How Characters Guide Research and Plot

Characters often guide my research and plot ideas, even before I really get to know them. That was the case with Choctaw Jack, a secondary character from Dashing Druid, book two in my Texas Druids series. Inspired by a real life cowboy, Cherokee Bill, Jack is meant to honor unheralded Native Americans who worked on ranches and helped drive cattle to northern markets. Another character, Dewey Sherman, represents the many black cowboys, often freed slaves, who rode the range after the Civil War. (Dewey may one day get his own book.)

Choctaw Jack remained an enigma throughout Dashing D. Handsome, charming yet brooding at times, he fascinated me. I wrote him as a Choctaw half-breed who served in the Confederate Army with the brother of Lil Crawford, book two’s heroine. Since war’s end, he’s turned up each spring at the Crawfords’ ranch, just in time for the trail drive to Kansas. That’s all I knew about him.

When I began plotting Dearest Druid, book three in the series, Choctaw Jack insisted on playing the hero, but casting him opposite Rose Devlin, youngest of the Devlin siblings, proved challenging. I’d never written a Native American romance, meaning lots of research lay in store for me, and I would need to get inside the head of a man who stemmed from a different culture. Whether I succeeded at that, readers will have to judge.

Another problem arose. The Choctaws were one of the “Five Civilized Tribes” who had adapted in part to white ways. Like the Cherokees, they’d been forced from their eastern homelands, suffering their own Trail of Tears, and most were settled in the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) years before the Civil War. By 1876, when Dearest D. takes place, many Choctaws lived peacefully as farmers, stockmen or storekeepers (though not all.) The trouble was I wanted a more wild-west setting to contrast sharply with Rose’s sheltered youth in a convent. Thus, I decided to give Jack a hidden connection to one of the untamed plains tribes.

The two tribes I considered were the Kiowa and the Comanche, the great horse lords of the southern plains. Closely allied, these two tribes held off white settlement for decades prior to their defeat in 1874. (See http://cowboykisses.blogspot.com/2012/08/mackenzies-raiders.html ) Since the Comanche have often been portrayed in books, I chose to write about the Kiowa.

 

Elk Mountain in the Wichitas

Making Jack half Kiowa, a fact he has concealed due to white hatred toward the fierce raiders, allowed me to send Rose and him on a trek to the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation, where the heart of their story takes place. I traveled to Oklahoma for a firsthand view of the land, and visited Fort Sill and the Wichita Mountains, two important settings in the book.

From books and websites I learned about Kiowa myth and spirituality, their migration from the far northern mountains to the southern plains, and their reverence for Rainy Mountain, near which I placed Jack’s Kiowa kin. I also learned about their hardships on the reservation, how they missed hunting buffalo after the great beasts were decimated by white hunters, and about remedies they used for everything from coughs to snakebite. Here’s an excerpt from Dearest Druid illustrating the latter:

Dearest Druid cover, almost complete

“Did you see where the snake went?” he asked unnecessarily, trying to distract her from what he was about to do.

“It slithered off that way,” she said, turning her head and gesturing toward the trail he’d already spotted. While she was looking away, Jack made two swift cuts across the bite. Rose shrieked and tried to pull away, but he hung on to her arm.

“Hold still,” he ordered, tossing his hat on the ground. “I’ve got to suck out the venom.” With that, he bent, circled the bloody wound with his lips and sucked as hard as he could. Ignoring her gasp of pain, he spat and repeated the process. When he figured he’d drawn out as much venom as he could, he loosened his bandana and retied it directly over the wound.

“W-won’t the poison sicken you?” she asked.

“No. It doesn’t work like that. Come on. Let’s get you back to the horses.” Slapping his hat back on, he helped her up and carefully guided her out of the prairie dog colony. Once on safe ground, he had her sit on a small hillock near their mounts. She was still shaking despite the warmth of the day. Retrieving her coat from Brownie’s saddle, he draped it around her shoulders, hoping it would stop her trembling.

