Culture Clash

Temperance gasped as Hope turned. "Good Morrow, Mistress Temperance. God willing, tomorrow will be a better day."

The next day was their Sabbath and Hope prevailed on me to go to their church. I thought the preacher was going to have some kind of attack when he saw me on the pew with Hope, Charity tucked between us. His whole sermon was on the perils of outside influence pulling the people from the true way. It got kind of personal a couple of times, but I kept a bland expression on my face. I thought the air outside once it was over was some of the sweetest I'd ever breathed.

I declined to dine with my friends and disappeared into the brush. Jacon materialized by my side. "You waste time brother. Sunhair will not come with you."

"Perhaps you are right. I've given myself one more week. If she is not mine by then we will leave this place."

"The sooner the better, Long Walker. The very air stinks of death yet to come."

We spent the day weaving fish traps. I was going to show Miles and Zeke how to use them, as well as make them. It might help in the coming winter.

*****

I quietly told Hope to send Zeke and Miles out in the opposite direction that I took. I would find them.

I scared them when I emerged from the brush right in front of them. "I was followed, as were you. I lost mine, and the ones watching you decided you really were just hunting and turned back. Follow me and try to move as I do."

They had improved. They no longer sounded like a herd of moose moving through the forest. Now they sounded like a herd of deer. I stopped at a large creek, showed them the rope I'd tied to the tree and told them to pull. When the fish trap rose from the water packed with fish, they were stunned. I showed then how to string the fish on sticks to carry between them. The small pole was sagging after the third one so they returned to the settlement, welcomed like heroes when they saw the catch. I'd taken a couple of small ones, lit a small fire, and taught them the basics of smoking them. "Smoke them until they're dry, then hang them. They won't hold together well when you cook them in a couple of months, but they'll make an excellent fish stew. Move the traps from pool to pool and do not fish a pool again for a few weeks to allow the fish to return. Pull the traps out and store them when the creeks start to freeze over and store them. If you get desperate, hack a hole in the ice and drop one in. The catch won't be as bountiful as it is now, but there will be a few."

I went hunting, bagging a small doe that I field dressed and carried across my shoulders back to the settlement, hanging the carcass and giving anyone willing instructions on how to properly butcher it. While I did, the ones watching me told me of the great catch the two hunters had brought in. Fires were going as we spoke, smoking the fish over oak and hickory fires. I made sure I bragged them up, saying perhaps it would not be a bad thing if they were designated permanent hunters. Just a suggestion. I divided up the meat among those who had helped butcher, saving a ham for Hope.

She seemed reticent when she greeted me. Charity didn't notice, chattering away about her day. They had gone to the hazelnut thicket, determined to take my words to heart and gather as much food as they could. Miles had killed two raccoons that were trying to get to the stored nuts with his bow and she wanted to know if they were good to eat.

"They're edible but I've never cared for the taste. I'd rather use their hides. They make a great winter hat."

"Will you make one for me?"

"I'll skin them out and prepare the hides, but it will be a while before they're useable."

I didn't have to say it. I could tell by the look in Hope's eyes. She knew I would be long gone before the hides were ready.

Charity got droopy and Hope put her to bed, coming back outside and warming her hands by the fire. "Getting colder."

"The snow will fly in the next couple of weeks."

"How do you know that?"

I didn't tell her it was because the Mohawk told me. "It's the way the air feels."

She sat down and wrapped a blanket around her. "This would be easier if you'd just come in."

"I would really like that, but I don't like closed spaces when I feel like I'm in a hostile place."

"You think we're hostile?"

"I don't think you or a few others are, but by and large, this settlement will be glad to see me go."

I looked at her, her blond hair shining in the flickering light. "May I speak frankly?"

There was a hint of amusement in her face. "When have you not?"

"I mean about you and me."

She nodded with an odd expression in her eyes. "Please."

"You have to know by now the only reason I've tarried here is because of you. Well, Charity, too. The point I'm trying to make is when I leave, I'd like to take you both with me, as wife and daughter. You have attracted me like no other. You are brave, strong and forthright. You and I would make fine babies."

