The Bandit Scout on Newhome (M+F+/M+F+) primarily (M/F) - Chapter 86 - 03/26/24

[GreyLord]

Many thanks to you [mention]slackywacky[/mention] and to you [mention]Caesar83[/mention]. Your enthusiasm is fuel for my desire to write. There are many adventures ahead for Stella, Frank, and Carlos. My imagination has always gotten the better of me and it may be the case here that the story will require a sequel. But that remains to be seen. I’m still mapping their futures.

[Caesar73]

.My imagination has always gotten the better of me and it may be the case here that the story will require a sequel

Somehow I know that itch I recognize the symptoms - some guy named [mention]slackywacky[/mention] told me that writing could be addictive Hey and no complaints about a sequel

[Boundcurious]

Excellent world you’re building? On fact, my only confusion is cultural… grits??? Grit is something found on the ground in the UK, not eaten!

So basically excellent world, excellent TUGs and educational haha

[GreyLord]

[mention]Caesar83[/mention], that [mention]slackywacky[/mention] is a smart fellow who bears watching at all times.

Excellent world you’re building? On fact, my only confusion is cultural… grits??? Grit is something found on the ground in the UK, not eaten!

So basically excellent world, excellent TUGs and educational haha

Thank you for your remarks. And, I am happy to expand the cultural horizons of you or other readers, even if it is only by a minuscule about. Even in the United States, most do not have a good grip on grits. It is almost uniquely a dish found in the southeastern U.S. Grits are made of coarsely ground corn and most often white corn. It is typically served with breakfast and IMHO is best with country ham that has been cured with salt and smoke for a proper length of time and with red-eye gravy.

[slackywacky]

Grits are made of coarsely ground corn and most often white corn. It is typically served with breakfast and IMHO is best with country ham that has been cured with salt and smoke for a proper length of time and with red-eye gravy.

Damn, you made me hungry again... and I neither have grits or cured ham in the house... Road trip time!!
Oh, darn, borders are still closed. Maybe getting the above items is considered essential travel?

[Boundcurious]

Thank you for your remarks. And, I am happy to expand the cultural horizons of you or other readers, even if it is only by a minuscule about. Even in the United States, most do not have a good grip on grits. It is almost uniquely a dish found in the southeastern U.S. Grits are made of coarsely ground corn and most often white corn. It is typically served with breakfast and IMHO is best with country ham that has been cured with salt and smoke for a proper length of time and with red-eye gravy.

Thank you for the explanation! I’ll bear this in mind if ever I cross the pond!

[banshee]

Absolutely great update, I really liked reading it. The bondage parts were really good, so good in fact that I can't pick a favorite from this part and that is an absolute win for you.

You're doing great with this story and I'm confident that you'll keep up this level.

[GreyLord]

Damn, you made me hungry again... and I neither have grits or cured ham in the house... Road trip time!!
Oh, darn, borders are still closed. Maybe getting the above items is considered essential travel?

Likely not considered essential [mention]slackywacky[/mention], but it should be.

Thank you for the explanation! I’ll bear this in mind if ever I cross the pond!

You will be most welcomed when you come.

Absolutely great update, I really liked reading it. The bondage parts were really good, so good in fact that I can't pick a favorite from this part and that is an absolute win for you.

You're doing great with this story and I'm confident that you'll keep up this level.

[mention]banshee[/mention], those are absolutely stunning remarks. Thank you so much.

[GreyLord]

Chapter 3 – Joining the Wagon Train

At noon, Carlos took a break from organizing the wagon train and stopped by the Sheriff’s office. Sheriff Crosby was expecting him.

“Sheriff, I think that you knew that I would take this assignment. Not for the money being offered. For that amount of coin, this is not worth it. I’m doing it as a favor to you and Ralph Rider.”

Sheriff Crosby replied, “Carlos, I understand. I received a message from the Ranch this morning saying that we can expect the Ranch hands to show up later this afternoon. Now, come back to the cell and meet your prisoner.”

They walked back to the cells and Carlos looked into the cell. He saw the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Stella was rested and had been allowed to bathe and tend to her hair. It had been combed and brushed to a lustrous sheen. She was standing near the cell door calmly looking at and appraising Carlos with her clear green eyes. Carlos quickly took in her long dark hair, a lot of cleavage well displayed by her buckskin halter, her ripped abdomen down to her buckskin low riders, her trim but muscular legs that were not well concealed by her pants, and even her moccasin covered feet.

