ABACUS (14 page)

Chapter 23: The Battle of the Little Bighorn

I don't believe it,” growled one soldier as he staggered to his feet. “Why are we getting up?”

“I thought we were having the day off,” protested another.

“Stop complaining and jump to it!” shouted the sergeant. “You heard that bugle. We're moving out!”

Custer explained the reason for the sudden change of plan at a briefing for his officers. “The scouts have located the hostiles on the Little Bighorn, just where I said they would be. It's the biggest encampment they've ever seen. We must catch them before they run away!”

“But the men are exhausted,” said one of his officers, voicing the concern of all. “They'll be in no shape to fight.”

“My men are as ready as I am,” snapped Custer.

The meeting ended with no further discussion.

“There are more Sioux than we've got bullets,” Bloody Knife protested to Custer as the column moved off. “We should wait until tomorrow when Colonel Gibbon arrives.” [20]

“By that time they'll have got completely away!” scoffed Custer. “Besides, the Seventh Cavalry doesn't need any help.”

The ground looked like a ploughed field, but nobody noticed this anymore. Something else caught everyone's attention though.

“Look at all those tipi rings!” exclaimed one officer. “Hundreds of them. This must have been a huge camp.” Every trooper was thinking the same thing.

At midday, Custer called a halt and sent a scout to the top of a nearby hill. The scout galloped back minutes later, riding as fast as he could. “Great clouds of dust!” he screamed, “way off in the distance.”

“That'll be the Sioux, running away!” shouted Custer. “Move out.”

The column set off at a gallop.

After a hard ride they came to a stop on a bushy ridge overlooking The Little Bighorn.

Kate and AP gazed down at the winding river and surrounding hills in disbelief. “Look at all those tipis!” exclaimed AP.

“We've caught them napping!” shouted Custer enthusiastically. Then, turning to his officers, “Major Reno, take your men down into the valley. When you're in place you'll attack the camp from this southern end. I'll take my men north along the right side of the river. When I'm in place I'll cross the river and hit the far end of their camp.” With this, he rode off, leading his column of cavalry. [21]

“That was odd,” said Kate as Custer and his men disappeared over the ridge. “I feel as though we should have warned them.”

AP nodded, feeling the same way.

“I even felt sorry for Custer,” she admitted. “But that makes no sense—they're going to attack our friends. And when you think of all the terrible things the Army's done…”

“I guess it's because we've been hanging around with them for the last few days. They're a nice bunch of guys.”

Kate nodded thoughtfully. “So, when are we going to leave?”

“When the time's right,” he said, patting the abacus beneath his shirt, “zap, and we'll be safely back home.”

Reno lined up his troops along the ridge, so they could see the terrain below while he addressed them.

“Once we've crossed the river we'll group up over there, behind those trees,” he said, pointing to a clump of cottonwoods. “Then we'll charge the nearest tipis.” He walked his horse up and down so all the soldiers—over one hundred men—could hear. “We have the element of surprise—they won't know what's hit them.”

Laughing Jack turned to Kate and AP. “You'll be safe up here if you keep out of sight.” Then, looking around, he saw a deep gully. “That'll be a good spot. But don't stand up to look around. And keep your horses with you.” He paused. “If anything goes wrong, ride as fast as you can.”

Before they had a chance to say goodbye, he trotted off to join the others.

* * *

Across the river, children were playing in the grass while their mothers dug for wild turnips. It was another lazy day after a late night of feasting.

Everyone at the feast knew the soldiers were coming. But they were determined not to let it spoil their last few days of joy. So they had danced, played drums and told stories. Never again would there be such a gathering of the Sioux Nation.

Suddenly someone started shouting, “The chargers are here!”

Chaos broke out. People began running and shouting in confusion. Mothers swept up their children, men ran for their weapons, and old people tottered out of the way. Soon warriors were zigzagging their ponies between the tipis as they charged off to fight the soldiers.

They might all have galloped south to stop Reno, leaving the north wide open to attack. But then another cry went up, “Crazy Horse is coming!” and many rode north to join him.

Unlike Custer, Crazy Horse had taken account of the situation. He knew his enemy's strength and location. So when he saw Custer leading his men north, he charged off to meet them.

Custer, still thinking he'd taken the village by surprise, led his two hundred and twenty-five men down a wooded hillside. As they got clear and the ground leveled out, they broke into gallop, feeling invincible.

