Doug's and Scott's Excellent Adventure - Part 3

by Dingbat

This story is a work of fiction, all characters and plot lines are fictional. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Doug's and Scott's Excellent Adventure remains the property of the author. The story or characters may not be reproduced or republished elsewhere without the expressed written consent of the author.

Chapter 11: A New Plan

"Do you know what they'll do to you when they do catch you and find out?" Mark asked.

Doug grinned back at him. "First, they gotta catch me!" he said.

Then it was Scott's turn to laugh. "I thought you came here so you COULD get tied up!"

Doug almost choked, then glared at his best friend, as if to say, "Shut the hell up! I know what I'm doing!"

Scott put his hands up in front of him, and backed off a couple of steps. Doug turned to talk to Mark, and Scott just shook his head.

"That boy needs a full time keeper!" he thought.

Doug and Mark went back inside. Packy and Israel were still securely tied and tightly gagged, and dared not try and escape while under the watchful eyes of Rusty, Pee Wee, and Tagg. Doug and Mark stepped in to the back room, and a few minutes later, emerged wearing each other's clothes. Doug's blue jeans seemed a little tight on Mark, but his red T-shirt appeared to fit well. Mark's grayish brown jeans and blue shirt seemed loose on Doug, but it looked like Doug would grow into them in short order, if he filled out in the waist and chest, and didn't get any taller.

"How do I look?" he asked Scott.

Scott just laughed, and said, "You look like someone who wants to let half a dozen Indians take turns tying and gagging you!"

"I'll get loose every time, even if they hogtie me!" Doug replied.

Scott laughed, held his index finger by his ear, and made a circular motion. "Yeah, right!" he said. "It took you better than an hour to get out of Israel's knots, and them Injuns are a hell of a lot better than him at tying!"

Chapter 12: Changed Plans

"This time, it'll take him two hours!" came Israel's voice behind him.

"Hey, how'd you get loose?" asked a surprised Mark.

Israel smiled, and said "I got friends in low places!" Another look revealed Israel's blood brother, Attuma, and his friends, Keena, Nishko, and Pokewah.

"You look-um like Mark!" Attuma said to Doug, and Doug and Mark smiled.

Israel looked at Doug, Mark, and Scott, and told them that normally, he'd just tie the three of them up, gag them, and go about his business.

"But Nishko's brother, Wacopi, has been captured by Swift Arrow, Spotted Elk, and Walking Horse, and you can help us get him out of there, or you can join Rusty, Tagg, and Pee Wee," he said.

Doug and Mark were led to the room where, moments earlier, Israel and Packy had been prisoners. Now, it was Pee Wee, Rusty, and Tagg that were bound and gagged, and they had been made to wear pajamas. it was obvious that the Indians had done the tying, too. The captives' hands and feet had been tied with rawhide, and their gags were knotted bandanas.

 "Your choice!" Israel said. "Help us out, or stay here like these three!"

"How come they're wearing pajamas?" Scott asked.

"My idea!" Israel said. "Both the one name, and two name Indians consider pajama Indians sworn enemies, and when they catch them, they tend to do a better job of tying them up!"

Mark snickered, and said that they didn't need to make Rusty, Tagg, and Pee Wee into pajama Indians for Attuma and his friends. "Those three couldn't escape from a wet paper bag if it was right side up, and they were standing in it!"

Rusty, Tagg, and Pee Wee "Mmmmpppffff'd" in protest, but all three of them knew Mark was right. They also knew Mark was only a little better, and that the rest of the gang, Davy, Packy, Israel, and Joey, and the three new kids, the twins and Andy, all needed help getting loose if they were tied by anybody who had the vaguest idea about what they were doing.

Scott and Mark looked to Doug, and Doug looked back for any clue about what they were thinking. Then, Doug asked Israel to leave the three of them alone, so they could discuss it, and Israel nodded. He, along with Nishko, Pokewah, and Attuma, and Keena, backed off. "Well, wha'da'ya think?" Doug asked.

Scott was the first to answer. "I think we're gonna get tied up in pajamas!" he said. "The only question, is whether it's now, or later!"

Mark chimed in with, "I've heard the sooner, the better! Besides, these guys'll just tie our hands and feet, and maybe our arms and legs. If we go with them and get caught by Swift Arrow or any of his tribe, we'll get our hands, feet, arms, and legs tied, then we'll be hog tied, and gagged with double, or even triple rolled bandanas."

Scott said that they'd probably get ties and gagged like Mark said. "But they'll peg us, instead of hog tying us!"

"Peg us?" Doug asked. "Explain!"

"They tie our hands behind us!" Scott said. "Then, they take us to a teepee, and make us sit down. After that, they tie our hands to a peg driven into the ground, and our feet to the center ridge pole!" Scott said. "The peg is driven in pretty deep, so we can't pull it out. If we can't pull it out, we can't pull our hands under our butts. If we try to hunch ourselves backward over our hands, then our feet pull against the center pole, and the whole d**n teepee falls in on us!"

"Sounds like a hell of a challenge!" Doug said. "I vote we go with Israel and Attuma!"

"You're nuts!" said Scott. "I vote to stay here!" he said. That left it to Mark, and Mark voted with Scott. Doug called Israel over, and said that he wanted to go, but had been outvoted by Scott and Mark.

"Too bad!" Israel said, then looked at Attuma and Keena. With a wave of his arm, he shouted "Tie them up!"

Chapter 13: Captured, Freed, and Captured Again!

Keena, Attuma, and Nishko grabbed Mark, Doug, and Scott, and shoved them back inside the next room, where Pokewah was keeping watch over Tagg, Pee Wee, and Rusty. Scott stifled a laugh when he saw the three of them, all bound and gagged, and wearing pajamas.

