by C. J. Petit
The sheriff replied, “It’s possible, but let’s not lose our advantage. We’ve got another downslope, so let’s make good use of it.”
Mike Henderson then said, “I woulda thought he’d set up for an ambush if he saw us.”
Bill loudly replied, “So, did I. I expected to hear bullets go whistling past my head when we were close to the top.”
Mike snickered then said, “You should count your lucky stars if you get to hear them buzz past.”
Pat Jefferson grinned at his deputies because they seemed so confident and unafraid.
While their boss hadn’t paid much attention to that last warning on Arv Zendt’s telegram, Bill Potts had noticed it and had thought about asking the sheriff if it was something to worry about. But he was sure that Sheriff Jefferson knew about it and didn’t seem worried, so he wasn’t about to act as if he was afraid.
_____
Dave found it difficult to avoid turning around to look for the posse but managed to make it over the top of the pass without checking his backtrail. Once he was a hundred yards on the downslope, he pulled up and dismounted. He walked his tired horses into a small mixed forest of pines and oaks on the west side of the road and led them to a small pond. He let them drink until he knew they’d had enough, then pulled them away. After tying off his gelding on the lowest branch of a big oak so the horses could graze, he slipped the Martini-Henry from the packhorse’s scabbard then walked to his horse and opened the left saddlebag. He pulled out one box of the mammoth cartridges and dropped it into his jacket pocket before taking off his hat and leaving it on his saddle horn.
Before he began walking back to set up his ambush, Dave grabbed his Winchester just in case any surviving lawmen were stupid enough to keep coming after losing their horses.
He returned to the road and headed for the summit. He didn’t want to let them see him, so he dropped into a crouch as he duck-walked along the roadway.
Dave was almost at the highest point when he leaned both rifles against a rock then dropped to the ground and began to crawl. He reached the top of the pass and soon spotted the three riders who had almost reached the narrow valley. They were already less than a mile away.
Dave slid back a couple of yards, then bounced to his feet and picked up the rifles. He stayed low as he headed back to the top and soon stretched out just before he reached the spot where he’d spotted them. He’d give them another two minutes to start their climb and then another minute or so before they had no place to go.
While he waited for those hundred and eighty seconds to pass, he pulled the box of ammunition from his jacket pocket and set it on the ground. He extended the lever opening the Martini-Henry’s breech and slipped in one of the bottlenecked cartridges. After pulling the lever closed, he took six more cartridges from the box and dropped them into his jacket’s right pocket.
He had been counting since he’d lost sight of the lawmen, and shortly after filling his pocket with the ammunition, he reached the magic number and stood up straight. He still didn’t see them but knew they must be close by now.
He kept his sights pointed south as he stepped to the top of the pass.
_____
Sheriff Jefferson and his deputies were closer than Dave had expected but were still more than two hundred yards away from the summit. They had slowed their horses for the climb but while they didn’t expect to run into an ambush, they were far from complacent.
Bill Potts looked at the sheriff and asked, “How far are we gonna follow this guy? We don’t have any food.”
Pat Jefferson turned to his deputy and replied, “We’ll follow him as far as the county line.”
Mike Henderson exclaimed, “But that’s just past Fort Shaw, boss!”
The sheriff grinned as he said, “I reckon you might be missing a meal unless we catch that feller before sunset.”
Bill was about to ask about resting the horses when he wobbled in his saddle and stared wide-eyed at the sheriff as the loud rifle report echoed off the nearby granite cliffs.
Sheriff Jefferson was so startled that he didn’t react even as his deputy rocked twice then tumbled from his saddle.
Mike Henderson was reaching for his Winchester when a second shot rang out and the sheriff’s horse reared in pain, throwing his boss from his saddle.
Mike pulled his repeater and nudged his horse into a gallop as he levered in a fresh round. He didn’t want to waste time to see if he already had one in the chamber. The unused cartridge spat out of the Winchester as Mike brought it to bear on the shooter who was standing at the top of the pass reloading his rifle. Mike knew he was still out of range but hoped to make the shooter miss by sending a .44 in his direction.
