Tumbleweeds

[chuck j]

Zeke and don came back around noon . They snaked two logs coming back and stacked them with the others behind the shed . They saw feathers floating around in the yard coming to the cabin and she told them Ed got a turkey . They were happy about that . Zeke said ...I haven't had turkey since I was a slave ! He laughed .


She told them it wouldn't be ready for a while yet so they went with Ed behind the shed and started again making boards . Don was getting really good using a froe to split lumber ! He really liked working together with Zeke and Ed . They wished they had put another froe on the supply list . Ed started riving cedar shake shingles from cedar drops , they were going to need many shingles before they were through . Zeke split logs with wedges preparing them to make boards . It was slow but the boards were stacking up !


She called them to eat and they cleaned up . She had turkey and cornbread . They really tore into it enjoying having something different .

[chuck j]

They prepared for their ride to Fort Graham . Sam and the Captain would head south from there and Wade would come back north . They all had much to do in Fort Graham before they could leave . Captain Jack would escort Sam home first , Wade and the Captain talked about it and they wouldn't tell Sam till Wade left to come back because Sam would pitch a fit . He would want the Captain to go on to his family .


They had supper with the Staleys and Mrs Staley had their clothes dried and stacked on the stair steps . She made fried chicken , mashed potatoes with gravy and cake with icing ! They bragged on her till she was blushing . During the meal Wade asked Ed ...You have a lot of empty barrels at the shed . We will need water for the stock to at least get a drink to get us through going back through the prairie . Could I buy four of the hogshead small barrels to get us through the hard part of the stretch ? He replied ...They are yours ! I would not charge you for them . I'll pick out some of the nail barrels that will be clean and start soaking them so they will not leak . Simon will have them ready .


They all enjoyed a really good meal and talked , the Staleys had truly been a blessing to them and it would not be forgotten .

[chuck j]

Zeke , Ed and Don decided to work on building boards and shakes in the evening . Someone had to be with her at all times ...they couldn't all go logging and leave her by herself . They would work together and get more done at the shed , it just made sense .
She used the drippings from the turkey and made cornbread dressing to go with what turkey was left for supper . She wished she had more to add to the dressing but it was still good enough . The sugar was about gone so there wouldn't be many deserts till Wade got back . She missed Wade . He was always encouraging to everyone and worked so hard . She was scared for him to come back alone , she still remembered what happened to Hosea traveling alone .

She was nearly through with Zeke's new pants , next would be Ed's . Ed needed clothes bad , all of his were threadbare . When she finished all of their pants she would make them shirts . She should have started this sewing along , she would keep up with it better in the future .


Zeke gave thanks at supper , he asked for protection for Wade , Sam and Captain Jack . GOD had been good to all at the Black Mule Ranch and they knew it . After supper they tended chores and gathered to drink a cup of coffee and watch the shadows get long as the sun went down . It had been a good day .

[chuck j]

They were packed and ready . Wade brought the horses around front of the store tying them to the hitching rail . Mrs Staley made sausage , eggs and biscuits with jelly . She made them ham sandwiches with mustard on yeast bread for lunch while they rode . Fort Graham was twenty two miles east and they were starting early to make it in daylight .

Ed gave thanks at breakfast . He was careful to ask our Lord to bless them all as they traveled . To see Sam and Captain Jack to their families in the south . Mrs Staley hugged each of them crying and said they would surely be missed ! They mounted and rode to the east optimistic that the hard part of their trip together was over . They talked as they kept their horses at a fast walk headed to Fort Graham !

[chuck j]

She rose quickly after she awoke . She dressed quickly . She felt she needed to be moving , working . She pulled the banked coals from the ashes and placed a handful of tender on them placing two mesquite logs on the flame . She made pancakes and used the last of the sugar making syrup for them . They had no fresh meat so she made rolled oats to go with the pancakes , Nate was awake and she held him while she waited for the oats to cook . She felt like something was happening but everything was seemingly normal .


The men came in and got coffee talking and joking with each other . They had breakfast and she announced they were out of sugar till Wade returned . It wasn't a hard thing because sugar was a luxury anyway . They drank coffee and talked , Zeke asked her why she was quiet and she said … I have a feeling something will happen today ..I don't know why though . No one questioned her feelings , they just thought she might be worried about Wade , Captain Jack and Sam .


Zeke , Don and Ed started to the back of the shed to start work and Don looked out on the prairie to the north behind the cabin . He stopped and stared asking Zeke and Ed … What is that black spot in the distance on the prairie ? Zeke and Ed stopped and looked . Ed said ...Buffalo !...……...And GOD has put them in our hand !

[chuck j]

They were riding into the rising sun , they all pulled their hats down to shade their eyes . It was still and a beautiful morning to be on a good horse with somewhere to go . They talked about what they would do in Fort Graham getting things done , they did not talk of them separating there . This was Wade's and their last ride together .

