He would have time to return to their campsite with his warriors. He would finally avenge those people whose lives had been ended by the heartless renegades.
Breathing hard because he had run so hard and fast, Blue Thunder finally caught sight of his warriors, who were still waiting for Proud Horse’s return.
He was as anxious to hear about Earl as he was to finally stop Big Nose and his renegade friends. But he could only fight one evil person at a time.
It was Big Nose who would be the first.
Wherever Earl Mingus was, he could not hide forever. Blue Thunder would never stop until he had avenged his wife’s death, and the torture Shirleen had been put through at the hands of that evil, golden-haired man.
Finally reaching his warriors, Blue Thunder stopped to catch his breath before telling them what he had seen.
One of his warriors realized that Blue Thunder needed a drink, and handed him a buckskin bag of water.
Blue Thunder nodded a thank you and eagerly took a drink.
When his thirst was quenched and he could breathe easily again, he quickly told his warriors whom he had seen.
“One of you stay behind to tell Proud Horse where we have gone. The rest of you, come with me,” Blue Thunder ordered. “Secure your horses and grab your bows. Leave your rifles behind, for this must be a silent kill. I do not want the pony soldiers at the fort to know what we are doing. And we are going by foot. We will surround the renegades, and this time make absolutely certain that Big Nose does not escape as he has in the past.”
The warriors all did as he told them, leaving one behind to tell Proud Horse where they were. The rest then followed Blue Thunder until they were close enough to the campsite to hear the crackling of the fire, and the loud, obnoxious voices of the renegades. One by one they took their places to surround the campsite.
Without giving any warning, they began firing arrows from their bowstrings, not giving the renegades any chance to fight back.
Soon Blue Thunder stepped out into the open and stood over the dead body of Big Nose, while his warriors went from renegade to renegade to make certain they were silenced forever.
Victorious, the warriors came together and let out loud whoops as they thrust their bows into the air over and over again.
Blue Thunder felt proud that he had finally put an end to the man he had loathed for so long. Big Nose and his companions would never terrorize the people of Wyoming again.
He gazed down at Big Nose and at the arrow that protruded from his chest. It was Blue Thunder’s arrow.
He then gazed at Big Nose’s open eyes, which were locked in a death stare.
“You will not kill or torture ever again,” Blue Thunder said, then motioned with his head in the direction of where they had left their steeds. “Put out the fire. Leave the dead where they lie. Soon the animals and birds will have their way with them. They do not deserve a decent burial after leaving so many dead and unburied across Wyoming land.”
The warriors hurried from the death scene, running until they reached their horses.
It was at that moment when Proud Horse came riding back, dismounting when he came alongside Blue Thunder.
“The man we hoped to stop today is gone, but not by riverboat,” Proud Horse said as he met his chief’s eyes, seeing instant disappointment in their depths. “I was told that he left the fort sometime in the night, for he was not in his cabin this morning. When the soldiers went to invite him to eat the morning meal, he and his daughter were gone.”
Proud Horse smiled. “Also I was told that the white woman who came to the fort was gone too this morning,” he said, chuckling. “They believe the woman, the man, and the child hooked up together somehow during the night and decided to take off on their own. The pony soldiers will not concern themselves about any of them again.”
Disgruntled, Blue Thunder hung his head. He had so hoped to put a stop to Earl Mingus once and for all.
Now he must search for the man.
He would not rest until Earl Mingus was found and killed, for while he was alive, and still living in this area, he was a constant threat to Shirleen and her daughter Megan.
Blue Thunder looked up and turned to Proud Horse. “You take several warriors and search for Earl Mingus,” he commanded. “But whether or not you find the villain, you must return by tomorrow morning, for it is then that I will place my uncle in his final resting place.”
Proud Horse placed a hand on Blue Thunder’s shoulder. “If at all possible, he will be found and brought to you, my chief,” he replied.
Suddenly Blue Thunder remembered that Proud Horse had no idea what had transpired in his absence. He told his most valued warrior about the attack on Big Nose.
“He . . . is . . . dead . . . ?” Proud Horse gasped, his eyes wide in wonder. The renegades are all dead?”
“Their evil deeds have been stopped forever,” Blue Thunder confirmed. “Their bodies lie even now as food for the forest animals and birds, who will make fast work of their flesh. There will be no more remaining of them than there was of the innocent people they left behind after their killing sprees. Clothes. Bones. Even Big Nose, with his horribly shaped and colored nose, will no longer be recognizable.”