#78
As eager as he was to meet fellow Scots, Seamus was puzzled by the reception he got from the MacKay's elder Rob. It was cool, dismissive and as close to a sneer as possible without cold rejection.
Seamus pulled back a bit, and grabbed hard at his manners.
" A McCreary, you say, never heard of them." Rob MacKay was just this side of snotty rude. He made it painfully obvious he had no interest in meeting, talking or welcoming a fellow Scot.
"I'm busy, we have a group coming to buy horses this afternoon, so you will excuse me as we get ready."
Seamus's reception was equally as frosty on the MacDonald side. All members were busy matching up horses into teams, and laying out harness. The quest for horse sales was uppermost in both clans minds. Selling teams was the only way they had of making money in the new life.
Corbin waylaid Mark. "I have harness for horses the size you are using. Too small for my teams, I brought them along, as I was going to sell them to the Scots up in the valley; but I'd be proud to make you a deal for six sets." Corbin was ever the essential businessman, but fully intended to cut Mark a good deal.
"I'll drop the price by selling you four sets at a reasonable cost, and throw the other two sets in fer free."
"We don't mind paying reasonable prices," Mark retorted with a grin, "I just don't fancy haggling with the Scots all afternoon and night to get anywhere near a decent price."
"I can tell you that you need to have a hold of both your socks and your wallet if you tangle with those boys. They make their living selling and their sharp." Corbin grinned, and motioned for Mark to follow him to the back of the third wagon. "This is what I have, look them over and let me know if yer interested."
Mark called for Milo and Toby and between the three of them, they inspected every line and trace of leather.
"Good sturdy leather, not fancy but very serviceable, I think if we can make a deal with Corbin, these are what we need." Milo was looking at the inside of the large freight wagon. "I wonder how much freight he can haul at one time. I wonder if we could start a business such as this when we get up North."
"I have the freight concession up to the Missouri line," Corbin walked around the end of the wagon. "As far as I know, the concession for Iowa is open. There is a fair amount of danger involved, so be aware of that side of the business."
Milo nodded. "The harness looks good and serviceable, how much are you asking?"
"A hundred a set for six, and I'm throwing in two sets. I appreciate the friendship and acceptance you'all showed me, and I especially appreciate Clara. I never knew what I was missing, until she came along."
Mark said "sold," the same time Milo said, "It's Ma and the way she trains her ladies, ya just can't beat them for being plumb wonderful."
"You want to go horse buying with us?" Toby inquired. "Dad, the guys are ready, their coming this way."
The Linderman clan walked up into the Scots valley and the horse buying commenced with a smiling confident Mark and a nervous Rob MacKay.
When the serious bargaining was finished, both the MacKays and the MacDonalds were wet with sweat, and shaking their heads at the blood bath of horse salesmanship they had just been through.
Mark had brought all the able men from the wagon train, and as soon as a pair of horses were bought, the money was paid and the horses walked down to the makeshift corral by the wagons. The arrangement bothered old Rob, he didn't understand and commented sourly about the hurry of removing the teams, but both Milo and Toby reported the canny old Scot was up to no good and intended to cause the teams to be turned loose and poorer horses substituted in the resulting confusion.
It was the same with the teams bought from the MacDonalds. Mark drove a hard bargain, and both clans felt the censure when Seamus came over to stand with Mark. Seamus had been listening with his exceptional hearing to the snickers of the younger men, and it was he that reported to Milo about the substitution that the sellers intended to cause.
On the way down the valley with the last of the teams and harness they needed, Corbin started laughing and told Mark, " remind me to not play poker with you."
Mark shrugged modestly, but there was a self satisfied gleam in his eye. "I needed that," he said unnecessarily. "I was afraid I must be getting rusty; but that was a lot of fun. Many thanks to you Seamus, for figuring out the plot to change the good teams for the lesser animals. I figured there was some sort of shenanigan's going to happen, the sellers were a little to smooth and polished in their spiels. I especially like the first six teams we bought from the MacDonalds, and the last four from the MacKays. Well folks, lets get these animals hitched and get for the North."
Mark drove the wagons hard until dark, but he was well satisfied as he sat for supper and looked out into the dark, drinking fresh coffee and listening to the triplets play in the wagon behind him.