Chapter 5

November 14, 1865

Abigail POV

This morning, over breakfast, Levi informed me that he was confident that we would arrive at Fort Gibson before noon. With the hills and trees, it was difficult to see very far in the distance. I was excited to know that we had finally arrived. I was ready for a good night’s rest in a soft bed.

The last ten days had been a challenge. The morning that we left Springfield, I reminded Levi that he had agreed to push the men and the supply wagons as much as possible. The first three days we were able to push and traveled every bit of thirty miles each day. We took very few breaks and moved swiftly. But on the fourth day, the weather turned cold and it began to rain. After two days of solid rain, we were soaked through, tired, cold, and miserable. I was extremely disappointed to discover that we had only managed to travel thirty miles in two days. That put us behind schedule and my spirits fell.

The sixth day, we rose to find that the rain had ceased, much to our relief. The trail was still boggy and wet, but we were hopeful that we would be able to dry out. My spirits rose slightly until I realized that we were now entering the hillier area of northern Arkansas. Which meant that we would no longer be able to maintain thirty miles each day. I tried to not allow my disappointment to show but the men could see it anyway. Many times, during the last five days the men would apologize for the delay. I would nod and tell them that it was fine and we would eventually arrive at Fort Gibson.

I was brought out of my musings as we reached a clearing and I could see the fort. “We made it,” I sighed in relief.

“Yes, Ma’am. We did,” Zeke said, agreeing with me. This trip would have been even more torturous without the friendships that I had made with the men that I traveled with. I wanted to make sure that somehow each of them was rewarded for escorting me safely to the fort. I would have to talk with Henry about that.

Levi was at the front of our little caravan and he halted his horse and looked back at me, with a grin on his face. As I caught up to him, he urged his mount into a slower walk, keeping pace with me. “There it is, Abigail. Fort Gibson. When we left Springfield, I knew that seven days would be difficult but I was willing to try. We did however, manage to arrive three days ahead of our original schedule. Captain Spertzel will be pleased to know you have arrived.”

I nodded, “Yes, I cannot wait to see him. Do you think that we can send a wire and let him know we made it?” I was bouncing from foot to foot in my excitement.

“I believe so. We can inquire with Lieutenant Sheffield once inside the fort,” he told me. Just then, we could see several riders leaving the fort and making their way to us.

As the riders drew near, the supply wagons came to a stop. Levi looked down at me and said, “Wait here for just a moment.” I nodded and he rode to meet the soldiers from the fort. It didn’t take long and Levi called back to me, “Mrs. Spertzel, come. We have been given entrance to the fort. We will meet with Lieutenant Sheffield momentarily.”

I hurried to catch up to Levi and the other soldiers from the fort. As I walked up, one of them tipped his hat at me, “Ma’am. It’s a pleasure to have the captain’s wife with us.”

I smiled, and said, “thank you. Shall we continue on to the fort?” I was hoping to appear more confident than I felt. As Henry’s wife, I was expected to act a certain way. I just wasn’t sure what that entailed. I definitely had quite a few things to learn.

It wasn’t long and we were safely inside the fort. Fort Gibson seemed much like a small town. I could see a mercantile, a livery, a bath house, and even a laundry. Levi dismounted and handed the reins of his horse to one of the men at the livery, then he and I made our way to the officer’s quarters. Once there, he knocked on the door and quickly stood at attention. From inside we heard, “Enter.”

Levi reached out, opened the door, and then motioned for me to proceed him into the house. As I walked into the house, I took in its appearance. It was small and tidy. A small area to the left had a cook stove and wash basin. In the middle of the space was a table with four chairs. And to the right was a sitting area with two hard back wooden chairs and a small settee. On the opposite side of the space were two doors. Inside the door on the right, I could see a bed and assumed it was the Lieutenant’s bedroom. The other door was ajar but I couldn’t see inside.

Levi cleared his throat and said, “Ahem. Lieutenant Sheffield? I am Sergeant Major Levi Williams reporting for duty in Indian Territory. I have escorted Mrs. Henry Spertzel.”

