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Vin motioned Peso to the left quickly, cutting out to the outer edge. Moving up parallel with Chris on the other side, even with the dust and distance, he could still make out his friend's face and knew what he what he was thinking, 'Where in the hell they were going to go.' Not slowing his speed, Vin looked behind seeing Ezra behind Chris with Josiah not far behind him. Twisting a bit in his saddle as he kept Peso at full run, Vin found the others, Buck, JD and Nathan, behind him, spaces between each of them.
It had started out so calm, the seven of them agreeing to the idea, and in the first couple of days it had seem to work well. No problems, easy and smooth, even Ezra had been excited and really had not complained about the dirt or work. Well he hadn't complained much, but it was Ezra and he sure did like using those big words of his.
Vin focused again to the direction they were running, searching his mind for something that would help that might lay ahead.
He knew they were all tired, and there was a possibility that some of them were hurt and hiding their injuries from the group of outlaws that had appeared out of the grove of trees, as they passed it in the distance on the lower plains.
The gun fire had caused them to move fast, running their mounts, while firing back at the group. Luck had been with them, their aim having been truer than the outlaws, as half of them had been cut down and left lying where they fell. The others either changed their minds and figued it wasn't worth it, or had left their sight to find somewhere else to attack them. Which was what worried Vin. He needed to direct them somewhere safe and defendable.
Looking out to the horizon, it hit him, he knew where to lead them. Moving Peso more ahead, he made straight for the high wall of cliffs. It was a long run, but finally reaching the enormous solid wall, Vin turned toward the left a bit as he came up on it, and rode through the large opening that was like a doorway into the side of it. Keeping his eyes open, he didn't release the tension till the last one passed through the opening.
“Vin?" Chris asked.
“We're safe, can't get in unless you come through there," Vin assured.
“How about up there on top of the cliffs?" Buck wanted to know looking up.
“Nope, only can get up there from in here. The People call this 'Great fathers hand.' On the outside all the way around straight up cliffs. Inside, the walls slope and have ledges."
Stopping and actually looking around at the inside of where they were, the others saw it was a huge open area with a large pool of water, probably fed by a ground spring.
The wild horses they had gathered and were herding back to Chris's, since they had built the keeping pen when they first had the idea, were all now milling about the water and eating the grass that was thick around it. There was no other way out.
After setting up watch and camping for the night, Vin climbed up to the highest point and looked around. Coming back he told the others it was clear, that the outlaws must have gone on, giving up any ideas of attacking them again.
Saddling up and herding the horses out the opening, Josiah looked up as he rode out, sending a silent thank you to the heavens for creating the box canyon in the middle of nowhere.
The End
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