“Oh, Lord,” said Becky, “what do you want us to do?”
“We dare not light a fire or a lantern,” Lonnie said, “so you’ll have to work as best you can in the dark. One of you get that bolt of muslin cloth from the wagon, along with a blanket to spread on the ground.”
“Why?” Becky asked.
“No time for questions, damn it,” said Lonnie. “Get it. Then I’ll tell you.”
Becky scrambled to the wagon seat, tossing down a blanket, which Mindy spread on the ground beside the wagon. Finally she handed down the bolt of muslin. Lonnie dropped it on the blanket, and when Becky climbed down from the wagon, he spoke.
“Here, take my knife. I want you to cut off ten pieces of that muslin. It’s a yard wide, and I want each of these ten pieces cut at three-foot intervals. Get started on that while I get one of those kegs of black powder.”
None of them said anything, knowing there was more he had yet to tell them. The kegs of black powder had been loaded so they wouldn’t shift, and it took Lonnie a while to move all the goods securing them. Finally, the forty-pound keg under his arm, he climbed down from the wagon.
“Hand me the knife,” he said, placing the keg of powder on the blanket. The lid had been screwed down and was difficult to remove in the dark. Finally it came loose.
“The muslin’s been cut and is ready,” said Becky.
“Take one piece at a time, spreading it out on the blanket so it lies flat,” Lonnie said. “Then take a double handful of the black powder and put it exactly in the center of the muslin square. Then pull all four corners together until you have a kind of sack. See that the black powder is bunched in the bottom. Then, with a strip of muslin, tie it around the neck of the sack, holding the powder tightly in the bottom.”
“Are we allowed to know what you’re going to do with it?” Mindy asked.
“Eventually,” said Lonnie. “For now, you only need to know that we have to convince those Paiutes our medicine is stronger than theirs. When you’re done with this, keep your Colts handy and stay here beside the wagon. Don’t be moving about. Wovoka’s out there somewhere. When it’s first light—as soon as you can see—I want you to build a roaring fire behind the wagon, just as though we intend to have breakfast.”
Then he was gone, and Becky swore under her breath.
“Whatever he has in his mind, he’s not telling us the worst of it,” said Mindy. “That tells me it’s dangerous enough to get somebody killed.”
“Yes,” Becky said, “and that’s why he’s told us to stay beside the wagon. We’re being kept out of it.”
“Well,” said Laura, “should we feel flattered that he thinks that much of us, or should we be insulted because he doesn’t think we can live up to whatever he has in mind?”
“I suppose I’m a coward,” April said, “but I’m not sure I could do what he’s thinking of doing. This stuff’s explosive, and somebody’s got to get awful close for it to do any good.”
“My God,” said Mindy, “that’s why he had us cut these large muslin squares, and his reason for a big fire. They’re going to set fire to those lengths of muslin and ride to meet the Paiutes.”
“That sounds exactly like something Lonnie would do,” Becky said, “and if the Paiutes have us surrounded, they won’t just stand there. They’ll shoot so many arrows, they won’t all miss.”
“What are we going to do?” cried April.
“Oh, hell,” said Becky wearily, “I don’t know what’s going to become of us.”
Suddenly Mindy began heaving and gagging. Rolling away from the blanket, she turned over on her belly, throwing up in painful spasms. Spent, she lay there breathing hard.
“Lord,” Becky said, “did what I say cause that?”
“No,” said Mindy’s muffled voice. “I’ve been feeling sick for two or three days now. My belly hurts, and I just feel like hell.”
“Not that” Becky said. “Not now.”
“What are you talking about?” Mindy demanded.
“You’re in the family way,” said Becky. “That’s the first sign.”
“No,” Mindy said. “When Dallas and me sleep together, all we take off is our hats.”
“You’re forgetting something,” said Becky. “While we were at the Kilgore Ranch, we didn’t sleep on the ground. We had beds. Did you only take your hat off then?”
“I … I guess I took it all off,” Mindy said.
April and Laura laughed.
“You picked the wrong day of the month,” said April.
“Shut up, both of you,” Becky said. “Any one of the three of us may be next. We had as much opportunity as Becky did.”
“Oh, God,” cried Mindy, “by the time we reach Green River, I’ll be as big as any cow in the outfit. Dallas will have a fit.”
“No, he won’t,” Becky said. “He was there when it happened.”
“He’ll make a fuss over me on the wagon, helping with the cooking and everything,” said Mindy. “He’ll fidget around me like an old hen.”
“You’d better hope he does,” April said. “My pa was off on a drunk when I was born, and he didn’t know I existed for two weeks. Then he didn’t give a damn.”
“Whatever else happens,” said Mindy, “don’t breathe a word of this to Dallas. I’ll tell him at … some … better time.”
“When you’re big as a cow,” April suggested.
“April,” said Becky, “please shut up. We have enough problems. Don’t worry, Mindy, we’ll keep your secret as long as we can.”
“Until I’m big as a cow and can’t hide it any longer,” Mindy said unhappily.
