my day that almost got me killed

[beezlebob]

 Charles Wainright was riding back to his home in the mountains with a loaded packhorse when he heard men talking and shouting ahead. He left his horses tied in the Aspens and taking his faithful ol smokepole and his two pistols he crept up and found three men in a drunken state and they had a nice looking indian girl staked to the ground, one leg was not tied as it looked broken due the the angle it was on the ground, her skirt was pulled up above her waist and one man was in the process of removing his pants. Rape was going to happen and her struggles got her nowhere. Her pinto was standing nearby holding on foot off the ground, either sprained or broken.  Raising my rifle I aimed at the man and shot him. Then grabing one of my pistols I told the other two to stand easy or they'd get shot also. I walked up to them, and had them toss their firearms away. I then walked up and cut the girl's bonds and lowered her skirt. Moving the two men back I tied them securely to trees. The girl hadn't moved so I knelt beside her and asked her if she spoke English, she said she did so I  asked her what happened and she told me these men had been chasing her and her horse stumbled in a hole and fell with her, breaking her leg. I then cut two nice stout saplings and made splints, then I told her I would set the leg straight and bind it for her.I also told her it was going to  hurt and asked if she wanted a stick in her mouth to bite down on. She shook her head, so I got hold of the leg and jerked it back into line. She screamed as it snapped into place. I then set the splints on the sides of her leg and bound her leg so I wouldn't move. I then walked over to her horse and checked it's leg, luckily it was just sprained so I walked back and  told her that her horse needed a few days rest before I could return her to her home. She nodded, understanding what I told her. It was midday so I built a fire and put coffee on to boil, then took supplies out of my pack horse's pack and began fixing a meal, pan bread, bacon and potatoes. When it was done I helped her to a log under some Aspens, then brought her a plate and asked if she wanted coffee, she just wanted water, so I brought her my canteen. The prisoners were complaining as they didn't get fed, but were ignored.
  I asked her her name and where her village was and as she was about to tell me, we were surrounded by what appeared to be a war party. My wheapons were taken from me and as they talked to the girl it appeared I was about to be killed. Luckily she told one of them that I had saved her from the three men who were going to rape her. She then told me the one talking was her father and had come looking for his daughter. His men took the two men tied to the trees away from camp and they returned a few minutes later without them. They were going to make a travois for her and she told them her horse was lame.  She told them what I had thought to do and they discussed it a bit then decided to stay to see how her horse did. I told her I could feed them but she said they had their own food. They dragged the one I had shot off into the forest then returned and begain fixing their own meal. She then told me they would wait a day then if the horse wasn't able to travel it would be left and they would use another horse. I told her they could use one of the three horses left by the three men, and they could have all three if they liked.
  The next morning her horse wasn't ready for travel, so I told her I would return her horse when he was ready and she could accompany her father home. So the war party returned my wheapons, and then left with the girl.
  A week later after spending the time relaxing in such a beautiful spot among the aspin and spruce trees her pinto was feeling well enough to travel, so I took the horses and headed for her village. Two days later I rode into her village under heavy guard. I wasn't harmed because they recognized her horse. Turned out her father was the chief. I considered myself a lucky man as I had not harmed the girl. Both she, her mother and her father came out to see me. She thanked me and told me her people would not harm me and I could travel free from worry. I handed her the rope to her horse, nodded to her father and mounted up and left the village. I never saw her again, but was glad I had helped her and gained the friendship of her people. Her mother waved as I left.

[Red Badger]

Nice story

[old salt]