Another Chance (26 page)

"You know nothing about our traditions, our culture,
or our way of life. How can you succeed where others with such knowledge have failed?" The pain that had never left her face intensified. His heart wept, but he fought against crushing her to him and explaining why he spoke so cruelly. He renewed his vowed never to subject her to the rejection
XhanXhan's
wife had experienced from her own people.

Sarah
's jaw tightened, as she increased the distance between them. "Can I help? Who knows?  Perhaps knowledge about thy culture, traditions, etc. would help, but neither of us knows if that is the only way to succeed. So, until it is proven to me that my efforts are a failure, I'm going to try."

He loomed over her
. "If my people have not succeeded, neither can you." His words cut him as deeply as they did her.

"Thou art
inflexible, bullheaded and obstinate! Quick Rabbit needs help. I refuse to quit. Nothing thee can say will change my mind." She whirled on her heel and marched away.

"
Sarah," he said, but softly so she would not hear. Even when she had turned the corner and departed from his sight, he could only stare after her. "I only wish to spare you the hurt that will come if you allow yourself to care."

"That man's as impossible as his son,"
Sarah muttered as she marched away. "If he believes for one minute that I intend to give up trying to help Quick Rabbit, he can just think again!"

She strode for several minutes in the general direction of the house then slowed her steps
.
How shall I proceed?
As she considered her answer, she saw Long Knife leaving the barn. She smiled, and he returned her greeting.

Delighted at receiving a friendly response, after her recent set down, she hailed him
. "Wolf told me," she said, as she drew nearer, "that thou lost the trail of the British patrol."

A frown crossed his face
.
What did I said wrong now,
she thought, mentally shaking her head at her latest, unknown faux pas.

"The colonial soldiers completely trampled the tracks
." Anger and disgust at their incompetence streamed from every word he spoke.

Relieved she was not the cause of "his" displeasure, she said, "What a shame thou did not discover them first
."

He nodded in agreement
. "How is Daniel?"

His question surprised her for as far as she knew, the teens had talked but once
. Perhaps being of a similar age, they had developed a relationship, she hoped Long Knife's query indicated a positive one. "I wish I knew," she said, with true regret. "As thou may know, he sought revenge for the beating the British corporal gave him and eager for retribution he decided to join the army. I am very glad he was gone when the British patrol returned to the inn." Shivers of fear for the valiant teen raced through Sarah.

"The military have placed him with the scouts because of his tracking skills
. His group must not have been involved with the initial hunt or thou would have seen him." She added in an off-handed manner way, "Thou art the one the army should hire."

Long Knife eyed her with increased interest
. "I, too, seek vengeance."

"For what they did to the farm," she stated
.

"
E-e
, and because the corporal and/or his men raped my mother."

The clear image of Quick Rabbit sitting alone on the step returned in full measure to
Sarah. "I am sorry. I saw her and spent a little time with her."

He looked astonished, as if her interest in his mother was unusual, then said, "With my father living in the heavens, Quick Rabbit is my responsibility
. But, I have failed her." Rage and guilt showed in his dark eyes, yet his voice held little expression.

Sarah
reached out to touch the lad to comfort him, but, remembering his mother's revulsion, stopped. "I talked to her while I weeded her garden."

"Did she speak to you?"
His voice held hope and surprise.

Having heard the hope, she hated her next words
. "No. I'm not even sure she knew I was there."

His shoulders sagged, and his face and body language showed his disappointment
.

"I intend to return, as often as necessary, until she responds,"
Sarah said, reconfirming her earlier decision.

"You will do this?" He stared at her
.

Wolf's words burned in
Sarah's mind. "She needs help. I will do whatever I can to break through the wall she has built around herself."

"It is good that you will spend time with her," Long Knife stated solemnly
.

Sarah
searched for words to provide him the same comfort his comment had given to her. Even as she hunted for the right ones, she knew the best way was cracking through the barrier encasing Quick Rabbit. "I will do what I can." She hoped her words did not raise his hope above what Sarah could do.

"Thank you
. If you will excuse me, I must see my mother." He bowed his head in a brief salute.

"Of course
." She watched Long Knife leave and thought how polite he was. His behavior contrasted strongly with two other males. She sighed then turned toward the house. Talking about Quick Rabbit brought back vividly Sarah's memory of the fat soldier and the lust she saw in his eyes. She felt dirty and longed to cleanse herself physically and mentally. The second was not possible, for Sarah could not purge her mind of the horror and helplessness she had experienced. However, she could scour and wash her hair.

She hastened to the house, hoping the housekeeper had returned and could tell her where she might bathe
. As she walked in the front door, she saw the older woman coming down the hall. "Bowl-Woman, can thou tell me where I might get a bath?"

The woman smiled
. "Between cabins and smoke house is narrow path. Follow and you will reach
pimoa kun."

"The what?"
Sarah asked.

"The
pimoa kun
, bath house.
Nu hum,
grandmother, watches over huts. She will help you."

"Thank thee
." Sarah raced up the steps for a change of clothes before leaving the house.

As she approached the houses, she replayed her last minutes with Wolf
. The hurt and anger remained. She refused to dwell on what she could not change and focused on finding the track leading to the
pimoa kun
. When she had walked this way earlier, she had not noticed another road, yet moments later, she saw the clearly marked trail.
How could I have missed this?
she wondered.