As first light neared, all the riders came together. It was time for Lonnie to tell them what he had planned to do, what he hoped might save them from an overwhelming force of Paiutes. At that precise moment, Wovoka arrived, and he didn’t bring good news.
“Paiutes come,” Wovoka said.
“Wovoka,” said Lonnie, “I’d like for you to remain near the wagon. Under the seat you’ll find some of those Colts we took from the outlaws. The women will be with the wagon, and the Paiutes may try to rush them. The rest of us are going to try and convince them our medicine is better than theirs. All of you come on, and bring your horses.”
“What about the herd?” Dallas asked.
“If we don’t rid ourselves of these Paiutes,” said Lonnie, “the herd won’t matter.”
Becky and Laura had the fire going behind the wagon. Lonnie knelt beside the wagon, reaching into the possum belly. He brought out a handful of resin-rich pine splinters a foot long. He lighted the end of one, waiting until it was burning strong. Then he took one of the muslin bags loaded with black powder and mounted his horse. Only then did he speak.
“There’s nine more bags of black powder there. As these Paiutes move closer, I aim to use this one to give them a good dose of it.”
“Lonnie,” said Becky, “no—”
But several dozen of the Paiutes had ridden closer, almost within arrow range. Lonnie kicked his horse into a run, heading straight at the startled Indians. He touched the blazing torch to the loose neck of the muslin sack. The cloth flared up, and Lonnie held it until the last possible second. Then he threw it. The powder exploded before it hit the ground, and horses reared, screaming. Dazed Paiutes were thrown to the ground, while their horses galloped wildly away. As some of the Indians staggered to their feet, Lonnie cut loose with his Colt. Seeing three of their comrades fall, the other Paiutes broke and ran.
“It’s working,” Dallas shouted. Quickly he lighted one of the resinous splinters, took one of the bags of muslin-wrapped powder, and leaped to the saddle. A group of Paiutes approaching from another direction stood undecided as a result of the first explosion. It was this group that Dallas went after, galloping his horse recklessly close. As Lonnie had done, Dallas lighted the muslin, throwing it at the last moment. With a burst of fire and smoke, it exploded over the heads of the Paiutes, and the results were even more dramatic. H
orses galloped away riderless, and many of the fallen Paiutes didn’t move. Those who did found themselves within range, as Dallas cut loose with his Colt. When he rode back to the wagon, the remainder of the mounted Paiutes had turned their horses and were well out of gun range.
“Damn,” said Waco, “I didn’t get a chance at ’em.”
“Neither did any of the rest of us,” Kirby complained. “Lonnie, why didn’t you tell us, instead of just galloping off on your own?”
“Because I wasn’t sure it would work,” said Lonnie. “If they’d got me, I wanted the rest of you to have a chance. I had the ladies make plenty of those, in case we needed them.”
Wovoka appeared delighted when the Paiutes had been frightened away, and at the same time, he was irked because he hadn’t been involved.
“The question is,” Gus said, “have they given up on us for good, or just until they get up the nerve to try again?”
“We’ll have to wait and see,” said Lonnie, “but I managed to gun down three of them, and Dallas got two more. There’s quite a few others that haven’t moved. They’re dead, or they’ve had their senses knocked out. We’ll move on and allow them to gather their dead. We’ll put the rest of those black-powder bombs in the wagon for later use, if we happen to need them. Now let’s get ready to move out.”
The rest of the outfit seemed amazed at what Lonnie had accomplished, while several of them eyed Dallas with envy, for he had been quick to take part. Wovoka said nothing. He mounted his horse and, when the herd was moving, took his place at the head of it next to Lonnie. Dirk and Kirby were the swing riders, while Dallas and Justin rode flank. The others rode drag, while Mindy followed with the wagon.
“We been just too lucky, too often,” said Waco, riding beside Gus. “That lightning bolt struck just at the right time, saving us from a stampede, and we’ve stood up to every one of the Paiute attacks. Even with the rain we had, the ground wasn’t too muddied for us to move the wagon. That kind of good fortune can’t go on. Just when you start believing in Lady Luck, she turns out to be a cantankerous old heifer who’ll kick the props from under you and then, when you’re belly-down, stomp you.”
“I wish I could disagree with you,” Gus said, “but I’m afraid you’re right. I’ve kept my trap shut because all I know is what I’ve heard, but that Colorado River is said to be hell to cross because it runs mostly through deep gorges. I once talked to a puncher who rode with a herd from Santa Fe to California along the Old Spanish Trail.”*
“But they crossed the herd, didn’t they?”
“Yeah,” said Gus, “but only after finding the lowest banks, and then diggin’ the steepest parts away with picks and shovels.”
“I reckon that might work,” Waco said, “but did they have a wagon?”
“I don’t know, and didn’t think to ask,” said Gus. “It’d take us until spring to dig far enough into those banks to cross a wagon. I reckon there’ll be time enough to think about that when we get there. When we finally get there, we won’t be more than a hundred miles from the Green River range, if Lonnie’s map is right.”
“Yeah,” Waco said. “Once we’re that close, we’ll find a way to cross.”