At his words, I heard a chair scrape and the door opened further to reveal a tall man with broad shoulders. I guessed that if he chose to work on the railroad, he would have no trouble lifting the heavy timbers on those shoulders. His bulky frame brought to mind the broadness of an ox. He had black hair, so dark in fact it looked like coal. His eyes were warm like chocolate. He smiled at me, reached out his hand in greeting, and said, “Abigail! It’s so good to finally meet you. My name is 1^st Lieutenant Matthew Sheffield. You may call me Matthew. My aunt has written about you often. Please come in, both of you.”

He ushered me into his office and pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk, as he moved to his seat behind the desk and Levi took the other chair next to me. “So, tell me about your journey. You are several days earlier than expected.”

Levi spoke up, “Yes, sir. We had very good weather to Springfield. We made the first part of the journey in ten days. Abig…I mean, Mrs. Spertzel, pushed us to keep moving. We had allotted several extra days for her comfort but she refused to be a burden.” He glanced at me and smiled and I smiled in return.

“It was really no trouble. I did not want to be the reason for any delays. And of course, I was anxious to make my way here,” I told Matthew with a grin.

He nodded and said, “Yes, I can see that,” then turning back to Levi, “how did the rest of the trip go?”

“Fine. We traveled well the first couple days but then the rain came and it slowed us down tremendously. I am just glad that it was rain and not snow,” Levi commented. It was at that moment that I realized how fortunate we had been. I hadn’t once thought about the possibility of snow. I mean, I know it’s November, but it really hadn’t crossed my mind.

I interjected, “Lieutenant, when will I make my way to Fort Sill?”

His smile caused me to blush, “Abigail, don’t fret. Henry has sent word to me that our Indian guide, Wohali, will be the one to take you to Fort Sill. Because we didn’t expect you until the seventeenth, he will not arrive until that time. So, you have several days to rest from your journey. In the meantime, it is close to noon. Let’s go to the dining hall and get some food. Then I will show you to your quarters and you can rest. Will that be alright?”

I nodded and just then my stomach decided to make its demands for food. I giggled in response to the noise and the men snickered as well as we rose and left Matthew’s home.

Lunch was wonderful. It was a beef stew that was loaded with carrots and potatoes. It was served with a sweet yellow cake that they called cornbread. My stomach was happy to be full again. It didn’t take long for the full feeling in my stomach to make me sleepy. I was trying hard to keep my yawning to myself, but I knew I failed when Matthew chuckled and said, “Mrs. Spertzel, how about I show you where you will stay while you are here?”

The three of us stood and I turned to Levi, held out my hand, and said, “Sergeant Major, thank you for the escort. It was most appreciated. I hope to see you again.”

He smiled at me and said, “You will.” I jerked my eyes back to him and he continued, “Did you forget that I told you that I am being sent to Fort Sill, as well. I will arrive late next week. The captain and I had previously decided that the supply wagons would not hinder your journey, once you made it this far.”

I blushed because I had indeed forgotten. I was glad to be reminded and my heart warmed at the knowledge that my friend, Levi, would be at the fort with me. I smiled at him, nodded my head, and said, “Yes, I’m sorry I had forgotten,” then turning to Matthew, “1^st Lieutenant, I am ready to go to my quarters.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Right this way,” he pointed me to the door and then showed me to the house just next to his. As we walked into the little house, I noticed that it was an exact copy of his.

“I will have the men bring your trunks later this afternoon. Feel free to wander anywhere you wish inside the fort. I would ask that you do not leave the fort without an escort. It is not always safe outside the walls of the fort. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me,” he kindly shared with me.

“Thank you, Matthew,” I called him by his given name since we were in private. Only in front of his men, did I need to call him by his rank. He nodded and left me alone in the house. I made my way to the bedroom and laid down and was soon asleep, relishing in the softness of the bed.

I spent Wednesday deciding what items I could do without for a few days. The wagons would bring my trunks but I was to travel by horseback which would allow me to join Henry by Sunday. It would depend on how quickly Wohali chose to run the horses. I decided that I would only pack a saddle bag with my necessary toilette items. The only other item I would carry with me, was the watch that I had purchased for Henry. My other dresses and belongings could wait.

