Beatrice and the Beast, page 17
‘Oh, I see. Perhaps that's why his appearance isn’t exactly how I perceived an Indian’s to be.’
‘Sorry if you were disappointed Beatrice. Was you expecting some war painted, half naked savage with feathers in his hair?’
She blushed as he described the exact perception of an Indian, she'd held in her mind.
‘Well,’ she stammered. ‘I suppose so. I believe most people from the east picture them that way.’
‘Rappo is more practical in the way he dresses and he prefers a saddle to riding bareback. But don’t be disappointed. Many of the Indian tribes probably look exactly as you pictured ‘em. I think Rappo gets a bit confused when you call him Mister though, I don’t believe he’s ever been called Mister Rappo in his entire life.’
Her formality was clearly a source of amusement to her travelling companions but she had been raised to address people by the prefix, Mister or madam unless invited to use their Christian name as she had in Charlie’s case.
‘Then I suppose I must address him as Rappo if he wouldn’t mind me doing so.’
‘He’ll be tickled if you do that Beatrice. A fine young lady like you being familiar in the way you address him will thrill him so much he’ll be like a snake that just sprouted legs.’
She giggled, but in truth, she was still a little scared of the Indian and would probably only speak to him if he spoke first.
Charlie moved away to spread his own bedroll and she was finally, able to climb beneath her blankets and hopefully, get some much- needed sleep. She soon relaxed and before long, was sleeping soundly.
…
Beatrice was suddenly and rudely, awakened by a hand clamped over her mouth preventing her from making any kind of sound. For an instant, she felt absolute terror and was unable to struggle because she was cocooned in her blankets and somebody was sitting astride her rendering her motionless. She stared wide eyed at the shadowy figure holding her down and became fearful she was about to die or something worse. Then the man whispered in her ear with his lips very close and the sound of his voice barely audible.
‘It’s me, Zelletta. When I let you go head for the creek and find somewhere to hide. Try not to make a sound and when I remove my hand, don’t speak. Understand?’
Relief flooded over her when she recognized who it was and she nodded her head, which wasn’t easy with his powerful hand over her mouth holding her head still. But he recognized the movement and removed his hand. She lay perfectly still until he climbed off her and gently removed the blankets before pulling her to her feet and indicating where she should go. She longed to question him but realising there was imminent danger close by, she complied with his instructions and made her way as silently as she was able, toward the creek. It was difficult going in the dark, her skirt sporadically snagged on thorns as she passed too close to certain bushes and she regularly, stumbled as her feet got caught up in the undergrowth. Furthermore, she had left her boots by her bed along with the Winchester and the sharp stones and twigs scattered around, effectively, cut and bruised her tender feet.
Soon, she heard the sound of the fast-flowing stream and felt secure in the knowledge that she had arrived where Zelletta had ordered her to go. Now she must complete his instructions and find somewhere safe to hide. She stopped to look around and made out the dark shape of a bush a few feet away. As she crept toward it in the darkness, she began to wonder about the reason Frank Zelletta had urged her to flee and hide and what kind of danger had motivated him to take the drastic action he had when he woke her so dramatically. But it was clear there was danger of some kind and he wanted her safe while he dealt with it. Therefore, though she was totally oblivious as to what was happening around the camp, she intended to conceal herself as best she could until the danger had passed. She concluded that sheltering beneath the bush would be preferable to hiding behind it even though she feared what else may be lurking there and so decided to take her chances and hope there were no snakes or anything else that may bite her, lying in wait in her intended hiding place. Therefore, after getting onto her hands and knees, she felt around in the dark for some kind of opening that would allow her to crawl beneath the bush. Eventually, she found a small gap and was able, by getting down onto her belly, to slither beneath it where there was just enough room to turn on her side and pull her knees up to her chest. In that way, she was able to make herself as comfortable as circumstances would allow. However, the circumstances she was currently experiencing at that particular moment, meant she was far less than comfortable in her mind. Whilst she was fleeing the impending danger, she hadn’t time to overly think about it. But now she was ensconced in her cramped hiding place, she was able to dwell on the urgency with which Frank Zelletta had ordered her to flee and find somewhere to hide. So, it was only now that the irrefutable seriousness of the situation actually hit her. Not only was her life in danger, but so was the life of the man who had promised to protect her, not to mention his two friends. With that thought, her heart sank and she experienced great foreboding with the knowledge something bad might happen to Frank Zelletta, the man she wanted to hate, but was fighting a losing battle to do so.
