Lone Jack Kid: The Buffalo Hunt (The Lone Jack Kid Book 3)

by Joe Corso

  “I thought I was very clear when I told you why I wanted to do this. I want to experience for myself what you, Fuzzy, and Wild Eagle have experienced. Please don’t try to talk me out of it, because my mind is made up.”

  Charlie shrugged and looked at Wild Eagle. An unspoken signal passed between them that this wasn’t the wisest of decisions, but they were both ready and willing to take the grand duke on this grand adventure.

  Fuzzy spoke as the team leader and not as a drunken old trapper.

  “Tomorrow, just before daybreak, we’ll leave for San Bernardino. We’ll pick up the Mormon Trail there, then swing northeast and head toward Las Vegas.”

  Charlie interrupted him. “Las Vegas? Is that a town?”

  “It’s a small settlement we’ll pass through just before entering the desert. It has the only water we’ll find for quite some time. So when we get there, we’ll fill our extra water caskets and skins and secure them to the pack animals. You can never have enough water when you’re traveling through desert country. When we leave Las Vegas, which is in Nevada, we’ll head towards the northwestern tip of Arizona. Then we’ll pick up the Utah trail and once we get past the mountains, we have to travel to St. George, and from there to Salt Lake City. It’s not gonna be easy, so you can still change your minds.” Fuzzy looked around, but no one changed their minds.

  “I went to the bookstore and studied a map,” said Charlie. “I figure it’ll take us about three weeks to get to Salt Lake City.”

  Fuzzy dismissed this with a wave of his hand. “We have five weeks to get to Salt Lake City, because if we traveled thirty miles a day, it’d take us a good four weeks to get there. What we can do is head to St. George, which will take us about ten days traveling time. Then we can take the train from there.”

  “Good idea, Fuzzy. We don’t have any other choice if we want to get to Nebraska on schedule, so unless anyone has a better suggestion, that’s what we’ll do.”

  No one objected, but Charlie asked Alexis anyway. “Do you agree with Fuzzy’s suggestion, Alexis?”

  The grand duke sighed. “I’m sorry to be such a stick in the mud, but I would like to have spent a little more time exploring the country, and although I agree with Fuzzy, I would like everyone here to indulge me. This is the only opportunity I’ll have to experience a trip like this, so I would like to continue on horseback to Salt Lake City.”

  Charlie understood how the young duke felt. He felt the same way himself at times. “Is there anyone here who disagrees with Alexis, you can leave now and I won’t hold it against you.”

  He looked around and was pleased to see that no one objected to taking the longer route. “Good. Now that that’s settled, I’ll leave word at the front desk to have someone telegraph General Sheridan, telling him what our plans are.”

  He wrote a note detailing their plans, then walked into the hotel and motioned to the desk clerk, who was just coming on duty. He handed him the note.

  “Have someone take this note to the telegraph office. I want this message sent to General Sheridan as soon as possible. The telegrapher has received messages from the general before and his address is on file.”

  The desk clerk nodded. Charlie handed him a five-dollar gold piece, which brought a smile to the clerk’s lips.

  Chapter 17

  Unlike the old Butterfield stage route, the Mormon Trail didn’t have abandoned stagecoach stops every fifteen or so miles that could be used for shelter. So when they stopped for the night, they led their horses and burros off the road and onto an old animal trail. They followed the trail until they came to a rocky outcropping, which gave them protection from the elements and provided a safe place to make camp. There, they could share a hot meal, far enough from the trail that their campfire wouldn’t be seen.

  When Anthony handed Charlie a cup of hot coffee, he leaned closer and asked him, “Don’t you think we should each stand a watch tonight?”

  Charlie shook his head. “Normally, that’s exactly what me and Wild Eagle would do. We’d each take a two-hour watch. But as long as Ban-Chu is with us, we don’t have to worry about anyone sneaking up on us while we’re asleep. If someone did try to sneak into our camp, the wolf would hear and smell him long before any of us knew what was happening.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. Now I can get some sleep without worrying.” The grand duke’s bodyguard looked at Ban-Chu and mumbled, “I never thought I’d see the day when I would be happy to have a wolf with me.”

