Rawhide
Incident of the Sterling Fox
Chapter 10
Faint voices faded in and out and the world seemed to swim around Rowdy. "Let's kill him now." "No, Bryan! We don't want a murder rap over our heads." "Listen, you three just wanted recognition, right? Well, we'll leave him tied up in the barn and once we leave he can spread the word about the terrible Holt Boys. You'll be feared, far and wide." There was one time he remembered being carried and then being terribly cold. Warmth engulfed him and he risked opening his eyes. At first, the light was blinding; then the dark forms before him began to take shape. "He's comin' to, Boss." Wait a minute. That voice was awfully familiar. Trying to sort out the various voices made his head ache even more. He groaned. A moment later, he opened his eyes and this time he saw Gil Favor and Pete Nolan kneeling in the straw in front of him. Rowdy looked around confusedly. He was leaning against a stall door in a barn. Light peeked through the cracks in the wood and settling dust seemed to sparkle in the dawning light. Wishbone and Mushy stood farther behind Favor and Pete; both looking anxious. Standing with Lolita, the stunning palomino, was Hey Soos looking forlorn and worried. Rowdy looked back at Favor.
Favor wore a slightly angry expression on his face; but relief was also plain to see on the man's clear, cut features. "What is the matter with you, boy? Can't you stay out of trouble just once?"
Beside the trail boss, Pete gave a crooked grin. "Oh, Boss. You know he can't do that. Why, he's just a youngin'; still got a lot to learn. You can't expect him to use his head, can you?"
Rowdy had just opened his mouth to protest when he looked over to where Mushy and Wishbone were standing. The cook was chuckling and smiling widely. He elbowed Mushy who was grinning and laughing now too. The young man elbowed Wishbone in return, still laughing. Almost as suddenly as it had began, Wishbone stopped chuckling and gave Mushy a strange look. Slowly, Mushy's laughter ceased and he cleared his throat nervously; he glanced at the old cook now and then. Wishbone shook his head in despair and brought his attention back to Rowdy.
"How'd you find me, Mr. Favor? Did you catch the bank robbers?" The ramrod asked, still confused.
"They're in custody now." Favor nodded his head to the three Holt brothers. For the first time, Rowdy noticed the bank robbers standing in a row with their hands tied. A sheriff and a deputy stood on both sides of them. "As for us bein' here, your partner in crime over there," Favor looked at Hey Soos, who bowed his head sheepishly, "he told us where you'd gone off to. And you know Pete here. He claims he can track a coyote through a hailstorm; so we decided to test his skills."
Pete stuck out his chest in mock haughtiness. "I found him, didn't I?"
Hey Soos slowly, hesitantly, walked up to Rowdy looking ashamed and worried. "I am sorry, Senor Rowdy. If I had stopped you from going instead of aiding you, you would not be hurt. You could have been killed, and I would have been to blame. Will you forgive me, Senor Rowdy?"
Rowdy was touched by the small wrangler's concern. "None of this was your fault, Hey Soos. Even you'd stopped me I woulda found some other way to leave. Even if I had to walk." The ramrod gave a crooked smile, trying to reassure Hey Soos.
"Then you are not angry with me?" He met Rowdy's eyes with a hopeful look in his dark brown eyes.
"Naw, I-" He broke off in mid-sentence, suddenly remembering the purpose of his mission. "Hey Soos, was Fox anywhere around when you got here?"
The Mexican wrangler nodded excitedly, glad to be free of the guilt that had plagued him when he first saw the rider less horse gallop into camp. "Si, look for yourself." He motioned to the stall next to the one that the ramrod was leaning against. Craning his neck to see, Yates was overjoyed to see a blaze-faced sorrel head peering down at him from behind a thick forelock. He scrambled to his feet and hugged Fox's neck. Fox nickered joyfully and nuzzled the ramrod's mussed hair. Favor smiled inwardly at the joyful reunion between a cowboy and his horse.
"Oh, Fox. I missed you so much." Rowdy whispered; breathing in his horse's sweet smell. He stepped back and rubbed Fox's forehead, scratching the horse's special spot. "They didn't hurt ya did they, boy?"
"No, I made sure of that. Though his mouth might still be sore for a while. Seth saws the reins when he rides and that horse has got a soft mouth." Rowdy whirled around to face the voice. To his shock and dismay, standing there in front of him was the man who had stolen Fox in the first place; it was Carl Gleason.
"You! Mr. Favor he's the one who-" Rowdy broke off when Favor raised his hand to silence him. The ramrod looked at him, confused and puzzled. "He's no criminal, Rowdy." Favor stated plainly. What was going on? This man was a criminal and nobody was doing anything about it.