Thursday morning, I decided to take a walk around the fort. Having gotten used to walking during our journey, my legs would ache slightly if I sat for too long. As I was walking, I ran into Zeke coming out of the mercantile.

“Miss Abigail! I’m sorry…. I mean, Mrs. Spertzel! How are you? Are you resting well?” he asked quickly, clearly nervous about something.

“Calm down, take a breath,” I smirked at him, “It’s okay, you may call me Abigail. And yes, I am quite well. Ready for my trip tomorrow. I am told that my Indian guide arrives in the morning and will escort me to Fort Sill to meet my husband.”

He nodded. Then cocked his head to the left, as if in thought. “Would you like to go for a horse ride with me? Maybe in half an hour? I could go and saddle a horse for you, then we could go explore just a bit?”

It sounded wonderful! I was excited to explore this land they called Indian Territory. In truth, what I had seen so far, it looks just like Arkansas or Missouri. “Yes, I would like that. Would you like me to meet you at the livery in half an hour?” I asked.

“Um…no…. let’s meet by the gate. That will be better,” he stammered, clearly nervous about something.

“Zeke, are you alright dear?” I asked him. I was beginning to fear that something was truly worrying him.

“Y.. y.. yes, Ma’am. I’m fine. See you in half an hour,” he stammered out once again and then hurried off toward the livery.

I shrugged my shoulders at his hasty departure and continued my walk around the inside perimeter of the fort. I made certain to end up near the gate close to the time that Zeke and I had agreed upon. I saw him in the distance and waved to him as he made his way to my location. We quickly mounted and were off on our short adventure.

We galloped across the clearing and soon found ourselves in the woods. To keep from injuring the horses in unknown terrain, we slowed them to a walk and I inhaled a deep breath. I was enjoying the scent of the woods and found myself at peace. The land was quiet and I was enjoying the gait of the horse. Zeke and I were both silent, I assumed because we were just enjoying the day.

We had been gone close to an hour and I turned to Zeke, “We should probably head back. I do not want to become lost.”

“Just a little bit farther? Please?” he whined. Being a Private, he often didn’t have the luxury of making decisions on his own anymore. So, I relented, giving him this one little piece of freedom outside the confines of the fort, “Just another ten minutes and then we need to head back,” I firmly told him.

He smiled and we moved on. It wasn’t long and I felt that the sound of the woods had become deathly quiet. I was just about to turn to Zeke, when I heard him say, “I’m sorry Miss,” and then I was struck over the head. My world went black as I fell from my horse.

When I regained my senses, I could hear voices, but in my grogginess, I couldn’t quite make out who they were. The more I woke, the clearer the voices became.

“Here, as promised. One hundred dollars. You better get back to the fort or you’ll be missed.”

I recognized that voice. Oh, dear, lord! He found me!

“Mr. LaCroix, I cannot return to the fort without her. They will know that I have done something. You must help me,” Zeke cried out.

I quietly shifted so that I could see both of them. I quickly took in my surroundings, noting that only my father and Zeke were present. I watched silently as my father reached out and punched Zeke in the nose, then he sneered, “There, tell them you were hijacked and knocked out. When you woke, Abigail was gone. They’ll never find us.”

He glanced my direction and saw that I was awake, “Ah, you are awake. Finally. Good. You will be punished for your disobedience, daughter,” turning back to Zeke, “now, get out of here.”

“Zeke!” I cried out. “Don’t leave me here! How could you do this? I thought you were my friend!”

Zeke looked my direction but his gaze refused to meet eyes. “I’m sorry Abigail. I am your friend. But you shouldn’t have lied about your age and defied your father.” He quickly mounted his horse and disappeared into the woods before I could say anything.

I turned to my father, “What did he mean, lie about my age? I am nineteen years old, Father!”

“Yes. I know. But that young man wouldn’t help me unless he thought you were a wayward child. Which, by the way, you are!” my father glared at me as he spoke through clenched teeth.

