"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
Greene felt the kick of the revolver and only just stopped himself taking a another shot. But he saw very quickly that there was no need. He just hoped there weren't anymore redskins around. He felt incredibly thirsty and pawed for the water canteen hanging from the horse furniture. He took a swig and looked down: he literally could not have dismounted the horse even if he'd tried. Fall off it, maybe, but not dismount. Not and get up again.
He looked down, his head swimming. There was the dead Indian, of course, the fallen army scout, who was now a woman, of course, and Caroline with a pebble in her hand, of course (he would always later claim it was a pebble: 'bravest woman I ever met - took on an Arapahoe warrior armed with a pebble') .
"Hello, Caroline. Better give your friend some water." he said, leaning forward as much as he dared to hand her the canteen.
"Joseph? What the hell you doin' here?" Caroline stared as she dropped the now useless rock.
"You know. Heroic things. Rescuing beautiful damsels... or being rescued by them. That sort of thing." It was all like a crazy dream. "I can't get off my horse" he told her a little woozily, pointing to his leg "I got shot."
Addy seemed OK if a little dented. "Is that Miss Chappel?" he asked. Some more of his men were appearing nearby - they'd heard the pistol crack.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"Beautiful damsels?" Staggering to her feet, Addy shook her head, trying to clear her eyes of tears. "I thought I was th' one that got hit on th' head." She managed to grin, but it hurt a powerful lot!
Reaching up, she took the agitated horse by the bridle and stroked its nose. "Easy there, it's all done...I hope." Then she looked up at Joseph. "Good ya stay up there, ya look like a Wednesday possum 'woke up on a Sunday." Once he was dismounted, there was no way she and Caroline were going to get him back up there, and he didn't look like he could make it far.
"Good ta see yer pretty visage, gotta say that!" Blinking, she looked around to see if the Indian's horse was still close by, so she and Caroline could have a ride, too. The lieutenant's injuries would need to be tended to, but this wasn't the place, they'd need to find a place to set up camp for the night.
Well, unless there were more boys in pretty blue uniforms nearby.
"What'er yer orders, sir?"
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Hello, Caroline. Better give your friend some water," the young officer, who she now noticed was wounded, now handed her a canteen which the saloon girl reached up for.
Addy was up on her feet and in good enough shape to make a quip though, she was tough alright. Caroline held out the canteen to the stage driver.
"Take some. When yer done, I'd like a few swigs. Less our dashing young general here happens to have some whisky on him?" Caroline figured he would not but - if by some miracle he did, she would avail herself of some. Addy noticed the same as Caroline that the officer might be best staying mounted.
A few more soldiers were closing in on them now, attracted by the shots fired. But it seemed to be all over, thank the Lord!
"Joseph....thank ya for findin' us. I thought we were goners," Caroline wanted to thank him.
"Oh, we heard a lot of shootin' earlier, did you run into the rest of the Indians? Hope you killed every last one of those bastards."
OOC: We could jump a bit further now to get this group and the Barlow and his detachment along with Flip's scouts together again in one thread? Start heading back toward Kalispell then?
Storyteller / Shared NPC
SOMETIME LATER
The group of cavalry soldiers and the two rescued women were now heading back to the camp. The two seriously wounded men were on travois. It was dark now and it was all anyone could do to stop their horses tripping in the dogholes as the small band traversed the seemingly limitless prairie.
Then there was a holler from ahead.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Benjamin gave up on the fruitless pursuit of the surviving war party, they were down a six or so anyhow and more than likely just heading back to their home village. If it was one thing the US cavalry learned about chasing Indians, you didn't catch 'em. Best horsemen in the world maybe. So he ordered his scouts and troopers to turn back and then spent the better part of a few hours just getting back to the rest of his command. It being dark did not help at all but the scouts were up to the task.
Once back he found out that a lot had happened - almost all good too, well except another trooper had been killed. But Lt. Greene found (had lucked into it really but no criticism there - it was the great Napoleon who had said 'better a lucky general than a good one') the women and they were alive. Looking a bit worse for wear but no dangerous wounds, the saloon girl was already wearing trousers and a bluecoat lent her by eager troopers. And Greene had a face to face encounter with an Arapaho brave looking to kill the ladies. That Indian was dead. Barlow didn't press the young officer on the details, that he could read in the report Greene would have to write out later back in the fort, for the young man was wounded and in considerable discomfort. They didn't have a doctor with this detachment but one of the troopers who knew something about wound treatment assured Benjamin the boy would live and keep his leg. Well unless he didn't take care of it properly and get gangrene.
The stage driver was quite the tough gal too. She was sporting a large bruise from where the Arapaho had belted her with his gun butt but in good humor and even told him that the two women had killed their guard and escaped on their own. Barlow was impressed.
"Well, it's a pity we don't allow women in the army, we could use a couple more like you and your friend," Benjamin remarked to Addy.
It was a tough call to make - normally traveling at night was not the wise thing to do but they had the wounded to think of and the sooner they got them back to better medical care at the fort or even town, the better. He decided darkness or not, they would head back and issued the appropriate orders.
