THE BOUNTY: Twentieth in a Series of Jess Williams Westerns (A Jess Williams Western Book 20)

by Robert J. Thomas

  “You got a name old man?” Jess asked.

  “Huh, what’d you say,” asked the old man.

  “His name is Harvey Vanwinkle,” a woman’s voice said from inside the covered wagon. Jess and Wright exchanged surprised looks and Jess rode around to the back of the wagon. Hands appeared and the back canvas of the wagon and opened up to reveal a young woman who was obviously pregnant with child.

  “He’s my father and he’s trying to get us to Defiance,” explained the woman, just as Lauter, Jane, Rubin and Gilpin rode up. The old man started to raise his rifle up again and Wright quickly moved his horse forward and reached for the rifle.

  “Give me that before you accidently shoot somebody,” snapped Wright, grabbing the rifle out of his hands.

  “Give me my rifle back!” barked Harvey.

  “I’ll give it back to you when you quit trying to shoot everyone you see,” quipped Wright.

  “Who are you?” Jess asked the woman in the wagon.

  “I’m Marta Vanwinkle, and this is Sissy and Hans,” explained the woman. Jess watched as two small heads slowly rose above the wooden gate of the covered wagon. The girl looked to be six or seven and the boy looked to be about five. Jess’ shoulders visibly slumped at the sight of the two children.

  “That’s just great,” Jess said under his breath.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Jess and Wright led the group another three hours and found a camp next to some boulders at the bottom of a rocky hillside. Jess had Lauter take the first watch. Lauter rode up to the top of the hill and sat on a rock where he had a good view of the landscape in all directions. Down at the bottom, Harvey, Marta and the two children quickly went about their respective chores. Harvey took care of the team of horses and Marta got some things out of the wagon to make supper. Hans and Sissy ran around the area, gathering all the wood they could find for the fire. Harvey finished with the team of horses and walked over to where Jess was sitting on a rock.

  “You gonna give me my rifle back?” Harvey asked impatiently. Jess gave him a pained look and glanced over at Wright, who was sitting on another rock.

  “I ain’t the one who took your rifle away from you, he did,” replied Jess, pointing at Wright. The old man narrowed his eyes and moved his face a little closer to Jess to get a better look at him. Jess could smell liquor on the old man’s breath.

  “Have you been drinking old man?” Jess asked him.

  “I take a nip once in a while, what of it?” barked Harvey indignantly. Jess shook his head a little and looked at Wright.

  “Another reason why he kept missing you,” implied Jess. Harvey walked over to Wright.

  “Can I have my rifle back yet?”

  “You gonna quit trying to shoot everything that moves?” asked Wright.

  “Yeah, now that I know you ain’t no threat,” offered Harvey. Wright reached behind the rock he was sitting on and handed the rifle back to Harvey. Harvey fished around in his pocket for some cartridges and loaded a few shells into it. He dropped several of the shells on the ground. He walked away, leaving the shells he dropped on the ground. Wright looked at Jess and smiled as he picked up the rifle shells and stuck them in his pocket.

  “That old man is blind, deaf and dumb,” exclaimed Wright.

  “It’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t shoot someone by accident,” implied Jess.

  “It would have to be by accident since he can’t see or aim worth a damn.”

  “And to think, we might get that old someday.”

  “I hope someone shoots me first.”

  “I tried,” grinned Jess. “How’s your shoulder by the way?”

  “Hurts like hell, but I’ll be okay,” replied Wright. “So, are we going to add this group to our strange little flock and escort them the rest of the way to Defiance?” Jess let out a long sigh of frustration.

  “I don’t see that we have much choice in the matter,” submitted Jess. “The old man is useless with that rifle of his and the woman is pregnant and then there are the two kids. They won’t last out here, especially with every gunslinger and bounty hunter crawling around looking for Jane and Rubin, who both happen to be with us.”

  “Well, with the wagon along for the ride, I figure we have three days before we reach Defiance,” pondered Wright.

  “Yeah, three long days,” implied Jess.

