The Last Patrol

[Scarlet Angel]

"Should be interesting to see what shows up for dinner clothes." Scarlet remarked. "I think leaving the extra clothes here would be a good idea. Might raise a few eyebrows if we were wearing them when we pull out. I bet I'd be the first scout in history to wear a dinner dress in the field." Scarlet laughed, then continued "It should be interesting to see what Ambrose Hayes has to say in person about Perry."

"I've seen his name on a lot of arrest reports." Ella replied.

"His reputation is impressive."

"Have you ever worked any of the same cases he has?" Ella asked curiously.

"No, but we did meet once." Scarlet paused and smiled. "Marshal Wheeler introduced us."

[Elegant Ella]

"I'm not going to ask you to tell me your impressions of him, since I'd like to meet him without prejudice next week," remarked Ella. "And now I need to get busy. Want to come help search Drew and remove any weapons that Perry smuggled in to him, not that Perry won't be able to give him any more?"

Scarlet agreed, and they picked up a couple escorts and breakfast for the prisoners.

[Scarlet Angel]

"Where's Perry?" Drew asked as he saw Ella approaching with the others following.

"They went out this morning." Scarlet simply replied.

"They?"

"Archie and Perry rode out early this morning." She answered.

Drew eyed the two big men suspiciously. "What are you two doing here?"

Bo and Blackbeard smiled but said nothing.

"You gonna  move us or something?" Drew asked Ella.

[Elegant Ella]

"Or something," Ella agreed. "Put your hands through the bars, please."

Drew was reluctant to comply, but he knew that the cell wasn't big enough to let him avoid being forced by Bo and Blackbeard to do whatever Ella asked.  As soon as his hands were through the bars, she handcuffed his hands.

"Reuben, Jimmy, come on out into the hallway. You can sit out here to talk with Blackbeard while you eat your breakfast," ordered Ella.

Then she and Scarlet went into the cell. Drew might have imagined that being frisked by a woman would be a pleasant experience, but the reality was not. It wasn't seriously uncomfortable but was hideously embarrassing. He started to protest.

"Would you prefer a strip search?" asked Scarlet. Drew shut up.

Once Ella had found two small knives and thought that was all, Scarlet double-checked her results. The women also searched the bedding on all three bunks, without finding anything else.

While Drew ate his breakfast, Jimmy and Reuben were each searched before returning to the cell.

[Scarlet Angel]

Reuben protested slightly but not so much as to get into trouble.

Jimmy said nothing as Ella patted him down. He eyed Scarlet for a moment.

"Did you want something Jimmy?" Scarlet asked catching his look.

"I was just wondering." He half smiled "never mind."

Scarlet turned to him and returned his smile. "If it's something that won't get you slapped go ahead." She said wondering what was on his mind.

He thought about it a short time then asked. "This wouldn't have been the first time you and Bo would have patted down an unwilling prisoner if we hadn't cooperated."

The statement caused both Bo and Scarlet to chuckle slightly.

Scarlet looked pointedly at Drew. "There was a reason I asked Bo and Blackbeard to join us. I already had a plan before I came through those doors."

Drew looked back at her "If it's a fight yer looking for at least give me a fair chance."

Scarlet's look was cold, her voice sent chills down the spine of the men in the cell. "I offer you the same chance you offered the women who can no longer whisper your name."

Drew stepped away from the bars his eyes wide. "Leave me to the law." He whispered.

Scarlet turned on her heel and left.

"Wise choice." Bo replied before following after Ella and Blackbeard.

[Elegant Ella]

A few hours later, Ella finished the first lecture of her field medicine class. Most of the scouts and a dozen of Fritz's men were there.

It was time for them to practice what she had been talking about, so she ordered, "Split up into groups of three people. Take turns, so that you each find the pulse and pressure points on two other people. Then have one be the patient, one manipulate the pressure points and one monitor the pulse to see how effective pressure on the pressure points is, and trade off so all of you take each role."

Once the men had sorted themselves and started practicing, Ella walked over to where Major Martin and two other officers were observing. Because they were not wearing side-arms, she suspected that they were also doctors.

