Danny Blackgoat: Rugged Road to Freedom Read online

  “Why?” asked Rick. “What did he do?”

  “He walked too slowly,” said Danny. “And when his daughter ran to help him, they shot her, too.”

  “I am sorry, Danny.” He hung his head in sadness and shame. “At least your family is still alive. But before we see them, you have to decide what to do with this man. You have his shotgun, Danny. No one would blame you if you shot him.”

  “I am free to go. He is tied to a tree,” said Danny. “I cannot kill him.”

  “No one would blame you, Danny,” Rick said. “This man is a killer. He came back to kill me.”

  “But he cannot hurt us now,” said Danny. “I am sorry, Rick. I can’t shoot him.”

  “I thought you would say that, Danny. I’m not the killing kind either. Now, let’s see if these horses can pull a wagon.”

  Soon Danny and Rick were steering the wagon uphill. As they left the clearing, Rick called over his shoulder to Manny, “We’ll send someone back for you, as soon as I get to the fort. They’ll know what to do with you.”

  As they eased the wagon onto the road, Rick said, “That stopover lasted a little longer than we expected.”

  Danny nodded, remembering the Grady family. “I hope my friends on the ranch will be safe,” he said. “I hope I didn’t bring trouble to them.”

  “These days,” said Rick, “there’s trouble every which way you turn.”

  Rick and Danny rode in silence for a long hour, lost in the world of their own thoughts. Danny wondered how his family was doing. Rick felt better than ever about the young man who sat beside him. Danny Blackgoat had passed a very important test.

  Rick knew of the feelings between Danny and his daughter, Jane. In choosing not to kill Manny, Danny earned a new level of respect from Rick. He is a man I would be proud to have in my family, thought Rick.

  Chapter 9

  New Morning and an Old Voice

  That afternoon they neared the road that led to Canyon de Chelly, Danny’s home before he and his family were captured.

  “I guess we’ll soon be saying good-bye,” Rick said.

  “What do you mean?” asked Danny.

  “We’re almost to the north road,” said Rick. “Turn north and you’ll be home in a few days. This trouble will be behind you.”

  “I’m not going home,” Danny said. “I could never leave my family. They are prisoners at Fort Sumner.”

  “What do you plan to do? As soon as the soldiers see you, they’ll send you back to Fort Davis. And I wouldn’t want to go there if I were you. You stole a horse, Danny. They hang men for stealing horses.”

  “I guess I’ll have stay away from the soldiers,” Danny said.

  “You know you are risking your life?” asked Rick.

  “I have to see my family,” Danny said. “That was why I climbed in the coffin, so I could see my family. That was my gift from Jim Davis, to see my family.”

  They passed the north road in silence. Rick glanced over at Danny, who kept his eyes on the road in front of them.

  “How far to the fort?” Danny asked.

  “We could be there before sunset,” Rick said. “But for your sake, Danny, I’ll take it slow and easy. We’ll arrive after dark.”

  “Thank you,” Danny said. He still didn’t know what he would do once they arrived at Fort Sumner.

  Danny sat next to Rick as they rode, staring at the sandy land surrounding them. The trees were small and scrubby, what few there were.

  “Mostly cactus,” Danny said, almost talking to himself.

  “Yes,” Rick agreed. “Not much will grow in this dry land.”

  “Is there water at Fort Sumner, where my family is?” Danny asked.

  Rick paused for a long time before replying. They came upon a skinny tree covered with gray leaves. He snapped the reins and led the horses and wagon under the tree.

  “Time we take a break,” he said. “Let these horses stand in the shade for a while. I could use a break myself.” He stepped from the wagon and took the water bag from under the seat. “Let’s get a drink, Danny.”

  “You always answer when I ask you something,” Danny said. “What are you not telling me?”

  Rick looked at him and smiled. “You are a smart one, Danny Blackgoat. You are right. I was avoiding telling you the truth about the water at Fort Sumner.”

  “The water is bad, isn’t it?” Danny asked.

