Canyon War

by Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

  When she did, she ran for it, mud sucking at the oversized boots Jimmy had given her to go with her man-outfit. She wondered if she should shuck the boots and go barefoot, but the rocky terrain of the area warned that her tender feet needed protection. It’d been a long time since she had run barefoot.

  Rebekah started to open the smaller door leading into the barn when she heard a hiss that was anything but subtle.

  “Doc Beck! Over here."

  Rebekah glanced to the corral at her left and saw Jimmy beckoning wildly at her. She ducked between the slats of the corral, again grateful for the trousers. But when Jimmy grabbed her shoulders and tried to help her through, she almost fell.

  Straightening, she said, "I appreciate help, Jimmy, but please wait until I ask for it."

  He didn't seem to hear her as he darted under the overhang in the corral where two horses were tied. He tossed her a rain slicker like the one he wore. She slipped into it and grabbed the reins of the horse he indicated, but he held the horse fast and squinted at her in the dark, water dribbling off his tan Stetson. He looked deadly serious.

  "Only one of these horses and gear belongs to me. Is it stealing if we take the other one and turn it loose later? It'll find its way back to the ranch here."

  "Considering that I am being held here against my will, I have no qualms about borrowing this horse without asking."

  Jimmy looked more relieved than she expected. "Good. I ain't never stolen anything in my life."

  Rebekah smiled. “I believe you."

  She mounted as Jimmy led his horse to the far end of the corral.

  He unlatched the gate just as a tremendous boom rattled Rebekah in the saddle. Her horse shied and reared back, doing a quick paw at the air before settling on all fours again. Rebekah held her balance and glanced at the splintered wood of the corral gate. It wasn't thunder she'd heard.

  She looked over her shoulder to see Clem Baxter standing on the back porch, double barrel shotgun aimed at them. He had another slug left.

  "Look out, Jimmy!"

  Jimmy slapped her horse’s rump, sending it flying through the open gate while he swung aboard his own horse. The second blast sounded somewhere behind her.

  Rebekah grasped for a solid hold to keep her in the saddle as the horse galloped at full speed, her medical bag banging the saddle where she had tied it to the horn.

  They plunged into the darkness. Rebekah was barely able to discern the road as she gripped the saddle horn and glanced back to see Jimmy chasing after her, full tilt.

  They had made it. At least, for the moment.

  Jimmy waved wildly at her and she tightened her grip on the reins enough to bring her horse to a resistant trot. Jimmy swung up beside her, bringing his arm around in a sweeping motion.

  "This way!”

  He darted off the road in between an abundance of mesquite trees. Rebekah turned her horse in a circle and bolted after Jimmy. They were going the wrong way for either Canyon City or Amarillo, but she trusted Jimmy and his instincts. She had little choice.

  They rode for a half an hour before Jimmy finally slowed. The rain had as well, although they were leaving a trail a blind man could follow.

  Rebekah halted next to Jimmy. He was breathing hard. She looked back in the general direction of the Baxter place.

  "I owe you a great deal of thanks, just Jimmy. But why are we going in the opposite direction of Amarillo?"

  Jimmy nodded in front of them. "That's why."

  Rebekah peered ahead at a gaping black hole. She couldn't distinguish where the land and sky parted. She sat very still and allowed her eyes to adjust. Then a flash a lightning from the rolling storm light up the spectacle of buttes, mesas, and cliffs.

  They were at the Palo Duro Canyon.

  Jimmy said, “When I seen Clem ready to come after us, I knew we wouldn't have enough of a head start. That man is a hard rider. But the canyon’s got more hiding places than a dog has fleas."

  "Your vernacular is astonishing, Jimmy."

  He looked at her, the whites of his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

  "You speaking French again, ma’am?”

  Rebekah smiled and shook her head, nudging her horse forward to the rim. Jimmy pushed his horse up in front of her, halting them both.

  "Best let me go first, Miss Rebekah. One wrong step and it'll be a faster trip to the bottom than a lady should make."