"Mrs. Coatsworth, I would like you to meet Major Samuels and Captain Henderson," Major Martin performed the introductions. "Gentlemen, I told you about Mrs. Coatsworth's experience with a couple patrols from Fort Bliss."

"Nice to meet you," responded Ella, thinking that Samuels and Henderson both looked like typical bigoted Army doctors.

"Why are you wasting your time trying to teach medicine to illiterate scouts?" asked Samuels, confirming Ella's suspicion.

"Reading and writing don't have anything to do with field medicine," she replied in mild tone. "Based on all accounts of previous combats with the Indians, we're not going to have the ambulances and orderlies waiting at the edge of a well-defined battlefield. If scouts and ordinary soldiers can stop or control bleeding, protect wounds from contamination and splint broken bones, the wounded will be in better shape when they get attention from medical professionals."

[Elegant Ella]

"You're just trying to give the doctors more work," said Major Martin, with a half-hidden smile.

"I'm trying to have more patients still alive when they get to the doctors. The extra work will be balanced out if the patients don't get as sick because of the field care," replied Ella.

"That field care changes the planning we need to do for triage. If you'll excuse us, Mrs. Coatsworth, we will get back to our planning work," said Major Martin, leading the other doctors away.

Ella nodded, and turned back to see how her students were getting along.

One of the soldiers had a question, "Why don't we just use tourniquets? You said the pressure point and direct pressure on the wound take time to stop the bleeding. Wouldn't a tourniquet be faster?"

"A tourniquet is faster, and does too much harm. Most of the time, a tourniquet marks where the limb will have to be amputated. So you can use one if, and only if, the limb is mangled beyond mending."

[Scarlet Angel]

Major Martin and his guests had not gotten two steps from where they spoke with Ella when they nearly collided with Cyrus. He eyed them disapprovingly.

"Mr. Kane, this is Major Samuels and Captain Henderson. Sirs this is Mr. Kane, he is in charge of the scouts." Major Martin said.

The only word the three men could make out was "Cyrus" when the man greeted them, at that it was not in a tone they thought respectful.

"What is he saying?" Major Samuels asked Major Martin.

"I'm not sure. Something about his scouts and his name is Cyrus is all I got."

"What language is he speaking? Does the man not speak English." Samuels remarked.

"I'm not sure, I know some words but not sure which dialect he is speaking. Yes he." Martin replied.

Cyrus started to speak again cutting Martin off. The other men looked at one another.

"Does he travel with a translator?" Henderson asked.

"No." Major Martin replied, then spoke to Cyrus. "Cyrus, I'm afraid the Major and Captain do not speak the language you are. I think English would be preferable." He said having a good idea of what was about to come.

Cyrus eyed the two men for a short spell, took a deep breath and said "Well since you claim to be so smart I would have thought you could understand what I was saying."

"We didn't come here to be insulted." Snorted Major Samuels.

Cyrus stepped toe to toe with the Major. "Don't you ever come into my camp and insult the people riding with me." Cyrus growled.  "I'm willing to bet you cannot read and write the language of men we are going to fight. I highly doubt you know how to read the signs out there to find water, or where is good shelter. Can you read the writings of the animals?" Cyrus said then moved to leave.

"Can you read these?" Major Samuels replied pointing to the stripes on his sleeve.

Cyrus grinned, said something in the dialect he'd been speaking before and walked away.

Major Samuels looked around, there were two people near him. He touched the one who's back was to him on the shoulder. "Pardon me son."

The other man laughed as Scarlet stood. She removed her hat letting her long hair fall down before she faced him.

"Can I help you Major?" She said.

Major Samuels was taken aback surprised to see to another woman, one in trousers at that.

"Major, speak yer peace or move along. I don't take kindly to just being stared at like that." She said.

He regained his composure then asked. "Did you hear the conversation between Mr. Kane and me?"

"Yes."

"Do you know the language that he spoke?"

"Sioux."

"Do you speak Sioux?"

Scarlet half grinned. "Yes, I do."

"Can you tell me what his parting words were?"

