Escape from Fort Benton

by Scott Connor

  Nathan lowered his head. A grunt and an encouraging jab in the back forced him to throw his gun down, then stand. To his side, the man holding Jeff forced him to stand, too.

  Decker stood from his hiding-place. He sported a wide grin as he beckoned for the men holding Nathan and Jeff to drag them out into the open.

  Neither captive met the other man’s eye as they stomped to a halt a few paces from Kenton’s body.

  Decker knelt to check on Kenton, his twinkling eyes betraying only delight as he kicked him over to lie sprawled on his back. Even so, he couldn’t restrain himself from swinging a kick into the dead man’s ribs before he faced them.

  ‘Go on,’ Nathan said, raising his chin and glaring at him. ‘Shoot us and be done with it.’

  ‘The likes of you aren’t worth the risk,’ Decker said, sneering at them. ‘Kenton was an escaped outlaw and everyone will reckon he deserved what he got, but you’re just two bodies too many to explain.’

  ‘They helped Kenton escape,’ one of his men said.

  ‘They did, but nobody will believe they’re the desperados Buckthorn claimed broke into the jail. Look at them.’ Decker gestured at his men, encouraging them to gloat at his prisoners’ predicament. ‘Do they look dangerous?’

  ‘Only to themselves,’ one man said.

  ‘Just let them go. I’ve had all the use I’ll get out of them.’ Decker paced up to Nathan and chuckled. ‘You didn’t really reckon you’d escaped from Fort Benton, did you?’

  Nathan winced. ‘You mean you followed us?’

  ‘I did. After you leapt off the wall, you were stupid enough to just stand still, hoping I couldn’t see you. Then you hid in the dirt for most of the night. Then you hid in a wagon. Then you . . . Do I need to go on?’

  ‘I guess not.’

  ‘You two were too worthless to bother catching, and I had a hunch you’d lead me to Kenton.’ Decker pointed down the trail in the opposite direction to Fort Benton. ‘Now, as a reward for delivering him to me, you have my permission to get out of my sight, but if I ever see you again, you will face that firing-squad.’

  Decker laughed. Then he turned and without looking back headed to his horse.

  His men stayed back to gather the two men Jeff had knocked out and shake them awake. These men also muttered their contempt for them.

  Then they rode off, leaving them alone with Kenton’s dead body.

  ‘He didn’t reckon we were worth killing,’ Jeff said, as Decker’s group receded into the gloom.

  ‘We can’t complain about that, I suppose.’ Nathan whipped off his hat and slapped it to the ground. ‘But that’s the biggest mistake he’ll ever make.’

  Jeff turned to him. ‘You’re not thinking of going after him, are you?’

  ‘I sure am and I going to wipe that . . .’ Nathan took deep breaths and then sighed. ‘Nope. I guess not.’

  ‘Then what are we going to do?’

  Nathan considered Kenton’s body. ‘Kenton’s death is our fault. We can’t make amends with him now, but there’s one thing we can do before we leave.’

  Chapter Twelve

  The sun had risen on a clear Monday morning when Nathan and Jeff rode into Providence.

  They asked for directions and after receiving a few somber glances at the body over the back of Jeff’s horse, they were directed to the Bar T ranch.

  Nobody approached them as they rode across the ranch land, but when they’d splashed through a river and ridden through a grove of oak, they acquired a cortège of ranch hands.

  By the time they faced the gates before the ranch house, a dozen men rode around them. None of them as much as asked what had happened, their downcast eyes seeming to accept that Kenton’s dead body would return one day.

  When they drew up before the house and dismounted, a hand hurried off into the house and emerged with a woman. Nathan assumed she was Nancy, Kenton’s sister, and everyone removed their hats as she paced towards the horse, her pained eyes taking in the body.

  She bent to look up at his face. She closed her eyes and murmured something under her breath, then stood straight to face them.

  ‘Where did you find him?’ she asked.

  They’d discussed the matter and decided to relate the truth. So covering the details in a matter-of-fact manner, Nathan told her of how they’d help Kenton escape and how they’d inadvertently led Decker to him afterwards.

