SEPTEMEBER 11, 1861

A rider traveling fast, whisked by Tyler, she watched as he finally slowed the poor animal. The man was wobbling from side to side barely staying attached to his saddle. It seemed to Tyler that he would fall any minute. “Wait, wait a minute.” Tyler called out. She wanted to find out if she was near Dreamville. She had been traveling southeast a long time, and she was ready for a hot bath, supper and a nice comfortable bed instead of making camp, having a cold supper and sleeping on the hard ground again.

He thought it was someone from Dreamville who had caught up to him. He drew his gun and started shooting. Astonished by this sudden attack, the only thing Tyler could do was defend herself, so she withdrew her own gun and shot back. The drunk toppled to the ground. He didn’t move, so Tyler rode up to him. After careful inspection, she realized that he was dead, not from a bullet wound, but from the fall, striking his head hard on the ground. She also noticed that he had been wounded before because he had his bandana around his arm and she could see the blood that had seeped through. His horse had run off, and she didn’t feel like chasing after it.

Tyler wasn’t sure what to do. She decided that she shouldn’t move him. That she should instead retrieve the nearest sheriff and explain to him what had happened. She traveled on across the plains heading southeast until she came across a well-traveled road. Seeing papers on the ground, she stopped and dismounted.

Tyler stooped down and picked up the wanted posters. The light breeze had scattered them a bit, but not too much. After she collected them all and put them in the satchel she found, she examined the tracks. There had been two wagons; one was still moving on the road, but the other one had disregarded the trail for the hazardous plains. The one still on the road had riders following it. She didn’t want to meet up with a gang, so she decided to follow the wagon that wasn’t on the road any longer, hopefully they could explain the wanted posters that she had found on the ground. She just hoped the wagon wasn’t too far ahead.

Meanwhile back in town Jimmy, Buck and Noah who recently had been on mail runs were being filled in on what had been happening around town by Ted, Aaron, Dean and Jennie. They also learned that Cody and Jacy were at the doctor’s office because Caller Bob had been shot, and that Aaron and Dean were trying to find some horses so that they could gather up the horses that had been released from the livery stables by the drunk

“Jimmy, I think you best know, I rented a wagon to four men, one was driving the wagon but the other three followed behind him on their horses. I was afraid they would spot me, so I didn’t get too close them, but I heard them mention orphans.” Dean informed him.

The three Pony Express riders decided the best thing to do was to go out looking for Kid, Ike, Teaspoon and the orphans since they hadn’t returned yet. About thirty minutes later Buck found both the wagon tracks where they had separated company. Buck told Jimmy and Noah that there was only one rider following the wagon that had left the road, and three riders following the other wagon leading three horses. All three were puzzled as to what to do. Which wagon should they follow? If they chose the wrong one then it would put them further behind the right one. “Well, if Teaspoon, Ike and Kid had the orphans, they would head to Dreamville,” Buck announced.

“Yeah, but Buck neither one’s headin’ to Dreamville.” Jimmy exclaimed as he took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Yes, Jimmy but we know that one man came out here to get the orphans and then four men came out here to get them; one driving the wagon and the other three on horses. I think those our the same tracks.” Buck pointed down the road. “I also think since neither one is heading to Dreamville that something is wrong. I think Teaspoon, Ike, Kid and orphans are in that wagon,” still looking and pointing down the road he continued, “I think the first man headed that way,” he changed the direction he was pointing, “and the rider who’s following him came upon the scene later. Kid and Ike’s horses ran off in that direction,” he turned and pointed west as he climbed aboard Wind Dancer.

“Then that’s the way we’re going.” Jimmy stated as he took off down the road.

 Although Noah suspected that Buck was right, he had just a little doubt in his mind that he felt the need to say, “God, I hope Buck’s right.”

Following the road, Buck figured that they weren’t likely to veer from it, so when they stopped to talk about what they would do once they caught up with the orphan stealers, Buck suggested that they take a shorter route and hopefully get ahead of the wagon. They could pretend that they were riding along minding there own business, and then look over the situation. So that’s what they did. Getting ahead of the wagon didn’t take to long since they went cross-country and the wagon stayed on the road.

