The outlaw holding Little Matthew got fed up with his crying and shook him hard. "Stop that crying you sniveling little rat."

"Give him to me, Sawyer" Jenkins took Little Matthew in front of him. "He ain't going to quit crying until you quit scaring him. Hush there we'll stop soon have a meal, you'll feel better then."

"I want Uncle Matt!" Little Matthew got out between sobs.

"You tell that sniveling little rat to keep quiet or I'll put a bullet in him," Sawyer said, Jenkins's gun appeared in his hand.

"You harm one hair on this boy's head and I'll kill you where you stand. He wouldn't be crying now if you hadn't of wrenched him away from his family to keep your worthless hide safe. When I think we've left the posse far enough behind we find somewhere safe to put him or someone who can take him back to Dodge," night began to fall they pulled up. Sawyer, the man who'd snatched Matthew shoved him to one side.

"Out of my way you rat," Little Matthew started to cry again, Jenkins's put his gun barrel to Sawyer's head.

"Do that again and I'll carry out my earlier threat. Tomorrow I'll give you your cut and you leave us. I don't fancy having Matt Dillon hound me for the rest of my natural if anything happens to the boy."

"What if I don't agree to leave?"

"I kill you now, leave a note on your body, telling Dillon you took the boy. I'll tell him we'll leave the boy at some ranch nearby. You want to leave or do you want to die?"

"OK, I'll leave but if I ever see you again ..."

"Yeah, you'll kill me ... you'll try as others have tried they're all dead. Kid, what's your name?"

"Matthew."

"Well, Matthew, you stay near me now. You fellas got that grub ready?"

"Heck yes, Jenkins," one of the men held out two plates of fried bacon.

"Give me a cup of coffee and a cup of water for the boy," Jenkins sat next to Little Matthew, he handed the cup to him. "Now you sip at that water, and then you can eat this."

"Thank you," Jenkins smiled.

"Your momma sure taught you right, and Matt Dillon too, you really love him, don't you?" Little Matthew nodded. "You get some sleep now," Jenkins wrapped him in a blanket. Jenkins woke Little Matthew gently in the morning handed him a plate of bacon and some water. "In a couple of days we'll cross the border into Mexico. I'll take you to a church, tell the priest there about you, ask if he'll take you back to your Uncle Matt," Jenkins handed a bundle of notes to Sawyer. "Don't let me see you again, Sawyer, if I do I'll kill you," Sawyer got his horse and rode off.


The posse didn't rest, they rode hard, Hank Summers rode up next to Matt. "Matt, we don't spell these horses, we'll end up walking after those men," Matt reluctantly nodded, they stopped to make camp.

"Looks like they're headed for Mexico, Matthew?" Festus said. "We're going to be needing pursuit warrants, ain't we?"

"Yeah, we'll stop off at the next town and get some," they stopped to rest the horses and made camp for the night; the next morning they set off again, by afternoon they rode into Englewood the people watched them as they rode up to the marshal's office. Matt dismounted and went into the office, Festus took hold of Buck's reins. "Bill, I need a whole bunch of pursuit warrants."

"Matt, we got a telegraph telling us what happened, they rode by six days ago. They'd have kidnapped a grown man, I might have taken a chance, but a four year-old kid."

"Thanks for that. Was he alright?"

"He seemed to be sure is a brave little cuss. The one who had him gave me a message for you. Said he wasn't the one who took him, they left him to go his own way. Said when they've crossed the border into Mexico he'd leave the boy at a monastery and a Priest would bring him back here. Made it sound as if the boy means something to you."

"He's my Godson, his name's Matthew. His mother named him for me. She came in on the stage one Christmas Eve, heavily pregnant, collapsed right in front of me."

"Knowing you, I can just bet you carried her to Doc Adams's," Matt nodded.

"She was in labour, Little Matthew was born on Christmas Day. He's like a son to me."

"You always were a big softy when it came to children. I'll get you those pursuit warrants."