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"Me too."
Two days later, they came upon two white men. They were beaten up and barely able to walk. Ash smeared their faces. They smelled of smoke. Hawk and Jinx gave them water and fed them, and when they were able to talk, they heard their stories.
"Live up on the ridge, south of the Shoshone's."
Hawk waited. He knew they were a peaceable tribe; they could not have done this.
"What happened?" Hawk asked.
"Comanche happened. They are raiding all up and down the Red."
Hawk tensed, he felt every muscle strain, and he felt his heart break. Was Eve and the kids all right? He was so worried he was almost afraid to listen to them.
"They burned our cabins out. Would of got us if we hadn't run like chickens when they started torchin' our cabins."
"How far east are they?"
"Don't know mister. We been travelin' south for days. But we been smellin' smoke almost as far as we have gone." One of them told him.
"Did you have any women with you?"
"John did. They drug her out of the cabin as we were all trying to get out. They raped her, but I think she's dead."
"Dear God, you didn't stay to find out?" Hawk grabbed the man by his hair and cried out.
The two men looked at each other and hung their heads. "It was too late; they had her by the time we turned around. All we could do was go!"
"I would never leave my wife like that!" Hawk cried.
"You would if you'd have seen them. They were draggin' her by the hair and ripping her clothes off and had raped her time they got out the door with her."
"Lord have mercy!" Jinx took a breath, his face full of anguish.
"We've got to push on Jinx." Hawk informed him.
"What about us?" The men cried.
"We'll leave you some water, and food. That's all we can do for you. I got a family on the east side; I gotta get to them…" Hawk explained.
"It's probably done too late, mister!" The other man hollered.
"I will not accept that!" Hawk nearly screamed and took the mules and started walking.
Jinx followed quietly for a long ways. They didn't stop to rest or eat for a long while.
Finally, Jinx had to complain, "Sorry Hawk, I gotta rest some."
Hawk looked at him and with sullen regret, he nodded. "Alright, for a few hours."
The extreme fear building inside Hawk now was blazing out of control and Jinx knew it. He slept for five hours, and then Hawk pushed them onward. Jinx knew they had to hurry, but he was old and he could only hurry so much.
He was still three or four days from the cabin and his nerves were frayed so badly he was afraid to open his mouth. Anger, hurt, and pure fear ran through his mind now. Never had he loved so, never had he hurt so.
He felt their danger, and it consumed him.
He got to where he wouldn't even talk to Jinx.
A day and a half away, he looked at the old man and realized how hard he had pushed him. How hard fear had pushed him.
