The Last Patrol

[Scarlet Angel]

Jimmy's movement caught Eddie's eye. He walked over to where Jimmy had been dumped off his horse onto the ground and had been left tied next to Nicky. Black beard stood guard over them.

"What happened?" Jimmy asked.

"We've been arrested by Marshal Ross and his deputies." Eddie replied.

"I remember being shot by a woman." Jimmy said trying to rub his face only to find out his hands were bound behind his back.

"She shot you then she helped me patch you up."

"Where are the others?"

"Ted didn't make it. Nicky is ok and Charlie is over there."

Jimmy glanced in the direction Eddie had gestured. Charley was tied with his hands bound around a tree and a rope tied at his neck. Jimmy also noticed he was gagged and blind folded.

"They gonna kill us?" Jimmy asked.

Eddie looked towards Black beard. The man made the hair on his neck stand on end and sent chills down his spine. He  could imagine the big man removing his spine with a hard jerk if he got mad enough.

"Why aren't you tied up?" Jimmy asked.

"I've been cooperating, helping clean up the mess Charley made."

Jimmy wasn't sure how to respond. He started to wonder if Eddie could get them free but right now he was thirsty. "I'm thirsty can I have something to drink?"

Eddie looked up at Black Beard. Who looked over to Tensleep.

"They can use one of their own canteens." Tensleep replied.

[Elegant Ella]

Ella stood when Carrie came back into the tipi with her saddlebags, followed by two of the midwives. 

"Where is the third one?" she asked Carrie.

"Crying."

Ella bowed her head in acknowlegement then gestured for everyone to sit.  Out of the saddlebags she pulled a bottle of pure alcohol, a mortar and pestle, and a wide mouthed jar with a tight-fitting lid.  Out of her pockets came packets of herbs. 

She explained and demonstrated how she made the two components of her potion.  The first was an extraction of black cohosh with alcohol.  After the dried roots were broken up in the mortar and pestle, they were put in the jar and covered with the alcohol to steep for several days.  Because it would be hard for them to get alcohol of enough purity, Ella assured them that the patient could chew the dried root to get the benefit, but said that a water extraction was not as effective.

The second component was a decotion of willow bark and lavender.  The midwives already knew how to brew willow bark for pain relief.  The lavender was unfamiliar to them, but Ella tried to assure them that it was not required for the potion to work. 

The oldest woman asked a question.  Carrie's translation was, "What you do if potion and massage not work?"   Ella thought that Carrie's English was getting better with practice.

Ella answered while pulling another bottle out of her pocket, "Then I would resort to white man's medicine.  This is chloroform.  Breathing enough of it makes you sleep and feel no pain."  She opened the bottle and let them smell the cap. 

"Why you not use that first?"

"Because you cannot use it the next time a baby needs to be turned.  Even if you have a bottle of chloroform, you need to know how much to use, because too much can kill.  Massage, heat pack, black cohosh and willowbark you have and know how to use."

The women talked among themselves, sometimes touching the things spread out before them. 

The oldest woman introduced herself, "I am Singing Lark.  My man is White Elk, our chief.  Blue Moon and Red Bear are my sons.  You said the outlaws are dead or captured by Marshal.  What he do with them?"

"I haven't talked to him about that yet.  He might plan to take them to jail so they can be tried for their crimes.  Most of them are accused of many crimes in many places."

The women looked angry and sounded scornful, "White man's justice.  Put in jail a little time, then let free to murder again." 

"I want to have a trial here, to decide which of them are guilty of murdering Blue Moon and hurting Red Bear.  Those ones should be given to you and Summer Rain and Desert Rose to punish.  The others, we would take."

The women talked among themselves again, then Singing Lark said, "I talk to my man, he talk to Marshal.  Trial here or we take all captives."

"Two are my captives, and it is my responsibility to protect them until they can be given a trial,"  Ella said stubbornly.

"How are they your captives?  Marshal has captives."

"I shot and wounded one brother.  His brother surrendered in order to tend the wound.  Scarlet and I together captured Charley.  Scarlet killed two others.  Black beard captured the last one."

"Charley is your captive too.  You responsible for him?"

"I would rather carry a rattlesnake in my skirt than try to take Charley to jail.  The rattlesnake is less dangerous."

[Scarlet Angel]

Eddie looked towards Charley wondering if he should offer him a drink. Charley couldn't see him and Eddie just as soon stay away from Charley.

