Timecachers (41 page)

“You appear to be well prepared for a long stay, Guwaya,” Tom said, accepting the cup of water.

“And I feel better about the location,” said John. “It is naturally well hidden, but not too inaccessible once you know the location. How did you find this place? I’ve hunted with you many times in this area and have even been to the cliff above, but I never knew the cave was here.”

“I discovered it by accident during a hunting trip,” Guwaya answered. “I sat at the top of this cliff taking in the beauty of the mountains, using my knife to repair a worn harness, when it slipped from my hands and tumbled over the cliff. I looked down and could see it landed on that tiny ledge. I climbed down to retrieve it and discovered this cavern. Had I not dropped the knife, I would have never had a reason to climb down here.”

Tom thought that if it were him, he may have just left the knife rather than climb down the side of that steep cliff to retrieve it, but Guwaya had probably scrambled around on these mountains his entire life, so climbing down twenty feet without climbing gear would not trouble him.

“Won’t it be difficult for your mother to get to the cave?” Tom asked. “And what about Sagi? Will he be safe staying here?”

“Everyone in my family has been here, more than once. Ahni is much more agile than she appears, and had no problem getting to the cave entrance, even without the ladder, which is good as I normally do not leave it in place. Sagi scrambles up and down the cliff with ease, not unusual for a youngster of his age.”

Maybe not unusual for a Cherokee youngster, Tom thought, recalling how some parents were so protective of their youngsters they wouldn’t let them get anywhere near the edge of a cliff.

“You said there was fresh water nearby?” said John.

“There is an underground spring that seeps into the cave. It has heavy mineral content, but is potable. And if you follow the cave to its end, it becomes very narrow, but eventually exits at the foot of the mountain. It is a tight passage, there are many jagged rocks and narrow places one must climb, but it is reachable in an emergency.”

John nodded his approval.

“How did you manage to bring this table and chairs down here?” Tom asked.

Guwaya looked at him strangely, smiling at Tom as if he were a child asking a foolish question. “It wasn’t a table and chairs when I brought it. I simply brought down the materials and assembled them here.”

“Ah, of course,” said Tom. “The nineteenth century version of IKEA furniture.”

“IKEA?” John and Guwaya questioned.

“It’s just a store that sells furniture you have to put together yourself.”

“I already have to put together my furniture. Why would someone buy it if they still had to build it? It does not sound like a very good store to me,” said Guwaya.

Tom remembered that they had not let Guwaya in on the time-travel thing, so he would have to be a little more cautious when he spoke.

“I will have to be leaving soon,” John said, changing the subject. “I have much more travel ahead of me and will need to get started. I must go back to Red Clay to see if there is any more hopeful news.”

Guwaya extinguished the lanterns, and the three men climbed back to the top of the cliff, where Guwaya rolled up the ladder and stashed it in a rock crevice. When they reached the horses, Guwaya and Tom said their farewells to John who rode off northward toward Red Clay.

“We can take a more direct route home,” said Guwaya. “It is only necessary to take such a circuitous route when we are carrying supplies, to avoid explanations if someone were to see us. With the horses unburdened we can ride most of the way, and get home quickly.”

Indeed, it was only about an hour before Tom began to recognize the landmarks that they had passed when they first left the cabin. It was good timing, Tom thought, since it was beginning to get dark. They bypassed the narrow, steep trails that they had followed before, but there were still several places that Tom thought would be a little too treacherous in the dark. He was also getting hungry and looking forward to another of Woyi’s superb home-cooked meals.

Chapter thirty-five

T
om had plenty of opportunity to partake of Woyi’s cooking over the next several days. He grew fond of the time spent with this close-knit family, and even began to enjoy the long, laborious days working side-by-side with Guwaya. Although many of their ways were foreign to him, within only a few days he began to understand the practicality of their traditions, and he began to notice similarities to his own family’s customs. Observing the Ward’s lifestyle helped him to understand how some of those traditions may have developed.

He especially enjoyed his time with little Sagi. The energy of the two-year old was boundless, and reminded him of his younger siblings when he was a child.

It had been nearly two weeks since John Carter brought Tom to the Ward farm. Most of his time had been spent working the farm, although he and Guwaya made two more treks to bring supplies to the cavern.

They were returning from the third trip, Tom anticipating another of Woyi‘s mouthwatering meals, when she suddenly appeared on the trail in front of them. Woyi ran toward them,
usdi
on her back and holding Sagi’s hand, nearly dragging the boy along behind her.

“Wait, Guwaya!” she cried as she got closer.

Guwaya quickly dismounted and ran to his wife. “What is wrong? Why are you all the way out here?”

Woyi was wide-eyed and out-of-breath. “The men!” she said urgently. “They came to the house—they just came in. They took Ahni!”

“Who?” Guwaya’s voice was fierce. “Who took my mother? Who were these men?”

Tom shuddered; the roundup of Cherokee families was beginning. So much for the theory that things might be different on this timeline, he thought. He said nothing, giving Guwaya a moment to reach the same conclusion. Tom lifted Sagi to his hip, comforting the young child who was sensing his parent’s distress.

“It was the Georgia militia,” Woyi said. Her voice quavered as she relayed the encounter. “I was out in the field with the children when they came, but when I saw them, I ran to the house. Ahni was watching for me and motioned for me to stay hidden. She pretended that she couldn’t understand any English, so they had to bring in one of the men who spoke some Tsalagi. We hid close enough to hear what they were saying. He told Ahni that they came to take us all to the fort, where we must wait until they send us to the west.

