After a quick look to Joe, Dan said, “No Sir, I think we got everything we need.” “Excellent, the three of you join me for dinner at six o’clock.”
“Yes Sir.”
When Dan entered the dining room a few minutes before six o’clock and found the Colonel, Bob Robert, and Joe already there. They were exchanging greetings when Maria entered and began placing the food on the table.
Dan asked Maria, “Can I help?”
“No, but thank you.”
The Colonel motioned toward the table and said, “Please be seated.”
As they took their seats and began to pass the food around the table, the Colonel continued, “What time are you going to leave in the morning?”
Dan said, “Joe and I have talked about it. If this were an extended hunting or fishing trip, we would not leave before seven o’clock or seven thirty. We decided to leave at about seven o’clock.”
“How long will it take you to get to the site of your base camp?”
“Joe thinks that even taking the long route to the south we should get there by late on the third day.”
“Good! Bob Robert will leave mid-morning tomorrow. I have prepared the letters for Judge Parker and Will Johnson which Bob Robert will hand deliver for me. Bob Robert will bring Will back here to the ranch and Judge Parker will leave a day or two after and join us here at the ranch.”
Dan asked, “How much will Judge Parker know?”
“My letter will not contain the details of our plans, but will tell the Judge that we are working with Will to help solve his problems. The Judge is concerned about Will, and he was a friend of my father, he will accept my invitation.”
They continued dinner with the talk turning to small talk about the ranch and the weather. After dinner, they went into the parlor. The Colonel poured a brandy for each of them and asked them to take a seat.
He said, “I know this project is complicated and dangerous, but I know each of you, and I have no doubt about our success, but be alert and be prepared. I don’t know how dangerous the Reynolds are, but I know they have worked a long time to get where they are and may not stop at anything to keep it.”
Dan replied, “I understand Sir, but I feel I can speak for Joe and Bob Robert when I say that the Reynolds are not the only ones who can play rough.”
The Colonel smiled, he was sure now that they knew what kind of game this could become.
He said, “Very well, we will leave it at that. I will see you in the morning, then.”
chapter 5
The Journey In
Dan met Joe in the kitchen for breakfast at six o’clock.
“Good morning Joe.”
“Good morning.”
Maria had set aside a plate for each of them when she had taken breakfast out to the bunkhouse.
Maria walked over to the kitchen table and said, “Joe, here are the tortillas and bread I promised you, plus some biscuits and ham for the trail this morning.”
“Thank you.”
They finished breakfast with only small talk about the trip to keep up the impression of a normal high-country trip for Maria.
Joe said, “I will go and fetch the horses and bring them up here.”
“That’s fine, I will start bringing the gear out.”
Dan had moved about half the gear out to the loading area when Joe returned with the horses. Looking up, he saw four packhorses and two saddle horses, he said, “Did you change your thinking about the number of horses we would need?”
“No, the packhorse that is already loaded is the saddle horse for Alice, and the pack is just the tent, and her saddle rolled up and covered with canvas.”
“You are right; we would look out of place, leaving the ranch with an extra horse and saddle but no rider.”
Joe smiled and said, “You continue to bring the gear out, and I will start loading the packhorses.”
“It’s a deal!”
By six-fifty, they had everything loaded and ready. Joe was putting the leads on the packhorses when the Colonel came out.
The Colonel said, “Looks like you have everything ready to go.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Dan.
“I don’t have to tell you to be careful, but I am telling you both to be careful to reinforce how serious I am about it. We will not have any way to communicate with each other, so by the time you’re over do, and I sent someone to check on you it will be too late.”
“Thank you for your concern, Sir, but we understand the situation.”
Dan and Joe mounted their horses and headed out with Joe taking the leads for the packhorses.
Looking up from her dishwashing Maria said, “God go with you” and made the sign of the cross.
Dan was glad someone was praying for them.
They went around the house and onto the ranch road. Traveling east on the ranch road they followed it until they reached the road to Durango and turned south. The road travels through a grassy valley towards Durango and becomes narrower the farther south you traveled. They traveled about a mile before turning east off the road and into the grasslands. They moved across the valley toward the grass-covered rolling hills. After an hour of travel, they came to the Los Pinos River. It was a small, fast stream with low but steep banks. Turning south they quickly found a game trail that crossed the river and continued east.
Dan asked Joe, “Why don’t you take the lead and I will tend to the
packhorses?”
“This is okay for now, when we turn north, I will take the lead. Just continue east until we come to the next river.”
“Okay.”
They continued east through rolling hills that became higher and more tree covered. The valleys between the hills were becoming narrower with small running creeks. After another hour and a half, they stopped to water and rest the horses.
Handing Dan a biscuit with a slice of ham in it Joe said, “We could make better time if we had dropped down to the road from Durango to Pagosa Springs, but this is open range, and we have little chance of meeting anyone.”
“How much longer do we continue east?”
