Chapter 2
The three constables from Salem who had searched for him were all dead. He had killed them brutally, one by one. Then Roark Logan met with his associates inside the limestone cave by the river. The dozen or so men from Libertyville all supported Logan's determination to reclaim Logan's Fort. It was their plan to accomplish the reclamation as violently as possible.
Inside each twisted heart was a lust for blood, as a rabid wolf lusts for blood. Each of these creatures were brothers to Roark Logan, a man so cold and empty inside that his only reason for living was to punish his fellows. His greatest delight was to watch human suffering. And the one he most lusted to see suffer was the tall Cherokee mixed blood from Boonesborough. Each waking hour was consumed by the planning, each hour of the night spent in dreaming of murder.
His escape from Salem had been accomplished by slitting the guard's throat with a small razor slipped to him by one of his admirers from the settlement. The six men had a horse waiting and together they rode through the darkness until they came to Libertyville. In the predawn twilight they pulled down the sign so proudly hanging beside the front gate and replaced the Logan's Fort sign. Just as the light began to ease into the east they broke into Thaddeus's office, knocked him unconscious as he sat up in his bed, and rummaged through his desk until they found the title to Alkini's claim. This they destroyed by tearing it into small pieces and setting it afire. Unknown to them, Thaddeus had made a duplicate and given it to Alkini. It was safely hidden behind the image of the household god Craw Greene had reverently displayed in his cabin.
Logan's dozen dogs kept the settlement on edge with their constant talk of retaking the settlement. They burned several Cherokee cabins as proof of their seriousness. Fortunately no one was killed. Too few to accomplish the takeover, their plan was to scare enough people into leaving that the odds would favor them. The remaining settlers, and the outlying Cherokee, were all seeking guidance from Alkini and Thaddeus. Like sheep around the guardian goats, the citizens of Libertyville sought comfort from the elderly man and the young mixed blood woman, the former mistress of Roark Logan himself.
Tsiya trotted through the Boonesborough gates at mid-day four days later. He was met at the gate by Tupper, who directed him to Cincinnatus when the boy tried to ask him for help. In broken English the Cherokee youth tried to make Cincinnatus understand that he sought Mingo. Cincinnatus kept telling the boy that Mingo wasn't there and hadn't been seen for weeks, but Tsiya couldn't understand the storekeeper's repeated words. Finally the youth dragged Cincinnatus to his own fireplace and pantomimed a house burning. Frowning, the elderly man decided that this situation needed Daniel Boone's attention. Taking the boy outside, Cincinnatus drew a crude map in the dirt before his door. Then he pointed the boy out the gate and repeated the name: Daniel Boone.
Tsiya rose and walked quickly back through the gates. From the stockade fence he could see a cabin in the distance. Within ten minutes he was on the outskirts of the yard. Only a few feet away he could see a small white-haired boy gathering an armload of wood. Moving slowly to avoid startling the child, Tsiya walked to the boy's side.
Israel looked up and saw the youth. His blue eyes widening, he looked at the visitor's clothing and decided that he was a Cherokee and therefore no threat. His breath released in a loud sigh. "Whad'a ya want?" Israel asked.
Tsiya repeated the words spoken by Cincinnatus: Dan'l Bune. Israel nodded his head toward the cabin, calling for his father as he walked. Onto the porch strode the tall frontiersman, his eyebrows raised questioningly. When he saw Tsiya he held his big hand up in a gesture of greeting. The boy returned the gesture. Daniel then beckoned the Cherokee onto the porch. Beside Tsiya, Israel tugged at his arm to pull him beside his father.
"Becky," Daniel called softly. "Bring us two cups of coffee, please."
Daniel indicated the rocking chair and Tsiya sat down gratefully. Becky appeared with the brimming cups, nodded to the boy, frowned at her husband, and took Israel's arm to pull him into the cabin. She shut the door.
"Now, young man, what are you doin' here?"
