by Rita Hestand
"It will take me three hours maybe four to get there, then I must stake him out, find out what is going on, what he's doing, and what defense he has. Then along about dark, I will make my move, so I will have darkness on my side. If I’m not back here by sundown tomorrow, come on into the station." He waited till the Captain agreed then he shot him a sideways glance. "My thanks, Captain."
Chase scouted about for several long minutes, then came back to the camp. "I killed a rabbit and another snake for you." He held them up so both Lee and the Captain could see. "Cook it as I did, it will nourish you. Give you strength. Whatever you do, don't let anyone know you are out here. The Indians could come back, but again, they might just wait it out and see if the heat gets you, but there is much to watch for out here. The secret to surviving in the desert, Captain, in case they didn't teach you in the army, is to not move about and to be still. The less exertion, the less need for the water. You'll have enough if you go sparingly till tomorrow night. Then one way or another, you will need to head for the station."
"As long as I have my gun and knife, I can make it." The Captain reassured him.
"Captain, I will leave half for you, half for me. I will be back, and we will get to the fort," Chase instructed.
"How far is the next watering hole?"
"The station is the nearest water… Due south.
The Captain nodded. Getting his bearings on direction he checked the sun, firming his lips as to his own fate.
Not having to pull the travois would make the journey light and more bearable. Chase checked his supplies, his knife, his gun, and took the binoculars. Then after talking to Lee, he returned to the Captain, "I'm leaving now. Just don't move around much, rest as much as you can. If you want to try to make it to the station, wait till nightfall and try it. It will be easier to move at nightfall. Cooler and you can rest until then."
The Captain nodded, "Understood…. And Rivers?" he called to Chase before he left.
"Yeah…" Chase was busy checking for needed supplies.
"I was wrong about you. Just wanted you to know that." The Captain smiled at him. "Your attempt to save Corporal Lee, the woman, and even me with the snake has proven I was wrong. I let ego get in the way of my thinking. It will not happen again."
"Takes a real man to admit he's wrong, Captain." Chase smiled back. "I'll be back…soon I hope."
"Good luck…"
"Yeah…you too."
***
Chase worried over Katherine now, she hadn't been the same, and her spirit was not the same. What could Hawks have done to her to make her so? He was silently thankful that the Captain hadn't asked any more questions about how he knew so much. It was too complicated to tell him, and even then he might not believe it.
Traveling at a steady speed, he was only a mile from the station when he crept down low. He had taken the binoculars from the Captain so he could see from a distance. It was midday and the station looked silent. No sign of either one of them.
Chase waited. They could be resting from the intense heat, or eating. If there was food. He wondered if Katherine had eaten. Surely Hawks fed her something. Hunger alone could make her despondent after three days.
Checking once more he scoured the entire station, and then he saw her. She was getting water from the spring. Katherine drank then went back to the tree. She sat away from Hawks, but Hawks looked asleep. They were nestled under the oak tree. He could try it now, but in the daylight it was much more of a risk. He didn't want to do that. Even though he could see that Katherine was threadbare.
Then there was movement between him and the station. Readjusting the binoculars, Chase focused on the movement. There, he'd found it.
"Mathew Tyler," Chase whispered as he shook his head. "Don't do it. Don't get yourself killed… "
But Chase saw him moving slowly against the ground toward the station. He could use the boys' help. He had to get to him before Hawks did.
Without another thought, Chase began moving very quickly against the ground in a sort of crawling run. He moved swiftly, the rocks and the sand grinding against him as he moved. Mathew was close to the station, too close.
Chase finally caught up to him and threw himself on top of the boy. He grabbed at his mouth to silence him first, "Don't say a word, do you understand?"
Mathew grunted and was about to flip him over when Chase whispered, "Do not move, Mathew. I need your help. We've got to get Hawks, together."
Mathew shook his head, "I'll get Hawks, myself, don't you worry none about that, now get off me." He nearly shouted.
