Bags of Gold

INTRODUCTION

The setting of the story named “Bags of Gold,” stands as a backtracking from the first novel the “Catcher of Love,” which is the story of the Book of Revelations involving the flocks of the children. The second epic begins at the Galveston Bay where the Prophet returns for the search for the hidden treasure that the Southwest Tonto Havasupai Indians hid in a cave guarded by Indian Spirits.

Nevertheless the Prophet has a major obstacle from the beginning when he is confronted by the false friend who is after the bounties of the treasure as well. The false friend will hide the identity of his true self while the Prophet asks him questions about the Book of Revelations within the Bible.

The false friend will answer those questions revealing the truth to the knowledge of its true meaning, although he will hide the reality with his taste for the pursuit of destroying his search with his taste of the chase. Other comrades of the false friend will join before he makes his complete journey to the field of his past. Luckily the woman of the past will be following from a distance to take charge over the over alarming situation to regain her control back over the Indian Spirits she once possessed and controlled.

The story takes place in the 1800s with his reincarnated life with the treasure maps that he has researched and found through his Spanish findings in Madrid, Spain. However once the trip is far laid along the Old Spanish Trail pictures of the false friend will creep up on him bringing back the seeds of his past which are ever alarming.

The treasure maps will fall false as new maps will follow with a liquor bottle that the false fiend had found in an earlier search with the historic claim of an old piece of paper relating to an old miner who mined the arastras without prevail. The false friend will take him to the small cave where the bottle treasure map leads to with an “X” marking the spot.

Here’s where the plot turns to his fleeing for his life while the false friended Indians hunt him down on his way to triumph to the cliff hanging refuge of the true hidden treasure. He will find his path of righteousness after the card of death shows his interlining future has become grim with no hope of survival considering the odds against him.

PROLOGUE

The setting at the very beginning of the story starts off with the main character the Prophet arriving at the docks returning back from his dark past. Before arriving he is looking at some treasure maps that he found in Madrid, Spain. They are very faded making them hard to read. The Prophet also has a copy of a familiar manifest telling where a treasure was hidden. He even carries a Bible which have visions he finds revealing. Once the ship arrives at the dock he puts the maps away and leaves his room where he was staying for the trip. When he waits in line to depart the ship, he is joined by the false friend who asks him questions about where he is headed.

The false friend named Amigo offers him transportation in the form of a horse to accompany him along his journeys. Once they make their way, they rejoin the “Old Spanish Trail” in the search for treasure which leads to other findings leading to the whereabouts of the rewards. They are both followed by the main character Indian Lace who follows their trail to protect and serve the Prophet as a tribute to the past and she desires to reap the benefits as well for her own reasoning.

CHAPTER ONE

Unexpectedly another immigrant ship has arrived at the port of Galveston, Texas on a Saturday morning around eight o’clock in the morning. The ship has reached its destination from Portugal, Spain. When it docks the slight sounds of cheering can be heard from the fans of Texas who still want to colonize the Americas through a westward movement that is growing towards areas such as New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Many of them are overly happy considering that had one their independence from Mexico during the times of the historic Alamo.

Once the ship stops many of the passengers get anxious to their first days of freedom on American soil. Still in the bunker with over immigrants who are arriving along with him, although they aren’t related or involved with one another is the Prophet who has just put some maps away that he had been looking at. Then he flips through some pages of his Bible that he has been reading while looking at the maps that he has sprawled out on the bed of his bunker. The feeling of honor overwhelms him as he feels he is pursuing his dreams of coming to the New World to make a personal discovery. Firstly he places the Bible and his maps in his bag and leaves the room of the bunker.

Luckily he has enough money to bring a horse along which he will have to get when he returns his travel ticket proving he is a passenger and he is here to claim his lively cargo which has been the best friend to him. And that of course that is his horse that happens to be a fine mustang that he picked up in Spain. Thank God for him that these days are long before the days of Influenza, a disease that had ripped our country apart during the early 1920’s causing our country to detour foreign immigrants to such places as Ellis Island which sets in the waters of New York and New Jersey.

After he makes his way from the immigrant ship he looks back for a moment recalling what a long trip indeed that it was for him. Before he turns around to take a new look at the American Country abroad, the eyes of another are upon him waiting to make the initial contact.

Nevertheless there are even eyes upon them as Indian Lace, the main hero flip, pulls her bridle from a ways distance from the behind the crowd watching and waiting herself for the right time to pluck away that what she wants. It’s no wonder that she is no more or less out for one thing. And that one thing is the safety of her pilgrimage across many states such as Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. She has acquired her name by the way she dresses. She wears Indian breaches with a tan Indian leather coat that has laces sprawled up and down the sleeves.

Her saddle is custom built that she made herself that has many bags that she has loaded with the essential supplies needed to make the necessary trip. She is out for something other than safety of her pilgrimage and that word phrase is, “Lost Treasure.”

Soon she fades behind a crowd of people that are welcoming the newly arrived immigrants in to their territory. Of course, she isn’t going to disappear very soon because she is a person who enjoys voyeurism and this inner feeling has been her guide to this point of her life.

The Prophet starts to fade passed the crowd trying to remain unnoticed by the people who are to him strange and eccentric in a way that he doesn’t want to know. His desires are merely about trying to decipher a copy of some old charter that he found in a library in Madrid Spain that he copied onto another piece of paper. He even has some old treasure maps that were handed down to him from his patrilineal family of old. Many of the relatives of his are of old money and that’s one of the motivations he has to coming here. He wants to be a self-made entrepreneur who can capture the essence of treasure through his own scouting with his pieces of evidence. There is another piece of evidence that he has which has brought many images of mind, and that is the Bible naturally.

He walks away from the crowd barley before a voice is heard. While leaving the scene he hears, “Hey, wait up!”

The Prophet turns and sees a middle aged Indian man approaching with a horse of his own. The Prophet stops for a second by pulling his bridle asking, “May I help you!”

With a quick response the Indian man replies, “Ah, you speak English. You’re from England!”

Immediately the Prophet corrects the Indian man by telling him, “No, actually I’m from Spain. I just arrived from Portugal. I speak Spanish and English in fact.”

The Indian man comes right next to him and asks, “So where are you going?”

The Prophet isn’t sure if he can trust him as of yet, so he informs him, “I’m just heading west to find the land of opportunity!”

The Indian man laughs, “The land of opportunity, huh. Well, it sounds like you may need a guide to take you there. I’m heading that way myself.”

The Prophet starts to walk while pulling his bridle answering back, “You are, huh. And where is this place of opportunity you’re talking about!”

The Indian man chuckles before commenting, “The land of opportunity is out west where there are abundant traces of gold, and not to mention treasure.”

At about this time Indian Lace has stopped behind a building and is watching to see what direction they will be heading. She seen the Indian man before the ship docked from a great distance. Anyways Indian Lace’s her camouflage about her new way to dress which is more modern than her days of old anyhow now. Still she remains unseen by them until they both team up. This is a fact that ensures her that her visions are clear and true like a crystal ball which is another tool she uses with her divination of reality.

Yet she only watches from a great distance so that neither of them ever sees nor comprehend that she’s there. Her horse sighs with a sound of being eager to take her along for the chase. If they ever do recognize her, the whole mission that she has planned for so long of a time will be forfeited to who knows what. The whole voyage is based on lots of superficial energies that come from supernatural powers on her side and the evil and deceitful ways of the Indians.

By now the Indian man is ready to ride away on their journey much faster by jumping on their horses. As the Indian man starts to get onto his horse, he says, “Let’s ride, and get out of here and make our journey to the land of prosperity as some will call it!”

For good reason the Prophet hesitates and refrains from getting on his horse right after him. He has to now a little more about him before he takes him along with him to a place where he has never been in this life. Trying to get inside the Indian man’s mind a little bit more than expected, the Prophet asks, “First off, you never told me your name!”

The Indian man shrugs his shoulders and jokes slightly before impressing him with, “They call me Amigo. Just think of me as a friend!”

Now the Prophet has gained some of his trust, although he is still leery about him for some unknown strange motivation. Then he decides to hop onto his horse by sticking his foot in to the stirrups to jump onto his saddle. Then he turns and looks to Amigo asking, “Where to?”

Amigo pulls on his bridle slightly before whipping it up loosely to signal his horse to take off heading forward. Next he talks about a way to head to the land of opportunity which will provoke some past images for the prophet. The prophet is exactly where he wants him considering he is the right man for the wrongful deed. Finally he explains to the prophet the course of direction that they will be taking by prompting, “There is an old trail that the conquistadors used to use to travel back and forth from the land of opportunity to here. It’s a trail that has been used for many thousands of years. It is barely visible even today in many places!”

The Prophet has an idea from his family’s journals and the handed down stories over generations and generations of time throughout his families’ life span. Cluing his new friend on his knowledgeable expertise in the matter considering he isn’t so clueless after all, the Prophet says, “You mean, the “Old Spanish Trail!”

Right away, Amigo wonders and is surprised at just how smart he really seems to be. Applauding the Prophet on his insinuation to where they are headed, Amigo says, “You are pretty smart and you seem like you’re studied on the matter and have never been here! So what is it that you are after?”

At this very moment the both of them are getting out of sight. Now Indian Lace kicks her horse with a side kick that gets her Thoroughbred in to high gear. She pulls her bridle over towards the north to move on top of their southern location as she follows from a long ways away.

It takes a while before they reach a recognizable part of the “Old Spanish Trail” before Amigo can say anything to the Prophet about it. Once they reach a particular area along the mule laden trail, Amigo enlightens him, “Here’s a part of the trail that is still very visible. This area was heavily traveled on during the days of old.”

The Prophet understands that this is his chance to try and pluck whatever information he can from him. It seems that his new friend Amigo may know more than he first expected. Going further with the conversation, the Prophet asks, “How old are we talking about? About three hundred or so years ago right?”

Amigo keeps up a steady ride on his horse while thinking about how they are starting to get pretty detailed now. Amigo feels like sort of a source for information when he answers his questions. For some reason the Prophet seems like maybe he may qualify to be a real prophet of the lord in some ways. After feeling a slight of trust, Amigo informs him, “Way longer than that. We’re talking over a century and a half ago!”

The Prophet wants to be more precise with his information in order to decipher the clues needed, the Prophet queries, “That’s a long time ago. About how long ago exactly are we talking about?”

It takes a moment for Amigo to respond while thinks up an answer even though he knows what it is to his question. First off Amigo tries to go back even further by saying, “The trail goes back farther than the birth of Jesus Christ!”

Realizing just how many years his new friend is really talking about, the Prophet admits, “That’s pretty old. So the “Old Spanish Trail” has been here long before the birth of Jesus Christ and it was laden by conquistadors searching and extracting gold to take to the Old World Spain, huh?”

Amigo sighs and takes a deep breath for a moment before insisting, “Yes, that’s right. The conquistadors have been here long ago and nobody really knows about it.”

The Prophet wants to know more about the story and how he knows so much about it. He also wants to know just where he is getting his information from if it isn’t known about. Right away the Prophet questions Amigo again babbling, “So where are you getting your information that you seemed to know so well?”

Amigo decides to go ahead and talk to him about his family ties while gaping out in to the distance, “These facts come from stories that have been handed down from my family over the years.”

The Prophet turns and looks at Amigo while pondering over many of the stories of old that have been handed down throughout his family ties. To him this is a good conversation that he can build on and relate to his new friend with to get to know him more. With the thought of his father telling him some of those stories, the Prophet says, “Many stories have been handed down to me by my father and my grandfather about this place on the other side of the ocean stories about the conquistadores and their explorations. There were other stories as well about the Roman Empire and how it had affected our country with secret missions of exploring new worlds for secret treasure.”

