At the Catawba Trading Post

Kennia took some empty burlap sacks and went to stock-up on supplies. “Toby, you come along and help me fetch some things. You’ve eaten plenty of our food so now you can do some chores.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” he whined. “I help out plenty.”
“Yeah, you put up an entire tarp in front of the cargo area the other day. Must have been exhausting. Now you have another chance to help-out by helping me. Grab some of those sacks from the pile in the corner and follow me to the Trading Post.”

Lurleen, a frizzy-haired woman of indeterminate age, ran the Catawba Trading Post. She was short and round and wrapped in so many shawls that Kennia was never certain how much was fabric and how much was Lurleen.

“Howdy! Ain’t seen you in a month of sundays! What can I do for you today, honey?”
“Just the usual supplies. Nothing special. How’s your fella and Josie doin’?”
“Just the same as usual, runnin’, playin’, gettin’ into mischief, both of them!”
Kennia laughed.
“Josie and his pa are out on a hunting trip. He’ll be real sorry that he missed his Aunty Kennia.
“Sorry to hear that. Yes, you be sure to tell him hello from me. ‘Fraid we won’t be here very long, just getting some supplies and such. We need monarda, sassafras, ginseng, just a bit of each. And some venison if you have any.”
“‘Fraid not, hon.”
“Have any of your hunting parties noticed anything peculiar goin’ on round here?”
“Like what? I see all kinds of folks all the time. Been fairly quiet lately though.” Lurleen narrowed her eyes. “You expecting trouble?”
“Now you know I can’t talk about that”
“Well then, miss, what on earth makes you think I can talk about my stuff either?” Lurleen pouted as she spoke but she had a sparkle in her eyes at the same time.
“Nobody knows news like you do Miss Lurleen.”
“You sure do know how to flatter a gal, don’t ya? 'Fraid I really don’t have any news for you.”
“Let’s count that as a plus. How about some salt pickles?”
“Got some right here! Good and salty just like you like ‘em.”
"Gotta have me some of those!"

Colonialism in a nutshell

From Youtube: "A short clip of Atta kul kulla's talk at Fort Dobbs in North Carolina--talking about his trip to England and meeting the King and how the Yamasee War and the taking of native slaves sparked the alliance between the Cherokees and the English until the late 1750s. Robert Rambo presented an engaging and interesting talk which gives a peek into the Cherokee warrior and the home life of Cherokee natives."

A MAP!!!

Major towns are RED
Indian Nations are BROWN
Rivers are BLUE
Geographical Regions are GREEN
The rivers look different here than on a modern map because this story takes place approximately 80-90 years before the rivers were dammed for hydroelectric plants. Those large lakes you can see on modern maps are artificial in other words.

I've tried to strike a balance between "vintage" looking and readability. Please, if you have trouble reading this, email me (arkiv2001 at gmail.com) and I'll upload a cleaner version! 

Finally!

A few hours later with the Sandflea at a safe height above the trees and out of the Blue Ridge Mountains proper, her crew gathered round their captain to discuss their next move.
“Time for a confabulation, y’all! Thanks to all this mysterious nonsense goin’ on, we need a new plan.”
“What was our plan to begin with?” asked Harry.
Kennia snorted. “Try staying awake during briefings!”
“I just pilot this bird, I don’t decide where to take her. Just go whichever direction y’all point to.”
“Check-in with the Catawbas, then east to contact the Cheraws and a longer stopover when we come to Tuscarora territory. After that due south till we hit Charleston,” answered Tira.
Captain Willie responded, “First we continue to Catawba territory as scheduled. Maybe they’ve heard something.”
“Sometime soon we’ve got to stop for maintenance. Wouldn’t do to fall out of the sky at the wrong moment,” said Harry.
“What would be the right moment?” snickered Kennia.

Headin' on out

(note Gentle Reader that this is actually July's story post so you can expect another one for August as well)

Several hours later,  the crew heard their captain hollering for them as he headed back up the trail. Finally! They were more than glad to head southeast and out of the mountains with their treacherous gusts and eddies.