“Father, please. Don’t do this,” I begged him.

“Hush! Now we must be going,” he said as he reached out to help me to my feet. I awkwardly accepted his help because I was still not completely alert. I would need my full wits about me if I was to escape him.

He helped me over to my horse, my acquiescence making him believe I was obeying his words. Little did he know that as soon as I was able, I was going to run away again. I would not go with him! He hadn’t said anything, but I knew he was going to force me to marry that vile pig of a man, Mr. Rossi.

As I mounted my horse, a dizzy spell caused me to teeter to one side and I almost fell off the beast. I was able to catch myself and settled into the saddle, taking deep breaths to calm myself and the wave of dizziness. My father grabbed the reins of my horse and moved to mount his.

Think, Abigail! You have got to get out of this! I scolded myself as Father mounted his horse and we began to walk away from the fort.

“Father, where are we going? Does Mother know that you are kidnapping me” I asked, hoping that I was wrong about his motives.

“Your mother is dead. She had become frail worrying about you after you ran off. It made her weak and she died last winter from influenza. Now to answer your other question, we are going home. You WILL marry Mr. Rossi. I owe him quite a bit of money and you will pay off that debt. If I do not bring you to him, he will take my ships. Now, be quiet and come along,” he scolded me.

“No! I am not going to marry Mr. Rossi. I am already the proxy wife of Captain Henrich Spertzel. You cannot make me marry another!” I shouted at him, trying to pull the reins out of his grasp.

I should have stopped my horse but didn’t realize my mistake until Father reached out and slapped me across my cheek. Then he grabbed my arm and pulled me close to himself and leered at me, “You have not yet bedded the Captain so the marriage is not binding. As long as your maidenhead remains intact, you are in fact NOT married. Now, as I said, you have no choice.”

I began to pull away from him and tried to pull my horse back so that we could flee. When he realized what I was attempting to do, Father struck me again, this time hard enough that I saw spots in my eyes. I began to cry as he struck me several more times. The last time he struck me, the world went black again.

Wohali POV

Staring at my squaw, Broken Dove, I marveled at her beauty. She was bare beneath me following a morning of sweet pleasure in each other’s embrace. I had decided to spend the day in my bed with her in my arms before leaving to take Henry’s squaw to him.

“My Dove, I love you,” I whispered to her as I suckled her ear. She squirmed beneath me, clearly ready for another round. As I reached down to her touch her mound, I heard my sister’s voice calling from outside.

“Wohali! Come quick! I fear there is trouble!” she called.

I groaned and dropped my head to Broken Dove’s shoulder. “I am sorry, my Dove, I will return in a moment,” I told her quietly, then kissed her luscious lips once more before I rose from our bed.

“Alora! This better be important!” I cursed at her while pulling on my buckskins. I looked back at my squaw, my eyes blazing with desire for her and anger at my sister’s intrusion. Broken Dove was smirking at my frustration.

I quickly left the teepee and found my sister just outside. “What is it?”

“I have had a vision,” she told me. “The fox has stolen the moon.”

“What are saying? The fox has stolen the moon. What does that mean? Why are you telling me, you should tell Father” I scolded her.

“I saw a white woman with golden hair. Then I saw a fox stealing the moon. If the moon is not found, all will be lost” she told me.

“A white woman? The only white woman I know of in the territory is Henry’s woman. But she is not to arrive to Fort Gibson until tomorrow,” I speculated out loud. My mind began to think back over everything that Henry had told me about his woman. Then I remembered something that might bring it all together, “Oh no, her father has been searching for her! Henry said that he felt her father was a sly man. Sly like a fox! And Henry thinks that Abigail hung the moon! The moon is a source of light and she is Henry’s light. This is not a good vision,” turning to my sister once more, “What else do you remember from your vision? Has it happened already?”

I knew that her visions typically came early enough that something could be done to change them.

“I’m sorry, that is all I have seen. But the white woman’s face was fearful. She is very frightened. I do not know any more,” she told me quietly.