"Give 'em a drink." Jimmy said almost as if to read Eddie's mind.

He walked to Charley and reached down to remove the gag.

"Leave it." He heard her say. Which seemed to anger Charley.

"How can he drink if I don't remove it?" Eddie asked Scarlet.

"He can drink through the gag." She said.

Eddie looked at the gag. It was blood, dirt and sweat stained. He frowned at the thought of what it might taste like. "Do you want something to drink?" He asked.

Eddie could make out "No" as the man tried to thrash around. Eddie returned to his brother and sat the canteen down next to him. The wound was slightly seeping through Jimmy's bandage. Eddie unwrapped it to make sure nothing had been disturbed from the movement.

Jimmy watched him. Then looked to the posse members. They were watching but Jimmy wasn't sure how closely.

"You think you could get us out of here?" He whispered to his brother.

Eddie wasn't all that surprised to hear the question. "No."

"No you don't think so or no you're not going to even try?" Jimmy was irritated but kept his voice quiet.

"It is our opportunity to get away from Charley."

"You'd rather hang than ride with Charley? You do know that's what they're gonna do to ya dontcha?"

"I ain't done anything to hang for. If I stay with Charley I no doubt will be held responsible for some of his actions if it's not already to late. If I try to escape they will no doubt just shoot me. Ella is not here and she seemed to be the most tolerant one. I would rather be shot by one of them than be stuck being Charley's dog."

Jimmy just shook his head thinking it was a hell of a time for Eddie to grow a spine.

Eddie replaced the bandage on Jimmy's leg then went over to see what Scarlet was doing to some of the burns on Red Bear.

Scarlet had boiled some weed as far as Eddie could tell and was laying the leaves over some of the burns on Red Bear's body.

"What are you doing?"

"It helps ease the pain. I ran out of the ointment Ella gave me using it on his hands and feet. This is something his people know."

"And the ointment Ella gave you?"

"His people know that too."

Eddie was about to ask more questions when the sound of approaching horses interrupted.

[1stSgt Fritz King]

"Men," he began, "I don't intend to change anything.  This is still Major Schurmann's unit.  I'm just going to use it for a little while."

That got a few chuckles. 

"I have complete faith and confidence in my NCO's, and will do my level best not to get in their business.  However, I intend to lead from the front.  If that pisses some people off, so be it.  I won't ask you to do anything I haven't done myself, or that I'm not willing to do."

Some faces brightened.  Some were still unsure.

"That being said, I leave you in the capable hands of your First Sergeant."

As if on cue, Scott started back toward the front.

"Company...Attention!"  Heels snapped together.

"First Sergeant, take charge of your soldiers, and carry out the plan of the day."

Scott nodded and saluted.  "Aye sir."

As Fritz marched off, he heard Scott yell over his shoulder, "Tend to your mounts.  Fall out!"

As much as he wanted to go with them, Fritz knew it wasn't his place to do so.  He returned to his tent to sew on his straps.

[Elegant Ella]

Eddie tried to shrink into Scarlet's shadow when he saw the dozen or more Indians riding up.  Two boys and an old man dismounted next to Red Bear.  The old man spoke, and Red Bear seemed to relax a little. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the warriors circled around, whooping and hollering.  The sound made Eddie want to run, but there was no way to escape the circle.  He wanted to hide, but there was not really any place to hide, either. 

He looked at the Marshal and the others.  The Marshal was sitting, calmly smoking his pipe as though friendly neighbors had come to call.  Black beard was still watching the tied-up prisoners.  Scarlet was continuing to treat Red Bear's burns. 

Eddie's fear receded a bit as he wondered, "Why weren't they afraid of these savages?"

The Marshal got up, and started talking to the old man while the boys arranged a travois for the blanket-wrapped body.  Eddie was glad that he had wrapped it up carefully.  Seeing it on the stake might have made the Indians angry.

"Time to load up," announced the Marshal. 

Black beard gestured to Eddie, and he ran to obey.  Eddie held the reins of each outlaw's horse as Blackbeard loaded it.  When the first horse was loaded with Ted's body, Black beard signaled, and one of the warriors came close. 

Eddie almost gave into his fear, but he stood his ground and handed the reins to the warrior at Black beard's command.   

The process was repeated.  The warrior who collected Frank's horse asked something.  Scarlet answered, and pointed at the fire pit.  The warrior poked around with the tip of his spear and picked up something black and spidery.  Eddie realized what had happened to Frank's hands.  If there had been anything in Eddie's stomach, he would have lost it. 

