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heard something
about me, and Governor Potts said he’d take care of it.”
    Thomas looked apologetic. “I’m sorry,
it’s not very much. At the time I didn’t think anything of it. I
was just excited when they said I was going to help you and…. You
don’t think they’re planning anything, do you?”
    “ No,” I lied. “It’s probably
nothing to worry about.”
    Except I was worried—and now I wished I
had listened to Smoke when he pestered me to bring him along. If I
had to run, there was no other animal I wanted to be on. I wondered
if he sensed danger and, perhaps, that’s why he was so insistent to
come with me. Of course, now I was being silly. Smoke is
extraordinary—he even seems to read my mind at times; but he’s
still a horse and was probably just vying for more oats.
    “ Maybe we shouldn’t go,”
said Thomas doubtfully.
    “ Why?”
    “ What if it’s a
trap?”
    “ I don’t think they’ll try
anything with you around,” I replied. “I’m sure they don’t want to
kill you. And as a witness, I don’t think they can keep you
quiet.”
    Actually, I knew, short of physical
death, they couldn’t silence him.
    “ You’re right; I would tell.
I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
    Suddenly, his face flushed and he
exploded, “I hate
Him
! I wish he would do something to get
himself hung!”
    His rage again bubbled to the surface.
Once again, despite my normal control, I was pulled into the storm
of Thomas’ emotions as he verbally railed against his
father.
    I didn’t bother to stop him, knowing it
wouldn’t last long. It wasn’t the first time he had spoken of his
father in anger, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
    Then, as quickly as the tempest
started, it ended. With his emotions spent, he lapsed into a glum
silence.
    We continued up the stream until
midmorning when Thomas shouted excitedly, “Look! I see some tracks
up ahead.”
    Following them, we found the small
bovine herd; and in its midst was a very pregnant cow.
    “ She doesn’t look sick,”
observed Thomas.
    “ No,” I agreed, “she
doesn’t. However, since we’re here, we might as well be
thorough.”
    While we checked, I attempted to read
her. All animals were hard to read and, when I did find something,
it was usually difficult, if not impossible, to interpret. There
wasn’t much there behind her eyes. Unlike horses, cows mostly
functioned out of instinct, and the pregnant mother gave me nothing
of use. I took that as a good sign.
    “ I don’t see anything
wrong,” said Thomas.
    “ I don’t either.”
    “ Do you think there was ever
anything wrong?” he asked.
    “ I can’t be sure,” I
replied. “But I’m doubtful.”
    I viewed our surroundings. The forest
looked much more menacing than it had minutes before. The shadows
and undergrowth now seemed perfectly capable of hiding a few armed
men. Suddenly, I gained an overwhelming desire to flee this place.
However, for Thomas’ sake, I decided running away like a little
girl wasn’t the most impressive thing I could do. So, I remained
calm, and fought back the urge.
    “ If you don’t mind, Thomas,
I think I’ll have you tell Governor Potts that his animal is well,
if he doesn’t already know.”
    After all, running away and being
cautious are two different things
, I reasoned.
    “ That’s probably a good
idea. Should I go now?”
    “ No. I believe tomorrow will
be soon enough.”
    “ Would you like me to wait
until you’ve left to join the hunting party?”
    “ I would appreciate
that.”
    Still expecting to see someone lurking
behind a tree, I added, “I also think that, perhaps, we shouldn’t
go back the way we came.”
    He agreed.
     
***
     
    The trip to Widow Snow’s was
uneventful. She greeted us warmly with a big bowl of steaming stew
and freshly baked bread. It was delicious and much better than
anything I could make.
    With Thomas’ willingness to stay and
help, even though I hadn’t asked him to, we worked