by Steve Shadow
We moved slowly along the well worn path, down hearted and with little hope of ever catching up with Josephus. I was on foot walking Bella with my head cast down lost in a passel of black thoughts.
“Lou,” Hitch said. “Up ahead, some riders coming. May be they will know how far the next town is.”
I mounted Bella and looked to where Hitch was pointing. Four riders were loping our way. 3 of them appeared to be large men, one of whom was leading a pack horse, and the fourth looked to be a boy. I thought they were trappers or hunters. Probably they were heading over the pass for buffalo, if they could find any. They were getting harder and harder to locate. So many buffalo had been slaughtered that few herds were to be found anywhere.
The man in the lead was heavy set and wore a large black hat. He looked filthy and his outfit was shabby and well worn. His 3
companions looked much the same. The boy was wrapped in a blanket and his head was wrapped in a scarf. He seemed a bit overdressed as the early fall sun had warmed up the valley floor to where it was right comfortable.
“Hey there stranger,” I said. “We just come over the pass and are riding to the closest town. Can you tell me how far that might be?”
He pulled his horse up and removed his hat and wiped his brow with his forearm. He looked none too friendly and took me, Hitch and Breezy in with a calculated stare. I turned back to motion them to come up to us. When I looked back I saw no sign of Two Leggings.
“Well, son, there is a small settlement up at the fork of the river. It ain’t but a short way up the road. How was it comin’ over the pass? You get caught in the storm?”
“We sure did. It was lucky we got out but it was not without a loss of life and a tussle with a grizzly.” This brought no response from him.
“Well, we got to be moving on.” He turned to the others behind him and waved them forward.
I could see now that they were not set up for buffalo. I saw no evidence of big bore rifles nor a wagon to transport hides or meat.
Something did not set right with me about them but I had no cause to question his statement.
“One more thing, Sir,” I said as he began to move past me. “We are looking for a big burly man with a full beard. He would be traveling with four boys and maybe a brown haired woman. Have you run across such a party?”
I saw a look of fear flash across his eyes. His two partners had held steady on either side of the boy and were beginning to get mighty jumpy.
“No, ain’t seen anyone like that. Like I say, we got to go.”
He raised his hand again and made a forward motion. The other three riders moved forward. As they passed me a gust of wind rustled the scarf on the boys face. My heart leapt in my chest. I spun Bella around and grabbed the boy’s collar and pulled him off the horse placing him behind Bella. I signaled to Breezy and Hitch. They were still in front of the lead rider. Hitch raised his shotgun. All three of them stopped and looked bewildered.
“I am Marshal Lou Silt. Keep your hands where we can see them or the consequences will not be of your liking.”
Hitch and Breezy were looking to me for some clue as to what was going on. I got down from Bella and brought the boy around in front, to face them. I pulled the hood from the boys head. It was not a boy. It was Violett. It was not readily apparent that it was her. Her face was swollen, dirty and she seemed to be in a daze.
The man closest to me turned his horse. He started to speak and I fired a round into the air. “Move one more inch and I will kill you in your saddle. You three get off those horses; get off now. The man closest to me began to climb down but the other one turned and made to gallop off. He had only gotten a few strides when a sharp crack echoed across the valley floor and he fell from his saddle Breezy sat astride her horse with a smoking .44 in her hand. At the sound of the shot the man I had been talking to first rushed ahead and knocked Hitch from his horse. Hitch, still barely recovered from the bears mauling, landed hard and shouted in pain. Breezy jumped from her horse to help him. I heard the man behind me move. I turned as he was reaching for a pistol under his filthy duster.
“I would not do that. If you touch that pistol I will kill you dead. Turn around now if you want to keep breathing.” He did as I said and as soon as he turned his back to me I struck him across the head with my Colt and he fell in a crumpled heap. All this time Violett merely stood there completely mute.
