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"Hi kids, here's some grub.", "Eat up an be merry"!

He untied their hands and stood with his rifle pointing towards them while they ate.

"Who are you guys and what are you doing here?", said Ben trying to find out any information that he could.

"We are just a band of rat bag kids who have no families and have had to find a way to survive in this hole in the outback's" he said. "My names Jake, Jake Worthington, my family comes from England. At least that what my father told me. I got kicked out of home and had nowhere to go. I met up with George in my travels and then we run into Red and his gang while we was looking for a place to stay, they took us in and the rest is history. They really aren't a bad bunch of guys when you get to know them. How about you two"?

"My names Ben and my sisters name is Mary, we have no family either, at least not real family, we are just wandering around trying to find a place to live for now".

"Then you are just like us" said Jake smiling.

"No" said Mary "You are different, we are trying to survive, but you are stealing from people, hurting their lives. The people around here are poor and yet you steal what little that they have off them", "No we are not like you, we are not thieves"!

"Well I suppose that's one way of looking at it, but our way must be better because we have you trapped and in a hopeless situation, look at you. Where are your honest towns people now, will they save you, huh"? said a defensive Jake, "I am free, free to do as I want free to be as I want, not tied up or being robbed, I am doing the robbing and that makes me the winner".

Ben shook his head sadly and threw his empty plate and spoon at Jake feet and a few seconds later Mary did the same. Jake tied them up again without another word being spoken between the three of them.

"Jake get over here"! said someone in a gruff voice over by the camp fire, it was Red.

Jake walked away, and Ben looked at Mary and said "Mary try not get them too upset, remember they hold all the cards at the moment, Jake seems to be a nice guy, but he is just confused with his life and doesn't know where to turn".

"Yes I know" sighed Mary " I just lost my temper for a short while Ben, and I think I could have liked Jake in a different place and if he wasn't a crook".

"Me too" said Ben.

Ben was rubbing one leg against another trying to loosen his pocket knife from his sock, he was trying to do this and not attract any attention but it wasn't easy and it was taking time.

Finally half an hour later it dropped on the ground, Ben looked at Mary and sighed he hurried to cover it with his right leg. Mary said "How can you pick it up if both of your hands are tied behind your back"?

"When they untie me I will pick it up then", said a determined Ben.

The night went slowly for both of them and they found it difficult to sleep sitting up like that and in the morning Jake came over and untied them both.

Ben was untied first and his right leg was covering the pocket knife and after he was untied he rubbed his wrists and looked to see if Jake was untying Mary which he was and then Ben reached down and moved his right leg to uncover the pocket knife and then grabbed it in his right hand. He then quickly slipped it behind his belt buckle.

Jake had finished untying Mary and then led them to the group of young men who were sitting around the big fire talking. They stopped talking when they saw Ben and Mary.

"Well kids I hear that you are loners like us, care to join us" said Red. "We are always on the lookout for new recruits, when Mary gets a bit older she can hitch up with one of us boys".

Red had a way about him that made you either like him or hate him. Some people thought that he was tough and daring and some people thought that he was big headed and arrogant. But it didn't really matter to Red what people thought of him because he was the leader of his own gang. He liked to call the gang "The Gang With No Name" because they could never decide on a name. Red knew people were scared of him and in his mind that gave him power and strength. He liked to keep members of his gang scared so they wouldn't get any ideas of becoming the gang leader.

Mary said in a defiant voice "No, we prefer a different lifestyle" and Ben sighed knowing that Mary was not controlling herself very well at that moment and she was being Hot Headed Mary again. He shuddered at the thought of Mary with one of these crooks, especially Red.

Ben interrupted and said "We were hoping that you would let us go free and we could continue on our way, we mean you no harm".

All the robbers laughed at this and Red said "Sorry kids, but you know where our hideout is, and you have seen all our faces, we can't let you go now. You may decide to get the law and tell them where we are and we can't let that happen", "I am afraid you will have to stay forever and join us or leave dead", "The  choice is yours".