Amigo looks over to the Prophet who turns around to look at his horse who seems to be listening to the conversation. Now he gained even more attention in to the topic asserting, “It sounds like your parents new a great deal about this place and probably had a vast curiosity about what it would be like to come here on their own. Is that what prompted you to come here, to try and live in the land of opportunity to fulfill your father’s and your grandfather’s dream of finding treasure?”

The Prophet has decided to further their relationship by telling the truth of the matter to him. He believes that he should tell only a little bit of the truth though so that he doesn’t hinder that what he has come to redeem. Going further with the critical points of their discussion, the Prophet cites, “Yes, it was my father’s and grandfather’s stories that triggered my coming here. I had to save and save for a long time to have enough money to buy the supplies needed in order to make the trip here. That’s why my horse has so many saddle bags attached to it.”

Right away, Amigo contemplates over the same idea of how many supplies he has brought, although he knows how to live on the land like a frontiersman in a sort of respect. The main thing he feels that is important is water and other than that he has brought plenty of beef jerky. And when that runs out he knows how to survive off of the land in such a way that most people would think he was crazy. Now Amigo takes out a piece of beef jerky to suck on. Before placing the piece in his mouth he quills, “I brought a few supplies myself. Mostly water and beef jerky! However my supplies are the land mainly!”

The Prophet takes a deep breath and looks to his horse realizing that he doesn’t have nearly as many bags as he does. In fact he only has a few. But his new friend does seem to be well armed with a pistol, a shotgun, and a big skinning knife that is strapped to his leg in a leather case. The Prophet has a gun in his holster but luckily it’s a Magnum .45 caliber hand gun. Nevertheless his weapons are no match for what Amigo has brought along for the journey.

The Prophet looks at him as he chews on the beef jerky. He then glances at a few canteens that Amigo has strapped to his saddle. Next he becomes curious as to how he has been making it all of these years just living off of the land prompting, “So how have you been surviving on only water and beef jerky?”

While chewing his mouthful, Amigo says, “You have to live like a cowboy in these parts. I am a cowboy Indian, a renegade. I live from day to day. That’s how you have to live if you want to make it in a world such as ours today. There are many cowboys, outlaws, and Spanish Mirada cowboys running around these lands and territories looting and stealing whatever they can steal in order to survive!”

Now the Prophet wonders how he has survived by himself with all of the mean villains there are roaming around the deserts of the Southwest. Wanting to know more the Prophet questions, “So how have you managed to outlast the outlaws?”

Amigo takes another deep breath before telling him, “It’s been easy, I just mind my own business and keep my eyes on the lookout. See how I watch my horse but then my eyes wander around without turning my head. That’s because I don’t want to give myself a way to any groups out there watching. It isn’t so bad out this far closer to the shores. But once we enter Tewa Indian territory there are more chances of being met by strangers.”

The Prophet starts to reflect his mind back to his home country back in Spain where there were lots of Spanish cowboys trying to lure their ways with him along his pilgrimage to the land of new. The Prophet begins to feel a little edgy though considering that he is unfamiliar with this place. He brings this fact to light by eluding, “You’re making me feel nervous like a bunch of military cowboys are going to come out of nowhere and hold us up or something like that or so?”

Amigo begins laughing for a moment while glancing around bobbing his head like he was looking for some surprise maybe. Then he turns back and explains, “Don’t worry; I just want to warn you that there are bad people in some of the areas and places that we will be traveling through. So don’t be surprised if other try and join in acting like they are stragglers trying to seek refuge or companionship to try and hide from the law. There are lots of wanted men trying to elude reward by fitting in with gullible people like ourselves.”

For some reason the Prophet feels like he could have made a terrible choice by coming out here to a strange land that he knows nothing about, although things were rough back at home in Spain and he felt that he really wanted to do this to earn his stay in life. The Prophet is no more or less frantic about thinking that he has entered no man’s land with gunslingers and gunfighters roaming the fields. He tries to soothe his nerves by saying, “What are most of them running from?”

With the thoughts of robbers on his mind, Amigo details more facts to him jittering, “Most of them are murderers and bank robbers. Then there are the worst ones that are train robbers. They’re the ones you really have to watch out for. They will rob anything in their path such as stage coaches and even wagon trails that are moving and heading out west. It’s not like back at your home land where everything is settled up. There is a westward movement that has brought many people seeking a gold rush towards areas such as New Mexico, Arizona, and California.”

Nevertheless the Prophet wonders where they all end up going. There has to somewhere that they seem to find the most treasure. Now he tries bringing out more points to his directive by asking, “So where do they all end up? Where do most of them find the most treasure in other words?”

Amigo continues his stride of holding his bridle while he ponders the thought over in his mind even though he really does know the answer to the question. But of course he doesn’t want to give any details away of why he is here with him either. Still he answers the Prophet’s question before letting too much time go by. With the right answer in mind Amigo says, “Well, most of the stories I have heard are about many people traveling towards California where the biggest part of the Gold Rush is heading. Most of the other places are just little stories of small treasures that really don’t add up to much.”

Meanwhile Indian Lace has been following from a great distance. She is far enough away that she can seem them without them seeing her. Her attire not only blends in with many backgrounds, but her horse does as well. She has trained herself for such a chase that it’s nearly second nature to her. Immediately she realizes that they seem to be conversing which may be a good sign, although the visions of her inner hydromancy tell her some mixed feelings. Relating to herself and her thoroughbred give a different image, she speaks, “It looks like they have brewed up quite a thorough conversation between themselves. I wonder what will turn out between this trip after all. Anyway I doubt it will be amusing!”

Quickly she turns her bridle to go further north away from the scene to go around a gulley that has turned up just in front of her. Once she crosses the other side she sees them come to stop for a moment. She stops and watches as they turn around looking at something.

Off in the distance, Amigo turns thinking he had heard gun shots or maybe this was a ploy to set a little bit of fear in his mind for the later scheme. Giving the Prophet the feeling that he doesn’t seem to hear very well, Amigo asks out loud, “Did you hear that? I thought I heard gun shots!”

The prophet looks and turns back answering, “I didn’t hear anything, you must have good ears or something?”

Amigo turns his bridle back to go the other way again balking, “Let’s go then; sometimes the desert can play tricks on you!”

The Prophet thinks back to stories of the Arabian Deserts saying, “You mean like a mirage of water off in the distance within some sandy dune!”

Looking and glancing at the Prophet, Amigo answers, “Something like that?”

Going back to a moment ago the Prophet tells him, “No, I really didn’t hear anything, maybe it was too far away for me to hear!”

Amigo relates to his nice candor that he has for him already saying, “Maybe, or maybe I have just been out here for too long of a time all by myself!”

The Prophet wonders just how long he has been out there asking, “So how long have you been out here living on the land?”

Amigo takes a breathing sigh and then tells him, “Oh, it’s been a long time. I have been out here for a while! It’s been many years since I have been home to my homeland!”

The Prophet wonders where he is from since he really doesn’t know that much about him like he were some sort of stranger or something from some unknown place. Trying to pump more information out of him in a subtle manner when the timing or asking is right, the Prophet asks, “So where are you from?”

Straight forth Amigo buts in for a moment querying, “Before I tell you, you never told me what you wanted to be called?”

The Prophet figures he should leave his real name out since he really hasn’t answered his question yet about his homeland and where he is from as of yet. The Prophet tries to disclose his name by using his prop in recourse informing Amigo, “Just call me a Prophet!”

Amigo chuckles slightly as his horse does the same. Then he takes a rest with his breathing before asking, “That’s it, you just want me to call you the Prophet!”

The Prophet hopes Amigo accepts this name to converse with him back and forth reciting, “Yes, that’s what my family refers to me as, “A Prophet!”

Without a blink of an eye Amigo wants to know what reason he has with wanting to be called by that term out here anyhow imploring, “So why do you want to be called by that name anyhow?”

At this time the Prophet pulls out his Bible from his leather satchel that is strapped to his saddle saying, “Because I brought this!”

Amigo chuckles again saying, “You mean a Bible, you want me to call you a Prophet because you brought a Bible along to read?”

The Prophet thinks about that for a moment before commenting, “Yes, you could say that, everyone at home considers me a Prophet from studying the Bible all of the time.”

Amigo wonders what such things a prophet can learn from the bible anyways. With these thoughts and doubts in his mind Amigo queries, “What can a prophet learn from the Bible anyhow! The only book of the Bible used by the Native Americans is the Book of Revelations which has prayers of visions and ceremonial rites of passage!”

The Prophet starts to describe some of his study of the Bible with him that he has done so far back at home with his family and his church goings saying, “There are lots of things you can learn from the Bible. For instance not only did I read the Book of Revelations, I read the whole entire Bible and studied it entirely. For instance, in the book of Mathew Chapter One you can learn the entire lineage to Abraham and in the book of Luke Chapter Three you can learn the whole lineage from Jesus to Adam. And the book of Psalms has many prayers you can use for certain situations to bring good luck, health, and prosperity when times are bad and gloomy.”

Amigo shrugs his shoulders for a second before responding, “Is that so, you can learn all of that?”

The Prophet goes further about some of the other aspects of the Bible saying, “Many believe that the earth is just around six thousand years old or so. They use many different techniques supposedly, but I think it’s because of the lineages in the Bible why they come up with that predicament!”

Right away, Amigo thinks that may sound absurd in some ways saying, “That’s something, you know how old the planet is and that it’s not flat thanks to conquistadors such as Columbus!”

The Prophet gets some meaning out of Amigo and his answer to his annotations that he has told him about facts he knows about the Bible. Going further with the conversation, the Prophet tells Amigo, “So you seem to know a lot about history in a way. You know a lot about the conquistadors. What do you know about finding treasure?”

Amigo chuckles again even though this exactly where he was hoping that the words of their conversation would lead to in any case. Trying to give the Prophet some more clues about his experiences and knowledge which relates to the treasure hunting days of the eighteen hundreds, the Prophet says, “I know a little about looking for treasure but not that much. When we get to some cattle fences, I’ll teach you a little about looking for treasures and maybe we can find something without looking to hard. One time I found a bag of coins buried along a cattle fence post that had an “x” for the mark of the treasure!”

The Prophet thinks that sounds excellent like he has some experience in the matter of treasure hunting Maybe taking him along will be worth more than he ever thought he would bargain for rather than being out here all alone by himself. Wondering how much the coins were worth the Prophet utters, “So how much was it all worth?”

Amigo thinks realizing it wasn’t a whole lot but it lasted him a few months where he was able to buy some supplies he needed like ammunition and some clothes that he had needed real bad. And he also had his horse re-shoed and bought some tools. Amigo displays his profiting from the treasure find by disclosing, “Well, it was enough to re-shoe my horse and enough to buy some clothes and ammunition for my pistol and shotgun that I use rarely when need be on occasion!”

The Prophet thinks about what a good reward that was for the day with the good luck of finding something out in the deserts of the open range. By complimenting Amigo on the success of being an actual treasure hunter who has a story to tell, the Prophet implores, “At least you have a story to tell and some experience in the matter. It sounds like you have to have a lot of patience in order to find and make discoveries.”

To Amigo it takes even more than that to make discoveries when out on the open range trying to find things with only the ground laid out in your mind like a sort of map. You have to know the territories and know the land like the back of your hand. And you have to watch out for dangerous situations with nature. And it’s only you and your animal, meaning your horse when you are out there traveling upon the landscape. Bringing this thought to attention, Amigo replies, “Yes, and you have to know where you are headed and what you are looking for before you even get there. You can’t find something if you don’t know where to go and what you are really looking for. Otherwise you are chasing a dead end road and you end up getting nowhere but end up going in circles.”