The half grin became a full grin and she slightly laughed. "Yes, I can, but I highly doubt you would appreciate it."

"I would like to know."

The grin faded. "Cyrus said those are Major's bars." She said pointing at his sleeve. "They all can read that as they are looking for the Chief."

Major Samuels smiled at this information.

Scarlet looked confused at him. "Oh, you think that was a compliment." She said realizing why he was smiling.

"Of course." Major Samuels said.

"Sir." Scarlet slightly shook her head. "If you shoot the Chief, the man in charge, it will buy you time while the enemy regroup and figure out a new plan. They may even leave." 

The smile disappeared from Major Samuel's face.

Major Martin was chuckling on the inside but serious on the outside. "Thank you for the translation. Gentlemen this way please." He said moving the two men away.

[Elegant Ella]

Major Martin came back alone in the afternoon. After Ella set her students to a splinting exercise, he came over to her.

"I wanted to apologize for Major Samuels," he said. "I left him and Captain Henderson calculating how much medical supplies weigh, and deciding how to divide it up into mule-back loads. They actually know how to do that."

"How are they on the practice of medicine?" asked Ella drily.

"Samuels spent the War in hospitals well behind the front lines. He's a competent doctor. Henderson joined the Army after the War. He does well enough with the normal medical issues in a fort. Neither has seen the aftermath of a battle, and unfortunately, neither seems to be capable of imagining a battlefield and the problems of triage."

"I'm sure these scouts and soldiers would cooperate if you wanted to run an exercise with a dozen men lying around pretending to be wounded. It might be interesting to see how they approach such a scene."

"I'll keep that in mind. But I wanted to say that I am impressed with your course here. Are you willing to run this training course for more of the soldiers?"

"Certainly. The more people that know the basics, the better."

"I'll talk to General Crook and to the commanders of the other companies at dinner this evening and let you know."

"I'll be there. I've been invited to dinner tonight by Colonel Winslow."

"I will look forward to seeing you there, and may ask you to explain your course." He gave her a little bow, and turned to go, then turned back. "By the way, do you speak any Indian languages?"

"I'm fluent in Comanche, and learning Crow, but I don't know any of the others yet."

"How different are the languages of the various tribes?"

"Comanche and Crow are more different than Hebrew and English. The other languages I have heard sound completely different from everything else."

"Where did you learn Comanche?"

"I spent last summer with a tribe near El Paso. I wanted to learn their uses for the local plants, and traded knowledge." Ella paused  before adding, "An article I wrote on their healing herbs has been accepted for publication in the September issue of the American Journal of Pharmacy, under the byline E. Wiley Coatsworth."

"I shall look forward to reading it." He bowed again and left Ella to her course.

A couple hours later, she turned her students loose and walked up to the officers quarters with Scarlet to get cleaned up for dinner with the officers.

[Scarlet Angel]

Scarlet was quiet as they walked to the officers quarters. Once inside Ella looked at her, "Are you felling alright?" she asked concerned.

"Yes, it was something Cyrus said today." Scarlet replied.

"I was afraid maybe you were thinking of more personal issues." Ella replied.

Scarlet smiled slightly. "I haven't had time to think about my miscarriage, and I'm trying not to dwell on it. Although you are right, there are moments thoughts try to creep in. I've always said you were very perceptive. Thank you for that."

Ella smiled at what she knew was a sincere compliment from Scarlet and something she would only say to someone close to her. Had Ella not been thought of as a sister Scarlet would have simply said "I am fine."

"Did Cyrus say something to you?"

"No, did you hear him get mad at that doctor today?"

"I heard the tone, enough to know he was mad. I didn't understand what he said and I was walking away when it started. What did he say?"

"He said it is people like Major Samuels, who thinks he is above the soldiers and scouts, that will get us all killed because they don't know what they are getting us into.  They send us out with half green soldiers they are not willing to train because they think they are to dumb to learn anything. He belittles the men that know what to expect from the indians, we are not fighting white men. He sends green men to them out like lambs to the wolves."

