was on. In fact, his could hardly be called a trail at all in comparison, which was maybe why he had not come across any other travellers - they all used the main trail.

He joined the main track about four hundred yards from the edge of town. A rough sign said "Welcome to Johnson City" although Jake felt it wasn't even much of a town let alone a city. Perhaps Mr Johnson had some grand ambitions for the place.

Once within the town limits, he could see that the buildings included a saloon with a fancy sign that said - "SALOON". There was a store, a barber, a couple of other businesses and a few houses. A blacksmith was set back from the street a little way and there seemed to be a livery stable and feed store at the far end. In short, it was a small town like many others in that part of the country.

Although he didn't need a drink, he had never been a heavy drinker, Jake decided that the saloon was the place to start as they would know what was going on around the area. He pulled up outside, tied Blaze to the hitching rail alongside a piebald pony that was there already, and strolled up to the door. Pushing it open, he waited while his eyes grew accustomed to the gloom inside.

On the wall to his left was the bar. Made from rough wood, the top had been partly polished by use. The barman was behind his bar, a sad looking individual with a long drooping moustache which made him look even sadder. Opposite, on Jake's right, were a dozen small round tables with chairs set around them. Three of the tables were occupied, two with a couple of men sitting at each and the other with what looked like a card game going on. There seemed nothing to be alarmed about, so he made his way to the bar.

The barman looked up as the door opened. He saw a man walk in and stop at the entrance. Of above average height, he looked to be in his mid twenties. He was trim rather than slim, no excess weight but with broad shoulders. His eyes where shaded by his hat and the general lack of light in the bar. Around his waist was a gunbelt, but no gun hung on his thigh where one would expect to see it. Instead a large knife hung there. However, as he moved, the butt of a pistol could be seen protruding from the inside edge of his vest in a cross-draw holster. Having checked out the room, the man approached the bar.

"Howdy," welcomed the barman, still looking miserable.

"Howdy," responded Jake, his eyes constantly moving and taking in the whole room.

"Whatllitbe?" drawled the barman.

"I'll have a beer," Jake replied. "It's been a long dry trail."

"I saw you were new in town," the barman commented, getting Jake's bottle of beer and an almost clean glass to put it in. "My name's Bert, and this is my place."

"Seems quiet," Jake commented.

"Allus is at this time of day. It gets busier in the evenings when the ranch hands come into town."