Chapter 9

I was surprised when both women did not chew me out. The calm way they both explained and threatened physical harm should I allow myself to be injured again was down right frightening. I was all prepared to be yelled at and maybe even smacked a little but nothing could prepare me for the calm torturous way they laid out what they would do.

The boys vanished immediately and I did not blame them. I only wished I could have vanished too.

A couple of days later and things were back to normal. I was no longer sore and everything was healed up proper. Karl was watching over Katie Toni and Tina while they were swimming. Thomas and Brenda had gone to trade some furs and pick up needed supplies. Marge Bear Claw and I were doing some spring cleaning.

It was getting close to dark the kids had already missed suppertime and we all were worried something was wrong.

The three of us mounted up and rode out looking for the kids. All of us were loaded for war too. I was worried because I had never seen the women this upset before. Even when they were raging mad at me they were not even close to being this upset. Maybe it was fear or maybe it was both mixed together. All I know is that I was praying the kids were not pulling a prank because I don't think they would survive the results.

We got to the swimming hole and found three bodies along one bank. Marge was off her horse and checking the bodies before I could say anything. I just stood in my saddle with my rifle at the ready and looked around. Bear Claw did the same.

"Oh GOD Please! ... Thank You GOD! Karl is hurt but alive." Marge said as she carefully checked him over for injuries. Bear Claw dismounted and began to look for signs of the girls. I quickly circled outward looking for sign. "There was a struggle here and the girls were put or pulled onto horses." Bear Claw said. "Several horses rode off in this direction" I said almost at the same time.

"We need to get Karl back to the house and find out what happen. Then get supplies and go after the girls." Marge said.

"I will follow the horses. You both get Karl back to the house and Bear Claw can gather supplies and catch up to me." I said.

Both Bear Claw and I checked the other two bodies to try and find out who had done this. They looked like bandits out of Mexico maybe, they were dirty with beards. The first one we checked had Karl's Bowie stuck in his chest. The second one had his throat cut all the way to the bone. It looked like Karl had jumped the second guy and cut his throat then threw his knife at the other.

We helped get Karl onto Marge's horse then Marge got on to help hold him on the saddle. He had been shot twice once in the side and once in the head. Both were almost misses just ripping skin and a little muscle but both bled a lot. The head shot did crack his skull slightly and made a flap out of the side of his scalp. The chest shot hit a rib and glanced away from him breaking the rib but did not do a lot of internal damage mostly just cut a big wound on the front left center of his chest.

The girls took off for the house and I took off after the trail left by the horses. I had less than an hour of daylight to follow the trail by. I made it over one ridge and was just getting to the top of the next when it became too dark to see sign anymore. I marked the spot and moved back down the ridge to a clearing with and overhang of rocks and set up camp. Just under two hours later Bear Claw walked up to my camp. I thought I heard something but I could not see anything, it was scary to think how quiet she could be.

Bear Claw said, "Karl woke up as we got to the house and we both just about had to beat his ass. He wanted to go find the girls. Marge told him that once she fixed him up the two of them would follow our trail and catch up with us. He said she could fix him on the trail but she told him she would hogtie him and stay sitting on him the whole time if he didn't do as she said."

I laughed knowing she would even if Bear Claw had to help her.

Bear Claw continued, "Karl said that he had moved into some bushes to pee when seven men rode up and started talking to the girls. He said they were speaking Tex-Mex English and were hard to understand. The girls tried to swim to the far side of the pond but the men just spread out around the whole pond. One was right next to him as he got off his horse, so Karl cut his throat. The guy never made a sound but the girls just happen to move in his direction and all of the remaining men looked right at the dead guy falling away from Karl. He threw his knife at the next closest guy and heard gunfire then everything went black."

We got some sleep and were up just before sunrise. We found the trail and were following it down the ridge into the meadow where we found they had taken a rest break. Bear Claw said that there looked to be 5 captives and at least ten others with at least twenty horses maybe more judging from the string they had them on during their rest stop. She thought they were only a day ahead of us.

We followed the sign down the meadow out onto the plain and turned south. That was not a good sign. If they headed south and crossed into Mexico they might join up with a larger group or worse a whole camp.

We rode hard all day until it was almost dark. We marked the trail and moved into an arroyo to make camp. Keeping our fire in a washout we found in a bend hid the light unless you were right on top of us. We ate a quick meal and got some sleep. We were up again before sunrise and found the trail. Right around noon Bear Claw found their camp from last night. We were only a half a day behind them and gaining. But in two days maybe three they would cross into Mexico.