Scarlet smiled wide then went on "He then said he thanked God for people like you who took the time to see potential and make the men feel like they could do something more to be helpful. He then went on to say if it came down to a choice for the men who to defend, they will defend Ella with their lives. Major Samuels will be handed over, maybe they are illiterate but they understood what he said about them. After that he spoke English and told them not to come into his camp and insult the people riding with him. I noticed he didn't say for him. The fact few of the soldiers are practicing worries me. I think Fritz is preparing his men well, but some of the others. Doing formal drills are not going to help when those young men see the one next to them shot."

A worried look crossed Scarlet's face. "Do you think the soldiers will be ordered to try and take prisioners?"

[Elegant Ella]

"Fritz will know better about the details of their orders," answered Ella, starting to fill her tub. "Maybe I'll get a sense of the officers' thinking tonight at dinner. I know there are three schools of thought about Indians - integrate them into white society, segregate them onto reservations, and exterminate them. I don't know which school General Crook is in."

[Elegant Ella]

Ella was surprised to see Tensleep waiting with Bo when she came out of the officers mess after dinner. After they had started walking to the scout camp, Tensleep said, "The posse from Omaha got here."

Something in his tone prompted Ella to ask, "Is there a problem?"

"The posse consists of one deputy sheriff, named Joshua Blaine, and his 17-year-old son Joe."

"Well, that could be enough posse to transport Owen while he's wounded and still recovering from fever, or enough posse to take two outlaws for a half-day's train ride, but there is no chance that they would be able to keep both Drew and Owen under control all the way to Omaha," replied Ella.

Scarlet commented, "Easy enough for even one person to transport two dead outlaws."

"Mr. Blaine could well be hoping for an excuse to shoot Drew when he tries to escape. One of the missing girls whose body was found was named Hannah Blaine," responded Ella. "Tensleep, what can we do to improve the chances of Drew making it to trial?"

"Well, I'm really not needed here, so I thought I just might accompany the Powells back to Omaha."

"And then from Omaha back to El Paso? Becca would like you to come home soon."

"Yep."

[Elegant Ella]

At the scout camp, Tensleep performed the introductions. Sheriff Blaine didn't show any surprise about Deputy King and Deputy Coatsworth being women. The scouts had probably told stories about them, instead of keeping their gender a surprise.

"I'm sorry about Hannah, Mr. Blaine," said Ella.

"Thank'ee. We got the poster on Andrew Harper just a couple days after she left, so the sheriff sent some of the men with dogs out hunting. They found the cave along a creek that he must have been using for a hideout, but they lost his horse's tracks in the water. It looked like he had another man with him, and they rode out of there together."

"Well, you will be taking Andrew Hardy and his friend Owen Johnson on the horses they rode here on. In case either one manages to convince a jury that he's not guilty, there's a long list of places that will want to try him for the sake of their own lost daughters."

Tensleep said, "The supply train is leaving here in the morning. It will be easiest and safest for us to travel with that."

"That will slow us down," protested Sheriff Blaine.

"Johnson is still weak and not up to riding all day. If he can travel in an empty supply wagon until you get to Fort Laramie, he won't slow you down as much for the rest of the trip," replied Ella. "You won't be able to keep Owen in a saddle long enough to get all the way to Fort Laramie in one day, and camping out with the supply train between here and there will be safer. After Fort Laramie, there's less chance of finding an Indian raiding party."

Sheriff Blaine didn't protest any more. He didn't ask any questions, so Ella wondered exactly what the scouts had told him about the capture. The fire was allowed to die as everyone headed for their bedrolls.

Wednesday morning, Eldon and Peter, the other occupants of the tent that Drew and Owen had occupied, helped Ella and Tensleep to gather up their belongings while Bo saddled Drew's horse. Their weapons were not likely to be needed as evidence, so those were bundled up and left in Ella's custody. Owen had one roll of fabric, that unrolled to reveal a collection of locks of hair, each one tied with a colored silk ribbon. Ella went to get her desk, and the discovery of that was documented and signed by all the witnesses. Sheriff Blaine took custody of the deposition and the roll.

