Beyond the Quiet Hills (34 page)

Andrew dropped his musket and caught the Indian's wrist with both hands. He was not as strong as the Indian, he knew, and the blows from the Indian's free fist caught him in the face. Suddenly the Indian moved quickly and was behind him, and Andrew felt a hard form pressed against his throat, squeezing his windpipe.

Frantically Andrew threw himself to one side. He smelled the Indian and heard the guttural cries in his ear. Reaching over his head, he grabbed the Indian by the first thing he could touch, his scalp lock. With a mighty pull he heaved and heard a cry of pain break from the Indian's lips. The pressure on his throat eased for just one moment, just in time, for he had begun to see the world through a red haze.

He swung around and the Indian lost his grip, but he retained his knife. As he rolled over and came up again, Andrew snatched at the musket. The glittering eyes of the Indian seemed to be frozen, and then Andrew swung the musket. It caught the Indian on the side of the head. It made the sound of a hammer striking a watermelon, and the Indian's eyes glazed over as he was driven to one side.

Seeing that the Indian still clutched the knife, Andrew raised the musket and brought down the butt with all his force on the Indian's face.

Andrew's breath was coming in great gasps as he stood over the dead Indian. He stood still for a moment, then swayed, his vision blurred, and his hands shook as he drew them across his face.

“Are you hit, Andrew?”

Andrew turned to see his father come running up, his face contorted with anxiety.

“No, I'm all right.”

“I was . . . I was afraid for you,” Hawk said, breathing hard.

“I'm all right, Pa.” Andrew forced himself to look at the gun butt, which was bloody, and a shudder went through him. “I ruined my gun.”

Hawk barely glanced at the broken musket. “Guns can be fixed,” he said.

“Are we winning?”

“It's pretty much over,” Hawk said. “We beat 'em off. They're on the run.”

“I'm glad you're all right, Pa.”

Hawk squeezed the boy's shoulders hard and was unable to speak. He had not been afraid for himself, but he had vivid fears of finding Andrew with a bullet in his chest. Now he led Andrew back to where the forces were regathering.

Andrew stopped to see the body of Tom Feller lying still. His throat had been cut and his scalp taken.

“Edna will have a hard time living without him, won't she, Pa?”

“I guess she will,” Hawk said grimly. “But we all have to go on. God will be with her if she'll turn to Him. I know that better than most.”

“What will happen now, Pa?”

“I think this about finishes Cornstalk's rebellion. Colonel Lewis said if we could whip 'em here that they'd disappear. It'll open Can-tuc-kee, that's one thing for sure. Daniel Boone will be glad.”

The two moved along helping the wounded, and finally when they had done what they could, they fell exhausted into their blankets, and the last thing Hawk said was, “This will make the Watauga settlement safe. Now you'll see settlers come pouring in from over the Misty Mountains like they never have before. . . .”

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Heroes Return

Elizabeth moved around the kitchen preparing the evening meal, preoccupied with thoughts of Hawk and Andrew. Since they had left to go to the war, she had been concerned for their safety every waking hour, praying for them. Now as she bent over the heavy iron pot that contained beans that bubbled up and sent a savor through the room, a stab of fear came to her.
What would I do without Hawk or Andrew? I've already lost so much. Be with them, Father, and help me to be strong in you, no matter what
.

Adding a little salt and some peppers to the beans, she resolutely put the matter out of her mind and moved outside the cabin, where she made her way to the smokehouse. The November sky was gray, and as the breeze bit at her face she knew winter was coming on. The pale sun overhead seemed to give no warmth but simply hung in the sky, its feeble light washing across the clearing and the garden that was now dead and brown.

Reaching the smokehouse, Elizabeth stepped inside and critically examined the supplies. Hawk had done a good job of providing, as he always did, and now she lifted a haunch of venison and hefted its weight. The smokehouse was dark and filled with the smells of meat, smoked, cured, and salted. It gave her a good feeling to know that the provision was there for many meals.

