“That’ll be sixteen and a half dollars. American, not Confederate, please.” He looked amused at his little joke.
Ike brushed a hand over his mouth. “Ain’t got that kind of money, O’Toole. I—”
Just then, the professor walked over. “Here you are, my good man.” He took out some currency and laid it on the countertop.
It was the first time Ike ever appreciated hearing that phrase. He looked over at the professor and nodded. “Don’t know when I’ll be able to pay you back, Walnutt, but I will.”
The professor smiled back. “I would consider it an honor, sir, if you would allow me to buy these supplies for our adventure. I would like this to be my contribution to the effort, if you would accept it.”
Ike couldn’t turn the man down under those circumstances. “I thank you, Professor, very much.” He hesitated, then said, “Your throwin’ in with us has been a great help to Rob and me. We appreciate it.” He held his hand out to Walnutt, who took it eagerly. The professor pumped Ike’s hand hard, then swung his hat off in a sweeping gesture and bowed.
Rob laughed. “The handshake would’ve been enough, Professor. No need to overdo it. No women around here to impress.”
At the stables, they mounted up and galloped out of town on the main road in the direction of Emerald Valley Ranch. Just short of a half hour, Rob found the faint game trail off to the right that Kelly described. He motioned to the others, and they trotted off the main road and up the hillside. At first, a pair of old wagon tracks guided them onward, but they grew faint as the slope rose. Soon, the tracks were gone. The three slowed after about the mile point in and searched left and right at every clearing they came to. Rob rode off the trail at one particular one and dismounted, followed by the other two. There was no track, disturbance, or anything else to be found in the little opening, and they swung back up on their horses. They rode further up into the hills until Ike stopped at another clearing off to his right. He eyed the space for a minute, then kicked Ally forward into it.
“Let’s take a look, but keep the horses back a bit so if there is somethin’ here, we don’t trample over it.”
They tied the horses off on willow bushes by a little stream that edged the meadow and searched the clearing on foot. Rob was the first to spot something.
“Over here!”
Tall grasses were bent down in several spots where he pointed. Ike leaned down and looked at the flat spots closely. “Somethin’s been here for sure. Could’ve been an animal bedding down. And it looks like it’s been a while ago, because the flattened grasses are browner than the tall grasses nearby, like they bent and died a ways back. That could fit.”
They followed the trampled grass trail down toward the creek, where the vegetation thinned and bare ground peeked through.
As they fanned out, the professor yelled. “I may have something here. Look at these discolorations.” He pointed toward several places where the flattened tan grass was stained a dark brown. “If I had to guess, I would say those dark markings are blood stains.” There was darkened grass all around a small area. “Look at this.” He leaned down for a closer look. “What do you make of these, Ike?”
Ike knelt as well as he could with a bad leg. “Those may be footprints, but they’ve been almost washed or worn away.” Then he saw them. There were a couple of smaller, deeper footprints in the dirt almost hidden by vegetation to either side. He pushed the grass away for a better look and stood, wide-eyed. “Those are Sue’s footprints.”
Walnutt said, “How do you know that?”
“I just know. Keep looking around to see if there’s more. Maybe we can tell what direction she was going in.”
After an agonizing search with no more results, Rob said, “What do we do now, Ike?”
“Dunno. I’m at a dead end. What we do know now is that Sue was here, someone was wounded—coulda been her—but whoever it was isn’t here anymore.” He stared back down at the discolored area. There must have been a lot of blood to leave that big a stain, and it wasn’t Kelly who did the bleeding.
As they walked back to the horses, Ike spied another area of grass up higher on the hill that looked like it had also been slightly trampled. He walked over to a spot where the grasses intermingled with needles underneath a grouping of pine trees. He knelt as well as he could and ran a hand over a small area.
“Look here,” he yelled. The other two men rushed over. Ike pointed at the ground. “At first, I thought this flattened area came from elk layin’ down for the night, but then I saw this horse track. And look at those hoof prints. That horse ain’t shoed. The only horses I know that ain’t shoed are Indian horses.”
