Chapter 6

Grey Cloud's heart started racing and she found her skin getting clammy. Now she would find out what they meant to do with her. The couple, and they obviously were a couple, had seemed so nice but they were strangers and had strange ways. And Sue had killed Bent Stick so easily yesterday. What would happen to her?

Jake looked at the young girl sitting opposite him. Her head was down, her face was hidden by her hair, and she was almost shaking.

"We hunting bad men," Jake told her. "Bad men attack wagon from hole in ground and kill drivers. We go looking."

Jake looked to Sue as her Shoshone was better than his, and she took up the story. She told Grey Cloud about the wagons, and the attackers. She told her how there had been arrows found, but also clothing had gone missing and would Indians have taken boots? And she told her about the shod hoof print they had found.

"If we find men, it could be killing. It dangerous. No want you in danger when you not ready," Jake broke in

Grey Cloud's heart sank. So they didn't even want her. They would leave her here and she would grow old and die with no one to look out for her because no one would want her after Bent Stick. And she had spent the night with a white man even if nothing happened and she would be outcast.

"But we know we can't leave you here," Sue continued. "You are our responsibility now."

"So you come with," Jake told her. "But if trouble you hide, stay back, not ready and not want hurt."

The young girl nodded, still looking at the floor. At least they wouldn't abandon her. But she knew she wasn't like these people. It was obvious Sue was dangerous, and though she hadn't seen Djaik do anything particularly she couldn't imagine that Sue would be with a man who wasn't at least as dangerous as her.

The two travellers looked at the hunched over figure of the young girl, obviously confused and worried about the future. Sue moved to sit next to her and put her arm around her. "We are leaving this morning and you are coming with us," she said quietly. "We shall be coming back so you don't need any heavy items, they can stay here for the moment. Djaik has arranged it. But you need to take things for a few days. Let us go and see what you have and get ready."

Sue jumped to her feet, pulling the younger girl up by her hand, and still holding hands made off towards the tepee. Jake watched them go, finished his coffee, recovered and emptied the coffee pot, and followed on a short while later.

When he entered the tepee he found, in the dull light inside, Grey Cloud standing in the middle completely naked with their packs and other bundles scattered about. All he could see of Sue was her bottom as she bent over one of her packs with her head almost inside. Sue heard him enter but didn't stand up.

"She has no clothes for travelling," she muttered with her head still in amongst the contents of her pack. "Just one dress and she can't travel like that!"

Realising that this was something best left to Sue, Jake went back outside to get the horses ready. He had only just started when the two boys appeared and helped him take them to the stream, further down than the camp, where they could drink. They then led them back to the tepee.

By now Sue had dressed Grey Cloud. The girl was wearing a pair of Sue's pants, though they seemed a little baggy on her, with one of her own dresses on top. The pants would stop her being rubbed as they were riding.

The dress was held in at her waist by a belt, although she was so skinny she didn't really seem to have much waist or hips. Jake wondered at first but then realised that it was Bent Stick's belt with his knife in a sheath on it. It was far too large but had been knotted so it fitted well enough not to slide off. She was wearing knee-high moccasins and Sue was using a length of rawhide cord to pull Grey Cloud's hair back away from her face. If anything, it made her look even younger.

Jake picked up one of the pack saddles and took it outside. He showed the boys what he was doing and they helped as much as they could, carrying bundles that Sue put out for them from the teepee's doorway to the horses.

A short while later, the party was ready to depart. The four horses were saddled and laden. Bent Stick's piebald was ready too, though Grey Cloud's small bundle was on one of the pack horses. She looked at the pony nervously. This was a man's horse. Whenever they had travelled before, she had walked and only the men rode. She had been shown how to ride a horse when she was younger, but hadn't done it for a while.

Grey Cloud noticed that Sue was riding using a white man's saddle on her black horse, which was bigger than the piebald pony. Sue was also wearing a white man's hat, and boots - she had taken off her moccasins and put boots on. Why had she done that? Djaik had done the same but then he was a white man so she would have expected him to wear boots even though he wore moccasins around the camp.

Once everyone was safely mounted, Jake leant down to the two boys. "Thank you for help," he told them. "I show more when come back."

Pale Horse had come to see them off. He was of two minds seeing his daughter with them. He was sorry she was leaving, but pleased for her that she was no longer being abused by Bent Stick. He had been horrified to see her marks and bruises yesterday - how could a man treat his woman like that? But now she was with a white man, and who knows what that will bring?

Jake turned to the chief. "We back in few days. We need to go now to catch men."

"I understand," Pale Horse assured him. "We will be here for a while yet so you should find us easily when you get back."

The white man raised his hand to acknowledge that and then turned his horse, leading his own packhorse. Sue followed with hers, and Grey Cloud followed on at the rear.

Striking back to the site of their meeting with Pale Horse the day before, they picked up the road to Ennistown at about midday. Jake decided to take a break, particularly as Grey Cloud was unused to making long journeys on horseback. She already seemed to be rather stiff when she dismounted, and had to stagger a few steps before her legs began to work properly.

With full canteens from their overnight stop, they settled down for a simple meal in the high ground overlooking the trail.

Grey Cloud was interested to find a new use for white men's hats - when filled with water horses could drink from them! After Jake had let his horse Blaze drink Grey Cloud took over his hat and looked after the pack horse and her own piebald pony. Sue was doing the same with her two.

Once the horses were watered, and happily munching on the sparse grass that grew thereabouts, it was time for the humans to eat some pemmican that they had been given back at the village. All the time, Sue and Jake were talking with Grey Cloud about what they were doing, how looking after the horses came first and how they ensured that they wouldn't wander far (they were all loosely tied together and as Blaze wouldn't leave the area, nor would any of the others).

While they rested, Jake took a stone from his pack. Sue handed him her knife, that she had used so shockingly effectively yesterday, and he gave it a few strokes with the stone to ensure its edge was back to razor sharpness. He then held out his hand for Grey Cloud's. It had been Bent Stick's and, although he had a bit of a reputation as a knife fighter, he hadn't looked after it very well. Jake pointed out the nicks on the blade, and the blunt areas, and showed Grey Cloud how to work to remove the imperfections and to sharpen it, and then how to hone the edge. She watched attentively, pleased that he was taking the time to instruct her and wasn't treating her as she had expected a slave to be.

Once he was happy with the knife, which was not the best quality but would be serviceable enough, Jake returned it to her. He then went to his pack and pulled out a gun!