While on our way back from testifying, Micah, Mark and I somehow got turned around.  Micah hoped to make North Fork by night.  I had no idea where we were, nothing looked familiar.  Micah apologized for dragging Mark and I half way across the territory to testify for him, and for it taking two days longer then he had planned.  I told him to forget, it wasn't his fault.  As we rode on Micah felt that we might be further south then we thought, maybe even into Mexico.  I told Micah to ride over the ridge and see what he could find and Mark and I would go further down the road and see what we could find out.  As Mark and I rode on I had a strange feeling about this place.  I told him I thought we should head back and find Micah.  We went back to where we left Micah but there was no sign of him.  I called to him but no answer.  Mark headed over the ridge to see if there was any sign of Micah.  I started to look around.  On the side of the road laid Micah's hat with blood on it.  As I picked up the hat I could hear Mark on top of the ridge.  I didn't want to alarm him so I took Micah's hat and put it in my saddle bags.  We then road on looking for Micah.

We kept riding deeper and deeper into Mexico, when we came across what appeared to be a ghost town.  Little did we know that it was occupied.  "Are we in New Mexico, Pa or Old Mexico?"  "Old Mexico Son."  We didn't know if Micah was here or not but I felt we needed to check it out.   

   As we rode thru the town I felt uneasy.  We saw an old woman standing in the doorway of a building.  We got down from our horses and walked half way to where she was standing.  When I tried talking to her she walked away.  A pregnant woman then game to the doorway.  I tried talking to her but she didn't say a word.  I told her I was looking for my friend and that he was lost.  Just then Mark noticed a Mexican watching us, holding a rifle on us.  As I looked around I saw another Mexican and then we heard someone yell out from behind us.  As we turned around there we're two more Mexicans.  He asked me if I was from the law.  I told him no.  He said the other guy was from the law.  "What other guy?" I asked.  "Do you want to sell your horse?" Asked Alphonso, the leader of the bandits.  "What other guy?" I yelled.  He asked if Mark was my kid.  I didn't answer.  He thought I had a nice kid, a nice horse and a nice gun.  He told me he wanted to see my gun, maybe he wanted to buy it.  "It's not for sale!" Said Mark.  "Mark!" As I tried to let Mark know to cool it.  "It's my Pa's rifle and he won't sell it mister so you just try and take it!"  He told us his wife was going to give him a good kid like mine.  He said he wanted my gun and he would give me a good price for it.  He told us that they only had one gun that shoots more than one bullet at a time.  He said they we're fighting a great cause.  When his men laughed, this angered him.  He threw dirt at them and yelled to them in Spanish.  He then turned to me....."I buy you gun.....alright guy?"   I told Mark to put the rifle down.  He did reluctantly.  Alphonso then crawled over to it and picked it up.  I then asked him again about Micah and if he had sold him his horse.  I asked him where Micah was.  He liked my boots and wanted to know the size.  I tried to keep my cool with him, it was hard, he talked in circles.  He finally agreed to take me to Micah.

He took us to a hill overlooking the town.  There Micah was buried up to his neck.  Alphonso threw a shovel at me and told me to dig a hole.  It was getting dark when Alphonso came over to me.  He told me not to worry about Mark, that he liked him.  He said he would take care of him.  Just then the old woman hollered up to Alphonso and told him that his woman was about to give birth.  He and his friends were all excited about this.  Alphonso told me that they had to leave now.  He left one of his bandits to guard us.  

He sat there on the hill watching us.  I had a feeling he didn't speak English so I thought I'd talk to him and find out.  I was right.  I told Mark that as quick as anything happened he was to hit the dirt face down.  I asked him if he thought he could find his way home from here.  He said he thought so.  I told him to look for the North Star and just follow it and by daylight he'd see the mountains just north of home.  I told him he would then cross the trail to North Fork not far from the house. Don't go to the ranch.....go right into town, and find Judge Hanavan, tell him what happened.  He asked about Micah.  I told him to let me worry about Micah.  I told him I'd be there later.  We couldn't get to our horses right now, they would see us.  I told him we could probably get Micah's horse which was in the one building at the bottom of the hill.  I told him I would put him on him and he was to ride like the devil and not look back.  Mark wanted me to come with him, but I couldn't ride one of their mules and pack Micah too.  Mark knew they would do me like they did Micah, he didn't want to leave.  He felt we could take the bandit, the two of us.  "Mark....you do exactly as I tell you!"  I told him I'd make it and I'd bring Micah with me.  When I started to climb out of the hole the bandit hollered to me.  He told me to stay where I was.  We had to get close to him.  We finally got our chance.  He wanted my boots.  I took them off and threw them to him.  While he was busy putting on my boots I saw my chance.  I grabbed the shovel and slowly go out of the hole.  I hit him with the shovel,  and killed him.

Alphonso and the other two bandits where celebrating.  But the baby wasn't ready yet.  So Alphonso and his men decided to come back on the hill.  They we're surprised to see we were gone and their friend lying on the ground.

  We made it back to the abandoned saloon where Micah's horse was.  Mark tended Micah while I got the horse ready for Mark's ride back to North Fork.  I opened the doors and checked to make sure it was okay for Mark to leave.  "Alright.....git goin'," I said.  He just sat on the horse with his head down.  "What's the matter Mark?"    "Pa.....I can't do it. I just can't go out and leave ya'. I ain't gonna do it and you can't make me!"   We just looked at each other for a little while.  I knew Mark had made of his mind and there was no changing.  I then went over and closed the doors.