As she stepped outside she heard a voice. Thinking it was Iris or Amanda coming, she turned to face the path that led to the settlement. When she saw two men, she dropped the smoked venison to the ground heedlessly and cried out, “Hawk—Andrew!” and flew across the cold ground toward them. When she reached them she took one glance at their faces wreathed in smiles and flung herself at Hawk, who swung her around, laughing. Then when he put her down, Andrew did the same with the same ease of strength.

“You're back!” she exclaimed and was embarrassed to find tears gathered in her eyes. She blinked them away quickly, and hearing Sarah call, she turned and said, “Look who's come home!”

“Let's get in out of this cold and have something to eat,” Hawk grinned, holding Sarah as if she were a child.

“Put me down, Pa! I'm not a baby!”

“You are to me,” Hawk said. He laughed and ignored her protests and kissed her cheek, then finally set her on the ground, saying, “You're growing up on me, Sarah. Getting plump, too.”

“I am not!” she protested.

“Yes, you are,” Andrew said. He reached down and scooped Sarah up, laughing at her screams, and squeezed her until she began to squirm too much.

The four stepped inside, and as they did, Jacob entered from the dog trot. He had seen them outside and now came forward quickly and put out his hand.

Hawk ignored the hand, reached out and squeezed Jacob's shoulders, and said, “Good to see you, Jacob.”

“Good to see you, Pa—and you, Andrew.”

“Tell us about the war,” Sarah chirped, almost dancing around.

“I will,” Hawk promised. “But I want to see Hannah and Joshua first.”

They all watched with a smile as Hawk bent down and put his arms out to Hannah. She had hung back shyly at first, hiding behind her mother's skirt, but now she ran into his waiting arms and looked up at him with owlish eyes. She giggled loudly as he tickled her stomach and put her arms around his neck. He carried her over to the crib near the fireplace, where Joshua was taking a nap. Hawk set Hannah down on the floor and, despite the fact that Josh was asleep, picked him up and cuddled him in his arms. When he looked across at Jacob, he said, “I'm glad you were here to take care of things, son.”

“Me too, Pa.”

Elizabeth's heart filled with gratitude as she stood beside Hawk. Her husband and her children were safe, the men were home from the wars, and she did not need to lie awake anymore worrying about them.

“I know you're both starved. I've got beans, and I'll get some of this smoked venison. Oh—I dropped it when I saw you! Go get it for me, will you, Sarah?”

****

The cabin was full of laughter and talk as Hawk and Andrew ate ravenously.

“Tell us about the war. Did you kill any Indians?” Sarah demanded.

“I'll let Andrew tell you about it. He was a real soldier.”

Andrew shifted nervously and shrugged his shoulders. “It wasn't so much,” he muttered.

“None of that,” Elizabeth said. “We want to hear all about it. Don't leave out anything.”

Andrew then began to tell the story of the hard journeys and the battles. He was embarrassed at first and stumbled, but as the tale spun itself out, he found himself thinking back, and some of the fire of battle that had come to him in the midst of the action was reflected in his eyes. He sat there loosely at the table, his bronze, strong hands toying with the pewter mug. As he spoke there was a new maturity in him that had come in the past few weeks.

Finally he glanced up and saw everyone listening quietly, and it was as they would listen to a man, not a boy. A feeling of pride swelled in his chest, but suddenly he felt he had been bragging too much and he shook his head. “It wasn't much, but we had some good leaders.”

Jacob listened with envy as Andrew related the story of the battle. Even more he wished that he had gone with his father. He was taken by surprise when Hawk said abruptly, “I'm glad to get home for your birthday, Jacob.”

Jacob blinked, thinking that his father would have forgotten it, but Hawk asked with a smile, “What are you planning on doing to celebrate?”

“Oh, nothing much, I don't think,” he mumbled.

“I know what he's going to do,” Sarah piped up. She grinned broadly and winked at her father. “He's going to see Abigail. Why, he's about worn a pathway over to that place since you've been gone, Pa.”

Andrew glanced quickly at his stepbrother. He picked up his cup and drank some of the sassafras tea that Elizabeth had made, not responding visibly, but it had bothered him more than he showed.

“Well, I think we ought to invite the Stevenses to dinner,” Hawk said. “We haven't seen them for a while, and they'll want to hear about the battle.” He winked over at Jacob and said, “And I guess it'll be all right if they bring Abigail along.”