  “Yes, Danny. The water is very bad,” said Rick. “Navajo people are getting sick from the water. It is full of rocks and limestone. Most of the soldiers drink water they bring from somewhere else. But there isn’t enough water for the prisoners, the Navajos.”

  “Is my family sick?” Danny asked.

  “I was carrying supplies to Fort Sumner two weeks ago, Danny. I looked in on your family, like I always try to do. Your sister had a fever. She had been on her back for four days, your mother said.”

  “I knew something bad would happen to my family,” Danny said.

  “They should never have built a fort in this desert,” Rick said. “The commander lied about the water.”

  “We have to get there soon,” Danny said, rising to his feet.

  “Hold on, Danny. If you want to do your family any good, you can’t be seen, remember,” Rick said.

  “I know, but I have to help them.”

  “All right,” said Rick, “let’s get moving. It will be after dark when we get there.”

  As they came closer to the fort, they were surrounded by tall hills covered with boulders, but there were few trees. They passed deep canyons of sandstone. Danny looked for any sign of water in the canyons. He saw none. Rick was right, he thought. No one could live here without water.

  The sun floated like a big fireball, ducking only briefly behind a mesa, until they rode in the darkness.

  “We have to find a place for you to hide, Danny,” Rick said.

  “I saw a canyon back there,” Danny said, pointing over his shoulder. “I can stay there till you come for me.”

  “That’s a good plan, Danny,” Rick said. “Here, you take the water bag. I can get good water at the fort. Take some dried beef, too. I’ll find a place to keep Fire Eye. He’ll be there when you need him.”

  “Will you see my family tonight?” Danny asked.

  “Yes, and I’ll come to see you early in the morning. But be very careful, Danny. Make sure it’s me and make sure I am alone.”

  “I will. Thank you, Rick,” Danny said. He stepped from the wagon, carrying his supper of water and beef strips.

  “You’re welcome, Danny.”

  Danny hurried down the road to the canyon. He broke a thick branch from a tree and climbed down the steep wall. A thin slice of moon lit his way, from one sliding rock to another. He came upon a flat rock hanging over the canyon, making a small cave.

  “This should be a good place to spend the night,” he whispered to himself. “But I bet I’m not the only one to think that.” He poked his stick into the cave, stirring up the dust.

  “WHIRRRRR,” came the reply.

  A rattlesnake den, he thought. Danny slowly backed away from the cave. Maybe it won’t be so bad to sleep out in the open tonight.

  He found a big boulder and circled it, scratching the ground with his stick to make sure no rattlesnakes were nesting outside the den. When he confirmed that all was safe, he leaned against the boulder and enjoyed a long drink of fresh water.

  As he chewed the beef strips, he said to himself, “My family will have good water. I will bring it to them.”

  The next morning, Danny woke up two hours before sunrise, as he did every morning. He climbed to the top of the boulder and waited. When the first rays of sunlight greeted him, he pulled corn pollen from his pouch and said the prayer his grandfather had taught him.

  When morning casts its light on the canyon wall

  A new house is made,

  A house made of dawn.

  Before me, everything is beautiful

  Behind me, everyt
hing is beautiful

  Above me, everything is beautiful

  Below me, everything is beautiful

  Around me, everything is beautiful

  Within me, everything is beautiful.

  Taja ahotahe, nothing will change.

  As he climbed down from the boulder, Danny heard a horse on the road. He leaped behind the boulder and knelt in the shadow. Someone was sliding down the canyon. Soon they stood on the other side of the boulder. Danny heard whoever it was climbing the boulder.

  They will see me, he thought. He stood to run, when he heard his name called.

  “Danny. Danny Blackgoat.”

  The voice was not Rick’s.

  Chapter 10

  The Family Blackgoat

  Danny froze. He closed his eyes and tears fell down his cheeks.

  “I had to come to see you, Danny. I know you are there. I know where you would hide. You stood on this boulder and said your morning prayer, didn’t you?”

  Danny stepped from behind the boulder. There stood his father.

  “Son, I had to see that you were safe,” his father said.

