68

Fort Sumner

Will rode into the night. He slept for a while in the early morning. Then, soon after sunrise, he started in again. He didn’t know if he could get there in time. What if the military already executed Hasbaá, Dezba and Barboncito for my murder? His only hope was that Carleton’s ploy had been to make his scheme look legitimate by doing his violence through the law. That probably meant there would be some kind of trial. But two weeks have passed already…

One question he couldn’t answer was how Carleton had seen his bones in the ashes of the hogan. Had someone else been in the hogan, someone who did burn to death?

Day passed into night and then into day again. He lost track of time. He rose with firm purpose. He slept a little while he allowed the horse to rest and eat, but both horse and rider seemed propelled by urgency.

Will woke from a short nap, moaning from a dream in which he came back too late and arrived to find Hasbaá, Dezba and Barboncito hanged on the gallows in the parade grounds of Fort Sumner, their bodies left in the blazing sun as a warning to the Indians of the power of white man’s wrath. He vowed he would not rest till he reached home. Hasbaá will not die by my fault, he swore. His heart seethed with anger and helplessness. All he do could was hurry as fast as possible.

Will felt carried by the wind at his back. I’m sure Changing Woman won’t desert me now. She’s brought me half way across the continent to help her people.

When he arrived at Fort Sumner late in the afternoon, he went straight to Lt. Bauer’s office. He knocked hard on the door.

“Come in.”

“The Indians?” Will shouted as he threw open the door. “What about the Indians? Are they all right?”

“Lee?” Bauer showed great surprise. “We thought you were burned up.”

“Well, obviously I wasn’t. I’m alive and well, and I pray to God you haven’t done anything to the Navajo leaders.”

“I saw the bones in the ashes.”

“What about Hasbaá and Dezba and Barboncito?”

“It’s okay, mister. But I guess you got here just in time. We thought they’d murdered you.”

“What happened?” Will asked urgently.

“There was a trial. Pvt. McCarrie testified that he’d heard Peak offer you money for cooperating. Mac said it didn’t seem like you. But he admitted he told a Mescalero female about it and said somehow the Navajos must’ve got wind of it. ‘Tell one Injuns, and ya tell ’em all,’ Sgt. Peak testified.”

“It looked pretty obvious that the Indians killed you for betraying them and set fire to the hogan to destroy the evidence. The three Navajos you mentioned were sentenced to be hanged. We were waiting for General Carleton to return. I thought he’d want to oversee the executions himself. He’s apparently been delayed in…”

“Carleton’s not coming back,” Will interrupted peremptorily. “He’s in jail in Santa Fe for attempted murder and defrauding the U.S. Government.”

“The general’s in jail?”

“What about the Indians?”

“They’re in the guardhouse. I guess there’s no case now. I’ll let them go. But, Mr. Lee, this is all very strange. Did the Indians know you were alive? They never said a word in their own defense. The tall woman just kept saying you were dead.”

My God, the three of them were going to sacrifice themselves.

“What about the bones?” Bauer asked. “We all saw human bones in the ashes of the burned hogan. General Carleton ordered the pit filled as your grave. We even stuck a cross with your name on it, right there in the middle of the Indian outfit.”

“It was Peak who set the fire.” Will tried to sound assured so Bauer wouldn’t guess he didn’t have the slightest idea himself. “Ask him.”