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right. Blue Moon was in good hands with
Laughing Tree and Dasodaha. Even Licks Too Much watched over the
child like a mother hen.
“Your daughter will be better off with
them.”
She was convinced but still, he saw tears
flowing down her cold cheeks.
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THIRTY-THREE
Licks Too Much woke and the instant he open
his eyes he sensed something was wrong. His master’s mate was not
in the dwelling. It had been lonely the past few days with Blue
Moon living with Laughing Tree and he’d tried to cheer up his
mater’s mate, but she wouldn’t even scratch his ear or pet him as
she had done so many times before. He rose and sniffed the ground;
her scent was still on the mat, so he decided to look for her
outside. She might have risen early and taken a walk in the woods.
Licks Too Much had to relieve his bladder anyway, so he ran off to
look for her. After sniffing around for awhile, he found the scent
of a familiar horse she had ridden before and another mount. He
decided to follow the trail of the horses and was getting hungry
but he was determined to find the woman and he was trained never to
give up. The further he traveled, the cooler it became, and he knew
he’d better find her before the snow fell.
Licks Too Much had no idea how long he had
traveled, but he was near starvation and exhaustion, knowing he’d
soon die. But still he forged on.
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THIRTY-FOUR
Blue Thunder and his brother Star Gazer were
wounded and captured and now they were confined in the white man’s
army cell. Two months ago they were taken prisoners; their public
hanging was to be tomorrow. He thought of Moon Glow and his
daughter whom he’d never see again, and his unborn child who he
would never know. Headaches from the bullet that had creased his
forehead bothered him, the desert sands couldn’t be any dryer than
his mouth and he was nauseated, but he was in better condition than
most of his braves. Many had died here from infected wounds that
were not cared for by the soldiers. Star Gazer was also lucky; he
had been knocked unconscious before his capture. He believed that
his brother would have been more alert if his mind had not been on
Weeping Bird.
He looked around trying to figure a way out,
but the cell was locked tight. Grunting, he thought back on the day
they were captured. It did not take him and his party long to find
the men who had raided the neighboring village. The miners were too
busy digging for the gold that they had discovered to notice
Indians had surrounded them. The miners were taken by surprise and
were not prepared for the attack; every man was killed quickly. He
and his party celebrated their victory that night, planning to
return to their village the next day. They had been gone too long;
he missed his family and wanted to return as soon as possible.
Winter was coming and it was time to hunt to supply the camp for
the cold season.
Blue Thunder learned later that during the
attack, a lone rider had been returning from his trip to the
trading post for supplies. Apparently, the man had heard the shots
and screams of war cries before he saw them. Blue Thunder also
assumed he did not stop to investigate further, and he hightailed
back to the post for help. Over a dozen soldiers rode hard to catch
up with his band of Indians who traveled at a slower pace. Blue
Thunder was only two days from the mountain pass when he spotted
the Cavalry tracking them. Not wanting to lead soldiers in the
direction of the village, he circled around to lead them in the
opposite direction.
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Miles of open land stretched before them
with no place to hide. They could only urge their horses, hoping to
outrun the Cavalry. He prayed that the soldiers’ horses were in no
better shape. He was right, the army could not keep up but they
were not going to give up. The Apaches
were greatly out numbered and their only
hope was to find cover. After riding their mounts to near
exhaustion, they made it to a wooded area. He suggested that they
stand their ground to fight the army and waited for the white dogs
he trusted were just as weary.
Blue Thunder and his braves got little sleep
that night, although they suspected the army would not attack until
dawn. He knew the white men only had to wait them out, until they
were out of food and water. He sat most of the night praying for
strength and at dawn the first bullet took down the brave sitting
next to him. The attack didn’t last long but every man fought with
bravery and determination. He was proud of his men and Weeping
Bird; she fought with the best of them.
Back at the cell, Star Gazer took that
moment to call her name, bringing Blue Thunder out of his painful
reflections for a moment. His brother had cried for Weeping Bird
every night since she had taken the bullet meant for him. She died
bravely, like a true warrior but that knowledge did nothing to ease
his brother’s pain.
His mind’s eyes replayed that terrible day.
He had just killed a soldier when he looked around to see he was
among others fighting. Weeping Bird managed to kill one soldier
before two uniformed officers grabbed her. The two men went wild
after seeing a friend dead with a knife protruding from his chest.
The private back handed Weeping Bird, since her sheath was empty,
he knew she was the one. The brave maiden was not threatened and
spat in his face.
The soldier wiped the wetness from his
scowling face and Blue Thunder heard the soldier snicker, “We have
a spirited squaw there, Josh.”
Star Gazer came to Weeping Bird’s aid,
tackling the uniformed man called Josh from behind. The soldier was
able to break away and kicked his brother in the stomach. Weeping
Bird screamed and lurched forward to help. A soldier pointed his
gun at Star Gazer as Josh grabbed Weeping Bird. But she wouldn’t be
stopped without a fight and raised her knee sharply to his groin.
He released her and she threw herself onto Star Gazer just as a gun
exploded into her back. Her brown eyes opened wide at the searing
pain. He saw the agonizing look on Star Gazer’s face.
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She collapsed onto Star Gazer, her eyes
still open. It was as if she knew by closing her lids she would
lose the memory of his face forever. Star Gazer had howled in pain
when he feared that her life was slipping quickly from her body.
His brother slowly lifted her, paying no heed to the fighting
around him. Holding her close, he placed a kiss on her brow, and he
was rendered unconscious. Too concerned for his brother he had not
watched his back and then the pain in his head put his mind into
total darkness.
Now Blue Thunder looked around at his men.
They were wounded, dirty, and underfed. The cell stank from human
waste, puke, and unclean bodies and they were constantly bitten by
bugs. He was filled with rage at the way they were treated but he
did not expect anything different. Some days he would have welcomed
death.
