"What? Rope a moose?" Without missing a beat, Justus spun Mule around and gigged him into a slow trot. "She was right back here, right? An' I reckon that baby'll fit in yer room, it's pretty small."
The gait was bouncy, but Justus was accustomed to it, and made care to keep Constance secure as he continued. "Be a few months at least until she starts gettin' real big, an' I reckon by that time she'll be tame enough ta keep in th' yard. Heck, I could break her so ya could ride her, just like a horse!"
He intentionally tried to not give her a chance to reply. "Whatch think'll be a good name? Maybe Millie Moose? Or Malachi fer a boy? This is where we seen 'em, right?"
Finally, he stopped the horse. "We'll hafta walk inta th' woods ta find..." Frowning, he finally fell silent, listening. "Ya hear that?" Off in the woods came a series of low cries, a bit like a calf calling its mama, but a different tone.
"Somethin's wrong. I'm gonna go see." Sliding to the ground, he handed Constance Mule's reins.
He now turned his horse about? What was going on?
"What? Rope a moose?" Without missing a beat, Justus spun Mule around and gigged him into a slow trot. "She was right back here, right? An' I reckon that baby'll fit in yer room, it's pretty small."
"Don't be ridiculous, Justus," she frowned then as the horse was doing a faster pace she became a bit more concerned about falling off the horse rather than worrying any moose.
"Be a few months at least until she starts gettin' real big, an' I reckon by that time she'll be tame enough ta keep in th' yard. Heck, I could break her so ya could ride her, just like a horse!"
"I know you cannot possibly think I was serious about the baby. Let's not get carried away here," she declared but he kept right on talking.
"Whatch think'll be a good name? Maybe Millie Moose? Or Malachi fer a boy? This is where we seen 'em, right?"
She was not going to play his little game anymore and refused to answer.
Finally, he stopped the horse. "We'll hafta walk inta th' woods ta find..."
Nope, she was not going to budge, no traipsing about after some wild creatures.
Frowning, he finally fell silent, listening. "Ya hear that?" Off in the woods came a series of low cries, a bit like a calf calling its mama, but a different tone.
"I do, is that our little mooseling?" she realized that part was not a joke as she heard it also.
"Somethin's wrong. I'm gonna go see."
"Wait, what? You leaving me with the horse...by myself? What if Mule takes off?" she was alarmed.
"This was not the picnic I was promised," she pointed out.
"Oh, oh, right." Turning back, Justus took Mule's reins and dropped them on the ground then lifted Constance from the saddle. "He's ground-tied...he won't go nowhere, but if he does, don't try'n grab him, just let him go." He grinned. "Ol Mule's too lazy ta go far."
While he was at it, he grabbed the rope from the saddle, then shrugged. "We'll get our picnic, promise. I'll just check this out, then we can be on our way." At least, that was what he had in mind.
"You could come with me, but yer pretty dress might get caught in th' brambles." The newborn's panicked cry was met by the mother's bellowing reply. "Shouldn't be but a few minutes." He hesitated. "Well, unless it's a cougar botherin' th' calf...then, just follow Mule home, you'll be fine." He grinned.
He lifted her off the saddle and set her down gently upon the grass, saying something about the horse being ground tied. Constance glanced downward, he'd just dropped the reins , no tying involved? Must be a cowpoke saying?
Justus grabbed the rope from the saddle, then shrugged. "We'll get our picnic, promise. I'll just check this out, then we can be on our way."
Of course she wasn't going to try and stop him. For all they knew the cries of that creature meant it was in some distress. Least it proved he had a heart.
"You could come with me, but yer pretty dress might get caught in th' brambles."
"That is my problem then, dresses can be fixed," she pointed out, not wanting to left standing there all alone.
"Shouldn't be but a few minutes." He hesitated. "Well, unless it's a cougar botherin' th' calf...then, just follow Mule home, you'll be fine." He grinned.
"Glad you are so amused. Well, I have news for you, Mr. Gibbs, I am going with you. You do have a gun on you I take it," she was not going to be talked out of this.
"Yeah, sure, all right," Justus agreed when Constance insisted on accompanying him, admiring her moxie, and that she was willing to help a critter that might be potentially in need. "'Course, ya'd be with Mule," he muttered under his breath, but he chuckled as he untied gloves and a rope from the cantle of the saddle.
"Didn't bring a gun, but I got a knife." He shrugged, more serious. "Anything comes up too dangerous, we'll turn back." Then he grinned. "Stay close."
As he started trampling a path through the brush and huckleberry briars to make the way for Constance. "Wish I had my chaps," he commented, reaching to help her over a log, "wouldn't tear up my britches so much!" After this, he'd need a new pair of 'Go to Meetin'' pants!
"We're gettin' closer." Along with the back and forth bellowing between baby and mama, they could now hear the trickling of a stream, and after a moment, the landscape opened a bit, revealing the problem...
"A knife? What if we run into Indians?" Constance was shocked he was so confident.........errr, maybe foolish? Not that this issue was Indians but the danger could still lurk about, who knew where Indians were until they came after you.
Justus told her to stay close, she intended to. Well, he was right about one thing just before, the brambles, branches were problems and she got caught up in them with her long dress several times. Once the dress ripped even, she'd just have to fix it when they got back. She also got some scratches on her arms, even wearing long sleeves.