Strolling on, she saw the back of the smoke house on one side of the dirt lane and the rear of the Lenape' homes on the other
. She increased her pace, eager to wash away the dirt even if she could not as easily solve her problem with Wolf. Soon the sound of falling water caught her attention. Within minutes, she reached a clearing. Two small, domed-shaped, thatched huts, about the size of pup tents, stood about five yards apart, facing a pond of water. Off to the right, a seven or eight foot waterfall fed the little pool. At the opposite end, stones damned the water, allowing only a small trickle to cascade over the top. She wondered how cold the water would be. If the temperature was too cool, she would take a sponge bath without the sponge. She smiled ruefully.

"
He!"

An old woman suddenly stood before her
. "Oh!" Her sudden appearance startled Sarah, and she stepped back nervously.

"Hello," the small, gnarled Lenape woman said
. "I keeper of
pimoa kun.
You English woman." She spoke the words in a low, musical tone.

"My name is
Sarah."

She pointed to herself
. "
Nu Hum,
grandmother.

"Nu Hum, Bowl-Woman told me if I came here I could bathe
."

"
E-e,
yes. Stones hot and ready always."

Like a sauna
.
Sarah glanced again at the two igloo-like structures and arbitrarily started walking toward the half-moon hut on the left.
Not what I had in mind, but …

Nu Hum touched
Sarah's arm and shook her head. "Men." Pointing to the opposite one, she said, "Women."

Sarah
surveyed each hut, but saw no difference. Shrugging her shoulders, she walked to the other one and bent down, preparing to crawl inside.

"Leave clothes outside
. I clean."

"That's not necessary, I have another outfit
." She showed the old woman what was inside the bundle.

Nu Hum nodded as if she understood, but held out her hands and waited
.

She was not sure why the woman had nodded, because one look at Nu Hum convinced
Sarah that removing her clothes inside the hut was not an option. Feeling a little conspicuous, she began peeling off her layers.

Nu Hum smiled her approval
at this action then picked up a bucket, and started toward the water.

Hastily,
Sarah undressed. Giving a quick glance to the other hut before pulling off her shift, she saw no one. Evidently, Sarah was the only one taking advantage of the
pimoa kun
. Hastily, she threw back the deerskin flap and crawled inside. The heat struck her face. She almost stopped, but remembering her lack of clothes, she scurried in. She edged around the stones that surrounded a slow burning fire, and before she reached the opposite side, the perspiration poured from her skin. Sarah would definitely take a plunge in the pond after spending time here regardless of the temperature.

As she sought a comfortable spot on the skin-covered floor, the flap covering the doorway flew back
. Sarah crossed her arms over her breasts and tried to appear nonchalant.

Nu Hum placed the bucket next to the hot rocks
. When the wet wooden side hit the stones, they sizzled. The old woman crawled closer before untying a small bag from her waist band. "Scrub body." In the palm of her hand, she held out the leather sack.

Sarah
took one hand off her breasts and grasped the strings.

"When finished, wipe skin with beaver tail
."

Nu Hum dropped the four by four rough 'cloth' onto
Sarah's knee then backed to the doorway.

Sarah
slid her fingers inside the neck of the leather container to pull it open, but kept her attention focused on Nu Hum. Upon reaching the pail, the bath woman lifted the bucket and poured water on the hot stones. The rocks hissed and steam rose, filling the small room. Now, Sarah's body became a river of water. She wondered how long she had to stay and cook? When the mist cleared, she discovered she was alone.

Digging into the bag,
Sarah encountered a substance that reminded her of potters’ clay. Upon lifting a handful, the delightful smell of peaches wafted around her. While her skin might appreciate the mixture, Sarah wondered what the thick stuff would do for her hair. The Lenape wore theirs in a slicked back style. If they used this, it would keep every strand in place. She decided to forget shampooing.

After applying Nu Hum's cream,
Sarah scrubbed the excess off with the beaver cloth. When she had finished, she rubbed her hand over her skin. The smoothness surprised and pleased her. If she could discover the recipe, she would make a fortune in her own century. The heat in the hut and the perspiration that flowed freely from Sarah's pores forced her to consider a more immediate requirement. She retraced her steps, pushed back the door, glanced outside, and, seeing no one, raced to the water. The cold shocked and stopped. After hesitating a moment, she plunged in to the river. The sides of the pond dropped off sharply, and she began swimming. After a few strokes, she, carefully, dove beneath the semi-clear water. The shallow dive ended almost before she had straightened her body for her fingertips touched the muddy bottom.
Yuck,
she thought, pulling her legs close to her body so her toes would be spared the ooze even if her hands had not.
Oh, for a sandy or rocky bottom.

The sound of splashing water reminded
Sarah of the small waterfall. She glanced in that direction and started off. As she started her third stroke, someone grabbed her foot, pulling her back. She looked around and swallowed a mouthful of water. Her long wet hair partially blocked her view, but her heart recognized the touch. "Wolf," she cried.

He reined her in
. Although his fingers only briefly grazed her legs, each soft caress added oil to the fire her anger had banked. She tried to deny her desire by escaping his hold, but his strong, sure hands drew her to him. He encircled her waist, and he twirled her to face him. Her nakedness embarrassed her, but she could think of no way to hide herself from his view for he held her arms firmly in his grasp.