Merita joined him at the tree line. She brought her own rifle with her.
“Are they still out there?” she asked as she searched the area outside of the trees.
“Yeah. I scattered ‘em some.” He nodded toward a horse that trotted away with its head held high so it wouldn’t step on the trailing reins. “Got one of ‘em.” He glanced behind them. “Gotta watch so they don’t get around behind us.”
“I don’t think they can,” Merita said. “There’s a good-sized seep back there. Not deep, but real muddy. They probably won’t try it.”
They focused their attention outward then. If Rafe’s count was right, there were four of them spread out somewhere in front of the trees. He knew they would be crawling closer, hoping to either get a shot or try to take them in a rush.
He fed cartridges into his Winchester, wanting it to be ready if the raiders did rush them. “Did you reload your pistol?” he asked Merita over his shoulder.
“Doing it now,” she replied. “My rifle’s full, too. Do you think they’ll rush us?”
“Might. We should stay ready, just in case.” He took a long time examining the layout of the land in front of them. “I think there’s a dip in the ground over on this side. At least a couple of ‘em are there.”
Merita didn’t respond for a minute. “There’s a clump of bushes over here that just moved. I don’t think it was the wind. I’m going to shoot into it and see if I hit anything.”
“All right, go ahead.”
She took her time aiming at what she thought would be a good spot in the bushes. Then, she fired. Immediately, she fired again, a little to one side of the first shot.
The second shot brought a scream followed by a man rising up partway from behind the bush and falling forward over it. He didn’t move after that.
“Two down,” she said.
“And three to go,” Rafe added. “One on your side, two over here. They may decide not to rush us now.”
An hour passed and nothing happened. Rafe knew this was the way of things in a stand-off such as this. Waiting was the hard part, whether you were on the offense or defense. He also knew those men out on the prairie grew hotter and thirstier as the time passed.
“I don’t think they’re gonna hit us,” he said. “Sun’s about to set, an’ they ain’t done anythin’. Once it gets dark, we’ll slip away on your side an’ ride out.”
Just then, the thunder of galloping horses came to their ears. “Rafe? Look there.” Merita pointed far over toward his side.
The three horsemen galloped away across the prairie.
“Pullin out. Prob’ly goin’ to get reinforcements.” He started back to their horses. “Likely they’ll be back in th’ mornin’ with more guns. We should plan to be somewhere else.”
Chapter Thirty-five
As soon as she knew the raiders riding after Rafe had passed her by, Tess eased to her feet and started along the drop-off. She wanted to see where Rafe and whoever was with him went. She felt sure he could either out-run or out-fight the raiders. And when he did, maybe she could signal him somehow.
She hadn’t gone far before she heard more shots – far off. Going fast was out of the question. Her weakness, even with the good meal of calf meat, and her footwear kept her slower than she wanted.
Past the end of the wall formed by the drop-off, she saw dust in the distance, over a mile away. While she paused to catch her breath, more shots came to her ears.
Off to her left probably two hundred yards, a jumble of good-sized rocks caught her eye. Out of habit, she studied them for a place to shelter, if needed. One looked to be the size of a stage coach, with the others much smaller. All seemed to be tumbled together at the base of a hill. It appeared the largest one broke off the side of the hill near the top and carried or pushed the smaller ones with it.
If I can get to the top of that hill, maybe I can see where Rafe is. And he could see me if I can figure out a way to signal him. If I can get up there .
With the new-found strength from her belly-full of meat, Tess struggled across the prairie toward the hill. She made pretty good time most of the way, until she came upon a large area of low-growing cactus directly in her path.
The detour she had to make put her rounding the hill and climbing up the back side. Even though the going proved fairly easy, it took her a couple of hours to make the top.
Once there, she sank to the ground in exhaustion. Tired and weak as she was, she scooted to the edge of the spot the largest boulder fell from and stared out in the direction of the shots.
There, about a mile away, she saw a small grove of trees. That must be where Rafe went. How can I signal him that I’m here? Maybe I can tie a piece of my dress to this limb and wave it to get his attention.
She started to tear more of the hem of her dress when she thought again. Wait! What if those raiders are still there? They might see me instead. If they did and came after me, I couldn’t get away.
Tess sank to the ground, frustrated, angry, and disappointed. What could she do? Rafe was just over there! Her cousin, the one who promised to always protect her. How he got word she was in trouble, she didn’t know. And didn’t care. He was here; he’d rescue her. But only if she could let him know where she was.
Enough time passed for the sun to lower itself halfway down the rim of the world. Another half hour and it would be too dark for Rafe to spot her.
Tess raised her head from the ground and saw dust in the air in front of the trees. As she watched, the dust cloud moved away from her. But who was leaving, Rafe or the raiders?
Oh, please let it be the raiders!
She sat up, started to tear more the hem from her dress. Then, from the corner of her eye – movement off to her right. There shouldn’t be anyone in that area.
Slowly, she turned her head to get a better look. Indians! They looked like the same bunch that boy rode with. The one whose knife she wore on her belt.
As she watched, one got down from his horse, knelt close to the ground, and studied something. Then he stood, said something to the others, and pointed in her general direction.