“Good evening gents,” Jimmy said as he stopped Sundancer in front of the wagon. He saw the orphans were all right, but he was deeply concerned that Kid, Ike and Teaspoon weren’t with them.

“Good evening,” the driver said as Buck and Noah nodded to the men. “Can we help you?”

“No, we’re just traveling. Where ya headin’?” Jimmy inquired.

“To Cottonwood,” the driver answered.

“That’s a pretty fair piece.” Jimmy leaned forward. “Doncha' have a ma for those kids?”

“Well, uhhh-” that question perplexed the driver.

Rick and another man moved their horse’s closer to Jimmy’s. “Their ma is waiting for them in Cottonwood, though I don’t see what business that is of yours.” Rick replied.

“Hey haven’t I seen you in Dreamville,” the man next to Max asked. “Yeah, I’m sure I’ve seen you in Dreamville. You’re good friends with the sheriff there.” Before the man could draw his gun, Jimmy had his in hand and a shot rang out. Jimmy had intentionally not aimed it at either of the riders. He wanted to scare them, not wound or kill them.

Noah’s whip went out and swung around the driver, pulling him out of his seat and onto the ground. He jumped down and as the man was getting up, he punched him in the face. The man went rearing backwards with his bottom hitting the ground. He moaned, but he wasn’t ready to admit defeat yet, so he lashed out with his legs, hitting Noah’s left leg, and Noah fell forward to the ground, his palms stopping him from eating dust.

Meanwhile Buck had Wind Dancer gallop forward to confront the man at the rear of the wagon, and as the man was going for his gun, Buck whipped his knife out and threw it. It landed in the man’s arm. The pain shot up his arm, and he yelped, so he raised his hands in the air to show surrender. Buck rode over and took his gun from his holster.

Jimmy had his gun trained on his two men, but that still left Noah to deal with his. After Noah had fallen to his feet, the driver rammed both his arms into Noah’s back, which flatten Noah to the earth. Jimmy wasn’t paying attention to Noah, he had his two prisoners drop their guns, and then Jimmy was making sure that the horses hitched to the wagon wouldn’t go anywhere. He had dropped down off his horse and was holding the reins of one of the horses hitched to the wagon while still trying to keep his eyes and gun trained on Max and the man who had recognized him from town.

The driver kept slamming his arms into Noah to press him to the ground. Noah reached out and grabbing some dirt he threw it up and behind him. It hit the man in the face, and he moved off of Noah’s back to wipe his eyes with his knuckles. Noah rolled over and lashed out with his legs knocking the man to the ground. The man yelped in pain, and the horses hitched to the wagon were a little skittish and moved a little, Jimmy had to halt the one he was hanging on to and say ‘Whoa!’ to stop them from moving on. While Jimmy’s attention was distracted, Rick and the man beside him jumped down to grab their guns.

Figuring that Noah could take care of his man, Buck had moved over to the right side of the wagon to do his best to keep an eye on his prisoner and the two prisoners that Jimmy had. His eyes left Jimmy’s prisoners for a minute to focus on the orphans. He told them to keep down. He wanted them down on the floor of the wagon just in case a stray bullet might end up their way. As the wagon moved, Buck riveted his eyes back to Jimmy’s prisoners and saw them landing on the ground going for their guns. Buck shot and killed the one that had recognized Jimmy, and Jimmy shot the one called Rick.

Buck’s prisoner tried to shoot him by bringing out a concealed derringer, but one of the children shouted a warning, and Buck turned just in time to shoot him. Noah finally knocked out his prisoner, and went around to check on Jimmy’s and Buck’s. He found all three of them dead. But then as he was heading back to his own prisoner, the children started screaming because they had seen the driver pick up his rifle that had lain on the floorboard of the wagon seat. Noah quickly pulled his revolver and shot the man, but as Noah shot the driver the rifle blasted a shot, too. The horses tied to the wagon couldn’t stand it any longer and they bolted as Jimmy was trying to get into the wagon, knocking him to the ground. Also the three dead men’s horses ran off.

