Danny Blackgoat: Rugged Road to Freedom by Tim Tingle

Author:Tim Tingle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Book Publishing Company
Published: 2014-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Danny’s Promise

Manny has new gang members, Danny thought. I wonder how many.

In a moment he had his answer. The clouds parted and he saw four men on horseback. They stood high in their saddles and looked down at the fort.

“Now is the best time to raid the camp,” Manny said. “The Navajos have no weapons. They are too hungry and too sick to fight, even if they had weapons.”

Danny felt angry to hear his people being thought of so lightly. But he knew what Manny said was true. His people could not protect themselves.

“No!” he said aloud, then slapped his hand over his mouth. He hoped no one had heard him.

They thought I was helpless at Fort Davis. Danny’s mind was racing. But my friend came up with a plan. Maybe we can’t fight them with weapons. But we are smart. We can still win.

He lay still and waited. When Manny and his men rode away, Danny followed, running in the shadows. They’ve never been here, he thought. They’ll ride slowly, and I can keep up with them.

Soon Manny and his men topped the hill overlooking the lake. Danny crept closer and crouched behind a boulder to listen.

“Mira, como dije,” Manny said, pointing at the camps below. “No guards, like I told you. We can ride into the camp. They won’t expect us. Each of us can capture an Indian. The ones that fight the most, those are the ones we want. They are young and will bring the most money.”

Manny was pointing to the camps near Danny’s family.

“Let’s water the horses first,” Manny said. “After we catch the Indians, we might have a long ride. They don’t have horses, but they’ll chase us on foot.”

I have to warn them, Danny thought.

While Manny and his men rode to the lake, Danny dashed down the hill. He saw his family sitting in the shade of blankets stretched over a tree. He ducked under the blankets.

“Grandfather!” he shouted. “They are coming.”

His father stood. “Who is coming?” he asked. “The soldiers?”

“No, far worse,” Danny said, shaking his head. “The men who took me. They capture people and sell them to be slaves. They are watering their horses now. But it won’t be long. They have guns. They will be here!”

“We should let everyone know,” his grandfather said.

“Will the soldiers help us?” Danny asked.

“Maybe,” Grandfather said. “But we cannot be sure.”

“Mother, I am free,” Danny whispered.

“Yes, son,” she said, pulling him close for a brief moment. “Now, take us to a safe place.”

Danny helped his sister Jeanne to her feet. “Stay with me, Jeanne. We’ll be all right.”

Then Danny turned to his grandfather. “Do you know of a place where we can hide?” he asked.

“Yes.” He pointed to a high hill, on the other side of an arroyo. “Every morning I go there to pray. It’s a steep climb,” he said, “but if I can do it, we all can.”

“Danny, take the family to the praying spot. I’m going to let the others know,” his father said.

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