  It took a half an hour of concentration to maneuver her mount along what Jimmy had coined a trail down the side of the canyon. She never saw evidence of one during the occasional flashes of lightning. The rough terrain was unforgiving on them and the horses. The entire time, she was listening for the sound of Clem Baxter's booming gun.

  She had to give Jimmy credit for his smart move. By the time Clem could alert Van and mount, it was too late for him to see where Jimmy and Rebekah veered off the road. He would think they headed straight into Amarillo or Canyon City, and there was a good chance a young boy and a rusty woman rider would've been caught in the open.

  She did hope Jimmy had a plan for getting them out of the canyon and to some sort of law-enforcement. Rebekah had to put her trust in Jimmy, even in the next steps she guided her horse in.

  When they reached the bottom, the clouds parted to let the half moon shine down on the floor. It was so sudden, so unexpected, Rebekah caught her breath at the shimmering light bathing the rock walls of the Palo Duro. It was unearthly, as though they had stepped into a reality previously beyond comprehension. The magnitude of the walls and the dome of sky above them was breathtaking.

  "You all right, Miss Rebekah?”

  Rebekah brought her gaze down to realize she had halted her horse and Jimmy was several feet in front of her, turned in his saddle.

  She nodded. "Let's keep going."

  They maneuvered to the gravel and rock floor of the canyon to a low creek bed that cut through the area, carving it out like an arroyo. The horses splashed through and picked up a fast pace to climb the other side between the rocks. Jimmy halted with a quick glance back to check on her. It was justified. Rebekah was so tired, she feared falling from the saddle.

  She observed how the terrain leveled before the next climb on up the creek bed wall. "We should rest here. The pinnacle will block us from sight if Clem decides to come to the canyon.”

  Jimmy looked around. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Miss Rebekah.”

  “My joints say it is a fabulous one.” She swung down from the saddle and took a shaky breath. Her body trembled with fatigue and the hard ride. The thought of a few hours sleep sounded wondrous.

  “Yes ma’am.” Jimmy mimicked her in dismounting. “And I don't think Clem will come this way. We’ll ride out tomorrow and on over to Canyon City. I have friends there, and we’ll tell the sheriff what Clem did."

  Rebekah unhooked her medical bag, set it aside, and started to unsaddle the horse.

  "Oh, no, ma'am!"

  Jimmy rushed over, causing her horse to toss his head in annoyance. Rebekah raised an eyebrow at her young companion.

  "It's better if the horses are allowed to rest without this burden on them."

  "Yes ma'am, but I'll take care of it. You go on and find yourself a place to bed down."

  She smiled. Jimmy was sweet in his innocent, whole-hearted effort to be a gentleman. He would grow into a fine young man someday. With a little help.

  "Very well, just Jimmy. I assume we shouldn’t build a fire to dry out by?"

  "No, ma'am. But you can have my coat. It'll keep you warm.”

  He started to take off his slicker but Rebekah waved him off. "Mine will do."

  She glanced back up the way they had come. The creek and a rock pinnacle stood sentry over their location.

  Jimmy said, "I'll keep watch tonight, Doc. Don't you worry."

  Rebekah nodded absently. She rarely worried. Her wits and good sense could get her out of most any situation.

  Chapter Nine

  The train whistl
ed loud as it roared toward the depot. It didn’t slow despite the lone passenger waiting on the platform, waving fiercely at it. The train barreled forward. It suddenly jumped off the track and headed straight for the waving figure.

  Rebekah screamed when she realized she was that figure.

  She jerked up, her breathing coming in labored gasps. A dream. A bad dream. Or was it?

  The roar was still coming toward her where she lay on the hard floor of the canyon. The horses bounced against their hobbles, eyes rolling in fright.

  Rebekah scrambled to her feet, pushing against the rocks she had bedded down on. Somewhere above the roar, Jimmy shouted, “High ground! Get to high ground!"

  She spotted Jimmy scrambling away from the creek and to the horses that he quickly unhobbled.

  "Don't just stand there, Doc! Flash flood, get to higher ground!”