At the same time, Stella saw a man who was just past the point of being a young man but not too far past, obviously tough and weathered, but with an open face and eyes that were taking her in but not focusing on any one location of her body for an inappropriate amount of time. She couldn’t help but think,

“Well, if I have to be a prisoner, maybe it won’t be too bad to be this man’s captive.”

Carlos said, "Stella, the Sheriff has hired me to transport you to Kennedy. You should know that I have been friends with Ralph Rider and Sheriff Crosby for many years. Nothing says that I should treat you any way other than as well as I can. But I will have to keep you secure with the personnel and material at my disposal. I don’t see any way to do this without keeping you tied up just about the whole duration of the trip. But I will be as easy on you as I can. Do you have any questions?”

“Yes," Stella answered. "I expect that I will be the only woman in the midst of a lot of men. I know that my body has a strong effect on most men. If I were not tied up I could defend myself but bound, well it has been demonstrated to me that a man can do as he wills. Will you protect me?”

“Stella, I will to the best of my ability. I am in charge of the entire wagon train and duties will take me away often. But I have men that I know well and trust that will help in both keeping you secure and protecting you. We will leave at first light tomorrow. Sheriff Crosby and his deputies will see you aboard a wagon.”

As Carlos returned to the wagon train it was crossing his mind that he had bitten off more than he could chew.

As the afternoon was drawing to a close, Carlos was surprised to see a platoon of Mounted Troops from the Rider Ranch ride up. It was the full platoon of Lt. Ron James who Carlos had met previously and knew well enough to respect his ability. The platoon consisted of four squads of ten men each having a Corporal as Squad Leader plus the Troop Sergeant Tom Daley.

“Good afternoon Lt. James. I was expecting some extra hands to help defend the wagon train but did not dream that I might get his best platoon of Mounted Troops. How did this come about?”

“Wagon Master McTavrish, Boss Rider learned that the Bucks prisoner suffered unduly in a couple of instances from mistreatment by Rider hands. One of the culprits was in my unit. He is back at the Ranch and will be dealt with by Boss Rider. Word of this sort of thing gets out and will likely cross the ears of Chief Brooks who can be expected to look to rescue his daughter and attack for revenge and to take the wealth of the wagon train.”

“Then do I understand that you report to me during the trip and will help guard the wagon train and help with the security of the prisoner, Stella Brooks?”

“You are correct sir. I and my troops are at your command,” the Lieutenant answered. Carlos replied, "Ron, call me Carlos. And I am damn glad to have you with us."

Carlos told Lt. James where they could camp for the night and the Lieutenant had Sgt. Daley take charge of getting the camp set up. There followed some discussion with Carlos as to how the Mounted Troop could best guard the wagons and provide forward scouting. By then the afternoon was coming to a close and Carlos figured that there was nothing left requiring his attention until first light the next morning when the wagon drivers would begin hitching the horses.

-----

In the Sheriff’s office, about an hour before first light, a deputy brought Stella a plate of eggs, bacon, grits, and toast with a large mug of coffee. The deputy said,

"I suggest that you drink the coffee fast and try to piss it out before we tie you up. It will be a long time before you will have another chance to relieve yourself. I hope you won't mind my saying this, but I hate to see you go. Round Rock has never had such a beautiful women here before and not in our jail for sure."

"That's alright," Stella said back. "You just mean to compliment me and I thank you." Then she thought, "It would be so easy to knock this fool out and to break out of here. I could likely get out of Round Rock too but whatever resources would be needed to capture me again would be deployed. Then my treatment would not be as nice as it has been for the last few days. I will bide my time until we get to the mountains."

She quickly drank the coffee and ate all of the food with appreciation. Fortunately, she was able to relieve her bladder before the Sheriff and two deputies came with rope in their hands.

“Stand up in the center of the cell, face away from the door and place your hands behind your back,” she was ordered and she complied. Her wrists were wrapped and cinched. Stella was surprised that they did not pull her elbows together. This would make traveling easier for her. Then her ankles were hobbled so that she could walk carefully but not run. And finally, loops were passed above and below her breasts and cinched between her arms and her back removing any slack but without any unnecessary tightness.