"Wish I had my chaps," he commented, reaching to help her over a log, "wouldn't tear up my britches so much!"
"Yes, this is worse than I had imagined," she agreed, no wonder the West was often called a wilderness.
"We're gettin' closer." Along with the back and forth bellowing between baby and mama, they could now hear the trickling of a stream, and after a moment, the landscape opened a bit, revealing the problem...
Constance was shocked, the baby had fallen into the water and was struggling to get out. Mama was upset but had no way to rescue her calf.
"Oh my! We have to help them. The poor thing!" she was not ready to stand there and watch that young animal drown.
"We can do it!" Constance meant it too, even if she had to jump in, she was willing.
She really was a trooper, and Justus had to allow that Constance was all right! Not that he'd ever had the impression that she was some shrinking violet, overly concerned with frivolities that didn't matter. That said, he'd make sure she had a new dress after this...it wasn't as if he had anything to spend his pay on anyway, and her torn skirts were his fault.
"So, um..." Justus really had no idea what to do, except that he had to get the mama to back off some so it was safe to approach the calf. "SHOO!" he shouted, waving his arms at the mama moose might back off. She looked at them from across the stream and snorted, but actually did trot off to the tree line, where she stopped to watch.
The action also frightened the little calf, who struggled to clamber up the bank to no avail.
"I'm gonna go give him a boost," he told Constance, then waded into the water. Being snow melt, it was cold, but it only came up to his mid-shins, so it wasn't hard to ford. "Watch Mama, let me know if she looks like she's gonna charge."
Approaching cautiously, he muttered, "It's okay, little Mortimer, I'm just gonna help." The baby bellowed and struggled, and that was when it became apparent that he was somehow stuck. Frowning, Justus got closer and ran his hands down the calf's hind legs, avoiding any blows from its swinging head.
"His leg is stuck!" he called back to Constance. "I need ta move th' rock, but it's too heavy!"
"Chase it off?" Constance wondered if the upset mother would really just let some human run her off? Too bad she did not realize they were only goint to try to help save her baby.
But as she watched him wave his arms and yell loudly, it at least got the big beast's attention. She then joined in with her own shouts. Well the mother did not run off but it did move further down the riverbank then pause to watch the goings on. Hopefully she not going to change her mind and charge them? Risk Justus was prepared to take and into the water he went as the baby continued to struggle uselessly. He wanted her to watch the mother though, a sensible precaution. Constance stopped at the rocky shore line to then look toward the adult moose.
Approaching cautiously, Justus muttered, "It's okay, little Mortimer, I'm just gonna help." The baby bellowed and struggled, and that was when it became apparent that he was somehow stuck. Frowning, Justus got closer and ran his hands down the calf's hind legs, avoiding any blows from its swinging head.
"His leg is stuck!" he called back to Constance. "I need ta move th' rock, but it's too heavy!"
"Oh no!" Constance turned to take a closer look with a stricken expression on her face. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Justus was already in the water and at least it was not drownable deep. (She actually could swim though.)
"I'm coming on in!" she announced and did not wait for his response but just jumped on into the water. Oh good lord! That water was cold! These big dresses would soak up water like a sponge too. She did not care.
Moving beside him, she looked the life and death scene over, "We try to move it together? Maybe on a count of three?"
"I'm coming on in!"
"Oh, ya don't gott..." Well, she was already in the water, sloshing across to him. And besides, he figured that she probably did 'gotta', since he wasn't going to move that rock on his own.
"We try to move it together? Maybe on a count of three?"
"Yeah, just lemme..." Shifting around, Justus squatted down behind the toddler so that his shoulder was under its bottom. "I'm gonna try an' give him a boost once he's free." After all, even without its leg trapped, the baby moose might not be able to scramble up the bank on his own. Or maybe her? Justus hadn't had time to check its neathers yet. not that it mattered.
"All right, here's th' plan. You grab th' rock there, an' I'll get it here, on three we heave, an' I'll boost Matilda up," he instructed. "Just keep yer head down, an' turn yer face away in case she kicks."
He took a breath. "Ya ready? One...two...three!"
"Yeah, just lemme..." Shifting around, Justus squatted down behind the toddler so that his shoulder was under its bottom. "I'm gonna try an' give him a boost once he's free."
Just as he was explaining his plan, wouldn't you know, she placed one foot on the wrong rock, green stuff on it slippery or something, and suddenly she fell backward, landing with a big splash into the cold water. Alright so now she was completely soaked! Just grand! Muttering darkly, she scrambled back on her feet, everything dripping including her drenched hair.
"I'm fine! Nothing hurt but my pride," she assured him, not forgetting the true focus here, save the moose, "Go on!"
"All right, here's th' plan. You grab th' rock there, an' I'll get it here, on three we heave, an' I'll boost Matilda up," he instructed. "Just keep yer head down, an' turn yer face away in case she kicks."
"Hummppff, maybe she'd kick some good sense into me," Constance grumbled but no less determined to succeed in this good deed. She bent down and positioned herself as directed then looked to him.
He took a breath. "Ya ready? One...two...three!"
On 'three' she gave it her best with a big grunt.