"Be silent, my friend, I’m on your side. But you can't go in there in broad daylight. He'll gun you down before you can get up," Chase whispered against his ear.
Mathew relaxed his body to the ground. "You got a better idea?"
"Yes, we wait till dark. Then we can go in. If we are lucky, there will be no moon." Chase sighed.
"Okay…okay, but would you get off me, you weigh a ton for someone who ain't fat," Mathew said, his temper dying slowly.
Chase rolled off with a slight chuckle. "Stay down, don't move or get up. Just stay where you are. In the desert a man is easily seen when he moves, but if he does not move, he blends with the land."
"Scout talk?" Mathew frowned.
"Fact…"
Mathew rolled over. "Where's the others?"
"The Captain and Lee are back a ways, they will come later," Chase offered, lying on his stomach so the sun did not burn his eyelids. "Lee took a bullet and the Captain is nursing a head injury."
"And Josh…"
"Didn't make it," Chase sighed heavily.
Mathew nodded slowly. "Yeah, I figured he wouldn't. This will kill Katherine."
Chase looked at him, "Do not move any more than is necessary, or they will see you."
"He's got Miss. Katherine," Mathew cried.
"Yeah, I know…"
Mathew shot him a quick look. "I guess I might as well tell you…I wanted to court her…but I was always too scared to ask."
"Perhaps you should have," Chase offered.
"Never seemed the right time. Now…it's too late…," he said lowly.
"Why…do you say that?" Chase frowned at him.
"Aw…it don't take much to see how she feels about you…" Mathew admitted.
Chas tried not to smile, for it pleased him greatly that others could see this. But he saw the hurt in Mathew's face too, and realized Mathew was still a kid.
"She never looked at me like that." Mathew looked away.
"Right now, Katherine needs us. And I might not come out of this alive, Mathew. So do I have your word that if I don't, you'll take care of her?" Chase asked as he stared at the young man.
Mathew almost raised his head, "Of course you do. But we'll make it out of here together, all of us…"
Chase nearly smiled, because this young man, even though he loved Katherine held no grudge. It was good. Mathew was a good kid.
"I hope so, but Hawks is clever. And Mathew, if he draws on you, don't hesitate to kill him. It's the hesitation that kills you, he won't," Chase advised.
"I'll remember that. Besides, the man killed my brothers. And I won't be forgetting that. I aim to see him dead for that." Mathew cried quietly. "I couldn't believe he done it. I was sitting there waiting on them to catch up, then I saw Jesse fall over to the ground and Hawks had that gun pointed straight at him. I don't know how I got out of there. One minute I was starin' at Jesse and the next, my horse bolted and I was out of there."
"Rufus or Paul?" Chase asked.
"Yeah, it'd be like 'em to spat my horse. They always did protect me," Mathew told him with tears in his eyes.
"I'm sorry for that Mathew," Chase whispered. "You had a good family."
"My brothers is all I had. My family, we were close. All I can think about is how he shot them down in cold blood. While I sat there on that danged horse and watched. I just couldn't believe he done it." Mathew whispered. "We rode with the man…"
"When darkness comes, we will sneak in closer. Once we are there, we'll surround him. He'll have to go for his gun, when he does, don't hesitate, I won't," Chase said quietly.
"What are you gonna do with Katherine?" Mathew wanted to know.
Chase debated whether he should tell him, but somehow maybe Mathew could accept things better if he knew the truth. "You are young, and I’m not sure you'd understand it, but I feel I must tell you, for your sake. Katherine is not all white. She's part Indian, she doesn’t know this yet, but she is, and I aim to take her to her people, her other people."
"My brothers and I talked about that. The fact that she's darker than her kin. That she's the only one. We wondered. Not that it makes a bit of difference to me. But I still love her…is that wrong?"
Chase relaxed just for a few minutes. "Love is never wrong, Mathew."
Mathew almost nodded but remembered not to move. "Yeah, I guess it ain't."