The Prophet ponders over these things in his mind while answering back saying, “So you mean you have to do research before you even leave home in other words. Otherwise you have no way of knowing where you are going to make a discovery and find what you are looking for. Otherwise it’s all just a wild goose chase for some reason!”

Amigo agrees with him that you have to do the research before you head out to search and make a discovery; otherwise you end up lost for many implicating reasons. Relating further to the Prophet, Amigo caps the conversation by scrambling, “That about sums it all up; you have to have a destination before you can plan any course of action with a result of gaining something intangible.”

Meanwhile off in the distance Indian Lace is still following with her eye on the path to her reward with finding the treasure as well. There is no other way for her to zero in on it without continuing in on with the pursuit of the chase. She must follow them no matter what without them ever seeing her or recognizing her off in the distance.

CHAPTER TWO

Quickly more hours of the day pass by as high noon starts to roll in with not a cloud in sight. Still moving along slowly next to the Prophet Amigo looks at his shadow which is casting a shadow in a northern direction. Now he realizes that the hottest part of the day has arisen and that his new friend may not be as accustomed to it as he thinks. Bringing a slight of mind to the Prophet about the time, Amigo jousts, “Well, the hottest part of the day has come; it’s just past high noon now by a few moments or so!”

The Prophet turns and looks as Amigo stares back from observing his shadow that is following along with the same pace as the both of them. He is curious about how he gets his information without any instruments. Relating this fact to Amigo, the Prophet says, “How can you tell without a drawn sun dial in the dirt. I mean I know it’s around high noon too, but how can you be so sure while riding along?”

Amigo looks at him and says while turning towards his shadow that is shrunken just below his stirrups and his booted spurs, “I can tell by the way my shadow casts pointing north and by the westward direction of our travels!”

The Prophet sort of makes a joke by imploring, “Even with your head bobbing back and forth and up and down from all of the galloping?”

Amigo looks and chuckles for a jiffy before expressing to him, “Yes, even while I’m bouncing everywhere!”

The Prophet realizes about how adapted to the desert ways of living he has become over the years by saying, “It seems you have adapted quite well to the environment over the years. How long have you been traveling to feel at home in other words?”

While the heat starts to bear down on them slightly more than previously, Amigo says to the Prophet, “It takes many years before you feel like you’re at home. Every day I camp out in different locations it seems. Sometimes I may stay at a place for a few days or so if the game and hunting is right. But most of the time I don’t stay somewhere for too long just in case there are some stragglers passing through. Now days there are so many people moving out west that you have to be careful about whom you talk to. But I’m a fairly good judge of character and I can tell when someone is trustworthy right away most of the time.”

Of course, the main factor on the Prophet’s mind is where and when do people decide to settle down and make someplace home for themselves. Relenting this mere idea, the Prophet asks Amigo, “So when do people decide to settle down somewhere and make peace with the land and their families?”

Here’s a question that Amigo knows on the top of his head considering he has had friends work for such farms that have been provided by the government for free. Giving the Prophet more details, Amigo explains another point to him responding, “Some of the travelers west are nothing more than hoodlums, although there are some families that take advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862 which gives certain land rights to families with lands in excess of 640 acres or which is equivalent to a square mile about!”

Wondering if they could do such a thing the Prophet asks, “Could we do such a thing?”

Amigo puts a more serious look upon his face with the doubts of the chance by articulating, “Maybe if we were a larger family and had some friends that were going to help with the chores and fieldwork that it requires to plow and plant a crop. Not to mention what it takes to try and irrigate such a large piece of property. It’s a lot of work to try and grow food and sell it for a living. There are even hoodlums that may come and steal your horses and livestock during the later hours at night. However most of the homesteads are further north where there’s more rainfall. Down here it would be much harder without proper means of irrigation.”

The Prophet can’t believe what he’s hearing that people are just staking up farming rights through a Homestead Land Act that is booming through people moving their way out west. He tries to gain more insightful knowledge by noting, “You seem to know more than I originally thought about where to farm and that the only way to go about it is if you have enough people to support the Land Act you’re talking about!”

Amigo starts to become very stern about how he would plan to build a farm and be successful, though he has other plans of how he is going to make his fortune and that is through the finds of treasure. He is tired of the little cattle fencing bag and silver dollar finds anymore now days, and even then they are few and far in between. Trying to build some more knowledge along with a trustworthy relationship, Amigo says, “Well, that is the only way to go about it without having to buy the land and put yourself in to poverty. You must have a large family in order to be successful at farming.”

The Prophet continues with his galloping pace along the side of Amigo while contemplating the scene and images of being a farmer in his mind. Relinquishing thoughts are imbedded in his inner eye as he twiddles, “I have a large family at home but they are all scattered here and there within different towns and provinces. My family used to work good and hard together when it came to their involvement with the church clergies and their personal family matters. They were even good at their business which was tailoring and clothes repair.”

Amigo has a picture in his mind of a well-groomed church in his thoughts as he asks, “So what kind of clothes did they make?”

The Prophet thinks about his father’s apparel and clothes cleaning business that he had which he made clothes as well to sell. The Prophet brings a momentum to him by saying, “He made suits, dresses, Sunday School clothes along with Priesthood clothing and cloaks and daggers you could say!”

Amigo pictures his father making clothes with a keen sense of armistices by mentioning, “Your father and family sound fairly smart; is that why you are dressed so well unlike me in rags to riches?”

The Prophet thinks back not only to his church going days within the Roman Catholic Church, which is the main influence besides his father on his coming to the Americas, but he thinks back to the days of his everyday life of being well dressed and groomed. Feeling sort of like a suited gentleman, the Prophet says, “I guess my parents were always able to provide themselves and my family with the proper attire that they felt was acceptable according to their standards of high class.”

Amigo’s ears feel like they have been pampered with a life hood testimony of how church life is in Spain, though he isn’t sure where in Spain this so called Prophet of God is from. Immediately he wants to no more about the Prophet and where he is from. While gliding along each other still, Amigo queries the Prophet by asking, “So what city in Spain are you from and I don’t know what your real name is?”

The Prophet has to approve any more details with himself before giving any clues to his origins to his new friend. He isn’t so sure if he can trust him enough to tell him the truth. Anyhow he decides to go ahead and explains his past with more aspects to everything by declaring, “My name is Ramon and I’m from Madrid, Spain which is the capital of our country!”

“And that is it you don’t have a last name to use?” Amigo asks as he tries to force the Prophet Ramon more information out of him.

The Prophet Ramon doesn’t want to divulge too much about himself to this strange man of another ethnic which happens to be a Native American Indian because he doesn’t really know much about their customs and ways of life like he should. Nevertheless he may have in the past but all of that is just barely surfacing right now. Yet he has decided to use a buffer with something that he has in order to change his identity by explaining, “Let’s just leave it at Ramon for right now because I want to change my name anyways.”

Straight with Amigo is sort of really confused because he isn’t sure of what the Prophet Ramon is actually saying to him. Now he feels that he must investigate and interrogate him for more facts about his future goals of becoming someone else. Next Amigo wonders by quibbling, “You’re going to do what; change your name. How in the hell are you going to do that?”

The Prophet Ramon can’t believe that he has just busted his bubble on that one. He didn’t want to give too much information about who he was or what his goals were in life once he had found the treasure of his dreams which would hopefully make him so very rich indeed. Now he feels he may as well carry out the legacy and let him in on it in order to gain not only his trust but his confidence with the security he can provide as a true Prophet of God. Giving the biggest clue away at what he has planned up his sleeve, the Prophet Ramon says, “Just think of changing your name and having a new identity. Not only do I have a plan, I have blank baptismal certificates with seals already stamped. All I have to do is write a name on their and say that I lost my birth certificate overseas, although I have a few blank birth certificates as well, but only a couple which is enough to go around a few times.”

Honestly Amigo is so confused at how he is going to pull this off. Quickly he questions the authority of the Prophet Ramon’s intuitiveness by enquiring, “And how are you going to do it without being caught for identity theft?”

The Prophet Ramon explains the detail in full by saying, “Well, normally I wouldn’t just simply write a name on their. I would study birth and death certificates from different provinces or lands and pick a birth certificate that has a death certificate with the same name in a different province. Then you are assuming another identity and they never will catch you unless they cross reference it which will probably never ever happen!”

The Prophet Ramon’s new friend Amigo is congratulated on a friend indeed by instructing his new partner, “You sound pretty smart. Did your father teach you these tricks?”

The Prophet Ramon has to agree by admitting, “Yes, he taught me a few things or two!”

Amigo has another question to this point of the matter by adding, “Then how do you know if your name is truly who you say you are, huh?”

The Prophet as well has to agree by answering, “I suppose you are right!”

Next Amigo goes further with his accusations that he has just clicked on with the story that he is hearing. To him it appears that maybe the Prophet Ramon’s name may be a fake name or maybe he is only using an excuse to get leverage for what he wants. Anyways Amigo decides to go further with his claim telling the Prophet Ramon, “I mean, how do you know you’re first name wasn’t chosen or given to you after your family changed their name, right?”

The Prophet Ramon thinks about his argument for a brief second before he says, “I guess you have a point, but it isn’t going to matter because I may change my name here somehow and it will be different anyways?”

Then Amigo starts to think about he could possibly change his name, although it would be quite harder to join back with his tribal people with a different first and last name at hand. So he understands that maybe he should only use a quick joke to amuse and adjust the situation by exclaiming, “Maybe, I could change my name after we hit the big jackpot. What do you think?”

The Prophet Ramon apparently believes that he has a friend indeed to help him with his need and cause. Approving of his goal, the Prophet Ramon says, “Maybe, what will your people think back at home?”

Amigo has to ponder the thought over for a brief moment before sympathizing with an answer to his predicament by merely declaring, “My people back at the Navajo Tribe which is part of vast reservation located near the northern part of Arizona Territory which lies near the corners of three other states like New Mexico Territory, Colorado Territory, and Utah Territory. It’s called the four corners to our people and our culture because it has many sacred sites. I don’t know what they would say to me if I had changed my name. It would be hard because I had to have personal ceremonies for my rites of passage while growing in to adulthood, especially when it comes to puberty and becoming an adult. Maybe if I were to never return to my homeland I could change my name!”

The Prophet Ramon wonders if there is a way that he could change his name by asking, “There has to be a way they would accept it?”

Amigo quickly comes up with an idea of how he could change his name and be accepted. He has heard stories of double sexed people on his reservation. With a bit of sarcasm, Amigo makes a statement bashing, “Maybe, I could change my name to a hermaphrodite and everybody back home would accept me as a different named Indian.”

The Prophet Ramon has never heard of this term before, though he cracks up a bit while contemplating, “What the hell is a hermaphrodite?”

Amigo takes a deep breath while trying to bust out the right words to his explanation while jittering, “A hermaphrodite is someone who claims to be of both sexes, male and female. But most of them are never diagnosed to see if they have both genitals so they just act like both for some reason. I met one once, he had a weird name!”

The Prophet Ramon is dazed and confused by now with the ways of western civilization and the ways of its culture. Now he is curious what name Amigo would call himself if he were a hermaphrodite asking, “So what would your hermaphrodite name be if you could change it?”

Hurriedly Amigo blurts out a name by introducing, “My hermaphrodite name would be “Gag them and bag them!”

The Prophet Ramon gets a little bit of a kick out of his name by answering, “What kind of name is that?”

Amigo has to protect his findings of treasure by inquiring, “A name to protect all that I find before I return home!”

