OUTLANDER

                                                   Chapter 24

                                             Roundup

The large troop of men on horses with Dire Wolves walking at their sides, followed by a horse drawn wagon, had never been seen before. They would follow the streams into the mountains and occasionally over a few saddles where the streams did not flow, on their way to the western side of Borland. Their hope was to capture some of the wild horses and cattle to drive back to Sovladen. If they could kill an elk just before leaving the vast prairie so they could bring it back as well, so much the better.

After they had passed the farmsteads, crossed the river and made their way beyond the stone quarry everyone knew they were soon going to be farther up this canyon than anyone, except for Eron’s platoon when they found the slate quarry and Dax with Cran’s platoon as they returned from the western shore not very long ago.

It was coming on to dusk as they picked their first campsite for the evening meal and rest. They had just passed over a saddle in the mountain and found this wider plateau just below it. It was the perfect place to set up camp. The Dire Wolves were given the command that allowed them to go hunt as a pack and they trotted off into the oncoming night. When the meal was over and men started to lay down for rest, they found the seemingly unending clear sky with multitudes of dancing stars very becalming, lulling them to sleep. A night watch had been posted and men would do three hour shifts, keeping watch for large night predators who might find the horses as a welcome meal. They were already beyond where the wildlife were accustomed to men and felt any trepidation of them. They could hear the baying of their wolf companions in the distance, they had found prey.

As dawn started making it’s way over the mountain peaks, men were up stretching their muscles and packing their sleeping rolls. Then they began to eat their morning meal, when they were done they went about getting ready for another day of following the cairns left as guide posts. Some of them built more cairns at points near the campsite, declaring this a good juncture for a safe camp. Over the next several days and nights the routine was repeated. Those who had not made this journey before took in all the landmarks as they traveled, they knew this could well become a route they would travel often in the future.

Once they walked out onto the vast plain, leaving the river’s canyon behind them, everyone marveled at the large herds of animals grazing on the native grasses without any signal that men were in the area and to be wary of them. The first order of business was to discuss and formulate plans on how to segregate and capture a small herd of horses as they would be the hardest to keep docile until they started back for Sovladen. Then they talked about the best way to gather a good sized herd of the wild cattle. Cattle were somewhat more docile by nature, but that did not mean they would be easy to cut away from the larger herd and start driving into the river canyon on the long journey toward home.

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Ruthor had Sergeant-at Arms Dispar with his men from the Gaol platoon and the remaining six prisoners building a new paddock fence at the stables to be prepared for the herd of wild horses they hoped the men would be driving back from the western shore. While he and his group were working on this new project Cran with his platoon and several men from the Borland Navy were helping the farmers build new fences for pastures to each of the farmsteads for the expected herd of wild cattle. The herd would be divided as equally as possible between the four farmsteads. Everything needed to be in readiness by the time the expedition returned.

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Captain Pendil and some of his crew has taken the new whaling ship, which had been named Orca out for its shakedown cruise. Since everything had went well during the cruise, they had supplied the ship and were several days into her maiden voyage looking in the northern sea for whales. At some time in the future they would have to find a captain and crew to man the ship, but for now it was these men who would assure not only the ship’s capabilities but secure its first bounty for Borland.

They had only been at sea for half a moon when the crow’s nest watch sighted the first pod of whales in the distance. Pendil had the Orca turnabout and give chase. It was only his mastery of navigation and maneuvers that allowed the ship to catch up to the pod of large sea creatures on their first sighting. The ensuing battle between seamen and evading whale was long fought and at two different times it looked as if the whale would win his freedom. Only the crew’s haggard persistence finally enabled the Orca crew their victory. Much of this was due to the man’s good marksmanship that was using the harpoons. The whale had taken three harpoons before his fate was sealed.

Now the hard work started on harvesting the bounty and storing meat, blubber and everything else usable to be stored below decks. Only then could they start their return voyage to Borland.

