“Tarno,” Faro shouted, “anybody hurt?”
“No,” said Tarno.
“Move on in,” Faro replied. “We’re comin’ in from over here.”
Carefully Faro, Isaac, Felix, and Dallas advanced, and soon they could see the shadows of their comrades moving in from the opposite direction. Faro sighed with relief, for it was over, and they hadn’t lost a man.
*The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad reached Santa Fe in 1892.
Chapter 16
As the teamsters neared the fire, they kept their weapons ready lest the captives renew the fight, but the five men made no false moves.
“Who are you men?” Faro demanded.
There was silence until Faro cocked his Colt. Finally one of the captives spoke sullenly.
“Ebeau, Jed, Kirk, Newsom, and Inkler. That’s Luke, Marklee, and Giles there on the ground.”
“That’s better,” said Faro. “Where are you from, and how did you know about us?”
“North of here, three days’ ride,” Ebeau said. “Gent name of Durham told us.”
“We ought to stampede your horses and make you walk,” said Tarno.
“Just give us a chance,” Inkler pleaded. “We’ll ride out and keep goin’.”
“Damn right you will,” said Faro. “If any of you show up here again, you’ll be shot on sight and without warning. Now saddle your horses, take your dead with you, and ride.”
The five wasted no time in saddling all eight horses. The dead were tied belly-down over their saddles, and without so much as asking for their discarded weapons, they all mounted and rode out. The three led horses nickered in protest, not liking their grim burdens or the smell of blood. The sound of their going faded, leaving only the silence of the night.
“Do you suppose they’ll keep riding?” Collins asked.
“I think so,” said Faro, “but just to be sure they do, I’ll ride back this way, ahead of the wagons. One of you put out that fire. Now let’s gather up those weapons.”
Nearing the horses, they paused. In the silence of the night, the cocking of a Colt seemed loud.
“Mamie,” Faro said, “it’s us.”
“Thank God,” said Mamie. “I could hear the shooting. Are any of you hurt?”
“Not a scratch,” Faro said, “and the bunch waiting for us are no longer waiting.”
“I’m glad,” said Mamie, “but how did they know we were coming?”
“Our friend Durham told them,” Faro said. “If he followed the Colorado, he could reach Denver a lot sooner than he’d make it to California.”
“The sorry, no-account coyote,” said Mamie bitterly. “He might have gotten every one of us killed.”
“I reckon that’s what he was hopin’ for,” Tarno said. “Once we get back to Santa Fe, remind me to take a ride up to Colorado.”
“We’ll be a while gettin’ back to Santa Fe,” said Dallas. “You’d never find him.”
“The hell I wouldn’t,” Tarno said doggedly. “A skunk leaves his smell everywhere he goes.”
“Forget it,” said Faro. “We came out of it better than they did, and we picked up some extra Colts and Winchesters. Now let’s get back to the wagons.”
Following the river, they soon reached the wagons. One of the mules brayed as they approached, but there was no other sound. Quickly they dismounted and unsaddled their horses. It was near midnight.
“The first watch will take four hours and the second watch four,” said Faro. “That will allow all of us to get a little sleep, even if it means a late start tomorrow.”
“I think we deserve that,” Collins said.
He took his Winchester from the saddle boot, and Felix, Tarno, and Dallas joined him for the first watch. Less than an hour later, Mamie approached Felix.
“You should be sleeping,” said Felix.
“I couldn’t,” Mamie said. “I was afraid some of you might be hurt, and I was prepared for that. Now I…I can’t seem to overcome the thought of it. It’s like…all of you are my family, and after Odessa…I can’t bear losing any of you.”
“You must overcome that fear,” said Felix. “I believe our troubles are over, except for a possible clash with the Utes, and they shouldn’t have rifles.”
Nothing disturbed the tranquillity of the night, and with Mamie helping, Felix soon had breakfast ready.
“I believe we can reach the claim today,” Collins said.
“Maybe,” said Faro, “but we’ll have to step up the gait some.”
