Chapter 26: Marie

Marie sobbed once and then held her hands up to Red Feather. He drew his knife and cut her bonds. Marie then pointed to the stream and Red Feather nodded. As she got up and turned to walk to the water. She screamed from the pain in her tormented feet. But, Marie gritted her teeth and got to the water where she waded in.

The cold water was soothing to her feet, even if it was only temporary relief of sorts. Between labor pains, she managed to scrub herself reasonably clean. She also got her first drink since her capture. How sweet that tasted! Marie's labor would last an agonizing eighteen hours.

The time was well into dark of the evening when the baby was born, quickly and with relative ease, despite the long labor that had preceded the birth. Fortunately for Marie, there were no complications for either the baby or herself. It turned out to be a new potential warrior! Red Feather seemed quite pleased with this.

Although some short of full term, the baby appeared normal and healthy.

Thank God, thought Marie.

Common sense helped Marie do what was needed with the umbilical cord and the afterbirth. Helping at birthings in Naw'lins had been good training for her now. Although totally exhausted, Marie seemed to come through the events of the last forty-eight hours quite well, over all.

Red Feather made two concessions. He produced a second blanket, less smelly, for the baby. He also had spent the long day of Marie's labor, among other ways, fashioning a pair of moccasins for Marie.

He said to Marie, "You sleep. We go sun come!"

Oh God, thought Marie, I'll never make it. As if I weren't sore enough already, not I have to add the soreness of birthing to it all!

Before sunup, Red Feather was up and making preparations to leave. He brought out a stick of Pemmican and bade Marie eat. At least Marie now had the freedom of her hands and the ability to step into the brush to relieve her bladder and bowels in peace and privacy. Small gains, but a tremendous boost to morale.

Marie had not really noticed before, but another concession had been made. A second horse had been left behind by the other warriors! It was one they had taken from the Owens homestead, one Marie was used to riding!

Now it looks like I am in for a sore butt along with everything else, thought Marie, but it beats walking!

They mounted and rode out, in trail. Marie understood she would get nowhere, naked and burdened with a newborn, if she tried to escape. So, she rode docilely, for now, behind Red Feather, no leash and no tied hands. She intuitively understood, that if she tried to run, and if she survived at all, there would be severe retribution.

It took them two days to catch up to the rest of the raiding party. Red Feather and Marie rode into their camp just at sunset. There was rejoicing all around at news of the baby, except for Angry Bear. He just snorted and went off by himself. Once again, Marie was given very little to eat.

In the wee hours of that night, Marie blinked wide awake and sat up with a sense of blind fear. She quickly checked the baby and found him dead. All Marie's grief returned ten fold and nearly overwhelmed her. Her quiet sobbing awakened Red Feather. Upon finding the cause, he just shrugged and said, "Wakan Tanka take."

"Wwwhaat?" stammered Marie.

Red Feather replied, "Great Spirit of sky, him want baby now."

After sunrise, and before breaking camp, Red Feather hastily built a small burial platform in a tree of the grove sheltering their campsite. The baby was laid to rest on this platform with an abbreviated ceremony. The small band then rode out.

Marie's status as a captive slave was again made clear as she was once again forced to walk. With escape, at least for the time being, still futile, she was unbound and didn't have a leash. The moccasins helped, but her feet were still in bad shape. The night of the birth, Red Feather had made up something from some plants and smeared it on her feet. That helped considerably.

I guess he wants me to make it to wherever they are taking me, thought Marie.

When the party came to a fork in the Brazos, they headed in a southwesterly direction, following the Pease River valley. Three more days of travel brought them to a small Indian village of tepees. They were sited some distance off from the village and young men on ponies and young boys on foot flooded out to meet the incoming group. Cheers and congratulations met the victorious raiding party.

But hoots of derision and a pelting of thrown stones, dung, rotten food, and such along with blows from anything handy; sticks, bows, canes, quirts was the greeting for Marie!

Damn, she thought, what else am I going to have to endure? Will it never end? Although it came naturally to the rivermen, I was never one to use profanity, but it seems to have crept into my thoughts no little bit since my capture.

Marie sensed that her life was going to be difficult for the foreseeable future.

Red Feather led Marie to a lodge further in the circle of the encampment. In front of the east facing lodge opening, stood two women. Marie found it hard to guess the ages of Indians, male or female, but she thought the one looked to be about the same age as Red Feather, or about mid thirties.