by Nann Dunne
Sarah gave Drummer's reins to Daniel. "Hold onto these with one hand," she said. "Not tight, but not loose either. The horse has to know you're in control. Both horses are neck-reined. That means you just lay the rein against their necks in the direction you want them to go and give it a little tug that way." She slipped her hand into the leather halter. "Kick your heels into Drummer's sides, and he'll move for you." She guided the horse around the edge of the corral and had Daniel practice turning him. "Now, you want him to stop. You can use one hand or two, but pull back on both reins, steady and firm."
Drummer stopped and Sarah heard Daniel let out a breath. "Good job, Daniel. I think you can handle Drummer by yourself. Practice a few times around the corral until you feel comfortable."
Benjamin brought out Redfire and mounted him. He and Sarah watched as Daniel got used to riding. "All right, bring Drummer to me," she said. When he stopped in front of her, she patted the horse's neck. "Good boy, Drummer. Daniel, always get on and off a horse from the left side and keep hold of the reins. Watch Benjamin." She made an arm gesture to Benjamin, and he swung his leg over Redfire's hindquarters and dismounted. Daniel mimicked his motions, got down, and handed Drummer's reins to Sarah.
"Now you get to try Redfire."
"No!" Benjamin stepped back and pulled Redfire with him. "Redfire's mine."
Sarah cocked her head and looked at him. "What did you say?"
Benjamin stuck his bottom lip out. "Redfire's mine."
Sarah rubbed her chin. "Funny, I thought Redfire was mine."
"Mama and I saved him."
"Saved him for...?"
Benjamin's shoulders slumped. "For you."
"You get to ride him most of the time, don't you?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Today I'd like to let Daniel see what it's like to ride him. Isn't that fair?"
Daniel spoke up. "I's happy to just ride Drummer, Miss Sarah." His words said one thing, but his expression said something else.
Sarah patted his shoulder. "It's true Benjamin will usually ride Redfire. But I want you to have a chance to ride him, too. To get used to him, just in case."
Benjamin brought Redfire close to Daniel and handed him the reins. "I'm sorry," Benjamin said in a quiet voice.
Without prompting, Daniel walked to the left side and mounted as though he'd been doing it all his life. He leaned forward, rubbed Redfire's neck, and murmured to him. With a kick, he walked Redfire around the corral.
"He's good with horses." Benjamin sounded reluctant, but his words made Sarah smile.
She laid her arm around his shoulders. "So are you. I appreciate your apology. I wasn't trying to be mean to you. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes, ma'am. Daniel wanted to ride Redfire, same as I used to. Still do."
Sarah gave his shoulders a squeeze then dropped her arm. "Well, after me, he's yours."
Benjamin hugged his arms close to his chest and looked content.
Each time another article about the Ku Klux Klan appeared, Faith read it aloud in the living room after supper. The latest one spoke of a group burning a cross on a yard in the next town. "This burning of a cross seems to be a sign they've adopted to prove their moral right to attack those they don't like," she said. "As if God would condone such bigotry."
"They's gettin' close." Noah twined and untwined the fingers of his large hands.
"Yes," Sarah said. "Too close."
"We should leave," Velia said. "We don't want to cause you no harm."
Faith rattled the newspaper and spoke firmly. "If anyone causes us harm, it won't be you. You're not responsible for what these hooded criminals are doing."
"Besides," Sarah said, "we'd be in danger even if you weren't here. Some people think Faith and I are breaking God's laws, or their interpretation of them, by living together. Some condemn me for dressing like a man. Either of those might be reason enough to attack us. These are hazardous times for both families."
That seemed to strike everyone dumb. Sarah looked from Velia to Noah to Faith, including the two boys in her glance. "Everyone just stay extra alert."
Early Saturday evening, while it was still light outside, Sarah sat in a soft chair in her office. Rain had pattered on the roof all night. It had stopped earlier, but it left a gloomy day that grew even gloomier as time wore on. Sarah lit the oil lamp on her desk to provide light to see by. Even the inside air had a dank smell.
The dampness made the old injury to her leg throb, and she had the leg resting on an ottoman that Leah had made when she lived there. A folder of papers lay exposed on her lap, and she wrote on one of the papers with a yellow pencil.
