That night Daniel tossed restlessly, wondering what lay ahead of him, and worried about Amy. The small fire had burned away to warm ash before he was able to surrender the troubling thoughts of Amy.
All too soon, it seemed, they were back on the trail. Dawn was lighting the sky with a touch of pink when they pulled out. But in the eerie quiet of the shadowy mountains, Daniel felt as if night had become part of him. As they rode, the sun rose above the trees and bathed the group with warmth. Then Daniel began to realize the trip was half over.
He eyed the cook slumped in his saddle, singing the tuneless song, and the questions cropped up again. Why had the man warned him against going to Santa Fe?
Late in morning, just as Daniel made up his mind to talk about Taos again, Tristram turned to look at him. The perplexed frown on his face brought Daniel out of his musing. “Something wrong?” he asked.
Tristram nodded. Jerking at the reins, he turned his mount. “I hear horses, more than just a few.” He dug his heels into his mount. “I’ll go take a look—just keep on and don’t stop for anything.” His orders encompassed them all. The men watched as Daniel nodded and slapped the reins smartly. Their horses moved out at a trot while Tristram cut up the side of the bank, away from the road.
As they rode the sound of hoofbeats grew louder, and the men began exchanging worried glances. When they frowned Daniel’s direction, he pulled even with them and said, “Do you suppose it’s Indians?”
Wood had been remote, saying little as he kept his distance from Daniel. Now his eyes were uneasy with concern as he rode Daniel’s direction. “Too many.” He frowned but he held his horse, continuing to study Daniel. Finally he confided, “I don’t know why Tristram said to keep on going, but I think we’d better do what he says.”
With a curt nod, he dug his heels in the horse’s sides and galloped ahead. Ellis jerked his head, and Daniel nudged the horse under him. Within a short time, the road in front of them wound up a steep hill and the horses slowed.
Daniel looked back as they took the next curve. His heart thudded. The horses were coming fast. He could see the dust and guessed there were many of them. Soon the thunder of the horses’ hooves on the road blocked out all else. The cook lashed at his horse as a cloud of dust rose in the canyon. As Daniel started to slap the packhorse, he paused. Down the hill, coming around the curve, he saw the group pursuing them. All the riders were wearing blue uniforms.
Wood whirled on Daniel. “This is your doing?” Daniel had only time to turn his head when the man’s whip lashed out at the packhorse. The horse reared, then plunged sideways against the Ellis’s mount. Both horses stumbled. With a curse, the man yanked his horse away. Daniel saw it was too late. He jumped just as the three horses lunged into each other.
The sounds of hooves and warning cries mingled. Daniel sprinted away from the road while the plunging horses circled the group and stopped.
Daniel ran toward his horse just as the first soldier dropped from his mount. The pistol was cocked, pointed at Daniel. He heard the words. “Gerrett, you’re under arrest. Men, get those friends of his.”
When the dust settled, the three were aligned in front of the young lieutenant from Fort Union. He waved the pistol at Daniel and said, “You nearly cost me my commission. These are your contacts? I suppose you’ve had this planned all along. Well, come on. The prison in Santa Fe will be less crowded.”
“Santa Fe?” the cook sputtered. “That’s—”
“Shut up!” Wood snarled out the words, while the lieutenant watched. As his prancing horse stepped sideways, the lieutenant pulled it under control and said, “I’m Dayton, United States Army, in charge of this detail. You men will fall in ahead of me. We’re riding into Santa Fe as fast as we can get there.”
An enlisted man circled back to Daniel and grinned. “Lead out. This is going to be interesting,” he crowed. “I can’t wait to get to Santa Fe. Our men are shoving at the Confederates right smart like.”
Daniel climbed on the packhorse and led the way. The cook snarled, “Preacher, huh? Jailbird. You had us fooled. What did they get you for?”
There was silence from Wood, but later, when they camped for the night and Daniel was placed under guard, he saw the speculative look the man turned on him.
Daniel aimed a broad grin back at Wood as the guard tied his wrists together. The guard saw the grin. With a quick glance toward the others, he said, “Lieutenant Dayton, these fellows are friends; maybe—”
“Keep them under guard,” Dayton said hastily.