There was a long silence, and then Mathew glanced at him again.
"Do you think she'll go with you?" Mathew asked.
"I don't know. I hope she will. She has a special power that she knows nothing about. It can help her people. But the decision is hers…I will not force her," Chase added.
"You got any folks?" Mathew asked curiously.
"Yes, they are in Indian Territory. A white mother and Indian father, I belong to the Shawnee tribe there," Chase said thinking of them now.
"My folks were killed coming out here by the Comanche. They burned our wagon, would have taken me and my brothers but we out run them to get away."
"How long ago?" Chase asked.
"Nine years ago. We came from Ohio valley."
"And now…what will you do?" Chase asked, curious about this young man he had grown to like so quickly.
"My folks had land back in Ohio, reckon I might go back there and live…got some Aunts and Uncles back there. Lot of cousins I grew up with, it'd be a home." Mathew replied, "But first I'm going to blow Hawks to kingdom come."
After a long silence Mathew glanced at Chase with a question, "What you reckon he wants? My brothers and I knowed he was watchin the station, but we always thought he was just sorta seein' after them. But that wasn't it, was it?"
"There are only two things a man will kill for as far as I know other than blood vengeance, a woman or money."
"He don't seem to want Katherine, I mean, he's hanging around here like he ain't got a care in the world. Don't he know he could have a price on his head for killin' my family?"
Chase studied the question then raised his brow, "He'd probably blame it on the Indians."
"Dammit, I want to go git him. I can't just lay here till its dark…I want his blood," Mathew cried out.
Chase firmed his lips and frowned. "Sure you do, but you gotta use your head. No sense going in there and getting your head blown off."
Just then a grasshopper landed by Mathew's mouth, for a few seconds he tickled his lip, then as though disinterested, he walked off, then jumped high and away.
"I'm not a patient man," Mathew grumbled.
"Neither am I, especially with Katherine in there, but we have to be. He might try to use her as a shield. So we have to take him by surprise."
"All right, but I sure wish that sun would go down."
Chapter Twenty
The sun broiled the backs of their head and ears, stewing their brains into massive headaches, as it blushed then finally waned against the horizon. Mesmerized by a beetle trying to overturn a small rock, they realized the time had come when there was no shadow.
"You take the left, I'll take the right, move slowly, stay low until we are nearly on the other side. You get to Katherine, I'll handle Hawks." Chase was saying as he eyed the young man once more.
"Can't do that, this is my call, he killed all three of my brothers. I ain't forgetting it. You get to Katherine, I'll take him," Mathew argued.
"Maybe we ought to both take him." Chase grinned.
"Sounds reasonable." Mathew grinned back.
"Okay let's go," Chase said as he began to move in the darkness.
They moved in circular motions, both closing in on the station quickly. Both had their guns ready and hesitated only when they heard a noise.
Chase spotted their shadows under the tree, Katherine and Hawks weren't moving about much though. He wondered why they had been so still all day. Now it was night, cooler and they could move about more freely, but they weren't moving.
The whirring sound of a bullet halted Chase as he rounded the corner of the station and was about to advance on Hawks.
"Hold it right there," Hawks yelled. "Unless you want the head of this bastard child blown off, hold it."
Chase stopped, mulling Hawks words as he did so, his eyes darting at the two images in the darkness. One was Hawks, the other was Katherine. Had he known about Katherine all along? Had he told Katherine?
Obviously Mathew had the advantage right now, as Hawks hadn't spotted him.
"Let her go Hawks, this is between you and me now," Chase called out to him from a safe distance.
"I didn't think you'd make it, Rivers. You must have nine lives." Hawks laughed.
"Let her go, Hawks," Chase demanded.
"Now why would I want to do that?" Hawks laughed again. "I seen you out there waitin' all day. Thought that the sun would do the job on you. But reckon you are tougher than I thought."
Hawks' voice was loud and harsh. He had the rifle by his side and his pistol aimed at Katherine's head.