“In about two hours or less we will come to the Piedra River, then we will travel north along the river crossing from the west bank to east and back as the mountains demands.”
“You think the horses are ready?”
“Let’s give them a few more minutes.”
Five minutes later they were traveling east again. As the hills became steeper, they took advantage of game and stock trials to find the best routes through them. It was just before noon when they came to the Piedra River. It was a rocky river with shallow but clear water. After giving the horses a rest, Dan took the packhorses and followed Joe upriver. As they went along the grade became steeper and the river smaller but swifter, and the stops for the horses to rest became more often. Instead of stopping for lunch, they just ate something as they rode along. First, it was the rest of the biscuits and ham, then it was jerky.
During a rest stop about three o’clock, Dan asked, “Where do you plan to stop tonight?”
“We will follow the Piedra to its head at a small lake the locals call William’s Lake. We will spend the night there.”
“How do the horses seem to you?”
“They are in good shape, they were rested before we started, and they are used to this high country.”
“What is the elevation at the lake?”
“Somewhere around 9,000 feet would be my best guess. The mountain peaks around the area are over 12,000 feet. You ready to move out?”
“Yes, whenever you are.”
They mounted up and continued upriver. The steepness of the trail continued to increase. From time to time they would have to leave the river to find a way around one of the many falls and areas where the river ran through narrow cuts in the rock. After a couple of hours, they topped out on to the floor of an alpine valley. They continued north through the lightly wooded valley until they came to a large lake.
“T
his is Williams Lake,” said Joe.
“It looks pretty big.”
“The lake is not wide, but it is two miles long. We will make camp at the north end of the lake.”
With Joe in the lead, they made good time across the relatively flat valley floor. Dan saw elk grazing in the meadows by the lake, and at one of several creek crossings, he saw a black bear with her cubs feeding on berries. At the north end of the lake, Joe turned up a large creek, and after about a quarter of a mile, he stopped in an open area that had been used before for a campsite.
Dan asked, “Have you used this campsite before?”
“Yes, many years ago, but most of the people who hunt this valley camp here.”
“It looks ideal.”
“It has good grass and water available and is sheltered against the north wind. I will unload and turn the horses out while you gather some firewood.”
“You got it.”
Dan removed a camp axe from one of the packs and headed back into the trees. After several trips, he had gathered all the dead wood they would need for firewood.
He asked, “Do we need to hobble the horses?”
“No, we will give them some time to feed then we will bring them in and tie them to a string line for the night.”
“Are you afraid they will run off?”
As Joe worked to get the fire started, he said, “No, but a bear or wolf might spook them during the night and make them hard to find in the morning. If we keep them close to us and the fire during the night, they shouldn’t be troubled.”
Dan went to the packs that contained his gear and got out his bedroll. He checked an area near the fire, and removed any rocks or twigs that might awaken him during the night. Next, he gathered some pine needles and placed them over the ground where he planned to spread the bedroll. The bedroll consisted of the oiled ground cloth and two wool blankets. He had laid the ground cloth out flat and spread the two blankets out over it; then he had folded it over lengthwise to create a bed that had a ground cloth and two blankets above and below him. Joe got out the pots and pans and began fixing supper.
Taking the plate that Joe handed him Dan asked, “What was this lake called before it was known as William’s Lake?”
“My people called it Lake of Many Elk or Elk Lake. I came here with my father when I was but a young boy. That trip is one of my best memories.”
“Does this creek have a name?”
“If my people had a name for it, I don’t remember, but they call it William’s Creek now.”
As Dan poured a cup of tea for them, Joe said, “I was sad to hear of your father’s death in January.”
“Thank you, despite his age, it was unexpected, the Doctor thinks it was a stroke. I was home for Christmas from college and was about to return when he died. I was glad that I was there and had a chance to say goodbye. My father and I got along okay, but I was gone so much we didn’t talk as much as maybe we should have, and I was grateful to have had a few minutes with him before he died.”
“What were you doing when Colonel John sent for you?”
“I was trying to get a handle on the ranch and decide what my future plans were. His letter made me make some decisions quicker than I had planned on, but they were decisions that I needed to make.”
“Then the ranch can get along with you gone?”
“Yes, the ranch foreman has been with the ranch since before I was born, and he will take care of things.”
“Are you going to go back to college?”
“Unless something else comes up I plan on going back in the spring.”
“How much longer do you have until you finish?”
“I could finish in June.”
“What are you going to do when you finish?”
“I will have a degree in Civil Engineering, but I haven’t decided if I am going to peruse that as a profession or return to the ranch.”
“I guess you don’t have to make that decision until you finish college.”
With a smile, Dan said, “That thought has occurred to me too.”
Rising, Joe said, “I will go bring in the horses.”
“Okay, I will do the dishes.”
By the time Joe had all the horses tied to the rope line Dan had the dishes washed and put away.