“I want to find something to treat the bite. Stay right here. Understand?” he said sternly.

“Aye. I won’t move.”

“Good.” Striding away, he headed back up their trail, toward where he’d seen the bush he was looking for. It didn’t take long to find. Hurriedly, he gathered what he needed, turned and ran back to Rose. True to her word, she sat hunched over where he’d left her with her injured arm cradled close and her cross clasped in her other hand. The arm was beginning to swell, Jack noticed when she straightened and looked up at his approach. He read fear in her blue eyes.

“How do you feel?” he asked, crouching beside her.

“My arm hurts.”

“I expect it does. I’m gonna make a poultice and spread it over the bite. Then we’ll start back.”

“To the village?”

“Yeah. My mother’s a medicine woman, remember? She’ll take care of you.” For a brief instant, he wondered if he’d do better taking her to Fort Sill for doctoring, but he dismissed the idea. He trusted his mother’s medicine more than the Army sawbones.

“Oh. That’s nice,” she said distantly.

He frowned, realizing the venom was starting to affect her. “This is buffalo currant. It’s good for snakebite,” he explained, using his knife to quickly strip away the outer bark from the branches he’d gathered. They gave off a spicy scent. Next, he peeled off pieces of tender inner bark, wadded them into his mouth and began to chew. They tasted bitter as gall. He’d seen his mother boil the bark into a poultice but had never known her to chew it. Was it poisonous? He didn’t know and didn’t care. As he chewed, he untied the bandana from Rose’s arm. Once the bark had softened into a pulp, he removed it from his mouth and spread it over the oozing wound.

Rose jumped. “Ayeee! That hurts worse,” she complained.

“I know, but it’ll help,” he told her, securing his bandana in place over the poultice. His mother, like her people, believed snakes were afraid of the buffalo currant bush and that it was a cure for snakebite. He prayed to the Kiowa gods that it was true.

Dearest Druid will be available in mid-April on Amazon.

My Other Books:

Water Witch (prequel novella to Texas Druids trilogy)
Darlin’ Druid (Texas Druids, Book I)
Dashing Druid (Texas Druids, Book II)
Texas Druids Duo (White Witch & Darlin' Druid together at bargain price)
Six Cats In My Kitchen (memoir about cats, family& life with a disability)

To learn more about the Kiowa, Choctaw and the Indian Territory, try these great sources:

The Kiowa by Mildred P. Mayhall
Bad Medicine and Good, Tales of the Kiowas by Wilbur Sturtevant Nye
The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday

Carbine and Lance: The Story of Old Fort Sill by Wilbur Sturtevant Nye

Ranald S. Mackenzie on the Texas Frontier by Ernest Wallace
Black, Red and Deadly, Black and Indian Gunfighters of the Indian Territories by Art Burton

Civil War in the Indian Territory by Steve Cottrell
 

Cowboy Lullabies

Anyone who’s read western novels or watched a few cowboy movies knows that cowboys often sang to the cattle they herded, whether on their home range or along the Big Trail to market. Crooning to the cattle helped calm them, especially at night when they might be spooked by a coyote’s yapping, a wolf howling at the moon, lightning, thunder, and countless other causes. I suspect singing also kept the tired night herders awake after a long day in the saddle.

Composed by cowhands riding around the herds, the songs followed the rhythm of a horse's gait and often weren’t very tuneful. Some didn’t even have words. They were called "Texas lullabies." Others had verses that have outlasted their authors..

Today, as a little Valentine gift, I’d like to share two traditional cowboy lullabies. Think of them as love songs to the cattle and the comboy’s best friend, his horse.