Then, suddenly, the Sioux warriors came hurtling down from all sides. They converged on Custer and his men like a swarm of angry bees. All too late, the soldiers realized they had ridden into a trap. Warriors, many with hideously painted faces, attacked them with rifles, arrows, clubs and spears.

The firing from both sides was so intense that smoke filled the air. Mixed with the dust from flying hooves, it made visibility almost zero. The roar of gunfire all but drowned out the terrifying screams. Riderless cavalry horses bolted from the gloom, eyes staring from their sockets.

Custer knew the only hope was to make for higher ground. He urged his men to ride up the slope. With
soldiers and horses falling all around them, they plunged forward. Just as they thought they might make it, a group of warriors led by Crazy Horse appeared over the top of the hill. They were doomed.

The Sioux wasted little time. Soon Custer and a handful of his men were the sole survivors. Surrounded by howling braves, they were now on foot, guns blazing, determined to take as many Sioux with them as possible. Custer fought like a lion, killing a warrior just as he was cut down himself. He laughed as he fell.

The entire battle took twenty minutes. [23]

Up in the gulley, Kate was tugging on AP's arm, almost shaking the abacus from his hand. “It has to work,” she was screaming above the noise of shooting and yelling. Try again!”

“I did. Nothing happened.”

“So what's wrong with the thing?”

“The same as before—it takes time before we can reactivate it.”

“So what do we do?”

“We've got no choice. We'll have to stay put.”

“We're in the MIDDLE OF THE BATTLE!”

“No we're not. The fighting's way down on the other side of the river.”

“Maybe the fighting has spread.”

“I'll go and see.”

“Don't you dare!” Kate screamed. “You heard what Laughing Jack said about keeping out of sight.”

“It's okay, I'm going to crawl on my stomach.”

“AP, I'm warning you—”

“We have to know what's happening. I'll be perfectly safe.” He fumbled beneath his shirt. “Here, take the abacus, so it doesn't get damaged.”

Before she could stop him, he was heading for the edge of the ridge.

“Unreal,” he whispered, peering over the top. Warriors were swarming everywhere. Reno's men—or what was left of them—had been chased back across the river and were pinned down among the bluffs beneath him. The gunfire was now intermittent. [24]

AP lay there in the grass, unable to tear his eyes away. It was like watching a movie on a giant screen, though he knew the bullets zinging through the air were real. The soldiers were desperate for water. One trooper cautiously picked his way down to the river, carrying a number of containers. By ducking and swerving, he reached the river. He filled the canisters as quickly as possible, and clambered back up the hill. But as he zigzagged his way to safety one of the bullets found its mark, throwing him to the ground. He never got up.

“You were gone for ages,” Kate rebuked. “I thought something terrible had happened.”

AP apologized, and described what he had seen.

“How's our water?” she asked.

“We're fine. But there's nothing to eat.”

They lost all sense of time as they crouched in the gully, listening to the sporadic gunfire. By dusk the firing had
stopped. Too anxious to sleep, they spent a stressful night awake.

Kate began nodding off just as it got light—AP was already dozing. Then the firing began again, jolting them into wakefulness. An all-out battle raged until midday. Then silence.

With their ears still ringing, the quietness was a welcome relief. But as they hid there, wondering what was happening, the stillness grew ominous.

“Maybe they've run out of am—” Before AP could finish a terrifying face appeared over the top of their gully.

Kate let out a piercing scream.

Then they both realized it was Laughing Jack.

“It's over,” he said. “They've packed up their camp and left. Come and see.”

The trio stood on the edge of the ridge, watching in silence. All the tipis were gone. The only sign of the thousands of Indians who had lived there for the last few weeks was an enormous dust cloud.

“The Great Plains will never see anything like that again,” said Laughing Jack, as they stared across the valley.

The jubilation among the departing Indians was well deserved. Theirs was the greatest victory ever won over the Army. Two Moons, who had crested the hill with Crazy Horse, felt some justice had been done for the massacre of his village. Custer's defeat also symbolized the righting of many other wrongs.

Talking Cloud looked over the battlefield with mixed of emotions. He was proud of their victory, though sad for all the dead soldiers and horses. But most of his grieving was for his own people—their way of life was over.

Chapter 24: Watch Out!

AP and Kate were looking forward to returning home, but in the meantime they were happy to accompany Laughing Jack to Paha Sapa, the Black Hills. Their second night was particularly special. After eating the best roast meat they'd ever tasted, they lay beneath the stars, listening to Crow legends. And as AP stared up at the moon and the milky way, a thought struck him
. When they arrived in medieval England, it was a full moon. After repeated tries to activate the abacus, it finally worked on the next full moon. What if the abacus was linked with the moon's cycles—like the tides? AP mentioned this to Kate just before they went to sleep.

