Chapter 16

Several hours after the first light, Grace woke up feeling wide awake. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed that the bandits had not yet woken up from their slumber. Usually, one of them was up earlier cooking breakfast. But this time, they were knocked out, including Lewis. Only Tuck was missing from the camp. Where could he have gone?

"I hope that dirty dog isn't out hurtin' other poor critters," Grace muttered, walking toward the river, "Someone should teach him some respect." She lowered her head to have a sip of cold water. As she drank, Grace wondered how far away she must have been and how much longer the bandits would be staying here in this forest where it is too risky down below for her to make an escape. "I might not be able to escape, but at least I'm safe up here."

"Grace!"

"Huh!" Grace was startled. Did one of the bandits wake up and catch her near the river? She whirled around and in relief, nearly smacked herself when it was only Honey fluttering behind her holding a filled blue bag with her feet. How foolish it was to think that those vermin would call her by her real name (which they never did).

"Honey, what are you doin' here?" she asked surprisingly. Before answering, Honey dropped the cloth on the ground and unwrapped it to reveal acorns and ripe blueberries. Grace was being served breakfast and her stomach rumbled with hunger. Having never tasted acorns before, she decided to give it a try. Not as sweet as the berries, but still pretty good.

"I know I said I'd be back by night, but when some friends o' mine told me about a group of intoxicated vermin, I thought I check up and see if you're alright." Honey wiped her forehead, "See all those empty wine bottles?"

Grace turned her head to the camp and gazed long enough to notice a few of the bottles sprawled about in different places. One of them was only half-empty with a few drops dripping on the ground next to Lewis. With his mouth open, he seemed deader than asleep.

"You know, a lot of us heard rumors about what happens to folks who drink too much o' that beverage they call beer, liquor, or wine. They either wind up dead or pass out for many long hours. I didn't even notice that when I came last night at the time you were cheering."

"I think Lewis had one of those before. Every time he drank outta this strange glass tube, I had been given a slap or a hit with this other thing called a belt," Grace stared at the ground sorrowfully, feeling uncomfortable with talking about her harsh life.

"Don't let bad memories get you down sugar," Honey moved closer to rub her left leg slowly in comfort, "I know how you feel, but remember, you always got me to turn to. And I'm sure your other little friend is with the same lawmen searchin' for you. I bet he misses you as well."

"I hope so," Grace murmured weakly.

Honey watched as Grace ate the berries that she had been given. Since Honey knew that cows were herbivores, green grass, hay, and other plants was a great thing for them to snack on. Fruits such as apples, and berries were a special treat. Right now Grace kept eating as if she hadn't eaten for many weeks.

"I love those nuts and berries," Grace said when she had finished and had wiped the berry juice from her mouth. "There's somethin' else I wanted to ask you. Do you think you can ask your other friends to keep a lookout for riders on horses? I mean so that I'll know when they're comin' or not."

"Sure thing Grace; that's no problem at all," replied Honey. "After all, friends are supposed to always help each other. And I asked them to keep an eye out for that big brute dog to let us know if he's comin' this way."

"I don't like him," Grace said uneasily, "he's mean and he wants to eat me."

"Nobody's gonna eat you now sugar. Whatever else he said, I'm sure he was just tryin' to scare you. That's what most big bullies do to younger ones such as you. They're the ones who are weak and cowardly. You may still be young right now, but someday when you're older, folks like him and those drunkards will be the ones beggin' for mercy."

"But how will I know?"

"You'll know when the time comes."

That was another piece of advice that Grace did not yet understand, but in time she would. Honey sat down on the ground to listen as Grace talked more about her troubles with Lewis and why she longed to be in a more caring environment. There was still no escape for her out of this place unless she was a rider on a horse. The bandits' horses could be heard snorting a few feet away grazing on plants. They obeyed no one but their masters. So riding on one of them was probably not a bright idea.

"Have you been drinkin' enough milk at all lately?" Honey asked with concern when she noticed how Grace was rubbing at the side of her face and the way her other leg wobbled. The calf shook her head weakly.

