After getting a good night's rest, Michael directed his
soldiers to help with squaring the logs. They began by dragging the logs to the
river's edge, using teams of horses. Using draw knives, they began the tedious
process of shaping them into square wooden timbers. With shovels they dug a
shallow pond with a thin section of earth, left in place, to keep the river
water from filling it. Transferring the squared logs into the dry pond they drilled
and pinned them together with long steel rods. After a week of work, they had a barge built
twenty feet wide and forty feet long.
Using the raft the colony built, they paddled to the far
shore and attached a cable to a large oak tree, then the cable threaded through
large steel eye rings on the barge. Using
the horses they pulled the cable tight a fastened it to a corresponding tree close
to the barge pond. Finally, they dug out
the dam, letting the water in to float the barge.
Using horses they pulled the barge back and forth across the
river, delivering soldiers and wagons to the west side.
Each squad given the goal of killing two buffalo, they would
need to get the meat and hides to the river as soon as possible to prevent it
from spoiling.
Setting up a kill zone in the area closest to the river they
set about hunting.
It did not take long the herd the buffalo in the adjacent
area into the kill zone, but as the work progressed, they had to expand their
search.
They finally found tracks, horse track, Sandra commented,
that looks very strange these prints are all walking single file. Michael
agreed, like they are ridden. They continued to follow the prints for about two
hours, over the next rise, they saw a camp, which looked like about twenty hide
covered tents. Michael saw riders mounting and heading toward them, all
carrying spears no bows thankfully. He
was happy he had added a pistol to his equipment, just in case he met a large pack
of wolves again. He instructed Sandra to fall back and cover him with her rifle
and notify Jhon of their new discovery with the walkie talkie he had given him.
She nodded understanding and he rode towards the advancing men. Her pets and
her stopped on the ridge, watching carefully. She was extremely confident in
her man but still bit her lip anxiously. As the riders approached Michael
dismounted and held up a hand, one large man signaled the others to stop about
thirty yards from him, he rode closer to Michael and dismounted. The chief
extended his hand to Michael, surprised Michael took it, the Chief started
squeezing his hand and pulling it to him, Michael likewise returned his grip,
squeezing hard enough to impress the other of his strength but not hard enough
to break bones, the Chief smiled and grunted releasing his hand. Michael
immediately placed a small bag in his other hand, to the Chief's surprise, a
calculated move by Michael as a gesture of good faith. The Chief opened the bag
and tasted its contents, his smile grew bigger he was very delighted, salt was
like gold on the plains. He called back to his men in a language that was a
mixture of some Languages. He then proceeded to invite Michael and his woman
down to his village. Concerned, he did not want to insult the man's offer of
friendship.
They gathered around the fire at the village center. After
exchanging names, Chief Calian began talking about trade, after many exchanges,
by drawing in the dirt, hand signs and some familiar words. Michael finally understood
he wanted Sandra, he was offering five horses, he also wanted more salt, and
tools. Michael smiled wrapping his arm around Sandra and said she is mine.
The Chief seemed to understand. Michael then removed the katana from his back
and presented it to the Chief. Who with great excitement pulled the blade from
its sheath. His men roared approval.
After that Michael tried to convey they had a lot work to
do, and that he would return with more supplies to trade in a few days. As he
mounted up the Chief called to one of his men and he brought five ponies
forward and placed the lead ropes in his hand, he wanted to show his generosity.
Michael with a big smile, thanked him and rode away. By the time they returned
all the meat and hides had been added to the wagons. Traveling back across
the river, the meat stored in its 40 degree embrace to keep it safe until it
could be processed. Michael told the colony of their new friends and gave
Mathew and Jhon the five ponies to use as they saw fit.
The mood of the colony was high as they felt their future
was much more secure. After a week of hunting and meat curing, Micheal felt
like they had enough to fill wagons, now they only had to wait for it to finish
curing. He had bought barrels of salt for the curing process, but Mathew said
they had their own almost endless supply, in a deposit they found a few hours
away. Sandra was busy with her new babies during the hunting, twenty buffalo
calves were left motherless, either by being killed or desertion, and Sandra
would bring them all home.
Michael as he
promised, returned to the plains, bringing with him Jhon and a couple of male
soldiers, he did not want to go thru a dispute over trading women again.
When they arrived, he
could tell the mood was different. He dismounted and Calian met him with a grim
face and said two of our men, had been captured and eaten by a large group of
raiders moving in their direction. His scouts said they are only two hours
away. Michael assured the Chief that they would help, they unloaded the wagon,
barrel of salt, various tools, bows and arrows, cooking pots, and several large
butcher knives.
Micheal not wanting to let the raiders endanger the women
and children, moved the wagon to the top of the ridge, releasing the horses he
had one brave take them back to the village, out of harm's way. Placing Jhon
and his two men with him in the wagon, they used the wagon's side as a rest for
the rifles. He considered trying to stop them and parley but when they
were within a hundred yards, he could see about fifty men with the skulls
hanging from their belts. With the tribe members lined up ten to each side of
the wagon on horses, he gave orders to his men, when they charge shoot the ones
in the back first, I want them all killed, give none a chance to escape. The cannibals,
fifty in number, saw the small group facing them and started charging. Michael
and his men started firing with deadly accuracy, only a half a dozen men on
horseback made it to the wagon, the raiders realized too late they were all
alone. Calian's warriors made short work of them. Cheers went up as the
last of the enemy lay dead. Chief Calian, stood in awe, maybe even in fear,
as he understood how deadly his new friends were. That evening he talked about
the land and the areas they migrated to and from, as seasons changed. Michael
asked that he train and supply horses to Jhon's colony across the river and if
ever he should find his people in trouble again, to seek them out. Then he presented
him with a primer and list of rules, please teach these to your people, when I
return, we will talk again. With that, he left for bed, tomorrow they would
head back.