A historical novel based on real life characters and events during the early days of the Republic of Texas. Texas in 1841 was a sovereign state, bordered by Mexico and hostile Indian Territory. Texas Ranger William "Will" Smith gives up ranging after the Battle of Plum Creek and settles in Austin near his family. Will's brother, Judge James W. Smith is murdered by Comanche Indians who also abduct his son, Fayette. Will sets out alone along the treacherous Comanche Trace to find his nephew and avenge his brother's death. A premonition during his pursuit sends Will to Santa Fe where the locals assume Will is a spy for President Lamar's well-publicized Santa Fe Expedition. The Mexican Territorial Governor posts a bounty for him: dead or alive. Texas sympathizers John Rowland, William Workman, and W. G. Dryden have befriended Will and help plan his escape, but not before Will falls in love with John Rowland's niece, Bella. Fayette is on a parallel journey with Will. The nine-year-old attempts to escape several times, but fails, and the Indians ultimately trade him for horses. Fayette is reunited with his family in the fall of 1842 and becomes a successful merchant, living a good life until his death in Navasota, Texas in 1906.