  Like her brother, she was slow to respond when he’d completed their story.

  ‘That wasn’t your fault,’ she said at last. ‘I’m grateful to you for having brought him back.’

  ‘We do have some good news, though.’ Nathan forced a smile, hoping to lift Nancy’s spirits, but received only a blank expression. ‘Your husband is still alive.’

  Nancy closed her eyes, placing a hand to her heart.

  ‘Then I am blessed. Where did you see him?’

  ‘He’s in Fort Benton. I only saw him briefly, but he . . .’ Nathan searched for a comforting word. ‘He looked like he was surviving.’

  ‘I thank you for that information.’

  ‘You don’t have much time. After Wednesday, Decker won’t have no need to keep him prisoner any more. He’ll probably have to dispose of—’

  Nancy raised a hand, silencing him. ‘I said I was grateful you brought my brother back to me, but you’ll leave us now.’

  ‘But Kenton told us about how you have to register your land title by three o’clock on Wednesday and how—’

  ‘Leave us,’ she snapped, her eyes blazing, although whether her anger was directed at them, Decker, or perhaps even her brother, Nathan couldn’t tell.

  With that she turned her back and, with two of the hands carrying her brother’s body behind her, headed into the house.

  They watched her leave until only one man remained. He was the oldest person they’d seen and Nathan reckoned he was the ramrodder.

  ‘I assume you’ll try to free Frank,’ Nathan said. ‘We have plenty of information that’ll help.’

  ‘It isn’t your place to assume anything,’ the man said, his tone low. ‘Just do what Nancy said and leave us.’

  Then he headed off into the ranch, leaving them alone. They stood in shock for a full minute before Jeff spoke.

  ‘I guess we’d better go,’ he said, slapping his hat back on his head.

  Nathan sighed and, with Jeff, mounted up his horse and rode away from the Bar T. Occasionally he looked back, but nobody emerged to check they were leaving.

  They rode for thirty minutes, by which time they’d reached the river and the ranch was out of sight. There they stopped to water their horses.

  Nathan dampened a rag to groom his horse, but the bizarre reception they’d suffered dulled his mind and he didn’t talk with Jeff about what had happened, losing himself in the routine activity.

  It was only when they were ready to move out and Nathan checked through his saddle-bags that he discovered he hadn’t returned Frank Reed’s initialed gun.

  ‘Do you want to return this?’ he asked, his tone sarcastic.

  ‘I sure don’t,’ Jeff said. ‘They weren’t grateful enough for us to waste our time.’

  ‘Then do you fancy finding this Carter Jones in Dearborn City and seeing if he has work available?’

  Jeff sighed. ‘It’d be a start.’

  ‘You don’t sound sure.’

  ‘I guess I’m still shocked. They just don’t seem to understand Decker’s plans.’

  ‘Perhaps they don’t, or perhaps they don’t burn with the same fire Kenton had.’

  ‘Perhaps.’ Jeff turned to Nathan. ‘I guess you were hoping you could join them and head back to Fort Benton.’

  Nathan smiled. ‘I’ll be honest with you. I was.’

  ‘Why? There really was nothing left for us there. Kenton’s dead. We’re no longer wanted men. The ten thousand dollars doesn’t exist.’

  ‘I know, but it doesn’t stop me thinking about our unfinished business back there. Decker is a r
otten piece of work and he insulted us.’

  Jeff considered him, smiling. ‘Then you’re still saying we should go back?’

  ‘Not for our benefit, but Frank Reed still reckons this land is worth fighting for.’ Nathan kicked at the dirt. ‘I reckon we should give him a chance to keep it.’

  Jeff narrowed his eyes. ‘Decker will kill us before we get within a mile of Fort Benton, and even if we do get in there, we’ve got no chance of reaching the tower, and even if we get in the tower, we’ve—’

  ‘The odds are against us, but we’ve got to at least try.’

  Jeff sighed and then looked away, smiling.

  ‘Then it seems we’re heading back to Fort Benton.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘I’ll tell you this one last time,’ Quincy Lackey said, as he drew his wagon to a halt. ‘The moment this goes wrong, I stop helping you.’

