If Darby had any doubts that Taza would fit in he needn’t have worried one bit. Sarah engaged the boy in polite conversation, and of course they talked horses. Alex seemed amused at her interest and Darby saw more than friendship in those glances.
Alex was enamored of the young lady and Darby couldn’t blame him, she was very attractive. Although she was probably several years older the attraction had nothing to do with age. Sarah was an intelligent creature and Darby knew how much that counted in Alex’s mind.
They had time for their beer and then the conductor knocked on the door to tell them that the train was about to resume its journey to Yuma and points beyond. A few minutes later there was a jolt and the scene outside the windows began to move.
The tracks took them through the center of the city and Taza got up to look out the window and Sarah joined him.
“So many people in one place,” Taza said. “Tall buildings are houses?”
“Business mostly, shops and offices, although I imagine there are apartments where people live on the upper floors,” Sarah said.
“You live in tall house?”
“No, we have a ranch with horses and cows outside the city of El Paso.”
“Darby has house, he calls it ranch but there are no cows,” Taza said. “My people have village, no cows only sheep.”
“He seems a clever sort,” Alex said, focusing Darby’s attention once again.
“They are a simple people with very complex ideas about life,” Darby said. “And now I find myself in a position of authority and trust where their future is concerned. They have worked very hard to mine this silver and have accumulated some wealth in the bank of which I am the trustee.”
“So even the Apache are not immune to the temptation of the almighty dollar…how depressing. They seem so child-like, but do you find that to be true?”
“Not at all, their level of sophistication is just different than ours. The white man has ravaged their numbers and pushed them into unwanted corners of our land, and yet they have stopped the killing. The barren places of this territory are their element and they don’t fear it like we do. In fact they want to use the money to expand their holdings.”
The train had breached the city limits and was once again headed into the barren places Darby had mentioned. They both looked out the window at the approaching desert.
“Texas is a lot like this,” Alex said. “Much too hot this time of year for the men and machines we need to make films.”
“Why is that?” Darby asked.
“I’ll give you the simple answer. Raw film is made from celluloid coated with chemicals. The lens of the camera focuses on images one at a time as the shutter trips and exposes the film to what we are trying to capture. In a fairly cool environment like the indoors of a studio this works well, but take it all outside and you have a disaster.
“Billy cannot have his ideas tied to a barn-like studio, no matter how large the building. Images come out dim without proper light and the action of the actors is too confined. He wants to film outdoors on a grand scale and that is not possible in Texas.”
“So you think California is better?” Darby asked.
“Much better, almost perfect. Billy has been out there for two months and he’s impressed. Told me to pack up and bring everything. But I am getting ahead of myself, you don’t know cameras.” “No, I don’t. We had the family photographed when I was little, but we all had to sit still for a long time.”
“Yes, and that is exactly the problem,” Alex said. “Mr. Edison’s first cameras were huge contraptions that sat in one place and didn’t move. Those limitations were unacceptable to Billy, and yet some of Edison’s technical advances are very attractive….except the man would not license them for anyone to use. Stubborn old goat.
“But what I have done is take some of Edison’s ideas and those of several Frenchmen who figured things out even before he did. So what we now have is a movable camera suitable for outdoor use…if the damn celluloid film doesn’t melt on us.”
“That’s amazing,” Darby said.
“Oh, there are still all kinds of problems and I don’t kid myself about that. The motorized shutter behind the lens is still finicky and the images are often so jerky…I wouldn’t pay to see a film like that. The film is damnably expensive, hard to manufacture, and very precious at this stage of the industry. But we will overcome these issues with patience…and Sarah will become our new rising star.”
“You’re going to make cowboy films,” Darby said.
Alex grinned. “How could you tell?”
“Well, the films have to be about something, don’t they?”
Alex looked over at Taza and Sarah standing at the window. “Your letter gave me some ideas. How do you suppose your Apache friend would like to be on film?”
Darby couldn’t help it, he had to laugh. “Alex, he has no idea what a film is. He’s not an actor just a very real person.”
“But that’s the point. Realism will sell tickets.”
“That remains to be seen…but you can talk to him about it.”