Stella said, “Thank you, you have tied me so that nothing is painful. I appreciate that very much.” But she was thinking, “It started like this last time.”

She was then led out of the Sheriff's office where a wagon and driver were waiting. Without delay, the deputies lifted her to the wagon seat.

“Okay, you can help here,” a deputy said. “Leaning back on your tied arms all day will likely get very uncomfortable. Use your legs to lift your butt as we pull your hands over the top of the backrest."

In moments it was done and she realized that this would be far more comfortable for her. She was surprised that they had placed her in the middle of the seat much closer to the driver than she had expected. Why became clear when she saw Troop Sergeant Daley climbing up to take the seat beside her. She was happy to see him again. But then a feeling of dread overcame her as she realized that Private Sloan was in this platoon.

“Hello again, Stella. We will talk as soon as we leave Round Rock. For the moment, I must pay attention to the disposition of the wagons and my Mounted Troops,” he told her.

Wagon Master McTavrish rode by before the wagon train began its movement. He stopped and carefully looked over the wagon and Stella in particular. But he made no comment before continuing to the head of the column of wagons.

Stella also used her keen observation skills for the same things as the Troop Sergeant. She was in the third wagon of the train. The bed of her wagon was packed with kegs of salted beef. In the very front of the bed were the human provisions for the trip. In the back of the bed were sacks of grain to be used as feed for the team of horses pulling the wagon. An extra horse was tethered to the back of the wagon and would be rotated to the team. As the train eased its way out of Round Rock and slowly crawled along the road to Kennedy, Tom Daley turned his attention to Stella.

“You look much better than the last time I saw you. Sheriff Crosby has treated you well?”

“Much much better than I was treated by Private Sloan. He caused me a lot of pain on the trip from the Ranch to Round Rock,” Stella told Tom.

Sgt. Daley said, “Let me quickly remove one fear from your mind. Pvt. Sloan is no longer with Lt. James’s platoon. He was given the choice of leaving the Ranch or accepting a much less pleasant assignment. Capt. Riker has been given a reprimand and a fine. You don’t see shit coming down on an officer very often. I thought you would want to know these things.”

“Thank you very much for telling me. You can see that I am bound in a much more comfortable fashion now. Did you have something to do with that?”

Tom replied, "No, but I approve. Being bound at all is uncomfortable enough over time. I hope you will cooperate and also hope the Wagon Master will relax your bondage even more."

Stella asked, “I only met the Wagon Master for a few minutes yesterday. He carries himself like a man of power. I would bet that he has had martial arts training. Can you tell me more about him?"

“Yes, I have known Carlos McTavrish for many years. When he was a young man, he studied at Unihold and I am told he was good in metallurgy and martial arts. But he was too adventurous for academic life and left after several years. Ralph Rider and Carlos were close friends at Unihold and still are today."

After a period of silence, Tom said, "The wagon driver to your other side is Henry Long. I have known him for a good while and you can trust him. I'm sure that you understand that he is your guard as well as your driver.

-----

As the sun reached its high point for the day, the train stopped in place as it had several times during the morning to give the horses a break as well as to let people relieve themselves. Stella had declined so far saying that she was fine. But at the noon break, it was time for a call of nature. Stella was a very private person but saw that there simply could not be privacy for her on the wagon train. She asked,

“How will we do this? Will you lower me from the wagon and pull my pants down for me?”

“Henry and I will help you off of the wagon,” Tom said. But then I have another idea about what to do.”

Henry climbed over the seat and started lifting her hands. Stella caught on immediately and pushed back with her legs lifting her butt off of the seat and in a moment her hands came over the top of the seat. Tom stood on the floorboard and took one of Stella's arms and Henry took the other and they simply lifted Stella up and over the side of the wagon and lowered her to the ground. Both men followed.

Tom stood before Stella and told her to turn around. She did and was very surprised when Tom started untying her. Tom said,

“Okay, now you can take care of your business yourself. We will have to watch you.”