Dan asked, “Joe do you want to get an early start in the morning and just make up some sandwiches for breakfast with the rest of the ham and some of the bread?”
“That’s a good idea, that will give us more time to rest the horses after we get over the Divide.”
“Are we that close to the Continental Divide?”
“Yes, we will cross it about mid-morning tomorrow.”
“Then it is settled, we will be ready to move out at first light.”
“In that case, this old man needs to get some sleep.”
“I will join you.”
Dan went over to his bedroll and turned it back. He removed his outer shirt and rolled it up to use as a pillow. Then he removed the auto-45 from the hip holster, where he had been wearing it, and placed it under the blanket at the head of the bedroll. Then he removed his boots and socks, hanging the socks on a nearby brush to dry out. Finally, he removed his pants, rolled them up and placed them on his pack, which he had set near the bedroll. By then Joe was already snoring.
Dan felt like he had only just laid his head down when he felt Joe shake his shoulder. In the light of the fire, he could see Joe’s face.
Joe said, “Good morning.”
“Good morning, I guess I was tired. I always wake up at five thirty.”
Joe replied, “I don’t have a watch, but I am sure it’s not five thirty yet.”
“Oh, then I am not late, just confused.”
“It is a little early, but I woke up feeling like we should be moving along, just feeling, but we have enough of a moon to start, and I want to move out of here.”
“Never disregard a feeling. I will be ready in five minutes.”
“Good I have the horses packed and ready except for your gear.”
Dan rose and quickly dressed. Before he returned, the auto-45 to his holster, he cycled the action, which put a round in the chamber making it ready to fire. In less than five minutes they were moving slowly up the creek. The trail was well used and easy to follow. They had not spoken since Joe had awakened Dan, but after about twenty minutes Joe pulled up and motioned for Dan to stop.
“I feel like an old squaw afraid of noises in the night, but I had a bad feeling.”
“That’s okay like I said you have to listen to those feelings.”
“Yes, I know, but I still feel bad that I woke you up.”
Dan placed his hand on Joe’s shoulder and said, “It cost us nothing to leave early, but who knows what it would have cost to stay.”
“Thank you.”
Even with the moonlight, their progress was slow because of the shadows from the trees along the creek. When they came to a small open area along the creek, Joe pulled up and dismounted.
“Let’s stop here for breakfast and let the sun come up.”
Joe left the packs on the horses but untied them from one another so they could be free to move around. Some of the horses went to the creek for water while others began to feed on the grass in the opening. While Joe was tending to the horses, Dan took out the loaf of bread and the last of the ham and made sandwiches. Some of the sandwiches he wrapped to save for the trail, later, the rest he set aside for breakfast. They had just started eating when Joe stiffened and turned to the horses. With a blood-chilling scream, a mountain lion attacked one of the packhorses. The mountain lion had just jumped on one of the horses, it landed on the canvas covered pack of the packhorse, when Joe heard three quick shots. The mountain lion screamed and jumped off the packhorse like he was going to run, but hit the ground and collapsed.
Joe looked back at Dan and said, “At first I thought that three different people had shot that lion, but then I knew there were just the two of us and I did
n’t shoot. I didn’t know those things could shoot that fast.”
As they walked toward the lion, with the gun still trained on the lion, Dan said, “This isn’t what this gun and cartridge were designed for, but those 45’s do have stopping power.”
After touching the lion with the toe of his boot to make sure it was dead, Joe rolled it over to see the entry holes.
“Two in the chest and one in the back, good shooting.”
“It wasn’t as good as it looks, if the lion hadn’t jumped after the second shot the kick of the gun would have sent the third bullet over the lion, instead of into it's back, which is what kept him from running when he hit the ground.”
“It still looks like good shooting to me.”
“What about the horses?”
“I should be able to whistle them back in a few minutes after they settle down a little bit. I just hope that they didn’t lose any of the packs.”
Joe examined the lion, checking its claws, ribs, and teeth.
Looking up Joe said, “This was an old lion, the lack of meat on his ribs tells me he hasn’t been eating well, most of his teeth are gone, and he couldn’t retract his claws, so they are not sharp. I knew for a lion to attack the horses while we were with them, the lion would have to be diseased or starving.”
“Is this the danger you felt or sensed earlier?”
“Most likely, but I am not sure.”
They moved a little farther up the creek before Joe tried to whistle the horses back, the horses wouldn’t return if they could smell the dead mountain lion. After a few minutes, the horses started coming back in response to Joe’s whistle. All the horses returned except the packhorse that the mountain lion had attacked. Joe approached the horses slowly and began to check them out. He then reattached the lead ropes to the horses
Dan asked, “Do you think the packhorse that was attacked by the lion is hurt?”
“It didn’t appear that the lion had got to the horse because of the pack, but he could have injured himself while running away. We will move a little farther up the creek, and I will try a horse call.”
High Country Rescue Page 6