Dave had the Martini-Henry reloaded when he spotted the deputy charging up the road with his Winchester level. He had to ignore any gunfire as he settled his sights on the horse’s head.
Mike Henderson fired and was levering in his second round when Dave fired his third shot. He may have been aiming at the horse’s head, but he was high, and his powerful slug slammed into Mike Henderson’s forehead, removing the top of his skull.
The second deputy was dead before he struck the ground and rolled to the edge of the road then stopped.
Dave was hurriedly reloading when Deputy Henderson fell, so when he looked up, he was almost surprised to find the road empty of lawmen. He momentarily thought about gathering the two healthy horses but decided it would only make him appear more suspicious to oncoming traffic.
He turned and after grabbing his Winchester and the box of cartridges, hurried down the road and entered the trees to find his horses.
Sheriff Jefferson was still a bit woozy from the fall, but when he sat up and scanned the road ahead, he was sickened with what his eyes revealed. He spotted an unmoving Bill Potts on the road and hoped that he’d just been knocked out, but after looking past his own dead horse, he spotted Mike Henderson’s body another hundred yards away. Even at that distance, Pat Jefferson knew that he was dead.
He slowly stood and was relieved that he wasn’t dizzy before he looked at the pass and wondered if Forrest was going to return to make sure they were all dead and take the two horses. So, he hurried to his dead horse and pulled out his Winchester. He cocked the hammer and waited for almost a minute expecting that murdering bastard to come into view.
When he hadn’t returned, Pat stepped over to Bill Potts. He found Bill’s lifeless eyes staring back at him, so he leaned down and closed his eyelids.
No longer caring about his own safety, Sheriff Jefferson walked quickly up the rise to the crest of the pass. He was hoping to spot Forrest and let a few bullets fly even if he was out of range.
But when he was able to see down the road, Dave Forrest was already too far away to waste a bullet.
He turned and headed back to his dead deputies. He’d load their bodies onto one horse and then take the other and head back. He’d stop at Silver City to have his boys placed in caskets so at least they wouldn’t return home looking like dead game.
He’d send a telegram to Arv Zendt while he was there, too. He knew that Forrest would probably be in Arv’s jurisdiction before the end of the day. He just wished that they didn’t hang him in Fort Benton. He didn’t think it would be good enough.
_____
Dave continued to ride and believed that he’d killed all three lawmen, so no one would come after him for at least another day. But he also realized that his choice of direction after leaving Silver City was now sending him back toward Fort Shaw. He hoped to reach the settlement before sunset. He could buy some more supplies, but then where would he go?
He couldn’t head back to Helena any more than he could ride east to Fort Benton. There was that turnoff just south of Fort Shaw, but that road stayed in Lewis & Clark County, and he was sure that there would be more than a couple of posses out searching for him. He had to leave the county and that meant he’d have to reach Choteau County where he was already wanted.
As
he continued to ride at a brisk pace, he mulled his few options. Even if he’d killed the Lewis & Clark County sheriff and two of his deputies, someone would miss them if they didn’t return by sunset. If they had all been deputies or even volunteers, then the sheriff might be concerned even sooner. Dave was sure that by tomorrow Sheriff Zendt would receive a telegram from Helena. He knew he’d have to find a good place to hide out by then. It didn’t take long for Dave to figure out where he’d go after buying some supplies. He’d leave Fort Shaw and head north to Woman’s Breast. That ghost town offered shelter and a lot of places to hide him and his horses. He may have to stay there a month before things died down but could always hunt and fish to keep his belly full.
_____
Sheriff Jefferson knew he was adding even more stress to the two exhausted horses as he climbed the last rise before reaching Silver City. He just hoped they’d survive long enough for him to send that telegram.
