Chapter 7

The next morning, all three were up just after dawn. Jake and Sue, after a quick visit to the local undergrowth, headed for the stream to wash after their activities of the night before. Still naked, the task of getting thoroughly clean in such a small stream seemed to involve lots of splashing – as much of each other as of themselves.

Grey Cloud watched all the commotion from a short distance away. They were obviously having fun and she still marvelled at how close their relationship was. It was unlike anything in her limited experience.

She bent down by the stream, a few paces away from the others, to wash her face in the cool water. No sooner was she on her knees, with her face just above water level and her bottom in the air, than a large splash of cold water hit her back and shoulders. She jumped up, gasping, only to be grabbed and embraced by a very wet and laughing Sue. Grey Cloud shivered as the other girl's cold body pressed against her, and she could feel Sue's breasts pressing against hers. She smiled back at Sue, but was caught by surprise when the other girl leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

"Good morning," Sue laughed, and then, taking Grey Cloud's hand, she pulled her the short distance to where Jake was still standing in the stream, watching them.

Pushed into a three-way embrace with two very-wet bodies, Grey Cloud looked up to see Jake's eyes on her. Sue and Jake pulled her close and she rested her head on Jake's shoulder. This was all so different than her life just three days ago.

A short while later, Sue and Grey Cloud were tending the fire, boiling some water and making koffeee, while Jake was off preparing the horses. Grey Cloud was looking into the fire, obviously lost in her thoughts, so Sue asked her: "What are you thinking?"

Grey Cloud started, her thoughts interrupted. "Oh, er, I was just thinking ... about last night."

"I thought you were," Sue commented. "Did we shock you?"

"No, it wasn't that. It was that you seemed to enjoy it. You seemed to want it. It was like you were taking him rather than him taking you."

"Well, we both enjoy it. So we just do it when we want and how we want. Sometimes Djaik is on top, sometimes I am. It is good both ways."

"How do you enjoy it? Doesn't it just hurt you? I know I never enjoyed it when Bent Stick did it to me."

"I didn't enjoy it when the two white men raped me," Sue told her, putting her arm around the younger girl. "That was my first time and it was horrible. But a few days later, when I saw how kind Djaik was to me, I let him do it and it was so different. It is part of the love I have for him and I am happy to go with him whenever he wants. And he is happy with me too."

"You are so lucky," Grey Cloud mumbled. "I don't think that will ever happen to me, now I am just your slave."

"You are not our slave," Sue told her. "We just agreed to that to get you away from that situation. Have we treated you like a slave? You are just with us now."

"But..."

"Ssshh. Don't worry about it. We like having you with us."

"Djaik too?" Grey Cloud asked, surprised.

"Yes, Djaik too. If he didn't like you then you wouldn't have been in bed with us last night. He even held you when he made love to me. So I know he likes you."

"Oh!" exclaimed Grey Cloud, surprised. That gave her more to think about as she looked back into the fire again.

"Here," Sue told her, handing her a beaker of liquid. "Have some of this special tea."

Jake and Sue were ready to leave for Ennistown. They were leaving Grey Cloud at the camp, together with the two pack horses.

"Remember," Jake told her. "You stay out of sight of trail. No one know you here."

"It is too early to take you to the white man's town," Sue explained again. "We are looking to see if we can find out about these attacks and we can't be looking after you."

"Sorry I need looking after," Grey Cloud said in a small voice, looking down at the floor again.

"You don't know white men, and you don't know their language," Sue told her gently. "There will be plenty of time later for you to learn all those things. But now you just stay out of sight. You can check on my snares and reset them."

"You be careful," Jake told her. "Here..." and he pulled from his pack the gun he had showed her how to fire the day before. "It loaded and ready. You just pull hammer and pull trigger. Keep it close to you but not use unless you have to. Other men may hear and come look for you."

He pulled a second one from his pack. "Two the same. One shot each."

Grey Cloud just looked at him, a gun in each hand and a fearful look in her eyes.

"If we not back by tomorrow, you go back village. Do not come looking for us."

She stared at him. That was the most he had ever said to her. And was it so dangerous?

Sue guessed what she was thinking. "You should be safe here. But we are only two hours from the white man's town so you stay in the rocks out of sight. We will be fine, and so will you. We will probably be back tonight but might stay until morning. You wait until tomorrow afternoon and then go, away from here."

And Sue then stepped over to her and gave her a hug. When she released her Jake did the same, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead as he did so. Then they both turned and mounted their horses, gave Grey Cloud one quick wave, and rode off to Ennistown.

An hour later the pair of them rode down out of the low hills onto the plain that would take them to Ennistown. They joined the trail that had been on their left, at a lower level, the whole way.

A river curved in on their right and they could see smoke in the air. As they got closer, they could see that the smoke came from a collection of buildings close to the riverbank. Partly made of stone, the largest building had a large chimney and that was the source of the smoke. This must be the smelter they had heard about.

Beyond that was a typical town. It seemed to be a bit larger than their own home of Johnson City with about twice the number of buildings. Jake decided that they would ride in there first and see how things were. He would go to the saloon, there would surely be one, and see what he could find out by talking. Sue would go to the general store and do the same.

In fact, they went to the store first. It was quite large and seemed well stocked. A portly, grey-haired man was behind the counter. Jake checked to make sure that there would be no trouble with Sue being an Indian, but the man seemed quite relaxed about it especially as she came in with Jake. Or maybe it was the revolver at her waist that kept him silent. Still, Jake left her looking at the stock to see if she needed anything and went on to the saloon.

It was quite quiet mid-morning. A barkeeper was behind the bar with a few bottles on a shelf behind him. There were several tables in the room but only one had a couple of men seated at it, moodily looking at the glasses in front of them.

"Howdy stranger," the barkeep greeted him with the time-honoured welcome. "What'll you have?"

"I'll take a beer please," Jake replied, looking around the room. When he saw no threat, he leaned against the bar, positioning himself so he could watch the barkeep, the door and the two men at the table.

The beer was a little warm, but not too unpleasant, as Jake took a mouthful or two.

"You're new hereabouts?" the bartender asked him. Clearly he was happy to chat on this quiet morning.

"Yeah, I just rode in. Came past that big smoky building by the river. What the hell is that?"

"Ah," was the reply. "That's our local industry. It melts rocks or something. Seems if you melt rocks you get metal out of it."