Free Blue Thunder by Spangaloo Publishing

breathing. The prune-faced
infant was blue and she watched in horror as Sam slapped the tiny
rump again. The infant didn’t even whimper. After a few more slaps,
the baby’s arms and legs
    jerked and a loud wail, a most beautiful
sound echoed through the valley. She laughed and cried, cradling
her sister.
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    Seth looked in. “How’s Daphne?”
    Melissa wiped her eyes and failed to managed
even a weak smile. “The mother and infant are fine, but the baby is
very small. We’ll have to pray she’ll survive.”
    Seth’s strained face showed some relief.
“That baby will live. She’s a fighter like her mother,” he stated
looking proudly at Daphne. Melissa agreed. She lovingly watched her
sister’s sleeping face and thought what a special young man Seth
was.
     
    Red Fox and his five friends retreated.
Although the fighting only lasted a short time, they had lost
Eskaminzim, Black Tooth and Beshe. When Blue Thunder disappeared,
they retreated and he and the others left with heavy hearts knowing
Dasodaha would have to be told of his oldest son’s death.
     
     
    49
     
     
    THIRTEEN
     
    The day dawned gray and lifeless, a fitting
comparison to Melissa’s state of mind. The wagon train remained in
the valley two days for the emigrants to mourn and bury their
dead.
    They tied the Indian to the wheel of a wagon
while the wagon master, Lucas Cain decided on what to do with the
buck. He wanted to shoot the red-skinned bastard but some men
opposed, fearing, as Melissa, that others might return and bring
more wraths upon their heads. God-fearing settlers argued with
other settlers. Lucas decided to just tie up the brave until it
could be settled by a vote.
    Melissa had looked at the tall brave a few
times but turned away quickly when his dark eyes bored into her; he
was the reason Sam had to bury his wife today. She wept with Sam at
the grave as three men and four women, including Effie were laid to
rest. It had taken the men all day to dig the graves along the
hillside. She noticed that when the three dead Indians were dragged
away from the camp, the pioneer’s were under the watchful eye of
the prisoner. The next day the camp was busy with people who had
lost wagons destroyed by fire doubled up with others. People
scurried around, and she helped them move their belongings from one
crippled wagon to another. She was happy that the Adams family
survived the attack. Seth insisted on traveling with her and
Daphne. She had any objections since her sister was recovering with
his help.
    Melissa believed that if they made it to
California, the couple would have a good future together. That
afternoon the decision was made to execute the prisoner. Some
survivors wanted revenge; Melissa didn’t like the idea; killing
another human wouldn’t bring back the dead. She hated the brave for
her own reasons but she didn’t want to see him killed. Later the
same afternoon the skies became cheerful again; a tender kiss of
sunshine promised a better tomorrow, but it did nothing to lighten
her spirits.
    She walked past the brave again. She didn’t
know why she was drawn to him, but had to admit to herself that he
was so handsome to look at. Never having seen an Indian up close
before,
    50
    she had no idea that they could be so
attractive. Her picture books portrayed them as dark, ugly
creatures with war paint on their features and matted hair. He had
some colorful stripes on his cheeks but they didn’t mar his good
looks.
    Although she was used to seeing bare-chested
Negroes on the plantation, she marveled at the size of him. His
large biceps were encircled with copper bracelets and his long
blue-black hair was braided and tied with rawhide. A blue feather
fluttered in the warm breeze. His proud, slightly large nose had a
fine yellow line painted down the middle. High cheekbones and lips,
too sensuous for a man, left Melissa in awe of him.
    It rattled her to realize
she had been staring long, and at the same time his dark