"Are they far ahead of us?"
"They are, but I know where they are going, and it would seem your mother has left a few markings to follow too." He smiled when he saw a small piece of her dress.
"How do you know she did it?" Matthew asked.
"She obviously leaned into a bush with thorns, to intentionally tear her dress. She is a brave woman; it is strange that no one has caught her at it. For she would pay for such an act."
"Why would she leave a trail? I mean how does she know we are behind them?"
Hawk smiled back at the boy. "She knows I track her."
Matthew's head twisted in question. "Does my mother know you?"
"She knows of me. She knows I look out for her and for you. Yes, she knows."
"How come, I have never seen you talk to her before?"
"We talk without words."
Matthew didn't seem to understand but it kept him silent a while. Hawk figured he was trying to understand that statement. It was good that the boy knew how to think for himself.
"Why do you watch over us?" Matthew quizzed him.
Hawk was silent. He wasn't ignoring Matthew; he was trying to figure out how to explain it to a child. The child was smart, alert and learning as they went. Hawk liked him, but he didn't know how to answer his question. "You talk too much!"
"Sorry."
"Look, your mother's footsteps are deeper now, she carries your sister on her hip, see how one side is deeper than the other." Hawk pointed out. He began cutting the fish up and handing Matthew small pieces to eat.
Matthew looked at it, and then copied Hawk as he ate the raw fish. The first taste of it raw made him shiver a bit, but it was nourishing and he kept eating.
Surprised by its taste, he reasoned it wasn't too unpleasant.
"Yeah…gee, you figured that out on your own?"
"It is not hard to figure. It is being logical. You must learn to use logic, and you will be a good tracker, Matthew."
Matthew grew quiet again. The land they traveled was full of tall grasses, and bushes and trees that had fallen from storms. The earth was soft as it rained yesterday. Matthew kept up with Hawk easily enough, but he wondered how he could read the signs so well and move so quickly at the same time.
"I hope they are alright. Jane Ann is still pretty little."
"Yes," Hawk answered, his mind wandering to the baby girl. She would not be able to keep up with them on her own, and it was possible they would kill her or leave her on the trail. Still, Hawk couldn't tell Matthew that. He had to reach them before anything bad happened.
They stopped for a minute to drink water from a canteen that Hawk had tied to the top of his knife.
"You sure carry a lot of stuff, don't you?"
"I carry what is necessary." Hawk answered.
"How do you know where they are taking them?" Matthew asked, looking at the man. He was a big man, with arms that knew hard work. Nevertheless, his voice was not harsh and Matthew liked him for some reason he couldn't understand.
"Again logic. To their camp, in the high hills. Hurry, we must follow them. When we get there, you will stay behind and keep the camp, and I will go and fetch your mother and sister."
Matthew screwed up his face. "Why can't I go?"
"You are too young, and you are white, they would take you prisoner before I could help your mother. It may take a couple of days to bring her and your sister back, so you must be patient and brave. A man who has patience has everything."
"I got patience. You have to have patience to catch fish." Matthew cast him a knowing smile. "But…I'm a little scared for Ma and especially Jane Ann. She doesn't walk very fast."