After the mess of beans and bacon, Ellis smirked, saying, “Well, Parson, how about the evening sermon?”
“Promise you won’t go to sleep on me?” There was a snort of laughter, but some of the men moved closer to Daniel.
“So you’re a parson.”
One fellow teased, “Let’s hear you. I wanna know if rebels have a man who can preach worth a pinch of gold dust.”
Behind the curiosity, Daniel saw the same dark look he had been encountering so often lately. “Be glad to oblige,” he said.
Hastily the fellow added, “Just as long as you don’t have to have your hands free to wave.”
Awkwardly Daniel got to his feet and looked around the circle of faces, lighted by the flicker of the fire. Taking a deep breath he quoted, “‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’”
In the silence the men moved uneasily. Daniel continued, “These words were spoken not to the North or South, but to us all. The dividing line in this life is not locality or politics, but the human will. Not a one of us stands faultless before our Lord. Beating our swords into plowshares will not destroy the conflict within our breasts.
“Neither President Abe Lincoln nor President Jeff Davis can give us peace. Only at the feet of Jesus Christ do we learn to be the true seekers of peace.
“Where I come from, men are all seekers of gold—miners and Methodists alike. For some it is the treasure of the earth; for others it is the treasure of the heart. I challenge you to examine your treasure now. Will time and circumstances pare it away? Will it stand the corruption of the grave? The Lord Jesus said, ‘I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.’”
Later when Daniel awkwardly lowered himself to his bedroll in the New Mexico dust, he realized not one soldier had dozed beside the fire.
The next day as they rode into Santa Fe, Daniel began to sense the difference in the town. There was a murmuring current of excitement sweeping through the people on the street. Skirts and mantillas swished, curious dark eyes peeked around water jars, while burros twitched their ears.
Until they rode into the town plaza, Daniel couldn’t identify the reason. Then he saw the flag cracking in the breeze over the Palace of the Governors. “It’s the Star Spangled Banner!” he exclaimed softly. His guard wrinkled his brow as he looked from the flag to Daniel.
A uniformed officer standing in the portico moved and Daniel blinked. He was wearing blue. Looking around, it began to sink in. Every uniform he saw was blue. “Tell me,” he urgently addressed the soldier at his side. “Tell me about it.”
The soldier began to grin. “Canby. Colonel Canby gathered his forces and started pushing. He’s chased Sibley to Albuquerque, and I hear he’s still going.
“You should have been there. The Rebs and Canby shot it out with cannon. Quite a boom! Quite a mess; those cannon balls were plopping all over the place! It’s going to take a time to repair all that adobe.” He paused and with narrowed eyes he studied Daniel.
“Man, where’ve you been? You didn’t know! The war is over in New Mexico. Colorado, too. There ain’t no way the Confederacy will get a toehold in the place now.” He paused as the perplexed expression came back. “But how come you’re so glad? I thought—”
Then he shrugged and turned. “Come on. It’s Fort Marcy and the guardhouse for the likes of you.”
Daniel protested, “Listen to me first. You’ve got to let me talk to someone—even Lieutenant Dayton.”
“If it’s so important, why didn’t you say so a couple of days ago?”
“Because I thought we were walking into rebel territory. I had no idea Santa Fe was free.”
“It’s just a trick. You and your friends are up to something.”
“They are. That’s why I need to talk. See, there’s another one and he—” Daniel stopped. Finally he grinned, “Maybe his news isn’t important after all. If the threat to Colorado Territory is over, then I guess I needn’t worry. But say, is Major Chivington in town?”
“Chivington, of the Colorado Volunteer Army?” The soldier shook his head. “I don’t know where he is.”
“Well, see if you can find out. He knows me.”
“What good will that do?”
Daniel took a deep breath and said, “I’m Daniel Gerrett, missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church, I—” The soldier was grinning.
When the door closed behind Daniel, he found his prison mates were his trail companions—all except Lucas Tristram.
He sat down and studied their dismal faces. “What’s happened to Lucas?” They shrugged.
Wood studied Daniel. “What does it matter to you?”
“Now it doesn’t,” he said softly. “I just thought you might care.”
