by C. J. Petit
He was about to turn around when an old, grizzled man stepped out of what had been a saloon of sorts and just stared at him. He was carrying a Springfield musket, but Jake didn’t feel threatened. He imagined that the old coot was probably afraid of him.
So, Jake smiled and waved as Mars drew him closer. The man didn’t budge but squinted as he watched Jake approach.
Jake pulled up twenty feet away from the man and loudly said, “Good morning. I’m surprised to see anyone still living here. My name is Jake Elliott.”
The old man still didn’t move as he replied, “I’m Joe Packard. What made you come to my town?”
Jake suspected that Woman’s Breast only had a population of one but was certain that Joe would have noticed an earlier visitor.
“I’m looking for a man that probably showed up here three weeks ago. I reckon he left already.”
“Are you a bounty hunter?”
“No. I’m looking for my father. He left our ranch near Fort Benton three weeks ago riding a brown gelding and leading another brown gelding as a packhorse. I was told in Fort Shaw that he headed north. I’m sure you would have spotted him when he arrived.”
“If I tell ya, will you just head back to Fort Shaw?”
“Yes, sir.”
The man continued to squint at Jake as he said, “The feller that showed up here told me his name was John Smith, but I reckon he was lyin’. He stuck around for more’n a couple of weeks and I didn’t trust him a lick. I figgered he was hidin’ from the law. He rode outta here yesterday.”
“How old was he?”
“A reckon he was about thirty or so. But my eyes ain’t so good.”
“Did he wear a light brown Stetson with a dark band?”
“Nope. He had a black hat, but I didn’t see no band. I ain’t even sure it was one of them Stetsons, either. Like I said, my eyes ain’t so good no more.”
Jake realized that his father wasn’t the man that Fred Stoker had seen riding to Woman’s Breast. The man who’d stayed with Joe Packard for those two weeks hiding from the law was probably the one Jake shot yesterday.
“Well, Joe, that man wasn’t my father. When I was on the road yesterday, that man tried to backshoot me, but he missed with his Winchester and I plugged him with my Colt. I only winged him, so he probably made it to Fort Benton.”
Joe displayed his few remaining teeth as he grinned then said, “It’s too bad you didn’t hit him in the nose. But I reckon it’s good enough.”
“Well, I’ll be heading back to Fort Shaw now. I’ll stay there for the night and then go on to Helena.”
“Hope you find your pa, son.”
“So, do I,” Jake replied before setting Mars to a slow trot and making a U-turn.
He waved to Joe as he passed the rickety saloon, but Joe just turned and disappeared into his less-than-palatial home. He hadn’t been surprised when Joe hadn’t invited him inside to chat. He probably enjoyed his solitude.
Once he reached the southbound trail, he nudged Mars into a fast trot. He was now anxious to reach Helena and decided to bypass Fort Shaw entirely. He could get halfway to Helena before pulling up for the night. When he’d studied the map of Montana Territory before he left, he knew that just a few miles south of Fort Shaw, he’d be entering the mountains. The road wound through those mountains as it found the passes.
The other feature on that map that he’d almost ignored until now was the intersection of another road just a few miles south of Fort Shaw. The southwestern road led to the gold fields and eventually to Missoula. He had already convinced himself that his father would go to Helena but as he headed south to Fort Shaw, the existence of other road bothered him.
His father might not want to show his face in Helena if he expected Sheriff Zendt had sent a telegram notifying them of a warrant for his arrest. If he had made the turnoff south of Fort Shaw, he had enough supplies to reach Missoula which would only add another day or so to his journey. It would also be far less likely for Sheriff Zendt to have notified the Missoula County sheriff. Then there was the large Flathead Reservation just north of Missoula where even the sheriff had no jurisdiction.
As he kept Mars at a fast pace, he knew that he couldn’t change his original plan. If he followed that southwestern road, he’d still need to visit Helena if he didn’t find his father in Missoula or on the Flathead Reservation. If it hadn’t been for Sara, Jake would still visit those places if he didn’t find his father in Helena. But Sara was already too important for him to spend another week on his father’s cold trail.
