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The woman twisted her head as though this was new information. Riley smiled. “The word savages no longer fits the Indians, due in a large degree because of the missions and schools.”
Sam cast Riley a wry smile.
Once again the lady hushed and Riley was glad, as she knew she had rubbed a raw sore in Sam.
They were only a few miles south of Dallas when shots were fired and Sam stuck his head out the window to see what was going on.
“Looks like a hold-up. Just be very quiet and try not to panic or say too much,” Sam instructed everyone. “If we behave they’ll only take our jewelry and things, not our life.”
“Our life? A hold-up?” the lady screeched. “Well, can’t you do something? Stop them?” She glanced at her husband who’d been silent almost the entire trip.
The gentlemen pulled their pistols and Sam pulled Riley’s head down to protect her.
Suddenly, a shot whizzed by and from the sound of it hit Nodog. Sam gazed out the window once more.
Blood dripped from the driver’s seat.
“I think they hit Nodog,” Sam whispered.
Riley gasped. “Oh no…”
The two gents fired out the window, the lady sank down beside Riley, holding her hat in place at the same time.
“Does this happen often?” the woman asked Riley.
“Only when they know there is money to be had,” Sam answered her.
The driver suddenly fell from his seat and they watched him being dragged for several miles before the outlaws pulled the stage over.
The woman screamed and Sam tried to put his hand over her mouth, but she fought him.
The outlaws were fast to pull the stage over and stop the horses. Dust flew and for a few seconds no one could see what was going on. The outlaws busied themselves for several minutes with the heavy strong box, and were just as quick to unload the stage.
The lady quivered, and raised her hands high above her head. Three men surrounded them now, eyeing each of them with interest. Riley stayed close to Sam. She knew he would know more what to do than any of the others, and she was thankful he had come with her once again.
“Okay, unload that purse lady, and your jewelry. You gents throw those guns down,” one of the robbers instructed.
“Did you see my dog?” Sam asked when he realized Nodog was no longer on the seat.
“What’s left of him.” One of the outlaws laughed. “Yours?”
“Yes.” Sam gritted his teeth as he spoke.
“Well lookie here, this one doesn’t even have a gun. We got some real greenhornes this time.” One of the outlaws laughed at Riley.
When all the valuables were collected, one of the outlaws turned to the other. “What you wanta do with them?”
“Take the coach, leave them afoot. Doesn’t look like any of them can take care of themselves nor do us any harm. It’ll still take them a day or day and a half to get to Dallas. By then we’ll be long gone.”
The others nodded.
Riley narrowed in on one of them as she recognized or thought she recognized his spurs. But she knew letting them know about it, could mean her life, so she stayed silent. The one with the bright silver spurs looked like Harry. Could it be? Why would he involve himself in a stagecoach robbery? He had her ranch, wasn’t that enough?
“Don’t you think we ought to tie them up at least, stall them getting back even more?”
“All right. Tie ‘em to those trees over there,” the leader instructed. “From the looks of them, they are gonna have a hard time just getting loose.”
Finally, with all of them tied to trees, the outlaws rode off, shooting their guns in the air and laughing at them.
