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The Texas Rangers were constantly busy. There was always something to deal with. Indians, both Commanche and Commancheros, robbers, and outlaws were customary in this part of the country that he patrolled. Justice in this part of the country was dealt with swiftly and harshly usually with a swift execution and an even swifter burial. The old adage was that the Texas Rangers had to "ride like a Mexican, track like a Commanche, shoot like a Kentuckian and ride like the devil."
Even though the Texas Rangers were never officially on assignment, it was their duty to patrol the land to keep it safe for the travelers that were making their way out west to settle. There were many hidden dangers that the settlers could encounter on their trek out west to start a better life and each year approximately 200 settlers died trying to make their way out of live their dream, mostly at the hands of the Commanches. Sometimes a surprise ambush lay over the horizon or a freak run in with a pack of coyotes while traveling through the mountainous terrain would also result in a loss of life.
Usually a Texas Ranger rode alone but is was not uncommon to see two or, on rare occasions, three rangers together at any given time. It was a solitary life and one that demanded much and if a Texas Ranger dared to fall in love, it usually ended up in tragedy.
Philip Spaulding knew that to be all too true. His one true love hadn't been able to handle the demands of his lifestyle and she had sunk into a depression induced by too much alcohol and laudanum which she had turned to to cope with the loneliness of being a Ranger's wife. He had not seen her in several years and he knew that she now resided in the same town as his father and ran, along with her mother, the establishment where his father sang his lonesome cowboy songs. He knew all too well what kind of establishment it was and what went on there but he chose not to dwell on that, in fact, he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind whenever they dared invade his mind.
Several times he had entertained the idea of riding up that way and proclaiming his love, but he knew that it would not be a wise thing to do. He was destined to stay here in Texas, roaming the countryside and keeping vigil over the land that he loved so much and to monitor the activities of the unsavory element that preyed upon the innocent.
He had since remarried but that too had ended. He hadn't been able to change for Harley any more than he had been able to for Beth. He had grown quite fond of Harley and her little baby but he didn't feel the raw ache when he thought of her and what they had briefly had together as he did when he thought of Beth.
She had been traveling, via stagecoach to the land that her husband had purchased for them before his untimely death in a horse riding accident. She and her newborn son had been aboard the stagecoach when it had been held up. Philip had managed to thwart the holdup and catch the robbers and he had been surprised to find himself moved by the young widow's plight.
She had been so shaken that she hadn't been able to speak for quite a while and he had offered to let her and her young son stay with him until she could regain her strength and head back out west to the land and the new life that awaited her.
Soon, the fondness he started to feel for her had been reciprocated and they had gotten married. Philip had enjoyed being a father to the young lad but tragically, the marriage fell apart in less than a year. He had noticed Harley's unhappiness a lot sooner than he had Beth's and he made the arrangements for her to live on her land and she had spoken her first word since the hold up when he told her it would be best if she went to where she originally had been going. She had simply said "Okay".
He missed the little boy and it reminded him that the biggest regret he had in his life was that he and Beth had never had a child. He would have given anything if Beth and he had made a child but just as their marriage was not to be, neither was his dream of a family with her. He had wanted a family so badly and his heart had been truly broken and even though he had made some false promises about changing, she had known what he had known, being a Ranger wasn't a choice but a calling.
He shook his head as if to erase the tormenting images of his lost love and rode his chestnut mare Scout hard as they traveled across the plains. He could let the horse ride hard the way she wanted to when they were on the flatlands but he still had to be mindful not to let her step in any holes and break her leg. A Ranger was useless without his horse and often times they took better care of their horses then they did themselves.
He was on his way to a Commanche camp about twenty miles outside of his ranch. He had gotten word that the Commanches had a white woman in their possession. This wasn't the first time that he had to go to an Indian camp and secure the release of a white woman. The Commanches purposely sought them because of the high ransom they brought in. Sometimes they would abduct them themselves, but they were just as likely to let some marauders seize the captives and then they would barter for them, usually with horses. The marauders didn't respect and take care of their horses the way the Commanches did and subsequently, they didn't feel bad about using that to their advantage. They could usually get a white captive for one or two horses and once the ransom for the captives was paid, the Commanches would have come out on top.
The Texas government would usually extricate funds to secure the white captives release, often times even though there was not enough money to even pay the printers to print money.
Philip wanted to get to the camp before nightfall. The Commanches were nomadic in nature so they would likely be gone by morning. He also needed the daylight to assist him in pinpointing the location of the camp. Usually a Ranger could tell where a Commanche camp was by looking for the buzzards circling overhead. That was a sure sign that the Commanches had settled there.
He also needed to get to the camp before they put the captive through too much torture. The Commanches delighted in torturing their victims and most especially white women. They were usually raped by at least one of the Commanches and they were notorious for their creative use of ant beds and fire in their torture rituals.
Sometimes the victims died before they could be ransomed and Philip had prided himself on not having lost a captive yet. He had always been able to secure their release but he was not always able to get to them quickly enough to prevent them from enduring the torment inflicted by the Commanches.
He rode Scout hard until he knew that it was getting too dangerous to ride her like that anymore. They were within a mile of the camp he figured and since the tell tale buzzards that flew around the camp had just come into view, he knew he had located their camp. This wasn't his first victim recovery so there was a chance that he would recognize some the these Commanches and the trade would be easier if there was familiarity involved.
He pulled up within 500 feet of the camp and dismounted off of Scout. He opened the saddlebags and took out the ransom money that he had been able to secure for this unknown woman. Perhaps he had gotten here in time. Perhaps the woman had not been made to suffer too much.