They kept the pace deliberately slow but steady. He wasn't worried about Indian attack - Plains Indians did not attack at night and besides that war party was good as destroyed and definitely dispersed. No, the bigger danger was loss of a horse or horses to prairie dog holes or god knows what else whilst traveling in the darkness.
Then there was a holler from ahead.
The Dealer had a knife and the dog had a gun and the cat had a shot of Rye.
Isiah had promised Weedy that they would leave at first light the next morning to go and meet up with Addy. Well neither of them could sleep, maybe dozing off a time or two, but there was no use in sitting around here and pretending to rest! They were both eager to get to her. Isiah had no idea what time it was when he told the boy to come and help him get the wagon and horses ready. Weedy eagerly agreed and in no time they were ready to hit the trail. Isiah tucked his young son Josh in the back of the wagon and made Weedy ride back there too. Isiah felt sure that everything would be fine, but felt they were better protected in the back.
Isiah had no idea how long they'd been riding when the morning sun finally started to peak through. He knew he'd be a stranger to most of the people he'd come in contact with whenever they met up with the group, since he was new to town, but hopefully they wouldn't see him as a threat. He'd approach cautiously whenever he finally met up with them. He hoped he'd taken the directions that Hector had given him correct and that he was headed in the right direction. Just when he started to doubt himself he saw some folks up ahead.
He slowed his horses. "Hello!" he called, raising his hand, hoping to show that he was here in peace. He had been a soldier himself during the war so he knew those he was approaching, after everything they had been through, would be on edge about anyone approaching them. "I'm looking Addy Chappel." He announced, if they had her, then giving her name would hopefully show that he was a good guy. He looked eagerly among the folks approaching looking for her familiar face.
"Sir, wagon up ahead," the point trooper had pulled up on his reins then turned his head to inform his officer.
Captain Barlow nodded, that it was alright, a civilian wagon. One man driving it apparently. He's one lucky bastard that it was the cavalry he had run into and not that Arapaho war party.
The man slowed his horses. "Hello!" he called, raising his hand, "I'm looking Addy Chappel."
Benjamin sat back in his saddle, "We've got her right here."
Then he turned his head to look deeper into the column, "Miss Chappel! Seems you got company!"
When Uncle Isiah finally decided it was time to get on the road, Weedy was at the barn in a flash, easily finding his way around in the dim light of the lanterns, showing Isiah which horses to use, and which harness went with which horse, and while the team was getting hitched, the boys grabbed some blankets, filled canteens with water, and some cookies and sandwiches that Jemima had helped them make earlier.
Once they were on the road, he stood with Josh behind the seat, helping with directions until they were far enough from town that he just didn't know any more, and then he just peered anxiously at the road ahead of them.
"There! There!" Weedy shouted excitedly, spotting the soldiers after Isiah had called out.
"We've got her right here."
"Miz Addy!" As anxious as he was to make sure for himself that his friend was all right, Weedy had the good sense to stay put until he was told he could get out of the wagon.
____________
At first, Addy had insisted she was fine, and could ride the Indian horse bareback by herself, and she really was doing well to begin. But as the night wore on, the events started to catch up with her, and she started dozing, so, to prevent a bad spill, she'd ended up sitting in front of a trooper and ponying the horse.
Even so, she never completely fell asleep, and the call from a familiar voice jerked her wide awake. "Isiah?" Blinking, she focused on the approaching wagon and the familiar faces looking back.
With a grin, she glanced at Caroline. "We done made it," she muttered, too tired to get off the horse, and besides, she didn't want to be on her feet again until she had proper boots for them!
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
Like a lot of the men, a dead beat and wounded Greene just wanted to get back to the fort. Ostensibly, his main concern was for the other wounded men and the rescued ladies but right now, much as he liked Caroline, if he could have been automatically transferred back to his bed at the fort with someone to attend to his leg, he would have snapped the offer up!
Therefore, the sight of the wagon was a mixed blessing: these people might have food, fresh water and even be able to carry the wounded fellows on the travois in more comfort; but they also represented an inevitable delay. His worst fears were confirmed when a happy family reunion commenced, complete with a couple of little brats in the wagon popped their head up.
He could only hope that Barlow would deal with these new civilians with the same brisk and no nonsense manner he reserved for the men in his command.
"Oh shit, what now?! Some idiot's brought his kids out to see the Injuns!" breathed the trooper nearest to him.
"Steady, now, steady, ladies present!" the lieutenant admonished, but the man had actually voiced his own personal thoughts.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
When her brother lifted her down from the horse, Addy found herself blinking tears, exhaustion, hunger, the strain of her and Caroline's ordeal catching up to her now that she didn't have to be 'strong' any more. Holding Isiah tightly, she hid her face in his shoulder, breathing deeply, letting him take care of her for just a moment, before pulling back and wiping her eyes.
"He's right, we can put th' more gravely wounded in th' back of th' wagon, an' Miss Caroline can ride on th' seat." She was pretty sure that the other young woman had had enough of sitting on a horse. "Can head ta town, or to th' fort, don't matter none." Just so long as they eventually got home, but it was important that the wounded be properly tended. "Doc Jonah's in town, he can see ta them wounded if need be."