Without warning and as though to echo her fears, the sound of gunfire reverberated around the area of the camp site around a hundred yards away and her concern for the well-being of her companions increased ten-fold.
TWENTY-ONE
After Beatrice had dutifully, followed his instructions, placing her faith in his ability to keep her safe, Zelletta realized just how much the girl depended on his resourcefulness and know how. He felt sure she would jump into a raging river if he told her it was the right thing to do, simply because she willingly, placed all her trust in his judgement. Therefore, his sole intention was to keep her safe, no matter what the cost to him personably.
Earlier, Rappo had quietly, woken Charlie and Zelletta and silently, indicated the approach of imminent danger. Both men were awake instantly and without a word, slid out of their blankets and with rifles in hand, swiftly climbed to their feet. Then while Charlie followed the Indian, Zelletta quickly woke Beatrice and because Rappo had indicated the danger came from the open prairie, he sent the girl toward the creek to seek cover.
He knew his two companions would have spread out and taken cover somewhere they could watch the camp site without being detected. It was a tactic they deployed without any need for discussion. They simply acted instinctively and so, after waking Beatrice, did Zelletta. He hunkered down in a spot where he would have an unobstructed view of the camp and where there would be distance between him and his pards. Each man settled themselves down so that, without realising it, they were equal distances apart in roughly, an arc, with their backs to the creek and facing the camp site.
Rappo figured, the impending threat would be coming from white men because Indians wouldn’t have allowed their presence to be so easily detected if they decided to use stealth when approaching the camp. On the other hand, he had sensed horses and men when they were over half a mile away. Now his keen hearing detected them creeping nearer on foot, a task they weren’t very adept at. Even Zelletta and Charlie heard the occasional snapping twig, the odd whispered curse and rustling of bushes and undergrowth. It was clear their intentions were malevolent otherwise they would have announced their presence instead of creeping up on the camp like brigands or murderers.
The fire was still bright enough to partly, illuminate the outskirts of the camp and though it was slight, Zelletta was able to detect movement on the fringe and he knew instinctively, his two companions would have seen it also. He also knew they, like him, would wait patiently until their potential enemy made a move and revealed their intentions.
For all intents and purposes, the bedrolls dispersed around the camp site were still occupied. So, the attackers would feel they had the advantage over the sleeping occupants if they were to mount an attack. Zelletta detected urgent whispering coming from where the aggressors were holed up and figured they weren’t very bright or at least, not very good at sneaking up on sleeping folks. They seemed to be undecided about how to press home their advantage and more urgent whispering came from the edge of the camp and if he were to guess, Zelletta figured there were four or five of them waiting to make their play. He was happy to wait them out and see how they would proceed as were Charlie and Rappo. They could have fired shots at where the whispering was coming from and scared them away, maybe even hit a couple of them. But that wasn’t Zelletta’s or his companions’ way. If the whisperers were potential murderers, they wanted to be sure they got them all and didn’t leave any of them wandering around free and able to try again.
Without warning a shot rang out and a bullet thumped into one of the bedrolls. Then, as though that were a signal, all hell broke loose and at Zelletta’s best estimate, four more rifles opened fire peppering the blankets with dozens of bullets. The noise was deafening and the smell of gunpowder smoke filling the air, was almost overbearing. Yet still the three men waited patiently until finally, their patience was rewarded as shadowy figures materialised from the darkness and swirling smoke, to approach the bedrolls.