I turned back to my teepee to find Broken Dove standing in the doorway, wrapped in a buffalo skin blanket. I moved to her and we reentered our home. I leaned down to kiss her once more and passion flared in my loins. My woman was my moon as well. Nothing mattered except her. Loving her, keeping her safe. I was at war with myself. I wanted to deepen the kiss and not worry about my sister’s vision. But if it was Henry’s woman….

Broken Dove pulled back from our kiss, reached up and touched my face with her palm, looked lovingly into my eyes and said, “Wohali, my love, you must go in search of her. Henry is your friend. If I were missing, would you not expect him to move mountains to find me?”

I groaned and kissed her again, knowing that she was right. I pulled her into my embrace and hugged her tightly and kissed her once more. “Oh, my Dove, you are right,” I told her once I broke the kiss, “I would track you down and expect every warrior in the tribe to assist me. But I wanted to spend the day with you,” I told her, frowning just a bit.

“So, hurry and find her. Take her to Henry and then come home to me. I will be waiting. You know that no one brings fire to my body and soul as you do,” she told me teasingly.

“And no one better try,” I smirked at her. Then I reluctantly released her from my embrace and quickly finished dressing. Once ready to leave, I kissed her gently once more, leaned down and kissed her stomach where my unborn son was growing. I rose and quickly strode from my home.

It didn’t take long and I was riding into Fort Gibson. The soldiers were frantic.

I was too late.

She had already been taken.

I quickly rode up to Matthew’s house. As I dismounted, I heard him yelling at someone from inside, “What do you mean, you lost her?”

As I entered his house, I saw that he was berating a young lad who couldn’t be more than twenty springs. I noticed that the lad appeared to have been punched in the face, his nose and eyes were already beginning to bruise.

“Matthew, where is Abigail?” I asked, praying to the Great Spirit that I wasn’t too late.

“Abigail has been kidnapped. This buffoon decided it was a good idea to go on horse riding without assistance and Abigail was taken,” Matthew shouted.

“Oh, Great Spirit!” I cried out.

Matthew took a deep breath and said, “Private, you’re dismissed. Do not go far. I will need details in just a bit.”

The young man didn’t say a word, he just lowered his head and walked from the house. Turning to me, Matthew asked, “Why are you here? We didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”

“Alora had a vision. Once I put it together, I was fearful for Abigail’s safety. I am saddened to learn that her vision was true and that I was too late in arriving,” I told him.

I saw another man standing in the room. He looked just as distressed as Matthew. “Who are you?” I asked him.

“I am Levi. I was Abigail’s escort from St. Louis,” turning to Matthew he said, “I cannot believe Zeke would do that. Why would he go off alone? He knew that she was afraid to be alone.”

Something about his words didn’t sit well in my gut. I wondered if the young man was part of it, but didn’t want to say anything if I was wrong. I listened as Matthew gave me the information that he had, “Zeke said that he had invited Abigail for a short ride to investigate the surrounding land. He didn’t see any harm in it, since they hadn’t seen any trouble during the entire trip. He said they were just turning back to the fort when a tall slender man rode up and Abigail was instantly afraid of him. The man struck Zeke in the face and when Zeke woke up, Abigail and the horse were both gone. Damn, fool.” Matthew growled out.

“He needs to take me to the place she was taken. Someone needs to let Henry know,” I told them. “I can find her. How long has it been?”

Levi answered, “Zeke has been back about fifteen minutes. They were gone for over two hours.”

“Do you really think we need to tell Henry?” Matthew asked me, lifting his brows.

“What would you do if you found out that your woman had been stolen and no one told you?” I asked his question with one of my own. I smirked at him, “I will go and find Abigail. One of you needs to send word to Henry, let him know that I will find her. He needs to stay at Sill.”

Matthew chuckled, “he won’t stay there. You know that. He’ll come here.”

I nodded, for it was true. He would come here and then take up the search himself if I didn’t find her quickly.

“Let’s go. I’m coming with you. She has become my friend.” Levi told me.

I nodded and as we strode for the door, I heard Levi whisper, “hang on Abigial. We’re coming.”

Yes. We will find the fox and rescue the moon.