“You lousy snake.”
“I think you’re doing snakes a disservice,” Jesse said. “Let him go. We will walk the shore, and see if we can find those transports you heard about.”
Fat chance.
Jesse was gray with fatigue. She could easily overpower him, take his pistol, shoot White like they should have in the first place, and then swim out and grab the raft. Instead, she stood there and watched their only chance of escape grow smaller in the distance. She kicked a rock into the lake and stalked off into the trees. Being around Jesse was making her weak.
Seven
Chapter 7
Jesse watched Diamond disappear into the woods. Would she come back? He’d half expected her to find her missing this morning. He was slowing her down and though he tried to make light of his condition, he was very ill. His chest felt as if a boulder were sitting on it and his throat was raw, making every swallow painful. Was he too far gone as White had claimed?
Diamond was angry. She thought he’d failed her when he allowed White to make off with their raft. Why hadn’t he pulled his gun? He wouldn’t have shot the other man, but he could have threatened to do so. But to what end? White also carried a gun. If Jesse had gone for his pistol, White would have done the same. And Jesse didn’t think he would have hesitated to shoot.
He would explain himself to Diamond when she came back. If she came back. But he couldn’t pretend to himself that he’d worked out the odds at the moment and made a rational decision. Instinct had taken over, his conscience recoiling at the prospect of taking a life, but that wasn’t why he’d hesitated. Fear ruled him. Seeing the raft floating in the water, thinking of a bunch of sticks as the only barrier between him and the cloying water of the lake had frozen him like a statue.
It’s not the Mississippi. Like he’d told White, in places Reelfoot was shallow enough to wade through. There were no dangerous undertows, although there were plenty of submerged trees to get caught on, branches, like arms, reaching for the unwary and pulling them down into the depths.
Enough! It’s just a lake, formed, as Diamond had explained when powerful earthquakes rocked the area. According to old-timers, the Mississippi ran backward, overflowed its banks, and flooded this low-lying area. The raft would have provided enough buoyancy to get them safely across.
Maybe Diamond would find the transports. Or maybe they could hide out and evade the Union troops until the army moved on. He wanted to pitch the tent, to give them some shelter for the night, but hadn’t the strength to search for supports. Perhaps he should have brought them, extra weight notwithstanding. He would rest for a few minutes, then go find them. Diamond would be back soon. He held onto the thought as he closed his eyes.
The clatter of wood falling to the ground woke him what seemed like seconds later, but a quick glance at the sun revealed he’d probably slept for an hour or more. Diamond stood over him, hands on her hips, her generous mouth compressed into a straight line.
Jesse fumbled through the fog of sleep. She’d come back. “Did you find a good branch for the roof? We’ll put the tent up, search for the transports tomorrow.”
“We’re building another raft.”
“We have no more rope.”
“I don’t have a rope, but I have another type of fastener. Just two, so this raft will be smaller than the other, but it should work.”
Jesse’s stomach lurched as he remembered White poling away from shore, the raft dipping under his weight. “Let’s make camp tonight and tackle the problem fresh tomorrow. We might find the transports.”
She hesitated, but then her mouth grew firmer. “No. Reelfoot Lake isn’t a nice circle we can walk around. It sends fingers and tendrils out in all directions. We could walk for days and never find the transports—if they even exist.”
He wished she hadn’t used the word tendrils. Her description of the lake as a living being was too reminiscent of his own earlier speculation. “You’re angry with me for not shooting White. Don’t make this decision in the grip of anger.”
“Yeah, I’m angry, but not at you.” She paused a moment. “Well, okay, maybe a little at you. But I’m more angry with myself. You’re sick, but I could have stopped him.”
“He’s a grown man and a trained soldier. There’s nothing you could have done. Better to let him go than end up shooting each other.”
“You may be right—this time. Because while I was stomping around out in the woods, I remembered I carry a couple bungee cords in my bag, just in case.”
Jesse wondered what a bungee cord was, but didn’t want to interrupt her while she was on a tirade. None of the girls he knew back home had the fire and determination that enveloped Diamond like a second skin. His father had taught him that women should be submissive, and he’d never thought to question his old man until now. He wondered what his father would make of Diamond.
While he daydreamed, she dug into her bag and produced two colorful stretchy ropes with hooks attached to the ends. He’d never seen anything like it, but quickly realized how useful they were.
He wove them around the branches as he had the ropes earlier. They were stretchy, but strong and made of an unfamiliar material.
“We need to keep our packs as dry as possible and once we reach the other side, I’ll need your help to build a fire. Can you do that?”
“I still think we should wait until morning.”
“What if Union soldiers catch us tonight?”
Jesse shrugged. He couldn’t tell her he was afraid. She would think him a yellow-bellied coward.
“I know you’re tired. So am I, but once we get across the lake, we’re scot-free.”
She was so confident he felt in awe
