Chapter 20
Friday, April 7th
Each Ranch
The kitchen was in the process of building up the cookfires, they were banked but kept lit at night so those on watch could grab a coffee. It was also quicker than relighting every morning. Sam came out of the ten-man Army tent they had scrounged up. The remainder of his Lance still inside getting ready to face the day. Still no breeze, no clouds. The warmth unchanged. No change in the weather in, today would be a full week. Sam shook his head, not sure what it meant, but doubting it was anything good. As the men came out to join him, they planned the day. Bull would be back at the forge, with young Gary Ulmer as an apprentice, working on blessing and working the weapons of the ranch, and the new people. Alex would go with Ian, Frazier and Ralph from the riders to bring the bodies back. Tom would join him talking with the people who wanted to be part of the Lance, starting with Francis and Moses.
Pioneers, combat engineers, they could be priceless. They just started over to get morning coffee when Jessica came up. “Mr MacLachlan, may I have a word?”
Sam waved his men ahead, “Go get chow men.” He turned and asked “What can I do for you this day, Miss Jessica?”
“We, those who came with me, have been talking. We would like to know if you plan to plant here and leave people to farm while you build, or what plans are being made to get a crop in up at Big Creek Lake.”
“I am not a farmer, Miss Jessica. When do we need to get a crop in the ground?”
“We would need to be planting by the third week in May. I am sure it will take at least a week, maybe two to prepare the fields. Will we have the space to bring plows with us? Also we will need to use some draft animal to pull the plows.”
“Miss Jessica, I have not the knowledge to know what space you need, would you please talk with the farmers so we can plan for the space and equipment they will need to feed us this coming year?”
“Yes, I can do that for you. Mr. MacLachlan, May I be a bit forward?”
With a soft sigh, “Miss Jessica, what is it you wish?”
“Mr. MacLachlan, it seems you are guiding this whole affair by yourself. I know it is not my place, but have you thought of some people to help you? Passing some pieces off to another?” hurrying on “Mr Torrence, he does not run the whole Tavern, He has a person who runs the kitchen, another to take care of the rooms.”
“Miss Jessica, have you a person in mind to run the farms?”
“Now that you ask, Mr. Walsh has a successful farm, maybe you could appoint him?”
“Miss Jessica, if he is interested, please have him meet me on the porch of the main house after breakfast. If there is nothing else, I shall go eat.”
As Sam headed off to the outdoor kitchen Jessica went to talk with Casey Walsh.
“What did Miss Jessica want?” asked Alex.
“She was checking on how we are going to deal with farming.” Answered Sam.
“Miss Jessica? Farming?” said Bull.
“Her father had a great farm till the depression. If the bank had just gone under a few weeks later he would still have the place.” Said Alex.
Tom sat shaking his head. Alex looked and said “You going to start too?”
Sam smiled, “Alex, why do you let these two rile you up like that?” Bull looked to the side wiping his hand down the lower half of his face. Tom just smiled.
Bull lowered his voice, “You could go talk to old man DaDann, ask him.”
“He will say no, with the loss of the farm they can’t afford a wedding.” Replied Alex.
“Kind of you to think of him, guess it is better to make moon eyes than embarrass, her Da.” Smiled Tom.
“Alright, Tom, why don’t you act as my broker? Alex figured that would shut them up.
“You going to pay me up front?” smirked Tom, “No, you can pay me later.” Said Tom standing with his plate in hand while Alex turn slightly green.
Sam stood up giving Alex a gentle slap on the back, “Just never know when to stop.” He turned and followed Tom.
Meanwhile
Jessica quickly found the Walsh family. As she approached, she called, “Mr. Walsh, may I have a moment of your time?”
“Miss DaDann, How can I help you?”
“I know it’s a lot to ask Mr. Walsh, we need someone to help with making sure Mr. MacLachlan gets the farms planted in time. He is a rancher after all.”
“True, farming is different from ranching, but his brother does have a small plot here at his ranch.”
“Mr Walsh, I don’t know if the ranchers are all coming with us. Could you set my mind at ease and at least talk to Mr. MacLachlan? Maybe offer to head the farmers at the refuge?”
“I would not want to overstep my place, Miss DaDann.”
“We don’t want to have us all starving by not offering our help, I am truly worried Mr. Walsh”
“Very well, I will have a word with him later.”
“Thank you, Mr. Walsh, Thank you so very much,
Jessica said touching his elbow and leaving.
At the House
Sam and Tom left the kitchen area and went to the front porch of the main house. While on the way the men talked, “Tom, we are going to need more than just construction when we get to Camp BiCR.”
“Camp BiCR, you lost me there Sam.”
“Big Creek Refuge. You have not been out of the service that long have you?”
“Save us from military acronyms. Tell me you did not become a Red Tab (Staff Officer).”
Sam snickered, “you know I was assigned to HQ. After I went through scout sniper with the Brits they didn’t know where else to put us.”