"Well, there is someone in these woods who might be able to help. She's no cow, but she's all there is," Honey flew up to unbuckle the halter and encouraged Grace to follow her to Silent Creek. There was no need to worry about the intoxicated cowpokes since they would not be awakened easily for another few hours.

Somewhere in the desert

It had been many long hours since Sheriff Jones found those tobacco scented dollars as their only pieces of evidence. The hours seemed more like traveling and tracking the outlaws for weeks with no sign of those varmints anywhere. Some of the men argued that they should just quit and go back to town while others said that there would not be enough time to go back if they wanted to. Ned was able to settle the disagreements by shouting out that if they are to track down the outlaws; they'd have to work at it together or else there would be more lives at stake. Right now the lawmen were riding by the same painted symbols on the canyon walls in which the Yeller Gang had passed under its shadows. There had not been signs of Indians around them.

With Dan still leading the way with his tracking scent, he failed to notice the guilty frown on Sampson's whiskered face. He had barely spoken a word or bothered to ask questions throughout this manhunt expedition.

"This is my entire fault," Sampson spoke lowly while riding atop Dan. Somehow he couldn't help but feel responsible for his friend's pain and capture.

"What do you mean your fault?" Dan looked over his shoulder with his brow furrowed. "Why'd you say that?"

"If I hadn't lead Grace to that campfire out in the dry lands, the crooks wouldn't have beaten her and Lewis wouldn't have dragged her back for more. If I could've been bigger I'd take care o' them, but I'm only a small mouse and you are a dog. I'm the cause of her heartache. Perhaps you might've been a better and protective friend to her than I was."

"Now hold on a minute," Dan spoke firmly like a commanding deputy as he stopped short on the trail. "What does being so small have to do with all this?"

"Huh?"

"I mean who is responsible for your friend's wounds?"

Sampson was silent for a moment, then he answered. "Lewis?"

"And who locked her up inside that place from the outside world?"

"Lewis?"

"And who was the one who force fed and mistreated her unkindly?"

"Lewis!" Sampson's guilt slipped away as he perked his head up to stare straight ahead.

"And who stayed by your friend's side to comfort and do his best to take care o her more kindly when she needed it?"

"Me o' course!" Sampson spoke with encouragement in his voice.

"That's right, you're not the cause of her pain, he is. And so are those crooks. And it don't matter whether or not you tried to help her escape, he might've planned to punish her with that whip for some other reason eventually. Sure you led her to the outlaws' campfire, but that's not the point I'm tryin' to make. If you didn't go in that direction, you might've never known about Lewis bein' in cahoots with them. You'd never inform me and the outlaws would a still gotten away with it. There was nothin' you could've done to help her out there; but without you, your friend might've never been able to trust another human bein' to take care o' her if they tried. Why she'd be livin' with fear for the rest o' her days even. Worse yet, she'd be nothin' more than cooked meat on a dinner plate already."

Sampson was shocked to think about that. Big or small, Grace truly needed a friend by her side and Sampson was the only one with her at that time. He remembered how he had missed his own family often, but couldn't find it in his small heart to abandon Grace. How else would she have learned right from wrong without him teaching her? And who else would have been there to sneak in food or encourage her not to give up hope? Right now, she was out there waiting for him to come back and help her.

"You know, you're right," he said proudly. "I'm glad to have been there for her when she needed me. You're almost startin' to sound like my uncle. What am I feelin' sorry for myself for? Let's keep goin'."

"We follow the scent straight ahead," Dan said as his eyes locked on to a small green area which he guessed might be filled with forests. It seemed to be at least twenty or ninety miles further from where they were at. Glad to hear Sampson come to his senses, the lawmen followed behind Dan to lead the way. Now he was running at a fast pace.

"Dan, where are you goin'?" Ned cried out to his dog. But Dan kept going. "Dan, wait up boy!" He kicked his heels on the horse's ribs to make him run after him.

The lawmen stared at each other in puzzlement and shrugged their shoulders. Soon their horses were thundering on the trail toward the green plateau area.