"The folks around here have made space for you and the posse to rest tonight, you and your horses."
"Thanks, Bill."
"Matt, I'll get a telegraph off to Dodge, let them know about the boy."
"Thanks, you better send it to Doc Adams, he'll let everyone know. Little Mathew has three Godfathers and a Godmother. Me, Chester, Doc Adams and Miss Kitty. His mother, Katie will be desperate for news."
"You get yourself and your people to the saloon, they'll have a heap of food waiting for you," Matt smiled and left the office.
"Chester, the townsfolk are going to put us all up and there's food waiting at the saloon for us all. You men come to the saloon as soon as you've seen to your horses."
"I'll take care of ol Buck, Matthew," Festus said.
"Thanks, Festus, I'll be at the saloon."
Doc Adams entered the Long Branch, Kitty was staring into a cold glass of beer. "Howdy, Doc. Sam, beer for Doc."
"I'll bring it right over, Miss Kitty."
"Sure is quiet with Matt, Chester and Festus out after that gang," Burke came in with an envelope.
"Doc, tried your office first. This just came, it's from Marshal James of Englewood," Doc scanned the message.
"Matt and the posse are in Englewood tonight," Doc's heart lifted to see Kitty smiling. "Marshal James saw Little Matthew when the gang rode through. The boy seems to be alright. The leader said he'd drop the boy at a monastery across the border in Mexico ask a priest to bring him up as far as Englewood."
"Thank God, they seem to be taking care of him, but he must be frightened."
"You know, Matt, he will continue the pursuit even if he gets Little Matthew back," Kitty nodded.
"It's a good thing Matt left Quint in charge of the jail," Doc nodded, Quint was a good man to rely on.
The posse set off the next morning from Englewood and headed due south across the border into Texas, the rangers joined them as they ran down to the Mexican border, by the time they reached the border they were forty men behind them. Matt smiled as Captain Julio Chavez came towards him. "Señor Dillon, it has been a long time since Señor Hacker."
"Julio, I have pursuit warrants for six men, we don't know who they are."
"I heard about the men, they have taken a boy as a hostage."
"Yes, his name's Matthew, he's my Godson."
"Dios mío, they have not crossed here. They may have crossed further down and out of sight of us. I will ride with you," Julio fetched his horse.
"Thank you, Julio. The leader mentioned a monastery, he said he would leave Matthew there."
"There are no monasteries near here, there is a church in Zaragoza, La Iglesia Adventista de Zaragoza, they may go there."
"You're sure?"
"No, but it is the nearest church, they may have mistaken it for a monastery. If we leave now and ride hard we may get there before them. Let them take the boy to the church and then ..." Matt knew what Julio meant and nodded.