A few minutes later, Mark, Doug, and Scott had been ordered to change into their pajamas. Keena, Nishko, and Attuma started to tie the trio, but Israel stopped Nishko, who was tying Doug. "I'll take care of this one!" Israel said, and Nishko backed away.

Doug stood there with his hands crossed behind his back, wearing a light blue pair of pajama pants, and in a minute, Israel had Doug's hands knotted tightly behind him. Doug looked around, and saw Mark wearing a pair of red pajama pants, and couldn't help thinking they were almost identical to Charlie's. Scott wearing a dark blue pair, and Rusty wore yellow pajamas, like the ones Big Chris often wore. Like Doug's and Scott's, they were "ski" pajamas, with snug cuffs at the wrists and ankles. Pee Wee and Tagg wore pajamas with a button up coat, and loose cuffs.

Keena and Attuma were satisfied that Mark and Scott would stay put with just their hands and feet tied, but Israel hog tied Doug, after tying his arms and legs. Just one problem. and that was that they had run out of bandanas. Israel pulled a sheet down, and tore several strips from it. He put two strips together, then tied them over Doug's mouth. Double strips were given to Keena and Attuma, who put them to good use on Scott and Mark.

Israel and his Indian friends, along with Packy, disappeared out the door, and the eyes of four of the prisoners turned to Doug and Scott, almost as if they were counting on them to easily free themselves, then free everybody else. But after a few minutes, they could all see that Doug was having problems getting free from Israel's hog tie. That left Scott, and after being tied by Keena, Scott wasn't doing much better.

But he was only tied hand and foot, and after a little work, Scott had his hands under his knees, and was getting his ankles untied. Once that was done, Scott stepped through, chewed his hands loose, then freed everyone else.

Doug was the last one freed, but the first ungagged. He told Scott to get the others free, and Scott did so. Then he came back to Doug, and as he was getting Doug's hands untied. he ragged on his friend for not being able to get loose. Doug rubbed his wrists and glared at Scott.

"Man, you got nuts for brains!" he growled. Your hands and feet were tied, and I was hands, feet, arms, and legs, and hogtied! Of course you got out first! You had a much easier escape, you bonehead!"

"Now, there's an idea!" Scott said. "We get tied identically by the same person, and have an escape contest!"

"Or, we get tied identically by the twins!" Doug said.

"Which ones, the new ones or the Indians?" Mark asked.

Doug sneered. "The Indians, you meathead! he snarled. "The Monroe twins couldn't tie a horse to a hitching post!"

"I'll tell 'em you said that!" Mark laughed.

"So now what?" asked Scott.

Mark said that they could ride out to the Indian village, and watch Israel and Packy do something dumb, and get themselves captured by Swift Arrow and his friends.

"What makes you think they'll get caught by the Indians?" Scott asked.

"It happens every time they go out there!" Rusty said.

"Yeah!" chimed in Tagg. "They know we'll come out and rescue them."

"They'd all look dumber than a basket of hammers if we went out there and got ourselves caught!" said Mark. "We wouldn't be a lot of help to them if we were tied up in a teepee with them!"

"Oh, that's just friggin' brilliant!" Scott growled. "Who in the bloody hell is supposed to rescue us?"

Pee Wee started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Scott asked.

"We won't need to be rescued!" Pee Wee said. "After they take turns tying us up, they'll decide to adopt us in to their tribe. The last part of the initiation, is for us to prove we can tie them well enough so they take at least a half hour to get loose! We'll have them tied and gagged, and while they're trying to get loose, we'll take off!"

"And what'll we do with Israel and Packy?" asked Mark.

"I know!" said Rusty. "We'll make 'em wear Little Kevin's and Little Mark's pajamas, leave 'em in another teepee, and hope the Injuns get out first, and discover 'em! Then, they'll have to be Swift Arrow's and Walking Horse's captives for the rest of the day, and all of the next day!"

"You're just evil!" said Doug.

Rusty grinned. "Hey, I learned from you two, and from those friends of yours, Mike, Mike, Jimmy, Bill, and Chris!" he said. "And to show you how much I've learned, why don't the two of you get your butts in the back room, and get face down on the beds! I'm gonna show you what I learned from Pokewah!"

"Hey, Rusty!" called Mark. "When you get done, I'll show 'em what I learned from Nishko!"

"Then, we'll give them to Nishko!" said Tagg.

"Yeah, and to Keena and Wacopi, too!" said Pee Wee.

"We'll make them wear pajamas, too!" Rusty said.

Tagg laughed, and said "Doug was right!"

"About what?" Rusty replied.

"You ARE evil!" Tagg replied, and Rusty, Mark, and Pee Wee all broke out laughing.

"You guys seem to have forgotten that Nishko went off with Israel to try and rescue Wacopi!" Doug said. "And if they haven't already been caught and tied, they will be in less than an hour!"

Rusty scowled. "Get a gag in him!" he growled. "And gag the other one, too!"

Seconds later, Doug and Scott had their mouths full of bandanas, and could only get soft "Mmmppfff's" out. Rusty, Tagg, Pee Wee, and Mark were out the door, and on their way to try and catch Israel.

Chapter 14: Out of the Frying Pan, and Into the Fire

"It was dumb of them to just tie our hands and feet!" Scott thought. "And even dumber to leave us so we could get each other loose!" He hopped across the room to where Doug was tied, and the two of them started picking at each other's knots. It took about three minutes for them to free themselves.

"Rusty wasn't bad!" Doug said. "I think he's been spending time with Pokewah and them!"

Scott laughed. "I got tied by Pee Wee, and even if he is a boy scout, his ties are a joke!"

