Savage Abandon

“Our search for this man was unsuccessful,” Wolf Hawk said thickly. “He is so small, he could find a lot of places to hide where no one would see him.”

“He will probably flag down someone traveling by on the river and go on his way, and I say good riddance to bad rubbish,” Mia said sourly.

“What is this saying…good riddance to bad rubbish…?” Wolf Hawk asked, raising his eyebrows.

Mia laughed softly at his question. “It is a way of saying that I am glad Tiny is gone and I hope I never see him again.”

Chapter Fifteen

I have heard of thorns and briers,

Over the meadow and stiles,

Over the world to the end of it,

Flash for a million mile—

—Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Breathless with fear, Tiny scrambled back through the gates of the fort. He couldn’t believe that he had successfully eluded the redskin savages, but he had, by climbing high into a tree and crouching amid the thick foliage.

Even if the warriors had looked up and tried to peer through the leaves, they couldn’t have seen him. He had clung to the tree while the Indians rode past below him.

He smiled at his cleverness. He had often hidden in a tree when he and his three brothers and one sister had played games of hide-and-seek. No one could find him until they finally learned that he would always use that trick.

Once he had been found out, the game was over for him. He had never successfully hidden himself again.

That was when he learned tricks with cards, for that was another way to best his brothers and sister. He never wanted to lose at anything. He had become so skilled at cards that he won much money after leaving home and becoming a successful gambler.

But even in that he was discovered and almost lost his life one night at a tavern after cheating a burly, unkempt man out of all of his money.

The man had held Tiny upside down by his heels, shaking the money he had wrongly won from his breeches pocket. After that Tiny was careful whom he gambled with. The itch was too strong to ever quit completely!

With dusk quickly shadowing everything around Tiny, he hurried inside the cabin where he had stayed with Mia and her father. He felt safe inside the fort now, at least for awhile. He doubted the Indians would return.

He had seen the mound of earth beneath the trees outside of the fort’s walls. Harry’s grave. Yep, that was where Harry lay, unable to order Tiny around any longer.

“You earned what you got,” Tiny said, snickering. He looked around him. He was glad to have a decent enough place to stay until tomorrow, when he would get as far from this danged place as possible.

He went to the supplies that Mia had left behind. He found some crusty bread. He smiled when he saw the jar of strawberry jam that Mia’s mother had made back in St. Louis.

He unscrewed the lid and poked a finger into it, dug some jam out with his finger, and spread it quickly across the bread even though the edges were moldy.

His belly ached from hunger.

He had to get as much nourishment as he could, for he had no idea when he might be able to eat again.

He was hoping to find a boat that would take him to St. Louis. He had cousins there. They would take him in.

The problem was that he had not seen hide nor hair of anyone on the river since several days ago. If no one came along in the morning, he would have to start walking, hoping to find the home of some settler who might offer him a comfortable night’s lodging and decent food.

Then he’d ask for help getting to a town, and he’d find his way on to good ol’ Saint Louie, his-self!

Enjoying the strawberry taste of the jam as long as he could, Tiny stepped from the cabin and gazed toward the opened gate of the fort. He knew that he didn’t have much more time before it got dark. At dawn tomorrow he’d leave this place once and for all.

He started to close the gate, to keep undesirable critters from coming inside, but then he realized that the Indians might notice that the position of the gate had changed.

“Best leave it be,” he whispered to himself.