  Charlie laughed. “Neither did I.”

  “Good night, Charlie.”

  “Good night, Anthony.”

  Fuzzy prepared the coffee over the fire as the first signs of the sun brightened the campsite. The aroma of bacon and sweetbreads cooking over the fire wafted over the sleeping men and made their mouths water while still not awake. Charlie had flipped the hotel cook a five-dollar gold piece to buy enough sweetbreads and muffins to last a week. Fuzzy would usually bang a pot with whatever he was holding to wake the men up, but because they were in Southern Paiute Indian country, he didn’t want to take a chance of being discovered, so he just nudged the sleeping men with his foot.

  “Come on, sleepyheads. Breakfast is ready. We’ll have a quick meal and then we better get back on the road. We have a lot of miles to travel today.”

  He spoke loudly, but not loud enough to be heard from the road.

  It didn’t take long for the men to awaken and head for the fire to get whatever it was Fuzzy had prepared that smelled so darn inviting.

  Fuzzy handed Charlie a tin of hot food and said in a low voice, “Well, we had one week without incident. I just hope the rest of our trip is as uneventful as this week was.”

  Charlie took a bite of the delicious sweet bread and a forkful of bacon before answering. “I know what you mean, old timer. I hope so too.” Then he took a step closer and whispered, “Our guest has no idea of the danger he faces. I hope we get him to Nebraska in one piece.”

  Fuzzy chuckled. “Cowboys and grand dukes are two totally different breeds, but don’t you worry none. We’ll get him to Nebraska, even if he fights us every inch of the way without him knowing he’s doing it. Now, go on and get ready to ride while I clean this mess up.”

  Fuzzy was definitely growing on Charlie. The old man was no fool. He knew the trails, and he made sense when he talked. And Charlie had the feeling the man was loyal to his friends and could be deadly to his enemies. Oh well, he thought. I guess we’ll find out if I’m right soon enough.

  The men led the animals through the narrow trail, but when they were about an eighth of a mile from the Mormon Trail, Ban-Chu stopped and uttered a low growl, a warning to Charlie that danger lurked ahead.

  “Shh! Quiet, everyone. Ban-Chu hears something ahead of us.”

  Wild Eagle walked ahead a few feet, then turned to face Charlie. “I go see what is wrong. I be back soon.”

  Alexis walked silently to Charlie and asked, “Is it wise for Wild Eagle to leave us and maybe endanger himself and us?”

  The duke noticed the ghost of a smile on his face.

  “Listen, Alexis, Wild Eagle is a great tracker. He could pass through this trail like a warm breeze, and even walk beside them on the rock-littered, dirt-rutted street and they wouldn’t know he was there. Don’t worry about Wild Eagle. He’ll be back in a little while and then we’ll know what we’re facing.”

  About twenty minutes later, Wild Eagle returned.

  “Indians take man, woman, two children: boy and girl.”

  “Shoshone?”

  “No, Paiute. Come. We follow. Maybe save family.”

  “How many braves are there?”

  “I count six braves.”

  Charlie turned to Anthony. “You stay here and watch Alexis. He’s too valuable to take with us.”

  “I agree.”

  Alexis stood tall and said a little too loudly, “If you are going into danger, then I will share it equally with all here. I am not a coward. I am a man of action,
and I will not be left behind like some squaw.”

  “Alexis is right,” said Wild Eagle to Charlie. “Not a woman to stay behind while men fight. He come with us.”

  Charlie chuckled. “I guess when you put it that way, I can’t argue with you. Okay, Alexis. Make sure your rifle is loaded and every chamber in your handgun has a cartridge in it. The same goes for you, Anthony.” Then he turned to the old trapper. “Fuzzy, this isn’t your fight. You stay here and tend to the animals.”

  “Like hell I will. Wild Eagle is right. What kind of man stands by while his friends are facing danger? I’m going with you. Now you just hold on a minute while I hobble the animals so they don’t wander off.”

  Two minutes later, they were ready to leave.

  “Okay, Wild Eagle, lead the way.”