She blushed and then smiled. "So then, you need a brood sow?"

"No. I need a woman who can walk beside me, someone who will keep the hearth but be willing to defend it if need be. A bonus is you are quite comely. I could see worse fates than watching you as we grow old, surrounded by more sons and daughters."

She was glowing now, from happiness I hoped.

"You are not of my faith."

"I am not. You would have to leave this behind; there are none of your kind at my home. We do have men of the cloth. Real ones who seek nothing but the good of their flock."

I rose. "Please think on this. Once again, if you choose not to go with me as a mate, at least let me guide you and Charity to safety. Death is going to live here in a couple of months."

She was thoughtful as I left, but her smile was warm and she gently brushed my hand. An unexpected intimacy.

I was distracted, but not enough to be unaware that there was someone in the shadows, watching. I think he thought I would be night-blind from gazing into the fire. I'd learned early from my father to avoid that. I walked slowly, listening to him stumble behind me. I thought it was amusing until he progressed past the settlement. I simply stopped behind a tree, waiting patiently for him to blunder by me. He did a minute later, stopping to listen. He was almost beside me so I thumped him on the head a little. Not enough to kill him, but enough to addle his brains for a bit. I took his shoes and his weapons, tossing them into the bushes. He was crawling around on the ground feeling for them as I passed out of earshot.

*****

Things progressed nicely for the next few days. I took my noon and evening meals with my girls. Our conversations after Charity retired became deeper and more personal. I told her of my father, my Cherokee stepmother, my siblings by blood and marriage. I told her of my plans to settle in a fertile valley I'd found on the edge of Cain-tukke, away from the predispositions of men, with the intent to farm and trade to support my family.

"How many children do you want?" She asked when I told her of my dreams.

"As many as God blesses me with."

She told me of her childhood, how they had boarded a ship when she was three and journeyed to the New World, of growing up in one of the larger towns. She spoke with sadness of her husband, gone these two years, and how excited they were to move here and create a new place for others to follow. Then she spoke of the drudgery of trying to live, how resources dwindled, how desperate they were becoming, all while the Revere3nd promised them lives of milk and honey if they stayed the course. She spoke of her tears late at night, sick from worry about keeping her child warm and fed.

Then she spoke of my impact on their lives, how my knowledge of how to live in the wilderness helped brighten their hopes. Then she spoke of the anguish she and the rest of the settlement felt when she learned the supplies they so desperately needed would never arrive and the ones they had put faith in had come to a horrible end.

The next night she surprised me with a request. "Henry, may I ask a Boon of you?"

"You certainly can, my Hope. If it is in my power to grant it it will be yours."

She giggled like a teenager. "It is not that difficult. I am strongly leaning towards taking your offer to guide us out of this place. What I want to ask will go a long way towards determining my travel as a mate or friend."

Intrigued, I nodded for her to continue.

"Are you aware if the tradition of bundling? A maid and the man of her choice lie down together for the night. Sometimes there is a board placed between them. Sometimes there is nothing. In my case, we would lie down together and Temperance would sew the blankets together so nothing untoward happens. Then again, Mistress Temperance is a terrible seamstress. I'm sure there will be gaps and weak stitches along the seam. In fact, I will make sure of it. She will also be our chaperone, but she is almost deaf and falls asleep quickly."

She laughed at the expression on my face. "You must remember I had been married for six years. I'm not a maiden, but a mature woman, knowledgeable of a man. I'm sure you would find the night activities quite bonding."

I guess it was desire that beat out my common sense. I ignored the warning in my head and agreed. The next night I was in her house. Charity was spending the night with Zeke and his wife. Hope was wrapped in a blanket and just as soon as I entered, she dropped it, revealing a modest nightdress. "You must strip to your underthings too, Henry."

I hemmed and hawed around for a second before I told her the only thing under my buckskins was a loincloth. She smiled and sighed. "Well then, we'll just have to make do. Temperance will be here any minute, so I suggest you hurry before she sees too much."

I shed my clothes quickly. Hope had turned around for modesty but when I stood, she was looking right at me, grinning. "Well then, come to bed."