Stella thought that she was being given far more dignity than she had expected and quickly relieved herself. As she hobbled back to Tom and Henry she was given a package containing something to eat and a mug of water. After they had eaten, Henry told her,

“When we stop for the night we will have a cooked meal.”

Tom ordered, “Sit on the wagon’s running board and stick your feet out. I am going to retie your hobble.”

As Tom knelt and begin untying the hobble she noticed that Henry stood close by watching her carefully. Stella realized that while they were being unexpectedly nice to her, they were taking no chances. As Tom finished she saw that the hobble was now long enough that she could use her legs to climb in the wagon and could even jog if she did it carefully, but she would not be able to run fast.

Henry returned the water mugs to the food box in the wagon bed and put any trash in a sack next to it. Then he told Stella,

“Let’s see how you can climb in the wagon with that hobble.”

She was able to do so without any difficulty and took her seat in the middle placing her hands behind the seat's backrest. Henry followed her up with the ropes that had bound her during the morning and standing behind her positioned her hands so that her wrists were crossed. Stella was thinking that they were going back to a harder tie. But as Henry looped a rope around her wrists vertically, then horizontally, and cinched them, she realized that this was actually quite comfortable.

Henry then ran a rope from her wrists to a tie-down ring on the floor bed of the wagon. But it was not pulling her hands down at all. There was a lot of slack. Tom told her,

“You should be able to move your hand over the seat and have enough slack to turn and stretch a bit when you feel the need. Tell us if you are having any problems.”

As Henry climbed into his seat and took up the reins to the horses, Stella said, "Thank you so much. I did not expect kindness like this. You may have a few bad people among you but you are not the monsters that I was told you were as I was growing up."

As the sun settled low in the sky, the Wagon Master gave the signal for the wagons to circle. This was accomplished by the front halting and the back third of the wagons pulling off to the side and forming a circle. Then the front two-thirds started up and moved to form a larger outer circle. Lt. James’s four squads made four camps in the outer circle between the wagons but at four equally spaced points around the circle. Each squad set two watches just beyond the outer circle of wagons. These watches would be maintained throughout the night.

Cooking fires were started and soon the smell of rich stew was wafting over the entire encampment. Groups formed to enjoy the meal and the company. The third wagon party stayed apart with its own cooking fire. Stella had climbed out of the wagon by herself under Tom's supervision and did some stretches, bending in all directions from her waist, and adding some squats for her legs.

As their pot of stew began to bubble, Stella took a kneeling position just close enough to the fire to feel a little of its warmth. She was kneeling in as close an approximation to seiza as she could with her hands tied behind her back. Tom was keeping watch on her as Henry finished preparing the meal. By now the sun was down and twilight had ended.

“Could I join you for your meal?” The Wagon Master had walked up to them without being heard.

“You know you are welcomed wherever I am at,” Tom said as Henry handed Tom and Carlos bowls of stew and mugs of beer. They went and sat on either side of Stella and Henry brought her a bowl and a mug sitting it on the ground in front of her. Tom had taken a seated position with his legs crossed in front but Carlos took the seiza position and reached behind Stella to begin untying her hands.

Stella was double surprised. First that Carlos was sitting sieza and even more so that he was untying her.

“Thank you, Wagon Master,” said Stella as she was able to bring her hands to the front and rolled her shoulders a few times to relieve the kinks.

They all began to eat and all found the stew to be excellent and the beer as well.

Carlos asked Stella, “Would you like to do some Martial Arts exercises with me after we eat?” This also surprised Stella and she found that she had lost count of the number of good surprises on that day.

"Thank you. That would be wonderful for me."

The meal was finished and Carlos removed the hobbles from Stella's ankles. They moved off to the side and Carlos started with a bow to Stella which she returned and then some standard warm-up exercises. Stella faced him and followed his lead. Carlos moved into more advanced katas and Stella was able to easily follow. After a good hour of workout, Carlos said

“Stella, I hope that we can continue this as we travel. Tomorrow night perhaps you will tell me about your training and I will tell you about mine. I have to attend to a few Wagon Train issues. Let’s bow out please.”

They moved back toward the wagon where Tom and Henry had laid out bedding. Stella got her final surprise of the night as Carlos grabbed her shoulders and turned her back to him. He then tied a single column tie to her left wrist and with the other end of the rope did the same with the right side. This allowed about a 45 centimeters distance between her wrists. This would allow her to sleep on her back without having to lay on an arm.

