.........
You ride for a long, long, long, long time. Then
you notice that your riding partner's breathing has turned from heavy
and regular to short and sgraggly gasps. He starts to slide.
"Help! Someone help, he's going over!" you yell. The men are
beside you in an instant and have Jamie on the side of the road in the
grass. You slide carfully off the saddle and rush over to your
patient.
"Move, move out of the way," you snap irratibly at the men
crowding around Jamie. You administer a quick examination and discover
that the bandage had come loose and he had been wounded with some kind
of knife.
"The bandaging has come loose and the idiot's been knifed as
well", you report to Dougal. He, in turn, orders you to fix it.
You get to work, agitated, but it is almost impossible in the night.
Jamie keeps moving and the strips of cloth come loose over and over
again.
Then Jamie moves and the whole bandage comes off. You say something
highly profane and are greeted with an astonished silence. The men
remark on how they've never heard a woman say such things, etc. You
finally finish and stand up, stretching your back and rubbing your
fingers. The men get ready to leave again. You ride along for a half
hour until Jamie starts squirming.
"Stop! What are you doing? Your bandage is going to come
off", you protest.
"I'm tryin' to get my plaid loose to cover ye. Ye're shakin and
ye've got goosebumps", he replies. "But I canna get my
brooch loose. Can ye maybe help?"
You help get the brooch loose and Jamie gets the plaid over both of
you with one swipe.
"Thank you", you say gratefully. "But where are we
going?"
"Tell ye the truth, lass, I dinna have a clue", he
replies.
When you reach the men, they thank you for the tip on the ambush and
drink whiskey in your honor. When you get on the horse, the men
remember you are actually there and offer you some whiskey, which you
decline. It is hard enough to stay in the saddle when I'm sober, you
tell yourself.