The Prophet Ramon is curious as to how that will protect him from other family members looting his findings by speaking, “And how is a name like that going to protect your fortune?”

By now Amigo has everything figured out within his scheming big head of his. It’s so big that the Navajos ought to adapt South American culture by sculpting a huge Big Head statue of him out of marble and put it out on display. Anyways he pronounces his feelings to the Prophet Ramon by expressing, “It’s easy, I have it all planned out in my head. Once they hear my new hermaphrodite name, they will all stay away from my Adobe home I will renovate and move back in to, especially if I’m wearing a gown or something like that!”

The Prophet Ramon slows down his pace a little fading back a foot or to behind Amigo. Right then he notices something about his attire. It seems he has other weapons such as a large knife that is over a foot long or so. After seeing it he speeds up again and quibbles, “That sounds a little risky to me!”

At this time Amigo sees some cattle fences stretching off in the remote distance. He turns to the Prophet Ramon and says, “It’ll all work out, it’s all good! Hey, look there’s some cattle fences over there. Let’s head over there and ride along the fence line to see if we can find anything at all.”

The Prophet Ramon starts to get a little excited about how he is close to making his first treasure hunt in the New World which is the land of prosperity to many. Along with Amigo they both pull their bridles to the right heading north. After a few more galloping trots, the Prophet Ramon shrills, “Do you think there’s a treasure over there somewhere?”

While heading in that direction, Amigo notices that it’s an older cattle fence strung along with a newer one. The old one is a wrapped barbed wire that is lying on the ground fastened to the cattle fence posts. But it also has more barbed wire lines tacked on stretching for miles it seems. Before they reach the spot, Amigo answers his question by proclaiming, “It’s hard to say. Some of the cattle fencing looks old. The wrapped around barbed wiring is pretty old and the fencing posts look fairly new. It’s hard to say just how old they are, maybe ten to twenty years or so.”

To the Prophet Ramon that doesn’t seem to be that old. Why would someone place a treasure and someone be looking for it the next day. For some reason the ways of treasure hunting have taking a new twist even though this is his first escapade with the chance to take. Anyhow he feels he should say something to him by means of the way they are going about this aspect by asking, “So why would someone place a treasure out here at any rate? Do they think that it’s going to do them any good just sitting out here in a bag buried under the dirt by some cattle fence post?”

Just then Amigo starts to ride along the fence while looking at each post for marks of an “x” or some other markings to indicate whether or not there is a treasure to be had in any account. Now he demeans the Prophet Ramon question by blurting, “You’d be surprised at the length people will go to hide their money and sometimes belongings. People do weird things when they have gold diggers living amongst them at home or nearby. And many of times someone may follow them or be watching from a distance to reap a quick reward. There are also many cattle and horse thieves that are looming around who stash there money there as an to mark their ground from a good cattle or horse hustling day!”

On the other side just a ways away is Indian Lace who is being approached by another Indian girl on horse. As she nears, her dress of bluish colors can be appreciated. Nevertheless it is Indian Skies who has the desire of helping Indian Lace to reap concealment with the Prophet Ramon and his previous death from the past.

Indian skies approaches and slows down to slower gallop. As she strides her way besides Indian Lace who turns her head from the gang of prey, she asks, “So what are we abiding?”

Indian Lace turns back away from Indian Skies to glance again off in to the distance before reacting, “Waiting for something to happen between them!”

With a glare away back at Indian Skies, Indian Lace adds, “Did you find anything?”

Indian Skies gets a look like she couldn’t find anything with her search answering, “I couldn’t find any of them. They must have left already from the area.”

With the thoughts of how they may show up some time in the future, Indian Lace says, “It won’t be longer and his other friends will join in for the chase!”

Indian Skies wonders what will become of the Prophet when the other Indians of the past all reunite for the follow up of the hidden treasures. She figures that they have been waiting for this moment for all of their natural lone Indian cowboy lives. Relinquishing on this idea Indian Skies quills, “What do you think will happen to him if they do find the treasure?”

The thoughts of danger come over her mind as if it were a sign fastened to the cattle fence they are riding next to that blasts its colors of red back at her. She has doubts for the worse which causes her to claim, “They will rob him, or they might even try and kill him!”

It’s hard to say what exactly is out there. It seems that maybe she has been to late or never really ever think that others would trudge their way in to looking for more lost treasure along the line of the “Old Spanish Trail.” Indian Skies can’t fathom the fact that there is anything out there at all. With this scheme of mind she asks, “Is there any treasure out there?”

Indian Lace isn’t really sure if there is one at all for sure; although she figures Amigo may have already looked already for it. Hurriedly she answers back, “If he hasn’t gone to get it already, or unless some of the others had tried to find anything. The problem is we haven’t been lucky at accounting for all of them to watch where they go. There’s only two of us and so many of them!”

Indian Skies questions the Spaniards of the past besides the Prophet Ramon asking, “Do you think the other Spanish Cowboys have tried to find their way back here to the trails?”

Unsure she is whether or not the others from the past such as the conquistador have made their way back here to try and reap more lost gold or treasure. All she knows is that she is here to pay her homage to the Prophet Ramon and his death from the hateful bird of prey. She feels she had given him the most respect with her magical dance prose of Raven like qualities to release him to the skies upon death and that it is her dead to do the same once again in order to fulfill her goals as a shamanistic witch doctor. It’s almost like rowing up the river of souls to grab what she wants in order to keep all that is holy and pure. However she must stride her horse over many states and territories before she can ever even try and do that. And she must wait for the appropriate time to make her presence known in order to be a savior on the other side of the pendulum of what life has to offer. The chance at the Prophet ever seeing her beforehand could be devastating to the development of her goals and endeavors.

Finally after contemplating Indian Skies last question for a brief moment, Indian Lace discloses, “It’s hard to say. And if they did they probably have been met by other strangers who have been after the same treasure who are on the Indian side of the bounty law!”

Immediately Indian Skies relents, “It looks like everyone and their dog or horse may want that treasure whether one exists or not!”

Back with the two men and their pursuits of cattle fencing, Amigo has kept his patience with riding along the cattle fence. The Prophet isn’t really used to this kind of waiting which is like working for your money. Being sort of new to this this, the Prophet Ramon declares, “I want to discover the treasure that lies ahead!”

Amigo continues riding along the fence post. He passes beneath a tree that has a large dead branch that is hanging off with a few leaves left that are deadened. He rips it off and strips the leaves and smaller branches off while riding along. The Prophet Ramon wonders what he is doing asking, “What’s that for?”

Quickly Amigo drags the branch along the fence post and says, “This is for good luck!”

The Prophet Ramon realizes that they made need more than that even while displaying his feelings, “Yes, we will probably need all the luck we can get out here!”

Just then Amigo feels he is being negative and is probably very new at this telling him, “Don’t be so skeptical. You’d be surprised at what you can find or do with the added sense of good luck!”

A few more fence posts go by and the Prophet Ramon starts to yawn a little from such a busy day. Then at the next moment when Amigo approaches the next cattle fence post, he elusively declares, “Look, what is on this post over here!”

They both ride up to the cattle fence post and stop. The Prophet Ramon notices an “x” marked and inscribed on the cattle fence post. With a sense of accomplishment, the Prophet Ramon claims, “It’s an “x” marked on there!”

Suddenly like Amigo gets off of his horse while saying, “It says, “X marks the spot!”

Quickly Amigo reaches in to one of his leather satchels and pulls out a garden sixe like trowel that is dipped like a shovel. He takes it out and walks up to the cattle fence post and kneels down towards the base of the Cattle fence post. The Prophet Ramon wonders what he is going to do while asking, “What are you going to do?”

Just then Amigo replies, “I’m going to dig and see if there’s anything buried next to this cattle fence post with the “x” marked on it!”

The Prophet Ramon can’t believe his eyes that they are actually going to hopefully discover something after all. At the moment Amigo digs up his first trowel full of dirt, the Prophet Ramon discloses, “I don’t believe this we are on the verge of finding something!”

Amigo keeps on scooping away the dirt. It doesn’t take too long before he has dug up about a foot or so of dirt around and a good foot deep. The Prophet Ramon starts to think that he is wasting his time with all of this nonsense for any matter of opinion. The Prophet Ramon quills a negative response with the lack of elapsed time quilling, “Looks like there’s nothing after all, huh?”

Just then the Prophet Ramon keeps his glare on what Amigo is doing. Quickly Amigo answers, “Wait, I feel something!”

Exited like, the Prophet Ramon dastardly says, “What is it?”

Right away, Amigo pulls out a burlap like satchel that pretty big in size. With an excited reproach to his findings, Amigo tells the Prophet Ramon, “Feels like a bunch of coins to me!”

The Prophet Ramon becomes so excited that he asks, “How many coins are in there?”

Amigo starts to untie the lace like string that is wrapped around the burlap sack. Once untied he opens the burlap sack while he holds his right hand out pouring some of the coins in his hand with his left hand jargoning, “Looks like some silver coins. There’s about a hundred silver dollars in here!”

The Prophet Ramon was hoping for gold. Nevertheless they found a treasure of silver coins only. At least there are enough of them to go around, although the Prophet Ramon has some currency in one of his satchels that his father exchanged for him before his coming her on this trip to the New World. The Prophet makes a comment to his bright ingenuity on the large scale of silver coins revealing, “That was a good find; that made this a treasurable day!”

By this time now Amigo feels that he should share the treasure with the Prophet Ramon. Yet if he doesn’t, then he will never be in fair splits with him when it comes time to find the treasure at the other end of the Spanish Trail. Of course, this is the white cross at the three arrastras near the old Spanish Quarters along the Agua Fria River.

Quickly Amigo stands up and starts to kick the dirt back in while saying, “I’ll split it with you, how’s that. We found this together. I’m talking like an Indian to you. That’s how we Indians talk to one another. We say things direct and meaningful to ourselves!”

The Prophet Ramon can’t believe what he is hearing that Amigo is going to share the treasure and split it with him in half even. There’s no way he can lose when it comes to finding the treasures that lie ahead. And when they both do they will reap the rewards of a historical knowledge just like they had witnessed today. Accepting his offer, the Prophet Ramon agrees by answering, “Okay, I accept your offer, and when we find the real treasure we will split it the same, how’s that for instance?”

Amigo thinks that he has a good deal indeed. Now that the hole is covered and it looks like it is really time to leave and head back to the direction they want to go, Amigo admits, “Yes, that’s a good deal indeed. We can both work together at finding the treasure. You tell me about your treasure find and I’ll tell you about my treasure find. Agreed?”

The Prophet Ramon has no other choice but than to agree with him completely shrilling, “Agreed!”

Then Amigo starts to tell him about his find as he gets on the horse by relenting, “We will split the coins when we camp tonight! My treasure is an old Indian Cave that is protected by Indian Spirits that guard a hidden treasure of gold kept from the first conquistadors. And it is hard to say how much gold is there. The Indians hid it there after they kicked the conquistadors out!”

The Prophet Ramon retorts, “So there is a treasure, the lore is true!”

Now we will go back to Indian Lace and Indian Skies who were watching from an upper crescent through a telescope. As Indian Lace takes the telescope away from Indian Skies who had the last look, she utters, “Looks like they found something!”

With the brains of someone who has been around the block a few times, Indian Skies states, “A plant you think!”

Indian Lace has to agree with Indian Skies that it may be a plant to win over the trust of the Prophet blurting, “Perhaps!”

THREE

Soon they reach an area where the cattle fence ends. Amigo figures that it’s time for the Prophet Ramon to start telling him about what he is after. He thinks for a moment before he shrieks, “Well, that’s the end of the picket fence, or whatever you want to call it? So what’s the deal and why you are out here? Is there some sort of treasure or some huge well of cash that you’re looking for?”

