Chapter 8 The Rendezvous

The ladies had all their crafts, baked goods and other things ready for the Rendezvous to take place. Candy and Biddie were ready and waited in the barn along with the trappers' women, some who were Native American women providing their own handicrafts and goods as well. Molly and Christopher were there looking at some of the trinkets and Molly wanted to get a dream catcher while Christopher decided that having a 'special healing' necklace would be good.

"So, you want this necklace?" asked Wala Ma' a who showed Christopher the necklace made from seashells and mollusk and clamshells as well as some seaweed strands. It tinkled when she held it up.

"It is said that the sound of this necklace calls upon the spirits to ward off the evil from a person who has been forced to do something that they are not prepared to do!" she said.

"Ah, young brave, I have a medicine bag that would go perfectly with this necklace!" said Wala Ma' a' s sister. This medicine bag contains powerful medicine that will bring anyone who is lost back to his or her home!" Christopher looked at the necklace and the bag. He had a certain amount he was allowed to spend. Molly looked at him and said:

"Christopher, are you sure you want both? If you buy both, you won't have enough to get the candy that they are selling over at the candy booth!" Molly said as she held her dream catcher in her hand. Christopher really wanted to get the candy, but he decided for some reason to get both the necklace and the medicine bag. He wasn't sure why he had to do it, but it was something that propelled him to purchase both.

"I will see if Candy will give me a little extra for the other stuff! Right now, I think we need both of these." Christopher said. He was almost 12 and felt that he was able to make his own decisions, he missed Jeremy, because Jeremy had been like a big brother to him, considering he was surrounded by 'girls'! He walked away from Molly who shrugged, and he went over to see Candy.

"But Jason, how are we going to use these 'pictures' to find Joshua and Sally?" Candy said as Jeremy and her looked at the pictures.

"I am not sure, we have to get the events started, Katie, can you take Candy and help her by showing her the pictures of where Joshua is? Maybe she can recognize where they are!" Jason said as he and Jeremy went over to the ax throwing contest.

Christopher found Candy and Katie and watched what they were doing. He was fascinated by the pictures, the clarity, and the color. He recognized where Joshua was.

"Candy, Candy!" Christopher said as he came up to Candy and Katie.

"Not now, Christopher, we are trying to figure out where Joshua is!" They both looked again at the picture and Katie showed Candy how to make the pictures move forward and back ward. Christopher kept up by pulling on Candy's dress.

"Candy, Candy, I think I know where they are!" He said loudly. Candy turned to look at him as well as Katie.

"You know where they are?" Katie said. Christopher nodded. Molly had just arrived and when she looked at the pictures she also said she knew where they were!

"Well, tell us!" Katie and Candy said. Christopher said first:

"Do you remember the caves that you went to when Mr. Halliday was here?" Candy looked at Christopher and then suddenly she remembered.

"Yes, yes I do. What about them Christopher?" she asked.

"Well, Joshua is there, not sure how he is there, but he is there!" Christopher said then Molly added.

"I think when we went exploring one day, we saw a deep hole in one of those caves. It looked like a large rock had been placed on top of it. There was a small opening, it sounded sometimes like someone was calling for help! At least that was when the wind blew into the cave!" said Molly. Candy looked at her brother and sister and then she said:

"Katie, we need to get Jason and Jeremy and go to that cave, They will need to move the rock!"
"How do you know where the cave is?" Asked Katie.

"I know, there was a man named Richard Halliday, he called himself 'The Kid' but I called him by his Christian name! He kidnapped me and took me there. He wasn't going to let me go until Jeremy came to get me. He told us he couldn't 'kill' love. So, we need to go there!" Candy said, she and Katie and the children went back to the camp to find Jason and Jeremy.

The ax competition had just gotten started. Charlie Bates was there watching his friend 'Andrew Evan Bates', otherwise known as 'Ox', win the ax competition. Jason was glad that he had not won, he respected 'Ox' because "Ox' had won fair and square. Everyone was heading to Lottie's for an afternoon drink before the next competition, which was the log rolling. That was Jeremy's turn to show his abilities.

"Jason, Jason!" Candy called and he and Jeremy turned around. They had not felt very well since that afternoon when they suddenly could not breath. That is why Jason was unable to chop the tree down with Andrew Evan Bates (Ox) this time. Jeremy was not looking forward to the log rolling either.

"Jason, Jeremy, Molly and Christopher identified where we would find Joshua and Sally!" Candy said as Katie came up with both children helping her.

"Where?" they both asked simultaneously.

"At the caves!" both Christopher and Molly said at the same time.

"there is a rock over a large hole in the caves. That is where Joshua is! We have to move the rock so he can get out!" Christopher said and then he said:

"I have to throw this necklace and medicine bag into the hole after we roll the rock off of the top of the hole!" They all looked at Christopher who shrugged his shoulders and said:

"I don't know why, but when the Indian ladies gave me the necklace and medicine bag they said I needed to put it in the hole. When we discovered the rock was on top of the hole, then I knew what to do!" Christopher said. Candy was surprised and gave him a big hug. Jason and Jeremy immediately told Aaron that they had found out where Joshua and Sally were and that they would be going to find them. Jeremy forfeited the log rolling and hitched the wagon and they all rode to the caves. Jason brought along a couple of extra horses as well.

They arrived at the caves and went in through the front, just beyond was the large rock. Both Jason and Jeremy did their best to move the rock. But it was almost impossible. Then Jason got the ropes and hitched the horses to the ropes which were tied to the rock. He had Jeremy make a fulcrum to help pry the rock off of the hole.

Meanwhile Candy and Katie had used the light from the camera to look into the space between the rock and the hole that was open. She thought she saw something or someone but wasn't sure. She then had an idea about the necklace and medicine bag.

"Christopher, bring the necklace and bag over here please." Christopher went over to her and gave her the things. She held the necklace over the hole and determined that it would fit. She then saw that the bag would also fit into the opening.

"Jason, Jeremy, I think we have to send the bag and necklace down this hole! And then work on prying the rock off!?" Candy said. Katie looked again and saw that one of the pictures on the camera had changed slightly. She showed it to Candy.

"Jason, that is what we need to do!' Look, in this picture, Joshua has the necklace!" She said and grabbed the necklace and placed it in the opening, then she placed the medicine bag into the opening as well. When the items had dropped, she heard a sound that did not come from the wind but from the bottom of the hole. She then told Jason to move the horses and Jeremy had made the fulcrum and they all helped to move the rock off of the opening. Then they waited.