  Jess sat there and watched Jane and Marta cooking up supper. They had four skillets going at one time on a large fire that made him a little nervous, even with a lookout on top of the hill. Jane finally motioned him and the rest over to the fire.

  “Supper is ready,” said Jane. Jess walked over and saw two skillets that were full of rabbit meat and he smiled.

  “Where in the hell did you get the rabbits?” Jess asked Marta.

  “We shot them early this morning,” replied Marta. Jess looked at Harvey, who was sipping from the metal flask by the wagon. Marta saw it and smiled.

  “Actually, I’m the one who shot the rabbits since father can’t hit anything but air and dirt,” explained Marta. “Don’t tell him I said so though, he has his pride you know.”

  “Your secret is safe with me,” said Jess as he took a plate from Jane and walked back to the rock and ate.

  When they finished, Wright rode up the hill and relieved Lauter so he could come down and eat. Jess was sipping coffee and watching the two women clean everything up. Marta put the two kids to bed in the wagon and suggested that Jane sleep in the wagon with her and the two kids and Jane gladly accepted. They were all sitting around the fire and Marta finally turned to Jess.

  “Jane tells me that you’re the one leading this group,” said Marta.

  “I suppose so, although I didn’t really think of it like that,” admitted Jess.

  “You’re on your way to Defiance, too?” Marta asked.

  “Yes,” replied Jess.

  “Jane told me all about what happened and why you’re taking her back to Defiance,” explained Marta. “Would it be too much to ask if you’d let us ride along with you and your group?”

  “Well, under the circumstances, I guess that might be a good idea, but I have to warn you, every gunslinger and bounty hunter in Texas is looking for Jane and Rubin right now,” explained Jess warningly. “I can’t promise we won’t run into more trouble along the way.”

  Marta forced a nervous smile as she looked at her father sitting against one of the wheels of the wagon, the metal flask in his hand again.

  “Well, if we have to continue on alone, all I have is my father to rely on for protection and I don’t have to tell you how that will turn out if we run into any serious trouble.”

  “No, you certainly don’t,” admitted Jess. “What takes you to Defiance anyway?”

  “My sister owns a little eatery there,” explained Marta. “She wants me to help her run it and I need more help taking care of father, too.”

  “Well, you better turn in because we leave pretty early,” implied Jess. “The rest of the men will take turns at watch and we’ll have to put this fire out since it will be dark soon.”

  The women climbed up in the wagon and turned in. Harvey crawled under the wagon with his bedroll and quickly passed out. The rest of them laid out their bedrolls and fell off to sleep. Jess rested his head against his saddle wondering how the hell he was going to get them all to Defiance alive and in one piece.

  In the morning, they were eating breakfast and Sissy looked at Gilpin’s feet and was smiling at them. Gilpin finally noticed her looking at his feet and he put his chunk of pan bread down in his tin plate.

  “What are you starin’ at?” demanded Gilpin.

  “How come you wear a slipper on your left foot?” Sissy asked.

  “It ain’t no slipper. It’s a moccasin,” corrected Gilpin.

  “But why are you wearing it?”

  “Because that one there shot me in my left foot,” barked Gilpin, pointing at Jess with his piece of bread.

  “Really?” asked Sissy, glan
cing over at Jess.

  “Here, look for yourself,” snapped Gilpin, taking his moccasin off his left foot to expose the bloody bandage.

  “That looks awful,” said Sissy, scrunching up her nose and narrowing her eyes.

  “It feels awful, too,” complained Gilpin.

  “Is that why they call you Lefty?”

  “No, that ain’t why,” drawled Gilpin. “I got that nickname ‘cause I use a left-hand gun.” Sissy walked over to where Jess was eating and she stood in front of him quietly looking at him. He didn’t say anything; he simply smiled at her as he chewed his food.

  “Did you really shoot him in the foot?” asked Sissy.

  “Yes I did,” said Jess with a smile.

  “Why?”

  “Because he was bad,” explained Jess. Wright finished his beans and laughed.

  “He shot me, too, Sissy,” Wright told her.

  “He did?” asked Sissy, an excited look on her face.

  “Yep, right here,” explained Wright, tapping his shoulder gently. Sissy turned back to Jess.

