I was the foreman on the jury that had convicted Juan Mogollon, a Mescalero Apache, of murder.  We sentenced him to be hung.  Micah asked me if I would be at the hanging just in case there was any trouble.  I told him I would.  Juan's father, walked over to me. "You.....you.....the tongue of death for my son."  I told him my tongue talked for twelve men, a lawful jury," I said.  "Juan's tongue say die!  Mogollon's son never die. When moon is up there he ride.....he ride with moon.  He will come for you Lucas McCain. When the moon die you die." He then placed a head against me and put a curse on me.  He then took the head and thru it to the ground.  After the hanging Mogollon and Lobo took Juan's body with them.  They wanted to give him an Apache burial hoping to wipe out the disgrace of hanging.

   That evening I was in the living room reading when I heard Mark yell.  I ran to see what the yelling was about.  He told me Shadow was back.  He said he had come back to drink in our trough just like he used to.  We looked out the window.  We didn't see a thing. He must have been dreaming.  He was sure he had heard him.  He always used to come at night.  "Sure but that was a year ago Mark."  "A wild stallion doesn't usually come back once he's moved on to a new graze, you know that," I said. He agreed.  "Pa.....when a persons got a curse on 'em.....are they sure to die?"  "There's no such thing as a curse son, no matter what you've seen or heard."  "But Mogollon's a witch doctor!" Said Mark.  "He's a man son.....just like anybody else."  "The only thing special about him is his hate!"  "He's so full of it  he.....he scares people."  "You mean it? He just thru that head at cha' to scare ya?" Asked Mark.  "Sure.....fear and superstition Mark, those are the weapons of hate.  And they work sometimes if people aren't thinking straight."  "Remember how I showed you that the head wasn't anything more then a few scraps of buffalo hide stuffed with grass?"  He nodded.  "Fears are like that; you tear them apart and take a good close look at them.....there not scary anymore."  "But isn't a witch doctor suppose to be magic?" Asked Mark.  "There's plenty of magic in the world, son. Sun, moon, stars, growing things. Plenty of magic. But witch doctors don't make it."  I told him he better get to sleep, we had a lot of work ahead of us in the morning.  I had hired Tom and Jake to round up the steers and they should be brining them in early the next morning.

In town there was some trouble.  Juan Mogollon's ghost had appeared.  He ran down a drunk when he came out of the saloon.  Joe Beasley saw it all.  "Juan Mogollon has risen from the dead!"  He was upset.  "It's the curse.....it started!"  "There's always three deaths.....somebody else will die before Lucas McCain's turn," said Beasley.

Tom and Jake had rounded up the steers and were taking four hours shifts each, to keep a watch on the herd.  It was Tom's turn to take the watch.  He told Jake he'd be back around midnight. Jake was having coffee and decided to get his bed roll ready.  While he was making up his bedroll, he had his back towards his coffee.  Someone slipped Jimson Weed [Locoweed] into his cup.

I had gone back to the living room to finish reading when I heard someone outside. It was Jake and Tom.  Something was the matter with Jake.  I helped Tom bring him in the house.  He was burning up. I told Tom to get the Doc.  "There he is! There he is.....burning eyes.....a ghost!"  Jake yelled.  He laid back down. Then he started again. "He'll kill me.....he'll kill me!"  "Juan Mogollon.....Juan Mogollon!"  He collapsed and died. 

Micah came out to the ranch.  Tom had told Micah about Jake.  He asked me what I thought had happened to Jake.  I told him Mogollon.  He told me Mogollon and Lobo were in town last night.  There's no way he could have been in both places.   

