Chapter Thirty

I’ll tell you how the sun rose . . .
A ribbon at a time.

—Dickinson

Blue Thunder and his warriors had arrived just in time to see the paddlewheeler pulling in to its mooring place. They had hidden themselves and watched as several people walked across a wooden plank from the ground to the riverboat.

Blue Thunder’s eyes looked carefully from person to person as each took his turn walking over the plank. The water splashed noisily against the sides of the boat, and lapped much higher than usual against the shore.

A few women screamed with fear as they inched across the plank, while others remained as long as possible on dry land, almost too afraid to move.

Blue Thunder watched the men who had also stayed behind, waiting their turn as they politely allowed the women to board first.

Thus far he had not seen Earl Mingus among the men, yet he could see in the distance more men coming from the fort. Most of those men were uniformed soldiers, with only a few civilians among them.

These were the ones Blue Thunder kept his eyes on. Disappointment flooded his senses when he could not spot Earl among the men.

But still he and his warriors waited and watched, until suddenly a shrill whistling sound came from the boat. Everyone who had been waiting a turn was aboard, and the plank was now being hauled onto the ship.

Black smoke came from its huge smokestack, and the paddlewheels began turning, sending even more water pounding against the embankment.

The paddlewheels began turning more quickly, with water splashing from them, and the boat inched farther out toward the middle of the river. Soon it had made its way back downriver, becoming harder to see as it went farther and farther, until finally it could not be seen at all.

“The evil man did not board the riverboat,” Proud Horse said as he sidled his horse closer to Blue Thunder’s. He glanced at the fort, then into Blue Thunder’s eyes. “What do we do now? Where should we look for him?”

“My friend, you are trusted by the soldiers stationed at the fort, so I suggest that you go and very carefully question them about this man,” Blue Thunder said tightly. “Of course they will want to know why you ask, so you can say that he had stolen a valuable horse from your corral. They will ask you how you knew it was he who did this, and you will tell them you saw the man on your horse when you were in the fort the other day. Tell them you did not question him that day because you had to make certain the animal was yours. Say that you returned home and saw that the steed was gone, and that you now hold him accountable for the theft.”

“That sounds like a good enough story to be true,” Proud Horse said. “These white men look down at us, but they secretly envy our freedom. We are not held to the same rules as they. If they disobey, I have heard that they are thrown in a terrible place, where rats gnaw at their bare feet. Sometimes they are even shot. It is not the way we do things at our village. Rarely do any of our warriors complain about life as we live it.”

“There is one warrior who tests my patience more than others, yet he still makes certain that he does nothing to cause his banishment from the tribe,” Blue Thunder said, thinking of Black Wing and the spiteful, challenging look in his dark eyes when he openly disagreed with his chief.

“I know which warrior you are referring to,” Proud Horse said, frowning. “But Black Wing has done nothing yet to cause him to be banished from our people.”

“He will never go that far, for he has a wife and children to consider,” Blue Thunder said, staring unblinkling at the fort. He reached over and placed a gentle hand on Proud Horse’s shoulder. “You are dependable in all ways, my warrior, so go and see what answers you can get from the white-eyed pony soldiers about Earl Mingus.”

“It is the same as done,” Proud Horse said, reaching up and clasping his hand on Blue Thunder’s shoulder.

Then Proud Horse wheeled his horse around and rode in the direction of the fort.

Impatient that he would have to wait for answers, Blue Thunder sighed heavily.

He dismounted, as did his warriors, then tethered his horse to a tree and walked away from the others to have a moment of privacy.

As the others dutifully waited, Blue Thunder walked farther and farther into the trees, where the thick layer of fallen, damp leaves made strange, spongy sounds beneath his moccasined feet. As he walked deeper into the forest, he suddenly got a faint whiff of smoke coming from ahead.

Curious, he walked more stealthily, his feet as quiet as a panther’s paws as he moved farther into the trees. He was keenly aware that he was leaving the protection of his warriors behind him.