  Chapter 18

  The men crept quietly to the edge of the clearing. They could see the woman and children huddled together, knowing they’d all be dead soon. Fear was written on the woman’s face. She was trying to protect her children by shielding their eyes, so they wouldn’t see what was coming. She was a brave woman who didn’t deserve to die the way she knew she would. After they killed the man, the Indians would all take their turns with the woman before killing her. And then they’d kill the children.

  Charlie knew what he had to do.

  “Listen up.” He spoke to the four men in almost a whisper. “Pick out a man and when I give the signal start shooting, and don’t stop until your man is down. There are only six of them, so this should be like shooting ducks in a barrel. Spread out a little but don’t get caught in crossfire. Just spread out enough to give the man next to you some shooting space.”

  They did as they were told, and when they were in position, Charlie studied them. He didn’t have to concern himself with Wild Eagle, so he looked at Anthony, who appeared to be in control. Charlie could tell he’d been in a few fights before. The old man was steady as a rock. He’d been in Indian attacks and he’d been through gunfights in the past, so this was nothing new to him. It was Alexis that Charlie was worried about. He looked over at him and their eyes met. The grand duke gave Charlie a calm “don’t worry about me” smile… and Charlie knew Alexis would be all right. It was time to act, so he gave the signal. “NOW!”

  Before the Indians knew what was happening and before they could react, it was all over. When the smoke cleared, all six Indians were lying dead on the ground.

  The man they were about to kill was hog-tied, but alive. As battered as he was, he managed with a great deal of effort to raise his head and look over to his wife and children to see if they were safe, wondering what in hell just happened. The woman, fearful of the gunfire and not able as yet to understand that they were being rescued, shrank in on herself in an attempt to make herself as tiny as possible, hoping she would become invisible to the danger facing her and her children. The smoke from all the gunfire was so thick, it blanketed the small killing ground. When it cleared, the man was surprised to see four white men and an Indian step into the clearing. All the woman focused on was an Indian walking toward her. She cowered and held her children closer in an attempt to protect them.

  Charlie walked past the Indian and told him, “I’ll handle this, Wild Eagle. She doesn’t know you’re a friend. All she sees is another Indian and she fears you’ll kill her and her children.”

  Wild Eagle nodded, knowing the truth in Charlie’s words.

  Charlie turned to Fuzzy. “Fuzzy, go and untie the man and tend to him. He’s been beaten up pretty badly.”

  “Okay, Charlie. I’ll take care of him now.”

  Charlie leaned over the woman to see if she was hurt. She appeared to be all right, just shaken up.

  “It’s all over now, ma’am. Are you all right?”

  “Yes… yes. I’m fine… now. But how is my husband?”

  Charlie looked over his shoulder and watched the man get to his feet, shaken but regaining some of his strength. He would recover.

  “He’s fine, ma’am, and so are you and your children.”

  “Thank God.”

  The woman got to her feet and Charlie estimated that she was in her mid-twenties. She wore no make-up and she had dark brown hair, which she wore in a bun. A shabby brown dress hid a shapely figure, and when Charlie lifted the children into his arms, her smile brought out the beauty in her face.

  “Let’s see how your husband is doing.”

  They walked over to the man, who was taking a drink from the canteen Fuzzy had handed him. He wiped his mouth and winced, smiling through a cut lip when he saw that his wife and children were safe. Charlie could tell they were in love. In that moment, he longed to have what this man and woman had. They loved one another. Maybe he could have this same relationship with Rose. Maybe…

  “I’m sure glad to see you men. I thought at any minute we would be killed and I didn’t think there was any hope for us… until you men suddenly appeared out of nowhere and saved us. By the way, my name is Peter Baker. This is my wife Rowena and these two are my children, Margaret and Spencer.”

  “Nice to meet you folks. I’m Charles Longstreet. This is my friend, Wild Eagle. This old reprobate is Fuzzy. This young man is Anthony and he works for that distinguished-looking gentleman over there.” Charlie pointed at Alexis. “He is none other than the Grand Duke Alexis, visiting us from Russia.”