He slowed Mars to a medium trot after committing to returning to the ranch if he failed to find his father in Helena. If his father showed up on the Elk after he and Sara were married, at least he’d finally have his answers. What happened after that was out of his control.
_____
It was early afternoon when he passed Fort Shaw. He’d rested the horses and had a quick lunch just before he reached the post, so he didn’t even slow down as he headed south. After passing the southwestern road turnoff, the level ground ended, and he soon began a mild but continuous ascent into the mountains.
It was eighty miles from Fort Shaw to Helena, but Jake only intended to ride another four hours before setting up camp for the night. He felt he’d already pushed Mars and Vulcan too hard today. He estimated that he’d already traveled almost fifty miles since leaving his campsite at sunrise. But he didn’t regret not stopping at Fort Shaw. He may have told the Stoker brothers that he’d visit on his return trip, but he didn’t want to waste the time once he decided to bypass the fort.
Even though it was still a sunny afternoon, the road became heavily shadowed by the mountains and the nearby pines. It created an ideal location for an ambush by more highwaymen. The road was reasonably well traveled, but Jake hadn’t seen any traffic after passing Fort Shaw. He’d have to be even more vigilant if he expected to reach Helena.
_____
Twelve miles ahead, two men sat beside their smoldering campfire watching for traffic. While they may be preparing to rob and kill the next passerby, they weren’t highwaymen. Privates Izzy Huffman and Dan Newton had deserted from Fort Shaw just after Jake had headed north. They had enlisted because neither could find a job and with the Indian Wars all but over, expected to enjoy an almost picnic-like time at the fort. It didn’t take long for them to run headlong into the reality of army life. Pay wasn’t as regular as they expected, and the food tended to be sporadic and often spoiled.
They were infantrymen, so to help them desert, they stole two army mules and enough rations and supplies to get them to Helena. They believed that when they reached the big town, they would find some of the gold that was rumored to be everywhere. They had their rifles and ammunition pouches and rode the overloaded mules hard as they climbed the mountain passes. They were convinced that they were already being chased, so they didn’t even stop to let the mules drink or rest.
The first mule had collapsed and refused to go on just four hours after leaving the fort. After unloading the poor beast, they’d just led him into the trees where Izzy had shot him. They had to shed some excess weight before they double mounted the second mule and continued heading south.
The second mule went lame two hours later, which was a remarkable effort by the abused animal. After leading the injured animal a few hundred feet from the road into a small forest, it was Private Newton who’d put him down. With no means of transportation, the two ex-privates walked another half a mile. They set up camp in the dark space between a pair of massive granite outcrops about thirty yards west of the road. While inside their rocky enclave, they could see about two hundred yards of the roadway back toward Fort Shaw but only about fifty yards to the south toward Helena.
They had expected to be riding south again the next morning, but the only traffic that had passed were two freight wagons heading south and a group of four hard men riding from Helena. All four freighters were well armed and neither Izzy nor Dan even considered launching a surprise
attack. When they spotted the four riders, the deserters had retreated into their natural fort and hope they wouldn’t become victims. They relaxed when they realized the men hadn’t seen them, then cooked a hot meal while keeping an eye on the roadway.
Now, as they sat by their dying campfire, Izzy asked, “Do you think we’re ever gonna get outta here, Danny?”
“We got enough food for a few more days. We’ll get to Helena soon enough. At least the army doesn’t seem to care about us anymore.”
Izzy snickered then said, “I bet Sergeant Rudd is spittin’ nails.”
Dan grinned as he stared at the road to the fort just in case the army cared about them after all. He lifted his Springfield Model 1868 rifle from where he’d leaned it against the rock and laid it across his lap.
Izzy stood, snatched his rifle then stepped near Dan and watched the south road toward Helena. The breechloader the army had provided and trained them how to use fired a .50-70/450 cartridge. Each of them had more than twenty rounds in his ammunition pouch and both of their rifles were loaded as they waited for a less threatening victim to appear.