  “Why did you shoot him?”

  “Because he was bad, too.”

  “Do you shoot everyone who’s bad?” asked Sissy. Jess looked over at Gilpin and Wright and then back to Sissy.

  “Pretty much I suppose,” answered Jess. Sissy looked at Lefty’s foot again and smiled.

  “Well, just so you know, I’m going to be real good for the rest of the trip, okay?”

  “I think that’s a fine idea,” said Jess.

  Marta noticed what was going on and she called over to Sissy. “Sissy, quit bothering those men and help us clean up,” exclaimed Marta.

  “Yes mother,” said Sissy in a very polite tone, which surprised Marta a little and she looked strangely at Jane.

  “I usually have to ask her at least three times to get her to do something,” she explained.

  ***

  Cal Livingston and Jeffrey Huntsman rode out of Burke just as the sun started stealing the chill of the morning air away. They rode due north, weaving back and forth for miles every once in a while looking for tracks. They had been at it for about seven hours when Huntsman finally saw a bunch of tracks.

  “Hey Cal, look what I found,” said Huntsman. Livingston rode his horse over and looked at the tracks.

  “Looks like a half-dozen horses all going in the same direction,” examined Livingston.

  “Do you think it could be Wright and the woman?”

  “I have no idea why they’d be traveling with a bunch of other people,” said Livingston. “But they are heading in the direction of Defiance.”

  “Should we follow them?” asked Huntsman. Livingston looked around the landscape and rubbed his chin in thought for a few moments.

  “Well, we didn’t see any other signs of any other tracks, so I guess we might as well follow what lead we have at the moment and this is all we have,” answered Livingston. “I say we follow them and see what we find. The two of them spurred their horses into a slow gallop, carefully following the tracks.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  After a heavy breakfast, Lauter helped Harvey hitch up the team of horses and they all climbed up in the saddle and headed out due north again. Jane rode in the wagon and Sharps quickly walked around behind Gray and followed him as always. Wright watched Sharps and he smiled at Jess.

  “You’ve got those two horses well trained,” examined Wright.

  “Yeah, I suppose I do.”

  “Well, I’m going up ahead again and scout the trail,” said Wright, as he spurred his horse into a fast gallop, passing the wagon and watching to make sure Harvey didn’t grab the rifle that he kept on the seat.

  “Crazy old bastard,” Wright muttered to himself as he went by.

  The wagon lurched back and forth along the rocky path they were on. Lauter, Gilpin and Fisher rode far enough behind the wagon to keep the dust out of their faces. Jess was again riding about a half mile back, always watching the back trail with his spyglass. Whenever they came across any hills or ridges, Jess would ride up higher to get a good view of the area. So far, they hadn’t seen anyone following their trail. He was riding back down a ridge when he heard a rifle shot ring out from up ahead of their trail. He nudged Gray a little faster down the ridge and to the wagon. He hollered inside the back of the wagon to Jane.

  “I’m going up ahead and see what that shot was about,” Jess told her.

  “Be careful,” exclaimed Jane.

  Jess urged Gray into a fast gallop, all the while watching every spot that someone might use as a place for an ambush. He began to think about going back to the Stratton Hotel for another much-needed rest after this was all over. When he saw Wright’s horse standing without a rider, he racked a shell into his Winchester and slowed his horse down and kept looking around. He reined in his horse when he saw Wright dragging a small doe out from some bushes. He relaxed and climbed down from the saddle. Wright saw him and smiled.

  “I saw this doe in the bushes and decided I had enough rabbit lately,” said Wright.

  “I can’t say I wouldn’t like something else to eat, especially some back straps,” agreed Jess as he looked up at the sun, which was on its downward spiral. “Why don’t you ride ahead and find a good spot for camp and dress that deer out and have it ready when we get there.”

  “Will do,” agreed Wright, throwing the small doe up across the back of his saddle, winching at the pain it caused in his shoulder.

  Jess rode back to the wagon and saw Marta grabbing the rifle out of Harvey’s hands. Jess rode past the wagon and Marta gave him an apologetic look and Jess shook his head. When he got behind the wagon he rode up next to Lauter, Gilpin and Fisher.