The large man was heading for a copse of trees as fast as his overburdened mount could move. As he neared the small forest Two Leggings came out of the trees, riding towards him at a full gallop. The man made the mistake if trying to turn his horse away from the charging Injun. As his horse fought for purchase Two Leggings threw himself from his saddle and knocked the man to the ground. They both fell but Two Leggings jumped up, took coup and then smashed the man in the head with the butt of his carbine. He let out one of his war hoops and waved to us.
I took Violett by the hand and led her to where Hitch was sitting up with Breezy’s help.
“How’s he doing, Breezy?”
Hitch grinned. “Don’t worry, Pardner. Just got the wind knocked out of me. My chest aches a little, but I’m all right. Damn it, I told you we would get her back. I can hardly believe it. Miss Violett, how are you? You are safe now.”
She did not respond. Breezy rose and stepped to her. “Miss Violett, It’s me, Breezy. You know us; Lou and Hitch and me? Say something, Miss Violett. Please say something; are you sick, what is wrong?”
It was as if we were talking to a stone. Breezy waved her hands in front of Violett and she did not even blink. I did not know what was wrong with her. I felt a terrible chill run through me. Staring into the eyes of the woman I loved and had planned to marry, I saw nothing. I wrapped her in my arms and held her tight. “Violett, what have they done to you? Say something; do you not know me?”
I held her at arms length. “Speak to me or nod or do something.” I got no response; not a nod or a blink. The three of us stood there. It was the emptiest feeling I had ever felt. I wanted to scream or cry. I felt as if I would explode. I have no way to convey the devastation that overcame me. Hatred boiled over me and I knew something had snapped in me and I did not care.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I left Violett with Breezy while Hitch and I gathered up the horses. The man Breezy shot was in the grass moaning softly. She had shot him in the neck and blood was pumping out of him. He would not live long. I pulled open his coat and removed his side arm. He tried to speak but only soft gargling sounds came out.
“You should not have run, Mister. I told you I was the law. Best get right with your maker for you are not to be much longer on this earth.”
His eyes looked into mine and it was a terrible thing to see. Then they rolled back into his head and he was gone. I felt no remorse; I felt nothing.
We went to the man I had knocked out and tied him up. I asked Breezy to keep an eye on Violett. I am sorry to say that I could now barely stand to look at her in the condition she was in. I was torn by feelings of hatred, both for myself and for what had befallen this poor woman. I knew it was wrong to take out my hatred for Josephus upon these men but I knew that I would.
Hitch and I rode over to where Two Leggings was standing over his victim. The big man lay moaning while flat on his back. I kicked him none too gently.
“What is your name and how did you come by having Violett with you? Answer quick or I will turn this Injun loose on you.”
He held his bloodied head and continued moaning. I kicked him again; much harder this time.
“Hold off, damn it,” he whined. “My name is Wheeler. You got no right; we did nothin’ wrong. Yes, I did run into the man you asked about. We were camped out 3 days from here on our way back to Missoula. We heard that the railroad was coming and that they would have jobs. They rode up and asked to share our campfire. They looked all played out and the boys he had with him did not seem happy to be there but I could see they was scared to death of that bi
g feller. We was a might surprised to see the gal with him. He told us she was his whore and he was takin’ her to San Francisco to ply her wares. I told him I had been there and she didn’t look to be in any condition to be whorin’ in a city like San Francisco.”
I stomped on his knee. He howled in pain. Two Leggings grabbed his long hair and pulled out his long Bowie knife.
“Now, I take hair. He dead man soon, I think.”
“No, no, I’m begging you, don’t kill me; I ain’t done nothin’.”
I knelt beside him. “You done plenty, you piece of shit. Now quit tellin’ tales and tell me how you come to be riding with Violett”
Two Leggings pulled harder on his hair. He shrieked like a girl.
“He done sold her to us. He said she was getting to be more trouble than she was worth and he said I was right; she was a might used up for San Francisco. I didn’t know who she was. Me and the boys thought that it would be good to have someone to cook and wash clothes and sew and stuff. We had a ways to go and, well, shit, mister, we meant no harm.”