  A train was indeed barreling toward them, somewhere out of sight. Rebekah ran for her medical bag that she had left close to the horses. Jimmy met her, grabbing the bag and her arm as they bolted up the incline from the creek. The horses galloped away in a mad dash, running as hard as the humans, only faster.

  Rebekah glanced behind her to glimpse a powerful river burst out from around the corner of the pinnacle and engulf the creek bed as if it had been merely a drainage ditch. She looked forward, measuring the distance of the ground before them compared to the height of the water. They wouldn't make it.

  "Lord, help us,” Jimmy whisper-gasped as the red water hit them from behind.

  The incredible rush of limbs, leaves, and brush pushed Rebekah off her feet. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting to be crushed into the rocks. But she wasn't.

  Opening her eyes, she realized Jimmy had hooked his arm round her and was holding on for dear life as the water tried to pull them under. But what was holding him in place against the onslaught and keeping them from being swept away?

  Rebekah clung to Jimmy, the only solid thing within her grasp. She kicked in the water, trying to find a solid foothold, but she couldn't. The strong current pulled at her waterlogged boots and sucked them off her feet.

  All she could do was hold onto Jimmy and hope he could hold on as the river pulled hard.

  It was over in seconds. As quickly as the rush of water filled that portion of the canyon, it began to recede. It still gushed like a river, but Jimmy and Rebekah were high enough to be away from the strongest current pull. But even as the water level dropped, Rebekah couldn’t get her feet on under her. She was still being pulled downward by the current.

  "You all right, ma’am?”

  Rebekah took a shallow breath. It was hard to breathe with Jimmy’s grip around her, holding her up.

  "I'll let you know when my feet are on firm ground again."

  "Can you climb up behind me?”

  Rebekah twisted her gaze to look beyond Jimmy's shoulder. She realized his right arm was extended at a severe angle, his knuckles bloody and white as he clung to a mesquite tree that should have ripped out against the pressure.

  "If you can keep hanging on to that for another minute, I can climb out of here."

  "Be careful, ma'am."

  The water level had dropped more and Rebekah was able to get a bare toehold in the rock face, twisting in Jimmy's grip that he barely loosened. She pushed herself up and used the rocks to work her way out of the water behind him. She heard his relieved moan when her body pressure was finally off him. She pushed until she found firm ground then twisted and reached back.

  “Now, give me your hand."

  “I don’t want to pull you back down here, ma’am.”

  "You do as I say, young man.”

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Jimmy shifted so that he could reach higher with his free hand. She could see the intense pain on his face caused by the angle of his shoulder. She wasn't sure from this position, but it didn't appear to be dislocated.

  Another miracle. Maybe she should consider believing in those again, and pride herself a little less on her own wits.

  Chapter Ten

  Jimmy collapsed on the rocky slope beside Rebekah, breathing hard. His breathing turned to a chuckle, then laughter. Rebekah joined him and sat up before she choked.

  "Well, just Jimmy. You're a good partner. Next time, I'll let you pick the camping spot.”

  Jimmy wiped water out of his eyes and winced. Rebekah immediately probed his shoulder, making him yelp and draw away. She grabbed him by his purple bandana and held him still while she felt for damage.

  "You'll be sore a few days, but you'll live." Then she asked, “Do you know what happened to my bag?”

  “I threw it to higher ground. I think."

  They spent the next several minutes searching the rocks, being careful not to lose footing and slide back into the impromptu river that was continuing to recede.

  "Here it is! Or what's left of it."

  Rebekah groaned as Jimmy fished the bag out of a puddle of water and held it open. One of the straps was broken and it looked like most of her implements and medicines were gone.

  Rebekah started to take it from him, but he gave it another shake. "Still awful heavy for all the stuff being gone." He poked his nose into the bag but she could see his grin. "Say, you have a false bottom in this."

  He pried it open and gave a low whistle. "If them Baxter boys catch up with us, they'll be the ones hollering for help."

  Rebekah sighed and took the bag. "It is not polite to rummage through a lady’s bag, Jimmy.”

