Whoever he was did not matter.
Those who buried him were only aware that he was dead and required a Christian burial, even if he was not of the faith. To them, he was just another Indian. No more, no less. His final resting-place was a dry patch of dirt at a nondescript corner of Boot Hill, his neighbours were forgotten like he soon would be. The place of his burial mattered as little as his name and matters even less to us.
"That's deep enough." An aging man with bad teeth told his young apprentice, before spitting a mouthful of tobacco at the ground.
The boy stopped digging and climbed out of the hole, taking care to take his shovel with him. The sun was setting in the distance and he was glad that this backbreaking work was over. Although the money for this work was good, he was eager to leave it behind today.
"How come he don't got no coffin?" The boy inquired looking at the body of the dead Indian.
"Cause ain't no one paying for." The older man retorted. "Now quit your yammering and let's get him in there." The man was almost in his sixties but would not retire until he dropped dead from the work. He had not family to support but a drinking habit that required employment. Groaning from the effects of his aging body, he grabbed the shoulders of the corpse, while the boy lifted the legs. It was not the most dignified burials but then there was no one to care. Certainly not the dead man, that was for sure.
"What's that around his neck?" The boy asked as he saw an odd shape pendant hanging from the dead man's neck. It was held in place by a thin piece of cord and did not seem very impressive, even if it did look somewhat unusual.
The old man regarded it with a quick look and saw nothing that interested him. "Just a piece of Injun junk." He growled in response. "Probably worthless."
The seven returned to the city of the cliff dwellers a day later and found no sign of the worshippers. Any evidence of a religious movement promptly disappeared with the death of their leader, Doctor Isaac Wetherill. Chris found Mary's horse Homer and her wagon abandoned in the canyon before returning the animal home to her.
For a while, he was concerned that Mary might be in danger from the remaining worshippers who might wish her ill in retribution of their leader's demise. However, Vin informed Kojay and Chano to keep an eye out for worshippers bearing the tattoo of the staring eyes. Eventually, the word spread to numerous tribes in the area and a large number of the fanatics were identified. While not all of them could be held accountable for threatening Mary and Inez's life, their faces were known and that kept them away from the widow.
There was one question that remained unanswered. Although she was asked, Mary Travis would smile evasively and reply the amulet was not in possession. Despite the best efforts of the seven excepting Chris, who stayed well away from Mary for days after, none of them were able to find out what happened to the mysterious object which had been the cause of this whole affair. Neither Mary or Inez, who was present at the time, felt inclined to reveal the location of the artefact although both seemed perfectly confident that the object would not surface any time soon.
Eventually the amulet passed into memory becoming the impetus one of the more colourful experiences in Mary Travis life but largely forgotten by those who were perfectly content with the existence of the Three worlds.
For it would be unthinkable if there were only one….
THE END