  “I came here for the same reason,” Danny said. “I had to make sure you were safe. And mother, and Jeanne, too.” His father reached for him and pulled Danny to his chest. “It is so good to see you, son. Your grandfather sang songs for you. Rick gave us news of you. He told us you had a plan to escape.”

  “Did he tell you about the coffin?” Danny asked.

  “Yes,” his father said. “Your grandfather did not like that plan. But he is ready for your healing ceremony.”

  “I will be so glad to be free of the death,” Danny said. “Did Rick tell you about the slave traders?”

  “Some, but he said you had many stories to tell.” Then Danny asked the question he was most afraid to ask. “Is Jeanne well?”

  “Yes, Danny. She is weak from the fever,” he said, “but she is well. We don’t drink the water they bring for us. It’s making people sick. Some are dying. We boil the water and sift it through cloth. It is better.”

  “Jim Davis told me it’s safe now back home, at Canyon de Chelly. He said Navajo people are hiding in the caves. Father, we need to go home.”

  “Yes, son, I know.”

  “Can you escape at night?”

  “Danny, escaping from the fort would not be hard to do. People are sleeping outside the fort, with few guards to watch over them.”

  “Then why do they stay?”

  “The real danger is not the water or the soldiers. The real danger is not starving to death. The bands of outlaws are the real danger. They look for healthy people to capture and sell as slaves. You met them, Danny. Would you want your mother and sister to face the slave traders in the desert, with no horses or weapons?”

  “No,” Danny said. “You are better staying here. But what can we do?”

  “I don’t know, Danny. Stay alive for now. Maybe your friends can help us.”

  “They are good friends,” said Danny. “They are smart and strong. Yes, we will come up with a plan.”

  “Rick says for you to stay here for a few days,” his father said. “Don’t try to find us. We will come to you. He also said to move about. Sleep somewhere else tonight, but nearby, so we can find you.”

  “I will be careful,” Danny said. “Will you come tomorrow?”

  “Yes, and maybe I’ll bring your grandfather tomorrow. He wants to see you, Danny.”

  “I want to see him, too. Will you tell him I only climbed in the coffin so I could see you, all of you, again?”

  “Yes, Danny. He understands. Now I’m going back to the fort. Look for us before sunrise tomorrow.”

  Danny watched as his father climbed to the top of the small hill and disappeared. He wrapped his arms around himself and closed his eyes. For the first time in many months, Danny was truly happy.

  “Now,” he said to himself, “I need to be more careful than ever. The soldiers from Fort Davis are looking for me. Manny is looking for me. And rattlesnakes just won’t leave me alone!”

  He touched his calf and remembered being bitten by a rattlesnake only a few months ago. A bullying prisoner had put the snake in Danny’s bed. When Danny had climbed under the covers to go to sleep, the rattlesnake sank his fangs into Danny’s leg.

  Danny spent the day exploring the hills and canyon surrounding the fort. Just before sunset he climbed a steep hill and crouched low behind a clump of bushes. When he stood up, a huge lake lay before him. Danny wiped his dry lips. Water! Finally!

  But something was different about this lake. No waves lapped the shore. No one fished at the edge of the lake. No boats floated on it. No fish jumped from the water, and no birds dipped from the sky.

  The lake did not sparkle in the light of the setting sun. The water was a dirty white color. On the far side, not far from the fort, Danny saw soldiers filling leather bags with water from the lake.

  “That is the poison water that made my sister sick,” he whispered. “The water in those bags will make other Navajo people sick. I cannot let that happen, not today.”

  Danny watched as the soldiers tossed the filled water bags on a flatbed wagon. Most of the bags were empty.

  “They are just beginning,” he said. “I have time.”

  He ran down the hill, dodging cactus plants and sharp rocks. When he reached the bottom, he sprinted around the lake. After a short while, he stopped to catch his breath. He slowly climbed the hill. He was close to the soldiers now.

  Now is the time to be very careful and quiet, he thought. They might have a guard watching over the workers.