He gently pulled on the reigns of Scout and silently approached the camp. Being half-Indian himself helped in situations like this when he could use his natural instincts to sneak up on his enemy without being heard. He had never met his Indian mother and Alan had simply said that she had been a woman whom he had loved very much and had intended to marry but she had been taken away by her father and they had never seen each other again. Philip suspected that his father still pined for his long lost love, much as he still pined for Beth.
Soon, he was on the outskirts of the camp. He didn't bother tying up Scout since he knew that she wouldn't run unless he instructed her to. He stepped into view of the camp and was met by two angry looking Commanche warriors. He spoke to them in a language that they understood and asked to talk to the chief and lifted his saddlebag to indicate that he had brought something to barter with.
The taller of the two Indians pointed to a make shift tent that the Indians had erected as the shelter for the night. Philip stepped towards the tent careful not to leave his back exposed to the warriors. It would not be wise to show any vulnerability since a Commanche warrior would stab you in the back and take your belongings without a second thought.
Philip arrived at the tent and opened the flap. There, he got the surprise of his life, for sitting next to the chief with a ripped dress and a face marred with bruises and scratches, was none other than his lost love Beth.
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Philip Spaulding, Texas Ranger and overall good guy prided himself on being unshockable. He had seen many things in his years as a Texas Ranger that would make a lesser man puke. He had resorted many times to eating bugs and worms when there had been no other food available. He had witnessed man's inhumanity to man on so many occasions that he lost track, so it was natural for him to consider himself above shock.
However, seeing Beth in the hands of the Commanches shocked him to the very nucleus of his soul, that is if he still possessed one. Suddenly the stakes were higher than originally thought. He had to secure her release no matter what.
He knew that any outward sign of fear would be disastrous for both he and Beth but he couldn't help the way his heart slammed again his chest over seeing her in this predicament.
Her only chance of survival was him. He breathed in through his nostrils deeply to calm himself and to disguise his extreme nervousness.
Two of the Indians who had been seated on either side of Beth stood up and came to stand directly in front of Philip temporarily blocking his view of Beth. They angrily grunted and told him to state his business.
He spoke to them in some words of their own language and soon he was able to convince them they he had brought a handsome sum of money for the white woman's release. The two Indians turned to the Indian whom Philip deduced was the chief and began to speak in their native tongue to him. Philip could make out some of the words being exchanged even though their dialect was slightly different than he had heard before. Clearly they were unsure as to whether or not to let this woman go.
Philip got a bad feeling in his gut. This was not good. It was not going like the other exchanges he had made. This was taking too long. Usually they just took the money and let the captive go but something was keeping them from releasing Beth right away.
They spoke some more in the same language and Philip was able to determine that the chief was somewhat reluctant to part with this white woman. Apparently he had become somewhat enamored with Beth and despite himself, Philip thought he couldn't blame the chief for that.
Beth had a vulnerability about her that brought out the protective instincts in a man and made them want to keep her safe from the evils of the world. He had felt that way about Beth for so long and if he were to be truthful with himself, he would admit that he still felt that way even though he knew down deep in his heart that they had no future and would never be reunited again. Sometimes life just dealt from the bottom of the deck and you just had to play with what you had and the deck was stacked against any chance that Philip and Beth had had at a chance of happiness.
The Indians were still engrossed in their conversation and he was able to glance around one of them and see Beth who appeared to be in a catatonic state. She was absolutely petrified and he had to get her out of here and he didn't care if he had to take on every Indian in the tribe to do it.
She was looking in his direction but she seemed to be looking through him rather than at him. She was completely unaware of her surroundings at this moment and Philip breathed a sigh of relief and prayed that she stayed that way until he could secure her release.
Suddenly, a flicker of recognition entered her eyes and Philip caught it. She opened her mouth to speak and Philip shook his head quickly to signal her not to say a word. If the Commanches knew that they were acquainted with each other than the stakes for her life would be increased and if they found out that they had been married then her life would be in grave danger. He had to treat this like just another recovery mission.
Sadness washed over Beth's face and Philip had to call on every ounce of his being not to go to her and pull her to him. She looked so afraid and he knew that he alone meant the difference between whether she was freed or kept in captivity.
He had to force down the rage that surfaced when he pondered what had been done to her to cause those marks on her face. She was still clothed so he couldn't determine what marks might be on her person but if the Commanches stayed true to form, Beth had probably been raped by one or all of the Indians in the tribe.
He had to curb his desire to kill every Indian in this tribe and take off with Beth. No matter how much his entire being was telling him to destroy these vile predators, he knew that the retaliation from such an act would result in many innocent lives being taken. Only the thought of many innocent women and children dying in compensation, kept him from acting on his primal urge for revenge.
Finally it appeared as though they were ready to see what he had brought in his saddlebags to ransom this woman. Philip opened the bags and brought out the gold and poured it out in his hand. The Commanches were spellbound at the sound the gold made as it was being piled in his palm.
One of the Indians went to touch it and Philip swatted his hand away and spoke to him in a tongue that the Indian could understand. No gold would exchange hands until he had the captive in his possession.
They seemed to understand and soon it became evident to Philip that their desire for the gold was stronger than their desire to keep Beth and soon he was able to secure her release. Thankfully, she had gotten his silent message and had not uttered a word nor gave away the fact that they knew each other.
He put the gold back into the bag and handed it to the chief and then went to collect Beth. He held out his hand as he had done numerous times with the other captives and she took it and together they walked out of the tent and over to where Scout was still standing.
He helped Beth onto the horse and then he mounted Scout himself and together they rode away from the Commanche camp.
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