by Danny Jewell
Billy came into camp holding the wriggling creature by his hind legs proclaiming victory over the beast.
Billy sat next to Zeke and showed him his trophy.
The upside down rabbit looked Zeke in the face and it made him wonder.
Billy brought out his knife and just he was about to do “the dirty deed” Zeke said “What if that ain’t no ordinary rabbit. Toto, we ain’t in Kansas anymore; what if that their bunny is one of those lost souls Cochise was talking about and we ain’t supposed to eat him”?
Billy hadn’t thought of that and the more he did the less he liked it. “Well, call the horses over and ask them”!
Zeke yelled “HEY YOU TWO, GET OVER HERE”.
The two horses sauntered over and Billy held the rabbit up and asked “Can we eat him, or not”?
Mangas and Sacagawea looked at one another and walked back to where they were without saying a word.
Billy said “Fine thing; I say we eat him”!
Zeke said “What if it is Cochise”?
Billy replied “Then we hang him up by his hind legs from a tree branch so he can see what it is like to not know what is going to happen to him next”.
Billy turned the rabbits face towards his and asked “Are you Cochise”?
The rabbit only twitched its whiskers and stared back at Billy.
Billy cut the bindings to the creature’s legs and set him down at the two men’s feet. The rabbit stirred for a moment, gathered itself up and ran off.
Both men turned in early and got up with the sunrise.
As they rode along they got company from behind.
It was a large hunting party of Cheyenne and as they came along side they introduced themselves and told the two of them they were more than welcome to join them.
Soon after a scout came out of the trees and told them that he had spotted two white men and black man dressed as a soldier.
The whole party moved in unison towards the threesome.
There was a loud war whoop and the three men turned to see a party of 70 Cheyenne Warriors bearing down on them.
They reached the woodlands and soon were able to return fire.
The two white men fell in a hail of bullets at the onset of the fight but the black man, despite a gunshot wound and his horse being shot out from under him made it to a washout under the nearby railroad tracks. His name was Private John Randall of troop G of the Tenth Calvary.
He suffered two lance wounds and Zeke was amazed at this man who only had seventeen rounds of ammunition fend off so many.
Zeke was having a great deal of internal conflict over seeing this man of color with such great fighting spirit giving as good as he got or helping him in his moment of need,
He was just about to step in when he saw Billy pick up a lance and make a Beeline towards the man.
At the moment Billy sent the lance towards Private Randall they heard a bugle sound.
It ended with a thud next to the soldier’s head just as the regiment from a small nearby camp came into view.
The Cheyenne engaged the onslaught of the soldiers and made a retreat back into the hills, leaving behind 13 fallen warriors.
At camp that night the Warriors celebrated the attack despite their losses.
They told stories of this new type of soldier who fought like a wounded Buffalo and had the thick shaggy mane of a Buffalo too. They respect such a man and would pass these stories down through generations.
As one Indian passed Billy and Zeke he said “good squaw”.
Zeke turned to Billy and said “You forget what Cochise said about taking lives in this place”.
Billy said “Nope, just got caught up in the moment is all; besides, you’re just sore because he was a black man and a bunch of Indians tried to kill him”.
Zeke was hot “Since when do you send seventy Indians to kill one black man”?
Billy was calm “Maybe you did not notice the uniform on the man. The same uniform that was worn by so many who needlessly killed so many Native Americans that history cannot keep count. They were no more than paid mercenaries who killed innocent women and children or have you forgotten Wounded Knee”?
Zeke was to learn later that the Ninth and Tenth Calvary units still use the same name “Buffalo Soldier” to this day. They took part in the Civil War and afterwards were headquartered in Jacksons Barracks out of New Orleans in November of 1869. The 39th and 40th were reorganized as the 24th Infantry Regiment with the headquarters in Fort Clark Texas in April of 1869.
He also learned that they served in the Spanish American War and the Battle of San Juan Hill where Five Medals of Honor were earned.
They woke the next morning to find themselves still with the Cheyenne.
Everyone mounted their horses and the party headed west.
As the day grew on Billy and Zeke noticed their horses were getting slower and slower.
Soon enough the whole party was well ahead of the two men and they watched them disappear into the afternoon heatwaves as if they were never there.
18
GOING HOME
The two men stopped in the shade of an old Pine Tree and it seemed to help very little in the incessant afternoon heat.
They dismounted and as they stood there Zeke felt the silence engulf him in such a way that he felt the need to speak.
“Did you mean it when you said you wanted to go home even after you killed that guy”? Zeke asked Billy.
“Yep; never been this long away from my sister. She must be worried sick about me. I am willing to accept my punishment for what I did. I can’t stop thinking about it. I did not intend to kill him; I only saw the hurt it caused my sister and wanted the pain and anger go away. It was like I was thinking that it would put things back the way they were if I could only get rid of the hurt it had caused. I did not intend to kill him. I was filled with rage from the pain it had caused. Not until I saw the look in his eyes and time to think about it did I realize what I did was wrong”
Zeke had seen the awful things a man can do when he was stuck in a bottle and could not help but ask “And the booze”?
