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He needed a stick or something he could use to help him walk. But sticks didn't come from nowhere, especially since there were few trees. He'd have to make due until he could find one.
He pulled his bandana off his neck and wrapped his ankle to see if that would help. It hurt so bad he wasn't sure. At least on a horse, he could save his ankle. He wished he'd have thought to get a horse, but they might have heard him if he went to the barn and rode out.
Still, the only way he was going to be safe was to reach Cord's place.
He had to stay on course and he had to keep moving.
Instinctively he knew that if he'd gone to town, he would have been there by now. But then his mother would be upset, and he'd be in trouble. He might never go fishing again.
How could he worry about fishing at a time like this? He should have gone to town.
By now his mother was probably frantic unable to find him. He wondered if Jason really did ask her if he could spend the night. It didn't seem likely that his mother would even agree to such a thing. They probably never asked. Why hadn't he gone with his instinct? Something told him his mother would never agree to him spending the night.
Too late to worry about that either.
He wondered if any of the Dubs brothers had awakened and discovered him gone yet.
At the rate he was going, it would be way after dawn before he reached Cord's place.
The bandana seemed to help the swelling a little and Charlie pushed on.
He glanced up at the moon again to get his bearings and hunted for the north star. At least he knew he was north, but how far?
Cord had taught him to hunt for the north star. He smiled to himself, Cord had taught him a lot of things, and he was grateful. The fact that he was like his father made Charlie proud. He might not look like him, but he sure thought like him.
Charlie's ankle hurt a lot, so he tried his best to think of pleasant things. One thing was how good it would be to be a family. How wonderful it would be to have his mother home with him. And to have a father after so long without one. How much he could learn from him and just that feeling of family. He looked forward to his mother's wedding.
At school he'd been one of two kids that didn't have a father. The other kid's father had died in an Indian skirmish a few years back. And the other kids razed him all the time about not having a father.
The sky lightened some now and Charlie was worried. They'd be waking up soon and be looking for him.
Several times he worried that he wasn't headed in the right direction. But he had to keep moving. The further away he got the better, he decided.
His ankle was pounding and he had to stop. It was warming some too and he was thirsty now.
He glanced about the area, then realized suddenly that he had no water with him. That was a big mistake out here on the prairie. He should have known better, but with the threat of the three of them waking up and finding him gone, he just didn't think about water at the time.
Hot, tired and hurt
ing, he rested under a big rock. It provided a little shade and protection from the wind so he sat down and gathered his wits about him.
Charlie looked about for markers to recognize where he might be. He didn't see anything familiar. All he saw was rolling hills and prairie. Every now and then a jack rabbit would hop across the land.
Then he heard a horse. Scared beyond thinking he glanced about for a covey or something to take cover in.
There was a big rock not far, he ran to it and hid.
The horse and rider passed by him. It was Dan and he was looking for him. Charlie tried to be extra quiet. His ankle was throbbing, he was thirsty and the sun would be up soon. But if Dan found him, he'd take him back and there'd be a shootout for sure.
He waited with baited breath behind the rock that was just a tad bigger than him.
If he could find something to knock Dan out with, he might could steal his horse, but that was a mighty big if.
Not far from where he was there was a big rock. If he could pick it up, he might could hit Dan with it.
He ran to it, and was trying to lift it up off the ground where it had settled. It was heavily buried into the hard ground though.
But he finally dislodged it. He hollered as loud as he could. At first he wasn't sure Dan heard him, but finally he turned around and headed back.