The blankets had been sewn together in the middle. I had just got into my side when Temperance entered. Her look was not loving, but more like she was doing a chore she found distasteful. It had started raining, a cold September rain, and she shivered as she stood in front of the fire.

She then bent to the task, quickly sewing me into my side. She sewed all the way up to my neck, trapping my hands inside. Just where I wanted them. She turned without a word, rolled up in her blankets on the pallet we had made. After a few minutes we heard her deep, steady breathing. I turned towards her to speak but she put her finger to my lips. She traced them for a minute before replacing it whit her mouth. It was slow and sweet at first, then grew demanding and forceful. I felt a hand on my chest and she slowly stroked it.

She whispered. "I was surprised at how well sewn it was. It was almost like she didn't want us to have any contact at all. It's a good thing I'm a pretty good seamstress myself. Somehow, a few of the stitches have become undone. Feel."

She pulled my hand through the gap and placed it firmly on her breast. I instinctively squeezed and found the nipple, rolling it slightly. She responded by moaning into the quilt, trying to stay as quiet as possible. Her hand that was on my chest drifted downward until she was caressing my erection through my loincloth. She let go and threw the blanket over our heads.

"I have need of you. Move your loincloth to the side and I'll raise my nightdress. We must be quiet! Be gentle, go slow. We will have time for more proper coupling when we reach your home, the new home for our daughter and your wife."

She had agreed to be my wife! I was never as happy as I was in that moment. She rolled over and I felt her wiggle, and then she moved my hand until I could feel the smoothness of her bottom. She was pushing back and I was moving forward when the door burst open.

"BLASPHEMERS! FORNICATORS! YOU'LL BURN IN HELL!"

It was the Reverend and six of his men. Three jumped atop me, pinning me to the bed. The covers on her side was ripped back and luckily, she had dropped her gown so all they saw was quite a bit of leg as they dragged her out. Hope was screaming at the top of her lungs and one hit her. Hard. I saw her sag, and started raving I was going to kill them all when I got loose.

I never got the chance. Even if they weren't trained fighters, my arms were pinned and they pounded me with abandon. I couldn't tell how long it went on, but eventually the pain went away.

I was finally dragged from the bed and outside. The rain felt harsh on my naked skin. I saw Hope shiver in her light nightgown.

The Reverend was strutting back and forth in front of as many of the settlers who were willing to brave the cold and rain.

"This man is a demon! The Devil sent him here to corrupt us all, starting with our sweet sister Hope. We must pray for her!"

He walked up to her, grabbing her chin and raising it until she looked him in the eye. Actually, he had to look up as she was almost two inches taller. "Repent, sweet sister. Tell us how this devil seduced you with his silver tongue, tempting you into pleasures of the flesh, bribing you with food and gifts."

Hope mumbled something, and he leaned in to listen. She seized the opportunity to lunge forward, latching on to his lip and biting down as hard as she could. He danced and screamed before one of his henchmen hit her on the side of the head, stunning her. He was screaming as blood poured down his face.

She recovered enough to laugh. "He is no devil! He is a good man, compassionate enough to try to save us. You, on the other hand, are a slimy snake, spreading lies to gain allies, trying to slip unseen into the houses of the widows and unmarried women in the dead of night. You have tried my door five times, and have been refused every time. At least this man spoke earnestly of marriage, while you made vague references to something happening in the future. My People! Do not listen to him! Ask yourself what he has to gain by keeping you here in the face of sure starvation or frozen death. No reasonable man would dispute these facts. He..."

Woolsey cuffed her again, hard. "Do not listen to her! She has obviously been seduced into believing the lies of the heathen. I would not lead you astray! God will provide for us if you follow me! Guards! Take them to the stocks!"

Hope blanched while a red haze descended on me. I'd noticed the stocks the first day there and when I was told their purpose I recoiled in distaste. I stumbled along between two guards and pretended to lose my footing, dropping to a knee. When they tried to haul me up I headbutted one right in the crotch, and when he let go, I rose, kicking the other in the knee. He went down, howling in pain, but they swarmed me again and I was no match with my hands tied behind my back. Hope bit one, and they gagged her.

