The Lone Ranger: Trouble at the Old Silver Mine

In Texas, Ranger John Reid rides with a small group of Texas Rangers leaded by Captain Daniel Reid towards the Neutral Strip that lies in the middle of Colorado, Kansas, the Indian Territory, Texas, and the New Mexico Territory. Likewise Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves rides out from the Indian Territory towards the Neutral Strip with the Native American, Honecē Hvmken , from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and a posse of men after the outlaw Butch Cavendish. The two groups meet in the Neutral Strip.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves greets them, before saying, “Right on time, Captain. We are heading out towards Colorado, where the outlaw Butch Cavendish and his men were last seen robing a stagecoach.”

“We’ll let you take the lead, Marshal, no need to deputize us,” Captain Daniel Reid said, in agreement.

They ride on, but at Lake Meredith, they camp for the night.

“So, remind me, why am I here, again,” John Reid asks.

“Butch and his men massacre my home, a free slave settlement in the Creek Nation. Burned it to the ground as I tried to stop them, but they felt me for dead. I was able to drag myself to Honecē Hvmken’s camp. I meet him back when it seem like we were still boys. The Muscogee tribe took me in and attended to my wounds. Honecē Hvmken agreed to help me track Butch, in order to bring him to justice. And here we are,” Bass answered.

“John, don’t make me regret dragging you away from studying the law and get some sleep, will you. We have a long day, tomorrow and I plan to leave at first light, with or without you,” Daniel responded to his brother looking at Bass with puppy dog eyes.

Unable to sleep, John leaves his tent and stumbles upon Honecē Hvmken’s tent. Inside he found Honecē Hvmken muttering in his sleep, “Que no sabe,” over and over, again. He decided not to wake him, but continue to the camp fire in the middle of the tent grounds on the northern side of the lake.

He tried to warm himself by the fire, but he was startled by Bass, who he didn’t notice was also warming himself by the fire.

“Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” Bass said, trying to reassure him that they were on the same side.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” John replied.

“It is, okay, I was just wondering how I got here.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, I was born a slave, for one in 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas. I took the surname of my owner, George Reeves, a farmer and politician. He moved to Paris, Texas and he dragged me along.

“Then, the war broke out, I thought about running to the North and fighting for my freedom, but, there I was, at a poker table with George and these Mexicans. Darn plug it, but I won the whole pot, George claimed I cheated and we got into a fight and he beat me up, for no good reason. He made me wait outside as he settled up. George was drunk and it was just bad luck that I won, because those Mexican outlaws followed me outside, probly to rob George and me. Outside the saloon, I found Honecē Hvmken tied up with the horses and I didn’t think anything about freeing him, but the Mexicans did.

“Called him, Tonto Spanish for “stupid” as well as que no sabe roughly Spanish for "clueless one" instead of his name, Honecē Hvmken, the Wild One. Well, there was a shootout and next thing I know me and him are fighting off them and George. We steal their houses and fled north to the Indian Territory, where Honecē Hvmken introduced me to his Muscogee tribe. Years past and I help start up a free slaved encampment. Then, Butch rode in and you know the rest.”

“Wow, you had a life,” John said, finally.

“Don’t worry, son, you’re still young. Tell you kin, the time you helped a free-slave catch a gang of outlaws.”

In the morning, Honecē Hvmken continues tracking Butch into Colorado towards Colorado Springs’ settlement.

Outside the Colorado Springs’ settlement, Butch and his men jumps Cactus Pete’s silver mine, while he was off trading with Chief Thundercloud’s tribe. After they gave him two bits for his mine, they run him off. Headed south to lick his wounds, Cactus Pete runs into the posse and talks his way into joining them as they rode to the silver. In Eagle Pass, the outlaw Butch Cavendish and his men ambush the posse. Escaping the ambush, Honecē Hvmken and Cactus Pete head for the silver mine believing they are the sole survivors, because John Reid is wounded and left for died, in the confusion.

