They had made good time, and Daniel Boone was hopeful that they would be able to catch them. He knew they would have to cross the tail end of Big Beaver River. He knew the best place to cross and hoped to catch them there. His greatest concern was that their horses wouldn't be able to press on. They were pack horses and not meant to race along like this. He looked behind him and could see that Mingo's horse had already dropped back. The run was proving difficult for the animal. They had been riding since the dawn and it appeared to be early afternoon now. They would need to stop at some point to let the horses rest, but he did not want to. He tried not to think of Rebecca. She would have passed deep into Shawnee territory by now. He leaned in and focused only on the road ahead.
***DB***
It was a few hours later that they heard them. It was a nearly thundering sound. They veered off to the side to look for a place to hide themselves. He feared it was a war party. They were coming from the wrong direction so he knew it couldn't be the Choctaw who had taken his daughters.
"Not Choctaw." Mingo said to him.
Daniel shook his head. "Shawnee?" They were tucked in a small ring of trees, hidden away.
"Shelltowee!" He heard a voice call out. "Shelltowee!"
He turned his horse around and rode towards them. Mingo called out, "Daniel, wait."
It was a party of twenty Shawnee. He approached them cautiously and stopped his horse before them. He waited.
"I am Grey Bear." The leader said to him. "Your father has sent us to you. We shall hunt the Choctaw together. We have brought you strong horses." As Mingo approached he glared and said, "You have no need of this Cherokee."
"There is no time to argue over this. He is my brother and he is here with me. My father said for you to help me." Daniel answered.
"You have help, Daniel." Mingo said. "There's no time to argue about old feuds. Go and save Katie and Rose."
"No, Mingo." Daniel said. "Old feuds are foolish. Don't you agree Grey Bear? My brother and I appreciate your help. We need strong horses." He slipped off his tired pack horse and walked towards Grey Bear.
Grey Bear studied them thoughtfully. "The stories about you are not just stories, are they? Get them horses." He said to his men and they brought horses to Mingo and Daniel.
As they rode out together Grey Bear said to him, "Your father says he understands now, why Tall Willow would not do. Everyone of us was greatly impressed with Ogin. He sent two braves to see her home."
"Ogin? Wild Rose?" He said at first confused and then understanding he said with a grin and a sigh of relief. "Rebecca is well then. I am thankful."
"I am not sure who I would fear more - you or your woman." Grey Bear said.
With fresh horses they doubled their pace and his spirit lightened greatly knowing they would be at the crossing ahead of the Choctaw. He had no doubt that they would be able not only to overtake them, but also to free Katie and Rose. He relaxed knowing that Rebecca was safe inside the walls of the fort, or at least soon would be. He prayed that her run had not been too great a strain; that all was well.
Mingo rode alongside him. "We should be there by morning, Daniel. We outnumber them now. We should wait for them near the tail end of the river."
"I reckon there's no other place to cross. We should catch 'em there I think."
Mingo indicated the Shawnee that surrounded them. "How do you think she managed this?"
Daniel smiled and said without hesitation, "Irish charm. It always works on me."
***DB***
Israel Boone stood watching at the gates of the fort. He had returned from a day of fishing and found his cabin empty. He was shocked at the note his mother had quickly penned on Rose's slate.
"Becky went to get your Pa?" Tom Walker asked him.
"That's what she wrote." Israel said. "Why didn't she come here?"
"Your Pa's the best tracker." Cincinnatus replied. "She went straight to him because she knew he would be able to find them."
"She went all that way, alone? Would she be able to even find him?" Tom asked.
"My Ma knows the way to the trap lines." Israel said offended.
"They'd take them back to their village. There's only one place to cross this time of year." Matt Bradley said. "Tom, go and gather some men together. We can't assume she found Daniel, and if she did, he'll need help."
"I'll go too!" Israel said.
"Your Ma has enough of her children in danger." Tom had said.
"I'm not a child!" Israel had said angry.
"Israel, your Pa'd shoot me with a second glance if I let you go off, and I don't want to think about what your Ma would do to me. No, you stay here with Cincinnatus, or go stay with your Aunt Grace. Don't worry. They will be alright."
"Uncle Matt, I . . ." Israel said but meeting his eyes, he said softly, "Yes, sir. He hated being left behind.
Now, three days later, he stood at the wall watching the horizon. He tried not to think of the possibility that no one would return, and he would be alone.
A movement in the distance caught his eye. It was nearly dusk, and therefore, hard to see. It appeared to be Shawnee, and they were leading a horse. He climbed down and rang the alarm bell. The men who were left came to the wall in minutes.
"Shawnee." Esa said. He peered in the distance. "Who are they leading?"
Israel climbed up higher up onto the roof so he could see better. He leaned out studying the far distance.
"Ma!" He said. "They have Ma!" He climbed down and ran to the gates. "Open the gates!" He yelled.
Slowly, they opened the gates and Esa and Cincinnatus stepped in front of Israel their rifles ready.
"Rebecca!" Cincinnatus called out as they approached.
"I'm alright." She said. "They are friends." They stopped in front of the gate and Israel ran to her, helping her down off the horse. With one arm around her son, leaning heavily on him, she turned to the braves and said, "You must be hungry. Let me fix you something to eat."
"No, we must return." One said.
"Please, you've done so much for me."
"Stay well, Ogin." They said to her as they prepared to leave.
"Tell my father, I am honoured. Tell him thank you. Stay well." She said and they turned to go.
"Did you find Pa?" Israel asked.
"I did. I'm so glad to see you, Israel. I was worried about you." She kissed his cheek. "Your Pa is going to the crossing at the river. He hopes to catch them there." Glancing at Israel she said, "He'll bring them home, Israel. I know it."
He nodded and smiled at her. "Of course he will, Ma." She turned to step and swayed a bit.
"Becky, are you alright?" Cincinnatus asked, as Israel reached out to steady her. "Come inside. You need food and rest. You can tell us what happened."
"I'm fine, just tired." She said and draping her arm over Israel's shoulders, he led her inside the fort.
***DB***
Rebecca had sent Israel to bed. He had not really slept since his sisters had been taken, and he fell asleep as she ate the food Cincinnatus brought to her. She was half-asleep herself, but sat at the fire, watching the flames. She wasn't sure she could climb the stairs to lay down.
"You ran all the way there? You left in the morning and found him the next day? I can't imagine it. You know how far that is?" Cincinnatus asked.
"I do now." She said with a tired smile. "I wasn't thinking about how far it was. I knew I had to find him."
"There wasn't time to waste, you were right. It must be twenty miles, at least. You must be tuckered out. But, Becky, you should go to up to bed." Cincinnatus told her.
She looked up at him. "I was thinking the same thing. I was working on the energy to get up."
Still she sat though, lost in thought. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. You know Dan can track them. He'll bring them back home."
She let out a long sigh. "I know." She looked at Cincinnatus hovering over her. "You know, there was a time when I had no father to look out for me, and now it seems I've got one everywhere I turn." She reached out and patted Cincinnatus' cheek lovingly.
"Well, come on then. Listen to your old Pa, go on up to bed. You can lean on me." She rose and leaning on his shoulder, went upstairs to her room. She lay down on the bed not bothering to change, not bothering to even get under the covers. Exhausted, she expected to fall instantly to sleep, but instead lay awake long into the night lifting up prayers for her scattered family as she faced another difficult journey.