“It only works on full moons?”

“Maybe.”

“So when's the next one?”

“In about two and a half weeks.”

“We've got to wait that long?”

“Maybe not,” said AP. “What if it's linked to lunar months? We arrived a few days before the new moon, so if that's true, it'll work again a few days before the next new moon.”

“When's that?”

“In three or four days.”

“I could live with that.”

* * *

They tried the abacus on the next three nights, without any luck. By the fourth night they

were resigned to waiting for the next full moon. But they had other things on their minds that evening. Laughing Jack was restless, which was unusual. At supper, he hardly said a word, and only picked at his food.

“I'm not feeling good,” he muttered, tapping his stomach. “I've got to go.”

Kate and AP stared after him as he hurried off into the darkness.

“What's wrong with him?” asked Kate. “We've all eaten the same food.”

“I've no idea,” said AP between mouthfuls. “Maybe he picked up a stomach bug.”

Suddenly there was a scuffling sound, followed by a loud bellow. Then silence.

“Laughing Jack, are you okay?” yelled AP.

No reply.

“Laughing Jack!” shouted Kate anxiously. “Where are you?”

Still no reply.

AP had a bad feeling. “We better go find him,” he said, trying to sound calm.

Their eyes had become so accustomed to the bright campfire that it was like being blindfolded when they stepped away. Stumbling through the darkness, they headed in the direction of the last sound.

“What's that, on the ground?” Kate whispered, clutching AP's arm.

AP hurried forward and knelt down beside the motionless body. It was Laughing Jack.

“He's been knocked out!” shouted AP.

“Put your hands on your head and stand up!” shouted a voice from behind. “Slowly. Do as I say, otherwise I'll kill her.”

“He means it!” croaked Kate. “He's got a knife.”

“Now turn around.” The voice was quiet and menacing.

AP pressed his hands against his head and turned around.

It was the hooded man they'd seen in medieval England.

He had one arm wrapped around Kate's waist, pinning her arms to her sides. His other hand held a knife to her throat.

“Have you still got my chronoverser around your neck?”

“The abacus?” In his nervousness AP had almost patted it.

“Yes. And I suppose you got it from Mordax?”

“Who's Mordax?”

“Mr. Mordax of Multicorp.” Robert Drew pronounced each name with contempt. “The only way you got it is from Mordax—or one of his associates.” Then something occurred to him. “You two are Mordax's brats aren't you? Daddy must have lent it to you as a plaything!”

“Our father's name is Littleton, not Mordax,” protested AP. “I have no idea who you're talking about.”

“I have not traveled back 180 years to be bitten by a rattlesnake, attacked by an Indian, and then lied to by a pair of kids!” he raged. Then he got a grip. “This is what's going to happen. You're going to lower your hands, very slowly, and slip the chronoverser over your head. Do you understand?”

AP nodded obediently.

“Then you're going to give it to me. Got it?”

Again, AP nodded.

“If you try anything…” He gestured with the knife.

Kate's mind was racing with the hopelessness of their plight. As soon as AP handed over the abacus, her attacker would take off—or worse. Regardless, she and her brother would be

stranded in the nineteenth century, with no hope of ever returning home. Something had to be done.

As AP extended his hand holding the abacus, the thin man reached out for it with his knife-hand. The next instant Kate stomped on his foot. Hard. Luckily it was the bad one. He fell to the ground screaming. Snatching the abacus, Kate threw herself at her brother.

“Grab this,” she shouted, pushing the abacus into his hand. “Let's get out of here!”

They took off like jack rabbits. By the time Robert Drew had struggled to his feet, they had a good lead.

“Activate the abacus!” shouted Kate, grabbing AP's arm. He was just about to when his boot caught in a gopher hole, sending him and the abacus flying. Kate lost her balance too, though she managed to throw herself forward, as if diving for home base. She slid to a halt beside a sage bush.

“The abacus landed over there, beneath that bush,” AP shouted, nursing his badly twisted ankle.

By the time he had hopped over to Kate, she had found it. “Quick!” she said, pushing it into his hand. “He's right behind us!”

AP fumbled with the abacus. Kate grabbed his arm. He pushed the button. With a brilliant blue flash, they crashed to the floor of her bedroom.