by S G Read
The hanging became a big draw and people came from everywhere to see it including Marshal Taylor, he was just making sure they were the men he thought they were. He looked at the corpses in their coffins ready for the photograph when the other two were hanged. Satisfied it was the bunch that had rampaged across the state, he bought a beer to drink while he watched the hangings.
‘Hello Marshal Taylor.’ Duncan greeted when he walked over with his beer. ‘Getting ready for the show then?
‘Thought I would this lot have given me a headache and a sore ass chasing them so I think watching the last of them meet their maker is necessary just in case they escape.’
‘Glad of the assistance just in case they make a crawl for freedom.’
‘Did you mean to keep them alive to be hanged?’
‘Hell no, but I was using a pistol, not my preferred killing weapon but I can use one; had to in the war.’
‘They sure chose the wrong town to invade this time, Duncan.’
‘Looks that way.’
When everyone was ready, the judge sent the two men to their deaths the older man first as he was nearly dead anyway. That way the younger man, who was showing signs of recovering could see him die before, he himself dropped to his death.
‘Well that is them out of my hair Duncan, can you keep the peace here until the sheriff is able to take over?’
‘I can do that Marshal Taylor, if need be I can get help as well.’
‘I hear you had help to sort this lot out.’
‘Been talking to Bart have we marshal? I did have help to kill some of them and Bart killed one his self.’
‘He fancied that Chinese girl himself and it got his dander up that that feller was just going to take her without her wanting him to.’ The Marshal explained. ‘He’s like that, it will probably get him killed one day.’
‘He’s a bit old for chasing women isn’t he.’ Duncan asked.
‘He reckons you are never too old to fancy a girl, just too old to do anything about it!’
‘That makes sense but it is a little sad.’ Duncan exclaimed.
‘You wait until you get old Duncan, you will find it a lot sad!’
Duncan spent the next week walking the streets of Martinsburg tipping his hat to women and saying good day to them and the men he met. He took drunks back to sober up in the jail and broke up fights at night. He hoped Charlie would soon be up and around, as this was not for him.
By the middle of the second week, Charlie was one of the walking wounded and spent some time doing the rounds with Duncan. Duncan cut down a double barrelled shotgun, to turn it into a hand gun for Charlie to use, as he was right handed and his right hand was in a sling. Charlie practiced shooting with the shotgun. He was soon able to draw and fire quickly with his left hand; and as it was a shotgun, he was not likely to miss. At close range he was likely to cut someone in half, which was a great deterrent to going up against the sheriff.
At the start of the third week Charlie walked the streets with Duncan walking with him by mid week Charlie threw the sling away and Duncan went home to his valley. He spent a week with Morning Sun and then rode back into town just to make sure all was well. He found Charlie in charge with the shotgun now part of his usual apparel; still on the left. As he was able to use it, he decided to keep it, as there weren’t many people who would argue with a sawn off shotgun at close range. With the town peaceful, well as peaceful as it ever was, Duncan rode back to the valley.
Little Buck rode out yet again to find Duncan’s lodge and this time he looked not more carefully at the sign before him but in a different way. Now he looked for anything out of place or odd and when he saw a leaf which was freshly folded over he investigated. Up to now he saw such things and ignored them but this time he straightened the leaf out and in doing so moved the hanging creepers which moved back past where the rock should have been. He thrust in two hands and opened a gap in the creepers, to find the cave which had eluded him up until now. He rode inside with his knife drawn in case he met a bear but the creepers had shown no sign of a bear passing through them. He found a cave which went nowhere but a faint sound drew him round a bend and to the back wall. Here he could hear a dog barking and assumed it was the redbone Duncan had started feeding. A push on the back wall made it move and the barking became louder.
‘I have found your lodge Duncan Lee.’ He said quietly but turned his horse and went back out of the cave. He rode back to the Indian village in a better mood than when he left. It was not missed by Running Wolf.
‘I see by the happy look you have at last found Duncan Lee’s lodge.’
‘You are observant father; I now feel as good as you said I would.’
‘Perhaps now you will show me the entrance to save me looking.’
‘I would father but it would deprive you of the feeling I am feeling now.’ Little Buck answered wisely.
‘A good answer little Buck, come I will show you how a brave tracks.’ He jumped onto his horse and rode off. Little Buck followed. They rode to the area Running Wolf assumed the opening was, he had worked it out from what he had heard from those who were seeking it and those who had found it. At one point he stopped.
‘What do you see son?’ He asked.
Little Buck scrutinised the area for some time before he answered. ‘I see a small mark on the stone running across the path, for no more than an arrow head father.’
‘Duncan lee has boasted of his fight to get his big fire into his new home and this tells of its passing. He put wood down to protect the path but the fire tilted and made this mark. Duncan lee, like you, ignored it but I have seen it, as any Sioux would and it must be removed.’ He climbed off his horse and with his knife he scraped away the rock then used the handle and another rock to break the edge. He rubbed soil on the broken edge then wiped off the excess. ‘Now it is an old break caused by a horse’s hoof and many such animals use this path. The opening is well hidden and here,’ he opened the creepers to reveal the cave. ‘But we will not go in together or he will think I had shown you what you had already found; you will come back and visit when you feel the time is right.’ They rode back to the Indian village.
