by S G Read
It was an hour before anyone appeared. They could see them pouring over the sign that led into the camp site and then back out again. One man was sent in to the camp site to have a look round, before they moved on. The man did not hurry, he scouted round and read the sign to find out what happened in the camp site. He rode out none the wiser, then five men rode on.
‘They’re sharp.’ Duncan said quietly. ‘Looks like I have a job to do before we ride after them!’
‘Well I can’t blow him up, they took all the explosives.’ Eugene declared and settled down to wait. He was not into hand to hand fighting.
Duncan waited long enough to be sure that they others were out of earshot and possibly gunshot if the need arose then moved forward. Not directly toward where he though the man was but in a circle, designed to let him have a good view of the area and spot the man, before he saw him. He did not move fast, just easing himself forward a little at a time and then waiting to take in all he could see that was new, just in case. Finally he saw his quarry. The man was sitting behind a rock watching the entrance to the camp site, waiting to see who came out. Duncan knew they had not taken the bait completely but he also knew that Slim and Fox could take care of themselves.
He moved forward, making sure the man did not see or hear him until he was close enough, then he stood up, his pistol drawn.
‘On your feet.’ He ordered, his badge now visible on the shirt beneath his coat.
The man swore and stood up. Duncan moved closer, the pistol not wavering.
‘What have I done wrong marshal?’ The man asked questioningly.
‘You damaged part of my equipment.’
‘What equipment.’ The man asked as Duncan reached him.
‘My pistol!’ Duncan answered and hit him with the barrel.
Duncan tarried long enough to tie the man up before he returned to Eugene and they rode away. He knew the man would free himself and follow but he was sure they would not find the valley by tracking them. At the crossroads Duncan saw where the others had followed Slim and Fox into the deserted Indian village. He was pleased to still count five horses following. They rode on and into the valley where Sarah was waiting with her rifle in her hand.
‘Any trouble?’ She asked.
‘Some.’ Duncan answered. ‘Watch the opening a while but not from out in the open.’
Sarah nodded and walked into cover while Duncan and Eugene rode up to the cabin to refresh themselves. After he had shown Eugene the work inside the valley, he planned to shave and eject Duncan Wolf Lee from the cabin to play outside.
After they had refreshed themselves Duncan walked about the valley showing Eugene what he wanted him to do and Eugene told him if it was possible. The tunnel through the rock which separated them from the plain was a major undertaking but it was possible and blocking off the cave could be achieved using the rocks which came from the tunneling. Hearing that Duncan left Eugene working things out and went in to shave, ten minutes later Duncan Wolf Lee was ejected.
Slim rode into the deserted Indian village and rode to the area he knew it was hard for those following to track them on, he had been here before, once when the Indians still lived there. Fox was surprised that he knew it so well.
‘Did you spy on us?’ He asked.
‘I did, just wanted to see what I was up against.’ Slim answered honestly.
‘And no one saw you?’
‘No. No one saw me.’ Slim answered.
‘I would have.’ Fox declared.
‘You were still in diapers then Fox.’
‘That makes you very old Slim.’ Fox retorted.
‘Not that old Fox but old enough.’ Slim admitted.
They continued until they could see the plain below and then dismounted to walk their horse across the rocks towards the start of the trail into the Indian village. Dismounting was to make sure they were not seen and to make sure they did not fall with the horse, should it fall. It took some time to reach the vantage point which overlooked the entrance, this was where an Indian would usually watch from to make sure no one entered the village without them knowing. They watched the five men arrive and look about to read the sign, which was quite plain.
‘Didn’t take the ruse completely then, I wonder if Dunc shot him?’ Slim mused.
‘Why would he not?’ Fox asked.
‘He aint broke the law yet and Duncan is a lawman.’ Slim answered.
‘But they are following them.’
‘They are, but there is no law against that. By the time they show their hand it might well be too late to stop them.’ Slim answered. ‘Four going in and one on watch to make sure we don’t come out again. Time to go I reckon.’