The Prophet Ramon pauses for another second while thinking about how he should present his search which is full of all kinds of questions. Most of the questions come from his readings which happen to be from the Book of Revelations and the rest of them are from sea charts from charters that were long ago. Many of his findings were even along the lines of ship wrecks that had a story of sunken treasures of gold bullion. But many of his relatives told stories of gold mining ventures that were long ago across the seas in to the New World. That most of the rich findings were first discovered on the North American continent.

With an answer in mind the Prophet Ramon decides to tell him about his findings within the Bible which are believed to him to be authenticated as an Indian Story. Quickly the Prophet Ramon mentions his research to Amigo by telling him, “Some of my research was done by translating the Book of Revelations which I believe to be an Indian Story. Then most of my findings were from stories of mining operations that were here long ago before any of the first conquistadors our textbooks cover have ever been here. Most of them supposedly started their discoveries in South America, although most of my relatives believe that these conquests begun in North America!”

By now Amigo is amazed at how really smart he is by knowing the truth of something that is a part of their religious ceremonies within the Native American Religion. Now he feels it is time to confront the Prophet Ramon on what he knows so that he can find the treasure along with him. Otherwise the Prophet Ramon will reap the reward all by himself and he can’t let that happen. Quickly he tries to dig the information out of him by asking, “So what do you know about the Book of Revelations so far. You say it’s an Indian Story. So tell me a little about it!”

The Prophet Ramon holds his Bible in his right hand while holding the bridle with his left hand. His thumb is indexing the end of the Bible right where the Book of Revelation pages are at, although he doesn’t feel like opening the pages as of yet. For some reason he feels it’s better if he acts like he really knows his stuff because if he doesn’t he may risk everything. It’s too late for him to try and bail on Amigo now considering that is in with him now. In fact he is in with him so good that they might as well become blood brothers, though would he really want to be in the back of his mind.

After all of these thoughts have ravaged through his brain, the Prophet decides to explain his position with coming out here and what part of his research is at stake. Now he starts to describe a few details to Amigo by exclaiming, “Basically, it’s an Indian story involving the flocks of the children after Jesus Christ is crucified and he is saved by an Indian ceremony which brings him to the New World!”

Without a second thought, Amigo divulges a quick line to the Prophet Ramon saying, “I know what you’re talking about!”

The Prophet Ramon is confused because he really doesn’t have any names except for a name for the conquistador according to the legends of charters and the name of the savior. And everyone knows that name supposedly, or does this Indian man which may be a medicine man in disguise have some other god that he worships. Nevertheless the Prophet Ramon must take his chances at proceeding with Amigo in order to make the discovery. The Prophet Ramon questions Amigo’s authority by yelping, “You know what I’m talking about. So you know about the Indian ceremony with an Indian Ceremony?”

Amigo relents his knowledge right off the mark by answering, “Sure I do, that ceremony was performed by the man-child who is a conquering chief known otherwise as Indian Dancer. And the man is his sponsor!”

The Prophet Ramon wonders if he has read the Book of Revelations which is the last chapter of the Bible by inquiring, “So you have read it?”

Amigo feels he is getting somewhere with the findings that maybe his information might help but so far he isn’t so sure of that. He must wheedle as much as he can from the Prophet Ramon until the time is right. But then he wonders just how knowledgeable he should let the Prophet Ramon know he is, or else he will give all of his own findings away for nothing and he doesn’t want to do that as of yet. He must try and work along with him like a sort of dog you train to do your abiding until the time is right. He also feels he might need some help with this escapade of his in order to succeed the treasure. After pondering things over in his cunning thoughts, Amigo jousts, “Yes. I’ve read it some time ago. One of my relatives had a copy and I read it through several times to put some light on the subject of our Indian ways of culture.”

The Prophet Ramon tries to grasp that last word he said, which happened to be culture. He says it like he and his people have a lot of it in other words even though he has never seen where he is from. Getting to the point of the matter on the subject, the Prophet Ramon asks, “Your Indian ways of culture. You must have a lot of culture back home!”

Amigo explains the word to him a little more with the enthusiasm of an anthropologist so to speak by going further with, “Sure we do; culture is everything that we have and possess. It is everything you see between us. All of the way from those boots to your cowboy hat is culture. Your horse shows your culture by the way you take care of and present him. He shows your culture just as well as everything else you own does that you show to the world!”

The Prophet Ramon feels that he is probably more special than he ever first realized. Now he feels he is like a walking museum in a way right down from his cowboy hat to his gun slinging holster and back down to the strapped spurs on the back of his cowboy boots. Now he says a line back showing that he understands what Amigo is telling him by saying, “Wow, that’s something that we are two cowboys riding through the desert and we are on horses displaying our culture to a barren land of plants and shrubs!”

Amigo thinks about how that is only a tiny amount of the culture they have to share with the world anyways. Adding a momentum to his display of thought, Amigo describes, “And that’s just a little bit of our culture. In fact everything we talk about and do is a part of our culture. Our going on with our expedition to find the lost treasures of conquistadors from long ago is even an integral part of our culture as well.”

By now the Prophet Ramon wonders how much longer they will have to travel. He figures it’s probably a long ways away and that they will have to travel for many weeks if not months perhaps. Straight with the Prophet Ramon questions this by quizzing, “So how far do you think we will have to travel before we make our way to the destination?”

Amigo knows that is a question to raise answers because maybe the maps that the Prophet Ramon has aren’t that accurate and not to mention that he has never seen them before anyways. He pushes these realities through his mind before noting, “We have to go about another seven to eight hundred miles or so before we reach our destination. We have several territories to travel through to make our way there.”

The Prophet Ramon understands that that is a pretty far way to have to go to find the treasure if not even further. Going further in the conversation, the Prophet Ramon says, “That’s pretty far; that’ll take us several months maybe!”

Amigo knows about how long it will take and he is right that they can only travel twenty or so miles a day on average and sometimes even less. And that depends on the situation and the environment that they are traveling through. It will get worse when they enter New Mexico Territories where there are more mountain ranges covering the region. Amigo tries to describe the harsh conditions that will come later by explaining, “You’re right, it may take several months or so. It’s okay traveling through the territories of Texas, but once we enter deeper in to New Mexico territory there are more mountain ranges. And it even gets worse traveling through the Mongollon Rim where there are even more treacherous areas to travel along. Some say that it the mistake that Coronado made, traveling along the Mongollon rim, when he tried to reap the rewards of Cabeza De Vaca, think of that for a moment. That’s why they ended up getting nowhere.”

It sounds like a rough trip to the Prophet Ramon. There’s one area that Amigo is describing that is mountainous and perhaps more treacherous, but its many hundreds of miles away from where they are at this point in time. He mentions this fact about how they will have hard traveling up ahead, the Prophet Ramon utters, “How rough is the Mongollon Rim when we get there, have you been through there yet?”

Amigo has been through there before when he went on a little search of his own which has led him to a massive escapade of trying to discover some truths to put light on the subject. Amigo really didn’t want him to know that he had traveled that way already at some point of time in the past because he doesn’t want the Prophet Ramon to know that he has been out that looking for the treasure. Basically Amigo has to watch what he says to the Prophet Ramon. If gives too many details away the Prophet Ramon may become suspicious that he has reaped some of the benefits already even though he never really did find anything. Now he figures it’s too late and may as well just say something to pass of the point in the conversation by declaring to the Prophet Ramon, “I’ve passed through there once when I left my home land in the northern part of the New Mexico Territory to come this way so that I could back track the “Old Spanish Trail” over back and forth for hints and clues for where to look!”

The Prophet Ramon understands that he has been working on finding this treasure for some time now and maybe it is just fate that they have both run in to each other to fulfill the destiny of truth to the matter. Now the Prophet Ramon comprehends the point of how he has been treasure hunting already for some time now saying, “It sounds like you have been treasure hunting for some time now almost as if it has become a way of life.”

Amigo figures that it’s better to put the Prophet Ramon in his place as well considering that he come all of this way from Spain, Madrid to seek a treasure himself based on stories from family and whatever research he has dug up. He must make the Prophet Ramon feel more at home so that his being so far off alas isn’t that beckoning causing him to give up. It takes a lot of hope and courage in order to seek treasure. It also requires lots of patience. When you’re out treasure hunting there are days when you won’t find anything and want to nearly give up at times. And not to hide the fact that there are even weeks when the going gets tough and the tough must get going in order to make the find. Amigo tries to hold up his motivations by adding, “Look it has become a way of life for you too by now. You have spent many days and years at studying the Bible in order to turn it in to a sort of treasure map. The Bible is for preaching the world over with its visions and insights. It something for preachers to use in a church to teach the word of God and you have treated it like a treasure map to some area like there were a marking saying, “Come get me” in a sense.”

“Confusing” is a word that comes to the Prophet Ramon’s mind as he thinks about all of the studying he has done to get where he is today. He has racked his mind back and forth trying to decipher whatever he could from the limited amount of data that he had offered to him. Now the Prophet Ramon feels like an amateur in a way considering that Amigo has found a treasure and he acts like he is looking for a sign that says, “Here I am, come cash me in!”

Moreover, it’s really not that way with him because the Prophet Ramon didn’t expect himself to run in to anyone who has such knowledge as Amigo has with the subject of treasure hunting. Now the Prophet Ramon answers Amigo’s question trying to diffuse the point he’s implying on making gibbering, “I know that there’s no treasure that is just waiting for me, although you make it look that easy. I studied everything I possibly could trying to picture what it would look like out her when I crossed over. So far nothing that I pictured is the same except for how I expected to always be looking off in to the distance knowing that I would have far to travel by horse.”

Amigo didn’t want to upset him by becoming too pushy over the matter, but he had to make a point that it takes a lot to make a find or discovery. Most of the time you are running around like a chicken with its head cut off. It also has lots of similarities with cock fighting. You must sometimes be spurred up with sharp blades in order to make it out alive once you do find the awards of wealth. And when the crud hits the fan, everybody goes running off in different directions like they are escaping a tragedy or spoiled reaping’s. Most of the time there are others who are looking for it as will and they will do anything to stop you from getting away with it. Here’s where Amigo tries to persuade his confidence and trust more towards his side to guarantee his portion informing, “It’s like this! I’m trying to talk some sense in to you so that you are more prepared for what could happen when we are out there! There may be others out for the treasures of the conquistador and the Indians such as we are and they will do anything to stop us. There are mountain men that have set out for nothing but lost treasure. And don’t be surprised if they are on our trail already. So if anybody comes, just act natural like nothing is going on but trying to make our way back to the other side of the Mongollon Rim, okay?”

The Prophet Ramon isn’t that experienced with the type of situation that he’s in at the moment. He has had some confrontation with many different ordeals that have come to his or his family’s way, but it was nothing like this one now. Out here he has no one to watch his back like back at home with his family. If anything does happen while he’s away from his homeland in Madrid, Spain; he’s on his own. At least that is his perception of the matter. Nevertheless there is a buffer in the circumstance depending on how things go and it also depends on what position Indian Lace is playing with the whole entire redemption. Maybe she will be there for him if all else turns bad and she can reconcile herself to the ways of good, yet, on the other hand she may be just as corrupt as the Indian Bounty Hunters.

After wheeling these facts through his mind while feeling off in the distance, the Prophet Ramon discloses, “Sure, we can do that; but don’t tell anyone that I’m not from here unless I do because I feel it’s alright!”

Then Amigo feels confident that the Prophet Ramon is catching on to how to blend in with the rendezvous of the southwestern deserts of North America. Soon he replies with the words expressing, “Okay then, I’ll let you tell any visitors where you are from and I’ll keep my mouth shut!”