Once everything was ready, the prisoners were collected. Orville helped Owen walk to and get in the wagon that already contained his saddle. Owen's fever had not returned, and his wound was healing well. Tensleep would take care of bandages for the trip. Finally it was time to fetch Drew.

Only Bo, Ella, Scarlet and Tensleep followed the guard into the cell block at first.

"Drew, it is your moving day," Ella greeted him cheerfully. "Come on out of there."

[Scarlet Angel]

Drew shot a loathing look at Ella. Her cheery mood irritated him and so did the fact she was heeled by the big man that just a soon pull his body through the bars of the cell. He thought about protesting or making a grab for her, but he figured if the big man didn't break his neck when he made a move the blonde would shoot him; they seemed to be waiting for him to make some type of move. No doubt the Marshal would claim Drew was shot in attempt to escape, most likely putting a bullet in him too.

"Does this mean I don't hav'ta hear yer voice anymore?" Drew quipped thinking he'd be back for Ella once he escaped from the law.

[Elegant Ella]

"Yes," replied Ella, handcuffing Drew's hands behind him. She gave him a little push to move out of the cell block while the guard locked the cell door.

Outside, Orville had already helped the Blaines load Owen into one of the empty wagons of the supply train along with Owen's and Drew's belongings, including Owen's saddle. Their horses were tied on the back of that wagon, with Drew's horse saddled.

Bo boosted Drew into his saddle, and tied each boot to a stirrup while Tensleep mounted up.

"Andrew Harper, I would like you to meet Joshua and Joe Blaine, who will be escorting you to Omaha to stand trial for the kidnapping, rape and murder of their daughter and sister Hannah. They have been told that you would probably prefer to be shot dead while trying to escape than to reach the court in Omaha."

If Drew had been an insect, he could have fried in the focussed glare from the Blaines. When Drew looked away from them, they mounted up as well. The supply train started to move out, with Joshua and Joe on either side of Drew, and Tensleep behind them.

[Elegant Ella]

Ella watched the supply train through the gates before remarking, "I am glad to see the backs of Drew and Owen. It was so hard to deal with them dispassionately after all I had learned about their victims. Owen was lucky that Dr. Martin and Orville were available and willing to take over his care. Omaha might have been the last area they worked, so the evidence against them will be freshest there. I'll have Patches wire all the other places affected, once we hear from Tensleep that Drew and Owen made it to Omaha."

Ella thought about that long investigation, started from a few posters about missing girls in the boxes of papers she had sorted and filed during the first months in El Paso, then encouraged by a patient who had been a schoolteacher mentioning that some of her students had suddenly stopped writing.

[Scarlet Angel]

"Tensleep will have his hands full trying to keep the Blaines from tearing Drew up, but no doubt he will make it Omaha alright but it will not be an easy ride. The Blaines were already thinking of how they could get away with shooting Drew for what he did to their kin." Scarlet stated watching the group ride away.

[Elegant Ella]

"At least they know that Drew were rather be shot than face the law. Drew is in for a deservedly uncomfortable ride. I imagine that the Blaines will do a lot of talking across Drew about what they would do to the man who murdered their kin given the chance. If the Blaines assume that a man who preys on women is a wimp, Drew might find an opportunity to try to escape. The Blaines would love a chance to hunt him down," said Ella. "Tensleep will cope. Until tomorrow night, he has the crew of the supply train to help. They should be at Fort Laramie tomorrow night, and in Cheyenne on Friday night. They might meet the posse from Houston in Cheyenne. Then it's just a day on the train to Omaha."

[Scarlet Angel]

Ella and Scarlet noticed a group gathering in the scout camp as they approached.

One of the soldiers approached them, removing his hat he timidly asked Ella "Will ya be having school today ma'am?"

[Elegant Ella]

"I guess I know what I'm doing for the rest of today! It's just as well it is organized as a one-day class, so I won't have to deal with students at different levels as Major Martin rounds up pupils," laughed Ella to Scarlet. Turning to the soldier, she answered, "Yes, I'm teaching field medicine today or any day when there are people who want to learn."

She walked with the soldier to the group.