Doug grinned, and said "Maybe we can come back, let him tie us up, and then pretend not to be able to get out! It'd make his day!"

"That's a dumb idea!" Scott said. After he gets us tied and gagged, he can make us wear pajamas, each other's clothes, Indian buckskins, or whatever, and because we're tied up prisoners, we have to do it!"

"Nothing wrong with that!" Doug grinned. "Maybe we can get him to go with Rusty and Israel, to Pokewah's and Attuma's village, and learn to tie like an Indian!"

"Yeah, right!" Scott said. After he learns, he'll tie us up real good, and anybody with us, too!"

Doug was still grinning. "I can live with that!" he said. "I need the practice if I'm gonna be better than your brother, so the better I'm tied, the better practice I get!"

"You need to see a shrink!" Scott said.

Scott and Doug did not realize that outside, someone was listening. The tall thin Indian made a hand signal, and another one joined him, and when Scott and Doug came out the door, they were grabbed and forced to the ground. Then, their hands were pulled behind them, and tied together with rawhide.

"Damn!" thought Scott. "We just got out of one mess, and here we are in another!"

A knotted and double rolled bandana was forced into Scott's mouth, and he was shoved back through the door into the back room of the general store. Under the light, he immediately recognized Wacopi, and figured that the other Indian must be Wacopi's younger brother, Nishko.

Nishko demanded information from Doug, and Doug spilled his guts about everything he knew about what had happened to him from the time he arrived, right up to his and Scott's capture.

When he was finished, he asked, "But what about you? Last I heard, Wacopi was a prisoner in Swift Arrow's camp, and what happened to Rusty, Israel, Packy, Pee Wee, Tagg, and Mark?"

Nishko said that Rusty and the others had double crossed them. "We have-um way deal with double cross!" Nishko said. "Make-um all wear pajamas, tie-um up tight, gag-um good! When we get-um done, we give-um back to Swift arrow!"

"And what about Swift Arrow and the others?" Doug asked.

"We make-um Swift Arrow, Walking Horse, and Spotted Elk wear-um pajamas too! Kidnap Little Beaver, Red Horse, and Wild Horse, and tie-um up no good. Them get-um out heap easy, then go-um back to village, find-um Swift Arrow, Walking Horse, and Spotted Elk tie-um up, wear-um pajamas. Little Injuns make-um big brother and older friends pajama prisoners for rest of day, and all next day!"

"Sounds like Mark, Little Kevin, and Little Chris going after Ronnie, Charlie, and Bill!" Doug said, and Nishko laughed.

"First time I ever saw an Indian laugh!" thought Doug. The he asked "Wha'cha gonna do with us?"

"You no betray us, so we let-um you go!" Nishko said, and started to call to Wacopi to let Scott go. But Doug stopped him. "You tell Wacopi to take Scott to your village; that you like him, and want to adopt him into the tribe. You leave me hog tied here, because you think I'm the blood brother of Spotted Elk!" he said.

"Why you want-um me do this?" Nishko asked. "Indians tie better than anyone else, and you are one of the best!" Doug said, flattering his captive. "And I'll give you a good reason to tie me the best you can!" Doug continued. "I'll wear pajamas!"

 "You wear-um pajamas, then me tie-um you heap good!" Nishko said.

Nishko yelled to Wacopi to bring Scott out, then said, "This one make-um good Injun!" and pointed to Scott.

 "You take-um to village. Me come after me tie-um up this one!" pointing at Doug. “Him say him blood brother to Spotted Elk! Me fix-um good! Me hog tie-um; make-um wear pajamas!"

Wacopi checked the rawhide on Scott's hands, then got him on his horse. He gave an Indian yell, then he and Scott rode off in the direction of the village. Nishko took Doug inside the general store, and after Doug had changed into pajamas, Nishko went to work. When he had finished, Doug's hands and feet had been tied with rawhide, and his arms and legs had been tied with rope. His ankles had been drawn up behind him in a hogtie, and two pieces of long bandage had been wrapped around his head, over his mouth. He was as helpless as he'd ever been.


And he was happy. He had a tough challenge to meet, and he'd gotten Scott out of the way for at least an hour and a half. He was all alone, or at least he thought so. That's why he was so surprised when Joey Newton walked in. Doug "Mmmppfff'd" loudly, and Joey pulled away his gag.

"You touch one single rope, and I'll rip off your head and crap down your neck!" he said. Joey laughed, and asked, "Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?"

Chapter 15: Return of Scott

Doug told Joey that Nishko had tied him up, and he needed practice in getting loose. "Well, that explains your being in pajamas!" Joey said. "Now, what about Packy and Pee Wee?"

"Packy's with Israel, and is probably tied up in Swift Arrow's village!" Doug said. "Pee Wee, Tagg, and Rusty got double crossed by Packy and Israel, but despite that, they went to the village to try and rescue them, so the three of them are probably captives of Swift Arrow, too!"

"Thanks!" Joey said. "You sure you don't want to be untied?"

"I'm sure!" Doug replied. "Just put my gag back in, and go get your friends."

Joey pulled the bandages back over Doug's mouth, and tightened the gag a bit.

"Oh, by the way, Doug, since I found you tied and gagged, you gotta be my prisoner tomorrow!" Joey laughed. "And I might find Davy Kane, the Monroe twins, and that other kid, Andy Sherman, I just might send them by, too! So you better get your skinny butt out of that tie up, or you'll be spending more than tomorrow as a prisoner.”

Doug glared at Joey, and tried to say something, but only managed a soft "Mmmppfff!" through the tightened gag. Joey laughed, and the last thing Doug saw, was Joey going out the door, and riding off down the trail.