They led the horses and the mule down onto the plain. It was perilous journey and they had to take it slower than they would have liked, until they reached the plain below.
‘We are now on Dunc’s land, this is going to be a horse ranch.’ Slim declared as he climbed onto his horse.
At the entrance to the Indian village the man waiting was unaware of their presence as they were on the other side of the rocks to him but a horse came racing up to where he was waiting, throwing divots out behind it. The waiting man raised his rifle and waited but lowered it when he recognised the rider.
‘We are following the wrong people.’ The man warned. ‘The two we are following jumped me and tied me up.’
‘Didn’t kill you?’ The other man asked but turned and fired his rifle three times to call the others back.
Duncan walked out of the cabin with a big smile on his face and climbed on Slim’s horse. He made sure his pistol and rifle were loaded before he rode away.
‘Thinking of going without me?’ Sarah asked as she rode out to meet him.
‘Howd’you know I was going out again?’ Duncan asked.
‘You’re riding Slim’s horse, so something is going on! And two rifles are better than one!’ Sarah answered.
‘Let’s go then but keep your head down, it would be a shame for all that schooling to leak out.’
‘I’ll keep my head down pa.’ She answered.
Duncan turned to look at her.
‘Just mind you do, daughter.’ He replied and they rode away.
The four men in the Indian village heard the shots and hurried back to the entrance to see what was going on. They saw the man they had left on watch by the camp site there and rode over to where he sat on his horse.
‘They are giving us the run around Prentiss. Two went in with a mule and two others came out with the same mule. Swapped horses as well to make sure we took the bait.’ The waiting man declared.
‘I thought something weren’t quite right.’ Prentiss exclaimed. ‘So they rode in here and must know the way out, two look left and two look right to see where they come out. I want a word with the ones we are following now!’
Slim and Fox rode on to the plain and cut across to keep away from the opening near the entrance to the Indian village. They did not race as they still had the mule in tow and both looked towards the opening they were riding away from early on. One of the two men following who had gone right, rode back in a hurry.
‘I just seen two fellers towing a mule on that plain, Prentiss.’ He said urgently.
‘Good, let’s go have a word with them, they must know the other two and therefore will know where they hang out, but we can’t question them if they are dead! If you kill them I will kill you!’ Prentiss answered. ‘Now let us catch them up, they can’t go too fast with a mule in tow.’
Slim heard hoof beats behind him and turned to look. He saw all six men charging after them.
‘Time to go Fox.’ He hissed. ‘You get in front and don’t stop until you are in the valley.’
‘And miss all the fun?’ Fox answered, spurring his horse on and making sure the mule did not escape. ‘When the time comes we will make our stand together Slim, they will not stand a chance.’
‘You sure talk big for a little Indian.’ Slim retorted, keepin
g behind the mule to make sure the men could not shoot Fox.
As they grew closer the men following started firing and bullets whistle and whined past them as the rode. Slim knew they were not trying to hit them at the moment, more interested in hitting the horses. The mule took exception to the higher speed and took action, pulling Fox from his horse. He rolled on the ground and was on his feet in seconds, flicking the bow from his body and fitting an arrow in it ready to fire as he sought shelter. Slim pulled back on his reins and Duncan’s horse slithered to a halt, allowing Slim to leap off it and into cover, with bullets whining past his head. The six men chasing them, did not slow and closed the gap between them in a few seconds. Slim fired and saw one fall, he saw an arrow hit another one and then saw two others fly out of the saddle. The two remaining started to pull their horses up but they were soon shot from their saddles. Fox looked round and saw Sarah stand up. She had been lying in the sagebrush.
‘Can’t you keep out of trouble?’ She asked.
‘It doesn’t look like it, does it?’ Fox replied.
‘Come here, I’ll look at that arm.’ Sarah declared like a mother hen and Fox look at his arm.
There was blood running down it.
‘When did that happen?’ He asked and crumpled into a heap.
