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Show Page 36 Instead of following Ann's wishes and surrendering the wardens to the Indians, Mrs. Thompson hid them under a load of hay in her wagon and galloped away to the nearby town of Maybell. In spite of their insistence and her own fear of Indians, Beth Brown refused to go along. Left alone, Ann knew that the ranch was no place to be when the angry Indians arrived, so she and Beth quickly saddled their horses. . . . we lit out for Brown's Park, over the Boone Trail Vwrote AnnJ, thirty-three miles to go, through hills scattered thickly with Utes on the war path, sending up their alarming signal fires as they prepared for their scalp harvest. I hadn't much fear in passing near these fires, for I was confident the sharp trained eyes of the Indians would recognize the pinto horse and its girl rider. I had many friends among these redmen, but I was less sure of the safety of my companion. In the event of actual danger, Ann told Beth, she was to hide in the cedars until the next afternoon, then head for the Bassett ranch without looking for Ann. |