Bia is actually the first to wake, I'm a tad behind her. I wake because she moves and I grabbed up a Colt. She's grinning and holding her hands up then sticks her tongue out. Well can't stand by and not return it so stick my tongue out. Then I get up and work on getting dressed, though Bia has a different idea. She comes right over and fastens to one breast. I'd swat her but I'm feeling a little pressure there. At least on the breast she isn't sucking on, so I let her keep going.
Chun seems to be up as well, she comes over and fastens on the other breast. Well this is nice though Bia isn't sharing Chun's desire for me. At least not that she has ever said, though perhaps she just wants to keep me comfortable. When they finish I finish getting dressed and collect my Winchester. Need to wake up the sergeant to leave, works well he does the coffee. Bia comes with me so we poke him a time or three. No reaction besides snorts so I sit on him. Not in a nice way like with Dan, I just drop right on him and he sits up with a pained expression.
"Ach lass that hurt." I put a finger to my lips and grin.
"Needed to move you and poke don't work. Get up and do coffee I'll be back with a coney." he nods and winks at me.
"Just don't mention this to Susan, she uses a glass of water."
I roll my eyes then get up so he can and get out of the way. Chun is already setting wood into the stove so he goes to help her. I pull the door open and step out with Bia following. Tad confused but maybe she knows how to move on the sly. Besides coney are easy to find I shouldn't have a problem. There is a well to the side of the house, almost behind I figure Bia is going there. She has a different idea, keeps following me. Quiet at least so I don't mind and we end up going a bit out.
"Why are we going this far?"
"So I don't scare the horses. The only time I hunt in camp is with pistols, we tend to hobble and tie them to a tree anyway."
"How much should I get to have a house when I find a man?" I look at Bia and sigh then shrug.
"I'm not rightly sure, depends greatly on what sort of house you want. Like that one can't be that expensive, and I never ordered one. I don't know how much they cost. I do know you need to know how to farm, and at least attending church every Sunday."
"Need a horse for farming."
"Well maybe, need a plow I know that, but a man or two can pull it. Slow work but it is possible. Course if you don't do big farm like we have shovels and couple people is enough."
"Would you think four hundred is enough?"
"Ask Andrew and Peter, need to know how much the house and fixings costs along with farm supplies. Now once you get that, you can get a plan, but you need to figure out which reservation and see if farm is possible." Bia opens her mouth until I put my hand up, got a coney in the bush.
She closes her mouth then reaches down and touches the grass a bit. Well this is mildly surprising, I didn't know the Apache women helped on hunts or knew how. She does it twice then the coney pokes out a bit. Nice big gray one so I'm liking this, then a little one comes out. With a sigh I lower my Winchester and we turn to go elsewhere.
"I was thinking Cherokee, they must have the same problem with men we do." I look at Bia and sigh then shrug.
"Can't say, last time we were there had plenty of both eyeing Dan and me. Still it might be they have run out of not related. Have captain send a letter, mayhap get men and women to come here. Not teaching you Tsalagi, if you do go man can." Bia snorts and giggles.
"I have same feeling. Round eye is good enough to talk with, more words."
"This is true, makes hard to learn."
We both giggle a moment then quiet down, the bush is moving a little. Bia reaches down to the grass to touch it as I bring up my Winchester. Runs her fingers through, once, then twice, and finally a third time. The bush opens and we have a good sized tan coney. Not as big as the gray but large enough for us. I don't shoot, wondering if another mom, but no little coneys. Raising my rifle the rest of the way getting the poor coney to freeze, I fire.
Not the best of angles, I was looking at the head straight to the shoulder. Still the bullet passes through the head, and shoulder. Not good for skin but otherwise we have coney. We both run over singing songs a bit happy about this. Bia collects my Bowie and starts to cut up the coney. Once she has the insides and the head removed she picks it up and we head back to the house.
"I wish you got pig more often." I sigh and shrug.
"I don't get the small ones. I think we can order pigs for a farm, Bipin and Elan seemed to like the idea of it."
"Do you think Chad would like farm them?" I have to shrug.
"No idea, I know we buy milk from him too. Wanda has complained that she keeps them running with her whoring. Not a big complaint, she likes doing it anyway." Bia snorts.
"Wanda wants sex with everyone."