Doug redoubled his efforts to slip free of Nishko's knots, and was soon rewarded by getting a little slack. Taking advantage, he pulled his hands under his butt, untied his legs, then untied his ankles. Doug had then stepped through his still tied hands, pulled his gag down, and was chewing away at the knotted rawhide that held his hands together.

He was almost out, but knew that if he was found, still tied in any way, shape, or form, or even with the gag still around his neck, whoever found him would have some free ties on him. Doug didn't mind being tied, but wanted to see who it was, before committing to giving away any free ties. That's why he quickly got the rawhide off his hands, and the gag off his neck, then climbed on the bed and looked out the window, when he heard a noise outside.

He was surprised to see Scott riding up, and threw open the door to ask what happened. "You rode off as Nishko's prisoner!" Doug exclaimed. "How'd you get away so quick?"

"Nishko was ambushed by Swift Arrow and Walking Horse!" Scott replied. "Then, Walking Horse said that the enemy of his enemy is his friend, then he untied me, and let me go!"

"That's strange!" Doug said. "Usually, if you're a captive, and someone takes your captor captive, you wind up as the captive of the new guy!"

"Well, maybe Walking Horse owes me a favor I didn't know about!" Scott replied. "By the way, I heard Swift Arrow say they were going to take Nishko to Keena's Cave, wherever that is!"

"Probably the same cave we have to get to, to get through the portal, and back home!" Doug said. "Or the cave where Keena gets taken every time he gets himself captured by the Indians with two names!"

"That's Joey's and Pee Wee's cave, too!" joked Scott. "Joey told me that he and Pee Wee were Davy Kane's and Mark McCain's captives when Davy and Mark took their turn being outlaws!"

"Cool!" said Doug. "By the way, where's Israel?"

"I think he's back in town!" Scott said. "Swift Arrow and Walking Horse were mad about Little Beaver and the twins falling asleep, getting tied up, and letting Israel and Packy get away! Red Horse said that Attuma and Pokewah came with a peace offering, a case of sasparilla, and they drank it, and fell asleep. When they woke up, Israel and Packy were gone, and they were tied and gagged. I think Pokewah and Attuma slipped them a couple of sleeping pills!"

"But before Swift Arrow and Walking Horse let me go," Scott continued, "I heard that Rusty, Tagg, and Pee Wee were made to wear pajamas, then all three of them were re-tied, and after that, Packy and Israel took their clothes, so they couldn't change back, even if they did get loose! I'm guessing that Israel and Packy are gonna be in deep nuts when Rusty, Pee Wee, and Tagg catch up with them!"

"And what about Little Beaver and the twins" Doug asked.

"I don't know!" Scott replied, "But my best guess, is that for screwing up, the older Indians probably made them wear pajamas, too, and tied them up with Rusty, Tagg, and Pee Wee! That's usually what happens when one of them screws the pooch!"

Doug put on his jeans, and tossed the pajamas onto the bed. "Hey, you might need them!" Scott joked, but Doug just grinned, and said that if any pajamas were needed, they'd be in the dresser drawers when we get into town.

"At least, they always seem to be!" Doug laughed.

A half hour later, Doug and Scott were in town, and Israel and Packy had spotted them as they rode in. "Two on two! I like them odds!" Israel laughed. "Them Injuns taught me to sneak around without being heard, so we'll catch 'em easy! C'mon, Packy! We're gonna tie us up a couple of teenagers!"

Looks like Doug and Scott are squarely in the sights of Packy and Israel. Will they get caught, or will they turn the tables on their potential captors? Come back in another 2-7 days for more of Doug's and Scott's Excellent Adventure.

Chapter 16: A Forced Alliance

The two 10-year-olds slipped into the secret passages that honeycombed the hotel, and hoped that Doug and Scott would be creatures of habit, and return to the same room where Israel had left Doug tied earlier. They pressed their ears up against the wall, and sure enough, Scott and Doug walked in. Israel flashed the "OK" sign with his thumb and forefinger, and grinned like a Chessire cat.

In the room, Doug asked Scott how long they had been here, and Scott replied that it was something like four hours.

"And you spent about half of it tied and gagged!" Scott laughed.

"Four hours here, is something like 45 minutes to an hour back home, right?" Doug asked.

"It varies, you know that!" Scott answered. "But if I had to guess, I'd say that this time, an hour here, is 12 minutes at home. So a full day here, would be almost five hours back home!"

"Cool!" Doug said. "We got here around noon, so now it's 4:00 PM here, and almost 1:00 PM back home! We can stay for 24 hours, and when we go home, it'll be just before 6:00 PM!"

"That'll make it about right!" Scott said. "We eat at 6:00!"

"Yeah, and your mom makes good hamburgers, too!" Doug replied.

"Speaking of eats, I'm going over to the diner, and see what they got!" said Scott.

"Yeah, right!" answered Doug. "I think I'd like a Burger King Whopper, and some McDonalds fries, with salt and ketchup."

"Hey, that sounds good!" Scott said. "I think I could go for the same, but with a big vanilla shake!"

"Make mine chocolate!" Doug laughed.

The two of them went down the stairs and into the hotel cafe, and found two large bags, each with their names on them. Doug opened his, that there was his dinner, just as he had wanted. Scott found his order to be identical to what he wanted, too, and the two boys sat down at the table and started to eat.

About halfway through the meal, Israel and Packy came up. Scott laughed, and said "you know that you can't capture us while we're eating! Wha'da'ya want?"

Israel looked at Scott, then to Doug, and said "We've got Mark, Rusty, Tagg, Pee Wee, and Joey after us, and Little Beaver, Red Horse, Wild Horse, Walking Horse, Spotted Elk, Swift Arrow, and the rest of the Indians with two names, want us, too!"