_____
Jake had a limited view of the road ahead as it twisted and turned while snaking its way through the mountains. There were pines and large boulders and rocks everywhere, which should have worried him. Instead, it reminded him of his sanctuary on the Elk.
As Mars carried him up the rising roadway, Jake said, “I don’t think the possibility of running into a giant grizzly is going to prevent you from wanting to explore my refuge; will it, Sara?”
He grinned as he could hear her confident voice as she dared him to stop her. But before he could show her his private kingdom, he had to reach Helena then return. That meant that he had to stay alert.
While the rugged terrain limited his vision, it didn’t impede the scent of a dead mule. He was within a few hundred yards of the first carcass, before he spotted the buzzards circling overhead. Then both Mars and Vulcan had become skittish when they picked up the scent. The mule had been out of sight, so Jake didn’t know what had attracted the scavengers. It had been a large animal, but the most likely candidate was a large deer or even an elk.
After passing the carcass, the horses settled down and Jake no longer thought about what type of animal was feeding the vultures and four-footed scavengers.
More than an hour later, Jake began searching for a campsite. He was around a thousand yards from Izzy Huffman and Dan Newton when Mars suddenly snorted and jerked his head back. Before Jake could calm his red gelding, he heard a similar reaction from Vulcan. After he looked behind him to make sure Vulcan had calmed down, he pulled up and stood in his stirrups searching for whatever had bothered his horses. He didn’t see any vultures overhead because the second mule’s carcass was hidden by the pines. The smell of death was too dispersed for a human’s nose, but more than powerful enough for Mars and Vulcan to react.
When Jake couldn’t see any signs of another dead animal, he lowered himself into the saddle and just as a precaution, slid his Winchester from its scabbard. He didn’t cock the hammer but did release his Colt’s hammer loop. He felt a bit foolish before he nudged Mars into a walk but figured as no one was there to snicker at him, it didn’t matter.
Because the mountain on the left side of the road only left a few yards of space, he kept his eyes focused on the right side as Mars maintained a steady, slow pace. It wasn’t long before even his less sensitive sense of smell picked up the foul odor, despite the light wind taking most of it to the west. Mars and Vulcan were still a bit twitchy but seemed to have settled down. He’d keep the Winchester in his hands for another couple of minutes before he slid it home. Two minutes later, when he was still three hundred yards from the two deserters, he slid the repeater into its scabbard but left his Colt unsecured.
Dan was still sitting with his Springfield on his lap while Izzy continued looking to the south but shortly before Jake was about to enter Dan’s field of vision, he turned and looked up at Private Huffman.
“Do they hang deserters now that there ain’t no war, Izzy?”
Izzy kept his eyes on the roadway as he replied, “I think so, but I ain’t about to find out. They didn’t even need us, Danny. All we did was drill and clean stuff. They’re probably just happy ‘cause they don’t have to pay us anymore.”
Dan laughed and exclaimed, “They ain’t paid us for the last two months, Izzy!”
Jake was startled when he heard Private Newton’s loud voice. He pulled Mars to a sudden stop and quickly turned his eyes to the source. He almost missed seeing them because of the trees, but because he’d heard Dan so clearly, he was able to concentrate in the right direction. He still might have missed them if the two deserters weren’t wearing their army uniforms which still had shiny buttons and belt buckles.
He assumed that if he could see them, they would be able to see him but hadn’t spotted him yet. So, he pulled Mars back down the slope until the two men disappeared from his view and continued for another hundred yards. Once they were well out of sight, he had time to decide how to deal with them. He had only spotted two soldiers, but they might only be pickets as part of a training exercise. But the distance from Fort Shaw and the fact that it was manned by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment made it highly unlikely. They were probably deserters, but he was puzzled about them being there. If they were running, they shouldn’t have set up camp with so much daylight remaining.