They’re following my tracks!
Attracted by the gunfire, they came to investigate and ran across her tracks. This realization started her heart thudding against her ribs. She knew what to expect if captured by those Indians. And she could expect worse treatment because they’d find that boy’s knife on her. For a second, she considered burying it under one of the low bushes around her. No – it might come in handy. I’d better keep it.
She watched the Indians for a few more minutes while she considered what to do. They were at least a quarter mile away, and the light faded fast. Not even Indians could follow a trail in the dark.
Tess considered that. It could be what saves me. They’ll have to stop pretty soon and make camp. If I can figure out a way to get down from here without making noise, I can hide until they go away tomorrow.
As she watched, the Indians stopped and dismounted. They had to stop for the night and would, in all likelihood, start after her again tomorrow.
I’ve got to find a way to climb down from here and not leave tracks. Then where will I go? I have to hide. If I just take off across the prairie, they’ll see me .
Then, in the dim evening twilight, her gaze came across the jumbled boulders and rocks below her. If I can get in there, in some spot they’d never expect, without leaving tracks, I might get out of this.
She remembered the low-growing cactus across her trail. The Indians would never expect her to cross that and get in among those rocks. How to do it?
Then it came to her . I’ll tie strips from my dress around my feet. That will let me leave at least less distinct tracks and protect my feet from the worst of the cactus spines .
Several more minutes of thinking brought nothing better to her mind. By that time, enough shadows filled the surrounding prairie that she couldn’t see the Indians. She prayed that also meant they couldn’t see her.
/> Working as quickly as she could, Tess tore more strips from the bottom of her dress. Once she had what she thought would be enough, her dress only covered her legs to the knees.
Scandalous! she mock-chided herself. Showing so much leg! What will people think? Then she smiled in the dark. I don’t care! I’ll walk home naked if I have to .
She wrapped her feet tightly in several layers of cloth and tied the ends firmly around her ankles. When she stood, she found the wraps more comfortable than she thought.
Going back down the hill proved slower than she thought. She had to be extra careful not to dislodge any rocks. Sound carried a long way across the prairie at night. Fortunately, the wind blew across her path, so it would carry any little sounds she made away from the Indians. And it would take her scent away from the Indian ponies.
By the time she got off the hill, a quarter moon had risen in the east. The light of that moon would help her pick a way through the cactus and into the rocks.
She stopped to catch her breath at the bottom of the hill. Walking through the cactus in the day time would be hard. At night, it was almost impossible. But she would do it. She had to!
In the first part of this trial, the going proved marginally easier. More open ground lay between the cactus plants. Hopefully, whatever sign she left there would be so ambiguous as to be unnoticed.
In places, she held the cactus plants aside so she could avoid them. Later, when the cacti grow closer together, she couldn’t do that.
And they did grow closer together. Sometimes, much closer. All she could do was plant one foot, raise the other over the cacti while using the staff to support her, and step into a tiny open space a little further along. At times, there was no open space she could see. Then she just lowered her foot onto one of the plants, hoping the spines wouldn’t penetrate the layers of cloth.
For the most part, the wrappings did protect her feet from the cactus spines. At least the bottoms of her feet. Tess had been very careful to overlap the strips on the bottoms, knowing this area would be most exposed to the spines.
But in the dark, it hadn’t been possible to wrap her entire feet as well. This allowed some spines to punch through into Tess’s skin. As she stepped through the cacti, more and more of these spines pierced the skin on the tops of her feet and her ankles.
She knew she couldn’t make a sound, no matter how many of these spines punctured her feet. Even the slightest whimper might be heard by any Indian that might be awake.
So she continued, slow step by slow step, across the field of cacti, tears coating her cheeks. It took her two more hours, but she finally reached the end of the cacti and the edge of the rocks.
As soon as she found a clear space, Tess sank to the ground, quietly sobbing because of the agony of the cactus spines in her feet. She knew she couldn’t sit there long; she had to find a place to hide.
In another few minutes, she struggled to her feet and hobbled further into the rocks . I need to find a place those Indians won’t believe I’d hide. Almost some place in plain sight.
She passed by the largest boulder. If they came into the rocks looking for her, the first place the Indians would look would be around that large boulder.
Instead, she wanted a place among a few small rocks. A place that couldn’t be seen from the top of the hill.
In another few moments, she found what she wanted. Up against the side of the hill, a tiny space seemed to be concealed from the top of the hill by the hill itself. At that place, the hill seemed to lean outward a little. This created the tiny hidden space. In front of this space, several smallish rocks about the size of her head lay scattered. Enough loose sand and dirt covered the ground for Tess to pull over her legs and some of the other parts of her body.
There was little else she could do. Pulling the spines from her feet was out of the question. There just wasn’t enough light. She would have to grit her teeth and wait.
Fortunately, she was spared the agony of waiting and dealing with the pain. Exhaustion, weakness, pain, and being drained mentally took her to sleep quickly.