On his horse, Butch sits just on the outside of ambush, yet he takes pot-shots with his rifle Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves’ posse. Cocking his rifle, Butch took aim at John Reid’s head. While returning fire with Butch’s men, Daniel Reid sees Butch firing his rifle and jumps between John and the bullet, at the last possible moment. Taken aback from his brother dying in his arms, John takes a few steps backwards trying to better steady himself, but trips over the spurs on his boots, falls, lands on a bowling ball size rock that hits his head as he came down on it, and he is knocked unconscious. Honecē Hvmken yells at John and the rest of the posse, yet upon not getting a response they run out of Eagle Pass and into the wilderness.

Honecē Hvmken and Cactus Pete found themselves on the trail to the silver mine, yet before they reach the mine, they encounter Butch and his men. Having his bow and arrows at the ready, Honecē Hvmken strings a bow in his bow and takes aim at Butch, but his wound he received from the ambush cause him unable to fully pull back the bow and fire the arrow. He drops them in agony and Butch and his men laugh at him.

“Apparently, not so good with the bow and arrow, ah, Tonto?” Butch asks.

Honecē Hvmken doesn’t answer as he is captured and tied up with Cactus Pete, lead to the mine, and forced inside. There, they are tied up to a support beam, while Butch’s men pick up the heavy looking saddlebags and the noise they made has they were carried suggested that they were full of silver. Butch and his men leave them alone in the mine as the put the saddlebags and their horses that were left outside the mine with one of Butch’s men.

“Let me kill them, Butch, all you had me done the whole trek has been to hold onto the horses with you lot has all the fun, yarn nail it,” said the man holding Butch’s horse as he mounts it.

“We need Cactus Pete to mine and that Tonto looking Engine could come in handy to be the fall guy, if need be,” Butch responds to all his men, not just the one holding his horse.

The man, who was holding Butch’s horse, mounts a horse and says, “Okay Butch, you’re the boss.”

In the cave, Honecē Hvmken fights against the ropes tying him to the support beam trying to get loose.

“Calm down, Tonto,” Cactus Pete tells Honecē Hvmken.

“Stupid, stupid, I’ll show you stupid,” Honecē Hvmken screams as he pulls on the ropes. The ropes break free of the support beam, yet it breaks in half in the process and that starts a cave-in. The cave-in traps them inside as Butch and his men watch, but don’t lift a finger to help them.

Waking up, John Reid takes the spurs off of his boots. Surveys his surroundings, he sees nothing, but the rangers and Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves’ posse dead. John looks down on Captain Daniel Reid’s corpse, takes off his black leather vest, and drapes it over his brother face, before looking around again.

He sees a white stallion walks towards the site of the ambush, but pays it no heeds.
He looks back at his vest covering his brother’s face and has an idea. Taking out his knife and picking up his vest, he cuts into the material, before returning the vest to cover his brother’s face. He mounts the white stallion and begins to gulp away.

Gravity slowly pulls on the vest and the missing material uncovers Daniel’s eyes, showing that John had cut a mask out of the vest.

The Lone Ranger hides in guns blazing and has a shot out with Butch and his men. Token by surprised, Butch and his men lose the gun fight and surrenders. The Lone Ranger makes them dig Honecē Hvmken and Cactus Pete out of the mine and administer first aid.

“Thank you, Fayetv Enhesse,” Honecē Hvmken refers the Lone Ranger.

“Fayetv Enhesse?” Cactus Pete asks.

“It means ‘friendly hunter’ in the language of my tribe, Pale-face,” Honecē Hvmken answers.

At the rear by town, they turn over Butch and his men to Sheriff, before riding back to the ambush site. There, they find Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves standing over the graves of the dead men. Dismounting, Honecē Hvmken walks to Bass’ side.

Cactus Pete stops the Lone Ranger from dismounting by saying, “I never had a chance to thank you, proper, Stanger.” Cactus Pete said to John Reid not recognizing him as the Lone Ranger and continues to say, “Here are some silver bullets I made to help me sell the silver,” before handing him a saddlebag off his horse and hands it to the Lone Ranger, who accepts it and drapes it over the white stallion he is riding. Cactus Pete continues to say, “Still need about five ounces of the stuff to get your hands on one silver dollar, but I can get a dollar for each of these suckers at market.”

The Lone Ranger does not say a word, just tips his hat to him. The Lone Ranger nudges the white stallion he is riding back to the trail. Departing on his white stallion, the Lone Ranger shouts, "Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!" as they galloped off into the sunset.

Bass asks, "Who was that masked man, anyway?"