Dinner was served as they moved across the territory towards Yuma. The food was grand, a beefsteak so perfectly cooked Darby could not remember when he had tasted better.
The meat Taza understood, the vegetables and potatoes that came with it seemed foreign to him. But he sat next to Sarah who seemed to understand his confusion and tried to explain each piece of the meal. Darby need not have worried as Taza mimicked her table manners perfectly. The dessert was something else.
The strawberry ice cream was delicious and after his first spoonful Taza was addicted. Alex enjoyed watching the boy experience the delights of his table and smiled when the dinner was done. Sarah retired to her cabin so the men could smoke cigars.
Taza had watched Chappo and Indigo smoke their pipes but cigars were something entirely new. Darby cautioned him not to take more than a few puffs and then put it down, and for good reason. Alex might like his slender foreign cigars, but neither Taza nor Darby was of a mind to smoke anything.
Taza sat quietly, feeling a little dizzy from the smoke as Alex began to speak of the plans they had in California and the kinds of films Billy wanted to make.
“I showed him your letter and the description of that attack by the Mexican bandits. Needless to say he thought it would make a great sequence in a film.”
“But how could you film something like that in Los Angeles?” Darby asked.
“Those are just details, Darby. No one knows where it really took place. Billy is out in the hills around Los Angeles scouting property for this cowboy picture. He has a group of people to handle the details for that film.”
“So what do you get to do?”
“I get to keep working on the camera ideas once I find a suitable work space. I’ve brought a lot of tools and equipment with me, but I need to hire some workers once I get there. This is all so new…thank goodness we have Fritz.”
“And Fritz is?”
“A mechanical genius we stole from the Vitagraph Company in New York. He used to be a watchmaker for a European company and that makes him valuable. His skilled hands can produce the little gears and wheels we need for the insides of a camera.”
“So you have to make everything yourselves?”
“Yes, you have to understand this process has only been around for a dozen years or so. I can focus on the mechanics of a camera but I only have vague ideas on how to use one to its full potential. I’ll try to arrange a dinner with Billy later this week and he’ll be only too glad to explain his ideas. The man is a definite talker.”
They reached Yuma after darkness settled in and so there wasn’t much to see. The train picked up mail bound for the coast and a few passengers boarded the forward cars. From where they sat towards the end of the station platform Darby could see this place was even smaller than Tombstone.
It was much hotter outside, but there was also a sense of humidity which must come from the nearby Colorado River. But once they crossed that body of water they would enter miles of desert land which was best traversed only at night when it was cooler.
It was apparent that Sarah was not going to return to their company this evening and so Alex suggested they turn in.
“The train will arrive in Los Angeles late in the morning,” He said. “Your cabin is the last one on the right. It has two berths so I hope you don’t mind sharing.”
“That will be fine,” Darby said.
“I’ll see you for breakfast,” Alex said. “Then we can go look at the city together if you’d like.”
“Good night,” Darby said.
Darby lit the small gas lamp on the wall in their cabin and looked around. The room was small, little more than two berths, one above the other and two chairs beside the window. The bathroom was across the hall and it had a bathtub, but Darby knew they would probably have to wait until they reached the city to bathe.
Taza sat quietly, no doubt reflecting on all the things that he had seen today. Being the son of a chief had brought him a certain status among his people but that would not help him in this situation. His immersion in the white man’s world had not been as confusing as he imagined it would be.
“Will we see this ocean tomorrow?” Taza asked.
“I don’t know,” Darby replied. “The city is large enough to have many people and very tall buildings. Once we arrive I’ll have to find us a hotel room, but I’m hoping the bank will help us find our way around.”
Taza smiled. “This is new for you and me.”
“Yes,” Darby said, sitting in the second chair. “We will discover everything new together, and I like that.”
“These are nice people…your friends.”
“Alex is an interesting person, but you know, he want’s something from us.”
“What can we offer him?”
“He wants the story of our fight with the Mexican bandits. He wants to show other people the fight we had and put it in a film.”
“I know you talk of this film with him, but I do not understand what this is,” Taza said.