The Prophet is content with Amigo’s answer because he doesn’t want any strangers knowing too much about him unless he decides to tell them himself. Immediately the Prophet Ramon extends the conversation further by telling Amigo, “Good, because I don’t want anyone to know too much because I want to be successful at changing my name and creating a new identity when it’s all over and done with, capuche!”

Further north to their position is Indian Lace and Indian Skies who are still riding along from a bird’s eye view of a distance. Indian Skies turns her head for a moment like she hears something off in the remoteness. As she turns, she asks, “Did you hear that?”

Indian Lace pulls her horses bridle and Indian Skies follows with the same course of action. Then Indian Lace turns her head and thinks she hears something as well. She listens quietly for another moment before yelping, “Sounds like someone is approaching fast!”

Another couple of seconds go by and a horse approaches riding as fast as a bull leaving a bull pin can romp. There is a large trail of dust off in the distance with an image of a dark clothed individual with a dark horse they appears to be a stallion or maybe even Arabian. Indian Skies watches as the image gets closer and closer slowly as a face of the two intruders slowly emerges bigger and clearer. Indian Skies wonders if their chase has noticed yet calling to mind, “I wonder if they have noticed the approach?”

At this moment in time Indian Lace lifts up her binoculars instead of her telescope and watches. The image of the stranger keeps moving ahead towards Amigo and the Prophet Ramon. Another second passes and Indian Lace twiddles, “Yes, they noticed!”

Amigo turns and hears the stranger approach while the Prophet Ramon reaches for his hand gun unbuttoning the holster making it ready for using as a safety precaution. Quickly Amigo looks and pulls the bridle of his horse signaling for a complete stop. He steps off of his horse while the Prophet Ramon holds his right hand pistol pulling ready just in case anything out of the ordinary happens.

Amigo grabs his rifle from its strapped case and pats his horse on the back of the neck just in front of the saddle wanting him to remain still. Instantly he places the rifle on his horse’s saddle ready to aim at the oncoming intruding stranger. Like a sniper aiming at his target, Amigo aims through the peep sights and follows closely as the stranger starts to appear. The stranger notices Amigo’s rifle aimed at him which causes him to slow down a bit saying, “Whoa!

Amigo cocks his rifle pin back with his right index finger about to squeeze for a devastating blow to the head of whoever is trespassing on their territory. The unknown entity slows down immensely saying, “Whoa” once again.

Amigo can’t help but command out loud while the Prophet Ramon pulls his pistol out as a backup saying, “That’s close enough!”

The stranger pulls on his horses bridle coming to a complete stop. He pulls his bridle over to the side a bit trying to pulls sideways in order to act unoffended towards Amigo. Then he pulls his bridle back the other way in order to keep his eye on the Prophet Ramon who has his pistol aimed right for his head, although the Prophet Ramon is even smart enough to take his horse out by shooting it down in order to drop him and take him alive.

Nevertheless the Prophet Ramon keeps a steady hand with his aim thinking that he should be very precautious of this individual. The stranger catches his breath before eluding, “Where are you both headed?”

Amigo starts to become angrier as he tries to make him feel like an intruder by exclaiming, “That’s none of your concern!”

The stranger has a kind of pushy attitude about the whole ordeal of his interrupting and barging in to their small treasure hunting party. With his precarious attitude, the stranger relies, “Yes it is, because maybe you should both let me team up with you!”

The Prophet Ramon continues holding his pistol directly at the stranger like it was a safety hazard saying, “Now why would we want to do that?”

The Stranger has an edge to use on them that he hopes will work to his advantage anyhow by answering, “I saw you both find them coins out there by the cattle fence!”

Amigo can’t fathom the fact that he has been followed by someone since they left the ports of Galveston, Texas. He is a pretty good tracker as well and can’t believe what he is hearing from this total stranger who just rode up from the middle of nowhere. And it doesn’t seem like he came from that direction. Even the Prophet Ramon is confused listening to what this stranger is saying to them about seeing them uncover the bounties of hardly anything as it is in monetary value. Amigo doubts this unknown character by screeching, “That’s a lie; no one has even been around. We never found anything!”

The stranger then decides to use another tactic in order to try and win over their confidence at letting him join them and their elite small pack of treasure hunters. Here is where he turns the tide of talking by telling them both, “Okay then, I never followed you. I’m a psychic and I know you found something in the form of money and I know what you’re after and what lies ahead!”

Amigo takes his eye away from the peeping aim sights on his rifle and lifts his head up thinking about what he has just insinuated to the both of them. Amigo wonders if he can trust him even though he has told the Prophet Ramon so much about not letting anyone in for any reason whatsoever. Amigo decides to test his intuitive knowledge by asking, “If you’re a psychic then what names do we go by?”

The stranger relaxes his bridle of his horse answering, “You’re Amigo and that is a visitor that you picked up who claims to be a prophet. He goes by (the stranger closes his eyes thinking for a brief moment before opening his eyes again) the name of Ramon…… the Prophet Ramon from Madrid, Spain!

The Prophet Ramon is baffled by this psychic knowledge if it is so true and sounds like maybe the fact of a psychic use true and useful. He wonders how smart he is about is psychic ability going further, “So then what are we looking for if you are so smart?”

The stranger stops and thinks for another second before exclaiming to them both as an answer, “You’re looking for the lost treasure of the Conquistador Tesoro De Castallanza and his arrastras which was hidden in a cave guarded by Indian Spirits!”

The Prophet Ramon decides to admit that he is very intuitive indeed by retorting, “That’s pretty smart, you’re very intuitive.”

Amigo thinks about what it is he wants from them by joining them both. It seems that will put the split down unless he has something to offer in return which means helping in locate the hidden cave of lost gold. He isn’t so sure that they should take in any outsiders, although this predicament has come upon them rather fast. It has just sprung upon them like a horse jolting from a racing stall to a horse racing track. Amigo looks to him asking, “So why should we let you join us anyhow?”

The stranger takes a deep breath before telling them both, “I can help you find the treasure and others like it if you let me side up with you two. I am very helpful at finding edible plants such as cactus and Indian Gums from tree barks that can help you with your endeavors.”

The Prophet Ramon has decided that maybe they should trust him otherwise he may go blab his mouth to others and create such a gold rush. He doesn’t want anyone else to stumble upon them and ruin their treasure hunting for the big extra-large load that they both feel they will eventually find out there somewhere. Quickly before thinking too much more, the Prophet Ramon says, “What do you think buddy, should we take him along on our journeys. Or should we test him out further. How can we be sure that we can trust him?”

Amigo realizes that the Prophet Ramon is just as confused about this total stranger as he is and maybe they should keep close tabs on him. Nevertheless Amigo understands that he hid his identity and maybe he should have just shot him and ended the whole entire confrontation. Amigo pauses a moment before making a comment to the Prophet Ramon and his thorough question indeed. After contemplating this recourse of action, Amigo quills, “Why not, we will see just how handy you really are and if I don’t think you are, then of course, we will send you on your way, how’s that? Or we will have to shoot you! Does that make sense to you?”

The stranger looks and thinks for a moment before blurting, “Yes, that makes sense to me!”

The Prophet Ramon wants to make sure that they won’t have any problems in the future with him considering that he just turned up out of the blue which is basically nowhere. Amigo starts to ready his horse by adjusting himself on the saddle before brushing the bridle telling the horse to move forward. At that moment Ramon says, “We’re serious, we aren’t really out to mess with nobody.”

Amigo keeps a forward pace while adding, “Mess around and I’ll shoot you!”

The Prophet turns following Amigo while the stranger turns his bridle signaling his horse to turn around and follow as well. They all ride single file for a few hundred feet making their way through some rough tracks that are ingrained within the environment. Then after a while they all start to regroup with a side by side motion as they travel together. The stranger is the first one to break the silence that has rang over their ears by saying, “Thanks for letting me come along on your treasure hunt.”

Amigo answers the stranger’s question by commenting, “Don’t mention it!”

Back with Indian Lace and Indian Skies, they are sitting there watching from a distance still. Indian Lace notices that they have accepted the stranger saying to Indian Skies, “It looks like they took him in!”

Indian Skies is pretty sure that it must be one of their own since she had no luck with trying to locate them using her keenness and psychic ability. Bringing this to a note, Indian Skies says, “It’s one of them. They’re grouping up. It won’t be long before the others join in to!”

Now over with the other scene the group is making the move on. The stranger carries on while trying to act as though he fits in with them already like, “So how far are we going to have to travel to get to the destination?”

Amigo looks at him with a sense of insecurity considering that he really doesn’t know that much about him as of yet. Before Amigo turns away, he says, “We have about seven hundred or so miles to go yet!”

The stranger thinks about how far that is saying, “That’s a far way to go!”

The Prophet Ramon hears what they are saying as he gets curious to know more about him pronouncing, “So tell us a little bit about you. I mean we’re letting you come along with us for an even three ways split!”

The stranger is caught by surprise because he sort of wants to hide his identity slightly just in case anything goes wrong with the trust between them all. After another moment passes, the stranger quills, “Just call me the Pawnee!”

Amigo chuckles right away with a slight cry querying, “The Pawnee Indian! Now why do they call you that?”

The Pawnee Indian waits until Amigo stops giggling still telling them, “They call me the Pawnee Indian because I pawn things at the trading post often!”

The Prophet Ramon replies, “You like to pawn things, huh?”

The Pawnee Indian decides to ramble on further about his pawning escapades by shrilling, “Yes, I’m pretty good at scrounging up money for whatever I can when I need it. I’ve pawned everything from horses, cows, furs, guns, gold bullion and you name it I’ve pawned it!”

“Have you ever pawned something you stole?” The Prophet Ramon blurts out as a question trying to get to the heart of the matter as to why would he pawn anything in the first place.

The stranger Pawnee Indian laughs and chuckles slightly trying to mock what the Prophet Ramon has just said as a remark to his actions. Quickly the Pawnee Indian has a comment about that saying, “Have I ever stolen anything? Almost everything I pawn is stolen! Well, except for some of the furs I made after skinning a few here and there. Though I have squandered a lot to get what I want in most cases!”

At this time Amigo has a comment to add, “That’s all you’ve squandered; I mean this is a vast territory of opportunities I kid you not!”

The Pawnee Indian can only wonder what in the heck he is insinuating with his gesture of asking what else he has sold off for charity as such. Immediately he becomes confused like. Then the Pawnee Indian asks, “What are you saying?”

Amigo thinks about what he was going to say and then all of a sudden he changes his mind again asking, “I mean have you ever pawned off anything other than animals like women in other words!”

The Prophet Ramon gets a little bit excited by saying, “Women?”

The Pawnee Indian goes back with his thoughts recollecting a few by denouncing, “What do you mean?”

Amigo thinks about what he is really trying to say by saying, “What I mean is have you ever had any hookers on your trailing?”

The Pawnee Indian doesn’t really want to say anything about his love life, although he figures that maybe they are lonely. With this in mind the Pawnee Indian proclaims, “Yes, I have had a few here and there!”

Amigo looks to the sky as the sun starts to fade out up a head saying, “Good because when this is all over with we’re going to round us up a few. But for right now I think we should stop and set up camp for the night and try to get an early start for ourselves tomorrow.”

Meanwhile Indian Lace and Indian Skies stop their movement as well. Indian Lace follows suit by pronouncing, “Looks like it’s time to camp for the night.”

Indian Skies doesn’t think that they should camp so close to them saying, “We should wait until they set camp and settle in and then let’s move over there where they can’t see our fire.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Camp is finally set up and they are all sitting around a camp fire that they have put together for the night. The Pawnee Indian starts to wonder about their research that they have accumulated for the search. He spits in the fire and asks, “So what kind of research do you have to go on?”