  Alexis clicked his heels out of habit and gave the young couple a slight bow and a charming smile as he nodded politely to them. Charlie explained to the couple, “We’re on our way to Nebraska, but the grand duke insisted on going part of the way by horse and because of his insistence, you and your family are still alive.”

  Rowena smiled as she made the sign of the cross. “The Lord sure does work in strange ways.”

  Peter Baker’s strength was returning and he was feeling much better.

  “I’d feel a lot better if you men did me a favor and take two of the Indian ponies and accompany me to our wagon. The Indians took our horses and I don’t know where they might have run off to. For all I know, they may still be by the wagon.”

  The wagon was still serviceable. The Indians hadn’t touched it. Charlie rode around searching for the horses, but couldn’t find them.

  “They must have scattered. If they stayed on the trail, we may find them somewhere up ahead. Meanwhile, we’ll tie these two Indian ponies to the wagon and get you on your way.”

  Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “Say, what were you doing on the old Mormon Trail alone?”

  Baker lowered his eyes. “We just couldn’t afford to go by train. We lost our business and most of our belongings during the war when Sherman came marching through Georgia, and the last six or seven years haven’t been kind to us. Me and my wife talked about making the trip west, figuring we could make a new start in California.”

  “We’re going in opposite directions, but it’s too dangerous for you to be making the trip to California by yourself. Tell you what. It would be a whole lot safer if you rode along with us to Saint George. I’ll put you and your wife and kids on a train to wherever you want to go. And I’ll give you some money to start a business. What kind of business did you have?”

  “I’m a baker. Our plan was to open a bakery in San Francisco or Los Angeles, or any town we felt comfortable in. But when we lost everything, our plans changed. Now I hoped to get a job working for someone until we could save enough money to open our business.”

  Fuzzy scratched his head and mumbled to himself. “We rescue Peter Baker and he turns out to be a baker. If I told any of my friends about this, they’d think I was making it up.”

  Charlie waved his suggestion off. “Forget about working for someone. I have more money than I can spend in this lifetime and I’d be happy to lend you whatever you need. You’ll be traveling with us to Utah and from there by train to wherever you want to go. Meanwhile, we have to make up for the time we lost, so me and Anthony will get your rig ready so you and your family can use it again.”

&n
bsp; Chapter 19

  Charlie pulled up beside Alexis.

  “I just wanted to tell you, you did good back there, Alexis.”

  Alexis didn’t say anything but nodded. Charlie could see the look of pride on his face. He was beginning to respect the young duke. In another time and place, they could have been fast friends. As it was, Charlie didn’t know if he’d ever see or hear from him again after they got to Nebraska. Charlie had no way of knowing the young duke felt the same way about Charlie.

  Fuzzy was wary as the small group of travelers passed Robbers Roost without incident. “Well, the hard part is over now. Up ahead is Castle Gate, which is a small mining town. There really isn’t anything worth seeing there. But not far from Castle Gate is the little town of Price where they have the Milburn Hotel; and there’s the Oasis Saloon where, if you like, we can sit down at a table and enjoy a cold beer. They even have a general store where we can stock up on supplies.”

  Charlie liked the idea of stopping one night at the hotel and sleeping in a real bed. “How many miles is it from Price to Salt Lake City?”

  Fuzzy scratched his head as he thought for a moment.

  “I reckon it’s about ninety miles from Castle Gate to Salt Lake City, and I’d estimate the distance from Price to Salt Lake City to be about seventy miles.”

  “How did the town get the name Castle Gate, Fuzzy?”

  “Well, you’ll see two sheer sandstone walls on either side of the Price River as we get close to the town. It looks like a giant gate that appears to open as we pass through that narrow section of the canyon. When we pass through the rock formation, it’ll look like the gates of a castle on either side of the pass.”

  The small party rode down the main road and through the small town of Castle Gate. Charlie estimated there couldn’t be more than two hundred souls living and working there. They rode on for another twenty miles until they entered the town of Price. Charlie led the men down the main road until they reached the Milburn Hotel. After tying their horses to the hitching post in front of the hotel, Charlie motion to Peter Baker.