"I know that gives you plenty of opportunities to get free during the night. I hope that I am not making a mistake in trusting you not to do that."

With that, the Wagon Master walked away to make a final inspection of the camp before turning in for the night.

Stella was confused by her reactions. When the Wagon Master was tying her wrists she was thinking that it could be a lot of fun to be tied up by him especially if they were all alone. At the same time, there was a slight tingle in her core that she was not accustomed to having although she well knew what it was. And her nipples had tightened. She had felt an attraction to very few men in her life. But this was the wrong damn situation. What the hell was her body doing?

Henry hobbled her ankles a lot closer than this afternoon and she crawled under the wagon to the middle bedding. One of the men pulled a blanket over her and she was asleep before they got into their blankets.

[Caesar73]

What a better way to begin a day with a new chapter of your Saga [mention]GreyLord[/mention] ! Things between Henry and Stella are about to get interessting Stella is in hands of decent man. Im curious were you will take the story!

[NotSeen]

Enemies falling for one another... this sounds like all kinds of complications if/when the two of them get into a fight.
There is so much to commend, but I have to mention the language. How characters address one another etc adds so much to this story and the world it happens in. Well done.

[TayDay95]

Well I can only hope that somewhere, somehow down the track you'll make it so that Stella and Henry are able to act on their passions in private, and in a much more willing capacity

You're knocking it out of the park here buddy, your prose has improved significantly since you showed me your first draft, you should be proud as hell of this awesome story

[GreyLord]

What a better way to begin a day with a new chapter of your Saga @GreyLord ! Things between Henry and Stella are about to get interessting Stella is in hands of decent man. Im curious were you will take the story!

I am afraid that I have not been sufficiently clear in my writing. Tom and Henry are older men. Tom has already started thinking about Stella as almost a daughter. And Henry is quickly coming to think the same. I do hope this will not deter you from continuing to follow the saga.

There are a lot of decent men in the story. Just as in real life. In my story, there are enough villains to keep things interesting

Thanks for your comments. More is coming.

Enemies falling for one another... this sounds like all kinds of complications if/when the two of them get into a fight.
There is so much to commend, but I have to mention the language. How characters address one another etc adds so much to this story and the world it happens in. Well done.

You are so right [mention]NotSeen[/mention]. Shakespeare tried to teach us that enemies should not fall for one another. Trouble ahead!

Either I have made their speech a little more formal than we are used to hearing or it is possible that I am just a stuffy old geezer who would sound like a bygone era.

I appreciate hearing from you. Thanks.

Well I can only hope that somewhere, somehow down the track you'll make it so that Stella and Henry are able to act on their passions in private, and in a much more willing capacity

You're knocking it out of the park here buddy, your prose has improved significantly since you showed me your first draft, you should be proud as hell of this awesome story

[mention]TayDay95[/mention], please take a look at my response to [mention]Caesar73[/mention] at the start of this post. I am responsible for misleading. But you give me hope that I am learning how to do this. Thank you for your support.

It was just about this time of night a week ago that I posted the first chapter about the Bandit. As a new fiction author and only a few months old on this forum, I did not know what to expect. I find it surprising that we have had over 1000 hits at this point. Those of you who have posted have been amazingly supportive and that is sincerely appreciated by me. I promise that I will keep doing my best to bring you the story of Stella the bandit scout, her friends, and her enemies.

[Caesar73]

What a better way to begin a day with a new chapter of your Saga @GreyLord ! Things between Henry and Stella are about to get interessting Stella is in hands of decent man. Im curious were you will take the story!

I am afraid that I have not been sufficiently clear in my writing. Tom and Henry are older men. Tom has already started thinking about Stella as almost a daughter. And Henry is quickly coming to think the same. I do hope this will not deter you from continuing to follow the saga.

It deters me absolutely not from following Stellas Adventures further [mention]GreyLord[/mention] - you are doing very well and will continue to do so, I´m sure of that!

[slackywacky]

> She had felt an attraction to very few men in her life. But this was the wrong damn situation.