Yet he could not stop now that he had come this far. The smoke spiraled upward through the treetops ahead, as he could hear the faint sound of voices, and then throaty laughter.

He realized now that he was not approaching a cabin, but a campsite.

And the voices were all masculine.

He looked over his shoulder, toward where he had left his warriors and his horse, where his rifle was secured on his saddle. Although his arrows were still in his quiver, the only other weapon he had with him was a sheathed knife.

Realizing how alone he was, and knowing the danger he could be in should those at the campsite be enemies, he started to turn back, but something made him continue on a bit farther.

When he came to a clearing, he leaped back into the shadows of the trees and found himself looking at his worst enemies—the Comanche renegades and none other than Big Nose.

Blue Thunder could not believe his luck that he had happened upon the very renegades he had been hunting for so long. Though he now knew they were not the ones responsible for his wife’s death, they had definitely committed countless atrocities.

Blue Thunder knew he was gazing upon a madman who was perhaps worse than any other. Big Nose and his renegade followers had surely gotten trapped on this side of the river by the higher waters. Blue Thunder was fairly certain that their hideout must be on the other side of the river, for he had never been able to find any trace of them on this side.

His heart pounding, he knew what he must do. He only hoped that he wasn’t discovered before he reached his warriors. Even one wrong step onto a twig, or an alarm sounded by frightened birds scattering overhead, could spell his doom. If the renegades caught him there, alone, he would either be killed instantly or tortured terribly before dying.

Carefully, stealthily, he ran back in the direction of his warriors.

He doubted that the renegades would be going anywhere soon, for the river was treacherous now, its current much too strong to be crossed on horseback.

He would have time to return to their campsite with his warriors. He would finally avenge those people whose lives had been ended by the heartless renegades.

Breathing hard because he had run so hard and fast, Blue Thunder finally caught sight of his warriors, who were still waiting for Proud Horse’s return.

He was as anxious to hear about Earl as he was to finally stop Big Nose and his renegade friends. But he could only fight one evil person at a time.

It was Big Nose who would be the first.

Wherever Earl Mingus was, he could not hide forever. Blue Thunder would never stop until he had avenged his wife’s death, and the torture Shirleen had been put through at the hands of that evil, golden-haired man.

Finally reaching his warriors, Blue Thunder stopped to catch his breath before telling them what he had seen.

One of his warriors realized that Blue Thunder needed a drink, and handed him a buckskin bag of water.

Blue Thunder nodded a thank you and eagerly took a drink.

When his thirst was quenched and he could breathe easily again, he quickly told his warriors whom he had seen.

“One of you stay behind to tell Proud Horse where we have gone. The rest of you, come with me,” Blue Thunder ordered. “Secure your horses and grab your bows. Leave your rifles behind, for this must be a silent kill. I do not want the pony soldiers at the fort to know what we are doing. And we are going by foot. We will surround the renegades, and this time make absolutely certain that Big Nose does not escape as he has in the past.”

The warriors all did as he told them, leaving one behind to tell Proud Horse where they were. The rest then followed Blue Thunder until they were close enough to the campsite to hear the crackling of the fire, and the loud, obnoxious voices of the renegades. One by one they took their places to surround the campsite.

Without giving any warning, they began firing arrows from their bowstrings, not giving the renegades any chance to fight back.

Soon Blue Thunder stepped out into the open and stood over the dead body of Big Nose, while his warriors went from renegade to renegade to make certain they were silenced forever.

Victorious, the warriors came together and let out loud whoops as they thrust their bows into the air over and over again.

Blue Thunder felt proud that he had finally put an end to the man he had loathed for so long. Big Nose and his companions would never terrorize the people of Wyoming again.

He gazed down at Big Nose and at the arrow that protruded from his chest. It was Blue Thunder’s arrow.

He then gazed at Big Nose’s open eyes, which were locked in a death stare.