Darby reached over and opened his bag, pulling out the photograph of his family. “You have seen this before, this was an image made with film, a picture. But if you made many photographs together one after the other it would show the people moving and that is a motion picture…a film.”
“These many pictures would be made to show our fight with the bandits?”
“Among other things, and together they would make a story for people to see. To do this Alex thinks you would need to be in his film.”
Taza laughed. “He wants to take my picture? Chappo had picture made with Geronimo, I have seen this. But if pictures are moving what would I do?”
“Good question…perhaps you would ride a horse like Sarah does.”
“Oh, this I can do with the nice woman, Sarah. She will be a star, Alex says, like a little light in the sky for all to see.”
“Then I guess you can be in this film,” Darby said. “I just want you to remember that many of these people do not understand the Apache ways.”
“You will be there, you can tell them.”
Darby sighed. “But this will not happen tomorrow or even next week. We have a lot to learn before anything happens. I’m just glad to have you here.”
Taza stood and pulled Darby up on his feet. They embraced and kissed. Familiar things in a strange environment gave comfort, and so they undressed and crawled into the lower berth. They both smelled like horses and cigars, the smells any man might absorb from daily activity.
But they were both tired and the commitment they had forged over the last month or so didn’t require immediate validation, and they slept. The gentle rocking of the car made the slumber deep as the train forged on across the western plains.
There were several stops along the way after they crossed into the southern regions of California and eventually turned north. Trains had a schedule to keep and the Southern Pacific was proud of its accomplishments. Passengers expected to be at their destinations on time and they would be.
The sun arose and so did Taza, old habits were hard to break. The air coming through their window felt different and smelled different, so he slid out of bed to see why. The desert landscape of the day before was gone, replaced by an entirely strange scrub growth.
There were mountains in the distance and to Taza’s astonishment there beside the tracks was a great body of water. He had never seen such a large amount of water in one place, the people who lived here must be blessed by the gods.
Darby joined him at the window, hands sliding across Taza’s chest as they both enjoyed the view.
“So much water, and yet the land looks dry,” Taza said.
“This is only a lake in the middle of dry country. I don’t see a river so the water must come down from those mountains.”
“The ocean we shall see….does that water come from mountains?”
Darby sighed and kissed Taza on the neck. How do you explain the formation of the world and the vast seas that surrounded them?
“I have read that in the beginning our world was one vast ocean,” Darby said.
“This is what the Apache legends tell, Chappo taught us this.”
“Yes, he’s right. But then no one is really sure where we came from.”
“The Creator made the world,” Taza said. “Even the missionaries believe this.”
Darby pulled their bodies together and then rested his chin on Taza’s shoulder.
“I’m sure they do, but we both know the answer is not simple. The Apache believe one thing, the Navajo another, is one of them wrong? The mystery of creation will always be something we cannot prove. But everyone will believe in something because we are here and that is proof enough that something happened.”
Taza turned away from the window with a smile. “You are clever like a ba’cho.”
“Ba’cho…let me think, I know that word. It means wolf,” Darby said. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you do not say Taza has silly beliefs, you respect my thoughts. I do not understand this world as you do, but you will teach me because you are a good teacher.”
“I would teach you to love me,” Darby said.
Taza slid his arms around Darby’s waist and felt his arousal hard between them.
“Love is in my heart,” Taza said. “I already wish to share it.”
It was times like this that Darby could understand how Sean must have felt in the embrace of another man. If only he was still around to ask where these feelings came from. But Taza already understood that desire and love worked hand in hand as he lay back on the bed and pulled Darby on top.
The first time they had joined like this Darby had been reluctant and Taza realized that his chosen one had no experience. It was hard to believe since as a child Taza had done just about everything with the other boys and girls in the village. Children were encouraged to play and learn while they were young because all too soon they would be grown and such activity forbidden.
But although those early days were all in fun, nothing prepared Taza for the wonder he felt as Darby discovered what they could share. The man in his arms was so dear, so innocent, and yet he was a willing partner. It was brave to venture into the unknown but Taza knew Darby had a warrior’s heart, they would do well together.
Darby decided they should bathe and so they took their clothes across the hall to the bathroom. The brass tub was barely big enough for a man to sit in but they managed and emerged feeling much better. Dressed in clean clothing they proceeded back to the other end of the car and discovered the staff had already prepared breakfast.