I spit in his face. He shook his head to lose my spittle but Two Leggings held him firm.
“And just what is the price for a human being?”
“We got him down to fifty dollars in gold.”
This time I brought my boot down on his knee and heard it brake. He screamed in pain. Hitch pulled me away.
“Lou, let us just kill him and be done with it. We have got to get Miss Violett some doctorin’. We ain’t sure just what has been done to her.”
I was so angry I could not see straight. The hate in me was raging. I no longer
recognized myself nor did I want to. I looked down at this bloated monster and felt nothing but revulsion.
“Two Leggings, he is all yours. Do as you please. We must get to the next settlement and get help for Violett.”
I mounted my horse and rode back to Breezy and Violett. Hitch was on my tail. We tied the two pack horses together and got Violett back in the saddle. When I lifted her up I could feel that she was all skin and bones. She weighed nothing at all and only stared into the distance.
Breezy pointed to the man tied up a few yards away. “What about him, Lou?”
“I say the hell with him. If he gets free or dies out here, it don’t matter none to me.” CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
We rode off with all the horses and saddles. We heard screams from where Two Leggings was dealing with Wheeler but paid them no mind. After half an hour I turned at the sound of Two Leggings riding up behind us. He was loaded up with the rifles he had taken from the men we left. He also had a large hunk of hair tied to his horse’s saddle.
I knew I would never be the same now. I had killed before. I had killed for many reasons but never in blind hatred. Breezy, god bless her, seemed to take all this in stride. She was riding along side Violett and talking to her in soft tones and reaching out and touching her. Seeing this simple gesture brought forth great feelings of affection in me for that gal. Hitch and Breezy were true friends to me. Blinded by my lust for vengeance and my consuming hatred of Josephus I had failed to realize how they had sacrificed their own marriage plans to just leave on a mission with no end in sight. And as for Two Leggings, whatever his motivation, he had saved my life and erased whatever prejudice I had held towards Indians.
As late afternoon approached, we reached the confluence of two rivers and saw a small cluster of buildings. We rode up to what looked like a trading post. A man in an apron and white whiskers stepped out onto the porch and waved a hand in greeting.
“Welcome folks. You need it, we got it. That’s our slogan hereabouts. I am Royce Whippenthal, at your service.”
“Well, sir, that is sure kindly of you. I am Marshal Lou Silt of Montana Territory. We are on the trail of the murderer Josephus Larue. He may have come through here with four young boys. Have you seen a party of that description?”
“No, Marshal, I have not.” “Do you have a doctor here? We have a sick woman that needs attention.”
We had climbed down from our horses and tied them up. Breezy helped Violett off her horse. She stood glassy eyed and on unsteady legs. We helped her up the few steps and sat her in a rocker on the porch.
“Sir,” said the man. “Me and my partner, Ira, who is now in California, run this post and little spread. I am afraid the nearest real doctor is in Boise but my wife, Filomena is a nurse by training and she sees to any problems of a health nature that we have around here.” He turned and called out, “Filomena! Come on out here and see to this woman.”
A heavy-set dark featured woman came out of the post and bowed to us. She bent over and looked at Violett. “Hey,” she said to Breezy. “You ah helpa me get this women inna side.”
They lifted Violett up and led her into the trading post.
“My wife is an Italian lady. I met her back east when I was in the Union Army. She was a battlefield nurse during the war. What happened to that woman?”
I told Mr. Whippenthal briefly what had transpired. He shook his head in sympathy.
“I wish I could be of more help. I did see them trappers come by but I did not realize that they had a woman with them. I thought it was a boy. I guess you ran into them.”
“Yes, we did. They will not be back this way.”