  Danny was right. A guard was nearby, resting in the shade of a scrubby tree. His back was to the wagon. Danny spotted the guard and jumped behind a boulder.

  He’s not expecting any trouble, Danny thought. The guard pulled the brim of his hat over his head.

  “He is going to sleep,” he whispered to himself. “Now is my time. I’ll cut the bags so they can’t carry the poison water.”

  Danny crept from the hill, one careful step at a time. He knelt down and listened. He walked behind the wagon, away from the guard, with the wagon between himself and the lake.

  He lifted his knife from its hiding place on his right calf. He crawled to the edge of the wagon and slowly pulled himself over the side.

  “How many more bags we got to fill?” a voice called out.

  “Too many,” a soldier replied. “Maybe twenty, maybe more.”

  “Bring ’em to me,” the first soldier said.

  Danny froze. The empty bags were piled all around him, on the bed of the wagon where he hid.

  Chapter 11

  Grandfather to the Rescue

  Danny’s eyes darted from one side of the wagon to the other. There was no place to hide and no time anyway. The soldier neared the wagon. He was ten steps from discovering Danny.

  What if they recognize me? Danny wondered. What if they send me back to Fort Davis? Danny shook with fear at the thought of returning to Fort Davis. They think I stole the horse. They hang horse thieves!

  “We don’t need to fill every bag,” the soldier said, looking over his shoulder.

  “Fine, just bring me an armload,” came the reply. “It’s getting too hot for a man to live out here. We’ll fill a few more and leave.”

  Danny closed his eyes and waited. He expected a shout at least, maybe even gunfire. Any minute he knew he would be seen.

  I will be tied at the wrists and ankles and brought before an officer.

  Danny Blackgoat was wrong. Instead, he heard another set of footsteps.

  “Do you men need some help?” A voice floated from the morning and hovered over him. Danny smiled and nodded his head.

  “Yes, yes, Grandfather,” he whispered. “You are always there when I need you. Always.”

  “You can’t help us, old man,” the soldier said, turning away from the wagon. “What are you doing this far from the fort? It’s not safe for you out here!”

/>   “I’m not too old to work,” Danny’s grandfather said. “Here, I’ll bring the bags to you.”

  Danny’s grandfather stepped in front of the soldier and grabbed an armful of bags.

  “Here,” he said. “Go ahead, now. I’ll bring the rest.”

  The soldiers laughed. “You are one lucky old Indian man,” said one. “Most soldiers would just leave you out here for the buzzards.”

  “I’m not afraid of buzzards,” said Grandfather. “I’m an old man. I’m like a buzzard.”

  The soldiers laughed again.

  He is making friends with them, Danny thought. Maybe that’s the smart thing to do, at least for now.

  As he lay without moving on the wagon bed, Danny remembered his old friend, Jim Davis. He is so much like my grandfather, he thought. Both of them make friends instead of enemies.

  As he leaned over for the the bags, Grandfather nodded to him.

  “Shhhh,” he whispered. Danny wanted to leap from the wagon and hold his grandfather close to his chest. He was so happy to see him. Instead, he met his eyes, then lowered his gaze out of respect.

  “When I holler, you run,” Grandfather whispered.

  Danny nodded without speaking. His grandfather carried the bags to the lakeshore.

  “Bags,” he said to the soldiers, stacking the bags and pointing. “Bags for water.”

  He is acting like a clown, thought Danny. The soldiers are laughing.

  As he turned to the wagon for more bags, his grandfather fell to the ground.

  “Yowwww!” he shouted. He rolled down the slope to the water. “No swim,” he called out. “Help!”

  The soldiers never stopped laughing.

  “What do you think?” said one. “Should we help him or just watch him sink?”

  “The water’s bad enough without bodies floating around in it,” said the other. “Drag the old man to the wagon. Let’s get back to the fort.”

  By the time the soldiers lifted his grandfather and carried him to the wagon, Danny was gone. He dashed to the top of the hill and watched as the soldiers tossed the water bags—and his grandfather—to the wagon bed.