I suppose it should come as no surprise. I’ve seen men fall in love with laundry women, Indian girls, other men’s wives, whores. Almost always the spell is broken when the men return to regular society. When Tillman today professed his love for Nat’aaggi, I suggested it might only be a passing fancy, based on circumstance.
?—?I know all about camp affairs, sir. Lock two animals together in a cage, they’ll either f?—— or fight, sure as the devil. I tell you, though, this is something different. I haven’t even asked her to have a go with me & it’s been a while, so I could use a poke.
I suggested that it was her skill with a knife that perhaps stayed him. He insists that it is his high regard for her.
?—?You’ve seen the way she can hunt & trap. Did you know she can make her own snowshoes?
She is a capable young woman, I agreed. At times I have wondered if she is under our protection, or we under hers.
He went on to list her many other attributes. He said he had never before met a woman who aimed to out-do him with shooting & games. —?She has a way, too, of joking about things most women are too shy to discuss.
?—?But she’s not crude like some of the whores I’ve known, he added.
I observed that they do seem to enjoy each other’s company, but wondered how they could remain together.
?—?You remember when you said your Mrs. Forrester wasn’t like any woman you had ever come across, that there was something different about her that set her apart? Well, that’s how I feel about Nattie.
I asked if she shared the affection, to which he admitted being perplexed.
?—?I’m a tomcat, sir. On the rare occasion I get turned down, I don’t waste a minute blubbering about it, he said.
With Nat’aaggi, however, he said he is unsure. They will be conversing, as her English has steadily improved, when Tillman will reach over to take her hand or attempt to sit closer to her.
?—?She just moves right off, & I follow like a mooncalf.
I suggested that perhaps her unfortunate marriage had made her wary of courtship.
Tillman slapped his knee.
?—?Well, of course! Why didn’t I see that? She’s gun-shy. I’ve just got to approach her slow, then maybe I stand a chance.
I said no more. It seems to me a doomed affair. Surely he has no intention of remaining with her in the Alaska wilds. I have seen few Indian women adapt to modern civilization; Nat’aaggi does not strike me as such a woman. Would she be prepared to travel to San Francisco, then on to whatever post he is next stationed? It seems improbable.
Later in the day, Tillman spoke up again.
?—?Just think, Colonel. Soon enough you’ll be seeing your sweet wife & your little one, too.
I could not answer him.
July 22
We have arrived at the missionary’s house, though the man himself is not about. It seemed a mirage to our eyes: a kitchen garden with turnips, cabbages & flowers, a straight little house & several outbuildings of milled lumber. All set down on the bank of this wild river.
?—?Look at that, even the floor doesn’t have a speck of dirt, Tillman whispered as the wife welcomed us into the house & made us coffee. —?Glad I’m wearing britches now at least.
It caused us all some embarrassment to notice our own condition in contrast to her neat appearance & orderly home. We are in poor shape & filthy beyond acceptable.
The missionary’s wife fed us our first real meal in four months, including fried eggs, bread, potatoes, & turnips, all sprinkled with generous amounts of salt. She has welcomed us all, although she serves Nat’aaggi & Boyo their meals outdoors.
The woman also took note of Pruitt’s poor health. She offered to prepare some treatments for him to take. She said it probably would not please him much, but that it would greatly improve his condition.
She later showed us to the bathhouse, with woodstove & a large tub we could fill with water to bathe. We were also given leave to raise one of her husband’s canvas wall-tents for our sleeping quarters. Nat’aaggi prefers to make her own tent of spruce boughs.
July 23
We are new men, clean, well-fed, & rested. Tillman has even shaved his beard, which gave Nat’aaggi a shock.
Mrs. Lowe, as she is called, has her hands full with seven children, the oldest a 10-year-old boy, the youngest still an infant, but still she manages to assist us a great deal.
Already today she has encouraged Pruitt to drink several cups of spruce-needle tea, which he says has a strong, sharp flavor but is not entirely disagreeable. She has also served him the Indian cure of rabbit intestines, just warmed but uncooked.
Pruitt was pale as he prepared to sip all this down, but he did as told.