He stood to stretch his legs then went to
the small barred window. Morning light brightened the crammed cell
some and there was a need to breathe fresh air. He was tall enough
to see out the window and into the yard. It didn’t hold much of a
view since only a few feet away stood a tall wooden fence. Escape
seemed impossible; his wife’s image floated before his eyes as it
did a hundred times a day. His love for her gave him strength.
Engrossed in his thoughts, it took a moment to realize he had heard
a sound from outside. He looked out to see a small shadow creep
under the window and then the top of a head coming to view. He
blinked. Was his mind playing tricks? Blue Thunder waited to see
what would happen next. A woman looked up into the window.
“Hello,” the woman’s voice whispered. “Can
anyone hear me? I haven’t much time. I might be discovered. Please,
if you can hear me---”
“I hear you,” he answered.
Nervously, she shifted the bundle of wash in
her arms. “I want to talk to the one they call Blue Thunder.”
He was curious as to why a white woman would
want to chance speaking with him.
“I am Blue Thunder.” He heard the woman
release a sigh and he asked, “Who are you?”
“It’s not important who I am, but over a
year ago a beautiful white woman was taken from a wagon train by a
warrior.” He heard the tremble in her voice. “She was brought to
the fort one day. We became friends and I grew to love her in the
short time she was here. Before she
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disappeared, she confided in me about a
handsome brave, Blue Thunder. She spoke his name with such love.”
The woman stopped talking for a moment listening to hear if anyone
was coming. “You are the one?”
“Yes.”
The woman looked away again and shifted the
wash to her other arm. “Is she all right?”
“The last time I saw her, she was healthy
and happy. She is carrying our second child.”
She gasped. “Oh! Is she really happy?”
“We are very much in love. Enough talk, why
are you here?”
“If I can help you escape, and God have
mercy on my soul, would you promise to leave quickly without
bloodshed? Lord knows I couldn’t live with the guilt, but....”
Blue Thunder would promise
anything to be free again.
Was this a
trick?
They were going to be hanged at
daybreak; he would take the chance. “Yes, I promises not to kill
unless necessary. Why are you helping?”
“It doesn’t matter. Take the key.” She stood
on her toes and stretched to hand him the object. “My husband won’t
miss it tonight. We’re having a party and most of the post will be
there. I’ll see that the guard gets a bottle. He will drink himself
into a stupor, so take your friends and leave quickly. If you are
caught, you must not mention who helped you, for my husband would
be stripped of his rank and court marshaled. I’m taking a great
chance. Tell Melissa that Blanch misses her and hope she finds
happiness forever.”
With that the woman was gone, leaving Blue
Thunder staring dumbfounded at the key in his hand.
That night, true to the woman’s words, the
guard drank himself into unconsciousness. The prisoners heard music
and people laughing and singing. Slowly, Blue Thunder had his
braves creep past the sleeping duty guard and he took the soldier’s
rifle for insurance. The braves took their long knives from a
drawer. The gate was guarded by two men, who had been drinking
heavily and they were rendered unconscious. Although the braves
wanted to cut their throats, he kept his promise to the woman. They
found their horses in a paddock behind a building. Quietly, they
rode to safety.
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THIRTY-FIVE
“How the hell did they get lose?” barked
Sanders.
Private Smith stood, eyes downcast,
nervously twisting his hat in his hands. “You can be hanged for
this! You were out cold when the Indians made their escape. The
cell was not discovered empty until another soldier shook you
awake.” Sanders saw how green the private was around the gills and
knew the soldier was sick. It served him right for being drunk on
duty. But he was young once and realized how lonely it was sitting
guard, since he sat there many times himself. He would determine
the young soldier’s punishment later; the man was not going
anywhere.
“Go!” he ordered, his voice gruff. He was
annoyed at himself more than the soldier. He should have checked
the prisoners himself last night. The private turned and ran with
his hand over his mouth. The sound of retching was heard
outside.
He sat heavily in his
chair, absentmindedly playing with his ring of keys. It was all too
easy and convenient for them, he thought. The night of the party,
the door opened without any force. Something wasn’t right. Tapping
his keys on the desk, he figured someone had to have helped them,
but who and why? Whoever planned it knew the prisoners wouldn’t be
checked until morning. They also knew enough to supply the private
with a bottle of whiskey. He threw the keys on the desk, and then
stared at them for a long time before he noticed his key to the
stockade was missing. The light went on in his head.
It could only be his wife!
“Dear, I don’t know what you’re talking
about,” Blanche fretted, hiding her sweaty hands in the folds of
her dress.
“Don’t you?!” Sanders snapped, throwing the
keys in her lap. “You’re the only one who had access to them.” He
paced, running his hands through his thick gray hair. “Why? Why did
you do it?”
Blanche sighed, heavily. “It pained me to
deceive you but the big brave and Melissa are
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husband and wife. I thought of Melissa and
lost all reason. I’m sorry, dear.” Tears fell freely. “They have
children together and---”
“What in blazes are you babbling about,
woman?”
It took a while for his tearful wife to
compose herself and to relate the story. He couldn’t believe his
ears. “Have you gone mad!? Do you know what this could do to me if
anyone finds out?”
Blanche nodded and
sniffled into her handkerchief while he paced the floor, feeling
his face hot with anger. With another curse, he sat heavily on the
chair, making it protest under his weight.
My own wife!
he cursed inwardly.
After a long minutes pause, he said more calmly that he was, “I
cannot take the chance of sending men after them,” he put his head
into hands and grunted. “I will have to retire from my post. I
can’t live with this secret and take the chance of being
discovered. I would lose all I worked for and my pension. You
better pray that it was worth it.” Blanche wept
bitterly.
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