Buck took after the wagon, and Noah and Jimmy soon joined the chase. Closing in on the horses, Buck jumped from his horse to one of the horse’s pulling the wagon. He pulled on the reins, and the horses started slowing down. Noah jumped into the drivers seat and pulled up on the reins and the wagon came to a stop. The children were scared but Jimmy soon calmed them. Buck whistled for Wind Dancer and his horse came trotting over to the wagon. Buck jumped down off the wagon horse and mounted his own. He then fetched Sundancer and Trouble and tied them to the back of the wagon. Noah turned the wagon around, and with Jimmy in the back of the wagon, and Buck riding his own horse they all started back to Dreamville. On their way back, Buck found Ike and Kid’s horses, so he led them back.

When they arrived back to where the two wagons had split up, they noticed two riders on one horse coming their way from the direction that the other wagon had gone. They recognized one as Kid, but the other rider they didn’t recognize. As Kid and his new friend arrived at the road and stopped, so did the other riders. “Hey Kid, who’s your friend?” Jimmy inquired.

Kid scowled, “She helped us out of a sticky predicament. “So where’s the men who took the orphans?”

“They’re dead. We left them back a ways. Didn’t want to bring them along with the children. I figured we could go back for them.” Jimmy replied.

“Teaspoon and Ike should be coming along soon in the other wagon.” Kid stated.

“Kid why don’t you stay here with Buck and then you can go with them to get the dead men. Noah and I can get the children back to town.” Jimmy suggested.

Kid nodded. He jumped down and untied Katie from the wagon. Noah and Jimmy with the orphans headed for Dreamville.

When Teaspoon and Ike arrived, the four men and Tyler along with Max tied in the back of the wagon went to collect the four dead bodies. On their way, Tyler told Sheriff Teaspoon about the man she had shot. They decided that they would have to retrieve him, too.

When they arrived, they only found three dead bodies. They loaded them up and Teaspoon realized that the man who wasn’t there was Rick. Tyler described the incident again. They weren’t sure but the man that she had defended herself against might be Rick since he had previous bullet wound, and he could have been disoriented that’s why it had been hard for him to stay in his saddle. So they all headed in the direction of where she had last seen the body. Unfortunately when they arrived, it was growing late and Ike, Kid, Buck or Teaspoon didn’t know the man. They threw him in the back of the wagon, too, and they all headed for Dreamville. Buck had suggested going back and trying to find Rick’s trail, but Teaspoon advised against it because it would be dark soon. They would take out come first light because wounded, Rick couldn’t get too far.

Rachel was in the hotel dining room with the orphans and Clem. She hoped that this incident wouldn’t leave any of the children traumatized. They all seemed to be all right except for one, Blaine. She wouldn’t talk at all, no matter how hard Rachel tried, but then after Clem pulled her aside and told her about Blaine never talking since she had come to the orphanage, she understood and felt sorry for the child. She thought maybe Ike could teach her sign language like Buck had taught him.

As Rachel saw Teaspoon stop the wagon, she hurried outside to provide the details about Caller Bob being shot, and that Aaron had got off a lucky shot at the drunk, but had lost him in the livery because there had been a stampede of horses. She also informed them that Jimmy, Noah, Aaron and Dean were out right now rounding up the runaway horses. Teaspoon suspected that the drunk was the one who Tyler had shot, but he would get a positive id on him once he could pull Cody away from Jacy’s side. She was waiting for word of Caller Bob’s condition at the doctor’s office. Teaspoon then took the prisoner, Max, to his new home; the jail cell while Kid drove the wagon over to the livery stables. As soon as the other riders returned, they would have to bury the bodies in the cemetery.

After Rachel told Ike about Blaine, he felt sorry for the child, too. He assured Rachel that he would do his best to help her learn sign so that she could communicate to others. Ike and Rachel returned to the children, and Ike quickly made a good rapport with Blaine. Soon she was signing hello, good, nice and some other common words. The other children encouraged her and for the first time she really felt happy.

Clem asked Rachel if she would like to adopt the child, thinking that Ike was her husband, of course Rachel had to inform him that she wasn’t married, but that didn’t deter him. He knew some other single folks were going to try and adopt some of the other orphans from the orphan wagon, so he relentlessly pursued Rachel until she finally gave in and said that she would think about it. She knew that Ike could help the child, and she really liked Blaine.