Eagle People Read Online Free PDF Page B

down. I think he'll get much louder before he passes out from pain.”
    Wilson dismounted, pulled the jar of whiskey from his crude saddlebags, and walked to Calvin.  Grasping the wounded man's hair, he poured some into his mouth.  After close to two cups of the strong clear drink was down him, Wilson put the lid back on the jar, and returned to his horse.
    Mounting, he said, “How are you holding out?”
    “I can use a long sip about now.”
    He handed the jar to Amon and said, “Keep it with you. I suspect you'll need it again before we reach the village.”
    Amon took a long gulp, placed the lid on the jar, and then slipped it into his saddlebags. Almost immediately he felt the alcohol in his system and his pain lessened, but it didn't completely go away.  Nonetheless, he found it easier to live with a slight throb.
    At their nooning, both wounded men were untied and fed a little meat and broth. The others had crackers and lamb in brine, and they were soon back on the trail. The weather remained nice, with a light warm wind, and no clouds overhead.
    A couple of hours before dusk, Wilson, who'd been riding point, returned and said, “I just spotted a Dog Soldier of The People and he waved at me. We can expect guests at some point tonight or in the morning.”
    “They'll come before dark. I'm sure he spotted Lee's body, saw we have a prisoner and they know I've been wounded.” Amon said and then asked, “Do we keep moving or wait for them?”
    “Let's continue to ride until about an hour before dark, then we'll hole up and wait for them. I figure the more riding we do now, the less we'll have to do later.”
    They began to move again, but this time Baker was on point, and he stayed ready, because there was a good chance he'd run into someone.
    Near dark, they pulled into some trees near a narrow stream, and made a quick camp. They'd just put some meat on sticks, which they leaned toward the flames, when a female voice was heard, “Evening, my brothers, can others of the Eagle Clan join you for a meal? We have fresh meat and some vegetables.”
    “Yes, come, but how many of you are there, Georgia?”  Wilson asked.
    “Six of us and we surround you, so relax as we come to your fire, Wilson.”
    Six members of the Eagle People walked to the small fire and heavy packs were lowered to the ground. As they sat in the dirt around the dancing flames, Wilson explained what had happened and how Lee had been killed.
    Georgia, a tall thin woman, with few teeth, said, “Mongoose will be happy to have a prisoner. I feel she is greatly worried about the guns. No one has had guns in our lifetime and for them to show now is not good.”
    “The man I have is injured, but he should live. Do we spend the night here, or return to the village?”
    The tall woman thought for a few minutes and then said, “We'll eat, let your horses rest for a while and then we'll return. Your prisoner is too valuable to wait, or so I feel.”
    “We shall do as you wish.” Wilson said with a grin, and then added, “I'm sure Amon needs a better doctor than me, and while the information he gathered at the village showed few guns used in the attack, we need to know for sure.”
    “Some of the survivors from the attacked village have made their way to us, only none remember hearing gunshots, but I think they escaped early in the attack and may not really know.”
    “That's true. I suspect a few of the Eagle warriors were told to take women and children and flee when the battle first started.”
    “We have close to fifty people in the village now, but you're right, only about five are warriors.  The remainder are old men and women, women, and children.”
    “Well,” Amon slurred, “I counted close to 200 dead, and only one shot to death, besides the man on the trail. If they, uh, have guns, they don't have many of them.” He took another sip from his jar.
    “Pistol shots?”
    “Well, I don't really know a pistol injury from a rifle, but the