Jimmy asked, "Can I sit the horse instead of being slung over it?" 

Black beard let him mount up. 

Eddie tensed up, afraid that his brother was going to try to escape.  An attempt would be suicide with these Indians around, and Eddie did not want to see his brother killed.  Jimmy tugged, but he didn't try very hard to take the reins away from Eddie. 

Eddie recognized the warrior who took Jimmy's reins as the one he and Jimmy had pulled down and subdued.  The warrior seemed to recognize him as well, but just took the reins and left. 

Red Bear had been loaded onto another travois, and the boys and old man had already headed out.
 
Only Charley was left to be loaded.  Charley struggled when Black beard tried to hoist him onto his horse, and Eddie had to grab the bridle to keep the horse steady while the Marshal and Scarlet came over to help.  Charley got one Indian holding the reins, and three others surrounding the horse. 

Eddie helped Scarlet dump dirt on the fire pit, before they mounted up.  Eddie rode over next to Scarlet, and silently offered her his reins. 

[Scarlet Angel]

Scarlet looked at the reins Eddie held out. Her first thought was to let one of the warriors have the reins. He leaned over and held them closer to her hand as if to read her thoughts, her eyes traveled up his arm to his face. Scarlet always thought herself a good judge of character as she looked at him. Eddie's eyes told her he was young, scared and disgusted with his brother and more with himself.

She took the reins. "Have you ever shot at a man Eddie?"

"No." He looked down as if ashamed of himself, not that he'd not shot at people, at the fact he was even being associated with people the likes of Charley. "I was shooting the ground next to me when Ella shot Jimmy. Why do you ask?" He said looking back at her curiously.

"You don't act like a man who has seen a lot of death. A man who's heart has turned cold enough you kill and torture to feel anything at all, like Charley,  mostly you don't seem to have the stomach for it."

"When I rode off with Jimmy I could hear ma yellin' after me I wasn't like my brother, not to go. I wish I woulda listened to her but I was tired of the boring life of a farmer."

"There are times I regret not listening to my ma too, but as she would say 'You've made your bed now you must lie in it.'" Scarlet said moving out to follow Tensleep and the others.

They rode in silence for a while; Scarlet could tell Eddie was thinking on something before he finally asked. "What was the point of cutting off Frank's hands and burning them?

"Frank's hands were removed because some cultures believe a soul will not pass to the next world unless his body is intact. Without his hands he cannot pass to the next world, and if he somehow manages to he will not be able to do much without hands will he."

"They wonder why we call them heathens." He said softly.

Scarlet looked over at Eddie. "Red Bear will not have to worry about the evil sprit of Frank coming to harm him or his family again. I burned his hands so they would be useless even if his soul was able to find them."

Eddie sighed thinking he had probably insulted her again.

[Scarlet Angel]

Charley's head pounded. Who ever had hit him hit him hard. It was probably King, Eddie couldn't hit that hard, but he was sure he'd heard other voices. Being tied over the saddle was not helping him concentrate on his problem at hand. He could hear very little, he had to admire Coatsworth for thinking of tying something over his ears. He'd never thought of that one. He could hear the pounding in his head and the steps of the horses. There were many close to him. He was sure he'd heard more people arrive, Indians. Coatsworth had probably brought them back although he'd not heard her voice for some time now. He was sure he'd felt the hands of more than two people when he was thrown over the saddle.

He thought about struggling but he heard voices so he lay quite and listened. It was the voice of the blonde deputy and a man, he'd heard the mans voice before, it wasn't one of his men. He figured maybe the marshal if the two women were deputies. He'd like to get a look at a man wise enough to put himself in a position of surrounding himself with women, both easy on the eyes. When he got tired of them he probably sent them after some wanted man to get rid of them. Good planning.

Tensleep rode up next to Scarlet. "What's your take on this situation?"

"You said as far as you were concerned Carrie Moore didn't exist. As far as I'm concerned Firehorse Charley was shot by some Mexican and died with most of his gang. They've already identified him. You showed me the paperwork yourself." Scarlet replied.

Tensleep raised an eyebrow but her response was really no surprise to him. Their thoughts ran a parallel line when it came to things like this most of the time. It was no wonder the late Marshal Hart had locked horns with her so often. He would have fought to take them all to trial. Hart had been a good marshal but very much by the letter of the law and would have fought to take these men back for trial. Scarlet defiantly had her own views on laws.