As they reached the porch Tom (5’7’) looked up at his brother in arms (6’5”), “whatever you say Goliath”.
“I’d hope I am on the Lord’s side, doughboy.” The men smiling sat down and saw the pioneers heading their way. “Guess we get them both at once.”
Francis Eldritch and Moses Moon came up and joined them on the porch. The men all sat around and Sam smiled and offered them a cup off water and as he pulled his plug out looked at it, shook his head and said, “smoke em if you got em.” While he cut a corner off and put it in his mouth. “Gentlemen I may not be an officer but it is my Lance, so, this is recruiting, no ranks and, at least for now as past and future brothers in arms, first names only.”
All they men gave a respectful, “Yes Sgt.”
Sam began, “Francis,”
He was cut off, “Being informal, that is Frank”
“Frank, Pioneers. Mounted, you boys did some right nasty work in the trenches.”
“That we did, can’t say I am unhappy to be home.”
“Moses?”
“As Frank said, Pioneers, USMC.”
“You ride Moses?” asked Tom
“I can, but rather teamster”
“So; that your freight wagon yesterday?” asked Tom.
“We bought it together, Frank and me.”
Sam picked up, “I understand you want to be on the tip. Our unit the Lance, we will have myself, with 5 men as officer and warrants, each of us will have 5 serving under us as support and soldiers.”
“okay Sam” said Frank.
“What sort of structure we going to have?” asked Moses.
“I will be OiC, the 5 Warrants will be 2 W1,2 W2 and 1 W. They will each head a 5 person team, 1 Sgt, 1 Corporal and 3 troops.” answered Sam. “We will also have allied troops. Our Lance has to be Christian and of good faith. Not just no atheist in the trench, honest believers.”
“No problem with belief Sam, but why is that?” asked Moses.
“The members of the Lance will be part of a Papal fighting order. We as members will be fighting in God’s Name. We also get some form of gift, a prayer that, causes something that, well, calls a miracle.”
Frank and Moses both had a doubtful look, “Is what he says true? No peyote?” asked Frank.
“You want proof?” Tom looked over and whistled for Kia. The dog came at a run. Kia stopped suddenly about 7 feet from the porch and sat staring at the men. Sam muttered a couple of words, not in a language either Frank or Moses knew. “Kiazer is going to sit there, I am going into the house, one of you come with me, the other go talk with the dog.”
“Talk with a dog? asked Moses.
“What do we say to a dog?” asked Frank.
“Not up to me said Tom standing and heading to the door. The two men looked at each other and Frank followed Tom inside.
Moses walked over to Kiazer shaking his head. “Talk to a dog. Fine, Hello Dog. I hope you are having a nice day. Yeah, this is some Red Tag idea, won’t prove a thing.” Moses still shaking his head turned and walked back to the porch.
INSIDE
“Moses said, Hello Dog, and hope you are having a nice day. Thinks it is a Red Tag idea that won’t prove a thing and he is heading for the porch.” Said to as he stood by an interior doorway looking deeper into the house. Frank stood watching Tom until he said Moses was headed to the porch. He turned around just as Moses started up the steps.
“Did you say you hoped his dog had a nice day, that talking to it was a Red Tag idea?”
Moses stopped his mouth open, he looked over his shoulder to the dog, still sitting in the same place. Looked back to his friend, “But, How?”
The men talked for another ten minutes, and Sam told them he would like them for the Lance, not sure which positions yet but they would figure that out after he talked with the others who were interested.
The morning passed with variations of the same process. The third man had heard about the dog trick and asked how else they could prove it was not all a trick. “Sam asked to borrow his knife and had him put on his gloves. Sam muttered something that he did not quite catch. The knife began to turn white, no, not change color, more a layer of frost. Sam reached out and wiped the frost from the side of the blade on the glove of Pvt. George West US Infantry, who jerked his hand back from the intense cold. George looked at Sam who smiled and flipping the blade handed it back to George. When he took the knife it’s blade was cool to the touch but far from the numbing cold it was just moments earlier. As the sun reached it’s zenith the flow of soldiers paused and Casey Walsh came up to the porch. “Excuse me Mr MacLachlan, may I have a moment?
“We were just about to take a meal break Mr. Walsh, would you like to join us at the kitchen?” replied Sam.
“I would enjoy that sir, but maybe we could have a private moment first, then I can go rejoin my family.”
“Tom, you go ahead, I’ll catch up.” Sam gestured for Tom to go ahead.
“Mr. Maclachlan, I wondered if you had a plan yet for preparing a farm when we get to this refuge? I don’t want to presume, but thought you may want a farmer’s aid in that?”
Sam and Casey spent the next few minutes talking and agreed to have Casey start the planning to make sure they had the equipment, animals and seed they would need. Sam would send any farmers or likely hands to Casey to organize.
