Chapter 4

As day dawned, he stretched and took a look around. He'd walked around the clearing several times during the night, both to make sure there was no hidden danger and to keep awake, but everything always looked different in daylight.

While the girl was still sleeping he went over to the two bodies on the far side of the clearing. He took off the blankets and dragged the dead rapists off into the bushes. The blankets he would keep, though he'd want to wash them before he used them, but the outlaws had nothing he wanted as he had searched them the day before. At least now they would have disappeared before the girl woke up, and after they left the campsite the local wild animals were welcome to them.

He also searched where she had been lying when he first arrived. Various bits of clothing were scattered about, but apart from her moccasins, which he picked up, nothing looked complete enough to be worn again. So that was going to be a priority this morning, finding her something to wear.

Going back to the fire he started going through all the packs once again. In the dead men's saddle bags he found powder, shot and percussion caps, which reminded him that he had not yet loaded their two guns. He sat down and started to do that, and soon had them both ready to go, although he'd like to fire them both sometime just to make sure everything was in order.

By now the girl was waking, stretching her arms out of the blankets and blinking as she looked around. She gave a start when she saw him, her eyes widening, but then remembered everything that had happened to her yesterday. He could see her eyes narrow as she took it all in.

"Good morning," he said, knowing she wouldn't understand but deciding that he would talk to her normally so she would know he was trying to be friendly. "Did you sleep well?"

She looked at him, a bit warily but without any fear in her eyes. Then standing up, and holding the blanket tight around herself, she walked off behind some bushes.

He took a nearby stick and gave the fire another poke. He'd drunk quite a lot of coffee during the night but there was still a bit left of the pot he'd made a little earlier.

When the girl came back he poured them both a cup and handed one to her. She looked at it suspiciously, and gave it a sniff. Still, at least she was accepting things from him. She tasted it, and wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar flavour.

"We need to get you dressed," he commented. He pointed at her moccasins which he had placed close to the fire, and then at the packs. Her own pack was there, which he had seen contained a buckskin dress, as well as her companion's. The bandit's packs were there too, as were his. "Help yourself," he said, gesturing to all the packs and trying to indicate to her to look through them. He then got up and went off himself, both to give her some privacy and to freshen up after having been awake all night.

After relieving himself in the bushes, he went over to check on his horse. The large animal seemed contented, and was pleased to see his rider, blowing and snuffling at him. Patting the horse on the neck, he strolled over to the bank of the stream.

Having looked around, he took his hat and kerchief off, kneeled down and scooped water over his face, his head, and the back of his neck. Shaking his head to get some of it off, he stood up and rubbed his face with his kerchief which he then slung over his shoulder. Picking up his hat, he went downstream to see to all the other horses. Untying the two that had belonged to the rapists, he led them to the stream for a drink and then let them graze on the rough grass that grew nearby.

He heard a noise, and then the girl arrived leading the two Indian ponies. She was wearing the embroidered buckskin dress he had seen before, and a pair of buckskin pants that must have belonged to her dead companion as they seemed too large for her. Still, at least she would be able to ride in them.

After watering her horses, she crouched down and watched them eat. She kept her distance from the man and seemed understandably depressed.

"You watch them all for a while, lass," he said, waving his arm at all the horses which were contentedly munching on the course grass. With that, he walked back to the camp. He looked at her coffee mug, which was half empty, and grinned. He took some jerky from his pack, picked up her mug as well as his, and took them all back to the stream. Holding out her mug to her, he also offered her some of the dried meat. Again she took some, looked at it, sniffed it, and then tasted it. Satisfied that it wasn't too unpleasant, she started to chew on it.