After climbing up the rope ladder and entering through the hatch, Captain Willie was not a happy man. Clearly the intelligence he’d received from Captain Chavis had not pleased him.
“Harry? Harry! I need that damn navigator now!” snapped the captain. Where is that sorry-ass fellow? Ain’t seen hardly hide nor hair of him this entire trip!”
“In the cockpit taking a nap. Old Toby is sitting in his favourite hammock. I’ll prod him awake.” Kennia headed towards the small cockpit. 
“What’s the plan now, Captain?”
“The plan is that we ain’t nosing around any more, that’s the plan! We’re gonna pick-up some speed and head back to Charleston, that’s the plan. And we’ve gotta keep both eyes open the whole time while we’re at it. I am awful tired of being pinned in and I want open sky as soon as possible, understand?”

“What about the little, smelly man?”
“Eh, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Our passenger. The one taking up space and contributing nothing.”
“He is a right pain, Captain”
“Oh, yeah, right. Guess we got to set him down somewhere. Can’t just chuck him out the hatch. Reckon he’ll be ok if we leave him at the next Trading Post. He can go on by foot from there to where ever. I ‘m all for gettin’ the hell outa these mountains before we break something!”

Carolina Foodways: Okra Gumbo

OKRA  GUMBO

2 tbl corn oil (or other cooking oil without a strong flavor)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup chicken stock (or from bouillon cubes)
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or use 1 can crushed tomatoes)
½ lb sliced okra (I have to use canned because okra is scarce in Sweden!)
2 or 3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 good shakes Worchestershire sauce
1-2 bay leaves
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste

Saute the vegetables in the corn oil until soft (about 3 minutes) and then add the chicken stock, okra, seasonings and tomatoes. Lower the heat and simmer with the lid askew.  Serve with long-grain rice.

*** I usually add chopped chicken meat to the stew while it is simmering. This is a good way to use left-over  chicken but you can use seafood or fish instead. Or you can use vegetable broth and leave-out the meat for a vegetarian version. Sharwood makes a Worcestershire sauce that does NOT include fish. ***

And look what they are eating in Ghana: 
Light Okra Soup with Chicken

And for more information buy, beg or borrow In the Shadow of Slavery: Africa’s Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World by Judith Carney and Richard Nicholas Rosomoff

Meanwhile. . .

Back at the Sandflea, Old Toby was getting crankier (not to mention smellier) by the minute. Unfortunately for him, neither Kennia nor Tira were particularly sympathetic to his complaints.

“I’m gettin’ mighty tired of your moaning and groaning. Stuff it or you can walk back”
“I’m hungry” he whined. “And I don’t have no place to walk back to anyways.”
“Then you’d best not be too much of an aggravation to us, wouldn’t you say?”
“All I want is to get outa this airship and go someplace civilized. And I ain’t had a smoke in days practically.”
“Or a bath in years” snorted Tira. In all fairness she managed to remain impeccably groomed no matter the crisis. “You are awful demanding for a man who has nothing going for him.” She turned and walked away, not easily since the Sandflea’s interior was anything but spacious.

Kennia followed  her crewmate until they had walked as far away as possible and then whispered, “You know we can’t keep him stashed in that hammock for all eternity. We’ve gotta let him go before he stinks up the whole airship.”
“Too late if you ask me,” snickered Tira. “Fix him up some stew. At least he can’t say that we are starving him.”
“Captain should be back soon and  I say we pressure him for answers.” Kennia shrugged and headed towards the Sandflea’s tiny excuse for a galley while Tira turned back to Old Toby.

“Say, what’ve you got against Indians anyway?”
“I ain’t got nothin’ against ‘em. I just try to stay away from them.”
“Yeah, cause you don’t like ‘em.”
He shrugged. “You think what you wanna. Matter ain’t got nothin’ to do with you. Now leave me in peace. I got no quarrel with you least ways.”