In the best English that Tsiya could manage he explained his errand to Daniel. Listening carefully, all Daniel could be sure of was that this Cherokee boy was looking for Mingo. The rest of his narrative was unclear. Daniel believed that the boy was talking about a letter. Taking a chance, Daniel stretched out his big hand to the youth.
"Let me see the letter, son." Tsiya pulled out the letter Alkini had given him. He hesitated for several seconds, looking carefully into the light green eyes. Daniel smiled and nodded, and in that instant Tsiya trusted the pioneer like he had never before trusted a white man.
Daniel read the letter carefully, frowning. He handed the letter back to Tsiya, who folded it and replaced it inside his vest. Using small words and speaking slowly, Daniel told the boy that he did know where Mingo was and he would take him there tomorrow. Becky came back onto the porch and nodded to the youth.
"Dan, it's getting late and your guest is probably hungry. Why don't you two come inside and have some sausage and potatoes? Whatever you're planning, surely it can wait until you have a good supper and a good night's rest?"
Dan nodded to his wife and beckoned the youth to enter the cabin. After a hearty meal washed down with strong coffee, Daniel showed Tsiya Mingo's shelter where he usually stayed when in Boonesborough. Rolling into one of Becky's blankets, Tsiya easily fell asleep listening to the tree frogs buzzing in the nearby forest.
Early the following morning Daniel and Tsiya left the cabin with a good breakfast comfortably warming their stomachs. Daniel was carrying several days' provisions in his leather pouch and Becky understood that he may be gone several weeks.
They had talked nearly an hour after Tsiya was asleep, Daniel explaining all that he knew. He told his patient wife that all he really understood was that the youth needed to find Mingo and seemed very anxious. For all he knew, there was great trouble among the Cherokee and if that was so Daniel would need to support Mingo in keeping the peace.
As they traveled Daniel was finally able to discover that the youth was from the former Logan's Fort. This knowledge caused Daniel's face to darken. He had always believed that Mingo's decision to allow the vicious Roark Logan to live was a mistake that would come back to haunt him. Daniel knew that Mingo was a compassionate man. But he also knew that his friend would kill if he felt himself or others threatened. In Logan's case Daniel feared that the power-hungry man would find a way to return and resume his strangle-hold on the water rights around his former settlement.
And as far as the Cherokee around Logan's Fort were concerned, Daniel was certain that if Roark Logan did return they would face near extermination. He had seen whites cheat Indians all his life. And Daniel knew that Roark Logan was capable of the worst that man produced, Indian or white.
After two days of steady walking Daniel smelled water and knew that he and his companion were near the large river that the Cherokee favored for fishing. A string of temporary lodges were set up beside the river and Daniel could see large fish boxes just breaking the water's surface. They found Mingo with several of his friends as they guarded their women salting a large quantity of fish. Mingo glanced up as the two travelers approached his fire. A dark shadow crossed his suntanned face. He knew that Daniel would not have come for him unless something disastrous had happened.
Daniel introduced Tsiya to Mingo as the three entered Mingo's small lodge. Solemnly Mingo read Alkini's letter. He looked for long seconds into Daniel's eyes then placed the letter inside his leather vest. He rose and gathered his gun, shot pouch and powder horn. Leaving the lodge, he spoke to his friends and began to walk rapidly toward Libertyville. Daniel and Tsiya trotted to catch up with him. As they came abreast Mingo stopped and shook his head.
"Mingo, I'm comin' with you. Becky knows that already. And this boy won't be left behind neither. Now, let's go."
Mingo's eyes challenged his tall friend. Seconds passed as Daniel returned the look. Both men were stubborn, and the bond between them gave them the confidence to question each other. Finally, Mingo relented and nodded.
"I'm glad to have you Daniel, but only if you let me meet the problem my own way. I don't want to have your injury on my conscience. If you can't abide by my request, please go back home to your family. They depend on you. As it seems that Alkini and Thaddeus depend upon me. This is my fight, Daniel. Remember that. "
The three began their journey to Libertyville, trotting easily mile after mile. The sun followed them as they traveled to the west. There Mingo knew that his life's path could end in death at the hand of the one he himself had spared.