They had been through a lot in a short time , each knew they could put their life in the hands of the other . They were hard men when they needed to be and good men that knew GOD . This would be a memory and a blessing to part knowing that nothing could separate them but the distance . They talked of getting back to their homes , their families . They talked of her , Zeke , Ed and Don . They rode east into a new day .

[chuck j]

Ed organized them . He told Zeke ...We still have the three drying racks set up . Can you and Don build at least three more right quick ? Zeke said ...Sure ! But are we all goin huntin ? Ed said ...No . I can shoot all we can dry , there is no need to all go . Build the racks and set them up . Hook the black mule to the cart , tell her about the buffalo and to have things ready to handle the meat . We only have so much time to get it dried or it spoils in the heat . This is a big opportunity for us to stock up on dried meat and fresh meat for a couple of days too . This is going to be a busy day !


Zeke went to tell her , Don went to split slats for drying racks and Ed saddled his horse and getting his double barrel rifle . He cut a shooting stick from the Mesquite tree out front , he mounted his horse and rode toward that black spot on the prairie .

[chuck j]

They stopped in the shade by a clear little stream . Wade watered the horses and Sam with Captain Jack opened the lard buckets with their sandwiches and tea . It was near noon and they sat on rocks in the shade enjoying a really thick fried ham sandwich and passing the tea bucket . They gave the horses a half hour break and pushed on , they were making good time and would be there well before dark . Sam told Wade that he could stay in the bunkhouse behind the Ranger headquarters .


Wade planned on going to the courthouse tomorrow and taking care of the land purchase for the ranch and getting everything registered legally on this one trip . It was a hardship to make a trip like this very often . Captain Jack told Wade there was a tent city on the outskirt of the fort with liquor , cards and all the usual evil that followed the army . There were good people trying to start a town that wanted the criminal element to move out . Wade said ...Yea ! I was in the military , the camp followers were always a problem . It was hard keeping the young soldiers out of trouble , camp is boring .


They reached Fort Graham about four in the evening . It was a busy place with blue uniformed soldiers everywhere . There was a main street of sorts with business's and several livestock yards . There were a lot of town folks doing business with many wagons and buggies tied up everywhere . It was the largest town Wade had been in for a long time . There was a very large hardware dry good store with a windmill out front . Wade wanted to go there before he left and ask questions about the windmills .

They went straight to the Rangers headquarters at the south end of the main street .

[chuck j]

Ed galloped his long legged horse to within a quarter of a mile of the buffalo and dismounted . Walking behind his horse he got within two hundred yards of them and tied his horse to a sage bush . He slunk down and went slow another fifty yards and tapped his shooting stick in the dirt with one of his 51 Colts . He sat cross legged on the ground and tested the height of his stick .


He looked the buffalo over , he wanted to shoot two big weaned calves maybe three . He was on their south side and they were grazing slowly east . He spotted two that he wanted with a third toward the back of the herd . He took his time and sighted in on the one at the rear . Ed had always had an uncanny ability with guns . He was seventy one years old now and his eyes were as good as they were when he was young . He drew a breath , steadied and slowly pulled the trigger .


The big calf dropped to the ground . He sighted the second calf just a bit more east and repeated the first shot . The buffalo were milling now heads up looking for the sound . He reloaded and drew a bead on the third calf and fired , it ran a few feet and fell over . They needed no more meat than would keep so he hunkered down going to his horse and rode back to the cabin . They were all busy , Zeke had hooked the black mule to the cart , him and Don were building racks .


He told her and Don to come with him in the cart . They got to the dead buffalo and him and Don started skinning the top side of one . She was amazed that they had came this close to the cabin . When Ed and Don got the top side skinned they layed the half hide that was loose on the other side of the buffalo then cut the two legs off laying them in the cart . Ed removed the loin and hump then they boned out the lean parts left loading them . Don and him rolled the calf over on the skinned clean loose half of the hide and repeated the process . loading it .


Ed told Don to ride back with her and get Zeke to help carry the meat in the cabin to clean and start cutting into strips to dry except the humps . He told her to stay and work on the meat and let Zeke and Don come back for more meat . He would stay and start skinning the other two . Everyone got to work ...it would be a long day .

[chuck j]

They tied their horses out back of the headquarters to one of the horse lots . There was a long board bunkhouse next to it and an outhouse . They went in and there was a gun storage room in the back when they walked in . They went through to the front and there were several offices and a waiting room with chairs . Overall it was pretty rundown looking , there was nothing nice or fancy . A man walked out of his office with some papers and said ...JACK ! SAM ! We have been worried about you ! We sent two Rangers out to find you and THEY haven't reported ! Captain Jack and Sam shook his hand then Captain Jack said ...We will sit down and tell you all about it .

