William Johnstone - Eyes of Eagles

“I’ve never seen a thousand people all together,” Kate said wistfully. “The city must be filled with all sorts of grand shops.”

“Do you want to go there, Kate?”

“That’s up to you, Jamie. But we’ve got to have supplies; we’re out of everything.”

“And we’ve got to pick up a pack horse and a new tent,” Jamie said with a sigh. At times he felt like the weight of the world was on his strong young shoulders. “Well... it can’t be helped. We’ve got to go there, and we’ve got to outfit. We’ve got to stock up with powder and lead. Kate, when we leave the city, we’ll head straight west, into the Ouachitas. That Quapaw I talked to said we could lose our pursuers in there.” The friendly Quapaw had also told Jamie it was a dandy place for him to set up an ambush, and kill those tracking them, but Jamie didn’t tell Kate that. Although he certainly kept that thought in the back of his mind.

“Whatever you say, Jamie.”

Kate was tired and her face showed the strain of traveling through the wilderness. Having known nothing but brutally hard work since childhood, this venture was no more than a lark to Jamie. But he knew it was tough on Kate. Riding sidesaddle through the wilderness was awkward and uncomfortable.

“Ah, Kate,” Jamie said, not quite sure how she would receive this suggestion. “There is one other thing we can buy when we get to the city.”

“Oh?”

“A regular saddle and some men’s britches for you to wear.”

She smiled mischievously. “Why, Jamie, you know that a proper young lady does not sit a horse astride.”

“It was just a suggestion, Kate.”

She laughed at the crestfallen look on his face. “Oh, Jamie! I think it’s a wonderful suggestion. With me not having to sit perched on that stupid saddle like a queen, we can make much better time. And if I get a big floppy hat and loose clothing, I can cut my hair short and pass for a boy.”

Jamie looked at her. He had his doubts about that last bit. Nobody but a babbling idiot would ever take Kate for a boy. But he was learning fast about being married. “Uh ... right, Kate. You’re right.”

* * *

“We got a big group of men followin’ us,” Trent Newby said, flopping down on the ground and pouring a cup of coffee from the battered pot.

“The law?” Waymore Newby asked.

“What law?” Ford Newby asked. “There ain’t no damn law in this territory — at least none that could, or would, tackle us. Mayhaps them folks is trailin’ the same two we is?”

“Possibility,” John Newby said. “You mighty quiet, Bart. What you got rumblin’ ’round in your noggin?”

“Where are we goin’ with this, John? We done left hearth and home way back behind us. Are we west of the river for good?”

“For as long as it takes us to find them two kids and avenge our brothers.”

“That might take years, John.”

“Then it’ll take years. What the hell have we got to go back to?”

“Good point,” Waymore said. “Best thing for us is never to go east of the Mississippi. By now, the law has done put together who kilt them old people and torched their store. We cain’t never go back.”

The five brothers sat around the fire, morosely staring at the flames, letting that information slowly sink in.

Waymore broke the silence. “I’m gonna kill that kid and use that gold-haired girl hard.”

“And then pass her around,” Bart said.

“Yeah. That too.”

* * *

Jamie paid a farmer on the outskirts of town a dollar to look after their horses, and two dollars to let them use his wagon to go into the city. The farmer hadn’t seen three dollars in hard money in months, so he jumped at the offer. He was happier still when Jamie said he would bring the man back a sack of sugar and flour and some coffee.

“Bless your hearts,” his wife said.

Jamie had been astonished when he’d opened the bag of money Sam had given him. He knew it had been awfully heavy, but since he had a little money of his own — Sam had insisted on paying him for the work around the farm, and Jamie had saved most of it — he had not opened the bag until a few days before reaching Little Rock.

“Sam is very wealthy, Jamie,” Kate told him. “He comes from a very rich family back east. So does Sarah. Both families see to it that they want for naught.” She smiled and her eyes sparkled. “Did you ever hear why two educated and sophisticated people like them left the lights of the city and came to be in the wilds of Kentucky?”

“No. But I often wondered.”

“Well, I don’t know all the story, but Sarah has told me a little bit about it. Sam and Sarah were quite young when they fell in love. Even younger than us. But another family wanted their son to marry Sarah. There was a fight, and Sam killed the boy’s father and had to flee just ahead of the law. The warrants have long since been cleared, but they like it on the frontier and just don’t want to go back.”

“That’s why he was so eager to help us,” Jamie said slowly, as the two of them bumped and lurched along in the wagon.

“I’m sure that’s part of the reason. The main reason is they both love you.”

Jamie didn’t know how he felt about that. He did know that it made him feel bad, sort of.

Kate picked up on his mood and put a hand on his arm. “Don’t feel badly about it, Jamie. Sarah told me they could never expect to hold you back there. She said you were like an eagle, you had to fly and see through the eyes of eagles. Sam was there and he agreed. He said you were born for the wild country, for the mountains and desert and the wilderness. They questioned me at length about my love for you and the type of life I would probably lead if I left with you. It isn’t going to be easy, Jamie. I know that. We’re going into country that few white people have ever seen. But it’s what I want. That, and to be with you.”

“I don’t really know where we’re going, Kate. Not yet. But no man could ask a woman for more than you just said. And there’s the city, Kate.”

Neither one of them knew if there really were a thousand people in the city, but it was more people than either one of them had ever seen all gathered in one place.

“I’d love to shop some,” Kate said. “But I know that we cannot risk lingering long. We’ll shop together as quickly as we can, and then leave. All right?”

Jamie nodded his head and pulled the wagon around to the side of a huge general store. He let the horses drink and then he and Kate walked into the store. Place had more stuff in it than either of them had ever seen. It would make Abe Caney’s store back in Kentucky pale in comparison.

Jamie had spread his money around to various pockets of his homespuns that he had changed into at the farmer’s cabin. Kate had also sewn pockets at the top of his high-top moccasins for most of the money. He knew better than to flash a lot of gold around. While Kate did her woman’s shopping, Jamie bought lead and powder and a mold. Then, after signaling Kate he was stepping outside for a moment, he went next door to a gun and leather shop and bought four used pistols, another rifle, more powder, and a saddle. He could make powder if he had to, for he’d watched the Shawnees do it, combining saltpeter, found in certain types of caves, sulfur, and charcoal... but the homemade stuff was not dependable and tended to be very volatile, igniting when one least expected it, often with disastrous results to the party not expecting harm. He loaded that in the wagon and returned to Kate’s side. The store was very busy, and that was good, for it gave no one a chance to really stare long at them or to ask any questions. Jamie bought several sheets of canvas and a small container of tar, which he would use to thinly coat the material to make it waterproof. He bought lengths of rope, two good knives, two hatchets and two axes and a small sharpening stone. Then they loaded up and drove on down the street to another store and bought the rest of their supplies, including eating utensils and britches and shirts for Kate. At the livery, Jamie dickered some with a man and left leading two strong pack horses and rigs to carry all their supplies.