Smythe’s Camp
Banks of Raccoon Creek
Ohio Territory
Godfrey Smythe was confused.
“What do you mean he got his hand chopped off?”
“ Sinclair’s Injun dun it,” said Meeker.
“And why pray tell would he cut off Lowry’s hand?”
“I guess he caught them spyin’ on those two gals swimmin’ nekkid.”
Smythe was confused even more.
‘Two? I thought the only woman on this venture was Roseanna.’
“What two women?” Smythe queried.
“The one we thought was Sinclair’s boy, turns out it’s a yaller haired gal.”
“Oh Heavens! What else can possibly go wrong on this trip?”
Smythe started a running toll in his head of what Carter and company had cost him already… Doo had beaten Bear Rogers so bad he couldn’t travel, Roseanna had shot Bert Watkins, and now Mighty Beaver had cut off Jake Lowry’s hand.
‘What can happen next?' he thought.
“Did you bury Lowry?”
“He ain’t dead.”
“What!!!!”
Meeker shook his head from side to side.
“We got him to camp and cauterized his arm and stopped the bleeding, but he ain’t goin’ to be much use without his right hand though,” Meeker explained.
“All right, all right, thank you for the report now get back to work and stay away from those women,” Smythe dismissed Meeker with a slight wave of the hand.
“Whut about the Injun?”
“I’ll handle it, get back to work , you oaf,” Smythe snapped.
‘I wish the Shawnees would get here quickly,” Smyrthe thought.
At that very moment Swooping Eagle and his party were crossing a stream enroute to Smythe’s location.
In Shawnee:
“What are you going to have me do once we get to Smythe’s camp?” Tyler McGraw asked Swooping Eagle.
“I need you to speak the white men’s tongue for me, The one called Smythe owes me another payment to build the trading post on our land.”
“Will I be free to go after that?”
Swooping Eagle scrunched up his face in thought.
“If you want to go you may do so, but you can make a home with us if you desire.”
‘After this I may not be able to go back,’ McGraw thought.
***
“Now let me get this straight, Mighty Beaver caught two of these scum watching ya’ll swimmin’ in the creek?” Clancy asked.
“That’s right and we didn’t know anything about it until we heard the scream,” Roseanna answered.
“Scream?”
“Well they came at Mighty Beaver and he cut off one of their hands,” Janie said.
“Good! Where’s Mighty Beaver now?”
“He made himself scarce until you got back, some of them talked about lynchin’ him,” Janie told him.
“So he took off for the tall and uncut?” Doo asked.
“You could say that, but I don’t think he’s that far out,” Roseanna answered.
“I wish he’d taken you two with him, we spotted about fifty armed Shawnees headed this way,” Clancy said.
“Sinclair, Smythe wants to see you at his tent,” Meeker called over.
“That was one of them spyin’ on us,” Janie whispered to Clancy.
“He won’t be botherin’ you agin,” Clancy assured her. Then he added, “Because if he does I’ll kill’im.”
Clancy turned to go see what Smythe wanted. Janie grabbed his arm before he’d fully turned. She have him a quick squeeze.
“Be careful, Big Man.”
“I always am.”
“Ah, Sinclair. I want you to go get us a deer so we have something to feed our guests.”
“I’ll go get Doo and we’ll head right out.”
“Carter stays, I have a task for him here in camp,” Smythe replied.
“Yes, Boss.”
Clancy turned to leave when Smythe hailed him.
“Sinclair, take Richard McCallister with you, he could use some toughening up.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Clancy approached Doo and the women. He motioned to Doo to step away from the women.
“Whut’s goin’ on?”
“Smythe is sending me out to get a deer for a feast for the Shawnees.”
“Ok let’s go, I’ll git my rifle.”
Clancy grabbed Doo’s arm.
“Not you, Hoss, just me and Richard.”
“That don’t make no sense I was hired to hunt and guide same as you.”
“I know, Hoss.”
Clancy walked over to where the girls and Richard were congregated.
“C’mon, Richard, we’s goin’ huntin’.”
Janie scrambled to grab her rifle and possibles bag.
“Not so fast, Gal, I need you to stay here.”
“That’s not our deal, Clancy, you know that,” Janie said forcefully.
Clancy then lowered his voice so only Janie could hear.