“You will not kill or torture ever again,” Blue Thunder said, then motioned with his head in the direction of where they had left their steeds. “Put out the fire. Leave the dead where they lie. Soon the animals and birds will have their way with them. They do not deserve a decent burial after leaving so many dead and unburied across Wyoming land.”

The warriors hurried from the death scene, running until they reached their horses.

It was at that moment when Proud Horse came riding back, dismounting when he came alongside Blue Thunder.

“The man we hoped to stop today is gone, but not by riverboat,” Proud Horse said as he met his chief’s eyes, seeing instant disappointment in their depths. “I was told that he left the fort sometime in the night, for he was not in his cabin this morning. When the soldiers went to invite him to eat the morning meal, he and his daughter were gone.”

Proud Horse smiled. “Also I was told that the white woman who came to the fort was gone too this morning,” he said, chuckling. “They believe the woman, the man, and the child hooked up together somehow during the night and decided to take off on their own. The pony soldiers will not concern themselves about any of them again.”

Disgruntled, Blue Thunder hung his head. He had so hoped to put a stop to Earl Mingus once and for all.

Now he must search for the man.

He would not rest until Earl Mingus was found and killed, for while he was alive, and still living in this area, he was a constant threat to Shirleen and her daughter Megan.

Blue Thunder looked up and turned to Proud Horse. “You take several warriors and search for Earl Mingus,” he commanded. “But whether or not you find the villain, you must return by tomorrow morning, for it is then that I will place my uncle in his final resting place.”

Proud Horse placed a hand on Blue Thunder’s shoulder. “If at all possible, he will be found and brought to you, my chief,” he replied.

Suddenly Blue Thunder remembered that Proud Horse had no idea what had transpired in his absence. He told his most valued warrior about the attack on Big Nose.

“He . . . is . . . dead . . . ?” Proud Horse gasped, his eyes wide in wonder. The renegades are all dead?”

“Their evil deeds have been stopped forever,” Blue Thunder confirmed. “Their bodies lie even now as food for the forest animals and birds, who will make fast work of their flesh. There will be no more remaining of them than there was of the innocent people they left behind after their killing sprees. Clothes. Bones. Even Big Nose, with his horribly shaped and colored nose, will no longer be recognizable.”

“I heard no gunfire,” Proud Horse said, lifting an eyebrow.

“That is because there was none,” Blue Thunder replied, his eyes dancing. “Arrows are lodged in their bodies, not bullets.”

“That was clever, my chief, for gunfire would have been heard by the soldiers at the fort,” Proud Horse said. “Who is to say whether they would have condoned the killing, or condemned us as murderers? Your plan was the best for all concerned.”

“But now, my warrior, you must leave and search out the evil white man,” Blue Thunder said. “If you find him, silence him. But, remember, we do not want to draw undue attention to our vengeance.”

Proud Horse quickly gave Blue Thunder a bear hug, then chose the warriors who would ride with him. With their bows slung across their shoulders, their quivers filled with unused arrows, they rode away into the darkest depths of the forest.

Blue Thunder sighed heavily. Though he was proud of what had been achieved today, he was disappointed that Earl Mingus had eluded them.

He untied his reins and held them as he swung up into his saddle. The warriors who had stayed behind did the same.

As they turned and rode back in the direction of their village, Blue Thunder was lost in thought about Earl Mingus.

What had changed Earl’s mind about boarding the paddlewheeler? he wondered. Had he awakened from his drunken stupor to realize that he had been duped by a goldenhaired woman, who now had his daughter in her possession?

The man had wanted to be rid of both his daughter and his wife, but he would be furious if he realized somehow that they had been reunited. He would stop at nothing to find them, and if he succeeded, Blue Thunder did not even want to think about what he might do to them.

No matter what, Earl Mingus had to be found!

He had to be killed!

Or his woman’s nightmare would not be over at all.