As bad as he felt for losing his two young deputies, he felt worse knowing why they had died. Arv Zendt had warned him about the long-range rifle, yet he had ignored it. He didn’t blame his young deputies for not mentioning it. He was the one with all of the experience and he should have taken precautions. Instead, he’d ridden them into an ambush that had taken their lives.
When he spotted Silver City thirty minutes later, he was relieved knowing that he was going to make it. But he knew that when he arrived in Helena, before he did anything else, he’d have to break the horrible news to Bill and Mike’s young wives. He’d bring Alma along to comfort them, but even his wife wouldn’t be able to deflect the anger they would hold for him when he explained how their husbands had died. He wasn’t about to sugarcoat it either. As far as Pat was concerned, he deserved far worse.
_____
Ignorant of all that had happened on the Helena-Fort Shaw road, Jake and Sara were enjoying the first normal day they’d experienced since Jake had returned from the army. They were in the office but not behind the desk. They were sitting in chairs near the gun rack and Sara was listening as Jake explained the entries in the ledger spread out on his lap. Some were a bit cryptic, at least to anyone who hadn’t run a cattle ranch.
“This one is payment for salvaged iron that Big Tom uses to make horseshoes and other things.”
“Why does he make them rather than buying them? Isn’t that expensive when you add in his labor?”
“Maybe, but he enjoys the work and he’d have to adjust the sizes of the commercial horseshoes anyway.”
She smiled and asked, “It’s not always about doing things the cheapest way; is it?”
He kissed her and replied, “No, ma’am.”
She said, “I thought Jack was going to turn into a giant red rubber ball when you asked him if he was going to make an honest woman out of Maggie.”
“He should have been grateful that I didn’t bring it up in front of all the men. I thought it was very considerate of me to have him come to the office.”
“You were only considerate because your bride suggested that you ask him to come to the office, so she could watch his reaction."
Jake laughed, closed the ledger and replied, “If that was what you called a suggestion, then I hope I never hear you make a demand.”
“When I told you that I had laid claim to you, that was close to being a demand; wasn’t it?”
“No, ma’am. It may have been a stunning announcement, but it wasn’t close to reaching the level of a demand. Regardless of what it was, I’m still immensely happy that you staked your claim."
"So, am I. Now that I know how to keep your books in order, I’ll do my other wifely duty and cook your supper.”
As she rose, Jake said, “And I’ll do my husbandly duty later.”
Sara laughed then waltzed out of the office.
Jake stood and carried the ledger to the desk and returned it to the bottom drawer before sitting in his father’s chair. He wondered how long it would be before he stopped thinking of everything on the Elk as belonging to his father. Maybe he never would, but it probably didn’t matter.
He leaned back in the chair and even though it had been a wonderfully routine day, it was one more day where no one had reported seeing Dave Forrest. He would wait until next Thursday before visiting Arv Zendt to tell him of his plan to search for the man who’d murdered his parents. He’d already decided to start his search following the same route he’d taken when he left the last time. But he hadn’t included Woman’s Breast in his itinerary.
_____
Dave had been checking his backtrail and hadn’t seen anyone behind him. But he had passed some riders heading south. He’d also seen a freight wagon and the stagecoach. He’d waved and smiled at them and even those who’d returned his greeting didn’t seem remotely interested in him. It gave him hope that he’d be able to get his supplies at Fort Shaw without any problems. But to add a bit more protection, he decided to ride south out of Fort Shaw to let anyone think he was going to take the fork just south of town. After sunset, he’d turn back north and head to Woman’s Breast. He’d have to camp out tonight but should reach the ghost town in the morning.
_____
Sheriff Zendt was about to lock up the jail for the night when Jimmy Woodley burst through the door.
He held out a telegram and between his deep gulps of air, he said, “This…just…got here…Sheriff. Mister Topper...said you gotta read it…right away.”
Arv snatched the message from Jimmy’s fingers and quickly read its contents.