                                                           *****

Captain Moule stood on the forecastle deck staring out at the vast horizon of blue, sometimes like now you could lose yourself there when both sky and sea seemed to merge into one. His thoughts were lost in all he had seen while on Borland this voyage. It was astounding to him, that everyone who lived there now appeared to be happy in their lives, where else could that be said of, nowhere. They were building a world to suit themselves. This was the one thing he would purposefully leave out of his report when the Windlass brought him back to port in Throgmarden. During his life in service to Thane Erik he had found that most rulers find it suspicious when too many of their subjects appear that happy and content, even the good ones like Thane Erik Throgmarden.

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Deson Dessa walked into the Government House and walked to Gayla’s table.

“Excuse me, but would you and lady Melody have time to talk to me a few moments?”

“Of course we would, Deson.” Gayla turned and looked toward the adjoining door way to Melody’s office and asked to her to her desk, telling her Deson was there to see them.

“Good afternoon, Deson. What can we help you with today?”

Deson placed a small tied pouch on Gayla’s table and untied the thong holding it closed. Four more pearls similar in quality to the first one he brought them gently rolled out and he stopped them from rolling too far. “I would like to have you record these like you did the other one, if you will?”

“Of course we will. You are finding quite a few of these, Deson. I am proud of you.”

“Do you think I have enough to get a small skiff? I would like to start diving for the oysters full time, between the oyster meal, the pearls when I find one and the shells themselves, I think I can do well enough to find me a small house and move away from my parents. My father says he would be proud of me standing on my own if I want to and he agrees this could be a good and profitable trade for me.”

“I am sure you could talk to the ship’s carpenters and they would agree. Many people here like eating the fresh oysters when you bring them to the docks. Who is using the shells if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Argyn uses them to make combs for women’s hair and the smaller pieces he carves into earrings. He said he would take as many as I can bring him. He also warned me to be selective when I take them though or I would harm the area where I have found them and they would die off. He also suggested that I look for other coves where they might be.”

“Argyn is giving you good advice. I will have to go see him soon, I would like one of those combs myself.”

“So would I.” Gayla added.

“They are beautiful. I traded the first ones to him for one and gave it to my mother. This last time I got another one, but I have already given it to Rowena.”

“Rowena Tuvea?”

“Yes, Lady Melody.”

“May I ask if we might be hearing of another couple who wish to marry?”

“I hope so, Lady. But I haven’t gotten the nerve yet to ask her.”

“She is a fine young woman, Deson. I hope your nerve comes and she is as fond of you as you are of her.”

“My mother said the same thing, my father just laughed a little when my mother said that. Then he said he understood, he said he was the same way with my mother. Then she blushed and laughed with him.”

“Good, then they are both in favor of this match?”

“They are, Rowena has been to our house for dinner a few times now, she and my mother have already become very close.”

“Then take heart Deson, I think fate is with you.”

“But don’t wait too long. She might get the wrong idea, and think you only want to be friends.”

“Rowena knows better than that I hope, we always kiss when I take her home from visiting our house.”

“Well now, that is different. If you have had enough courage to kiss her, you should have enough to ask her to marry you.”

“That is another thing my mother said.”

All three of them started to laugh. Deson left the Government house and walked toward the docks. Gayla and Melody had another good hearted chuckle and the agreed he was still more concerned with getting a skiff built first. He was a man after all.

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Dax and his men awoke and had a morning meal in the campsite they had set up near the river canyon in the shelter of trees at the foot of the mountain. The decision had been made so that when they took meals or rested it would allow the animals of the plain to resume their idyllic routine.

The first order of business was to find places to hold the horses and cattle until it was time to start the drive back to Sovladen. Everyone mounted up and wolves took their places next to their partners. Two groups rode just out of the tree line, one headed by Dax turned to the left, while the other turned to the right led by Ofid. It took until mid-day before both groups met back at the river’s edge near the trees.

“We found a small ravine up against the mountain, and it’s protected just inside the tree line about a quarter of a league to right, Commander.” Ofid reported as his platoon came to a halt near where Dax and Eron’s platoon had halted at the river’s bank near their campsite.