“Then let’s do it,” Josh Snyder said. “It seems like we’ve been on the trail forever.”
“Levi,” said Faro, “I’ll want you to take the first wagon the rest of the way. While I don’t expect those hombres to return, we can’t take the risk. They may have had extra Colts and shells in their saddlebags. I aim to ride well ahead of the wagons.”
“We should have searched their saddlebags before we let ’em go,” Shanghai said.
“I don’t expect any more trouble from them,” said Faro. “Not after they saw three of their friends die before their eyes.”
“It does have a way of driving home the finality of a man’s own mortality,” Felix said.
While the teams were being harnessed, Faro rode out. Since Odessa’s death, Felix had taken responsibility for her wagon. Today, instead of riding alongside the wagon, Mamie had tied her horse behind and sat beside Felix.
“I hope you don’t mind,” said Mamie. “I think they all know about us, by now.”
“I daresay they do,” Felix said, with some humor.
“Sometimes I wonder what they’re thinking,” said Mamie. “After all, they know what fools Odessa and me made of ourselves over Hal Durham. My God, the proper folks back in Amarillo…”
“Have become too civilized for the frontier,” Felix finished. “Faro, Shanghai, Dallas, and Tarno are frontiersmen, and I like to think the rest of us are becoming like them. I know I am, and I don’t expect any less of Levi, Isaac, and Josh. I’d gamble my share of the gold there’s not a man among us who’s not guilty of some things he can’t recall with pride. I knew several men in New Orleans who later came west and married women right out of whorehouses.”
Mamie laughed. “At least you didn’t sink quite that low.”
Southwestern Utah. The Sevier River.
October 17, 1870.
Faro rode west along the river until he reached the first of the pyramids marking the claim. Since they had to establish a camp for many months, he sought some kind of shelter that might also afford protection against possible attacks by the Utes. But he rode all the way to the bend in the river, well beyond the claim, without finding any natural shelter. Finally, convinced there were no unseen dangers, he rode back to meet the wagons. They stopped to rest the teams so that they might learn what Faro had discovered.
“No tracks except what that bunch made when they rode out last night,” Faro said. “I rode west along the river, well beyond the claim, without finding anyplace we might use as shelter and maybe defense against Indian attacks.”
“There is no shelter and no cover along the river, near the claim,” said Collins.
“No,” Felix agreed. “That’s how the Utes made it so hot for us, we had to run for it, instead of waiting for Levi and the supplies.”
“One thing I noticed that might work in our favor is the high banks of the river, half a mile or so beyond the claim,” said Faro. “There’s a considerable overhang that can shelter us from rain or snow, and would make attacks by the Utes difficult.”
“There’s just one problem,” Isaac said. “There’s water from bank to bank, and I’d say it’s deep. There’s no place even for us to hunker down there, and certainly no protection for the horses, mules, and wagons.”
“Nobody’s said anything about the location of the gold,” said Faro, “but from where the claim markers are located, I’d say it’s in the riverbed. Am I right?”
“One hundred percent,” Collins said, “
and that’s why we have dynamite in all five of the wagons. There’s a canyon—Devil’s Canyon, we call it—that parallels the river. In fact, the river flows into it several miles east of our claim.”
“I noticed that,” said Faro, “and you have plans for blasting the river into a new path, so that it flows into the canyon somewhere beyond the claim. That would leave the portion of the river’s bed dry where your claim’s located.”
“Exactly,” Collins said. “You are an observant man.”
“Then let me offer a suggestion,” said Faro, “since you intend to divert the river anyway. Devil’s Canyon runs alongside the river for maybe two miles beyond the claim, all the way to the bend in the river. Suppose, just this side of the bend, the river was diverted into the canyon there, instead of just barely beyond the claim?”
“The river’s original bed would then be dry well beyond those high banks,” Collins said excitedly. “Those high riverbanks would become our shelter and fortification.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” said Faro. “Our only difficulty might be in finding a place where the banks are low enough to get the wagons down there.”