“Ahni told them that we had already left for the western territory, like the story you planned, but they didn’t believe her. They said we didn’t go because all the animals were still here. She told them that that was why she was still here, to care for the animals and sell them, and send you the money. She told them you told her she was too old to go to the west, so you left her behind with the animals.

“The men seemed to believe her then. They laughed and said it was just like an Indian to run off and leave his old mother behind with the animals.”

Guwaya bristled at that. He would never leave his mother behind, but he knew Ahni was clever to make up a story they would believe so Woyi and the children could escape.

Woyi went on. “They told her she would have to come with them. They would take her to a place where she would wait for removal to the west. Ahni protested; she told them she had to stay and take care of the animals or they would starve, but they told her to forget about the animals. They said they would belong to some other family now, a white family, and she had no choice but to come with them at once.”

“Do you know where they took her,” he asked. “How long ago did this happen?”

“It was about an hour ago, and I heard them say they were taking her to Fort Cummings. But I also heard the man in charge tell a couple of men to search the surrounding area in case we were really still there. I did not go back in the house; I ran here to warn you.”

Guwaya nodded firmly. “That was the right thing to do.” His hand rubbed the back of his neck as he considered what they should do next. “I must rescue Ahni, and there are still some things we could use at the house. I will go there first and try to sneak inside. You and Tom take the children and horses and go to the cave.”

“Hold on, Guwaya,” said Tom, placing a restraining hand on Guwaya’s rock-hard shoulder. “Let me go to check out the cabin. You should stay with your family. Let me know what you need, and I’ll get it from the cabin if I can.”

“Thank you for the offer, Tom.” Guwaya shook his head. But I cannot ask you to put yourself in such danger.”

“It will be less dangerous for me than for you. If they see me, they won’t know who I am. I can just say I was out hunting, got lost, and found my way to the cabin. They would have no reason not to believe me. I’ll get your things if I can, and then we can take your family to the cave.” Tom handed Sagi to him.

“You are right; you will probably have a better chance than I to make it to the cabin. But I cannot go to the cave—I must rescue my mother.”

“You realize it will be extremely difficult to reach her if she has been taken to a fort. It will be well guarded, of course.”

“I am not afraid of the militia,” Guwaya said brusquely.

“I am not implying that you are. Did Ahni appear to be in imminent danger?” he asked Woyi.

“No. The men were rough, but they were not physically abusive. At least not that I observed,” she answered.

“Then, Guwaya, don’t you think it would be best to take advantage of the opportunity she gave you, at much risk to herself, to get everyone else to safety? Once there, we can consider a rescue plan.”

Guwaya considered Tom’s words, looking at his son who was clinging tightly to his shirt. “Once again you are right, Tom. I am letting my emotions cloud my judgment. I will return to the cave with my family and wait for you to join us. Can you find your way to the cabin and back again to the cave, even in the dark?”

“I can,” Tom confirmed. “It’s not that far to the cabin. I’ll leave the horse with Woyi, and meet you back at the cave as soon as I can.”

Guwaya told Tom which items he would like from the cabin, and where they were located. He wanted Tom to retrieve several weapons he had hidden and some gold coins he had been saving. Usually, he would not bother with money for a stay in the wilderness, but he thought under the circumstances a need for the coins may arise. There were other things he would have liked to have, but he did not want to make Tom carry more than necessary. He shook Tom’s hand earnestly and urged him to use caution. He reminded Tom that the men may be watching the cabin. “At the least sign of danger, forget the things in the cabin and return to the cave.”

Tom assured him he would be vigilant and headed down the trail.

He was within sight of the cabin in under a quarter of an hour. Approaching from the rear, he paused at the edge of the woods to observe the cabin. It was dusk, not quite dark. A blessing, he thought—dark enough to provide cover, but light enough to see his way. The insects and other night creatures had begun their nocturnal symphony, suppressing the sound of his approach. There was about a hundred yards of meadow between his position and the cabin, most of it covered in tall grass, waving deceptively serene in the evening breeze.

The cabin was still, but he could hear an intermittent plinking sound coming from the side of the cabin, blind to him in his current position. He edged his way to a better vantage point, keeping within the cover of the woods. He heard laughter, followed by two distinct voices. He could now see the two young men; neither looking barely more than twenty years old. They were sitting on stumps, tossing rocks at a wash basin they had propped up to make a target. Great luck, he thought, they were absorbed and making enough racket to cover up his approach. He realized he would have to move quickly, darkness was descending and soon there would not be enough light for the men to continue their rock tossing game.

Tom picked up a handful of black mud and rubbed it onto his face and forearms, darkening his white skin to dull any reflections from the fading light. He lowered himself onto his hands and knees and began creeping toward the opposite corner of the cabin, keeping his back below the level of the grass.

He stopped again when he reached the end of the tall grass. There was about another hundred feet to the cabin, but he would have to cross an area where Guwaya had scythed the grass short for a yard. He could still hear the stones clanking into the washbasin and the men’s voices. They were not visible, which meant he wasn’t visible to them as long as they kept their game going. Even so, the apprehension of crossing the open area caused his heart to pound. Taking a deep breath, he felt the adrenaline kick in as he rose to a crouching position and scampered swiftly across the yard. He reached the corner of the porch and ducked behind it for cover in case his approach had been heard. He froze in position, held his breath, and listened.

Another plink and more laughter. Tom willed himself to begin breathing again, slow and controlled, doing his best to calm his racing heart. He told himself that they were just teenagers, more interested in throwing rocks than watching for him. He also assumed they were armed, and knew that folks in this century were less likely to hesitate before resorting to violence. Still, he should be able to easily get into the cabin and retrieve Guwaya’s items without alerting them. If only they would keep playing their rock throwing game.