“Good, Lieutenant we found one a little farther to the left where we were searching. Let’s have a mid-day meal back up the river in camp and we will talk about which one we will work on first.” Dax answered his friend as he turned his mount and started back up the river to the campsite.

It took them several days to construct both enclosing fences in front of the ravines using small trees and bushes in a lattice structure where possible to obscure the appearance so that the animals would not become spooked by a fence they were being herded toward. Each one had double moving gates for men to close once the captured animals were driven in side.

That evening the discussion turned to what their next task was to complete. It was Arell who spoke about the best way to capture the wild horses. “Commander, I think we should make our first choice the wild horses.”

“Alright, Arell. But why go after them first?”

“They will be the hardest to stampede toward the hidden corral we have built. Their lead stallion will sense danger as we attempt to herd them in a specific direction, his instinct for survival will make him want to keep his herd running away from us or anywhere we are herding them. I have seen how well trained your Dire Wolves are to commands from your men and I think we can use that to our advantage.”

“Okay, go on and explain your plan.”

“If the men with wolves come from the back, while the rest of us flank both sides in a wide v shaped pattern. The stallion’s instinct will be to flee the wolves. If the rest of us are on the flanks yelling and say waving ropes over our heads, then he will run in the only direction that is less threatening, even if it is toward the tree line at the foothill of the mountain range. But the men on the flanks will have to be very convincing in their twirling of the ropes and yelling at the top of their voices for it to possibly work.”

Dax looked around at the rest of the men in the party, since all were seated close in for this discussion. “I believe we can sound like Hades Harbingers of Death. What do you men say?” Immediately there was a screaming and echoing round of screams to wake the dead from everyone. “Would that do, Arell?”

Arell laughed before speaking, which in turn brought on a chorus of jovial laughter from everyone, including Dax. “I think that will do quite well, Commander Dax.”

“Then what?”

“Once we have them in the corral, with the gates pulled closed and tied shut. We will need establish a watch at that corral, all day and all night, every day until we start to drive them back to Sovladen. The men on watch need to sing to the horses. My father taught me that trick, it calms them down and helps lulling animals to forget why they were scared in the first place.”

“I am sure we can do that. It might not be the pleasing crooning of a minstrel, but we can make an attempt at it being soothing none the less.”

“Not a problem, Commander. I cannot carry a tune in a bucket, myself.” Both Dax and Arell chuckled again.

“So that is the horses, what about the wild cattle?”

“Cattle are more docile, but that doesn’t mean tame. They will be easier to cut out the number we want, but remember they are wild. A bull can turn in an instant and he has horns to gore a horse, man or even a wolf in the blink of an eye. We’ll start off slower and quieter, than with the horses. We will increase our walk to a trot, wolves beside their partners, their scent alone will keep the cattle moving. Once we have enough cut out of the main herd, then we start heeling our horses into a gallop. Men at the back with some of the wolves and some of them with the men on the flanks. Wave your ropes like we do with the wild horses, but you don’t need to yell as loud, unless they start to charge away from us and brake through one of the flanking groups of us. Then those men especially need to yell as loud as they can and swing those ropes in large arcs.”

“That’s it?”

“More or less, Commander. We should try to herd them slower if we can. Being more docile is their nature. If we can more or less walk them through the fence gates, they will just stop when inside and start grazing on the grass. But the same thing applies once we have them corralled. Men standing watch and humming or singing quietly will lull them back to their natural state.”

“That doesn’t sound too difficult?”

“If it goes as planned it won’t be. But normally it never goes exactly as planned. Everymen must be very vigilant when we are driving either the horses or the cattle toward and into the corrals. If the leader balks and tries to just the flank or turn around and charge back, then the fight will be on and maybe even lose them. Worse than that, if one stumbles and falls to the ground, it will probably get injured badly enough that we will have to put it down. Then we will have to start all over again, and the second time is always harder to herd them than the first, they will be wary of our intent after the first one.”

“Then the first one must work.”

