BSI Chapter 64 Rescuing Elsa
Chapter 64 Rescuing Elsa
"We're not going to treat him!" Tom's voice was cold and resolute as he sheathed his gun without hesitation.
He bent down and carefully, yet with unwavering determination, lifted Elsa into his arms.
"Tom! What are you doing?!" James reached out to stop him.
"This man is a butcher! Not a doctor!" Tom said, holding Elsa in his arms, his sharp gaze sweeping over his father. "Elsa, I'm here to save you!" His words carried an unquestionable authority.
"You..." James's question was stuck in his throat.
Tom had already carried Elsa out of the house that exuded an aura of despair and gently placed her on the thick blankets in his carriage.
"Zack!" Tom hissed.
The tall, thin Zach bounced up to him like a spring.
"You're driving! Be careful! Elsa can't handle a bumpy ride!" Tom's eyes were sharp as knives.
Zach nodded vigorously, his expression more serious than ever before, and gripped the reins tightly.
"Cooper!" Tom's gaze swept over another companion.
"exist!"
"Keep an eye on the cattle and horses, don't let them fall behind!"
"clear!"
"Simone, keep up!"
"Yes!" Simone nimbly jumped onto her carriage.
There was no consultation or discussion.
Tom mounted his horse and gave the reins a flick: "Go!"
He rode off on his horse and charged ahead!
Zach drove steadily behind him.
Margaret did not hesitate to urge her carriage to follow closely behind.
Aunt Claire and Mary immediately drove off to follow.
Simone's carriage kicked up dust.
Cooper shouted commands, urging the massive herd of cattle and horses to begin moving.
James watched as the convoy sped off without hesitation, then spurred his horse and gave chase.
The Wyoming wilderness in September already exudes a sense of desolation.
The shallow waters of the North Platte River reflected a metallic sheen, and wheels crunched over the frosty grass on the bank with a crisp sound.
Tom's dagger was driven into a white willow tree. He scraped away the dark brown bark to reveal the gold-leaf-like inner bark.
The cold September winds had already squeezed the sap from the trees, and the crisp sound of the bark peeling off was particularly jarring.
"Just this layer! Quick!" he roared, tossing the bark strip to Simone on the bank.
Simone knelt in the icy stream, rubbing the bark strips vigorously with both hands.
The murky, bloody liquid was immediately swept away by the rushing river; it was a poison that hurt the stomach and had to be washed away.
In the center of the camp, a campfire roared.
Tom laid the washed bark strips on a large rock, picked up a hard flint, and smashed it down hard!
Bang bang bang!
The tough bark was smashed to pieces, turning into a wet, green cotton-like mass, oozing a milky white sap.
He grabbed a handful of freshly picked pine needles, crushed them, and mixed them in vigorously.
"Pine needles can guide the medicine!" he explained briefly, sweat mixed with cigarette ash dripping from his forehead.
Simone poured the sticky mess into a thick earthenware pot that was placed on the fire, and added water.
Flames licked the bottom of the earthenware pot.
Tom buried three small flints in the fire, his eyes fixed on them.
"Watch the stones!" he shouted to Simone, his voice tense. "Ignore the first one! Be careful with the second one! If the third one explodes, immediately remove the jar! If it's overheated, the medicine will be ruined!"
Elsa convulsed painfully while unconscious.
James held her intact left arm tightly, his eyes filled with anxiety and doubt as he looked at his son.
Snapped!
The first flint exploded in the fire, scattering sparks everywhere.
Tiny bubbles began to rise from the water in the earthenware pot.
Another crisp sound!
The second one exploded too!
The bubbles grew larger and began to gurgle and churn, and the medicine turned a dark brown color.
A scent carrying the aroma of pine and bitterness wafted through the air.
James couldn't take it anymore and grabbed Tom's arm: "Stop! You're messing around! You'll kill her!"
Tom abruptly shook off his father's hand, his eyes flashing like scorched knives: "I'm saving her life!"
He picked up a wooden spoon and began to stir the earthenware pot vigorously and rhythmically.
The medicine became increasingly viscous, and when the spoon was lifted, long, golden threads were drawn out, shimmering in the firelight.
Just then!
The third flint became blindingly white and then suddenly exploded!
"Now!" Tom and Simone shouted at the same time!
Simone reacted quickly, wrapping her hands in a thick cloth and pulling the scalding hot pot off the fire!
Tom quickly scooped up a drop of the thick medicine and dripped it into a bowl of cold water next to him.
A miraculous thing happened: the drop of medicine did not dissolve immediately, but instead condensed into a small, round, amber-colored bead, which floated in the water for several seconds before slowly dispersing.
"It's done!" Tom's voice trembled almost imperceptibly. "The willow bark painkiller is done!"
He immediately pulled out the makeshift straw made of quill and filled it with the thick, amber-colored liquid.
He pried open Elsa's lips and carefully dripped the medicine under her tongue near a blood vessel.
Time ticked by, the campfire crackled, and everyone held their breath.
Just as the second hand on the pocket watch completed its seventh revolution, Elsa's tightly furrowed brow, contorted with pain, relaxed almost imperceptibly... by the slightest bit!
"It works! She can feel the medicine!" Tom's voice was full of hope.
Without further hesitation, he swiftly cut open Elsa's clothes, which were soaked with blood and sweat, revealing her horrible, sunken, and deformed collarbone.
On the other side, Cooper handed over a few pieces of cactus that he had just picked from the riverbank.
Tom put on thick leather gloves, used a dagger to remove the barbs, and then deftly sliced open the thick flesh of his palm.
Inside is a crystal-clear, jelly-like gelatinous substance.
He scraped off the gelatinous substance with a knife, mixed it with a little golden wild honey, and stirred it until it became a soft, fragrant, jade-colored paste.
"Help me!" Tom called to James and Shay.
They carefully helped Elsa sit up.
Tom tied an old saddle to a crooked old elm tree nearby, then made a pouch out of sturdy canvas to support Elsa's injured arm under her armpit.
Underneath the canvas bag was a heavy leather pouch, stuffed full of bullets, weighing at least seven or eight pounds.
As soon as the leather bag was released, the heavy force immediately pulled Elsa's arm down through the canvas bag!
Elsa, who was unconscious, suddenly tensed up and let out a muffled groan of pain.
"Keep her calm!" Tom growled.
James and Shay held Elsa's shoulders and waist tightly.
Under the continuous pull of gravity, the skin and flesh at Elsa's collapsed collarbone seemed to be slowly pulled apart.
Tom took a deep breath and stretched out his hands.
His thumb pressed firmly on the raised, palpable bone (near the fracture end), while his index finger reached under Elsa's armpit to support the deeply sunken bone (far the fracture end).
He could feel the two bones were misaligned and cold.
"Ready..."
Tom's eyes narrowed, and he exerted force with both hands simultaneously!
Press down with your thumb and lift up with your index finger!
The movements were precise and stable!
Click!
A very faint, yet clearly audible, cracking sound came from deep within Elsa's shoulder!
Margaret covered her mouth.
In the firelight, she watched as the dent on her daughter's shoulder, which looked like it had been crushed, miraculously and slowly smoothed out under Tom's touch!
Although there is still some swelling, the dreaded "V" shaped indentation is gone!