The man shrugged. “Might be the Indians will get him. I reckon not, though. Lucas always seems to land on his feet. He’s probably back in Colorado, hatching up some new scheme to rake in the gold.”
“You’ve known him for a long time?”
“We grew up within six miles of each other, down in Mississippi Delta country.” Wood seemed disinclined to talk. He settled his hat low on his forehead and leaned against the cold stone wall.
At breakfast the following day, Daniel said, “You fellows know we’re apt to be prison mates for some time. How about getting acquainted?”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Ellis said eagerly. “I’ve been curious. Tell us who you really are.”
“Well, you’ll never believe this,” Daniel said slowly. “But I am a missionary in the Methodist—”
Wood stopped chewing and Daniel shrugged. Finally the man said, “I can see we’ll never find out. Mind telling us where you’re from?”
Daniel sighed. “Colorado. Oro City.”
The man shook his head and then added, “I suppose I’ll not have anything to lose if I introduce myself. I’m Colonel Jeremy Wood, most recently from Texas.”
“I thought you were an officer,” Daniel muttered.
Wood replied, “I guess my powers of observation aren’t as acute—” He shrugged.
Ellis said, “I’m from Georgia, but I’ve been living in Texas since ’57. Got so’s we couldn’t make a living in Georgia, so we homesteaded in Texas.”
“Why couldn’t you make a living there?” Daniel asked. He saw the quick glance the man threw at Wood.
There was a flicker of contempt in Wood’s eyes as he said, “Cotton. Most of the poor whites were being bought out. Ellis was one of them.”
Ellis continued. “Texas isn’t like home, but the womenfolk are working hard at helping out.”
“I’m surprised you’re fighting to—”
“Support the way of life that ruined him? Slavery,” Wood said. “You forget we’re fighting for our freedom, not—”
“But that’s part of it,” Daniel said softly. “At least that’s the story we get. You want your freedom to push slavery. Man, can’t you see it yet? Slavery will never make it as long as there is a Christian in the States.”
Wood snapped, “That is a bigotry if I’ve ever heard it!” He took a breath and went on. “Has it occurred to you that we have churches and Christians in the South? Also, we care about our people. We take good care of them. There’s medical aid, and schools. There’s—”
“Everything but freedom.”
“One of these days we’ll be able to convince you that these people don’t want freedom; they want someone to take care of the them—”
“You’ll have a hard time convincing me of that,” Daniel snorted.
“One of these days,” Wood said softly, “you’ll have no recourse but to accept what we’ve known all along.”
“And that is?”
“With all these black people here, there’s nothing that’s going to work except the shelter and help they have now.”
“Slavery,” Daniel retorted. “Man, I don’t know too much about Negroes, except that God created them, too. They are human, just as I am. Seems they ought to have every right I have, including freedom and the opportunity to live as they wish. Especially in the United States of America.”
“But not in the Confederate States. We’re the only ones smart enough to know it’s not a gonna work.”
By morning Daniel was able to put out his hand and say, “Wood, I apologize. Not for my position on slavery, but because the Lord convicted me. I was being a pigheaded judge. I ought to know by now that it is only God who knows the heart. It’s only the judgment day that’ll strip away our faults and prejudices to the place where we can see ourselves the way the Lord does. Meanwhile, God forgive us all for the ugliness we’re inflicting on each other.”
Ellis spoke up. “At least the Union’s feeding their prisoners a sight better. Back in Texas—” He paused as Wood got to his feet and paced the narrow room.
The following week Ellis and Wood were led out of prison. The guard told Daniel it was prisoner exchange. Daniel watched them go and felt the heaviness settle around his heart, thinking of Matthew, wondering where he was. In addition he recalled that last glimpse of those men’s eyes. There was nothing in their expression to indicate they were happy with their lot.
Finally Daniel settled back against the cold stone wall and muttered, “Well, with all this peace and quiet, I’ll have plenty of time for prayer.” Again he found himself wondering about Matthew. That same troubled expression had been in Matthew’s eyes. Were these men beginning to have doubts about the war?
And Crystal—had he done right by not telling Matthew about Crystal? What were those final words she had said to him? He frowned, shook his head and then went to lean against the bars shutting him away from sun and freedom.