"What about these others?"

"Red Bear says Eddie and Jimmy pulled Circling Falcon from his horse. They fought about it. Red Bear says he thinks Jimmy clouds Eddie's thoughts and makes him follow by pretending to be something he is really not. He feels sorrow for the young brother."

"Red Bear doesn't speak much English. You two have said a lot to Red Bear to not speak his language very well." Tensleep stated.

Scarlet half smiled. "I said I was out of practice. He spoke slow enough, but if you want to confirm what he said I don't care if you ask him."

Tensleep chuckled. "I got no need to question what you say Scarlet. You should know that by now. What else did Red Bear say to you?"

"Frank was as bad as Charley and I'm guessing it was Ted who liked beating on them also from what he said. He identified Jimmy as not being as aggressive as the others and Eddie being even less."

Tensleep shook his head in understanding then rode quietly turning the information over in his mind.
   

[Elegant Ella]

A lively discussion about treatments for burns that was stretching Carrie's ability to translate was interrupted by shouts announcing the return of White Elk and the others. Ella followed the other women out of Carrie's tipi, but didn't join them around Red Bear's travois.  She watched the warriors ride in, five of them leading outlaws' horses.  Circling Falcon had Jimmy, who was the only one sitting on a horse instead of slung across it.  Ella remembered that she hadn't taken the bullet out of his wound yet. 

Her friends were near the end of the procession, with Tensleep leading his mule and Scarlet leading Eddie's mount with Eddie astride and still untied.  Ella walked over to them and asked Scarlet in Comanche, "How has Eddie been behaving? I found a little time to review what we had on Charley's band.  There is paper on Jimmy, enough to earn him jail time but not a noose. We didn't have anything on Eddie, which makes sense if he was telling the truth about joining within the past month." 

[Scarlet Angel]

"Eddie has been very cooperative. Red Bear told me Eddie and Jimmy fought while they were pulling him from his horse. I don't think he has the mind or heart to ride with the likes of Charley very long, but he is not without guilt. There's paper work on Nicky, I remember seeing it at the office. I would expect him to try to escape sooner or later. There is a short rope in his future." Scarlet replied. "Did you make it in time to help Red Bear's wife?"

[Elegant Ella]

"Yes, mother and son seem to be doing well.  The chief's wife needed just a little more knowledge," replied Ella.  "She's Red Bear's mother.  She'll probably be able to do as much for his burns as I can, although I should take a look as well.  I think she will invite me to do that, but she distrusts white man's medicine."

Eddie waited as patiently as he could for Scarlet and Ella to finish their conversation in that different language.  He thought they might be talking about him because Ella had looked at him. 

They stopped talking.  Eddie asked, "How are the mother and baby?  Scarlet told me I should pray for their well-being." 

"They seem to be doing well," answered Ella. "Thank you for asking." 

White Elk and a few warriors had come up to talk to Tensleep as soon as he dismounted.  After a few minutes of conversation, Tensleep turned to his deputies, "They want to hold a trial here to decide which of these outlaws we get to take to jail.  Seems that Ella claimed two of the captives as hers, and they appreciate her help with the birth enough to give her a chance to argue for their lives."

[Scarlet Angel]

Scarlet looked at Ella "I told Tensleep Charley was identified as being shot and killed. As far as the courts are concerned he is already dead. As far as I am concerned we've only apprehended what was left of his gang. I wouldn't waste my breath arguing for his life."

[Elegant Ella]

"Letting the tribe make Charley be physically dead to match the court's belief sounds fine to me.  The two captives I would argue for are Eddie and Jimmy, provided they did nothing to Red Bear or to Blue Moon." 

Circling Falcon came over to the posse to collect Eddie, and to tell them that Carrie had food for them in the tipi. 

Eddie looked to Ella for help, but she didn't try to stop the Indian from taking him. 

"Eddie, they are not planning to hurt you, so please cooperate.  If you struggle, they will subdue you by force.  Remember that they respect courage," said Ella, before she turned away from him to lead the posse to Carrie's tipi. 

Charley hadn't been able to hear the blonde and the man for a while.  The voices around him were speaking some Indian jabber instead of English. He felt the horse stop, and then he was dumped off the horse, dragged a few feet, and tied standing to a post.  The post was set pretty solidly in the ground, which was a good thing since his legs were all pins and needles. 

From the sounds he could make out, the rest of his men were being treated the same way. 

