FAITH
FAITH (after an idea by Nesciri)
Two days later, Ike mounted the new mustang that
they had been joking about. Lou had christened him Dynamite and the name certainly
fit. He was a stubborn thing and had consistently thrown any riders who had
tried to tame him. Ike grinned as he recalled Buck landing on his rump after
barely getting in the saddle. Jimmy had teased him a good bit about it until
he had the same unpleasant experience. Now, it was Ike's turn and he was determined
to get this horse broke before Buck came back from his run. Then he would certainly
have a good laugh at his best friend's expense.
"There you go, Ike!" Teaspoon called as
he leaned over the fence.
"You have him, Ike!" Cody joined in. His
face still showed redness and swelling and there was a particularly nasty blister
on his right cheek. The doctor didn't know what had caused such burning but
he was confident that Cody's skin would heal in time. His hands were still tender
and he wore gloves to protect them until they mended. The Doctor had given strict
orders that Cody refrain from working in an effort to keep the wounds as clean
as possible so that there would be no chance of infection or scarring. Cody
had swallowed a little when the Doctor warned him about possible scars especially
to his face but he knew he was lucky. Some of that poison could have ended up
in his eyes and he could be partially blind. He had stayed inside for as long
as he could stand and when Ike and Teaspoon decided to try Dynamite again, he
had to go watch.
Ike thought he almost had him. He concentrated and
held on the rein while quickly shifting his weight to move with the horse. He
thought if he could stay on just a few more seconds Dynamite would be all his.
He could hear Cody and Teaspoon yelling at him but he really couldn't make out
the words. He knew he was putting on an impressive display and he wanted to
keep going. All of a sudden, he felt his left leg flip out of the stirrup as
all his weight was transferred to his right. He slid heavily off Dynamite and
hit the ground with a thud. He didn't have long to be stunned though because
his hand was still wrapped in the rein. Ike frantically pulled at the rope as
he was drug around the ring. All his attention was on Dynamite and where the
horse was in relation to his own body. He could feel himself getting bruised
as his body bounced off the horse's body and once or twice he felt the hoofs
hitting his legs. He was starting to feel panic, as the rein wouldn't unwrap.
Instead it seemed to get tighter. He was tiring fast now and he feared that
he would end up under the agitated horse and seriously hurt. Next thing he knew,
Teaspoon was there along with Cody and they somehow managed to get a hold of
Dynamite and get Ike's hand free of the rope.
Teaspoon and Cody left Dynamite in the ring and half-pulled Ike away from the scene. Ike was stunned and looked over his shoulder at the horse that had immediately calmed down and now pranced around pricking his ears. When he saw the saddle hanging on at an awkward angle he stopped and turned back. Cody and Teaspoon turned to see what had caught Ike's attention and the three walked back, or rather Ike stumbled, to the ring. Teaspoon opened the gate and walked up to the horse speaking softly. He managed to get a good look at the saddle and what he saw filled his heart with disbelief. The leather strap that held the saddle in place had been cut neatly with a sharp implement. This was no accident or screw up. Someone had tried to seriously injure Ike and would have managed to if he and Cody hadn't been able to stop the horse Shaken, Ike allowed Cody to help him back to the bunkhouse where Rachel tended to the bruises and the wounds from the horse's hoofs.