‘Fox has been hit.’ Sarah yelled to the other two.
‘He’s not the only one,’ Slim answered, ‘but do you hear me complaining?’
‘Oh he’s not complaining, he just sort of fell down.’ Sarah replied.
Duncan looked at Slim and his wounds before he made a decision.
‘Can you make sure they won’t cause us any more grief Slim?’ He asked hopefully. ‘So that I can look at Fox.’
‘They won’t cause anymore trouble, you see to the boy.’ Slim answered, he walked towards the fallen men with his pistol drawn and ready to fire.
While Duncan looked at Fox’s wounds Slim fired six shots from close range, one into each of the fallen men. He was taking no chances. Only when he was sure they were no danger, did he walk back to see how Fox was.
‘Will he live?’ He asked when he lowered himself to the ground next to the other three.
‘Longer than you, as you are so old.’ Duncan declared.
‘Good, I want to tell him off, for not doing as I told him.’ Slim retorted.
Sarah laughed and started bandaging Slim’s wounds so that they could go back to the valley. They lifted Fox onto Duncan’s horse when he was already sitting on it and then Sarah and Duncan climbed into their saddles, Slim a lot slower then Sarah. Despite their wounds, Duncan and Slim had already thrown the dead men on their horses and Sarah led them with the mule tied to the rear horse. They rode back to the valley, with Sarah stopping to hold the vines open to allow Duncan and Slim to ride through. She also ran ahead to open the door the other end, so that Slim did not have to dismount. When they were in the valley, she led the other horses and the mule through, then tidied the vines and closed the door.
Inside Slim and Duncan compared wounds while Morning Sun looked after Fox. Sarah let the horses drink in the stream with their burdens still on them and hurried off to help Morning Sun. Later Morning Sun bandaged Duncan and Slim’s wounds, when she could do no more for Fox. Duncan and Slim sat on the porch afterwards and Duncan produced a bottle of whisky.
‘For medicinal purposes only.’ He warned but threw the stopper away. Indicating that when they had finished the bottle would no longer need a stopper.
Duncan knew that Fox would be in Sarah’s bed and he also knew that Sarah would sleep with morning Sun in their bed, which left him sleeping under the stars with Slim and he was preparing for that sleep the easy way. They took turns drinking from the bottle as they watched Eugene look through the equipment on the mule, muttering as he did so. When the mule was unloaded he walked of with the equipment he needed to start marking where the opening would be. The two men watched him go but did not follow.
‘Shouldn’t we unload the horses while we still can?’ Slim asked after another long drink.
‘Yep.’ Duncan answered. ‘Soon be ready.’
Later they unloaded the bodies from the horses and left them close to where they would be buried, took the saddles off and let the horses run free with the other horses in the valley. Slim watched Duncan make notes as they unloaded the bodies.
‘What’s the script for?’ He asked.
‘Making it all legal and above board Slim. I am going to record the attack on you and Fox and our intervention, leading to the deaths of your attackers. I will list their belongings and descriptions, so that anyone with a claim can come out and claim what is rightfully theirs.’ Duncan answered.
‘Sounds like legal trickery to me, you knew they would be a little put out when they found out we had pulled a switch!’ Slim replied.
‘Carpet bagging the carpet baggers Slim, and proud to do it.’
‘Hell, I have no complaints, they were smarter than I took them for.’ Slim replied.
‘That one is Jim Prentiss.’ Eugene declared from behind them, making them both jump.
‘Do you have to sneak around like that Eugene?’ Slim Asked.
‘You stay alive longer if you do Slim.’ Eugene answered. ‘Nasty piece of work Prentiss, I might know the others, to save a description.’
‘Be obliged Eugene, I don’t like writing at the best of times.’ Duncan answered.
Chapter 17
Fox opened his eyes two days later and the first person he saw was Sarah. She sat by the end of her bed watching him. He tried to rise and the relaxed back onto the bed again.
‘Did they shoot me?’ He asked.