A knock at the door interrupted her. Before she could answer, the door flew open and Velia appeared, looking scared. Her voice shook, and her whole body trembled. "Somethin's happened to Noah."
Sarah jumped up and winced as she put weight on her sore leg. The folder slipped to the floor and papers scattered. "Is he hurt?"
"I can't find him. He ain't nowhere." In a daze, Velia bent down to pick up the papers. Sarah touched her arm.
"Leave those. Tell me what happened."
Velia pointed outside. "He was in the barn. He meant to soap the leather, he said. I went to see how he was doin', and he was gone."
The women left the house and hurried toward the barn.
Inside, flat cans of saddle soap and several rags lay tumbled about on the floor. Sarah hobbled to the open door that led into the corral and looked into the distance. Straight out, the land was flat, but to the left the forest ran on for many miles and gradually merged into low rolling mountains. Last night's rain had softened the ground in the corral, and she could see a mixture of footprints leading through the gate and disappearing into the longer grass. She pointed to them. "Someone's taken him toward the woods."
Sarah heard a noise near the wide doors at the front of the barn. A moment later, Benjamin and Daniel came in, leading Drummer and the wagon. Faith had taken the boys into town to do some clothes shopping. Sarah looked at Benjamin. "Did your mama go in the house?"
"Yes, ma'am. What's wrong?"
"Noah's missing." Sarah cringed when she saw the look on Daniel's face. Damn, she could have been more sensitive. "Daniel, unhook Drummer and put him in his stall. Benjamin, saddle Redfire and tie on the rifle scabbard. Velia, come with me."
"But where's my pa?" Daniel said.
"I don't know, but I'll sure find out. Do what I said. I'll be right back." Sarah and Velia went to the house.
"Faith," Sarah said as they entered, "Noah's missing."
Two paper bags sat on the kitchen table. Faith stopped in mid-motion of removing her raincoat. "Missing? Noah?"
"Yes." Sarah lifted a brown lightweight jacket from the rack near the door. "Some tracks going away from the barn show he was taken against his will." She shrugged on the jacket and donned her slouch hat. She picked up her rifle that stood next to the other in the corner of the room and collected a box of shells from a drawer.
Faith finished removing her coat and put a hand to her throat. "You're going after him? Shouldn't we get Sheriff Schmidt to do that?"
"Send Benjamin to get him. I can't wait. Someone needs to get after Noah right away." As she spoke, she checked the rifle load and stepped toward Faith. She leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss.
Faith held her shoulders for a moment. "Be careful, Sarah."
Sarah nodded and moved away. "Velia, I'll be back with Noah as soon as I can."
Velia's teeth were chattering as she whispered, "Thank you, Miss Sarah."
Faith watched from the front door as Sarah rode into the woods. She went back into the house and called from the kitchen, "Benjamin! Daniel! Come here." No one answered and Faith looked at Velia. "Did you see the boys?"
"They was here a minute ago."
"Look upstairs. I'll check outside." Faith went out the back door and called the boys again. Still no answer. She ran to the barn and saw that Drummer was missing. No boys and no horse. F
aith gasped. Did they follow Sarah? No, she told herself. Wouldn't she have seen them from the front porch if they had? They sure picked the wrong time to go for a ride.
She hurried back inside. "I can't find the boys anywhere," she said to Velia. "Drummer's gone, so maybe they're out riding around."
"How's we goin' to get the sheriff?"
"Let's wait here. It'll be dark soon. The boys should be back before either of us could walk into town. I know that's not a satisfying answer, but it would take close to two hours to get to town on foot. Sarah will have found the kidnappers long before that." And then what?
"Might Miss Sarah get hurt, too?" Velia spoke the words Faith dare not think.
"Sarah's an excellent shot and she has a repeating rifle. She knows how to take care of herself." But Faith's knees shook so hard she had to sit at the table. "Let's hope she finds them in a hurry." Before they hurt Noah, was what she thought, but she couldn't bring herself to say that to Velia. Faith's words about Sarah being able to take care of herself were true, but she still worried. Sarah was bold enough to endanger herself without a second thought, and certainly she was outnumbered.