“Coffee, sir?” The waiter asked Darby.
“Please, for us both.”
Indigo had taught Taza the simple pleasures of a good cup of coffee in the morning although the boy liked it with entirely too much sugar and milk. The waiter served them both and Darby took the opportunity to find out just when they would reach Los Angeles.
“In about three hours, sir…ten o’clock the conductor told me.”
“Thank you,” Darby said.
It wasn’t long before Sarah and Alex joined them and they sat at the dining table for breakfast. As he had the night before, Taza followed Sarah’s lead in what he ate for breakfast and how he ate it. Darby had to smile since it seemed like an incredibly large amount of food compared to what he had been eating these past few months.
After breakfast Alex pulled out a large briefcase and presented them with some of his drawings. Darby wasn’t really sure what he was looking at except the camera was filled with wheels and sprockets that looked like the inner workings of a clock.
“Fritz hand built many of these parts,” Alex said. “He’ll be arriving from Rochester, New York, in a few weeks with our supply of film once Billy has the studio location all figured out. Do you know anything about refrigeration?”
“I’m not sure I know what that is?” Darby replied.
“Cold storage for our film. They have a machine that compresses gas and runs it through tubes to absorb heat. This is how they move frozen meat in rail cars across the country. I have a unit in one of the boxcars with my equipment and it works like a wonder. Not to freeze the film, mind you, just to keep it cool.
“Of course in Texas it had to be taken out of cold storage and placed in the camera. But even with an awning rigged over the camera the film didn’t like the air temperature. Then we discovered that the southern part of California has the proper temperatures for our work almost year round. That’s why we’ve moved.”
It wasn’t long before the scenery outside the windows changed once again. The land around them was greener and here and there they could see cultivated fields.
“Just like New York,” Darby said.
“City of your birth,” Taza said.
“Yes, a very big city. But like here the land outside the city is where they grow the crops to feed all those people.”
“I don’t see this city,” Taza said. “People must walk far to get this food.”
Sarah smiled, knowing Taza didn’t understand how these things worked.
“The farmers gather the food and send it into the city in wagons,” She said. “City people don’t know anything about farming but they pay good money to eat.”
“Sounds like you speak from experience,” Darby said.
“My father raises cows and their meat feeds people all over Texas and New Mexico. Perhaps that steak you had for dinner came from our pastures. But between the storms and the drought, raising herds of cattle is hard work.”
The first vestiges of the city began to appear and in no time the train began to slow as they reached the outer perimeter of the rail yard.
“They’ll find a place to park this car near the station and uncouple us from the train,” Alex said. “We won’t disembark until that is done. I asked Billy to send a car for us with a driver that knows his way around.”
“Are you planning to live here for your stay?” Darby asked.
“No, I’ll get a hotel room until Billy decides where we should set up shop, you should do the same.”
“My only consideration was to be close to downtown so I can visit the bank, are there hotels there?”
Alex opened his briefcase and pulled out a list. “Several nice ones to choose from if you want to be on your own, but I’m staying at the Westminster and so is Sarah. Perhaps you should as well because of your traveling companion.”
“You think Taza will present a problem?”
Alex looked down the table at Taza and Sarah who were deep in conversation, and then he smiled.
“There will be some who are curious about him but he’s dressed well and has good manners. I’ll make sure it isn’t a problem.”
There were a few bumps and some slow movement but finally the car was situated on a siding a short distance from the Arcade Station. A grand old wooden building, it seemed immense as Darby leaned out the window to take a look. The roof seemed to soar above the cavernous space and it was lit within by a large array of skylights.
A porter removed their baggage to the outside platform and then conveyed it towards the front of the building on a wheeled cart. The shared bag Darby and Taza had sat amidst the huge pile of Sarah’s luggage and the smaller pile belonging to Alex.
“Sarah have many things,” Taza said.
Alex laughed. “Women cannot travel without everything they own. So shall we go see if there is a car waiting for us?”
“Auto mob ile?” Taza asked.
“Yes…and I hope it’s big enough for everything.”