“Exactly. We should let them graze and calm completely down for a couple of days before we start to drive them back home.”

“Alright, then during those two days we can hunt elk. I also saw hops vines growing at the edges of the tree line in several places. We should gather as much as we can and store it in the wagon.”

The next morning as the dawn peeked over the mountains, men on horses with Dire Wolves walking close alongside started wandering around the wide grass prairie in slow deliberate loops. Arell would signal certain groups to move farther right, or hold back, more to the left. He, Dax and the men with the wolves moved more to the rear of all three groups, slowly trying to cut out a large contingent of the horses nearer the rear of the herd. Then in one startling second, Arell stood in his stirrups and made a blood curdling cry.

Wild horse ears perked erect, the lead stallion rose up on his hind legs and neighed his cry of danger. But it was too late the right flank had already penetrated through the grazing animals and every man started swinging ropes in abandon over their heads and yelling like the blood crazed charging into battle. Wolves began howling and barking in unison from the group of riders at the rear. The men on the right started yelling and making trotting moves forward. The stallion did the only thing he could and ran for the open prairie with most of his herd at a full gallop close behind him.

Three different times the horses that had been cut out of the herd tried to veer to the left or right in an attempt to break away from their pursuers. Each time the men made adjustments in their direction of driving them and thwarted the attempts. On the last attempt one of the new men, Shewan Tan was unseated from his saddle and barely escape being trampled to death. Only his quick thinking, and rolling into a ball and then jumping to his feet quickly after, so he could luckily grab his horse reins for protection saved his life. Tan just as quickly re-mounted and caught up with the others routing the animals toward open gates at the entrance to the ravine.

Once the wild horses were in the ravine and the gates tied locked, Shewan Tan was the first man to volunteer to be on the watch detail.

“You do not need to stand the first watch Tan, you should rest and then you could pull this duty later tonight or tomorrow. You barely escaped that fall with your life.”

“Thank you, Commander. But with your leave, I would rather take this watch. If anything it is because of that fall. I am new to riding horses and I want as much time in the saddle as I can get.”

“Well then if that is truly your wish. You have my leave. You show to me the spirit of the Wolf Pack for one so new to our ranks.”

“I will take that as high praise, Commander. Thank you.”

Dax turned and started riding away for the campsite. Eron looked at his platoon member and smiled before turning himself. Eron thought to himself as he rode away that maybe this one needed some watching. He remembered when he was new to the Wolf Pack, Tan just might be a man he could give some extra attention to.

That night, everyone fell to sleep earlier than was their normal. After the evening meal and some good natured recollections about the events of that happened during the drive of the wild horses. Men fell asleep easily, that is except for the ones who were in and out of camp to stand the watches at the horse corral.

The next morning after much stretching of muscles, walking to the edges of the site to relieve their bladders and then finally a hearty breakfast meal, men started saddling their mounts and preparing for the days next objective, the wild cattle.

Out on the plain, Arell’s plan worked better than he had hoped. The maneuver of taking it more slowly worked quite well with these animals that had no previous fear from the men on horses. Horses had never been a predator to the herd, men on their backs didn’t seem to change that to the cattle.

Slowly working their way into the herd had some animals just moving slowly off to another patch of grass. Then as the horses began walking closer together and in a particular direction didn’t signal an attempt at harm. Initially they just continued to graze and move in the same direction as the horses. Arell had thought that the presence of the wolves might alarm them, but since the wolves were being quiet and staying close to the horses of their partners. Initially the cattle were not spooked. As the group that Dax and his men had now successfully cut away from the main herd were a good distance from where they had been, the group of men on horses began to pick up the pace to a trot and the quarreling cattle moved at a slightly quicker pace as well. Then with everyone now in the configuration Arell had planned, men started swing ropes over their heads and making noise. With the only direction the cattle could take was forward, they started to run away from their pursuers. When the trot became a gallop, the cattle went into full rout in that direction. Thankfully there was little attempt by the cattle to change course. And eventually all the cattle were inside their corral with the gates tied closed. Once they were no longer being chased they settled into their routine of grazing.