"You want some tea, Miss Faith?"
"No, but thank you for asking." Faith felt helpless and agitated. She jumped up and headed for the front door. "Let's sit on the porch. It's cool now that the sun's going down."
The women went outside and sat in the wicker rockers, propelling them to and fro as though their energy could hasten the safe return of their loved ones.
Sarah rode Redfire alongside the footprints into the forest.
In the dim light filtering through the trees, she couldn't see the trail from horseback, so she dismounted and led Redfire by his reins. She had made little headway when she heard a noise behind her. Her body tensed, and she slipped the rifle from its scabbard. She breathed easier when Drummer came into view. Benjamin sat in the saddle, and as he rode closer, Sarah saw Daniel perched behind him, holding on tightly with one arm. Each boy held a Spencer rifle.
"Benjamin, go home," Sarah said in a harsh voice. "This could be dangerous. I don't know what I'm going to find."
Benjamin stopped Drummer, and he and Daniel got down. "We can't do that, Aunt Sarah. We want to help."
"You were supposed to go for the sheriff."
"Mama can take care of that. You taught me it's best that every expedition should have a reserve. We're your reserve."
Sarah couldn't argue with that, but another thought occurred to her. "How's your mama supposed to get the sheriff without Drummer?" Their house was a good four miles from the center of town.
Benjamin glanced toward Daniel. Both boys looked guilty, and they shrugged. "We didn't think of that," Benjamin said.
Sarah's mind flicked to a picture of Faith's stricken face. "Did you even tell your mothers that you were leaving?"
"No'm." Daniel looked as serious as Sarah had ever seen him. "Benjamin saddled Redfire and I saddled Drummer. We hitched Redfire outside the barn, got the rifles and Drummer, and ran into the woods afore you even left. They couldn't stop us, anyways. We mean to save Pa."
She glared at them, then her expression softened. "Let's get moving. We're wasting time."
Benjamin's gaze went to the marks Sarah had been following, then back to Sarah. "Wouldn't it be faster to ride?"
"I tried that, but I can't see the trail from horseback."
"But we can," he said in a firm voice. He and Daniel jumped back on Drummer. "Follow us."
Damn, Sarah thought, I know my eyesight isn't as good as theirs. The misgivings she had about them showing up eased. She sheathed the rifle, mounted Redfire, and followed the boys.
They made good progress. Within fifteen minutes, Benjamin halted Drummer and Sarah moved alongside. He pointed forward. "I hear men's voices."
"Good," Sarah said. "Leave the horses here. We'll sneak up on foot. Follow me, and try not to tread on any fallen twigs. Make sure to hide behind a large tree when we get within eyesight."
They dismounted and Sarah pulled out her rifle. She stepped in front of the boys. "Keep your weapons pointed at the ground, don't speak, and don't shoot unless I tell you to. Understand?" The boys nodded, and with a wave of her hand, Sarah led them forward.
They came upon a grass clearing, softly lit by the waning sun. Sarah's heart clenched at the sight in front of them. Noah knelt with his face against a large maple tree, tied from one hand to the other by a rope around the trunk. A semicircle of hooded figures, wearing what looked like pillowcases on their heads and white sheets around their bodies, stood just on the near side of the tree. One man was tearing Noah's shirt from his body while another man stood ready with a whip.
Sarah grabbed Daniel who had surged forward. "Daniel," she whispered loud enough for both boys to hear, "I want you and Benjamin to each stand behind a tree and aim your rifles in the air. When I signal, shoot into the sky a couple of times. I want the group to think we have several people here. I think we can scare them off." She pushed Daniel behind one tree and made sure Benjamin had gone to another.
Just as the white-garbed man lifted the whip, Sarah signaled the boys and the three of them shot twice into the air. The group seemed stunned at first, then four of them ran off. A moment later, hoofbeats could be heard. Three of the four men remaining shot toward Sarah and the boys. Two had muskets, one a handgun. The man holding the whip, however, raised the whip again, and struck Noah's back with a loud thwack.
"Stop!" Sarah yelled. She stepped to the edge of the clearing with her rifle aimed at the men. "Or we'll shoot." The figure with the whip half turned toward her but raised the whip again. She heard a rifle crack from behind her, and the man crumpled to the ground. Two of the group grabbed his arms, and they all ran farther into the woods, dragging him with them. Sarah waited until she heard horses leaving.