He nodded in a knowing way and invited us to set a spell. He asked if we would stay and have dinner with them. He told us that after the Nez Perce and then the Army come through, business had been real bad because every one was holed up fearing more Injun trouble. We told him about our watching the battle on the other side of the Bitterroots. He kept eyeing Two Leggings but I assured him he was Crow and with us.
After an hour or so, Breezy came out on the porch. She did not look happy.
“Lou, that Filomena is a damn fine nurse. She examined Violett and that poor girl is just a patchwork of bruises. Filomena said that her private parts is a mess and them rotten bastards used her every which way. She did not see any blood or infection and thinks she will heal up slowly. I am so mad that I just want to kill someone real bad. Anyway she said that poor Violett’s head just shut down and she don’t know if she will ever come back. She said the best thing is to just keep her safe and quiet and maybe she will get better. She saw a lot of this kind of stuff in the war and the doctors do not really know what can be done. She cleaned the poor thing up and we washed her real good. She put some ointment on her and a few patches. She don’t know what her insides are like. She did not sound too hopeful about her at all. Maybe Doc Tallis can help her. He went to one of them fancy schools back east, didn’t he? Maybe he knows what can help her.”
Hitch came and touched my shoulder. He squeezed it and Breezy hugged me. We were a sad trio.
I shrugged them off. “I have come to a decision. We can’t continue with Violett in her condition and I do not want to leave her. We ain’t going to catch that devil anyway; not the way we are going. He has too big a lead on us and what with the whole area in an Injun uproar I do not hold out much hope of getting any help from the local law people. They got enough troubles of their own.”
I turned to the man of the post. “Mr. Whippenthal, do we have time to make it back over the pass. I know we are in Indian summer but that can change any minute. As you heard we already encountered snow up there.”
“Well, it is a might late but the weather looks like it will hold. I would say you had best leave as soon as possible. I can re-supply you with what you need.”
I thanked him. Hitch and Breezy got to work taking an inventory of what we had on the two pack horses while Two Leggings and I started stacking goods from the store. I did not have enough cash to cover our purchases so we left one of the pack horses and the confiscated weapons and saddles with him as part of our bill. Filomena made us a big dinner. Later we men spent a fitful night trying to sleep in a back room of the post. Breezy stayed with Violett in an extra room in the main house. Poor Violett had to be prompted to eat and drink, which she did slowly and without
a sense of what she was doing. It was awfully painful to watch her but we could only hope that time would heal her.
In the morning we said our thank you kindly’s and farewells. Filomena had given Violett an old dress to wear. With her hair freshly washed and her face cleaned up she almost looked like her old self. We packed our gear and set off for home. I sat astride Bella and watched as Two Leggings, Hitch and Breezy passed by me with Violett in tow. As to what would await us back home; well, I could only hope for the best.
PART THREE
THE RETURN
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Our trip back was a long sad slow affair. We stopped in Stevensville and I left a more detailed description of Josephus and what Breezy knew of the four boys. We learned that the Nez Perce had cut south through Yellowstone and headed east to try and join the Crow, as Hitch had said they might. The Crow, as Two Leggings had told us, joined forces with the Army and pretty much stole the entire Nez Perce herd. After that encounter, it seemed that the renegade tribe was heading north to the Canada border. At least they were well east of Lost Path and had never really threatened the town.
We continued on, anxious to get home and find some help for Violett. She showed no change at all and was like a doll; mute and pliable. It was heart breaking to see her in this condition. She had been such a lively woman and so full of life and hope. Whatever thoughts I had entertained about settling down with her and being a family man went up in smoke. I realized that I was never cut out to be that kind of man. I had changed and if it was for better or worse, I did not know. The youthful illusions I had held onto despite my murderous revenge of my father’s death and the Larue killings, was in the past. I felt my soul shrivel and a hardness come onto my visage. I had blood on my hands and murder in my heart. As soon as I saw that Violett was in good hands I had no doubt that I would trail that Josephus Larue to the ends of the earth until his torn and bloodied corpse lay at my feet.