He did not see the expression on Andrew's face, but Elizabeth did and it troubled her. She said nothing, however, and when Hawk went back to get Joshua out of his crib and bounce him on his knee, she moved over and put her arm around Andrew, saying, “Your father would have been proud of you, son, as I am.”

The words warmed Andrew, and he squeezed his mother's waist. “I still miss him, Ma.”

“So do I,” Elizabeth said, then she looked into the bright eyes so much like the ones she still remembered as her first love and whispered, “So do I, son.”

****

The day passed quickly as Hawk walked around the homestead with a sense of wonder. He had not fully realized how deeply he had put down roots here. After the wanderings of his life he felt pleased and profoundly content to know that this piece of bountiful land was his in a particular way. A sense of pride filled his heart as he looked out across the land, marked with his sweat and toil and occupied by his wife and his children.
This land is mine
, he thought. He and Elizabeth had walked a great deal, then finally he had gone back and spent the evening playing with Hannah and Joshua with a deep satisfaction until bedtime.

When he was in bed with Elizabeth, he reached for her, drew her close, and felt the fullness of her body against his. “I missed you,” he said lovingly.

“Hawk,” Elizabeth said, then hesitated. She could not find the words to let him know how much she had missed him. So now she simply moved against him, pulled his head down, and kissed him with a fierceness that was at once possessive and loving and wonderful.

****

“Tell me some more about the battle,” Jacob said as he and Andrew lay in their bunks in the upper room.

“Well, it wasn't like I thought it would be,” Andrew said. He was still thinking of what had been said at supper concerning Abigail, but he mentioned nothing to Jacob about this. “Somehow I always thought war would be men lined up in neat lines, but it wasn't like that at all. It was almost like every man fought his own battle.”

“Did it bother you to kill that Indian?”

“Yes, it did.”

“It wouldn't bother me,” Jacob said. “After what they've done to the settlers, I think I could kill every one of them!”

“They've got their ways, and we've broken their ways up,” Andrew said. “Before we came here they had their wars with each other. Now they see us as taking what's theirs. Wouldn't you fight for what was yours if someone tried to take this place?”

Jacob was somewhat surprised. He sensed a new maturity in Andrew that had not been there before, and after a while he said, “I reckon you're right. It's hard to see it that way sometimes.”

The two lay there quietly for some time, and then finally Jacob said, “I'm glad you're home, Andrew.”

It was a simple statement, but somehow Andrew felt good about it. He had felt alienated from his stepbrother, and now he sensed that Jacob truly was glad he was back. Finally he said, “How are things going with Abigail?”

For a moment Jacob hesitated. The room was so quiet that both boys could hear the sound of leaves scraping as they blew across the shake roof. Outside the single window the walnut tree they had left for shade clawed at the roof with bare branches like bony fingers. It was a lonely, haunting sound, and both boys listened to it for a time. Finally Jacob said, “Fine. I . . . well, I guess we're going to be engaged soon.”

The words struck at Andrew, but he covered them up by saying quickly, “Why, that's fine. You're getting a good girl, and she's getting a good man.”

“Thanks, Andrew. Good to hear you say that.”

Both young men then lay on their bunks listening to the sounds of the night, but both were thinking of Abigail Stevens and neither of them slept soundly that night.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A Proposal

Jacob's birthday party proved to be a good time of fellowship for the men, sharing their war experiences with their friends in Watauga who had not been able to join the militia. They sat around on the porch, enjoying the sunny and mild November day, probably one of the last warm days of the season. The women were all crowded into the cabin, preparing the meal and looking after the smaller children.

Looking out the window, Elizabeth saw George Stevens listening with respect to Andrew as he related his experiences in Lord Dunmore's War. She glanced across the kitchen where Amanda and Sarah were taking care of Hannah, Joshua, and Rachel Anderson. Even as she looked, the Fosters and the Baxters arrived, and she noted that Philip Baxter went at once to Sarah. Elizabeth smiled, for she liked the Baxter boy very much, and thought,
Someday he may come courting when Sarah is old enough
.