That gets us both to giggle, it's true and funny. Back in the house Bia gets with sergeant to finish cutting up the coney. I get my Bowie back so that is nice. I sit with Dan and we have fritters with eggs and bacon.
"Bipin why did you not get Silvia?" Everybody stares at me so I roll my eyes. "I like the tortilla breakfast better."
"I will make it tomorrow." I smile at Bia then get a thought.
"If we do not stop in a ranch or reach town. Was told three days but we move fast." Dan nudges me.
"A ranch the wife would let Bia help." I nod and grin.
"Janet we are going to quarter the coney, there's too much for chili." I nod at sergeant then eye Bia, she nods with a grin.
"Coney added in for breakfast."
"Cook it tonight unless we get a stove." Chun looks up.
"Why not on the stove tonight?" I roll my eyes.
"Chun you sleep with our cook and don't know. Coney cook fast and easy on stove." Chun squeaks and turns pink.
"Janet do you want the skin?" I shake my head.
"My moccasins are not old and not worn much. Get another coney in morning so you have moccasins to trade." Bia grins at that, Cucaracha looks up.
"Why wouldn't she wear them?" Bia and I snort.
"Bia is whore and always around round eye. I never wear moccasins in town so round eye actually know I'm around." Cucaracha opens his mouth until Dan puts his hand up.
"She wears moccasins to hunt because you don't hear her. We wear boots which are noisy and drown out her barefoot. She refuses to wear anything but moccasins or nothing so nothing and the Apache followed." I think Cucaracha is going to ask another question, sergeant beats him to it.
"Ach sir, injuns wear moccasins to hunt with. Deadens the noise they make while walking. They also do in winter to stay warm." I shake my head.
"Keeps feet out of snow, to stay warm we do or sit together under blanket."
"Do what?" Cucaracha actually got to ask this time.
"Cook, pray for warmth. We know it don't work but it gets big fire and dancing so we warm. Usually sit in teepee around little fire most of winter. I did at least, lucky I am girl, we only cook and decide what do with hide. Men scout and go hunting, even in winter, we always need food and not be attacked." Dan nudges me.
"Sew, you said you can." I nod and shrug.
"Didn't think he wanted to know everything I would do in a tribe. Men attack, we pray they live and bring back things. Especially cloth, cloth is good for tribe, get shot less."
"Why shot less?" Everybody is staring at me now and I sigh.
"Sorry, was told before put in reservation. Usually we not wear much in summer, round eye men decide we try and steal their women so will shoot the men who try and trade. Now let's pack up and go."
Nobody seems to have anything to say about that so we pack up. Remainder of coffee is tossed and pots cleaned. Bedrolls are rolled up and everything goes on the horses. We follow everything on the horses and make our way after the trail. Elan is off to the left and I'm up front with Cucaracha, may as well teach him how to track.
"How do you tell which way they are going?" I really want to swat him a few times, perhaps even punch.
"Horse shoes have distinct front and back, just look at whole print and it shows. Dan come up and swat Cucaracha for me."
"Fool question, just wanted to make sure. Why is Elan over there?"
"If they turn that way he will know first. Round eye sometimes clever, get off horse and walk slow no print. Easier for injun, moccasin only coney hide, sometimes deer. In areas with little plant about can drag. Only work on round eye soldiers and sheriffs but tribe rarely attack another unless camp nearby."
"Drag what?"
"If have one buffalo hide fur down, creates little disturbance in dirt. Deer or wolf hides work in pinch."
"That gets rid of the print?" I shake my head.
"Makes look old trail, if not good tracker is fooled. Good tracker likely injun anyway. We create false trails as we go with the tribe, I got tasked with doing that many times, small and light so no tracks. Would run along with false trail and break twigs, bend grass so forth for distance then they fold up teepees and we catch up. We go slow enough to carry teepees for day sometimes as we travel."
"How did the soldiers catch up?" I shake my head.
"Did not catch up, we found them in fort. Apparently it was decide Cherokee should be rounded up, we were experiment on if work. Would have worked if McCalbane was not in charge of meat for tribe."
"Because you did have towns." I nod and sigh, we are back on the main path, Mohawk usually better, they must be worse off in tribe to forget way.
"Towns where small tribes stay, we were going to see about doing same. Soldiers offered better food than we would have at first so agree."
