Far West: The Diary of Eleanor Higgins by Jeppsen Linell

Author:Jeppsen, Linell [Jeppsen, Linell]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Published: 2016-04-19T04:00:00+00:00

May 3, 1876

Dear Diary,

Yesterday, after Martin and Trevor saw to our needs and made sure there were men guarding our cabin doors, they joined the soldiers and crew who were fruitlessly searching for the two white scouts. Some of the crew reported seeing Williamson fishing on the shore, others thought they had seen LaFontaine fishing by himself some thirty feet, or so, upwind of the other men.

Regardless, by the time the rape was reported and the manhunt was underway, both men had vanished into thin air. Although Martin and Trevor were enraged that the two white scouts had evaded justice, I was simply glad that they were gone.

Poor Natalie has recovered her composure by now but yesterday was a different story. She seemed shocked to the bone by what had happened and would only come out of her bath after bleach and vinegar were added to the bathwater and she had cut almost all of her hair off.

Which is a pure pity. Natalie, frankly, is not a very attractive woman (although there is beauty in her kind eyes and sweet smile) but her hair is very pretty… or at least it was. Thick and wavy, her chestnut curls swept past her hips in luxuriant splendor. Now, it is sailing down the Missouri river. She was convinced, though, that it was crawling with lice and fleas, despite evidence to the contrary, and was determined to rid herself of the whole infected mess.

Unfortunately, at least for Mr. McDonald, justice will be denied as the culprits have, somehow, escaped his clutches. Inexplicably, the two Indian scouts have disappeared as well, which is surprising… to us, at least.

Captain Marsh is not a bit surprised, however, and told us this morning that Indian motivation seemed to ebb and flow with its own mysterious imperatives.

In addition, he thinks that since we are close to the Cheyenne River Indian reservation the two scouts might have swam ashore to meet up with family and friends before their scheduled rendezvous with General Terry’s troops in Bismarck. Whatever the circumstances, Annie is saddened.

She has grown fond of the two Indians since they came aboard. Although the natives usually keep to themselves, the younger of the two men, Three Bull-Man, (apparently, when he was a little boy, his parents had seen three young buffalo calves following him from a large herd to a water-spring.) had become absolutely fascinated by Mary’s ragdoll.

When he first spied the girl’s doll, Three Bull had stood stock-still and stared in wonder at the bright-orange toy. Annie’s doll is only partially finished, although she’s working hard to finish it before the family gets off the boat in Bismarck.

Pulling at his companion’s coat sleeve, he had gestured at the dolls and demanded to know what manner of medicine the two girls held in their small arms. The older man, whose name is Little Owl, smiled at the children and explained. “My friend wants to know if your dolls hold good magic, or bad?”

Mary had blushed to the roots

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