She and the boys ran to Noah. As she cut the rope binding him to the tree, Sarah noted his face looked battered. He fell sideways to the ground, and Daniel put down his rifle and knelt beside him. "Pa," he said, patting the side of Noah's face, "are you all right?" Noah nodded and slowly righted himself.
"A little sore in the back," he said, frowning. "I'm beholden to you, Miss Sarah. I hardly believed it when I heard the shots." Sarah gave him a hand up, and he continued. "I saw that skunk go down. You saved me from a mean whuppin'."
Daniel jumped up, retrieved the rifle, and waved it. "I shot him, Pa."
A mixture of pride and fear crossed Noah's bruised face. "Good."
Sarah grabbed Daniel's shoulder and gave it a shake. "Daniel, no one but us can know it was you. I'm the one who shot the man, all right?"
"But—"
"No 'buts.' If anyone suspects a colored boy shot a white man, you'll be hunted down and killed and no one will lift a hand to stop it. We have to let everyone think it was me."
"Everyone?"
"Everyone. And that includes your mama and Miss Faith. They'd be in trouble, too, if it got out that they knew about it. This has to stay a secret among the four of us." She let go of Daniel and turned to Benjamin. "You got—" She stopped, startled. "What's that on your cheek?"
Benjamin raised his hand and brushed at the blood seeping from the half-inch slice just below his right eye. "A piece of bark hit me. I'm all right."
Realization struck Sarah like a blow to the head. He could have been killed. Daniel could have been killed. What was she thinking, letting them come with her? But the fact remained that the boys deserved credit for getting them there fast enough to save Noah from a severe beating, maybe from being killed. Sarah couldn't have done that by herself.
Benjamin stood there with the same stubborn look that Faith sometimes had. "I don't want to lie to Mama."
Sarah put an arm around his shoulders. "Of course you don't, and I'm not asking you to. You just keep quiet about it. I'll lie for all of us." She let out a sigh. "I don't like to lie to her, either. I never have before." Just thinking about lying to Faith made her feel queasy. "But remembe
r, we're protecting Daniel and our women, too. If your mama were here, wouldn't she do the same thing?"
Benjamin hesitated before he gave a slow nod. Sarah released him. "You and Daniel get the horses."
The boys ran off and soon returned, Daniel on Drummer and Benjamin on Redfire. Benjamin dismounted, handed Sarah the reins, and joined Daniel on Drummer. Sarah looped the reins around the pommel and helped Noah mount Redfire. After mounting behind him, she reached past him and lifted the reins. "Just relax, Noah. Redfire will take us home."
Night had fallen before they got to the house, and Sarah could see a lantern on the front porch. She let out a holler. "We got Noah. He's all right." Someone hollered back. The women met them at the hitching post. Faith had a blanket that she wrapped around Noah, giving him a light hug at the same time.
"Thank God, you're all right."
"Thank God, everyone's all right," Noah said, pain showing in his voice. Faith spoke to the boys, who led the horses to the barn. Sarah and Velia moved onto either side of Noah. Velia stretched up and kissed his cheek before draping his arm across her shoulder. She and Sarah helped him into the house to a sofa in the living room that Faith had hurried ahead to lay a sheet over. Two oil lamps in opposite corners lit the room. Gingerly, Noah sat and the women released him.
Faith lifted the blanket and examined his back. "Some skin's broken, and you have a pretty bad welt on top of the old ones. Sarah, would you get me some water and cloths to wash the dirt away? I'll get the salve." Faith left and returned with the salve that she placed on a small table next to the water Sarah had pumped at the kitchen sink.
With Velia's help, Noah removed the blanket. Velia folded it and laid it across her arm. Faith dipped a cloth into the pot of water and sat next to Noah. "Turn your back toward me as far as you can." When Noah turned, Faith carefully washed the lash stripe then washed all of Noah's back. She dried his back with another piece of cloth that Sarah handed to her. Afterward, she gently smoothed salve over the new mark as well as the old ones. When she finished applying it, the boys came into the room.