Herding cattle in Oklahoma, ca. 1870s - 1880s


Night Herding Song

Author unknown

Slow down little doggies, quit rovin' around
You have wandered and trampled all over the ground
Graze along doggies, feed kinda slow
Don't forever be on the go
Move slow little doggies move slow 

I've circle-herded, trail-herded, night-herded too
To keep you together is what I can't do
My horse is leg weary and I'm awful tired
And if you get away I am sure to get fired
Bunch up little doggies bunch up

Lay still little doggies since you have laid down
Stretch away out on the big open ground
Snore loud little doggies and drown the wild sounds
That will all go away when day roles around
Lay still little doggies lay still

So little doggies quit rovin' around
You have wandered and trampled all over the ground
Graze along doggies, and feed kinda slow
Don't forever be on the go
Move slow little doggies move slow

Doney Gal

Author unknown

“Doney Gal” was a pet name for a cowboy’s favorite horse; it means sweetheart.

 

A cowboy's life is a weary thing
Rope and brand and ride and sing
Yes, day or night in the sleet and hail
He'll stay with the dogies out on the trail.

 

Chorus: Rain or shine, sleet or snow Me and my Doney Gal are bound to go
Rain or shine, sleet or snow, Me and my Doney Gal are bound to go.

We're up and gone at the break of day
Driving them dogies on their lonesome way
The cowboy's work is never done
We're up and gone from sun to sun

 

We yell at the rain, laugh at the hail
Driving them dogies down the lonesome trail
We'll yell at the rain, sleet and snow
When we reach the little town of San Antonio
Rain or shine, sleet or snow,
Me and my Doney Gal are on the go.
We travel down that lonesome trail
Where a man and his horse seldom ever fail.

Chorus repeat

 

We'll ride the range from sun to sun,
For a cowboy's work is never done.
He's up and gone at the break of day
Drivin' the dogies on their weary way.

Chorus repeat

 

Travelin' up the lonesome trail
Where a man and his horse seldom ever fail,
Joggin' along through fog and dew,
Wishin' for sunny days, and you.

Chorus repeat

 

Over the prairies lean and brown,
On through the wastes where there ain't no town.
Swimmin' the rivers across our way,
We fight on forward day-end on day.

Chorus repeat

 

Trailin' the herd through mountains green,
We pen the cattle in Abilene.
Round the campfire's flickerin' glow
We sing the songs of long ago.

Chorus repeat

 

Book Excerpt:

Dashing Druid – Texas Druids trilogy, book II

 

The silhouette of another rider appeared against the cream-colored moon, approaching at a walk from the opposite direction. She knew it was Neil. He was the only man her father trusted out here alone with her at night. Not that she couldn’t take care of herself. She’d learned how to use a knife and a gun when she was a little mite.

 

“Lily, is that you, colleen?” the man called out low as they neared one another.

 

“You! What are you doing out here?” she blurted, sawing on her reins, causing her horse to snort. Hearing the nearby cattle stir, she lowered her voice. “Where’s MacClure?”

 

“In his bedroll by now, I should think.” He grinned, teeth flashing in the moonlight. “I volunteered to take part of his shift so I could have a moment alone with ye.”

“Have you been eating locoweed again? If my father finds out –”

 

 “I’ll risk it, since this seems to be the only way."

 

“You dang fool!” she hissed, struggling not to yell. “Pa meant what he said. Unless you want to end up dead, you’d best stay away from me.” She kneed her horse ahead, paying no attention when Tye called softly after her.

 

They circled the herd and met again, but Lil refused to speak to him. Riding on, she heard a muttered curse behind her.

 

The third time they met, Tye prodded his horse close before she could get past him and gripped her arm. Lil squeaked in alarm as he leaned toward her without saying a word. His other hand reached out to cup the underside of her jaw. Her hat fell back to dangle by its chin strings as his mouth claimed hers.

 

Any resistance she might have offered gave way beneath his insistent kiss. She wanted this as much as he did. Laying a hand on his chest, she opened her mouth to his exploring tongue. A rush of heat swept through her, drawing a smothered moan from her throat. His answering groan told her he was just as affected as she was.