“More dynamite,” Felix said. “With that and some shovel work, we can build ourselves a road. After all, we built a bridge, didn’t we?”
“For needed shelter and defense against the Indians, it would be worth the extra work, I think,” said Faro.
“There’s more advantage than that,” Dallas added. “When you’re dealin’ with gold in a riverbed, how can you be sure where it starts and stops? Blasting the river into Devil’s Canyon a mile farther upstream instead of doin’ it right next to the claim might produce even more gold. How do we know gold can’t be found farther up the river, beneath those high banks?”
“We don’t,” said Collins. “In our excitement, we overlooked the obvious.”
“Didn’t we, though?” Felix said. “We ought to follow Faro around and learn from him, if we can.”
“Oh, hell,” said Faro, embarrassed. “I wasn’t thinking of the claim extending upriver beyond your markers. When I couldn’t find any shelter and no decent place for defense, I was only thinking of a way we could use those high banks and their overhang in some way. Even if there’s more gold upriver, it won’t be worth as much to us as shelter during the coming winter and as a defense against Indian attacks.”
“Amen to that,” Felix said. “Let’s get rolling. I want to have a look at Devil’s Canyon up there beyond the claim.”
The wagons rolled on, and before sundown they reached the point on the Sevier River where the claim had been marked.
“Too late to accomplish anything today,” said Collins, “but I think we should perhaps plan on doing some blasting within the next day or two, if it turns out that we can use the old riverbed for shelter. I look for some serious snowfall, and it may be soon.”
“Isaac’s had considerable experience with dynamite,” Josh Snyder said, “and I’ve had a little, myself.”
“I’m counting on that,” said Collins. “In the morning, after breakfast, I’d like for both of you to accompany Faro to the place he feels we ought to blast the river into Devil’s Canyon. Then if you feel there are possibilities, decide where the charges should be set, and get on with it.”
“I’m almighty tired of snaking in tree trunks for firewood in the midst of a blizzard,” Dallas said. “Once we’re sure where the permanent camp will be, I’d favor all of us that’s not involved in the blasting startin’ to drag in firewood.”
“Not a bad idea,” said Faro. “If we’re able to divert the river and set up camp in the old riverbed beneath the overhang, there’s no reason we can’t work the claim in the worst kind of weather. But we’ll need plenty of fuel, and I don’t see a lot of timber close by. I reckon we need to follow your advice, Dallas, and I’d be obliged if you’ll take charge of gathering as much wood as you can. If the claim is anything close to as rich as we think, then I doubt any of us will want to take the time to drag in fallen trees to feed the fire.”
“Right,” Dallas said, “but I’ll need help. Who’ll go with me?”
“I will,” said Collins. “Faro, Isaac, and Josh will decide where to set the charges for the blasting.”
“Tarno and me will go with you,” Shanghai said.
“So will I,” said Felix.
“If the blasting works out,” Faro said, “our next step will be to find a place where the wagons can be driven down into the old riverbed.”
“Let’s just hope the old riverbed is solid,” said Dallas. “If there’s mud, we may have to wait a week or two for it to dry.”
“We have reasons to believe it’s solid,” Collins said. “At least it was in the shallows from which we first took ore samples.”
Mamie and Felix had supper ready well before dark, and the fire was doused. The sun set behind a cloud bank, shooting glorious arrows of crimson far into the evening sky.
“I hope there ain’t too much mud in that riverbed,” said Tarno. “The Injun in me says there’ll be more snow. After the light one we had last time, the one that’s comin’ may be neck-deep.”
“I wish the damn Injun in you wasn’t always right,” Shanghai said. “The varmint can take his turn with an ax, choppin’ wood.”
* * *
The night passed quietly, and when breakfast was over, Faro, Isaac, and Josh saddled their horses and rode upriver to further investigate the possibility of diverting the river where Faro had suggested. Dallas and the rest of the outfit, armed with axes, rode out in search of windblown and lightning-struck trees that could be snaked in for firewood. A Winchester by her side, Mamie had remained in camp to clean up the breakfast fixings.