Billy was irritated and said “Why do you have to throw that in my face all the time? I know my demons and am trying to deal with them the best I can”.
After a few minutes Billy asked “After what Cochise said, are you sure you want to go back home. I mean, we are here for a reason”.
“Yep; been gone too long. Cochise can get someone else to do his bidding”.
The mounted their horses and gave them the lead. After a while they came over a hill that overlooked a town. Zeke seemed alarmed.
He stated as much to Billy, “No; we can’t go there. Remember what Cochise said; it will only get worse and I have a bad feeling about this place. The people in that town will see us as Indians in a time when Indians are called “Savages” and killed because of their birthright”.
Billy was thinking “Maybe this fool is catching on” and tried his best to turn his horse in a different direction but there was no deterring the animal.
The sounds of the horse’s hoofs clopping on the ground grew louder and echoed in the ears of the two men as the town drew closer and closer.
They even made an attempt to dismount but some invisible force kept them there.
There was no-one on the street and Zeke was feeling the town was deserted and that gave him some relief.
The horses stopped in front of the Saloon and Zeke said “Oh dear God; it is the town we first came to when we started out on this quest, or whatever you call it”.
What he said seemed to fall on deaf ears as he saw Billy dismount and hurriedly make his way through the Bat-Wing doors.
Zeke shouted “Billy; don’t”
With a moan he got off his horse and made his
way to the entrance.
He looked over the doors to see everything was covered in dust and in disarray. The sign that said “NO BLACKS; NO INDIANS” was hanging by one hook.
Zeke went through the door and called out Billy’s name. No answer.
He saw Billy’s footprints on the dust covered floor and followed them.
As he got near the bar he noticed them going to the right and followed them.
Zeke froze in his steps when he heard someone call out his name.
It seemed to be coming from a door off to the side of the bar. Hesitantly he went over, turned the knob, pushed the door open and peered in.
It was a dust covered office and nobody was there, he went in and in a low voice said “Hello; Billy; is that you”?
There was no answer and as he asked his question the room changed and Zeke found himself standing in the living room of his house.
A smile came to his face and he said “I am home; thank you Cochise”.
He heard the front door open and two young boys came running through it. They ran past him and went towards the kitchen. Zeke followed them and heard them ask “What’s for dinner”?
Zeke instantly recognized the voice that answered them “Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes”, it was Annie, his wife.
As he came to the doorway the boys ran past him to the stairs leading up to the bedrooms because she had told them to get busy on their homework.
Zeke leaned against the door-jam and was about to announce his presence and ask who the two boys were when he felt a dull ache run through his soul as the smell of his mother reached his nostrils.
It was his mother and she passed through him as if her were a ghost and sat at the table.
She folded her hands and Zeke looked at the woman and could hardly recognize her. She had aged poorly and as she began to speak, his heart went out to her.
“Annie; you know it was seven years ago today that we got word about Zeke being found dead of exposure”.
She said “Yes momma. It was awful that he was found with that Indian who killed the government man. The newspapers said they were together and if they did not die they would have gone on a crime spree together”.
Tears welled up in his mother’s eyes as she spoke “My Zeke would never have hurt anybody”.
Annie replied. “Yep, I know that what he did that night was not like him and a week later I realized that Tim White was only using me and cared nothing about Joseph and Michael. If he could only see them now; he would be so proud”.
Zeke could not believe what he was hearing. It was a living nightmare and he wanted to turn and run but this was as close to being home as he had been in a long time so he just stood there listening.
His mother had tears run down her cheeks and Annie came over and put her hands over hers for comfort.
His mother’s lips quivered as she said “It was six years ago next week that Joe was sitting in his chair listening to the radio. I noticed he did not come to bed and I went into the living room, there he was, Zeke’s picture on his lap and dead from a broken heart. I guess it was too much for him when he had to sell the bar to pay for Zeke’s funeral and word got around how he was found. Joe always blamed himself for telling him to leave town. I am sure glad to have had you and the boys here for me. The boys still don’t know how their daddy died, do they”?
“No, momma, I told them he was overseas helping a charity group. I found someone that I send a letter to with a return postage stamp on it and mail it out, it comes back addressed to them and they look forward to getting them every so often. Mikey goes to the box every day hoping for a letter. “Poppa sure loved that boy. I remember the funeral. They had to carry him away from the grave site as he cried Zeke’s name all the way”.
Zeke was hysterical “I AM NOT DEAD! I AM HERE MOMMA; ANNIE; PLEASE”.
Zeke was all but destroyed. Tears were streaming down his face as he mumbled “Daddy; I am sorry” as he turned back towards the living room.