"You come any closer and she's a dead woman." Hawks instructed, "Now throw out your gun and come here."
"All right…but don't hurt Katherine." Chase decided to play into his hand, hoping that Mathew had a good aim when he got him out in the open.
Chas tossed his gun and started toward Hawks.
"Anyone else get out of that shack alive?" Hawks asked.
"Didn't have time to check, Hawks," Chase said, firming his lips and casting the shadows of Hawks and Katherine a quick glance. He couldn't make them out completely, there wasn't enough light. Perhaps Mathew would make his move if he could draw Hawks out. At least Mathew was waiting, that was good thinking.
"That's far enough," Hawks said.
"What's going on here?" Chase asked, hoping to make Hawks relax a little.
"You should have stayed out of this, Rivers. It ain't your concern." He came to the edge of the shadows and Chase could see the whites of his eyes. "Now get over here and be quick about it."
"If you've hurt her, I'll kill you Hawks, with my bare hands," Chase informed him, his body tensing as he walked closer.
"Well answer him," Hawks demanded as he turned slightly.
"I'm fine," Katherine uttered the words, her voice sounding hollow.
Chase recoiled hearing the deep sadness in her voice.
"She ain't hurt none, she's just tuckered is all…" Hawks chuckled. "Now you get over here and settle yourself."
Hawks held the rifle on him now and Chase moved silently into the darkness.
"Where's your friend?" Hawks demanded.
"What friend?" Chase replied, trying to focus on Katherine but it was impossible in the dark. All he could see was an occasional flash of the whites of their eyes.
"The one that was out there all day with you," Hawks said.
"The sun's playin' tricks on you Hawks, there was no one with me." Chase chuckled.
"There were two of you, I seen him with my own eyes. I knowed he's out there. But it won't do him no good." Hawks laughed.
"Katherine go to the barn and bring the ropes," Hawks commanded.
Katherine shook her head, "No…"
"Go or I'll kill him where he sits," Hawks demanded now.
Katherine skittered away from the shadow of the tree. Chase saw her heading for the barn. Good, at leas
t she would be out of the line of fire now. He would make a move and he could take Hawks.
***
But as Katherine went into the barn, Mathew was there and he quickly grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth, "Miss Katherine, hush now, it's me, Mathew. Don't scream. You stay here… and don't come out till we give you a yell. Understand?"
Katherine nodded, "Yes…" she finally managed as he took his hand away.
Before she knew what he was doing he hauled her against him and kissed her hard. It stole what little breath she had, "I needed that," he whispered. "Should have done it long ago. Then you'd be mine…"
"Mathew…" Katherine started to protest his actions, but in the light of the situation, she saw no need of it.
Mathew smiled sadly at her, "Don't make no never mind, it'll be a cold day in hell before I get another one, I guess. Want you to know…I've loved you all this time…Miss Katherine, but I was unable to speak my mind. Now it's too late…and I've got to kill that bastard Hawks. Goodbye, Miss Katherine…"
"Mathew…" Katherine gasped as she watched him go out and all manner of shots rang out.
There was a long silence and then Hawks yelled, "Get out here Katherine…"
Katherine felt the tears roll down her cheek, had he killed them both?
But the minute she opened the door, she knew the answer, for Hawks had the gun on Chase as he ran towards Mathew's body.
"Oh my God…." Katherine ran to Mathew. She cradled his head in her lap and cried.
Hawks shook his head, "Ain't no use wastin' time over him, he's dead, girl."
In a heated rush Katherine stood up and rushed to attack Hawks, it gave Chase just the chance he needed, and his fist came down on Hawks jaw hard and fast. There was a popping noise and Hawks eyes bulged for a second.
But before anyone could react, a shot fired from Mathew's gun, as he raised up long enough to deliver the fatal blow to Hawks.
Mathew glanced once at Chase, then at Katherine…"That's for my bro…" then he fell over dead.
Katherine rushed to him, but it was too late.