Ben said "Well it looks as if we have no other choice then does it"

Ben slowly started to walk towards Red with his hand out as if he was going to shake Reds hand. Red stood up from the rock he was sitting on, and Red stared at him suspiciously and said "Where are you going", Ben just smiled at him and kept his hand out and said nothing, two of Reds men started to walk closer to Red and Red snapped "get back guys I can handle a ten year old" and while he said that he was looking at the two men and Ben lunged for Red with his pocket knife in his hand and the blade flashing in the morning sunlight.

Red saw the flash of the blade a moment too late, he felt its steel enter his arm a moment later and he winced in pain, then Ben's arm went around Reds neck as he stood on the rock Red had been sitting on and the knife was at Reds throat, Mary rushed to Ben's side and picked up Reds rifle that was lying at his feet. Red was surprised at how strong Ben was for his age, and it showed on Reds face.

Red threatened "Let me go or I will kill you boy", "I mean it, you had better do as I say".

"You were going to kill us anyway tough nut", "tell your boys to back off over to those poles over there, or you get it Red".

Red said "Go to..." and just when he was about to finish his sentence he felt the sharp blade slide slowly across his neck and then he felt the trickle of warm blood running down his neck. Ben had left a small cut as a warning to Red that he meant business. Ben was scared of failing because he new if he did not succeed they both would now not leave this place alive. Ben used his own fear to urge him on to success.

"Okay, okay, back of boys over to the poles, now"! Red said hurriedly knowing full well that the ten year old was the boss at that moment and that Ben would do as he threatened.

"Tell them to drop their weapons" said Mary sounding calm and firm.

"Throw all your weapons on the ground boys, do it fast" said Red sweat running down his brow.

Mary fired a shot above the gang members heads just to let them know that she could shoot and that she meant what she said. They started to run to the poles now.

"Get them to get two good horses and pack some food and our backpacks on the horses".

Red relayed the message through tightly clenched teeth, even though Red was in this position he was wanting revenge, he was a hardened young man and he had lived a hard life and he wasn't the type to forgive easily, fear was turning into anger and it was swelling inside him wanting to explode.

The horses were brought over and Ben ordered Mary to mount one while he ordered Red to tell all his boys to take off their shoes and pants and throw them far away, which would leave them all in their underwear and in bare feet on this hard and rocky ground. Then Ben ordered Jake to take of Reds boots and pants and throw them far away and then said to Jake to tie Red up firmly. Jake then had to walk in bare feet back to his pals.

Red was furious that a ten year old boy and girl had got the better of him so easily and that they were now ordering he and his men around and stealing two of his stolen horses.

Finally all the thieves had no boots on or pants and all except for Red they were over the far wall of the canyon

Ben then hopped onto the other horse and rode over to where all the other horses were grazing and fired the rifle he had got off Mary, three times. Bang, Bang, Bang!

The horses who were all grazing on old dry grass took off at high speed from fright and ran up the goats track and into the wilderness, Ben smiled grimly and sent Mary to follow the horses and with one last look to see that the villains were where they were supposed to be Ben followed Mary at pace.

As soon as Ben sent his horse running forward he heard the villains shouting and running towards Red to set him free and then get orders, Ben swung around on his horse and fired from the hip and the bullet went over the heads of the villains and they all ran back to where they were supposed to be, leaving Red boiling with anger and pain from his knife wounds.

Mary followed the horses and emerged out on a track that went up the mountain as well as down the mountain, Mary chose to go up the mountain with Ben following fast behind. After four hours of constant, steady horse riding they stopped at the top of the mountain and rested, they gave the horses water.

"Whew that was close" said Mary, Ben nodded his head in agreement.

"Lets walk the horses down the mountain from here and see how we go". Mary was an expert on animals and she new just how much a horse could take, so Ben always listened to Mary when she was making suggestions about livestock.

And with that they walked down the mountain, it took three days to reach the bottom and where the track favoured horse riding. At the bottom of the mountain they pondered about where they should go next.

They finally decided to go straight ahead and after a days riding they came across a road and they followed it. All the time they kept a watch behind them but didn't see Red and his men at all thankfully.

They came around a corner and stopped their horses to rest them when they noticed the smell of something cooking.

"Howdy folks"!

To be continued…