Emperor's World

As Mose regained consciousness he realized he was tied up in a chair and blindfolded. As his mind began to clear he recalled that someone had knocked on the door to his rooms in the middle of the night and he had thought perhaps it was one of the Blackford men so he opened the door and there were two men with masks there. They ordered him to dress quickly. As they led him toward the door to leave, he shoved them and tried to run out. Then everything went black. He surmised that the knot and pain on his head resulted from being struck with something that rendered him unconscious. Mose had no idea where he was, who his abductors were, why they had attacked him, and carried him from the Blackford ranch. He was also concerned that his friends at the Blackford ranch would not know his whereabouts. His head still hurt and now he was also hungry. He asked if anyone was there with him but got no response. In time Mose heard a door open and heard someone approaching him. Then he heard the man yell to someone outside the room, “Hey, Josh, he’s awake now!” As the second man entered the room, he told the first one not to mention any names. The second voice asked Mose where the horse herd was located. When Mose didn’t respond, he was slapped hard and told to either tell them what they needed to know and he could then leave or they would find more painful ways to ask him question. Mose told them that he had no idea what they were talking about. He was slapped once again as the man reminded him that he had arrived at the Blackford ranch when the colts from the herd arrived. Mose agreed that was true but told them that Mister Blackford had hired him earlier to handle the barn chores and he knew nothing else about the colts or the herd of horses. He was struck with a fist several more times and questioned about the herd’s location but Mose continued to say he knew nothing about all that. One of the men there said to the other that, “Maybe the old Indian doesn’t know anything about the horses.” His pal responded that he knew and would tell them or else! Then the men were heard leaving the room. Mose’s face was hurting and he could feel blood slowly dripping off his chin. His body reminded him that he had missed breakfast and coffee that morning but the thought quickly passed. Hunger was the least of his problems that morning. Mose knew that unless he could find a way to escape, his life was in serious danger. He knew that no one would find him there; at least not alive. After a long time he heard the door open again and his kidnappers were there once more. After more questioning and more denial by Mose, one man said they were going to put the old Indian in a small room on the floor and put the rattlesnake in there with him. If he didn’t talk then, they would leave him there and let the snake bite and kill him. Mose said he doubted they even had a rattlesnake. He then heard someone leave the room and then return. He heard a box being placed beside his chair and he could unmistakably and very clearly hear a rattlesnake rattling. Mose suddenly had a plan. He began begging the men not to put him in with a snake. He told them he was very afraid of rattlesnakes. After more faked whining and begging, he said he couldn’t tell them where the herd was located but he would lead them there. One voice said that it was too late to go that day but they would go at daybreak the next morning. In time they brought some food, water, and coffee for Mose and untied him, and removed the blindfold. Mose used his handkerchief to wipe the blood from his face and lips. He heard one man ask if it was wise to remove the blindfold. The second voice said that of course it was. Mose was going to led them to the herd the nest day and he had to be able to see to find his way. Mose knew then that if he carried them to the herd, he would be killed instantly so he could not identify the two men. When the blindfold was removed, Mose did not recognize either man. He made a point of studying their faces and remembering that one was named Josh so he could identify them later…that is if he could escape alive. Early the next morning, Mose was fed and given coffee then the three of them then mounted up on the saddled horses that were waiting there. Mose’s face was very swollen and sore from the abuse the day before. As they mounted, Mose asked just where they were so he’d know in which direction to ride. After some hesitation, Josh said the cabin was on the backside of the Walter Bittner ranch. Mose told the men that it was a very long ride to the herd so they would need supplies to camp that evening. Josh ordered the second man to go get some coffee, food, etc., from inside the cabin. As Mose studied the mountain peaks in the distant, he knew where they were so he planned a slow, long rambling ride to a valley far away from the herd’s location. Josh was now happily carrying on a conversation with Mose since he was now sure Mose was leading them to the horses. He had already told his pal, Max, that when they had the horses in sight, they would just kill the old Indian so he couldn’t identify them. Mose led the men in a slow rambling ride cutting from one canyon to the next through hidden trails that he had traveled many times. But he knew the men would never find their way back through the same trails and he expected to have both men confused as to their location before the journey ended. Josh asked him several times if he was sure he knew where he was going. Mose smiled and assured them that he did. He told them the old Indian trails were unknown to most folks. Before sunset, the men stopped in the edge of some trees and built a fire to cook coffee and beans. When it was time to go to sleep, Josh tied Max’s hands and feet together so he couldn’t steal a horse and get away. Mose just ginned and said he had not planned to steal a horse and run. Soon everyone was sleeping soundly. Mose had led them on a long and hard ride all day. Also as he was helping prepare the meal, he had slipped a knife under his shirt in his pants tops. When he was sure Max and Josh were asleep, he got the knife and in time had cut the thongs that held his hands together. He quietly led all three horses down the trail away from the sleeping men. He mounted one and set off in a fast gallop while leading the other two. Mose wanted to stay back and watch the two kidnapper’s reaction when they found him gone and no horses there for them to chase him or to escape on. But Mose knew the smartest thing he could do was ride swiftly to the Blackford ranch and report Josh and Max…and maybe Walt Bittner’s involvement in his kidnapping. Mose set a straight line course for the Blackford ranch which was not nearly as far away as he had let Max and Josh believe. He had to ride slowly until the sun rose and lighted his way. Then after stopping to get a drink of water for himself and his horses, he rode off at a fast pace toward the ranch. All the lack of sleep, abuse, and excitement had joined to wear him down. Long before he reached the ranch he could hardly stay up in the saddle. He wanted to stop to sleep and rest but he kept pushing to the ranch. He would rest there. Finally he could see the ranch homes and the barn ahead. As Josh arose from his bedroll he looked around and then he realized that Mose was gone. He found the cut thongs that had held the Indian. Josh yelled for Max to get up and then told him that the Indian had escaped. Quickly they found all three horses were gone too. They were now afoot in the mountains and were not familiar with the area. Josh was raging mad. He cursed Mose loudly. Then he realized Mose could now identify both of them. He told Max to fix some coffee and food quickly, and then they had to leave the area before Mose brought the sheriff and a posse back. The two men quickly drank the coffee and had a quick breakfast as they considered their predicament. They had no horses and they had no idea just where they we