Chapter Thirty-six
Several miles away, the survivors of the running gun battle with Rafe and Merita walked exhausted, lathered horses into the camp where Snake Eyes waited. As the one in charge of the party, Whitehorse dismounted in front of his boss.
He knew he’d failed in his mission. Yes, they’d found the man and woman, but caught neither one of them. Instead he lost two men.
Whatever Snake Eyes did, the breed knew he deserved it. And he’d take it like a man.
He wasn’t prepared for what his boss did.
Snake Eyes just stood there and stared at him. No disappointment showed on his face, no anger. He just waited.
Whitehorse didn’t meet his boss’s eye at first. Instead, he ducked his head, studied the toes of his boots for a moment. With a deep breath, he lifted his head, set his jaw, and fastened his eyes on his boss.
“We caught up with that man an’ woman, Boss.” He felt proud to hear his voice so steady when he felt so scared. “‘Bout three miles north, chased ‘em ‘til they got into some trees. They killed Billy and Nob.” He paused, waited to see if Snake Eyes had anything to say. When he remained quiet, the breed went on. “I figgered with dark comin’ on, an’ me with just two men, it’d be best to come back here. With you an’ more men, I can take you back to where they are. I don’t think they’ll go anywhere tonight.”
Snake Eyes took a thin cigar from his pocket without ever taking his eyes off Whitehorse. Then, with a Sulphur match, he lit the cigar, still holding the breed’s eyes.
It grew dark. Whitehorse felt a single drop of sweat break loose from his scalp and slither down the side of his face. Someone tossed a log onto one of the fires, and the breed watched the flames reflected in Snake Eyes’ pupils.
After a few puffs to make sure the cigar was well lit, Snake Eyes took it from his mouth, examined the lit end. A few seconds later, he snapped his eyes up at Whitehorse.
The move came so quickly, the breed actually took a step back. He realized what he did and blinked rapidly as he settled himself solidly on his feet.
“You know, of course,” Snake Eyes said, his voice soft. After another puff, he continued. “I have every right to shoot you dead right now.”
“Yeah, Boss. I know.”
Another puff from the cigar. The blue cloud of smoke wreathed Snake Eyes’ head.
“What would you do if I draw my Colt right now?”
Whitehorse swallowed, hoped his voice wouldn’t shake. “Nothin’, Boss. I’d stand here an’ take what I’ve got comin’.”
Snake Eyes narrowed those bottomless black eyes and puffed a few times on his cigar. “You know I’d do that, don’t you, Breed?” At Whitehorse’s nod, he went on. “I like you, but I’d do that. An’ I’d be justified.” Another nod from the breed when Snake Eyes paused. “But I ain’t gonna do it. I ain’t gonna do it ‘cause you’re right.”
Whitehorse let out a breath he didn’t realize he held. “Thank you, Boss.”
Snake Eyes waved the cigar between them. “Forget it. Here’s what we’ll do. First light tomorrow, you’ll take me an’ two other men back to where you left that hombre an’ the’ woman with him. We’ll kill him an’ get her. Then, we head out to Mexico.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
At first light, the Indians broke camp and resumed following Tess’s tracks. The oldest and their best tracker, took the lead with the others trailing loosely behind. They moved fairly quickly since her tracks were not hidden because she didn’t know they were in the area.
They were also very curious about these strange tracks. They looked like human tracks, but at the same time different. The stride was short, possibly a small person, but also possibly something else. There were many legends and stories that circulated among the various tribes. Some of them told of small people, like humans but also not like humans, that sometimes walked the earth.
These Indian
s were curious and cautious. What could these little people do if they caught up with them?
They thought about the stories they could tell around the fires back at home if they caught one of these little people. And as strange as these tracks they followed were, this had to be one of those little people.
That possibility of fame is what kept them going on the trail. At the same time, they kept a close watch for whoever was shooting the day before. That had to be white people, more than one. So they had to be careful.
The leader followed the tracks to the top of the hill. There, the rest of the group joined him. All of them searched the area below carefully. No one saw anything. The leader found where the tracks they were following stopped, but couldn’t pick them up again. It was as if whoever, or whatever, made those tracks sprouted wings and flew off.
He said as much to the others. All of them grew restless and made it clear they wanted no part of something that walked like a human, then sprouted wings and flew away.
The leader walked over to the edge of the hill where the large rock below broke off. He looked over, saw nothing. As he turned to wave the others to leave, he dislodged a rock that bounded down the hill.
That rock bounced off several other rocks and ultimately hit Tess right on the forehead. Her eyes immediately sprang open, and she went from deep sleep to completely awake. With that wakefulness, she also knew not to make any noise or movement. Only her eyes moved.
Her ears were her best tool at that moment. The only thing she heard was the wind that blew constantly over that part of west Texas. Still, she didn’t move.
Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. She still heard nothing.
Slowly, she lifted herself on one elbow. She saw nothing around her. Lying back, she rubbed the rest of her sleep out of her eyes and pondered what to do next.
In another minute, she slept again. The depth of her exhaustion overwhelmed her again.
Sometime later, voices woke her again. For a few seconds, she didn’t know what she heard. The fog of sleep kept her in its warm tendrils.
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