That night Mark headed out to fetch some water.  It was dark, with an ill feeling in the air.  Mark could sense it.  He looked around.  He slowly stepped off the porch. Suddenly a rider approached Mark.  "Pa!" Yelled Mark. He came running into the house.  "Pa!" "He's coming.....here's here!"  I started to go outside.  "Don't go outside.....he'll kill you!"  I went outside.  I wanted to see what it was.  "Well, it's a ghost.....I saw him ride out of here!" Yelled Mark.  "It wasn't a dream this time Pa!" I looked.  I didn't see a thing.  "Well whatever you saw son, it's gone."  I believed he saw something I just didn't know what it was.  I told him to calm down.  We went into the house; I wanted to find out just what he did see.  "It was a big horse and a giant ridin' him.....a giant with fire comin' out of his eyes," said Mark.  "A giant huh?" "Now tell me slowly Mark, what color was the horse?"  "I don't know.....lots of colors!" 
"What colors son.....red.....purple.....black?"  "Black! That's it! A big black horse!" Said Mark.  "What else.....what about his mane?"  I told him to think about it calmly.  "His mane was black too and long," said Mark.  "When he runs it stands out and he raises his front legs real high when he's running."  "Just like shadow use too," said Mark.  "Anything else?" I asked. Mark thought for a moment.  "He has a white spot between his eyes and a halter.....a halter with a broken rope.....Pa it was Shadow.....it was!"   He was right.  It sounded like he was caught and then tied and broke loose somehow.  "You didn't see a ghost Mark; you saw a horse in trouble."  Mark wondered how anyone could ride him, he was wild.  I didn't know.  I thought we had enough excitement for the night.  I told Mark we'd talk about it in the morning.  We needed to get some rest.    

  The next morning I decided to take one of our mares who use to run with Shadow and ride to Twin Peaks.  I was hoping she would lead me to Shadow or vise versa.  Mark asked me not to go.  He said if Micah knew he'd send a posse along with me.  But I couldn't chance that.  They would only stir up the dirt.  The best way to track a Stallion was quietly and alone!  "I'll be quiet," said Mark.  I told Mark while I was gone he should go stay with Freddy, a friend of Mark's. He looked like he lost his best friend.  "I promised you Mark, there's nothing to worry about."

I rode for quite a ways. I was tracking Shadow.  When it got dark I walked my horse and tracked by the moonlight.  My horse was acting funny.  She could sense Shadow.  I got back on my horse and I left her lead the way.  The closer we got the more restless she got.  We came across the Indian burial ground.  The coals from the cremation were still hot.  I got off my horse, stooped down to check the trail when I heard Shadow.  I came across a bunch of Jimson Weed.  Again I heard Shadow.  Just then my mare took off.  She didn't go far.  I caught up with her. There was Shadow.  I got my rope.  I threw my rope around his head.  He was hard to hold steady.  I kept trying.  I finally got him calmed down.  I tied him to a tree.  There on his back was a dummy with shiny eyes.  I cut the dummy loose and it fell to the ground.  Just then I heard Mogollon call my name.  He thru a bunch of Jimson Weed at me.  He did have something to do with Jake's death.  He drugged him, frightening him to death then rode to town.  "Lucas McCain think like eagle! Leave trail like ox!"  "Moon dies tonight, Lucas McCain!"  Just then Shadow got restless.  Lobo shot at Shadow, but missed.  I cut Shadow loose. He headed for  Lobo. Then Shadow trampled him to death.  Mogollon turns to shoot me.  By that time I had gotten my rifle.  In self defense I shot and killed Mogollon.  Then Shadow ran off.

I took the rocks out of the dummy.  I thought Mark would like to have these.  He was interested in them.  "I wonder what makes them shine?" Asked Mark.  "One thing for sure.....it's not a ghost!" I said.  "Oh I know that now Pa.....for sure!"

piddlin' stuff.....Michael Pate appeared in 5 episodes - he first appeared in the 'New Orleans Menace,' he played Xavier, the man who thought Lucas to be 'a muchy man.'  His next episode was 'The Second Witness,' he played Brad Davis, he was the man dead set on killing Lucas for testify against his brother.  In 'The Visitor' he played Pete Morgan, he tried to kill Ann Dodd in this episode.  In 'The Mescalero Curse,' he played Mogollan, an Apache Indian who put 'The Mescalero Curse' on Lucas.  The last episode he played Sanchez, in 'The Executioner,' the Indian and one of the heavies that came to collect his share of stolen money from a friend of Lucas's that just got out of jail.

He also appeared with Chuck Connors in "Branded" in 'Call to Glory,' as Crazy Horse. [aka ~ Blade Rider, Revenge of the Indian Nations]
He was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.  When World War II broke, he served in the Australian Army in the SWPA unit. He was later seconded to the 1st Australian Army Amenities Entertainment Unit - The Islanders - in various combat areas. 
Michael Pate began his career in 1938 writing and broadcasting a program called 'Youth Speaks' for ABC Radio with George Ivan Smith. He also wrote for newspapers and magazines and began writing as a book and theatre critic.  He started acting in 1941.
He also was a TV Series writer for "Rawhide."