The Prophet Ramon is the first to answer his questions about things saying, “I have some maps and the Bible to go on and just what he has told me about certain things.”

The Pawnee Indian stands up and realizes all of the visions that that requires to finish the job. He feels like now is the right and appropriate time to put some medicinal herbs at work. The only problem is that he doesn’t have that much, just a little bit of peyote and mescaline powder in his gris-gris pouch that he has acquired from his medicine man back at home. Quickly he stands up to go to his horse to get it while saying, “I have just the powder to bring out the visions of the conquest and make a happy traveling for all of us!”

As the Pawnee approaches his horse and reaches for his saddle bag lying on the side next to a tree where his horse’s bridle is tied around, he notices a flickering light off in the remote distance. Fast like he turns his head and then turns his body and looks back to the fire with Amigo and the Prophet Ramon informing them both, “What’s that over there, looks like a flickering light of a camp fire?”

Amigo gets up from the camp fire and looks off in to the remoteness replying, “Looks like someone is camping nearby maybe!”

The Prophet Ramon wonders if it could mean any trouble for them in some way asking, “Who do you think it is camping over there?”

Amigo keeps on watching with the thoughts of hindering everything they have saved up for as far as their goals are concerned. He doesn’t want any more intruders like with the stranger the Pawnee Indian, although he doesn’t really want to arouse any suspicions. So acting candidly Amigo only says, “I’m not sure; it could be anybody!”

The Pawnee Indian doesn’t want any more new comers coming their way either saying, “As long as they don’t come this way.”

Amigo realizes that they should keep an eye on them for any matter. He doesn’t want anything springing up on them while they are all asleep. For this reason Amigo decides to keep a night watcher up at all times shrilling to this other two partners, “We’d better keep a night watch out just in case there are any stragglers rummaging around out there watching!”

The Pawnee Indian puts his pouch of peyote mescaline away thinking to himself how there will be a better night for them to take the plunge of visions. As he regroups back to the camp fire the Pawnee Indian asks, “Should I have a look around before we call it a night?”

Both Amigo and the Prophet Ramon think that that sounds like a great idea just in case someone is nearby spying on them all. Right away Amigo thinks that’s a good idea saying, “Yes, take a peek around about a hundred feet around the perimeter and look around at the area and that’s good enough I suppose!”

The Pawnee Indian grabs a piece of wood that they have sitting in a pile that they gathered when they were getting enough wood for the night with the camp fire. He sticks it in the fire and gets it lit and then walks away from the camp fire off in to the near area taking a look around the camp site a bit. As he walks away Amigo looks to the Prophet Ramon wondering if they can trust the new comer the Pawnee Indian saying, “Do you think we can trust him?”

The Prophet Ramon thinks about what Amigo has just asked him about trusting him reacting, “What are you implying, and that he has friends out there watching us or something?”

Amigo describes his thoughts by declaring, “I’m not sure; but they’re a bit close maybe like they are scouting us perhaps!”

The Prophet Ramon carries the inkling in his opinions telling Amigo, “I doubt they’re watching us or they would have come over here by now, don’t you think!”

Of course, Amigo is unsure of anything when it comes to trying to predict the actions of other travelers within the lands belonging to the desert. He only knows one thing and that when other people act, he reacts with the necessary actions indeed. He does whatever it takes to overcome those obstacles just like when the Pawnee Indian came riding up upon them out of nowhere. He reacted by pulling out his rifle and standing behind his horse while the Prophet Ramon stood there out in the open. He stood there ready to take a bullet hit if the chance at the moment came and sprung out like a pistol pulling surprise. But Amigo he never takes a chance like that, although he is a little lack on this situation being that he is very tired from trying to pull his weight by gaining a friendship with the Prophet Ramon.

Now he answers his questions like he had given a choice to his opinions telling the Prophet Ramon, “It’s hard to say who they are and what’s over there. It could be a stagecoach with some western travelers heading and making their way out west for any matter. I’m just making sure it isn’t any of his friends waiting to ruin what we are going to stumble upon. I don’t want anyone finding it before we do!”

The Prophet Ramon has a line up that alley jargoning, “Either do I, I think a three way split is enough!”

A few more moments go on by and the Pawnee Indian returns as Amigo turns and asks, “Find anything?”

The Pawnee Indian replies telling them both, “No, I couldn’t find, see or hear anything! I thought I heard some coyotes in the distance growling and I saw some eyes prowling by but it look like a few animals like coyotes or dingoes maybe!”

The Prophet Ramon is glad that they are in the clear and that they can finally take a good night to get some sleep. The Prophet Ramon asks, “What’s a dingo?”

The Pawnee Indian says, “It’s an animal that is related to wolves and coyotes for any reason.”

Amigo thinks it’s time for them to get some shut eye so that they can wake up when the sun rises and get an early move on to their destination. Amigo mentions that he is tired telling them, “I’m tired; it’s time to get some sleep. Who wants first watch so we make sure nothing happens. We don’t want anyone springing up upon us within the wee hours of the night!”

The Pawnee Indian feels that he should take first watch considering that he is the new comer of the group and that he should earn he keep to them both. With the offering in eye, the Pawnee Indian agrees, “I’ll take the first night watch since I had combed the area!”

Amigo gets up and starts to walk away from the camp fire ready to grab his blanket and one of his bags of clothes and belongings for a pillow saying, “Good! And who wants the second shift for the night watch?”

The Prophet Ramon gives in as quickly as an owl’s hoot jousting, “I will! I will take the second night watch and you can take the last few hours watching!”

Amigo makes his way over next to his horse and then he unties his bags and opens it. He pulls out a blanket and places his bag down like a pillow and lays down right next to his horse screeching, “Fair well then, I think it’s time for some shut eye!”

The Prophet Ramon gets up and does the same. He walks over to his bags sitting next to his saddle that is laying there by his horse and unties it so that he can pull out a blanket too. Once he pulls his blanket out, he sets his bag down like a pillow and lies down. As he covers himself with the blanket, the newcomer the Pawnee Indian shrills, “Now don’t you all get too comfy, you all have a watch to take in a few hours.”

The Prophet Ramon lays his head down ready to call it a night while lipping, “Just wake me in a few hours and then I’ll watch for a few hours and then I’ll wake him before I go back to sleep for a few hours. How’s that for a plan?”

The Pawnee Indian has a few last words to say before they fall asleep blurting, “It looks like it will be this way every night unless we want someone to stumble across us unexpectedly within the late night hours of the journey!”

Then there is silence as Amigo shrieks out one loud snore that sounds like he is choking half to death maybe. The Pawnee Indian looks and shakes his head as the Prophet Ramon tries to rollover and sleeps on his other side trying to muffle the sounds maybe with the blanket somehow. Then the Pawnee Indian looks back to the fire which seems to be dying down a little bit. Quickly he takes some more wood from the pile of branches that they had gathered after they were settled in and he tosses a few of them inside of it.

Some sparks spurt up and fly around as they take heed to the need for more fuel. Then the Pawnee Indian decides to get up and look for some more wood after he brushes his boot over the fire to test the amount of heat coming off from it. Once he gets up he shrills out loud towering over the snores of Amigo, “I’m going to go get some more fire wood so that we have enough!”

As he gets up the rings of silence contain his ears except for the wild snores of Amigo. He walks away towards a few tree tops that are glowing under the waxing moon that is illuminating the night skies. Once he gets there he finds many branches lying there for the grabbing. He picks up an arm full of firewood after walking underneath a few trees and returns to rekindle the camp fire once again.

Then he turns around and hears some branches creek off in the distance. He turns and sees a pair of glowing eyes looking at him. And then they turn and fade away with the sounds of a wolf pack. Nevertheless the Pawnee Indian doesn’t think too much of it as he turns once again to head back to the camp site. Once he returns he sets the firewood in the pile and sits back down. It doesn’t take long before he falls back and nearly falls asleep.

A few hours go by and his hat is tipped over his eyes and it seems like he has fallen asleep anyhow. Just then the Prophet Ramon automatically wakes up and takes notice that the Pawnee Indian has fallen asleep it seems. Another moment passes and the Prophet Ramon shrugs his shoulders telling him, “Wake up and then go back to sleep! It’s my watch now. What have you been doing the whole entire time?”

The Prophet Ramon realizes that the fire has gone down and that it is nearly burning out. Therefore the Prophet Ramon takes a few large pieces of firewood and throws them in the fire. Sparks fly all over landing on the Pawnee Indian who gets flinched and starts to stand up. Half asleep, the Pawnee Indian shrieks, “Watch it! You almost caught me on fire!”

The Prophet Ramon thinks that will serve him right the next time he falls asleep on a night watch when they are out in the middle of nowhere. Quickly he replies, “That will teach you to doze off when are backs are turned!”

The Pawnee Indian is tired of course even though he had some shut-eye nevertheless. While walking back a ways from the fire, the Pawnee Indian says, “I’ll just sleep over here closer to my horse and bags!”

The Pawnee Indian reaches in to his satchel bag that he has lying there next to his saddles. Fast like he pulls out a blanket like he were in a hurry to get some more time resting in other words. It doesn’t take but a few more seconds and he is already snoring which immediately ignores the Prophet Ramon.

Angry like, the Prophet Ramon gets up and heads back to his bag to get a telescope that he has brought along the trip as one of his instrumentation that he felt he would need along the way. Of course, he has another fine piece of equipment which happens to be his assay case that he uses to test certain areas for any concentrations of gold. Then he even has an old mining pan that is made out of metal and along with that he has a screen for sifting out all of the bigger pieces of pebbles that he doesn’t want in the way.

There are a few more articles that he has but they aren’t a topic on his mind as he thinks about his gear. Once he takes out the telescope he walks away past the camp fire to where he can focus on the fading lights of another camp fire off in the distance. Next he decides to walk under a patch of trees that is about thirty feet away from the tree his horse is tied around.

As he approaches the underneath of the tree, the Prophet Ramon realizes that the camp fire in the far away canyon is still shimmering. At first, he just merely stares without his eyes off in to the distance for a moment and then he lifts his telescope up at eye level and takes a look. At first it appears that the fire has become even brighter maybe, but it’s hard to tell for sure. Nevertheless there seems to be no one visible except for just the firelight bouncing and blinking off of the canyon walls.

He stops for a moment by pulling the telescope away from his eye as he starts to stare off with a naked eye. Then he tries the telescope one more time and takes another look down towards the far away canyon. At first there is something making a bit of a shadow, although it is too far away for him to make a reference to whatever it is over there. He keeps the stare going until he gives up once the shadow passes once again.

Then finally he gives up and just stands there looking out in that direction for another moment or so. Next he turns around and heads back to the camp fire and sits down to adjust his instrumental telescope that he has brought along. After sitting there for a moment he thinks he hears something, but it wasn’t loud enough for him to have to stand and get too excited over. Moreover there is further silence as he gets up and decides to put his telescope back away in his satchel bag.

After he puts his telescope away, the Prophet Ramon goes back to the camp fire and sits down. He stares at the fire thinking about his research. The fire starts to dim down a bit as he reaches to a pile of wood to take a few small branches the size of small logs to toss in to the camp fire. The camp fire sparkles as fire lit ashes fly around. He looks off in to the distance back at the canyon where the other camp site is and leans back lying down just listening to the surrounding area for anything out of the ordinary.