Doug laughed, and said that it was no wonder, after the way they'd double crossed them.

"If they catch you, you'll be tied up for a month!" he said.

"Two months!" laughed Scott. "And if we help you, or are even seen with you, they'll probably put us at the top of their 'shit lists,' right next to you!"

"They'll also put you guys up there if I tell any of them you helped us!" Israel said, "So after dinner, we'll plot a little strategy! As soon as you're done, meet us in your room in the hotel!"

Doug and Scott seemed to have no other choice, and nodded assent. Israel then disappeared out the back door, leaving Doug and Scott to finish their meals.

Doug and Scott polished off the last of the fries, then headed back upstairs. At the top of the stairs, they were surprised by Rusty and Tagg, who demanded to know where Israel was. At first, Scott and Doug were reluctant to say anything, but then Tagg said that he saw them talking to Israel in the dining room, so he knew that they knew, that Israel was close.

Chapter 17: A Double Cross

"He's in our room!" Scott said.

"Yeah, but leave him alone for the moment!" Doug said.

"And why should we do that?" Rusty asked.

This time, it was Scott that cut in. "Doug's got some bug about Israel being good with ropes, and wants to get tied up by him!" Scott said. "So, I tell you what! Let Doug go in and make some excuse for me not being there. Israel will tie him up, then leave through the closet panel, and come looking for me. Instead, he'll find you two, and then, you can do what you want with him. Give him to Little Beaver and the twins!"

"You sure this'll work?" Rusty asked.

Scott nodded. "All my plans work!" Scott bragged.

"Yeah, right!" Doug sarcastically sneered. "That plan you had for capturing your brother and Charlie last week sure went south in a hurry!"

Despite Doug's misgivings, the plan was put into action. Doug went into the room, and Israel was there waiting for him.

 "Where's your buddy, Scott?" Israel asked.

"He thought he saw Joey and Mark, and went to check it out!" Doug answered. Israel seemed satisfied with the answer, then told Doug he needed help getting away from not only Mark and Joey, but from Rusty, Tagg, Pee Wee, and several Indians, as well.

"Can't help you!" Doug said. "You're on your own!"

Israel said, "Not if I give them something else to occupy them, and there's nothing those Indians like better, than taking turns tying up a pajama Indian! So fish some pajamas out of that dresser, get 'em on, and get face down on the bed!"

Doug followed Israel's orders, and was soon hog tied and gagged, wearing a pair of red pajama pants. After checking his captive's knots, Israel went to the window, stuck his head out, and loudly whistled. Then, he slipped into the closet, opened the panel to the passageway behind it, and vanished.

Doug had gotten himself tied up again, and was struggling with his third challenge of the day. He thought that Israel had gagged him better this time, as he had used two long bandages together to wrap around his mouth. Under the gag, Doug smiled, and thought that the next time he gagged somebody, he was going to do it with one of those old square neckerchiefs that he's gotten from his uncle.

"Yeah! I'll use 'em on Red Jeff and Big Chris!" he thought. "And I'll tie a knot in the middle of 'em, too!"

Meanwhile, the plan had worked to perfection. After tying and gagging Doug, Israel went out through the secret passage, and right into the waiting arms of Rusty and Tagg. And they had some presents for him: Several pieces of rope, and a double rolled bandana.

When they were done, Israel's hands, feet, and arms were tied; his mouth was gagged, and Rusty and Tagg had been joined by Pee Wee. Scott was watching, but stayed out of it, at least until he was asked.

"Wha'd'we do with him?" Tagg asked, and Rusty grinned evilly, and said he had some real good ideas. Then, Pee Wee asked Scott what he would do, and Scott thought about it for a moment, then said that if Israel was a scout in their troop, he'd be "court-martialed."

"That's a cool idea!" Pee Wee said. "Scott, you be the judge, I'll be the prosecutor, and Rusty'll defend! And we'll all wear blue uniforms, like Rusty's!"

Chapter 18: Court Martial!

Pee Wee and Scott didn't mind wearing the uniforms, but Israel was reluctant, shook his head vigorously, and loudly "Mmmppfff'd" through his gag. Rusty laughed, and said "Our rules are the same as theirs, Israel! A tied up prisoner has to do what his captors tell him, and you know it! You insisted on it!" Israel quieted down, and allowed Rusty to untie and ungag him. He was given a uniform, and told to go change. Several minutes later, he was back, this time, in the blue uniform. Muttering under his breath, he allowed Rusty to re-tie him, then gag him with another long bandage.

Across the street, Doug was still struggling with Israel's knots, and had decided that he was going to come back as soon as he could. His thoughts were that he had never faced challenges this difficult, and he wanted more of it, and thought that if 10-year-old Israel could tie him this well, Keena, Nishko, Wacopi, Walking Horse, Swift Arrow, and Spotted Elk, could probably do even better, and he wanted to be tested by them, and by the other Indians. But first things first, and first, he had to get loose from Israel's hog tie.

Israel wasn't going to be the one that released Doug. In fact, Israel wasn't going to release anyone. Pee Wee's "prosecution" was successful, and Scott had "sentenced" Israel to spend the next day as Pee Wee's captive; the following day as Tagg's captive, and the day after that, as Rusty's prisoner.

"When Rusty's done, he'll get together with Pee Wee and Tagg, and they'll decide what to do with you after that!"

Israel protested with a loud "Mmmppfff," but it did him no good. And Scott, seeing an opportunity, said that Israel's last "Mmmppfff!" had earned him two more days as a captive. One day each, with him, and Doug. Israel started to protest again, but thought the better of it, and nodded toward Scott, indicating a grudging approval.

