Touching the Sky by Tracie Peterson

Author:Tracie Peterson
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: FIC042030, FIC042040, FIC042000, Texas—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Fiction
ISBN: 9781441270993
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group

15

Malcolm rolled a cigarette between his fingers and threw a furtive glance at the man seated directly across from him.

“What were you able to learn, Jed?”

The man glanced over his shoulder toward the open door of Lowe’s home office. “You sure we’re safe here?” He didn’t wait for a reply but continued in a rapid drawl. “I reckon you know about all them fellas who was taken off Mustang Island two days back. The army figures they were up to no good. Fact is, those men were just huntin’ jackrabbits. Well, one of the men is Ralph Masters’ little brother Tommie. Now Ralph wants to bust him and his friends out. Said he was figuring to come see you about it.”

“We haven’t got time to be worryin’ over such trivial matters and we can’t risk being found out. We have a higher callin’ to put our minds to. Tell Masters I said to forget about springin’ Tommie and get back to findin’ a way to get us more guns.”

Jed nodded. “I told him you’d say that. He don’t cotton to his baby brother havin’ to sit in jail, but I told him weren’t no skin off his nose. Them Yankees will let those boys go soon as they make a show at holdin’ ’em.”

“That’s my thought, as well.” Malcolm lit his cigarette. “What about the powder coming up from Mexico?”

The man leaned back and shrugged. “Ain’t right sure. The fellas that was supposed to bring it in fell on hard times with the law in Brownsville.”

Malcolm lowered his cigarette and blew out a thick puff of smoke. “We don’t have time for this kind of nonsense. Where is the wagon?”

“I was told it’s in a barn on the other side of the border. I’m guessin’ it’s probably with the Sanchez family.”

“We haven’t got time for guesswork. Ride down there tonight and bring that wagon back. Take Bill and Sam with you if you can’t manage it alone. Just do what you need to do and get back here with that gunpowder.”

Jed got to his feet. “There’s one more thing.”

Malcolm eyed him a moment, then took a long drag on the cigarette. “Go on,” he finally said.

“Well, word’s come that the Yankees are plannin’ to move the colored troops out of here by the first part of November.”

“They’ve been rumoring such things for months.”

“But this time we got more proof,” Jed replied. “Sam’s wife works at the Ironclad House, as you’ll recall. She says it’s come down all official-like. The Yankees are trying to make the folks in Corpus feel better, I guess.”

Malcolm considered this news for a moment. “The Yankees don’t care how we feel. They imposed black soldiers on us as a means of humiliation. I doubt Sherman or Grant care a lick about our feelings.” He grew silent for a moment and reflected on their plans. “We’ll just have to work harder and faster. We can’t hope to restart the fightin’ unless we make a good show of killin’ most of the colored forces.

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