  Nathan shuffled his head out from under the pile of saddles on the back of the wagon to see they were a quarter-mile from Fort Benton.

  ‘You’ve done more than enough already by getting us this far,’ he said.

  ‘You’re right, but I want us to be clear about this. I’ll get you into the fort, but if anyone finds you, I’ll claim ignorance of you stowing away and I will claim the bounty on your heads.’ Quincy shook the reins as he trundled the wagon on towards the fort. ‘But if I do get the bounty, I’ll give you this – I’ll throw it away.’

  Nathan shuffled down beneath the saddles and lay beside Jeff.

  ‘Obliged for that.’

  ‘But if you do escape with Frank, remember I have plenty of dirty jobs I need doing.’

  Jeff leaned closer to Nathan and chuckled with grim humor.

  ‘At least if we get caught we won’t have to do those jobs,’ he said.

  Nathan laughed then settled down to await developments. It had taken them a day to reach Hope Creek followed by several hours of persuasion before Quincy agreed to help them.

  In the end, they had promised him a month of hard work for no pay in return for his help, although they hoped he’d be too soft-hearted to hold them to that promise.

  Two hours of daylight remained today for them to affect Frank’s escape, with tomorrow being the day of the three o’clock deadline.

  Nathan edged a saddle aside to let him see the sky and, later, the roofs of the settlement as they passed them by, then the walls of the fort and the tops of the gates.

  Once they were inside, Quincy headed the wagon across the parade-ground and the gaunt mayor’s office swung into view. Quincy stopped the wagon outside the tower.

  ‘I’m not expecting no deliveries today,’ a guard said. ‘And I never expected to receive a delivery from you.’

  ‘I’ve changed my mind.’ Quincy sighed. ‘A man’s got to trade and Decker controls all the trade around here.’

  ‘Then you’ve seen sense.’ Footsteps closed on the wagon. ‘You know Mayor Decker’s terms.’

  ‘I do, but if he wants to trade with me, he’ll have to consider my terms.’ A non-committal grunt sounded, followed by a short silence before Quincy spoke up again. ‘Where’s he going?’

  ‘To fetch Mayor Decker so you can discuss those terms.’

  Under the saddles, Jeff mouthed that even if Quincy had said he wouldn’t help them beyond getting them into the fort, he was letting them know one of the guards had left.

  ‘So he’s in the saloon?’

  Nathan smiled as Quincy relayed the best piece of news so far. If Decker had been in his office, this mission would have been harder to accomplish.

  ‘Yeah, what’s that to you?’

  ‘Nothing. I was just trying to gauge how generous he might be feeling.’

  The guard laughed. ‘I wouldn’t hold out no hope.’

  ‘I’m not, but while we’re waiting, could I interest you in a new saddle? I’ve got some mighty fine ones.’

  Nathan and Jeff took that as their cue for them to try to get into the tower. They slipped to the edge of the wagon furthest away from the tower and out from beneath the pile of saddles.

  The wagon shook and a clump sounded as Quincy jumped to the ground.

  ‘I guess it won’t hurt to look,’ the guard said. Then footfalls paced to the wagon.

  They slipped out of the wagon. Crouched behind the wagon, they were in full view of anyone who happened to come out of the stables, but for this risky maneuver they had to trust their luck.

  ‘I’ve got one round the back you might like,’ Quincy said.

  Footsteps headed to the back of the wagon. Staying crouched down and on the opposite side to the guard, Nathan and Jeff paced round to stand by the horse.

  The door to the tower was five paces away, but it might as well be a mile if the guard was looking their way while they crossed over to it.

  ‘I don’t like the look of that one.’

  ‘Are you sure? It—’ A thud sounded and a puff of dust rose above the wagon. ‘Damn. Help me get it back on the wagon.’

  They headed off, bounding with long stealthy strides to the doorway where they carried on down the tunnel.

  Nathan heard nothing behind them, so they hurried on down the tunnel, then side-stepped around the corner to stand in the plaza. They stopped to catch their breaths and calm their thudding hearts.