"Hey, you guys lose something??" called a voice from the front door, and Scott, Tagg, Rusty, and Pee Wee whirled around. There stood Mark, with Davy and Joey, grinning like fools. With them, was Packy, with his hands tied together behind his back, and a thick blue bandana over his mouth.

"You guys are just what we need!" Tagg said. "We got uniforms for all of you, and we can court martial Packy! You three can be the jury, with Pee Wee and Scott!"

"But don't you need 12 to be on a jury?" Mark asked, and Scott said, "Normally, yes, but for a court-martial, you just need five - a president, and four members!"

"Hey, cool!" Joey said. "Hey Rusty, where's my uniform?" Rusty grinned, and produced a quartet of blue uniforms, which Joey, Mark, and Davy put on. When they finished, Packy was untied, and allowed to change into his uniform.

"Hey, this is almost like my cub scout uniform!" he exclaimed. Tagg laughed, and said, "Hey, we'll tie you up in that, too!" Packy wisely said nothing more, and didn't fight it when Pee Wee re-tied his hands behind him, and gagged him with a bandage.

Packy got the same "sentence" as Israel. He'd spend a day as the captive of Rusty, then Tagg, then Pee Wee, and after that, his fate would be up to the three of them. And since Mark, Davy, and Joey had brought Packy in, it almost went without saying that Israel and Packy would be spending three more days as their captives.

"I think I'll tie up Packy in Israel's and Little Beaver's buckskins!" grinned Joey. "And I'll get Israel to wear Packy's blue jeans!"

"I think it'd be fun to make 'em both pajama Indians!" laughed Rusty. Tagg laughed along with him, and said it would be more fun to make Little Beaver, Red Horse, and Wild Horse into pajama Indians. Everybody laughed at that comment, and Joey suggested that Walking Horse, Swift Arrow, Spotted Elk, Nishko, Wacopi, and Keena, all join them.

Mark broke into their laughter, and said, "Hey, those are great ideas, and we'll do it right after we get done with Israel and Packy!"

"Yeah, get Israel out here!" demanded Tagg, and Davy soon fetched a struggling Israel into the room. Mark grinned at the boy four years his junior, and said "I hope you can take it, 'cause the next week is gonna be 'little kid tie-up week,' and you and Packy are the little kids!"

Chapter 19: Game Time

Behind them, the door burst open, and Doug rushed in. "Hey, I did it! I got loose from Israel's hogtie!"

Scott looked at him and laughed.

"Hey, Doug! Forget something?" Doug looked down, and saw that he was still in the pajamas that Israel had made him wear. Red-faced, he looked at the rest, and said, "Oops!" with a big silly grin on his face. A second later, he was rushing back to the hotel to change back into his jeans.

Scott watched him run across the street, and laughed. "Hey, Scott!" Davy called. "What's so funny, besides your friend strolling in here in PJ's?"

"Easy, Davy!" Scott said. "When I get him back home, I get me about a half dozen free tie-em-ups on him for that little lapse of judgement!" And I got a brother and a cousin I can share 'em with!"

"What about us?" Tagg asked. "No problem!" Scott said. "You can have him the next time he comes in here! And, as you just saw, he likes being a pajama Indian!" Scott fibbed.

A few minutes later, Doug returned, this time, clad in his jeans and a short sleeved shirt. "Now What?" he asked.

Scott told him that Israel and Packy were going to be tied up for a while, as they had to be the prisoners of Rusty, Tagg, Pee Wee, Joey, Davy, and Mark. Davy said that he'd take them first, and asked if anyone wanted to help. Joey and Pee Wee said that they'd come along, leaving Rusty, Tagg, Mark, Scott, and Doug there in the saloon.

"So wha'd'we do now?" Doug asked.

"How 'bout we play your kinda hide and go seek!" Mark said. "We'll tie the two of you up here, and you gotta come find us!"

Doug and Scott agreed, and allowed Mark and Rusty to tie their hands and feet. Tagg got the job of gagging the two captives, and made a big deal of tying Doug's thick red scout neckerchief over his mouth. Scott's gag was as thin, as Doug's was thick. Tagg had used a red bandana, about a third the size of the neckerchief over Doug's mouth, but it had been knotted in the middle, and Tagg joked about it being an "Indian gag," since the Indians almost always knotted a bandana or neckerchief when they gagged a captive.

Once Tagg had finished gagging Scott, he, Mark, and Rusty, disappeared out the door. Doug and Scott wasted no time in beginning their struggles to free themselves, and it did not take them long to do it.

"Wow!" Doug said. "That was a hell of a lot easier than Israel's or Nishko's ties!"

"You were lucky!" Scott said. "You were tied by Mark, and he can't tie very good! Rusty tied me, and he's tied up Swift Arrow, Walking Horse, and Keena, and it took 30-40 minutes for them to get out!"

"Oh, yeah?! Doug said. "Who told you that lie?"

"No lie, Doug!" Scott answered. "Tagg, Mark, and Little Beaver confirmed it the last time I was here! Rusty's a lot better than you think he is!"

"We'll see!" Doug replied. "Right now, we got three kids we gotta chase down! Any ideas?"

Oh, yeah!" Scott giggled. "They call us creatures of habit, but they are just as much creatures of habit as we are! We'll probably find Mark in the stable; Rusty will be in our hotel room; and Tagg will be in the stable tack room!"

"Are you sure?" Doug asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" Scott answered. "I tell you what! If they ain't where I said they'll be, I'll let you, and whoever else you want, have ten free tie-ups on me! Each!"

"Deal!" Doug said. "And if they are, I'll do the same!"

"Cool!" said Scott. "Now, let's check out the hotel! You take the front door, and I'll take the passageways!"