Finally, we were before the device and the preacher's smile was truly horrible to see. It took four men, but they finally got my head and hands in, locking me down Then they locked Hope in beside me.

"Sister Hope, it is my belief that a night in the stocks will show you the error of your ways. However, that will not absolve you of your attacks on me, your religious leader, and your brothers who were only doing God's will. I suspect ten lashes will go a long way towards mending your ways."

She could do nothing because she was still gagged, but her screams were plain to all every time he lashed her. I simmered with a red-hot hate. This man would die by my hands, I swore it on all things I held sacred. When he was done and she was a sobbing wreck, he started on me.

"You, heathen, will not be treated with such compassion. You have disrupted our lives, led some of us astray. I shall whip you until you beg for mercy and recant your evil ways. It is the only way I will stop."

The whip sang ten times, wielded with all his might. Blood flowed freely, but I didn't even grunt. Even he was impressed. "The devil must have a deeper hold on you than I suspected. Ah well, God's work is never done."

He lashed me five more times, ten lashes at a time. After about the third set my mind wandered off as I remembered the teachings of the warrior of my village. After each set he asked me if I was ready to beg him for mercy. I refused to answer. Finally, Miles and Zeke arrived.

"Enough, Reverend! The man has been suitably punished for any sins you may perceive he has committed. It is time to show mercy."

Woolsey was consumed with bloodlust, but both men had brought their muskets. He dropped the whip."

"Very well. We will leave both here the rest of the night to ponder the error of their ways. Perhaps by daybreak they will understand and ask for clemency. I will leave a guard in case he has friends lurking about. Friend William, you will take the first watch. In three hours, Friend Cotton will relieve you. Return to your beds, my followers, and sleep the sleep of the just, knowing that I look out for your interests as you rest."

The crowd slowly dispersed, until just the guard was left, standing in the lee of the barn, out of the weather. It still rained hard and Hope started shivering uncontrollably. "Hope, please, remain calm. Think of Charity, remain strong for her, and believe me when I tell you this matter will not go unsettled." I spoke low and soft, telling her what her life in my village would be like, how Charity would grow strong and tall and learn to walk beside a man instead of behind. I talked about the little brothers and sisters she was sure to have. Most of all, I could strain my hand far enough to grasp one of hers, willing strentgh and warmth into her. The Reverend came out again after everyone left, standing before us with an evil smile.

"You will not live to see the morrow. I will try to make your death as slow and painful as possible." He slapped my face a few tines as hard as he could. The guard started to come out of shelter but he waved him back. "It is nothing, my friend. He was taking God's name in vain and I corrected him. Wrap up, stay warm, your relief will be here soon."

He turned to Hope. I felt her gasp as his hand dipped and roughly fondled a breast. "And you, harlot, you will be trained. By the time I'm done you will not even breathe unless I give you permission. I was going to take you to wife, but your behavior has made you an unfit mate for a man of the cloth. Instead, I will have articles of indenture prepared, service in lieu of the debt you have accrued. Five years sounds about right, don't you agree? By then your daughter will be of breeding age, and I will train her to be the perfect wife. Of course, the tract of land your husband was granted will revert to me for unpaid loans. I will own you, your daughter, and all that you ever had."

He brought his bare hand down on her backside, the smack loud in the dark and the rain. She screamed again into the gag as he rubbed her bottom. I didn't see it coming, so when he kicked me between my legs it caught me completely by surprise. Luckily, his aim was not as true as he would have liked, catching mostly thigh. It was still painful and unexpected enough to drop me to my knees, where the pressure of the stocks made it impossible to breathe, so I painfully struggled to my feet.

When I had sagged, I felt the stocks move. The recent rains had loosened the posts, and the current rain helped undermine them even more. I gently rocked back and forth, feeling them give a little more each time. I whispered to Hope what I was trying to accomplish and she began helping. In another hour I was sure I could pull the posts up, and when the guard went to sleep, wrapped in warm blankets out of the rain, I gave a mighty push. It moved but did not come loose. Hope pushed as hard as I did, and eight tries later it came out of the ground with a sucking noise. The guard didn't stir.