  “What was the shootin’ about?” asked Gilpin.

  “We’re having some venison steaks tonight, thanks to Wright,” said Jess.

  “That sounds good to me,” exclaimed Lauter, rubbing his stomach. Jess rode back behind them again to watch their back trail.

  They continued on for another four hours until they saw a fire going about four hundred yards back from the old trail they had been following. Harvey didn’t see it so Marta peeked out of the front of the covered wagon and tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the fire. Harvey turned the wagon off the trail and headed toward the area Marta had shown him.

  When they got there, Wright already had a large fire going and had the doe hanging from a branch of a small cottonwood tree. He already cut out the best pieces of meat and had some other slices of the tougher pieces of the small doe draped over some of the branches making jerky out of it for later.

  Harvey finally reined up the wagon and Marta, Jane and the two kids climbed out. Jane and Marta stretched a little while the two kids ran over to look at the doe hanging from the tree. Jess finally rode into the camp area and looked around. There were a dozen cottonwood trees that would provide some cover as well as a source of wood for the fire. He saw a small stream about two hundred yards away from the camp. The rest of the landscape was virtually flat and he frowned at that. He took care of his two horses, walking them to the stream and letting them get their fill of water while he re-filled his canteens. When he walked back to camp, he looked at one of the cottonwoods and then at Lauter.

  “Hey Lauter, can you climb trees?” asked Jess, pointing to the one cottonwood tree he had picked out that had three large trunks that made a good sitting area about twenty feet up. Lauter nodded and Rubin gave him a boost up into the tree and handed him his rifle.

  Marta and Jane went about cooking up supper and Jess took some time to clean all his weapons. Wright finished working on the jerky and walked over and joined Jess in cleaning his own weapons. He was cleaning one of his Navy Colts when Jess picked up the cut-down Spenser rifle and examined it. The barrel of the Spenser had been cut-down about a foot and there was a small bead at the end of the barrel that replaced the original sight that had been removed. Wright watched Jess check the rifle out thoroughly and he smiled.

&n
bsp; “It comes in handy in close quarters and I can still hit my longer shots pretty good,” explained Wright. “I practice with it quite a bit, too. I picked off that doe from a good three hundred feet. I had a gunsmith over in Wichita do the work on it for me.” Jess put the rifle back down and grinned.

  “I think I like my rifles just the way they are,” offered Jess. Wright looked at Jess’ unique pistol and holster.

  “Where in the hell did you get a pistol and holster like that?” asked Wright. “I’ve looked at most every pistol around, but I ain’t seen anything quite like that?”

  “Let’s just say that I came across it by accident,” evaded Jess, not wanting to tell him how he found it and figuring he wouldn’t believe it anyway. Even he didn’t have a real explanation as to how the gun and holster found its way into his life when he had needed it the most.

  Jane and Marta called everyone to supper and they filled up heavily on the fresh venison, beans and biscuits that Marta had made. After supper, Rubin relieved Lauter in the tree so that Lauter could eat. Gilpin stood up and used his crutch to go and relieve himself. He glared at Jess when he creaked past him, still not forgiving him for shooting him in his left foot.

  ***

  Livingston and Huntsman slowly followed the tracks until they noticed a heavy set of ruts mixed in with the other tracks. Livingston followed the wagon tracks about a half-mile southwest and then returned to where Huntsman was waiting.

  “Looks like a wagon was traveling northeast and turned on this other trail going due north,” examined Livingston. “The other riders probably caught up with the wagon after that.”

  “Let’s keep following them and see,” suggested Huntsman. “If they’ve joined up with a wagon, we should be able to catch up to them pretty quickly.

  The two of them rode a few more hours and Livingston saw the remains of the fire that the riders had used previously. It was getting close to dark and the two of them decided that this was as good a place as any to stay the night and they both climbed down from the saddle and used the camp. After a meal of beans and bacon, Livingston pulled a bottle of whiskey out of his saddlebags and poured some of it into each of their coffee tins.