They all looked at each other.
Ike rose and looked around. “Who’s the closest Indians, and where’s their camp?” Two blank faces stared back at him. He paused for a minute, then lurched for Ally. “Let’s push on to the Emerald Valley, I got an idea.”
When they got to the ranch, they saw the devastated spread for the first time in daylight. It hadn’t been occupied since the attack, and already it looked like it had been abandoned a while. They led their horses into the barn and set out feed and water for them. The front door to the ranch house stood ajar, and when they walked in, it was apparent that someone else had been there since the shootout. Ike strode straight to Manning’s study, ignoring the disarray he passed.
“What are you looking for, Ike?” The professor hurried to catch up from behind.
“When I was here during the attack, I noticed there were maps on the table. Now I don’t see ’em. Someone else has been ransackin’ the place since we were here.” He stopped and looked around. The large table was tipped over, and there was litter everywhere. “Damn!” He gazed around the room. “Spread out and look for anything like a map. Gotta find out where Buster went.”
The room was a mess. The desk was ransacked, the table damaged, and the inset wooden shelves stripped clean. Dark brown stains covered the carpet and broken glass littered the floor. Papers of all kinds were strewn around.
Rob yelled out from a corner. “Look at this.” He straightened up, holding a rolled up document. “Set that table back up.” He unrolled the scroll on the table. “Yup, it’s a map of the area all right. Why’d you want it, anyway, Ike?”
All eyes were fastened on the sketch that lay before them. “None of us knows much about what the land around here looks like, so I figgered a map would give us a better idea of where an Indian tribe might make camp for the winter. If we find the camp, hopefully we’ll find Buster, and Sue.” He looked down at the diagram. “Somewhere that’s not too high up, likely in a large valley.”
“By Jove, a first-rate idea, Ike.”
Chapter Thirty-One
The three men stood in the living room of the destroyed ranch house and pored over the rough sketch of the surrounding area. Rob pointed to an area west and south of nearby Fairplay. “We already rode over that ground. Let’s scout somewhere a little further north.”
They stood clustered around the map looking for anything that resembled a large valley in the mountains to the west. Anything that would appear as an open spot. Finally, Rob said, “It’s no use. Ike. I don’t even know what we’re looking for. And how do we even know that finding the Indian camp will lead us anywhere closer to Sue? Or if she’s even alive.”
“Don’t be talkin’ like that, Rob. Good Lord willin’, she still is.”
The professor chimed in. “Yes, well, it is our only lead, is it not? Methinks it bears following, and who knows what lies at the end of the expedition.”
Both Rob and Ike cast strange looks at Walnutt. “Enough of that British crap,” Rob said.
The professor arched his eyebrows. “You’re right of course, Rob, so I ain’t a-gonna talk like that no more, pards. Let’s hit the trail, okay?” He smiled. “See? I have picked up lots of your western talk.”
The two brothers exchanged looks. Ike said, “You don’t have to go that far, Walnutt. Stayin’ Brit
ish is all right with us. Just keep it plain for us simple Americans.”
“Thank you, indeed I will. Now then, where were we?” They turned back to the sketch.
Ike traced his fingers over various points west on the map. After several minutes, he said, “I see a few valleys that might be big enough to hold an Indian winter camp. Let’s start with this one, here.” He pointed to a large open area surrounded by mountains just to the north of Fairplay.
Rob looked at the spot on the map. “That’s maybe more than a day away. What if we get there and there’s no Indians?”
“Then we’ll work our way up to this next valley.” Ike pointed to another spot some distance further north and west.
Rob wouldn’t let it go. “And what if—”
Ike exploded. “Dammit, Rob, this is our sister we’re talkin’ about. We’ll keep ridin’ and lookin’ ’til we find her! Or find out what happened to her. Don’t matter how long it takes. We’ll search for as long as need be.” He took a deep breath. “We’ll need provisions for a several days’ ride.” He grabbed at the map and rolled it up as he strode out of the room followed by his two companions. On the way to the barn, he glanced at the western sky, which glowered back at him. The storm promised to make riding and tracking harder. “Make sure you got enough warm stuff, boys. It’s gettin’ cold out there, and we’re likely to be out in it for a while.”