  He looked truly shamed and she regretted how the words had come out harsh. She patted his arm. “I’m sorry. I do get cranky when I’m jolted out of bed abruptly.”

  He grinned. “I’ve noticed that.”

  They searched for Rebekah's boots but she knew they would be at the bottom of the flooded creek. She shrugged. "I am afraid they're gone. We have to move on."

  Jimmy lifted one foot and started yanking his boot off, hopping around. "You can wear mine, Doc. Can't have you getting your feet cut up."

  He gave a hard yank and his foot came free right as he landed on his backside with a thump.

  Rebekah chuckled. "You keep them, Jimmy. I'll be able to navigate barefoot."

  "I know a place we can bed down. We just gotta climb up Brushy Butte. Follow me."

  Lit by the half moon, Jimmy led the way up what might have been an actual trail shown by how it was deeply rutted. Probably an old game trail used for years by Comanches riding their horses down to water. There was ancient history in this canyon, but at the moment, Rebekah was interested in simply surviving it.

  They climbed around a steep bend in the trail marked by an enormous prickly pear cactus and Rebekah spotted a dugout set in a dip on the other side. It looked as though it hadn't been used in a few years, although maybe it had looked that way since the day it was built.

  Jimmy beckoned for her to follow as they approached the door that was cocked. Jimmy pushed it the rest of the way open. "Wait here. I'll check for rattlers."

  Rebekah didn't object.

  Jimmy set her bag on the porch and stepped inside. She heard him rustling around and in a few moments, had a lantern lit, its light shining through the open door.

  He said, “All clear."

  Rebekah took her bag inside, staring at the wood stove with longing. What she wouldn't do for a long hot bath and a clean morning dress.

  Jimmy shook out a blanket, chewed on by moths, sending a puff of dust through the room and revealing a cot in even worse shape.

  "All the comforts of home."

  "You must have grown up in a very strange home, Jimmy."

  Jimmy looked at her with an odd expression, then grinned.

  “Sure did. I was raised in the swamps of Florida, wrestling alligators and fighting Seminoles. I wanted to see the west so I came on out to Texas."

  Rebekah set her bag on the rickety table in the center of the room, and gave him a sidelong look. Whenever did he get such a story?

  “The Seminoles, al
ong with the other Five Tribes of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Muskogee Creek, were forcibly removed from their homelands and to Indian Territory decades ago."

  Jimmy rubbed his shoulder. "Oh. Well, must've been some mean city slickers then."

  Rebekah shook her head and rummaged through a small chest by the door. No clean clothing, but the two woolen blankets stored in it were in better shape than the one that had been on the cot.

  She took them to the wall furthest from the door. “I’ll sleep on the floor here. You can have that flea trap if you want."

  Jimmy perked up. “Really? You don't mind?"

  "Absolutely not."

  Rebekah spread one of the blankets on the floor away from the door and the other on top of it, making her a bed. Jimmy rummaged through a corner cabinet.

  “I take shelter here sometimes when chasing strays in the canyon. Left behind two cans of beans last time. Want one?"

  "No, thank you.”

  Jimmy shrugged and began cutting open one can with his knife. “I’ve been wanting to ask, where are you from? You don’t talk like anyone I’ve ever heard.”

  “I’m French. And Omaha.”

  “You’re from Omaha?”

  “That’s…accurate.”

  Jimmy’s innocence was fascinating. He seemed to know a little about many things, but not a lot about the world. It was almost as though he’d learned what he did from books. That left him with an abundance of questions and ignorance of real people and cultures, like the Omahas. Perhaps his knowledge of Indians was limited to tall tales and outlandish dime novels. But there was a goodness to him that Rebekah admired. There was a chance she could help him along with the rest of life.

  “Do all French people have dark skin like you?”

  “The ones from the Omaha do.”

  “How come you're heading to New Mexico Territory?”

  Rebekah settled on the floor, pulling one foot up to examine a cut. The sand she had walked over cleaned it well. "I was supposed to be there weeks ago to work at a school, helping the workers update their medical abilities. They are protestant, but their facilities is an old Catholic mission near the border."