Chapter 5

Minerva Ames and her brother walked a few minutes later into the lead wagon's campfire. "Mr. Hale, we have a complaint to be lodged against the Smith boy who attacked our boys viciously," Minerva Ames said.

"Coop just was telling me about that, only it was your boys who attacked him not the other way around. Coop told me that he was riding in when he noticed the boys, your sons plus the Robert boy, Willie circling Face. He was too far away to stop it but kept watching as he rode in. He saw Thomas and Benjamin attack the smaller boy who had no trouble protecting himself. It was only a case of self-defense in my book."

It was days before either of the cousins' were able to move without pain but within the week everything was back to normal with one major improvement…the bullying that had been going on stopped.

It seems that Mr. Robert was told by Coop about his son's involvement in the fight and he gave the boy a long-deserved thrashing that put a stop to his bullying once a for all. It seemed that the real reason for Willie's bullying came from a want to have friends. Benjamin and Thomas, seeing him in an ally, approached him to be their friend as long as he would back them up however they liked. Face recognized that the boy wasn't really bad but lonely and so approached him a few days later. It wasn't long afterward that Willie was seen with Face and Barney wherever they went.

After the fight Face had no more trouble with Thomas or Benjamin. The cousins decided that it just wasn't worth the trouble or possible pain to get on bullying the boy and went out of their way to avoid him which suited Face. Unfortunately, Robert Stevenson still held a grudge against the boy and was looking for ways to get even.

As the train headed through several Indian tribal lands everyone became edgy and careful. The men always made sure they were armed and whenever Face was riding he carried his rifle as well. They kept an armed guard on the horses each night since the young braves were always trying to prove themselves by stealing horses. One night the worse happened and Dandy was stolen. His screaming woke Face who ran, ahead of Hannibal, Murdock, and BA, to the picketed horses to see that his best friend was gone. He ran to the edge of the clearing just in time to see his horse being pulled away by an Indian boy on another horse.

"Well, well what do we have here," sneered a familiar and hated voice. Face turned around to see Robert Stevenson smiling evilly at him.

"You did this? You were the cause of my horse being stolen?" Face asked with disbelief.

"What if I did boy, I never did like to see the likes of you riding when your betters walked! You aren't important or good enough to even own a horse as nice as this one. Well, now you will be walking, too!"

Face reacted at once by attacking his hated enemy, although his blows of anger were no match for the man who backhanded him and knocked him sobbing to the ground and that is where Hannibal found him a few minutes later.

A glance told him the story…Dandy was gone, most likely stolen by Indians and his son was crying on the ground. He tenderly bent down and pulled the boy up seeing for the first time the bruise on his cheek. "Who did this, son?"

"He did and he's the reason for Dandy being stolen!" Face sobbed as he pointed to Stevenson.

"The boy is lying. I didn't touch his horse. I was at the other end of the picket line when the theft occurred!"

"What about the bruise on his cheek?"

"He attacked me, I acted on reflex."

Hannibal reacted swiftly as he knocked Stevenson to the ground. He would have done more but Coop and Bill arrived to stop him. "What's going on here?"

"He hit me and for no reason!" Stevenson replied with a snarl.

"He hit Face and that reasons enough for me. My son also says that he's the reason his horse was stolen!"

"What do you have to say for yourself, Stevenson? Did you allow the horse to be stolen?" Coop asked.

"As I told him, I had nothing to do with the horse being stolen. I was walking the picket line with Parker, the other guard. I heard the horse screaming but by the time I got there, it was too late. The brat got here in time to see the horse being led away and attacked me. I struck out in reflex."

This time it was Murdock who lunged at Stevenson for his remarks only to be held back by Coop. "He's not worth it," and then turning to Stevenson he advised,

"If I were you I would refrain from calling that boy any names. I might not be here the next time to save you."

Murdock started to look around using the lantern he brought to look for footprints to try and determine what happened. He didn't believe Stevenson's version when he heard something and looked up in time to see Face attempt to ride past Hannibal. "Hannibal! Stop him!" he yelled as Hannibal quickly turned and was able to stop Face.

"No, son. I'm sorry but I can't let you go after Dandy. It's too dangerous!"

"But Hannibal…it's Dandy. I got to and get him," pleaded Face.

"It's too dark now…we will go after him in the morning, I promise!" Hannibal said as he watched the tears begin to flow down his son's cheeks. Hannibal handed the horse's lead to Murdock and quietly walked Face back to the wagon.

Murdock stayed to continue to search for clues on what happened and to build a case against Stevenson. He then looked to the ground and found the remains of an apple and looked ahead and found more apple remains. He had a hunch and went further and found what looked like more pieces of apple on the ground leading out to the clearing where Face last saw his horse being taken away.

By the time Murdock returned to the wagon Hannibal was quietly talking to the rest of the family. "What did you find out Captain?"

Murdock looked around for the boy. He didn't want Face to hear his findings.

"He's sleeping in the wagon tonight. Maggie gave him a sleeping potion in a cup of hot tea. He should sleep the night out."