The three searchers pointed their horses due west, directly into the teeth of an oncoming storm.
They made good time on the valley floor until the ground began a gentle rise and the air cooled. Ike pulled his collar tighter with one hand and held the rein loosely in his other. Ally knew which way to go just by Ike’s gentle nudges on her flanks. As they made their way up the rocky dirt face of the first low hillside, the wind whipped down at them. Not even the clustered pine trees did much to slow the chill gusts.
They rode higher, and Rob said, “Can’t imagine anyone settlin’ down around here. I can see why not even Indians make their home along these hills.”
“There ain’t any kind of home out here, Rob. All we got to look forward to for a while is cold food, lots of thorny bramble bushes, and rocky sleepin’ spots as far as the eye can see.” Ike let Ally pick her way among the large granite boulders strewn over the uplifted ground. He tugged his kerchief further up his nose as the first flurries of wind-driven snow stung his cheeks. By the time the moon rose over the mountains ahead, they had put many more miles of rough terrain behind them.
Ike pulled Ally up as night fell, and they came upon fairly level high ground. “We’ll make camp here tonight. There’s some good spruce protection from the wind and snow, and a small stream nearby for our canteens. And let’s don’t use up our matches tryin’ to beat this stiff wind. Cold jerky ain’t the worst meal I’ve ever had.”
They led the horses to a gurgling stream that snaked its way down the hillside and let them drink their fill, then unsaddled them and rubbed them down with pine needles. A recent pile of bear scat mounded nearby, and the horses shied away from it. Saddlebags filled with oats doubled as feedbags as forage was skimpy this high up.
That night, a late fall snowstorm left its mark, and the riders woke up covered with a couple of inches of new powder. Ike scanned the sky as he blinked his eyes open. Dark gray clouds this early in the morning weren’t a good sign. He shook the snow off his blanket and got up. After a breakfast of tough jerky, cold biscuits, and icy coffee, the three riders mounted up and headed west. In the early afternoon, they crested a slight, forested rise and found themselves looking down on one of the valleys Ike had pointed out back at the ranch.
He said, “This likely ain’t the true valley we’re lookin’ for—it’s too small—but I hope it ain’t too far from the right one either.”
They rode down into the little basin and after a short, futile check, climbed up to a further rocky crest that overlooked another larger valley below. A persistent snow pelted them. Ike pulled Ally up at the top of the ridge and leaned back as his two companions caught up. “This could be the right place. It shows up fairly big here on this map.” He traced around what appeared as a white oval.
Rob nodded. “Yup, looks like it could be that valley right there.” He gazed down the slope. “I don’t see nothin’ that could be an Indian camp down there in the river plain, but then I can’t see down the length of it from here, neither. It’s too long, and this snow’s already blinding me. The day ain’t brightened up none, either.”
The ground whitened all around them. Ike said, “Haven’t seen any horse sign anywhere around here, and there’d probably be a bunch of it if this was the right place. Still, let’s check it out. Take it slow along this ridge here, and keep your eyes peeled.” Ike loosened his rifle in the scabbard, and slowly drew it out.
The three riders followed the ridgeline that made up the eastern edge of the valley. Tall lodgepole pines dotted the hillsides on both sides of the high mountain basin.
The professor yelled over the wind with a hand to his mouth. “Isn’t it unusual for there to be a hard snowfall this early in the day?”
Ike lowered his head against the gusts. “Snowstorms come when they want, not when we want.” The wind blew harder, and Ike pushed a hand deeper into his jacket pocket.
Rob shouted, “It’s almost like someone’s throwin’ snow as hard as they can at us—maybe it’s an Indian god who doesn’t want us to find them.”