Finally, someone cut loose the gag and the blindfold.  He opened his eyes and saw an Indian with a big knife. 

[Scarlet Angel]

Charley's eyes darted around trying to asses his current situation.

The two women were following an Indian followed closely by two men. One of which he was sure of was one of the voices he'd heard; the big one must have been the one to put him on his horse earlier. The stake to the left of Charley held Ted's lifeless body.  The stake to the right held Frank's body. From where he stood Charley could see Frank was missing his hands. His eyes fell on the spear next to Frank. Two small charred objects dangling bound together from it.  Charlie wondered who had cut and burned Frank's hands, most likely one of the Indians.

"So this is what it feels like to be in fear of my life." Charley thought. It was the same excitable feeling as taking another's life. "There was always a way out until you were dead." Charley thought as his eyes fell back on Ella.

"Deputy Coatsworth. No doubt I deserve to hang according to your posters, but won't you give me the chance at a fair trial. Will you walk away and let them shoot me and cut off my hands?" He called out.

[Elegant Ella]

Ella stopped when Charley called her and went back to talk to him.  "You are going to get a trial, but not for anything on the wanted posters.  You and your surviving companions will be tried here, today for the murder of Blue Moon and the torture of Red Bear.  We will hear testimony from Red Bear and Circling Falcon, and from any of your men willing to tell the truth."

"But they're just Injuns. Half the time, the government offers a bounty for killing redskins," protested Charley. "It can't be a fair trial, a legal trial, without a jury of white men."

"You've made a mistaken assumption.  The law I serve wasn't made up by white men working as lawyers and politicians.  The law I serve is found in the Old Testament - an eye for an eye, a hand for a hand, a life for a life.  By that law, you can expect to be treated the same way as you have treated others."  Ella's voice was cold. "I really doubt that they will shoot you.  That's much too fast a death.  How long did Blue Moon take to die?  They will try to keep you alive that long, at least."  She turned her back on him and followed the rest of her posse. 

[Scarlet Angel]

Charley thought better of yelling after Ella just how long it had taken Blue Moon to die. He would take a different approach when he saw her later. He struggled but the knots were holding tight.

"How's still alive back there?" He called to the bodies behind him.

"Me, Jimmy and Eddie." Nicky replied.

"Can you get lose?"

Nicky was working the knots in his rope. "Workin' it Charley." He replied.

"Can you see what they're gonna do to us if we don't get outta here?"

"Yep." The reply came from both Jimmy and Nicky.

Eddie remained quiet thinking Ella was right. If the Indians chose beat him to death then so be it. A man was dead because of his help and he couldn't give that life back to the man's family.

As the posse walked Singing Lark flanked Scarlet. "My son says you treated his burns. What do you know of burns?" She asked wondering if Scarlet understood her.

"More than any one person should have to." Scarlet replied to Singing Lark's surprise. Scarlet looked at the woman. "I am not Ella. Ella has a much better touch with most healing but I've been taught the ways of the Elders by my Comanche brothers. My white brother would have died of burns if it had not been for them and what they could teach me. I treated your son like I treated him."

"How bad was your brother?"

"Shot and left to die in a burning house. His wounds were bad, different places than Red Bear's."

Singing Lark shook her head in understanding and went back to her son when the posse entered the tipi. 

[Elegant Ella]

Ella had been hungry, and she knew she needed to eat.  But the conversation with Charley and the thought that her words might be all that stood between her prisoners and death at Indian hands were tying her stomach up in knots.  The food was good, hot roast meat and freshly baked flatbread, but Ella had to force herself to eat more than a few bites. 

She finished her meal, listening to conversation in a mixture of languages.  She had picked up a few words of Cheyenne so far, but hadn't gotten any sense of the grammar or structure of the language yet.  She waited until the others had all eaten before taking a pocket kit out of her saddlebag. Ella stood and announced, "I still need to get the bullet out of Jimmy's leg."

Black beard went with her. 

Jimmy was scornful when she arrived, "What's the point of taking out the bullet if these savages are just going to murder me anyway?"

Ella replied calmly while she worked, in spite of the tension inside, "They aren't savages.  They have a code of law and sense of justice.  They will only kill you if you helped murder Blue Moon and helped torture Red Bear.  If all you did was hit Circling Falcon with an empty hand, then Circling Falcon will hit you with an empty hand.  You will be given a chance to testify, to say what you did and what the others did."