“Along about here,” Faro said, reining up his horse.
“Let’s see how much of a path we’ll have to blast,” said Isaac. “The only problem I can see would be that the distance from the river to the canyon rim is too great, or that there is solid rock in the way.”
“We don’t have to blast at any certain place,” Faro said, “as long as we’re far enough upriver to free part of the riverbed for the shelter we need. First we must find a place in the bank that’s low enough for us to cross to the other side of the river.”
“We could have crossed downstream,” said Felix, “but it’s a long way. That’s where we crossed to set up the claim markers.”
“We’ll ride on a ways,” Faro said. “Then we can work our way back, looking for the best place to blast. How far upriver does the canyon go?”
“I have no idea,” said Isaac. “Once we set up the claim markers, we didn’t concern ourselves with the canyon beyond there.”
“I don’t see a far canyon rim from here,” Josh said. “Could be a box canyon. That or it veers away from the river along here.”
“We won’t know until we’re able to cross,” said Faro.
They had ridden what Faro estimated to be five miles before finding a place where they could lead their horses down one steep bank and up the other. Reaching the far bank, they stopped to rest the animals.
“I think we’ll have to find a place somewhere downstream to take the wagons into the riverbed,” said Josh. “We’d never level those banks where we just crossed. There’s too much rock.”
“That won’t make any difference, if Devil’s Canyon plays out somewhere below here,” Isaac said. “Before we make any plans for getting the wagons down to the riverbed, we’d best be sure there’s a canyon where the river can go.”
With that in mind, they rode away from the river, to the north, only to find there was no canyon paralleling the river.
“It’s a blind canyon at this end,” said Isaac. “We’ll have to ride downriver until we find the head of it. From there we’ll look for a place where it’s closest to the river.”
“That’s something I didn’t consider when I suggested going even farther beyond the claim before diverting the river,” Faro said. “We may be limited by the distance between the river
and the canyon.”
They rode almost three miles before they could see the north rim of the canyon ahead of them. Dismounting, they led their horses closer, and by the time they reached the box end of the canyon, they could barely hear the roar of the river.
“Too far from the river,” said Felix. “We’ll follow it until we find a place where it’s nearest the north bank.”
They continued along the canyon rim until they could again hear the surge of the river.
“There’s piles of loose dirt and rock down there in the canyon,” Josh said, “and I’d say that’s proof enough it ain’t solid rock between here and the river.”
“It’s encouraging,” said Isaac, “as long as there hasn’t been a slide serious enough to block the canyon.”
“It’s plenty deep,” Faro said, “unless it becomes too shallow too soon.”
Suddenly Faro went closer, peering into the canyon.
“What is it?” Josh asked.
“I thought I saw something down there,” said Faro. “There it is again.”
Amid a pile of dirt and rock that had tumbled down from the rim, the sun shone on a bright object.
“Gold,” Josh said. “We’re about to flood Devil’s Canyon, when there’s gold in it.”
“Maybe not,” said Faro. “The sun might reflect off any kind of metal.”
“Other kinds of metal would rust, but gold wouldn’t,” Isaac said. “One of us will have to go down there.”
“I’ll go,” said Faro, “but we’ll have to knot a pair of lariats together. One wouldn’t be long enough.”
Taking a lariat from his saddle and one from Isaac’s, Faro knotted them together. He then tied one end to the horn of his saddle, and taking a strong hold on the rope, stepped over the canyon rim. Keeping the rope taut, he walked down the canyon wall, loose rock and dirt tumbling down ahead of him. Reaching the canyon floor, it took a moment for him to locate the object that had first attracted his attention. Kneeling, he scooped away the loose dirt to reveal a golden cross on a gold chain.
“It is gold!” Josh shouted from the rim.
“Yes,” said Faro, “but not the kind we’re looking for. It’s a gold cross attached to a gold chain, and the chain’s caught on something.”
Devil's Canyon Page 24