  Quincy had promised them that they could stow Frank away in the back of his wagon, and he had promised to conduct his negotiations with Decker as slowly as possible while not raising suspicion.

  As the inevitable conclusion to those negotiations was that they wouldn’t find common ground over which they could deal, they didn’t have long to effect Frank’s escape.

  They pattered up the steps, coming out on the corridor before the mayor’s office. Nathan examined the wall leading to the office, imagining the narrow space he’d explored in the tower and the steps leading down then turning away.

  ‘We try along here, and in the mayor’s office.’ Nathan slapped the wall. ‘I reckon there’s enough room for someone to move around back there, and that might mean there’s a second way in.’

  He looked along the wall, hoping to see a grille that he’d missed earlier. He couldn’t see one, but he saw small holes at regular intervals along the top of the wall.

  They were large enough to allow in light and to circulate air, but not large enough to climb through. He pointed.

  ‘That proves the space carries on down here,’ Jeff said. ‘If there’s another entrance, it has to be in the mayor’s office.’

  Nathan nodded and they hurried to the door. They had made enough noise to alert anyone who happened to be inside, but they still peered round the doorway before entering then stood beside the door.

  Aside from the desk and cabinet, the room was devoid of furniture, but Nathan concentrated on the wall. He ran his fingers along it until he reached the cabinet, seeing that it backed into a small recess.

  He beckoned for Jeff to help him and they each took a side and strained to move it, then peered behind, but there was no grille.

  They both sighed, acknowledging they had no choice but to head up to the tower and get in through the only entrance. So they left the office and hurried to the steps then to the roof.

  Nathan was about to sneak up to the tower and peer in through the door to see if a guard was within, but Jeff rolled his shoulders and took the lead. He kept low, silently padding up to the door, then burst in without warning.

  As a grunt of pain sounded, Nathan followed at his heels. When he came through the door, Jeff was slugging the only guard with a powerful uppercut that slammed the man back into the wall.

  The man stood splayed against the wall for a moment, then slid down it to sit slumped. Jeff stood over him with a fist raised, waiting to see if the man would fight back, but he was already comatose and he tipped over to lie inert on the floor.

  Nathan hurried to the grille and he wasted no time before trying the lock. The key slipped in, clicked, and easily let him hoist up the grille to look
inside.

  With the benefit of daylight he could see along what he now viewed as a corridor before it headed down the steps and disappeared around the corner, leading off towards the mayor’s office.

  He beckoned for Jeff to keep look-out, then slipped through the hole and padded down the steps, trailing a hand along the wall. Even so, he was more confident walking with the aid of the strong light than he’d been the last time he’d ventured behind the wall.

  As he paced downwards, a fetid and animal smell assailed him, as of someone trapped in a confined space for two weeks. The smell grew as he reached the bottom step and he wasn’t surprised when he glanced around the corner and saw the dim outline of a man.

  He was lying in a recess, this possibly being the only part of the corridor that would give him sufficient room to stretch out his legs while lying sideways. A heap of straw suggested he’d made his bed here and beyond, more steps headed downwards.

  ‘Frank Reed, I’ve come for you,’ Nathan said.

  Frank only moved his head as he looked up at him, his eyes small fires in the half-light.

  ‘You again,’ he said, his voice sounding more disappointed than relieved. ‘I thought you wouldn’t give up.’

  ‘We haven’t and we reckon we can get you out of here.’

  ‘Go away,’ Frank shouted, his voice echoing in the confined space.

  Nathan winced and Jeff hissed on the other side of the grille to get his attention. Nathan murmured a quick comment that he knew they were making too much noise. Then he hunkered down beside Frank.

  ‘I’ve met Nancy. She was upset and I’m guessing she and everyone else at the Bar T has lost heart, but Kenton never did. From what he said about you, I didn’t think Decker would knock the fight out of you.’

  Frank sat up and cocked his head to one side. ‘You speak of Kenton as if he’s dead.’

  Nathan sighed and lowered his voice. ‘I’m sorry to tell you this. He is. But we can still help you.’

  Frank closed his eyes, his mouth moving, perhaps in a silent prayer, then opened them.

  ‘Leave me.’