“I need you to watch out for Doo, I got a bad feelin’,” Clancy whispered.
Janie locked eyes with Clancy, she saw no deception in them.
“All right, hurry back,” she said giving him a hug.
Clancy and Richard turned to go. As he walked past Doo, Clancy gave him a last warning.
“Watch yore topknot around Smythe.”
Doo grinned.
“Not to worry, everything will be fine as frog hair.”
***
Swooping Eagle and his party started a commotion as they entered the camp from the east. Shouts of alarm went from man to man.
Smythe ran to the center of camp with both arms raised to put a halt to any actions on the part of his men.
“Stop you dolts, the Shawnee are my guests,” Smythe yelled.
No one put their rifles down, they weren’t convinced.
“It’s all under control, they come in peace.”
Men lowered their barrels put didn’t put their rifles down. They had the Shawnee outnumbered and they weren’t going to lose their hair because they were caught off-guard.
Smythe turned to one of the men assembled by his side.
“Jenson, fetch Carter and the two women here,” he commanded.
“Yes yore highness.”
Elias Jensen wasn’t too sure about this predicament. He again wondered why he’d signed on for this hare-brained venture. He’d spent two years on the frontier robbing other trapper’s traps. He sure didn’t cotton to taking orders from the likes of Smythe.
He walked over to where Doo, Roseanna and Janie were packing.
“Carter, Smythe wants you and the women over at his tent right now.”
Doo was puzzled, ‘I wonder what he wants now.’
He locked eyes with Roseanna, she could see clear through to his soul.
“It will be all right,” she assured him.
As the trio started over to the center of camp they could see armed Shawnee milling about. This made all three uneasy as they walked past the warriors to where Smythe was perched on a stump. Tyler McGraw and a Shawnee had their backs to them.
“Ah Carter, good of you to come, I have someone I want you to meet.”
“I already know this scalawag,” Doo said as he nodded towards McGraw.
Doo’s senses were on high alert, he felt rather than saw the two Shawnee braves that appeared on each side, He wasn’t too surprised when they gripped his arms. He started to struggle but they simply tightened their grip.
Smythe approached Doo and stood face to face with him.
“That’s no way to act, this chap came to see you especially.
Swooping Eagle turned around to face Doo.
Doo recognized him immediately, especially the same cruel grin as Swooping Eagle had aimed an arrow at him right before he’d walked off the cliff.
“Thunderation, Smythe, what’s goin’ on?”
“It’s simple, Carter. Swooping Eagle had a price for the land the trading post is going on, and you’re it.”
Swooping Eagle turned to McGraw and said something in Shawnee.
“Tell the rat-faced one his debt is paid.”
“What did he say?” Smythe queried.
“You’re square with him.”
Swooping Eagle came face to face with Doo.
Doo struggled against his captors but they had his arms pinned behind him.
“Smythe! I’m gonna kill you for this,” Doo seethed.
“I think not, Carter. I’m not a fortune teller but your future doesn’t look to be that long.”
Doo then did something unexpected, he summoned up all the saliva he could then spit directly into Smythe’s face.
Smythe pulled a silk handkerchief from his sleeve and dabbed at the spittle as it ran down his cheek.
“He’s all yours, Swooping Eagle. Oh, and by the way the two women are a bonus."
McGraw translated the last part to Swooping Eagle. Swooping Eagle gave a command in Shawnee and two braves came forward and grabbed Roseanna and Janie.
The two girls were so stunned they didn’t put up a struggle. Smythe stepped to Roseanna and leaned in to her right ear and whispered.
“You chose Carter over me, good luck in your new life with him.”
Smythe had made the mistake of standing directly in front of Roseanna when he did this. Roseanna’s right foot shot forward and connected directly with Smythe’s crotch.
Smythe’s hands immediately flew to his injured groin. His face turned different shades of purple as he gulped for air. For good measure, Roseanna spit on Smythe’s other cheek.
“This isn’t over, Godfrey. Not by a long shot.”
This brought a grin to Doo’s face. But it didn’t last long. Swooping Eagle said something to McGraw in Shawnee.
Then with the same grin he’d shown Doo months ago, he swung his war club at the immobilized long hunter’s left temple.
Doo was plunged into blackness.