Captain Jack said ...Tom this is Wade Mclellen's Jacob's youngest son . Wade shook hands with Tom and Tom said ...Everyone knows your father ! I understand you were a cavalry officer in the war ? Wade said ...Yes sir under Hood . Tom said ...I am honored to meet you ! Captain Jack said ...Wade needs a place to sleep for two nights Tom , can he stay in the bunkhouse ? Tom said ...Certainly ! We would be glad to have you here . Wade thanked him and went to take their gear in the bunkhouse .

Wade knew they had to give report and turn in their paperwork . There were two Rangers in the bunkhouse and they asked him who he was . Wade explained and they introduced themselves as Steve and John , they helped him bring in the rest of the gear and tried to make him feel welcome . Wade asked ...Where is a good place to eat ? John said ...Granny Ruth's place is back in town about a quarter mile on the east side of the street , she's famous for enchiladas , beans and Mexican rice ! Wade thanked them and asked ...If you see Captain Jack Coffee or Sam Wallace tell them I went down to the hardware store . They said ...Jack Coffee and Sam Wallace are here ! Wade said ...Yea , they are inside headquarters talking to Tom . They were obviously impressed .

Wade mounted and rode not far to the hardware store with the windmill .

[chuck j]

They carried all the meat in the cabin and she stayed to start cutting , slicing , cleaning and brining . Zeke and Don hurried back to Ed . When they got there he had another calf nearly kill butchered . They loaded the meat and he told them to take the hide to lay it on and keep it on the end of the porch till they were ready for it . There was too much meat to try and put it all in the cabin at once .

Zeke stayed with Ed and helped watching all he did and asking questions , he had never speed butchered any big animal like this . They got the last one cut up and ready to haul . Zeke said ...We sure got a lot of work ahead of us for a few days Ed ! Ed said ...Yep but it's a blessing to us , GOD is taking care of us ! We got meat for a long time brother . Ed asked ...How many times have you done this Ed ? Ed answered ...Hundreds or thousands ...I don't know , I use to hunt em and sell meat to the army . But for them to walk in our backyard is a miracle ! Ed asked ...You like brains and eggs Zeke ? Zeke said ...Heck yea ! Something else I ain't had since I was a slave . He laughed and said ...Dang it ! I ought to just goin back to bein a slave again ! They both laughed hard . Ed said ...This winter when there is nothing to do and it's killing cold with that high north wind blowing I want to ask you about being a slave . That's a hard thing for me to imagine .

[chuck j]

They got all the meat to the cabin . She had made brine water in a two gallon bucket , several buckets of clean water were on the porch to rinse the meat before brining . Zeke started a small bonfire near the drying racks burning down to coals to spread under the racks . They started making the meat ready .

Ed told her to put on a hump roast to eat for lunch and he trimmed one out for her . They all worked hard at getting the meat ready to dry . When they started hanging meat on the racks Zeke showed Don how to keep the coals scattered under the racks and adjust the heat to just dry the meat not cooking it . They would keep the racks full pulling off the dried strips as they went replacing them with more . They would tend the racks all night to save all the meat they could .

[chuck j]

Ed trimmed all the meat they would eat for two days first , she put it in metal buckets in damp sacks then wrapped the buckets with wet sacks to keep it cool . She prepared sacks to put the finished meat in to store . She set the black pepper out to pepper the part made for jerky . They tried to cut longer strips of meat than last time they dried meat so as to get more on the racks , it would take a lot of work keeping the temperature right and turning the meat .

[chuck j]

Wade tied Bud in the shade across the street and walked across to the hardware store . He was walking around the windmill figuring it out how it worked . A man came out of the store and introduced himself as John Sutton , he owned the store . They talked and John asked him inside to look at a diagram on a poster hanging on the wall showing how the gearbox and pump worked .


John said you could build your own tower or buy one , he was knowledgeable and explained everything slowly and carefully . He also sold the tools to auger the well and pipe for the well . He advised as to spare parts you needed to keep on hand and was really helpful . He said they kept everything in stock . Wade was impressed !


Wade assured he would be getting back with John when he figured out their needs and they would undoubtedly be needing other things also ! Wade rode back to Ranger headquarters and Captain Jack had finished giving report . He said Sam should be through quick and they would go eat .

[chuck j]

They worked steady with the cutting and drying of the meat . The stock still had to be tended and chores done too . She said ...When we get the meat all done and put away I say we deserve an evening at the river ! Everyone agreed with that ! They talked as they worked and Zeke said ...We are still thinking about building a raft to ferry supplies or whatever across the river . She agreed and said ...I think it's a good idea ! We are surly going to have to be able to get things back and forth . It might be needed when Wade comes back even . They all agreed it would be a good thing and they would start it soon . It shouldn't take long to build one .

They talked about Wade , Sam and Captain Jack . Wondering and hoping they had made it to Eliasville safely and without trouble . They all awaited the news and stories he would tell when he returned . He would have buffalo meat when he returned and they all laughed about that .