Little Buck waited a week before he chose to visit Duncan and he slipped through the creepers and then the cloth covering the opening on the other side. He rode triumphantly up to the cabin and Duncan came out to meet him.
‘Good morning Little Buck, I see you have found my lodge.’
‘I have Duncan Lee and I am visiting.’
‘You are welcome Little Buck, I will tether your horse for you.’
They sat and talked and Little Buck told him of his finding the opening and his father’s subsequent finding of the opening and the removal of the tell tale mark. Although the Sioux would not know of the range he moved, it might still have revealed their presence. Duncan came to a decision to block of the side of the opening with a wooden surround with a door in it so that if it was needed he could fit bars on his side, to stop the door opening. It would not help in normal conditions as it would stop Little Deer or anyone else from visiting without letting them know they were coming.
It would take some thought but he decided it was necessary for Morning Sun’s and little Duncan’s safety. With that thought in mind he started the following morning using the wood he had used to move the range and some trees cut from inside the valley. As well as cutting down the trees near the garden they laboured to remove the root and thus expand the garden, to be able to grow more food. He rode into town for hinges and metal supports for the bars he would drop in place to lock the opening.
Nothing much had changed in the town although now one girl from the cat house, Hannah, spent time riding in the valley, where she met Small Elk and they did more than talk. He was just a John and paid with whatever he had with him, although she did refuse anything taken from the dead, unless they were outlaws. He knew where there was gold in the hills and gave her nuggets when other things were refused and for her part she ac
tually enjoyed the sex with him, which was a first for her and a John. Her trips did not go unnoticed however and the fact that she was depositing money or gold in the bank regularly. One girl in the cat house grew jealous and spoke to one of her John’s about it and he followed her one day to see where she went. He reported back that he had lost her in the valley but followed her out the next time, suspecting that she was having a liaison with an Indian. When he did not return and his body was found in the valley by a passing wagon, he had been scalped it painted an obvious picture. To Rose, the girl who had sent him, it seemed to prove she was meeting an Indian and she grew more jealous especially as she had lost a regular customer, the man who followed Hannah. When Hannah left for her next meeting Rose lay in wait for her when she returned.
‘So you have come back then Hannah.’ She declared when Hannah stopped the rig in the livery barn.
‘Yes I am Rose but then you can see that.’ Hannah answered.
‘And I bet you have more gold to put into the bank.’
‘I did get paid Rose that is what we do, sell our bodies.’
‘But at least I don’t sell mine to an Indian!’
‘They pay better and they have fantastic bodies although they don’t smell too great on occasions but I am working on that.’ Hannah declared and walked away.
Rose was beside herself but what could she do. She cornered Molly sometime after the confrontation with Hannah.
‘Did you know that Hannah is having it with Indians?’ She asked.
‘With one Indian, not the whole tribe.’ Molly answered. ‘He pays for what he gets and I get my share, so I for one am not complaining but what has got your goat?’
‘I don’t want to be doing this all my life and she is soon going to be able to retire on what she is earning.’ Rose declared.
‘He certainly doesn’t know the value of gold, I give you that but you will not make waves about it.’ Molly ordered. ‘Why not ask if the Indian has a friend?’
Rose opened her mouth to argue but stopped before she had uttered the words she had planned to, instead standing there with her mouth open.
‘It can’t be worse than Bert can it?’ Molly asked while she hesitated.
‘Hell no Molly, nothing could be that bad.’ Rose conceded.
‘Then ask her and give it a go. As long as I get my cut I have no argument with who you screw.’
Rose went to Hannah’s room and found her resting.
‘Hard morning?’ She asked.
‘Hard then soft then hard again.’ Hannah answered.
‘Sorry I was bitchy just now, can you ask him if he has a friend?’
‘There is another one there who would like to hump my bones but Small Elk will have nothing to do with it, so I might be able to include you in my trips. I’ll ask him next time I go. It is worth the effort.’
‘I know, the bank teller is one of my visitors.’
‘And he let on how much I have saved?’ Hannah asked.
‘He did and was I jealous. I don’t want to spend all my life on my back until no one wants to fuck me any more because I am old, so I want in if I can.’
‘I’ll ask him on Friday when I go out there.’
‘Thank you Hannah, you are a gem.’
‘You haven’t seen Crazy Dog.’
‘Can’t be any worse than Bert can he?’
‘Oh no, no one can be that bad.’ Hannah agreed.
With the wooden barricade in place and a doorway through it Duncan started to make a door. He used thick timber to make sure it would not burn through quickly and plenty of cross supports to give it more strength. It was hung on metal hinges made by the smith and instead of wooden bars to slot into the metal guides he had iron ones made. He had thoughts of making the whole lot out of iron so that it would be fire proof but getting it all back to and into the valley, would be difficult. He reckoned that by sitting above in the cave when the door was alight he could shoot anyone in there and possibly anyone trying to light the door.