“Son of a bitch!” he exclaimed before remembering that the boy was standing three feet away.
Jimmy didn’t even grin but asked, “Do you want to send a message, Sheriff?”
“No, Jimmy. But I apologize for my crude language.”
“It’s okay. I hear it all the time.”
Sheriff didn’t offer a tip but followed Jimmy out of the jail. He didn’t even lock the door before he mounted and turned his horse to the west. He had to give the news to Jake.
_____
Jake was in the kitchen explaining his plans to find R. L. Kemper for Maggie as Sara cooked their supper. When Sheriff Zendt pounded on the front door, they both turned their eyes to the hallway.
Jake said, “I’ll get it,” then popped to his feet and hurried out of the kitchen. He knew all the men were having chow but wondered if someone had learned of Jack’s intentions and now Jack was angry that Jake had spilled the beans.
He was smiling as he opened the door expecting to find a furious, flustered foreman but the moment he saw Sheriff Zendt, he knew it was serious.
He asked, “What’s wrong, Arv? Do you want to come in?”
“No. I’ve gotta get back. But I just got this telegram and I wanted you to know.”
He handed Jake the message and watched his face as the terrible news struck home.
Jake was almost as stunned as he’d been when he’d read the telegram about his mother’s death and then again when he’d uncovered his father’s body. How could he have been friends with a man who was capable of such horrors?
He handed it back to the sheriff and said, “He’s heading this way, Arv.”
“I know. That’s why I needed to warn you. But if he’s coming to the Elk, he won’t get here until late tomorrow at the earliest.”
“I don’t think he’s coming to the ranch. He’d know that we’d be expecting him. I was going to search for him in a week if none of the lawmen found him. But now that we know where he is and what he’s done, I’ll head west tomorrow. Will you join me?”
“I was gonna head that way myself, so I’ll swing by in the morning.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready to go when you show up.”
Arv nodded, turned around and trotted down the porch steps then mounted and rode away.
Jake sighed, then closed the door and walked back to the kitchen to break the news to Sara.
Sara had paused her supper preparation after Jake left the kitchen. She was curious who was at t
he door and watched from the end of the hallway as Jake and the sheriff talked. She heard much of their conversation and returned to the cookstove before Jake had closed the door.
So, when he reached the kitchen, she was well prepared for what he was about to ask.
Jake sat down and said, “That was Sheriff Zendt.”
“I know. What did Dave Forrest do that was so horrible?”
Jake should have expected that Sara had listened, but he didn’t mind. In fact, if he’d known it was the sheriff at the door, he would have brought her along.
“I guess the sheriff in Helena found out that Dave was there. But Dave must have gotten wind of it and managed to get out of town before the sheriff could get a posse together. The sheriff and two of his deputies followed Dave past Silver City for a good twenty miles or so and Dave ambushed them on the road. He killed the two deputies and shot the sheriff’s horse from under him.”
“My God! I heard that Dave was headed this way, but you don’t think he’s coming to the Elk.”
“No, I don’t. I’ll tell the men in a little while, but I can’t imagine that he’d return to the one place where everyone can recognize him. But that road doesn’t intersect with any other roads until it’s close to Fort Shaw. He could loop around, but I don’t believe he will. He’d be heading back toward Helena and that would be almost as bad as coming here.”
“Where else can he go?”
“He might stop at Fort Shaw, but that wouldn’t be safe for very long. He’d want to hide out until things cool off. He’d want his own sanctuary.”
“Do you have any idea where he could find one?”
“I do. Remember I told you about that ghost town called Woman’s Breast?”
“With its one lone resident.”
“Yup. I know that he had been there before he arrived on the Elk when it had a few residents. But even if he thought there were fifty people still living there, he’d know that the town doesn’t have a telegraph or stagecoach service. It’s pretty isolated, yet still within a day’s ride of Fort Shaw.”
“So, that’s where you and the sheriff will start looking for him tomorrow?”