A while goes by and he stares at the stars thinking about what the future holds and how things have changed with his anticipations of the journey. He originally thought that he would be alone along this search for treasure but now it seems that he has picked up a few friends along the way. In his mind he queries over the thought of whether or not they can be trust worthy enough to confide all of his research with, although he realizes that it is too late and if he were to abandon them they would probably show up again considering that they know too much about it already.

And worse off what would happen if they both had other friends and he ran in to them as an alternative without the knowing of such a probable outcome. Nevertheless he contemplates all of these thoughts within his confused mind as he stares at the night sky wondering if it will be worth it in the end. But then again, he really doesn’t know his way out here and he never had the chance to try and learn on his own. It looks like chance just smacked him right in the face once he docked and ported himself to this side of the world in the United States.

Hours go by as he thinks many different scenarios through his thoughts as he begins to get tired as his eyes begin to get heavy and fall down. Another few moments go by and Amigo soon shakes him ready to take the third and last watch for the night. As he shakes the Prophet Ramon, Amigo contends, “Are you awake?”

He shakes the Prophet Ramon again as he shrugs around trying to wake, “Are you awake, it’s my turn to take night watch!”

The Prophet Ramon wakes up and sits up with blurry and reddened eyes from his rough short few hours of sleep at the least. He stands up as Amigo asks, “Anything out of the ordinary last night?”

The Prophet Ramon has to think about that for another second as his eyes start to come to focus on Amigo as his face becomes clearer to him. Then he says as he sees Amigos face clearly, “No nothing happened! I guess it was so quiet that I just stares at the stars and fell asleep!”

Amigo uses this predicament as his leverage in his night watch saying, “Well, go ahead and go back to sleep and I’ll take over from here!”

The Prophet Ramon starts to walk back to his satchel bags away from the fire over next to his horse saying, “Yes, I’m still tired a bit!”

Amigo wants to have something to read while he is up asking, “Let me read your Bible while you’re asleep. It will give me something to do?”

The Prophet Ramon thinks that that is a great idea answering, “Sure, it’s right here in my satchel bag!”

The Prophet Ramon grabs the bible from his satchel bag and walks back over to him saying, “Here it is!”

Amigo wonders what reads are good in there asking, “What reads are good considering I haven’t read the bible in a while!”

The Prophet Ramon tells him to read the following chapters, “Read the Book of Revelation and read the Book of John Chapter 10:1-18. There are lots of images in there for you to look at that have to do with the research in other words.”

Amigo takes the bible from his hands as the Prophet Ramon gives it to him. Then the Prophet Ramon turns around and heads back to his resting place where his satchel bag pillow lies. Amigo walks over to a nesting place right by the camp fire and sits down. He flips the bible browsing through it for a while. At first he looks at the first chapter of Genesis where God is narrating the creation of the earth and the heavens within a seven day period.

Then he flips through some passages of Ecclesiastes and then he flips through some chapters of Deuteronomy which has some good passages and versus as well to read. After a few more minutes he turns to the book of Psalms which is a chapter within the middle pages of the Bible and reads a few versus which he believes are aimed at bringing good luck and fortune. In fact many occultists use the book of Psalms in order to win a favorable verdict or outcome with the many bad occurrences which happen within the bad times of life. Once he feels like his spirits are uplifted he turns to the book of John and he then turns the pages to Chapter 10 and starts to read versus 1-18.

It takes a while as he reads about John versus which are about the flocks of the children. The reading brings a lot of images to mid as he reads the whole entire chapter all of the way through. For some reason he is impressed by the Prophet Ramon and his research. It seems that he is on the right track so far and that he has something to offer when it comes to facts about Jesus and his visitation with the flocks of the children within the New World.

Next Amigo turns to the Book of Revelations and he starts reading through the first and second chapter. When he gets to verse 27 he says out loud in a light tone of voice, “And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”

Then Amigo reads the next verse 28 as he says again to himself softly, “And I will give him the morning star.”

Once Amigo reads these two versus to himself he realizes that his research was based on the man-child ceremony of Indian Dancer and his Sponsor. Quickly he glances at the next chapter which happens to be Chapter 3 where Jesus is arguing about the seven churches. Quickly Amigo flips to Chapter 4 where the first verse says a door is open and Amigo comprehends the fact that Indian Dancer is within the world of the supernatural with the savior Jesus Christ.

He glances through the rest of the chapters where there are versus of the Pale Horse, the Red Horse, and the Black Horse. Finally he gets to the images of Jesus and his visitation such as they are depicted within the Book of Mormon. Even though he doesn’t have a book of Mormon with him at the moment, he can visualize the essence of what he is reading. He can Jesus Christ as he is in the spirit world after his pains are eradicated and he measure the temple as depicted in verse 1 of Chapter 11. After another minute he reads verse 12 which depicts the Mormon picture of

Jesus Christ and his visitation in Guatemala. He can visualize Jesus Christ and his visitation of another child, although his previous images had some images of his ancestors such as the corn mothers who had left on Jesus Christ and his arrival in the spiritual realm.

The following chapter that he glances at is chapter 12 verse 1 where it reads “And there appeared a wonder in heaven, a Woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" is introduced. Once he reads the first verse, Amigo catches some more light to mind than the first time he may have read or looked at the verse in the past. Now he can picture her in her mind wearing a headband dressed like a crown with six crosses that are visible to his mind’s eye, although the other half of the stars are on the other side behind her head that he can’t see to clearly. However on the other hand he knows that they are there and he feels that he can tell what her face looks like to him fairly clearly like.

He reads further getting images of her giving her baby to the dragon which was wroth with the woman in order to bring up the man-child unto the testimony of Jesus Christ. After he reads Chapter 12 in its entirety he seems to get even more images in mind of the indigenous ceremony and its characteristics. Another fact comes from his deciphering which happens to be a name of the child along with some images of the man sponsor who is obviously of a different clan than who he is sponsoring.

After the whole spiel has flashed through his mind along with the images from chapter 11 and the arrival of the savior, Amigo can now see the whole entire depiction within his Indian brain of his abiding. He can see Indian Dancer as he is within the world of heaven as Jesus Christ shows him all of these facts and happenings with his testimony. Amigo can see Jesus Christ as he shows Indian Dancer the moment when he had shown his scars to Peter and Paul after his Resurrection. He even realizes that they are considered the two olive trees that can live forever and walk the earth forever on a spiritual level from the fasting of the Lamanite.

Nevertheless he catches on to the picture pretty fast considering that his sort of like a shaman with his Indigenous ways of living. With a turn of the eye, he skips from Chapter 12 to Chapter 13 where Indian Dancer is standing on the hill. He reads through the first few verses which images of what he believes to be Indian Dancer and his appearance like a beast which is a simile, although he can see the metaphors of his being unto a leopard which represents his sponsor of another clan name. And he can also picture the images of a bear on the basalt rocks that line their home at the top of the crest. He can even picture his coat with the image of the mouth of a lion as the dragon of the woman’s rite of passage gives the writings power, seat, and authority.

Now Amigo skips to chapter 14 and reads. Then as he reads can visualize Indian Dancer as a Lamb on the hill of mount Sion standing as the author John the Divine speaks in first person as the eyes of the beholder. However when Amigo reads further, he understands that there must be a flip from the Old World to the New World somewhere in the pages that lie ahead. It is apparent that the Spirit of Jesus Christ has become like a Sun God as the ceremony lifts his spirits from the pains of his crucifixion. The three days of dying on the cross are over and he can now measure the Temple and make his way over here to the New World to visit the flocks of the children.

When Amigo skips to Chapter 14 he sees how it is apparent that the testimony is meant for something more than just giving her baby to the dragon in order to give the testimony of the Great White Sprit to the flocks of the children. It seems that it is to something of a greater value. He can tell that there is going to be a war with many thousands who bear the testimony who also are smut toned with the Father’s name written on their foreheads.

In Chapter 15 Amigo reads of the seven plagues and realizes that it relates to death. Verse 6 brings an image to his mind with the old gold mining operations that the Indians had when he reads about the seven angels with golden girdles. Nevertheless most of it sounds sort of uncanny and confusing to him even though he is positive that the book of Revelations is a historic Indian story.

Soon he reads of the seven angels and their vials with the seven plagues being poured out as a wrath of God upon the earth. He pictures the vials as little glass bottles used for gold flower that ends up at the bottom of his pan in which he places in a small gold perfume like glass vial. When he reads verse 15, more images of his desire to pretend to be a hermaphrodite come to life, especially the part where it says, “….and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”

Once Amigo recites Chapter 16 verse 12, he can catch glimpses of the conquistador as a king preparing his way east as the plagues from the vials dry his river of gold up and that they are no more. He can see the flip of the story from the Old World Eu-phra-tes to the New World upon the waters of the Agua Fria River. It’s obvious why the word Euphrates is broken up with slashes that it represents something else in a transverse ritual of communication. Now he recognizes the truth to all of the images that the Prophet Ramon was relenting towards.

Amigo recites verse 3 of Chapter 17 to himself and catches glimpses of the woman in the wilderness with the beast’s power within her with scarlet colours with the seven heads and ten horns. Finally Chapter 17 brings images of her drinking with the blood of the saints who he pictures as Indians who are helping her along with her journey of pursuit. Verse four lights up his eyes as he can see her with her vest of stones and pearls that she has so carefully picked by herself. He can visualize her writing on her forehead with blood from the cup she carries. The word spelling “Mystery” flashes past his mind’s inner eye as she shakes her way past the seven heads that she follows in her pursuit. Now it is obvious that the horns are her Indian feathers as the number of the matches the number of heads she entails.

He even comprehends the fact that she is hiding the testimony of something greater from someone else. That the light of the Great Sprit has been captured and harnessed for a bigger purpose and that the testimony of Jesus Christ is being held back for some miraculous reasoning. The scene of other rivers come to mind where there is a crossing and he can tell where the meeting junction is with her catching up to those of the pursuit. Amigo can use his dream technique slightly to see the blood of the martyrs and how they stone the kings holding them back to help hide the testimony of the Great White Spirit.

Finally he starts to read Chapter 18 and more images come to life. He can hear the voices of heaven cry out as Dark Angels carries on saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the told of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

He can see someone come down from heaven that has the power to spear away the Prophet as the plans of leaving a Mission behind as the friars of heaven are no more partaken. And he can see the face of such an individual as he is recognized and no more. He can tell that the story has taken its course to hide the testimony of such divine knowledge. And he can see that the voice of the harpers and musicians are hidden and heard no more as the testimony of Jesus Christ is totally unseen and unknown.

Time goes by as he reads further and further. Much of it sinks in his head. When he gets to Chapter 21 verse 9 about one of the seven angels saying, “Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” Amigo can visualize Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus Christ perhaps.

He continues to finish as more images pour in to his mind about how they had no need of the sun or moon, to shine in it; for the Glory of God did lighten it. He can see the power of this knowledge coming from her amethyst which she keeps charged in the sun to shine forth the light of it.

Soon he finishes through Chapter 21 and Chapter 22 as the sun starts to rise for a new day. Quickly he closes the Bible and gets up ready to wake up the Prophet Ramon and the Pawnee Indian for another day of heavy traveling on horseback. He kicks a foot full of dirt in to the camp fire and heads over to the Prophet Ramon setting his Bible back down next to him saying, “Come on, it’s time to get up! Let’s get a mover on!”

The Prophet Ramon and the Pawnee Indian start to move around trying to wake up. The Prophet Ramon shrills, “Is it that time already?”

Amigo replies, “Yes, the sun is coming up. It’ll start warming up soon!”

The Pawnee Indian stands up saying, “Let’s boogie!”

Below is a link to "Bags of Gold" subpage 2.

Bags of Gold by Rodney Soroka is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at https://sites.google.com/site/rodneysorokasbookshelf/home.

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