Although this herding went better than it had with the horses, it didn’t take any less time to successfully get them penned. A watch was established and everyone else returned to camp.

Around the campfire that night a few of the men talked about hunting the elk with Dax and Ofid. Arell said he would take a few who wanted and gather hops for brewing purposes back in Sovladen, he also thought there might be some tubers growing in the woods that people would enjoy adding to their meals occasionally.

Eron, on the other hand, wanted to explore these bordering mountains a little more thoroughly. Several in his platoon thought they would accompany him. Those on the watches of corrals were content to continue with that assignment.

After morning meal was over men set off in different directions to hunt, gather and explore as was their inclinations. Dax, Ofid and three others rode out onto the plain and surveyed the vast grassland for the location of the herd of elk. They spotted them about a league and half to the right of the river. So they rode slowly just outside the tree line in that direction.

Arell was joined by Devon Wilts and two of the new soldiers from Ofid’s platoon and turned to the left and rode beyond the cattle corral. The bushes and some of the tress here had Hops vines hanging heavy with flowers here.

Most of Eron’s platoon started an almost immediate assent of the mountain behind the campsite. They followed slightly gentle sloping game trails up the mountain at first. But steepening as they climbed, Eron wanted to make it to the rocky and bald looking cap rock that formed a saddle at its peak. Later that afternoon Eron and his men successfully stood at the mountain’s highest point of rocks and could see just beyond the grassy plain to the bay it bordered. After enjoying the wonderful view a few moments he told his men to search around and see if there was anything of interest to be found.

About an hour later he heard Tumach yelling for him to come to where he was and take a look. When he got to where Tumach was kneeling close to a seam of crystal quartz that ran angularly across this location, the man pointed to what had drawn his attention.

“Is that what I think it is, Lieutenant?”

Eron kneeled down took out his dagger and broke off a small piece of the shiny metallic substance. Once he had the piece between his fingers, he put it to his mouth and bit down, the he pulled the piece back to look at it again. “Yes, Tumach, it is. This is gold. That is what I was hoping to find. I saw quite a bit of small broken quartz pieces laying around camp along the river’s edges and in the river bottom. I have heard that you can find gold where you find quartz. Not always but it can be found there. We have been lucky.” Eron turned to call to the rest of his platoon and told them to join Tumach and him where they were. Once they were all there he spoke to the group. “Follow this quartz seam and see how much gold you can see with it. Once we know how far it occurs with the seam, then we will dig out what we can with our dirks and daggers. Gold is soft so it won’t be too hard to break off, but be careful the quartz is very hard and you could damage your weapon if you try and dig at it.”

Everyone started to follow the clear to cloudy crystal seam in both directions, then men started to dig at different locations. They dug until it was late afternoon, chunks of the gold in the bags that had held their mid-day meals. Then Eron had everyone stand and stretch their legs and arms before starting their dissent down the mountain and back to camp.

Dax and Ofid had done well, they killed three elk bucks, with the bucks gutted finally and slung over behind their saddles and tied down, they started back to camp. As they neared the river Dax could see Arell’s group coming their direction. The empty grain sacks they had brought salt, flour and other supplies in were full again tied and draped from their saddle horns and the larger ones tied together and over the backs of the horses behind their saddles. He was sure it was with the hops they had searched for.

They turned up river and rode back into camp, Arell and his men were not far behind. Not long after the sacks of hops were loaded into the wagon with two of the elk and half of the third one. They could hear Eron and his men coming down the game trail and then into camp. Dax noticed that all of Eron’s platoon looked excited.

As Eron dismounted, Dax asked what had them all so high of spirits. Eron untied the bag that had been tied to his saddle horn and gave it to his commander.

Dax looked inside and then pulled on small piece out to look at it in the late afternoon light. He uttered just the one word. “Gold.”

Eron nodded assent first and then spoke. “Yes Commander, gold. We found a seam of it at the crest of the mountain.”

“How much of this do you think is there?”