Jake sat in the saddle for another minute before he found the answer when he connected the scent of a dead animal with their choice of a campsite. He quickly added the earlier reaction by Mars and Vulcan to account for their other dead horse. It also gave him a good idea of their intentions which could have meant his death if he had continued riding.
He turned Mars to the right and pulled just off the roadway before he dismounted. He tied his red gelding’s reins to a pine branch and pulled his Winchester.
He grinned at the equine brothers and said, “I’ll be back in a little while, boys. And thanks for the warning.”
Jake walked parallel to the road about fifty to a hundred feet away as he wound around the trees and boulders. He stepped carefully to avoid making noise but didn’t think the deserters would notice even if he’d started whistling. Despite their situation, they seemed to be having a enjoying themselves.
Izzy was now sitting beside Dan but still watched the road heading south. Since Dan’s loud exclamation that alerted Jake, they’d kept their chatter to a more normal volume. They were now discussing target assignments.
It was only when the two freight wagons passed that they realized that their element of surprise would vanish after they fired. They would have to reload their Springfields and if there were more than two men or one of them missed, they would be at a significant disadvantage. That limited them to a lone traveler, a pair of riders or a single wagon. So, now they were deciding which target each of them would take when a victim arrived even as they were about to become targets themselves.
As he took his winding path to the two ex-soldiers, Jake faced a mild dilemma. What would he do when he had them under his Winchester? They were deserters, so he should return them to Fort Shaw for trial. But he didn’t want to retrace his path. He wasn’t angry, but he was certainly getting annoyed. The lone highwayman and these two deserters seemed to be in league just to delay his search. It only took a few seconds to decide on a solution. The only difficulty would be if those two decided to shoot first, but he wasn’t about to give them that opportunity.
Jake knew he was getting close but hadn’t heard them chatting. He cocked his Winchester’s hammer before he stepped around a jagged rocky outcrop. Just a few steps later he detected the scent of smoke then soon picked up their voices. He slowed his approach even more as he circled around another boulder and then spotted them about sixty feet away. Their Springfields weren’t cocked, so he knew that he’d be able to put a .45 into each of them before they even turned their rifles in his direction.
He leveled his Winchester then stepped out into the small clearing where they were sitting.
As their heads quickly swiveled in his direction, Jake shouted, “Don’t move!”
Izzy and Dan wouldn’t have twitched a muscle after looking down the bore of Jake’s Winchester as each of them was stunned into immobility.
Jake kept his sights on the two deserters as he carefully stepped closer before he stopped twenty feet in front of them.
He asked, “What are you boys doing out here? And don’t even try to lie to me. I just got out of the army earlier this month.”
Izzy didn’t even glance at Dan before he replied, “We…we were headin’ to Helena.”
“In other words, you deserted.”
Izzy was too shaken to do anything more than nod. Dan closed his eyes as he envisioned the noose being lowered over his head.
Jake then said, “Toss those Springfields toward me.”
Izzy grabbed his rifle with both hands and lobbed it more than ten feet away before Dan just used his right hand to latch onto his rifle’s barrel then swing his Springfield and flip it in Jake’s direction. It struck the top of Izzy’s rifle and continued to spin and tumble until it came to rest almost at Jake’s feet.
With the ex-soldiers disarmed and twenty feet away, Jake carefully set his Winchester’s barrel on a stone then picked up Dan’s Springfield. He didn’t even aim it in the deserters’ direction as he took two long strides and snatched the second rifle from the ground.
Dan had opened his eyes, so he and Izzy stared at the stranger wondering what he was going to do to them.
Jake then cocked the hammer on Izzy’s Springfield before laying it on its side with the hammer side up. He clamped his left boot on the rifle’s barrel and swung Dan’s Springfield by the barrel. The stock slammed into the front of the other gun’s hammer and snapped it off. Jake took a few seconds to make sure the screw holding the hammer had been broken, then repeated the destructive procedure for Dan’s Springfield.
After dropping both useless weapons on the ground, Jake picked up his Winchester and looked back at the two men.