The first man to arrive, prodded a bedroll with his rifle before exclaiming…
‘What the fu..?’
The expletive was never completed. A bullet from Zelletta’s rifle hit him in the chest and he staggered backwards before landing on his back on the ground. At the same time, Charlie and Rappo opened up with deadly accuracy and soon, all five men lay motionless on the ground, one of them having landed on top of the dying fire.
Everything went quiet as the three men waited in silence in case there were more of them hiding and watching the camp. Then there came a rustling of bushes as somebody or something made their escape, running away from the campsite.
‘Rappo,’ Zelletta called. But he needn’t have bothered. The Indian was already on his feet and running as swift as a deer arcing round where the sound had come from to cut off whoever had fled. Charlie was also on his feet and approaching the bodies on the ground and soon, Zelletta joined him.
Charlie aimed a vicious kick at one of the dead men and spoke angrily.
‘Murdering bastards,’ he growled. ‘They would have killed us in our beds without even knowing who we were.’
‘Yeah,’ replied Zelletta shortly, as he checked on the other potential murderers. After lighting one of the kerosene lamps, they carried in the supplies, he knelt down with the lamp held aloft and studied the face of one of the bodies.
‘This one’s just a kid,’ he announced emotionlessly.
‘So’s this un,’ said Charlie. ‘He cain’t be much older than fourteen or fifteen.
‘Not too young to kill a man,’ responded Zelletta impassively.
They checked the other bodies and discovered one of them was quite a bit older than the others. He was in fact, a man around twenty-two or twenty-three years old. The other four were boys who ranged in age from around thirteen to sixteen or seventeen. Only the man wore decent clothes that actually fit him. All the younger ones wore ragged pants, shirts, coats and hats that were either too big or too small for them and a couple of them were barefooted while the rest wore boots or shoes that were old and worn. They all had dirty faces that were gaunt and thin and they looked as if they hadn’t eaten in days. Charlie figured, the young ones were kin because they had similar features. But the eldest, was as far removed from the others in looks and dress as it was possible to be. He looked more like a gunfighter with his pistol slung low in a holster on his hip and his expensive garb. His hat, vest and boots were made of leather as were the gloves he wore. He also wore a cotton shirt beneath the vest, which was tucked into brown cord pants. A sharp contrast to the ill-fitting, wool and calico clothes the kids wore.
‘I figure these kids were pretty damned desperate to be willing to commit murder for what they could get,’ said Charlie. ‘They look as though they ain’t eaten properly in weeks.’
‘Then they should have hollered out and asked for food,’ replied Zelletta. ‘Instead they came and tried to kill us all in our beds. Anyway, we weren’t to know they were just kids and that hombre there, looks like a gunslinger the way he’s dressed and heeled. He sure don’t look like he’s starving that’s fer sure.’
Charlie took a closer look at the gunfighter.
‘He looks kinda familiar,’ he said. ‘I’d be surprised if his picture ain’t on a wanted poster somewhere.’
At that moment, they heard a commotion and soon, Rappo entered the camp carrying, slung over his shoulder what could only be described as a kicking, screaming and cussing wild cat of a girl, who, for someone so small and slight, struggled with such violence, it took the Indian all his strength to contain her.
He dropped the girl heavily onto the ground, which probably knocked all the breath out of her, because, for a few moments she lay still and subdued. But when she saw the body of the boy, she lay next to, she squealed and tried to slither away, but was abruptly halted when Zelletta placed his booted foot on her thin chest rendering her motionless. It didn’t still her mouth however, and a string of expletives issued from her lips along with the kind of insults any muleskinner would have been proud of.
‘You figure she’s the last of ‘em?’ Asked Zelletta.
‘There ain’t no more,’ replied Rappo. ‘But this Injun found their hosses. Well one hoss and crowbait mule.’
‘What the hell we gonna do with her?’ Asked Charlie.
‘We should string her up,’ growled Zelletta. ‘I expect she was happy enough to see her kin shoot us in our beds.’
