“He didn’t do it!” Sarah yelled. “Danny Blackgoat is innocent. Cut down the rope!”
General Bucknell stared at Rick, at first ignoring the scene behind him. He took a deep breath and slowly turned his head in the direction of the noise. He was greeted by the craziest scene he had ever seen in all of his thirty-five years in the United States Army. Four soldiers, waving their rifles with one hand and clutching their hats with the other, chased after a small girl racing through the gate and holding tight to the saddle horn of her pony.
“Mister Armyman General,” Sarah shouted frantically, “that young man there is Danny Blackgoat and he saved my life and my mother’s and rescued us from slave traders and he is the best young man I ever met!”
General Bucknell lifted himself in the saddle and raised his right arm high, signaling to the soldiers. “Halt!” he said. “This girl presents no danger. I can take over from here.”
The soldiers skidded to a stop and gave a quick salute to the general. “Yes, sir!” they said, and returned to the gate.
“Young lady,” said the general, “I am in charge here.”
“But, General, you can’t—”
Bucknell smiled and touched his finger to his lips. “I talk first, you listen. Then you get to talk. Are you okay with that?”
Sarah nodded.
“First, who are you, and where are your parents?”
“My name is Sarah, and my parents are there,” she said, pointing over her shoulder. Her mother and father stood by their horses, waiting at the gate.
“Let them enter!” Bucknell ordered. “Major Henson, before we continue with the hangings, we will hear what these people have to say. And you too, Rick. Follow me.”
“General?” Rick asked.
“What is it?”
“May we bring Jim Davis and Danny Blackgoat with us? They have much to tell, all of which we can verify.”
Soon the Gradys, Rick, Jim, and Danny were gathered in General Bucknell’s office. “I would like to hear from you first, young man,” the general said, nodding at Danny Blackgoat. “Take your time and tell me everything you remember, from the day you were first taken from your home.”
Danny spoke for an hour, pausing as his story moved from the burning of his home and the death of his sheep. He told of being pulled away from his family and called a troublemaker when he tried to bring water to thirsty old people. He told the general about his trip to Fort Sumner, tied across the back of a horse. He described how Jim Davis helped him escape from Fort Davis, so he could be with his family. He also spoke of Sarah and the Grady family.
“They are good people,” he said. “They fed me when I was hungry.”
“And this young man, Danny Blackgoat, rescued my family,” Mr. Grady added. “My wife and daughter were taken by slave traders, and many of my ranch workers were killed. But with Danny’s help, we are alive and well.”
Danny went on to tell the general about his nearby hideout at the rattlesnake cave, and how he carried fresh water to his family, to keep them alive.
General Bucknell sat silent for the entire hour, sipping his coffee and moving his gaze from one to the other. When Danny told of climbing from the coffin, the general noticed that Danny bowed his head—as if offering a prayer of thanks.
Finally, Sarah spoke, unable to contain herself any longer. “I rode my horse as fast as I could,” she said, “to save the man who once saved me.”
“And I am glad you did, young lady,” General Bucknell said, rising slowly to his feet. “You prevented a grave injustice, and we are very thankful.”
The unspoken question hung in the air. What happens now?
The general stepped from his office and spoke briefly to his officers. When he returned, his face had a serious look, but when he spotted Jim Davis his eyes softened. He stood beside him and waited for Davis to lift his face and look at him.
“Jim Davis,” he said, “we still need a carpenter. What do you say?”
“I will be the best carpenter you’ve ever known,” said Davis. “But a good carpenter needs a hardworking helper.”
“I am glad you mentioned that. Would you mind training a young Navajo man to be your helper?”
“I would be honored,” said Davis.
“Good. And Danny Blackgoat, you will be allowed to visit your family, to make sure they are safe. If you try to escape, I cannot promise your safety, or that of your family.”
“I understand,” Danny said. “I am here for my family.”
“Now, Mr. and Mrs. Grady, I am sending six soldiers to accompany you home. They will camp out in the woods surrounding your ranch and be on the lookout for slave traders and villains. Will you agree to work with our soldiers, to give them sleeping quarters in bad weather, to cooperate with the US Army?”
“Yes, sir,” Mr. Grady said. “And thank you for hearing all we had to say, especially my daughter Sarah.”
“Rick,” said General Bucknell, “you will remain here, at Fort Sumner, with your wife and family. No more dangerous journeys.”
“Thank you,” said Rick. “My wife will be very glad to hear that.”
“You are welcome,” said General Bucknell. “You will all stay in the soldiers’ quarters tonight and say your good-byes in the morning. I will explain my final decision to my men, and they will follow my orders. No hangings today, and hopefully none for the remainder of your stay here.”
As the morning sun rose on the following day, Danny Blackgoat stood on a hillside overlooking his family’s campsite. But he was not alone. Standing close beside him, as she would for many years, stood Jane. He tossed corn pollen to the rising sun and offered once more his Navajo prayer.
When the morning sun casts its light on the canyon walls
A new house is born,
A house made of dawn.
Before me all is beautiful.
Behind me all is beautiful.
Above me all is beautiful.
Below me all is beautiful.
Around me all is beautiful.
Within me all is beautiful.
Tajahoteje.
Nothing will change.