Black beard checked the ropes tying the prisoners while Ella was working.  He called her over to Nicky's stake when she was finished.  Nicky had stopped working but the rope was visibly looser than it should be.  Black beard tightened the ropes and added more knots. 

"I've got another use for his sleeves," she said, using Charley's knife again to cut his sleeves off his arms.  She took the pieces of fabric and wrapped each of Nicky's hands.  "I doubt if he can loosen knots with his fists." 

Charley called out to her, "Don't you care about white people getting to see me go to trial for all the things on the posters? What right have you to deprive them of the satisfaction of seeing me hang?" 

"You were already reported as dead.  The families of your victims are trying to get on with their lives, and won't want to hear that you are still breathing."  Ella paused a moment then continued, "However, the ghosts of your victims knew you were still alive.  They have been waiting for you, and are gathering here.  Can't you hear them whispering around you?"

[Scarlet Angel]

"Been my observations families of victims want answers. Why my husband. That sort of thing. Those answers will die with me." Charley replied then chuckled "I don't believe in ghosts."

Ella cocked her head in a listening pose, then said, "That's okay.  The ghosts say they believe in you."

Charley snorted, "That's just flies buzzing."

Ella smiled a knowing smile and asked, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." He said.

Black beard stopped next to Ella. "You must have killed a bunch of folks that are waitin' on your soul. It's awful cold here." He said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Charley spat feeling himself getting angry and nervous that they had the upper hand.

"Ain't you never been around people who are getting ready to pass to the next world? When ghosts are present there is coolness in the air. Some say they can see the ghosts." Black beard replied.

Scarlet had come out of the tipi she stopped next to Ella and Black beard and stared at Charley for a moment as if someone was talking to her.

"Isaiah Thomas says he is certain your soul will leave it's earthly form and he has been waiting years to be able to see again."

"I don't even know who that is."

Scarlet watched him for another long moment. "Black man, you slit his stomach open just enough to peel back the skin and but burning embers under it."

"You're just trying to spook me. You could have read that in the wanted posters." Charley said nervously.

Truth was Scarlet had done her homework before she thought of going after Charley and knew a lot about his victims. She wasn't seeing anything next to him but she could feel the coolness in the air surrounding him.

"You stole his favorite horse and rode him into the ground." Scarlet said remembering some of the conversation from Isaiah's son. "You will know the pain suffered by his horse too."

Charley glared at her. Scarlet shrugged her shoulders. "You don't have to believe anything I say. I don't care." She said before walking off.

Black Beard looked after Scarlet wondering just what she did see.

[Elegant Ella]

"Your victims were just whoever crossed your path at the wrong moment.  You don't even know names for most of your victims, so how can you have any answers for the families?" said Ella.  "Maybe you just hear flies buzzing.  If they aren't ghosts, why do you have so many more flies around you?  There are more flies around you than there are on the corpses to either side of you.  Jimmy and Eddie don't have any flies at all. Nicky's got a few." 

There always were lots of flies around him.  It was just the fact that he was tied up and couldn't swat at them that made his skin itch so much where fly feet were walking around.  Some of the flies were biting, too. 

Tensleep and the members of the tribe were coming for the trial.  As they settled facing the stakes with the prisoners, it looked like White Elk and Tensleep were going to act jointly as the judge. 

Ella went to where Eddie and Jimmy were tied.  "I claimed you two as my prisoners, so the tribe is allowing me to argue for your lives. Did you ever read 'Julius Caesar' by Shakespeare?"

Eddie answered, "Yes, in school a long time ago."

Jimmy said, "I don't remember.  Never had much use for school."

"One quote from that play that should be remembered is 'Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste death but once.' Indians of all the tribes I've met so far respect courage and despise cowardice.  The surest way to be killed by Indians is to try running away from them.  Today, your best chance of survival will be to answer questions fully and politely, and confess exactly what you did when the three Indians rode into your camp.   Don't worry about what Charley would do to you if you told the truth about what you have seen him do. You won't be expected to say anything about what you have done before since the tribe doesn't care about your crimes against anyone else."

[Scarlet Angel]

"Why do you give a damn about what happens to us?" Jimmy asked.

[Elegant Ella]

"You, because I patched you up.  Eddie, because he surrendered in order to tend your wound," answered Ella. "And because I do prefer to see justice done. If you didn't do anything to Blue Moon and to Red Bear, you don't deserve to be killed by their family. Delaying the messengers doesn't seem to have caused any permanent damage to Desert Rose and her son. Eddie even delivered part of the message promptly."