Billy had come in, in hopes of getting a beer or a whiskey.
As he headed to the bar he walked straight into his past.
There he was; back in high school. His friends were gathered around him and teasing him about the Basketball Game that night.
Billy said to himself “I know this night; I sunk the winning shot”.
His best friend was giving him a hard time about his future as an American Indian and what he had said in class.
“So you think you are going to make a big difference, Mr. Bigshot” Rick told him sarcastically.
“Yep; First American Indian Senator and I will make a difference for our people; just you wait and see.”
They all went around the corner and Billy followed them to see where they were headed.
He found himself in the gymnasium watching him play the game of his life.
He walked up to the bleachers to find his sister and her best friend Laura talking. Laura said “Your brother is so sweet” and his sister replied “Yes; I know; he is my best friend and I think the two of you would make a great couple”.
Laura said “One can only hope”.
The conversation was drowned out by the crowd as Billy looked to see his younger self going down the court and the crowd counting down the last few seconds. The shot sailed through the air and Billy did not get the chance to see the “whoosh” of the shot as it went through the net; only heard the echoes of the best moment he had in school along with the dying cheers from the crowd because the scenery changed and Billy found himself in his sister’s living room.
There she was crying and Laura was there beside her.
She said “Been seven years since they found Billy with that Black Man”.
Lilly said “Yeah; I know. He died from exposure and nobody knows what they were doing together, only bad rumors and what the newspapers said. It was so awful; they even lied about what I said in the interview and called it “Two found dead in Arizona before they could commit a “Bonnie and Clyde” type crime spree”.
Billy’s sister was crying and Laura was holding her hand as she said “I would not be able to go on without him much longer if it wasn’t for little Billy. Despite his drinking problem Billy was my world. He didn’t even get to say goodbye”.
Just as she finished a little boy that looked like Billy as a child ran in and said “Missing Uncle Billy again; I can help by telling stories of how we Apache never stop fighting if you will tell me more stories of him”.
Billy was confused and wondering how this could be.
He started towards her and everything changed. He found himself back at the bar in the Ghost Town.
Looking towards the other end of the bar, Zeke appeared out of nowhere.
The two men were speechless and shaken, then a voice from across the room said “WELCOME BACK BOYS”.
19
SWINGIN
The two men peered across the poorly lit room and at a corner table was a man with his head down.
He wore a white wide brimmed Stetson and when he looked up Billy was the first one to notice the tin star on his chest and said as much “John Law”.
“Nope” the man replied. “Bass Reeves”.
Zeke on the other hand was looking at what he thought did not exist and said as much “What the”?
The man’s voice was deep and strong, “As I just said; my name is Bass Reeves and some call me “Black Gun” but you two can call me “Marshal Reeves”.
While Zeke was staring at the man Billy was in a talking mood and said ““Yeah; right. Look; whoever you are, I don’t care much for cops of any kind and at this moment am in no mood for games. I have been jerked around and put up with this black man (he pointed to Zeke) and am sick and tired of being toyed with like it is some kind of game. Now get Cochise in here because
I want to tell him to take us back where all this began. I would rather take my chances with a real cop in the real world than go through anymore of this”.
Billy started towards the man and before he could take two steps was looking at the business end of a Colt .45.
“How come you have not asked about you being an uncle”?
“It was a dream that you or someone planted in my head, Sis ain’t never gone and done nothing as foolish as to get herself pregnant”.
Bass Reeves looked Billy straight in the eyes and said “Every action has a consequence and every consequence may not be as one envisions them to be; your sister was raped by a bad man and you need to get it through your head that she had the child of the man you murdered”.
Billy staggered and the possibility of what the Marshal said shook him to his core. He was left speechless by the impact of what was said.
Before Bass Reeves could speak again, Zeke chimed in “I agree with the Injun; enough is enough; I want to go back”.
The man had a steely gaze and told the two of them that he was one not to be trifled with and his colorful speech put emphasis on what he said.
“Now I am willing to bet that if you boys have asked yourselves once, you have asked yourselves a thousand times since you been here, If I die here, will I die back in the real world? Well; I am here to answer that question. Also; if you think a great man like Cochise has the ability to send you back to where all this began then you must be some kind of stupid. As to where I come in. What I told you is true. I was born a slave and owned by Col. George R. Reeves. You see it isn’t uncommon for a slave to take the last name of his owner when he or she was freed or runs away from captivity. I escaped to Indian Territory and served with The Union India Home Guard Regiment during the Civil War. I served as a guide for Deputy U.S. Marshals working out of The Federal Court in Fort Smith Arkansas. Judge Isaac C. Parker who was known as “The Hanging Judge” took me in as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in 1875.
Billy was thinking and thinking fast “You point that gun at us and expect us to believe you have the right to take our lives; isn’t that reserved for the ones you answer to”?