The touring car was parked at the curb with a chauffeur in attendance that doffed his cap at Sarah and spoke with Alex. Taza stared at the machine while Darby seemed just as fascinated. Years ago he had sat in one at the race track but he had never ridden in one before.
“I think that’s everything,” Alex said. “Shall we go?”
The streets of Los Angeles were bustling with people, horses, and other machines which conveyed boxes, barrels and even more people. A streetcar came rolling towards them as the driver moved over to accommodate the passing car.
“There are no horses pulling car,” Taza said from his seat beside Darby in the back of the car.
Alex turned around. “They are propelled by electric motors, Taza, they don’t need horses. The city has been electrified for years which seems much safer than all those gas lamps. One of these days even the Apache will have electricity.”
“I would guess your equipment runs on electrical current as well,” Darby said.
“They will but right now Fritz has the little gears running by winding a spring. But the studio will need electric lights and so we’ll convert to electric motors if we go indoors. I’m sorry…perhaps I talk about too many technical things.”
“Never be sorry about your passions,” Sarah said. “Oh, look at all the shops.”
“Don’t spend all your money on the first thing you see, my dear,” Alex said.
The driver pulled the automobile up in front of a grand old building and announced they had arrived. Porters surged out of the building to open the doors and take their luggage. Taza was in awe of all he could see and he remained silent as they followed the porters into the lobby.
This place must be expensive, Darby thought. Well of course it was, Alex wouldn’t have it any other way. The four of them approached the front desk and a man in a nice suit smiled in greeting.
“Alex Morgan, I believe we have reservations. But I will need an additional room for my friends here.”
The man looked at Darby and Taza without a flicker of distaste. “Certainly, sir. That will be no problem. Will you gentlemen please sign the register and I’ll have someone take you up to your rooms?”
They would be staying on the third floor and the porters had already whisked their bags upstairs, but the attendant in the lobby led them over to a set of doors and pushed a button on the wall. The doors slid open revealing a small cabin like room with a gate across the opening. Darby wasn’t sure what to do but there was already a man inside who pushed the gate open and stood aside for them to enter.
“Third floor,” the lobby attendant said.
Darby and Taza entered, following the attendant and standing at the back while Sarah and Alex stepped inside. The gate was closed and then the doors. The man at the front turned a handle and Darby felt Taza grip his arm…they were moving upwards.
Alex turned to speak and smiled at Taza’s reaction. “My grandfather had an elevator installed in the bank a few years ago. Said there were just too many stairs to climb each and every day.”
“They are a wonder,” Darby said, also wondering if Taza was going to pull his arm off.
But the doors opened on the third floor and the attendant led them down the hallway. He opened a door for Sarah and handed her a key. Darby looked into the room and saw there was a maid in there with Sarah’s baggage. Alex was next and there was a manservant in his room with the baggage.
“We should wash up and plan to meet downstairs in about an hour. Then we’ll have some lunch,” Alex said.
“That sounds fine,” Darby said and followed the attendant even further down the hall to the last door on the left. The man opened the door and handed Darby the key.
“Enjoy your stay, sir. Just ring the bell if you require anything.”
Their one lone bag sat in the hallway to the room. No manservant for them, and just as well. They had a small sitting room, a well-appointed bathroom, and a bedroom with two beds. Perhaps not as posh as Sarah or Alex’s rooms, but then their needs had been met at the last minute and they didn’t need anything as fancy.
Taza walked over to the window and looked out at the city.
“So here we are, Taza. I’m sorry but that elevator was a shock.”
“I am only Apache who ever ride in elevator,” Taza said, and then he grinned. “Almost wet in my pants.”
Darby walked over and looked down at the street in front of the hotel. “So many new things we have to learn…but this is fun.”
“Alex say one hour…what shall we do?”
“I want a bath in a real bathtub and some clean clothes,” Darby said. “Now that we are here I think we will both have to go shopping for things to wear.”
“Sarah go shopping, we can go with her.”
“I seriously doubt we will find men’s clothing in the kind of stores she will choose. I’ll ask at the front desk, they can give us directions. So how about that bath?”
“I shall wash your back,” Taza said.