 

Her horse suddenly squealed in protest and shied away from Tye’s mount. Torn apart from him, Lil gasped and fought for balance. She quickly settled her ornery steed, but the ruckus brought several cattle to their feet.

 

Breathing hard, she faced Tye, sharing the frustration on his moonlit face.

 

His gaze went to the restless herd. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, husky-voiced. “I only meant to speak to ye, but –”

 

“Don’t talk,” she whispered urgently. “Just start riding and sing. And don’t try that again, or we’ll have a stampede on our hands.”

 

Dashing Druid video: http://youtu.be/QEhX6N39rrE

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0069HLDJU (Kindle)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1470004003 (paperback)

Old Time Cold Remedies

Like most people this winter, I’m caught up in listening to all the grim reports about the current flu outbreak. I’ve also been suffering with an upper respiratory infection since the day after Christmas. Whether it started as a common cold or the flu, I’m not sure, but it turned into a nasty case of bronchitis. I’ve been to the doctor, have finished a round of antibiotics and am taking a strong cough remedy, but I still can’t seem to shake this thing. I may be paying my doc another visit.

All of which got me to thinking about our pioneer ancestors and wondering what remedies they favored for cold and flu bugs. My home library contains several books on herbal and home remedies, so I didn’t need to go far for an answer – many actually.

 

Source: Common Medicinal Herbs of the Ozarks, History, Folklore and Uses

By Bob Liebert

Onions: juice of roasted onion for croup

Horehound: cooked into a thick syrup for coughs and colds; horehound candy for children’s coughs and colds

Catnip: for colds and fevers; especially good for children

Basswood: tea of the flowers for head colds; sweating herb for colds and fevers

Skunk oil: rendered fat from a skunk applied externally for chest cold and pneumonia; also might be swallowed for chest congestion (Yuck!)

Vinegar & honey: swallowed for coughs; gargled for sore throat

Turpentine: rags soaked in turpentine applied to chest for congestion; was sometimes taken internally, which could damage kidneys

 

Source: Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie, An Ethnobotanical Guide

By Kelly Kindscher

American licorice: roots steeped into a tea for coughs by Blackfeet Indians

Beebalm: flowers made into tea, used by the Lakotas for fever and colds; whites used it for headaches and fever

Curly-top gumweed: brewed as tea by settlers for treating all types of respiratory illness

Mint: peppermint tea prescribed by doctors for many ailments including colds (I drink it to sooth my throat and calm my cough.)

Purple coneflower: most popular of medicinal plants among settlers, used for colds and almost every other ailment

Seneca snakeroot: Seneca Indians made tea of this root, used to treat coughs, sore throat, colds and snakebite; they taught settlers how to use it

Willow: tea brewed from small branches, used for colds, headache, fever and other ailments; willow was long used in Europe and was likely familiar to many settlers

Yarrow: tea used for coughs, throat irritation and bleeding; also long known for its medicinal properties in Europe

These are but a few of the many cold remedies employed by pioneers. Quoting one of my sources: “In the past, as today, the common cold was the number-one physical complaint. I was given so many cold remedies in the course of my interviewing that if I listed them all I would have a small book.”

~~ Country Folk Medicine, by Elizabeth Janos

******

Now, instead of offering a book excerpt, I'd like to share a couple of the latest reader reviews for Dashing Druid. You can read more reviews on Amazon.

Just finished book 3 of the Texas Druids it's an awesome series to read! Got to read it to see!!!

~~Reviewed by mommie85360

I liked this book as much as the first one. It showed how sometimes real people can be extraordinary. In this story, you have two people who have been injured emotionally and fight their attraction toward each other and eventually give in. It brings up not only the race hatred of the Native Americans but also of the Irish. We are a nation built by many races but still have to remember that race did play a big part on how we saw each other. (review excerpt)

~~Reviewed by C. Peters ""Crazy Cat Lady""

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