It was all in case of a Sioux attack which might never come, although he had antagonised them by his recent actions. In addition to the door, he brought back a case of dynamite to be stored in the cave above, ready to have fuses attached and thrown at any attackers. The explosion would not only kill attackers but alert the Indian village to their attack which might just help as well.
Were he still on his own none, he would do none of this but he had his wife and child to think of now as well, and he was hoping there would be many more children born.
With his castle fortified he returned to the cabin and his family.
Chapter 4
Little Deer arrived for her usual hair braiding session but had to hammer on the door, as she could not work out how to open it. Morning Sun ran down and let her in then explained how it worked so that Little Deer could open it herself, in the dark of the cave.
‘I have a message for Duncan Lee.’ She announced as she slid of her horse.
‘He is changing little Duncan.’ Morning Sun replied.
‘He is? These white men are odd, we would never get a brave to change our babies.’ Little Deer retorted.
‘No but then there are so many old squaws about who would do it as a pleasure in the village, where here there is only me and him, unless you count the redbone dog?’
Little Deer laughed. ‘No I do not count the redbone dog but I think a brave would decide to go out hunting whenever the need arose for the baby to be looked after in such a way.’
Duncan walked out of the cabin and dumped the used nappy in the bin for washing.
‘Marshall Taylor would like to see you in Bluegrass, he thinks he needs your particular expertise.’ Little Deer exclaimed.
‘You have been practicing that Little Deer haven’t you?’ Duncan replied.
‘I have and it came out different several times.’ Little Deer declared. ‘I hope you know what he means?’
‘It means I need to take my long rifle with me and I might be gone sometime, so make sure Morning Sun is looked after for me please.’ Duncan answered.
‘Running Wolf is dealing with that but I don’t know what he is doing.’ Little Deer replied.
The following morning Duncan cuddled his son and then Morning Sun before he left. He saw no one outside but the cave was under watch now and would be until he came back.
Small Elk had to put a hold on his liaisons with Hannah until Duncan reached Bluegrass safely, as he was sent along to keep an eye on Duncan. Crazy Wolf and two others went along. One to take a message back to Running Wolf, if help was needed.
It took a day to reach Morgansville and Duncan rested there for the night leaving at first light to reach Bluegrass. He was followed all the way until he rode into town and then the four Indians stayed on the outskirts for a powwow. Their job was done and they could go back now but Crazy Dog wanted to wait.
‘Hello Duncan.’ Marshall Taylor greeted when he saw him and leapt out of the chair to shake his hand. ‘We have a situation. Some really nasty villains are holed up in a box canyon which is like a mini fortress. There is water in there and they have food and they also have lots of ammunition. Any men I put up on the ridge they shoot down with a rifle something like the one you have so I have had to pull them out of harms way. There is a second ridge which they can watch from although they still have to keep out of sight in case of a lucky shot. I am hoping that for you the second ridge will not be a lucky shot but just a good shot.’
‘I’ll freshen up and we will go and take a looksee.’ Duncan answered.
When the posse left, the four Indians melted into the trees to return to their village.
Two hours later, the posse arrived at the bottom of a ridge and started to climb. With his rifle on his back it was not an easy climb for Duncan but he kept moving, sometimes more slowly than others, until he lay panting at the top.
‘The men are holed up to the south.’ Marshall Taylor informed him, when he had stopped panting.
‘Who’d the
y rob?’ Duncan asked as he chose a position to spy on the hideout from.
‘Four trains and two banks so far. Each time we lost their trail but this time we found their hideout but it cost us four men when we did, as they have look outs posted in various places and they shoot to kill, without asking who goes where.’
Duncan stretched out and peered through the scope to see what the layout was like. He saw the fortress like cabin with a turret on top like the turrets they have in forts. In the turret was one man with a rifle.
‘It will be a question of who is the best shot, once I start firing. My first will be a ranging shot and if I am lucky my second will be the killing shot but when I get close to hitting him with the first shot, he will change position to make it harder. When he changes position I will have to change position to make it harder for him as he is the one who has fired up here before.’
‘I thought you would just shoot him dead and that would be it.’ Marshal Taylor retorted.
‘If only life was that easy.’ Duncan answered and moved to get his rifle.
As he moved a bullet plucked at his sleeve as it went past.
‘Hell if I hadn’t moved then you would be shooting yourself.’ Duncan exclaimed and kept out of sight as he moved to get his rifle. ‘I didn’t catch sight of him but he saw me alright and it sure as hell wasn’t the man in that turret.’
Duncan took his rifle and moved to a new site to look for his attacker. He spent a few seconds looking in one area then moved before anyone fired at him. He did the same from several locations without seeing his quarry.
‘I can’t see the son of a bitch.’ He declared testily.
‘Next time you are ready to look I’ll show myself.’ Marshal Taylor offered. ‘But I’ll be moving about.’
‘Worth a try but don’t go getting yourself killed, I wouldn’t like my pay check to stop coming.’
The marshal smiled. ‘We wouldn’t want that now would we?’ He declared and when Duncan was ready he stood up and walked across the space.