“Possibly a fortune of it, but at least enough to increase our treasury considerably. I think we should call this Tumach’s Mountain, it was he who spotted the gold running along the quartz seam we found. If we went back up tomorrow with what picks we have we could gather much more.”

Dax turned in Tumach’s direction. “Tumach, this mountain will be called, Tumach’s Mountain. You have done well this day.”

“Thank you, Commander” everyone cheered, clapped and many slapped their friend on the back.

“Each of you mark the pouches and sacks you found. Tomorrow most of us will go back up the mountain to this find and get as much as we can with what better tools we have. When we are back in Sovladen we will take it all to Government house and write down in the ledger how much was found by each of us. Then we lock it in the vault there. There will come a day when it could do us all great service.”

The entire group cheered again.

“We should all mark a fair portion to those who will have other duties and not be able to mine for the gold tomorrow, I think that would be fair to everyone.”

It was Ofid who spoke next. “Commander, it think we could all share equally in what is found. It is our way as members of the Wolf Pack.” Before, Dax could answer there was another loud burst of cheering and a chant rose up from all the men. “We are Wolf Pack and we share all; the pain, the blood, the sorrow, the victory, the loss and the glory, for we are Wolf Pack now and forever. One pack, one goal and one mind.”

Dax felt a sense of deep pride in his men and spoke. “Then we are agreed again, all here share equally. Now let’s cook this half an elk and share equally in that also.” Cheering rang loud along the river again.

Men ate until their bellies were full and the tale was told to the watches as they came in when being relieved. Sleep came fitfully to some that night, many could not stop thinking about tomorrows trek back up the mountain to mine more of the gold.

The next morning men ate their meal with haste. Everyone but the corral watchmen left camp for the climb before full dawn brought bright lite to the camp and plain. Men worked in a fervor until late afternoon acquiring as much of the soft yellow metal ore as they could. Everyone was doggedly worn out that evening and fell into slumber quickly.

That morning the team was hitched to the wagon early. Two groups of men rode out of camp half turned left and the other half rode to the right. It was decided to let the wagon start up the trail first. Then by the time the cattle entered the river canyon it would act as the pace setter for the herd of wild cattle. Following the cattle would be the herd of wild horses this natural progression would also slow the pace of the horses. Many of the men with the horse herd would be at the rear as they would be unlikely to stray in the canyons. For the next several days there would be more men on night watches keeping all the animals settled down at night. Then each day would follow the same routine.

This routine continued for almost half a moon before the first farmstead was sighted. The cattle were headed off and into the long series of pastures that had built for them by Cran and the men with him during the men on the drives absence. Then as they came to the stables the drovers drove the wild horse herd onto the pasture that had built to house them. Arell, left the remaining group of men and wagon here, he wanted to tend to the first preparations ahead of him. The wagon and team lead the way to Government House and pulled up in front of it.

Melody and Gayla were on the porch as men dismounted and started dropping the wagon rear gate. Dax, Ofid and Eron dismounted in front of the ladies.

“Welcome home, my Husband. What may I ask is the wagon doing here?”

Dax handed her a small pouch and untied the binding for her. Melody looked inside and pulled out a piece handing it to Gayla as she pulled out a second one. Then she looked back at Dax.

“Only you would go for horses and cattle and come home with gold.” She said as she hugged her husband close.

By this time Ruthor and Cran were also there. Gayla handed her piece to Ruthor.

Dax looked up to them all and said, “We have the horses and the cattle my love they have already been herded into the pastures you all have built during our absence. But Tumach and Eron found this on our next to last day before heading home. We named the mountain they found it on Tumach’s Mountain.”

Melody looked back and asked, “How much gold did you find?”

By then men had opened the drop gate of the wagon and pulled the canvas flaps open revealing several large, medium and many more small pouches near the rear of the wagon. Dax looked to everyone on the porch and answered her with a smile. “This much.” As he did all the men now standing around the wagon and their Commander started laughing loudly with good humored glee.

Melody, Gayla and the other on the porch of Government House stood there speechless.