Day Three and 21,377 words

Nate's Gold excerpt from Chapter 10

 

The next few days Nate and Teka caught the cattle and branded them.  Nate planned to brand the mules and horses next. When it came to the horses Teka balked.

“No one steal horse,” Teka said. “He run fast, he buck, he bite.”

Nate laughed. Sounded like Brownie when she was a colt.

“Teka, you don’t have to brand your horse but I have to brand Brownie. So everyone will know that she is mine. So they will begin to recognize my brand.”

“You brand Teka?”

Nate was surprised. “Why would I brand you Teka?”

“Teka and Nate and Cynthia and boy, tribe.”

“Yes we are family but we don’t brand each other,” said Nate.

“I see black man brand. He belong to white man.”

Nate thought about that for a minute. He knew about slavery but he didn’t approve.

“Teka, I don’t own you. You are family.”

Teka nodded then he said, “I brand you.”

“Now wait a minute,” Nate said backing up.

Teka reached in the bag he carried on his hip and took out a beaded bracelet.

“Put out hand,” he said to Nate.

Nate began to understand and put his hand out. Teka put the bracelet on Nate and wove the ends together.

“Now we are same tribe,” Teka said. “Cynthia same tribe. Boy same tribe.”

Nate nodded his head. He fought back the tears. “Yes we are same tribe.”

Teka put his arm out and the beading on his arm and Nate’s beading was the same pattern. He had not paid any attention when Teka was teaching Cynthia the pattern. Nate nodded.

When Nate branded Brownie, she laid her ears back but she did not move. Teka made a poultice to put on her. Then he brought his horse to Nate.

“He buck, he bite. I hold.”

Nate branded Teka’s horse and he did buck and try to bite him but he was forewarned and stayed out of the way of the teeth. Teka laughed as he held the horse.

“Horse strong, horse have courage. Horse fight.” Teka could state the obvious in clear terms. He put the poultice on his horse too even though he had to work harder at it.

 

When they finished supper that evening Teka gave Cynthia a bracelet with the same pattern that Nate’s had.

Weaving it together he said, “You now belong to tribe.”

Cynthia nodded gravely and handed the baby to Teka. He had a necklace for the baby. It hung to his belly. She took the baby back and swaddled him again.

“Now boy name Jasper. My tribe. Comanche tribe.”

When she stood to put Jasper down for the night she stopped and kissed Teka on the top of the head.

“Thank you,” was all she said.

Teka left the cabin. He never slept there he liked it better in the barn. Nate played his harmonica and thought about the family ceremony Teka had performed.

Strange how unplanned things can be the most important things, Nate thought.