Doug nodded, and went out the door, and across the street. Scott slipped into the tunnel under the town, and was soon behind the panel in the closet. Doug banged on the door, and yelled "Open up, Rusty! I know you're in there!" Rusty thought he'd escape through the panel, ben when he opened it, there was Scott, with a big grin on his face.

"Going somewhere, Rusty?" he asked.

Rusty backed up into the room, just as Doug came through the door.

"Hey, Doug! Look what I found, trying to slip out the passageway!" Doug grinned, and picked up a bandage. "Hey Rusty! Look what I got for you!" he laughed.

Scott said, "You go ahead and get him tied up, then follow me through the panels to the stable!" Doug nodded, then pulled Rusty's hands behind him, and tied them together with the long bandage.

"How come you ain't usin' rope?" Rusty asked.

Doug laughed, and said, "Rope or bandage, it don't make no difference! You ain't gettin' out!" Then he leaned a little closer, as if Scott was still in the room, and whispered "Maybe the next time I come, you can tie me with bandages!"

Rusty nodded, and said "Maybe I'll give you a bandage hogtie!"

Doug finished tying Rusty's ankles, then used one more bandage to wrap several times around his head, as a gag.

"Don't go anywhere, Rusty!" Doug laughed, and vanished into the closet and through the panel. Rusty started struggling with Doug's knots, but had to admit Doug was right. It didn't matter if he was tied with bandages or rope, he was not even close to being an escape artist, and would have to wait for someone to rescue him. He just hoped it would be a friend, and that the friend would show up before Scott and Doug captured Mark and Tagg.

Doug squeezed through the panel at the stable, and was surprised to see that Scott had both Mark and Tagg tied and gagged. Scott saw the amazement in his friend's eyes, and told him "It was easy! Tagg was hiding in the tack room, and I opened a panel behind him. I captured him easily, then I got him to call Mark in here, and I made Mark tie up Tagg. Then, I tied Mark!"

"Sounds reasonable!" Doug said. "Let's get 'em over to the hotel, and put 'em with Rusty!"

Scott nodded, and pulled Tagg to his feet. He bent down, and jerked the rope loose from Tagg's ankles. Doug did the same with Mark, and the two prisoners were shoved out the door toward the hotel.

Rusty was still tied and gagged, and had made no apparent progress in getting himself loose. But someone had been there. They had left a pair of blue uniforms, and they looked like they would fit Doug and Scott perfectly.

"Where'd these come from!" Doug demanded of Rusty.

"Mmmppfff! Mmmppfff!" was Rusty's reply, and Doug said, "Oh, yeah!" and pulled Rusty's gag down.

"It was Davy Kane!" Rusty said. "He said something about getting Mark back for making him wear a blue uniform a couple of weeks ago! The other uniform, for Tagg, was an afterthought!"

Doug seemed satisfied with Rusty's answer, and to show his appreciation, he pulled Rusty's gag back up, and tightened it. Meanwhile, Scott had untied Tagg, and ordered him to change into one of the uniforms. When he was done, he asked Doug if he should use rope or bandages on him. Doug thought for a moment, and then said "Bandages! We'll 'kidnap' all three of them!"

Chapter 20: A Small Surprise

Scott laughed, and re-tied Tagg with the bandages, then used another one to gag him. Then, it was Mark's turn. He was freed to change, and once in uniform, was re-tied, and re-gagged.

"Wha'd'ya think we can get for 'em?" Scott asked.

"Not much!" Doug replied. "I remember when you and me kidnapped Charlie. All we got for him, was a can of warm soda! Besides, who would we send the 'ransom' note to? Israel and Packy? Those two would just as soon keep them the way they are!"

"Yeah!" Scott replied. "Besides, Israel and Packy won't be going anywhere for a week or so! Not being the permanent prisoners of Joey, Pee Wee, and Davy!"

Doug snickered, and wondered aloud about uniforms for the other kids, then called Scott over, and said, "Let's leave them alone, and see if they get themselves loose!"

Scott thought that was a good idea, then said, "What'll we do in the meantime? And what'll we do when our captives get loose??"

"We'll explore the town and the passageways!" Doug said. "And after that, when Mark, Tagg, and Rusty get themselves loose, we'll hide from them, and try to ambush them! But right now, I know where some buckskins are!" Doug continued. "You wanna wear Indian buckskins, or buckskins like Israel's?"

"How about staying in what I've got on?" Scott said.

Doug just grinned, and asked "Where's your imagination; your sense of adventure?"

"They're with my get up and go!" Scott replied. "They got up and went!"

The boys heard voices coming from the hotel. "Sounds like Rusty and Mark and Tagg got themselves loose!" Scott exclaimed.

"Yeah!" replied Doug. "We better make ourselves scarce!"

Doug and Scott slipped through the back door of the general store, where Doug quickly found the panel. He and Scott eased through it, and made their way to the livery stable.

"Nothing here!" whispered Doug. "Let's hide in the hay loft!"

The two boys climbed the ladder to the loft, and found they had a great view of the main street. They could see everything in the stable, except inside the tack room, but still, if anyone came in through the secret panel, they would most certainly hear them.

Under the hay, Scott spotted a slight movement, and thought he heard a soft "Mmmppfff!" Doug dismissed it as Scott's imagination, until he saw movement himself. Still, he dismissed it as being a mouse or a barn cat. Scott wasn't buying it, and swept away a layer of hay, revealing a pair of tied legs covered with fringed buckskin. Scott pulled on the tied legs, and pulled out one of the twins, Wild Horse. He turned to Doug, and said "I told you there was someone in here!"