"Stevenson did everything he could to set Dandy free except actually lead him to the clearing and hand him over personally. Dandy's lead was untied, not cut. Once he was able to roam freely, Stevenson laid a trail of apples out to the clearing so if anyone rode by, the horse would be easy enough to take. I guess that is what happened otherwise Dandy would have returned to the boy. I found boot tracks by the picket line, not the footprints that an Indian moccasin would make."

"Are you going to look for the horse tomorrow, Hannibal?"

Hannibal nodded. "I promised him that I would BA, although I doubt that I will be successful. I'm afraid that Dandy is lost for good."

"That bastard did that on purpose to hurt our boy. I need to put some hurt on him for that!" Vowed BA angrily.

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know Mrs. B. Pure meanness, I guess. Face is not an angel but doesn't deserve the hurt he's had to overcome in his short life. Now I suggest we all get some rest, we are going to need it in the morning."

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It was a few hours later that Face quietly poked his head out the back of the wagon. He had suspected that the tea had contained some sort of sleeping aid and had poured it out once his Mama's back had been turned. He faked his sleeping all the while planning what he was going to do to get Dandy back. It had taken only a couple of hours to wait until everyone had gone to bed before he started to carefully get dressed and leave. He grabbed his knife and rifle before moving towards Mama B's wagon to grab something to eat. He spied a bag of jerky near the entrance and took it along with the large canteen that she always kept in her wagon. He hurried to where the saddles and bridles were stored and took Dandy's horse blanket, saddle, and bridle on his way to the picket line. He waited until the guard had moved towards the other end before grabbing the lead to Dallas, Murdock's horse, and leading him away. Once he was far enough away he saddled the horse before mounting and riding away as quietly as possible.

It wasn't until the next morning that Face was missed. At first, they didn't connect his not being in the wagon to his leaving the wagon train until Murdock realized that his horse was missing.

"Hannibal…my horse, Dallas is missing. Is Face still here?" Murdock asked afraid of what the answer would be.

"I just checked the wagon and he's still sleeping, John!"

Hannibal took a glance and noticed something that Maggie had missed. "He must have lit out soon after we went to sleep. His knife and rifle are missing and he's wearing the moccasins we brought him back from the fort. Everybody look around and see if anything else is missing!"

Mrs. B noticed at once that one of the bags of jerky was missing as well as a large canteen and a blanket which she reported at once.

"He also took several measures of oats as well as Dandy's bridle, saddle, and horse blanket," Hannibal told his group.

"John, you've got to go after him and bring him back!".

"I will, Maggie, although I can't guarantee in what condition his butt will be in once we return," Hannibal said angrily. "BA, I want you to stay with the ladies…"

"What's going on Colonel? We will be starting within the hour and you aren't getting ready to leave." Bill Hawks was riding by and noticed the commotion with the Smith party.

"Face has run away. He has gone after his horse. I figure he has at least a six-hour head start on me!". Hannibal explained while others from the train had moseyed back to see what the problem was. Coop and Chris arrived a few minutes later.

"Why aren't these wagons getting ready to leave?" asked Chris.

"His son has gone after his stolen horse, Chris."

"What are you planning to do Colonel?"

"Go after him, of course. I was just telling my men what to do when Mr. Hawks rode up." Hannibal was quick to reply. "BA will be staying, I want to take the Captain, but that will leave me without someone to drive one of the wagons."

"I'll go with you, Colonel!" Coop spoke up. "I know the territory and know enough Sioux and Cheyenne to get by. This way Murdock will be here to drive the other wagon."

"Oh, this is just great! Your kid runs away and takes a scout away from protecting us!" snarled Robert Stevenson.

"Face wouldn't have run away if you hadn't let his horse loose! You have been bragging about nothing else all night than how you hurt the boy worse than you did with the canings you gave in at the orphanage!" shouted Gerald Stevenson, Robert's oldest son.

Robert looked at him in astonishment. "Be quiet, boy. I'll take care of you later!" he finally hissed.

"No, I won't. I don't know what you have against this little boy, that you would be so hateful as to cause him so much hurt as to let his horse go. You don't care that this horse is the first present he ever received and from the first best friend he ever had. You told Aunt Lucretia and Thomas that you got revenge on the boy for his defeating him in that fight. That it was easy, all you had to do was untie the horse and then give him an apple. After that you laid a trail of apples out to the clearing, knowing that someone would happen by and take him. Indian signs were everywhere. You were so happy that you were there to break the news to the boy…telling him that he wasn't good enough to own a horse, like Dandy, and now he would have to walk like everyone else. You make me sick and I'm ashamed to share your last name!"

"Why you ungrateful whelp!" Stevenson was about to strike him when BA stood in front of the teenager and glared at him.

"You touch him, and I'll flatten you!"

The crowd looked with distaste at Stevenson until he slithered away like the snake he is.

"Coop go with the Colonel. We will continue, catch up with us when you find the boy; and Colonel once you get him back safely I hope you will explain to him why he should never do such a dangerous stunt like this again!"

"You can count on it Chris!" it was within minutes later that the two men rode out after Face.