Love can be a bitch (pardon my expression). But where would be the fun if it always came when you expected it?
Your writing has me wanting for more... i.e. don't stop writing. I need to know what will happen to Stella.

And yes, some of those views in the view count are probably bots that scourer the internet, but that does not take away from the fact that your story is being viewed. Like I said to [mention]Caesar73[/mention], writing is addictive.

[Beaumains]

This writing is great! The story has quite the pace and many different scenes in a single chapter. If you want to post more frequent, splitting them into smaller chapters would certainly be possible.

Tomorrow night perhaps you will tell me about your training and I will tell you about mine.

I see everyone talking about the relationship that is forming between the men and Stella, but I am a little more paranoid. This line struck me as being the clearest example of something that could be going on as well: They are nice to open Stella up and tell them everything. She is high-ranking and the daughter of one of the leaders of their enemies. They must anticipate torture will get less out of her.

[GreyLord]

It deters me absolutely not from following Stellas Adventures further @GreyLord - you are doing very well and will continue to do so, I´m sure of that!

Thank you so much [mention]Caesar73[/mention]. More adventures on the way. Some things will come together. Some things may fall apart. I think that all will find chapters 4 and 5 to be a bit hotter. But we will see.

[GreyLord]

> She had felt an attraction to very few men in her life. But this was the wrong damn situation.

Love can be a bitch (pardon my expression). But where would be the fun if it always came when you expected it?
Your writing has me wanting for more... i.e. don't stop writing. I need to know what will happen to Stella.

And yes, some of those views in the view count are probably bots that scourer the internet, but that does not take away from the fact that your story is being viewed. Like I said to @Caesar73, writing is addictive.

Your expression is completely accurate. Yes, there is more to come, see my previous post. It occurs to me that it is late in my life to discover that I have an addictive personality. But, there you have it!

Thanks for your comments.

[slackywacky]

It occurs to me that it is late in my life to discover that I have an addictive personality. But, there you have it!

It is never to late to start something new (yes, you wrote things before, but no TUG's).
I for one am glad you started this story and if I had a slight role in the decision to start it, I am honored.

[GreyLord]

This writing is great! The story has quite the pace and many different scenes in a single chapter. If you want to post more frequent, splitting them into smaller chapters would certainly be possible.

Tomorrow night perhaps you will tell me about your training and I will tell you about mine.

I see everyone talking about the relationship that is forming between the men and Stella, but I am a little more paranoid. This line struck me as being the clearest example of something that could be going on as well: They are nice to open Stella up and tell them everything. She is high-ranking and the daughter of one of the leaders of their enemies. They must anticipate torture will get less out of her.

Concerning smaller chapters, I would not have a problem with that but I would like to get a few more opinions on the subject. I would appreciate hearing from readers on this. Question: Continue with chapters similar in length to the first three or have more smaller chapters?

As for people being nice to Stella, another possibility is that she is just a nice likeable person. I will tell you that I am not a devious sort of guy. It's like the Army used to say about the Marines, we only had one tactic: Hi diddle diddle, right up the middle.

[GreyLord]

Thanks [mention]slackywacky[/mention], indeed, you had a big role that I appreciate very much.

[NotSeen]

Enemies falling for one another... this sounds like all kinds of complications if/when the two of them get into a fight.
There is so much to commend, but I have to mention the language. How characters address one another etc adds so much to this story and the world it happens in. Well done.

You are so right @NotSeen. Shakespeare tried to teach us that enemies should not fall for one another. Trouble ahead!

Either I have made their speech a little more formal than we are used to hearing or it is possible that I am just a stuffy old geezer who would sound like a bygone era.

I appreciate hearing from you. Thanks.

There's nothing whatsoever wrong about the language - whatever the reason, it adds to the atmosphere so much. Whatever you do, don't change it.

[GreyLord]

There's nothing whatsoever wrong about the language - whatever the reason, it adds to the atmosphere so much. Whatever you do, don't change it.

Thank you. I pay careful attention to your suggestions. No changes anticipated.

[banshee]

Great chapter, Stella's jorney promises to be an intersting one

[GreyLord]

Great chapter, Stella's jorney promises to be an intersting one

Thank you so much! I'm told there is an ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting time." I can promise you that Stella has some interesting times ahead of her.