Doug smiled, and said, "OK, you can come over and spend the night at my place, and I'll let you have two tie ups because I was wrong! But now, get that gag off him so we can ask him some questions!"

Scott pulled down a red bandana, knotted in the middle, and Doug asked, "Where's your brothers, Walking Horse and Red Horse? And where's that other Injun that's always hanging around with you, Little Beaver?"

"Red Horse and Little Beaver under hay like-um me!" Wild Horse said, then called them. More movement under the hay revealed the other two ten-year-olds, like Wild Horse, tied with rawhide, and gagged with knotted bandanas.

"Where's Walking Horse?" Doug repeated.

"We get-um captured by Nishko and Keena!" Wild Horse started. "They make-um Walking Horse and Little Beaver tie-um us up! Then, they tie-um up Little Beaver and Walking Horse! Leave-um Little Beaver here! Take-um Walking Horse! Me think they take-um Walking Horse to their village."

Loud "Mmmppfff's" came from Little Beaver, and Doug pulled away his gag. "They no take- um to village!" he said. "They get-um white eyes' pajamas, make him wear-um, then take-um to general store or hotel. Him get-um tied up by Keena. Nishko go to village, get-um Wacopi, Tehan, Pokewah, and Attuma. Then, each Injun have-um Walking Horse as captive for one day! They tie-um up heap good! Tie-um up heap much. But we have-um pow-wow with one-name Injuns. Make-um rule that no Injun can be-um permanent prisoner more than six suns in row!"

"That's nice to know!" Doug said. Scott looked over at him, and saw that he had a huge grin on his face.

"You ain't thinkin' what I think you're thinkin', are you?" Doug just grinned, and said "What do you think?"

"I think you're gonna go out to the Indian village and offer to take one of Walking Horse's days as a permanent captive of Keena, Nishko, and the others!" Scott said.

"You know me well!" Doug answered. "I get some practice at getting loose, and Walking Horse winds up owing me a favor! I can live with that!"

"Can you live with getting tied up in your pajamas a lot? You know d**n well that's what Nishko and them are gonna do to you!" Scott said.

Doug laughed, and said, "No problem! I like a good challenge, and if I have to, I'd wear your pajamas, Charlie's, Allen's, Ronnie's, Big Chris's, and even Mark's, or Little Kevin's!"

Scott laughed, and said, "Why don't you just wear a T-shirt, and stencil "Please tie me up!" on it?"

"I don't want to be too obvious about it!" Doug replied.

Chapter 21: Endgame

"Here's something else you haven't been too obvious about doing!" Scott said.

 "What's that?" Doug asked. "Watching the clock!" Scott replied. "You know, if we hurry, we just might get back to the portal on time to make it home for dinner!"

Doug glanced at his watch, and knew that Scott was right. Reluctantly, he agreed, and the two of them headed out to their horses, and rode toward Keena's Cave. It only took a few minutes, and they expected no further entanglements with any of the inhabitants of the portal realm. That's why they were surprised to find Keena bound and gagged in the cave, just in front of the portal.

Thinking it might not be a good idea to have Keena see them vanish through the portal, Doug pulled the young Indian to his feet, and picked the knot loose on the rawhide that bound Keena's wrists together behind his back. Keena pulled his gag down, untied his feet, then asked

"Why you help-um Keena?" Doug grinned, and said "We just thought it might be a good idea if you owed us a favor!"

Keena nodded. "Me owe-um you heap big favor!" he said.

"What you want?" Doug and Scott huddled.

Then Scott said, "We'll tell you next time we see you!" Keena nodded, and slipped out the mouth of the cave. Doug and Scott slipped into the portal, and made the transit back to their own side.

The boys arrived at Scott's house, where Doug called home and got permission to spend the night with Scott, Allen, and Charlie. After dinner, Charlie asked Doug and Scott what they had been doing all day, and Scott related his story, while Doug filled in with what he had done, with each one correcting the other when they thought that something had been left out. Allen and Charlie listened in rapt attention to the stories, then complained that Doug and Scott had not bothered to invite them along.

"Yeah, right!" crabbed Doug. "You two were off with Bill and Mike and Mike, and told us to 'get lost.'"

"Hey, I'll tell you what we'll do!" said Scott, remembering that Keena owed them a favor. "The day after tomorrow, we'll go again, and we'll take you with us!"

 "But you gotta go with your hands tied behind your backs, and your mouths gagged!" Doug chimed in.

"Now you guys are talking like Little Mark and Little Kevin talk to me and Ronnie!" Charlie laughed. "But it might be good for a laugh, so I'll go!"

Allen glared at his cousin. "Are you out of your friggin' mind?" he asked. "What's the matter, Allen? You chicken?" Charlie shot back.

That was all that was needed to prod Allen into accepting the terms of Scott and Doug, who immediately covered their noses and mouths to hide their snickering. And, when the two younger boys got together, the plot was laid to have Charlie and Allen arrive tied and gagged in their pajamas, and to give them to Keena, to keep them from getting in the way.

But for the moment, the older boys prevailed. Doug and Scott were soon tied and gagged on Scott's bed.

"Maybe we should take them through the portal tied and gagged!" Doug nodded, and "Mmmppfff'd" through his gag.

After Charlie pulled the gag off, Doug said, "We'll do it, but you gotta earn it!"

"And how do we do that?" Allen asked. "Simple!" answered Doug. "Just keep the two of us tied up for the next 20 minutes! If we don't get loose, then we have to return the favor, and go with you through the portal, all tied and gagged!"

"Deal!" said Charlie, as he pulled the gag back over Doug's mouth. Neither Allen nor Charlie saw the wink Doug gave Scott, as Doug was shoved back down on the bed.

END

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