Innocence Lost

Chapter 6

Arthur woke up relatively early. Well considering it was the morning after a party. To be fair, he hadn't drunk a huge amount, not by his standards anyway. It had mainly been beer. Not whisky, because whisky generally left him with a hangover from hell, and a bad mood.

He remembered carrying the sleeping Ella back to Dutch's tent. She'd dropped off to sleep a couple of times during the evening. So Dutch has asked him to take her to bed. She seemed like a good kid. She shouldn't of had to go through, what she'd been through in the last few weeks, but he also wondered if being here was the right place for her.

Having said that, if her family had sold her to Colm O'Driscoll, then she was probably better off here.

He glanced across the camp, to a far tree. That little O'Driscoll brat was tied up there. 'bout time he opened his mouth, and told them what had happened up in that cabin.

He strode across the camp to the tree where the boy was tied. The boy looked panicked.

I'll show him what panicked is, he thought.

Arthur grabbed the boy by the throat.

"Right, you little runt," he growled. "Your gonna tell me right now, what happened in that cabin in the Grizzlies, or your gonna get exactly the same treatment as that poor kid got."

The boy squeezed his eye shut, and whined.

"I don't know nothing, mister. I ain't an O'Driscoll," he screamed.

Arthur made a fist, and tightened his grip on the boys throat.

"Your either gonna talk, or your gonna die," he growled, "and if I don't like what you say, your gonna die...real slow."

Arthur had been so intent on threatening the boy, he hadn't even noticed the people who had gathered behind him.

Dutch looked at the boy, "you better listen to him, 'cause if he guts you like a pig, I ain't gonna stop him. If I were you, I would start talkin', and we know a little already, so we'll know if you're lying."

The boy looked at Dutch, "Ok, Ok," he shrieked.

"But I ain't an O'Driscoll..I've been running with them a couple of months, just looking after the horses, mostly."

Dutch looked at him, "don't waste my time boy," he said. "Now talk."

Arthur, slightly released his grip on the boys throat.

"Ok, Ok...they started bringing 'em in a few months back..."

Dutch stopped him, "what do you mean...them?" He growled.

"Girls," the boy said, "about one a week," he paused. "They'd take 'em up to the cabin...then..."

"Then what...?" he growled.

"Well they went in, but they never came out...I don't know what happened to 'em, honest mister...I don't know," the boy paused, and then continued.

"Except the last one. She somehow managed to escape...then they caught her."

Arthur, tightened his grip on the boys throat.

"What happened?" He said

"I swear I don't know, they never let me anywhere near the cabin, not even for supplies, but she never came out...and then they didn't bring any more in." He squealed.

Dutch looked at Arthur, "kill him anyway, he's an O'Driscoll." Dutch turned to leave, as Arthur pulled out his knife.

The boy screamed, "no wait mister, I had to take a letter to the post for him. I was going to fetch the reply, when you got me."