Ike said, “That may not be far off the mark. We probably need to find some shelter soon and get out of this storm ’til it passes.”
Just then, Rob’s horse stumbled on a loose rock hidden by the new snow. Rob pulled back on the reins to keep from falling off, and his horse reared in response. He tumbled off the back of his mount, and horse and rider fell some twenty feet down the slope in the space of a few seconds. Rob grabbed the fallen horse’s reins and slowly led him back up to the ridgeline, trudging step by step through deepening snow.
“Don’t wanna do that again,” he said to the others when he finally reached level ground, gulping large mouthfuls of air to catch his breath.
Ike looked his brother up and down. “You okay?”
“I reckon I’ll be sore, but I’m okay. Horse seems all right. We’ll see.” Rob boosted himself back up on his jumpy horse and brushed at the snow he’d picked up from his spill down the hillside. “I’m startin’ to sweat somethin’ fierce, too. You’d think I’d be too cold to sweat.”
Ike could hear the strain in his brother’s voice. It was midafternoon, and already getting darker as gray storm clouds hovered overhead. He held an arm up to shield against the tempest. “Gettin’ harder to ride. The snow’s swirlin’ so bad, I can’t see where we’re goin’ no more.” Ally snorted and slowed. “We gotta get out of this and see if we can find some place to hole up. Don’t make any sense to go on.” He turned to Rob. “Your horse still don’t look right from that fall.”
They inched their way down the hillside, looking for any shelter they could find. After half an hour of searching almost blind, wind parted the snow for a moment. Ike caught a fleeting glimpse of a spot where the rocky face of the hillside made a small curve inward just ahead to their left.
“There!” Ike shouted into the wind. “Head in there.” They reined their horses into a small bowl where the surrounding rock wall offered modest protection from the harshest winds. The ragged riders dismounted and leaned hard against the rough granite face.
The professor said over the howling storm, “This small refuge appears to be providential, wouldn’t you agree, gentlemen?”
Ike said, “Just keep hold of the horses’ reins and keep them out of this whirlwind, then we can talk about providence later.” He pulled Ally closer into the rock face and felt around for something to tie her off on. He ran a gloved hand over the bumpy surface until he came to the vertical edge of the slab. He ran his fingers up and down it and stumbled around to the other side of the rock. There was a dim opening in front of him that gave
way to darkness. A narrow, vertical passageway ran between two adjacent tall rocks, angled away so it was mostly hidden from view.
Ike yelled, “Rob, come over here and hold Ally for me.”
The professor answered. “Your brother doesn’t look very good, Ike. He is sitting on the ground leaning against a big rock and not answering either one of us.”
“Try to keep him talking to you. I’m gonna follow this opening to see where it leads.” He felt his way between the two towering faces that rose to either side of him. They were separated by only a few feet. Ike kept one hand stretched out toward the dark in front of him, the other one holding reins and feeling the granite face as he limped along between the two rock slabs. The surfaces were close enough that Ally’s flanks rubbed against the smooth granite on both sides. “Gettin’ a little tight for you, Ally? I’ll bet you won’t have any trouble squeezin’ through a space this size by the end of the trip.” The two granite walls opened up to the sky, but there was little light to let in. As Ike moved forward, he sensed rather than saw the opening grow wider. He pulled a wax candle from his coat and lit it with a precious match. A flickering flame danced on the walls of a shallow cavern that was large enough for the three men and their horses.
Ike told Ally to stay there and navigated his way back outside. He yelled to the professor, “Head on into this narrow opening with your horse. I’ll come get Rob.” Ike struggled through the wind over to his motionless brother. “Rob! Rob! Can you hear me?”
Came a faint reply. “I hear you. I ain’t deaf. I’m just froze. Quit yellin’ at me and help me up, willya?”
Ike wedged his arms under Rob’s shoulders and struggled to lift his limp brother up. “Start usin’ what’s left of your legs, or neither one of us is gonna make it back into that shelter.”
The Reckoning Page 23