‘They did Fox, but it was only once.’ Sarah answered. ‘Slim and Duncan were hit twice and they didn’t faint.’
‘Sorry.’ Fox replied despondently.
‘I am only Joking Fox.’ Sarah scolded. ‘You are a boy and they are men. Most boys your age would die if they were shot like you were.’
‘I am the same age as you.’ Fox countered.
‘Well, what do you think I would do if I was shot?’ Sarah asked.
‘Fight on.’ Fox answered morosely.
‘If you are going to feel sorry for yourself I will go and Help Morning Sun!’
‘Sorry.’ Fox answered immediately. ‘I don’t like fainting.’
‘Who does? Duncan and Slim are burying the dead uns and making Morning Sun a bigger garden at the same time, took their clothes off them so I hightailed it in here.’
‘I wear very little.’ Fox answered.
‘You aren’t dead, well not yet anyways.’ Sarah answered. ‘Besides, you have a nice body to look at!’
Fox smiled.
‘I am going round to mark the other side Mr. Lee.’ Eugene announced when they had covered the last body and smoothed the ground over.
‘I’d best come round with you, just in case Eugene.’ Duncan answered.
‘I’ll do that Dunc.’ Slim offered. ‘I’ll feel like I am earning my keep that way.’
‘You up for it then?’
‘More so than you I reckon, you build up your strength for the ride to Bluegrass.’ Slim answered.
‘I’ll go into Martinsburg and use the telegraph, rather than ride all that way.’ Duncan answered. ‘But I accept your offer to help out.’
While Duncan sat on the porch, Slim and Eugene rode out of the valley with the mule in tow, loaded with his equipment. They rode along to the entrance to the plain and turned into the plain. Eugene led to where he thought the tunnel would come out and they set up camp until the sun was in the right position. He checked with his instruments many times, moving down the rock face but had to stop when the sun had gone too far.
‘We can move camp to here Slim, I was a long way out.’ Eugene announced.
‘You can work out where it will come out with those things?’ Slim asked as he broke camp.
‘I can when I have the sun in the right place. Can’t do any more until tomorrow now.’
> ‘Then when we make camp, I will have a siesta.’ Slim declared.
The following day Eugene took more readings and moved farther down until he made a chalk mark on the rocks.
‘Getting close now Slim. Tomorrow will see the wall marked ready and me heading into town to get a crew lined up.’
‘Dunc will go in with you, if he is fit. If not I will, just in case you run into trouble.’ Slim replied.
‘Company is always welcome, especially company as good with their guns as you two.’
‘Glad to be of service Eugene.’
The following day Eugene took more readings and made more chalk marks, rubbing out the first chalk marks as he did so. Finally he put his equipment away.
‘That it then?’ Slim asked.
‘It is. The two chalk marks show the sides of the tunnel, I will mark the top when we start tunneling.’ Eugene answered.
They broke camp and packed everything on the mule then rode back into the valley to find Duncan cutting wood.
‘You don’t stay put for long.’ Slim declared from the back of his horse.
‘Just loosening up, how did it go Eugene?’ Duncan replied.
‘All ready for a few men to start the tunnel Mr. Lee. I am going into town and Slim said you needed to go in there as well.’
‘I do, so we will start out when you are ready to go.’ Duncan replied.
‘I just need to freshen up a bit in the stream and then we can be on our way. I’ll leave the mule here that should speed things up a bit.’ Eugene confirmed.
‘I’d say.’ Slim declared and slid down off his horse. ‘How is Fox?’
‘Not up to walking yet but with Sarah and Morning Sun looking after him he’ll soon be up and about if you want to leave.’ Duncan answered.
‘We can wait until you get back but I don’t want to miss pay day, not that I have done much to earn my money this month.’ Slim explained.
‘Just what do you do?’ Duncan asked.
‘I am just there to let him know what the Indians are up to and when to make ready for an attack.’ Slim answered. ‘The lack of Indians here abouts now is making that job a little redundant.’