Charlie recognized he was simply venting his anger. For all his bluster and bad reputation and despite her being part of the gang who tried to kill them, Zelletta would no more harm this child than he would his own mother.
‘Well just in case we decide not to string her up,’ said Charlie mildly. ‘What the hell we gonna do with her?’
Rappo grinned at Charlie’s light-hearted question. He too knew Zelletta well enough to know he wasn’t as bad as folks believed.
‘How the hell should I know. I already got one female on my hands I can’t handle another.’
Charlie laughed, though there was little amusement in it after what had occurred here.
‘Maybe you’d better go and find Beatrice Frank. She must be scared outa her pants after hearing all that gunfire. She deserves to know what’s going on.’
He hadn’t forgotten the girl, far from it. He’d simply been putting off the inevitable search for her until he could compose himself. He was certain she would be outraged that they had killed a bunch of, what were little more than children and he feared facing her dismay and resentment.
He looked down at the girl in the glow of the lamp Charlie held aloft. She had gone quiet and was glaring up at them with pure hatred in her eyes. She was probably the youngest of the bunch, maybe twelve years old or younger. Her dirty face was thin and drawn, with big staring eyes. She wore a faded cotton dress of indistinct colour and a man’s jacket that was far too big for her small form which had flown open and was only held on her by her short arms in the long sleeves. Her long straw-coloured hair was matted and unruly and hung partly, over her face.
‘What you doin’ wandering around out here trying to kill folks, girl?’
‘Go to hell you goddamned horny toad,’ she screamed. Then came out with another string of expletives that one so young had no right to have in her vocabulary.’
Zelletta waited until she had screamed herself into silence before speaking again.
‘If you ain’t gonna give a straight answer, we aint got no option but to string you up and hang you by your scrawny neck until you daid.’
She glared up at him through frightened eyes, but defiance also dwelt there.
‘I ain’t got nothin’ to live for anyhow. You killed my man you bastards.’
‘Which one of them kids is your man?’ Asked Charlie amused.
‘Reef ain’t a kid, he’s twenty-three.’
‘Jesus!’ Exclaimed Charlie. ‘She means the damned gunslinger. I knew I’d seen him somewhere before. His names Reefer Mason and he’s one mean sonofabitch’
‘I’ve heard enough,’ said Zelletta. ‘I’m gonna find the woman.’
He removed his foot from the girl’s chest.
‘You’d better figure out what to do with her Charlie ‘cos I’m damned if I know.’
He took the lamp from his friend and turned to stride away in the direction he had sent Beatrice.
‘Better hide them bodies Charlie, he said. ‘I don’t want the girl seeing ‘em when we get back. She’s already got me fingered as a killer of men. If she sees we killed a bunch of kids, she’ll never trust any of us ever again.’
When he reached the creek, he wandered around and along the bank looking for a sign of where she might have hidden. It wasn’t long before he found where she had crawled around in the undergrowth looking for a way to hide under the bush and soon found the opening. After hunkering down on his haunches, he allowed the lamp to shed some light into the opening and by inclining his head to the side, was able to make out the reflection of the lamplight in her frightened eyes.
‘Miss Mellowday,’ he whispered. ‘It’s okay, you can come out now.’
He could not fail to hear the breath she’d been holding in as it was exhaled with a loud sigh and the sob of relief that left her lips with the knowledge, she had been found by the only man with whom she would ever feel perfectly safe and secure.
She extended an arm and waved her hand around until he enveloped it in his. Her small hand felt incredibly soft and fragile under his firm grip and he feared he might crush it. But there was no attempt by her, to break the grip. He gently pulled on her arm as she pushed with her feet and knees until she came clear of the opening and after placing the lamp on the ground, he was able to place his hands under her arms and lift her to her feet. Once she was standing before him, she instantly folded her arms around his back and hugged herself to him as close as she could get with her face resting against his hard chest. He felt her whole-body trembling and as though it were the natural thing to do, placed his hands on her back and held her tight to him.
