Into the Wilderness
Page 37

Anna shook her head. "Now stop, Moses. You're not talking about the Hurons on the warpath, and there's not enough Mohawk left to steal a three—legged cow. You know old Indian John, and Hawkeye—you been doin' business with them these many years. And if you have something bad to say about them, why then I know you're lying."
"Kidnapping?" asked Julian. "There were such rumors at home, but we thought they were exaggerated."
"Rumors!" Moses fumed, kneading a mangy cap between his fingers. "Rumors!"
"Moses had a sister took, when she was just ten years old," supplied Jed McGarrity.
The door opened and Richard Todd came in, shaking snow from his hat and his shoulders.
"Ask Todd here, he can tell you what they do to women. He knows about them. Why, if my sister walked in this room right now, you couldn't stand the smell, and you couldn't talk to her, either—she wasn't gone but three years and she didn't know her own tongue anymore, just the Abenaki gibberish. And she spent all her years putting out one Indian half—breed after another."
Richard greeted each of them. "Who got you started, Moses?" he asked dryly.
"Mr. Southern has a story to tell," said Julian. "I'm interested. After all, they live on my father's property."
Moses looked about himself as if he expected an Indian bent on murder and kidnapping to materialize. "I'll tell you, I wouldn't let my sister alone with them. There's that young buck, he's got a wild look to him. They got no business here in Paradise with decent folk. And you know that I ain't the only one to think so!"
"Folks are talking about Chingachgook wanting to buy Hidden Wolf from the judge," Jed said uneasily.
"Not bloody likely." Julian sat up abruptly, dumping the sleeping cat unceremoniously to the floor.
Moses nodded furiously. "We didn't rout the English—" He paused and sent a regretful look toward Julian. "Begging your pardon, but we fought hard to get out from under, and I for one won't stand by and watch the judge hand good land back to the red devils. They seem whupped, that's true, but let 'em think they got the upper hand and they'll start coming after our young'uns again, you watch."
"There hasn't been a kidnapping in these parts for twenty years," said Anna with an uneasy glance toward Richard Todd. "And I won't have talk like that here. Those people are good neighbors and good customers."
"Bah!" Moses scowled, and then jammed his cap on his head. With a nod to the men, he thumped the butt of his musket on the floor. "I'm going. But don't say I haven't warned you about your sister and them Indians." And without a word to Anna he left and slammed the door behind him.
"What's this about Elizabeth?" asked Richard.
"She went up to Lake in the Clouds yesterday afternoon and didn't come back," said Jed.
"Lake in the Clouds?" Richard asked. "But why?"
"To eat that confounded turkey, with the old man," Julian said. Then he grinned, one corner of his mouth drawn up. "She got caught up there in the storm. You worried about Nathaniel stealing your intended away?"
Anna perked up at this. "Intended? Is there some celebrating to be done, then?"
Richard looked annoyed. "Don't start rumors, Julian. There is no agreement between your sister and me."
"But there will be, if Father has anything to say about it," noted Julian. "And you seem set on it yourself, if I may make the observation.  Unless you're worried that Nathaniel is too much of a threat."
"I'm not over worried about him," Richard said, irritated to be having this conversation within Anna's eager earshot, but still unable to keep quiet.
"Ha!" laughed Anna. "You don't know how many young women in these parts wish Nathaniel would come steal them away. Not that Dr. Todd don't have more than his share of eager eyes. Especially," she added with a wink, "of a Sunday at morning service. Especially in the front pew."
Richard looked at her darkly, and she withdrew with a nervous laugh.
"Hawkeye is probably on the way down with her now."
"Well, it's clear you want to go after her. Go on, then, old boy, if you can't manage to think of something better to do," said Julian. He stretched. "Mr. McGarrity," he said. "Do you by any chance play dice?"
Jed McGarrity started, his bony shoulders losing their perpetual slump for a brief moment to rise up around his ears and fall away again.
"I was raised to think that dice and whisky were the devil's instruments."
"Ah, well," Julian sighed. "Too bad, then."
* * *
Hawkeye suggested they leave straightaway after breakfast. He was afraid there would be another storm later in the day, and he wanted to get down to the village and back again before it hit.
"She probably doesn't have the first idea about snowshoes," said Otter. "She'll need a lesson."
Nathaniel had gone out before sunup and still had not returned, so Otter took Elizabeth outside to see to her instruction. Hannah came along, chattering, to provide assistance and encouragement. Elizabeth was anxious about what they were expecting of her, but she knew there was little choice, and so she stepped out into the morning with a little trepidation but considerable determination.
The first sun on the new snow reflected and reflected back again until it made her eyes water. Elizabeth blinked and squinted and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Finally she was able to look around her, and she stood stunned. "The cave of wonders," she said, mostly to herself, but Hannah grabbed her hand and yanked.