Decisions and Desires

Chapter 8

Swift Arrow led Quint and Arlo towards the Nations at a grueling pace. Both the blacksmith and the trail boss were used to long hours in the saddle or they would not have been able to keep up. Darkness fell, but the Indian kept going.

They had several times along the way, to let the horses get their wind, but Arlo figured they had travelled at least eight hours before they finally pulled into a small group of trees by the river. He watched as Quint and Swift Arrow talked for a few minutes, then the blacksmith came over to him.

"We're going to stop here for a few hours to rest the horses." He went towards the Appaloosa he'd been riding and started to loosen the cinch. "Swift Arrow says you ride well for a white man," he called over his shoulder, trying not to laugh.

Arlo said nothing. He knew he could keep up with anyone on horseback. The animal he was riding was used to hard work, and he himself had spent so many hours driving cattle that the saddle was a natural place for him to be. After he finished untacking his horse he turned to Quint, "You just tell him to lead on, and I'll be right behind him. He won't outride me any day soon."

Both men set about finding wood for a fire, and Quint put water in a pot to make coffee.

"Why did the Comanche send for you Quint?"

"I guess they wanted my help." Quint was not one to give out a whole lot of information.

"No, I mean how come they know you."

Quint was always aware of the prejudice of white men. Matt had taught him, by example, that not all men were so ignorant, still there where those who decried him because of his mixed blood.

"Because I'm a 'breed," he said, turning to face Arlo as if trying to start an argument. He had watched this trail boss courting Kitty while Matt was out of town, and it had rubbed him the wrong way. He knew the man had volunteered to help, but wasn't sure of his intentions.

"I'd already figured that." Arlo answered in a matter of fact voice. He was used to dealing with all manner of men on cattle drives, and was not going to be goaded that easily. "Which way is it, your Pa a white man?"

"He was, but it was white men who killed him because my Mother was Comanche. She died last winter."

"I'm sorry, Quint, it must be tough for you."

"Yeah." He swallowed his pride. "I lived with the tribe for three years after my Pa was killed. I wanted to be a Comanche warrior, but in the end I took to living in Dodge."

"I always believe a man is who he proves himself to be, Indian or white, that's not the important thing. A man who has pride in himself and does an honest day's work - that's a man in my book."

It was not long before Swift Arrow returned to the camp site with a pair of rabbits he had snared. They were quickly skinned and roasted over a small fire. When the men had finished eating, they hobbled the horses and settled down for a few hours of sleep.

The next day was much the same. By resting themselves and their horses for several hours during the hottest part of the day, they were able to travel well into the night. Swift Arrow knew the trails well, and was able to guide them onwards, even after the sun had set. They crossed both the Canadian and Washita Rivers without too much difficulty, and in the early afternoon, three days after they left Dodge City, they arrived in the land of the Comanche.

They had just ridden into Running Horse's camp when Swift Arrow stopped and drew Quint aside. The trail boss could tell that he was the topic of their conversation, and felt a little uneasy. In a few minutes Quint came riding towards him.

"I'm going to have to pay my respects to Running Horse. You won't be welcome in his lodge, so just wait here. I won't be gone long."

Arlo got down from his horse and found a shaded area to wait. There was a fallen tree and he put his saddle blanket on the ground and sat so his back rested against a branch. He waited, wondering what he had got himself into. Quint seemed to be a good man, but he carried quite a chip on his shoulder. He couldn't blame him, of course. By the sound of things the man had not had an easy life. He knew Kitty and Doc trusted him so it must be all right. But what about Running Horse and his band of Comanches, were they on the level? Maybe he was walking into the middle of some Indian war. He didn't know. Eventually he saw Quint and Swift Arrow coming towards him. They were discussing something, but of course he had no idea what they were talking about. He was definitely the outsider in this group.

Swift Arrow led them west from the camp to a place where the landscape began to change. Hills rose up from the level plains they had been traversing. There as a space between two hills where a small creek flowed and a gentle draw led slightly upwards towards the northwest. Once again the Indian approached the blacksmith and words and hand signs were exchanged. Then Swift Arrow turned his horse around and left the two men standing there.

"What was that about?" Arlo asked.

"He won't come any further. The place where we are going is about an hour's ride in that direction. It's close to Kiowa land. The Comanche and Kiowa have a treaty but he doesn't want to risk upsetting them by bringing white men to their territory."

Arlo was about to point out that Quint was half Comanche - but decided not to. They rode side by side for a while. The Indian had pointed along the valley which lay in front of them. The entrance had been narrow and they would have missed it without the his help, but now it had widened out and there was a fairly clear trail to follow. By the time the light began to fade they were no more than two or three miles from the place they were searching for.

Quint indicated that they should dismount. He turned to Arlo. "I want you to stay here while I work my way ahead and see what's going on."

Arlo started to object. He hadn't ridden all this way to be pushed into the background.

"I promise I'll be back shortly" Quint said. "Someone needs to stay here with the horses, but we do need to know what's going on and what kind of shape Matt is in. I can work my way in and out without being seen."

Arlo reluctantly agreed. What the half-Comanche had said was very true. He had watched him and Swift Arrow move through the landscape while tracking food, and he knew that they barely caused the grass blades to stir.

It was totally dark by the time Quint returned. Arlo was startled as the man suddenly showed up beside him without disturbing the sounds of the night.

"What did you find?"

"Bad news. I found the place where they were holed up. They must have been there for a few days, but they're gone now. I could see some tracks but it was too dark to follow. We'll have to wait till morning."

"What about Matt?"

"I don't know. There was some blood on the floor in one of the rooms but other than I didn't find anything."

"Not much to go on then."

Arlo had such mixed feelings. He wanted to find Dillon alive and well, really he did. On the other hand, and he knew he should not think this way, but with Dillon out of the way he would probably be able to persuade Kitty to marry him. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than he chided himself. Matt Dillon was a good man, he knew that much from years past. Of course he never would've admitted it back then. He would do everything possible to help Quint bring him back alive. He loved Kitty enough that he wanted to see her happy no matter the cost to himself.

TBC

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