Becky, Laura, and April rode beside the wagon. After Lonnie’s unexpected and dangerous ride against the Paiutes, Becky had said little.
“Becky,” said Laura, “you should be proud of Lonnie. That was a brave, daring thing he did. Not many men would have taken that chance.”
“Most men would have had better sense,” Becky said shortly.
“Well, I’m proud of Dallas,” said Mindy, who had heard the conversation.
“You might not be so proud, if he’d been shot full of Paiute arrows, leaving you in the family way,” Becky said grimly.
“Like Lonnie, he did what had to be done,” said Mindy. “He’s my man, and I’m proud of him.”
Becky said nothing, and from the way Laura and April looked at her, it was clear that they agreed with Mindy. With the herd moving at a faster-than-usual gait, they made good time, for they had left the Chama River, and according to the map, the next nearest water was Canon Largo, more than twenty miles distant. The sun was noon-high when the right rear wheel of the wagon slid off a rock shelf, splintering the wheel. April kicked her horse into a ran, catching up to the drag riders.
“Broken wagon wheel,” April shouted.
“I’ll ride ahead and stop the drive,” said Waco.
“The wagon’s down,” Waco shouted, when he was close enough for Lonnie to hear.
Slowly the drive ground to a halt, and the riders began bunching the herd.
“Gus and me can replace the busted wheel,” said Waco.
“Not until you find the spare wheel and the wagon jack,” Lonnie said, “and God knows how much of the load we’ll have to move. I’ll go along and help. Wovoka, you stay here and keep watch.”
“I’m sorry,” Mindy said, when Lonnie and Waco reached the wagon. “I saw that rock shelf and missed it with the front wheel.”
“Not your fault,” said Lonnie. “After you guided the front wheel away from it, could be that the team veered back a little. We’ll get the spare wheel on there, pronto.”
But it was easier said than done. Much of the wagon’s load had to be shifted before they found the spare wheel and the wagon jack.
“If I had it to do over,” Lonnie said, “I’d bolt this damn spare wheel to the outside of the wagon box and rope the jack to its rim.”
Waco laughed. “Men are stubborn varmints. They do things cockeyed and left-handed half their lives, until they finally figure out the best way.”
Nobody laughed, for suddenly they had nothing to laugh about. A band of screeching Indians came galloping at them from the south, while a similar horde galloped in from the north.
“The black-powder bombs are in the wagon,” Mindy cried.
“No time,” Lonnie shouted. “They’re going to rush us. Everybody pull your guns.”
Dirk, Kirby, Justin, Dallas, and Wovoka were at the far side of the herd, too far away to be of any immediate assistance. They came galloping to the rescue when they saw and heard the attacking Indians, but the first charge was over by the time they arrived. Mindy lay on the ground, a Colt in her hand and an arrow in her left side. Lonnie, who had cut down three of the attackers, lay belly-down, an arrow in his back. Waco had a wound in his left arm, and blood dripped off the tips of his fingers. Seven of the attackers lay dead, while those who had ridden away had reined up well out of gun range. In an instant, Dallas was off his horse beside Mindy. Becky stood over Lonnie as though frozen in shock, with huge tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Kill,” Wovoka shouted. Leaping off his horse, he seized three of the Colts from under the wagon seat, shoving them under his waistband.
“Wovoka, no,” Dallas yelled. “There’s too many of them.”
But Wovoka might not have heard. Mounting his horse, he galloped toward the distant band of Paiutes.
“Come on,” said Gus. “They’ll kill him.”
In an instant, Sandy Orr, Benjamin Raines, Elliot Graves, Justin Irwin, Dirk McNelly, and Kirby Lowe were galloping to catch up to Gus. His hand dripping blood, Waco had his foot in the stirrup when Laura caught his good arm.
“Don’t go,” Laura said. “You’re losing blood.”
“I’m needed, woman,” replied Waco as he yanked his arm free from her grasp.
Although the several dozen Paiutes were obviously surprised by the hard-riding cowboys, they stood their ground, nocking arrows to their bowstrings. Leading the attack, Wovoka cut down two of the Paiutes before the others began loosing their arrows. But all the attackers had their heads down against the necks of their horses, and their combined fury was evident in their grim faces and deadly aim. Suddenly Gus was galloping his horse next to Wovoka, and their combined efforts produced a formidable fire. Emptying one of the Colts, Wovoka seized another. When an arrow grazed his horse, Gus was thrown, and belly-down, he continu
ed firing until he had emptied his Colt. The attack, though vastly outnumbered, fought like devils, forcing the Paiutes to run for their lives. Amazingly, no less than seventeen Paiutes had been killed in the furious attack, while none of the attacking force had been hit. There was a gash from an arrow along the flank of the horse Gus had been riding, and Kirby Lowe caught the animal.
“My God,” said Waco, as the attackers returned to the wagon, “I never saw the like. How many of ’em did you get?”
“Seventeen,” Benjamin Raines said, “but how bad have they hurt us?”
“I got a bad arm wound out of it,” said Waco, “but Lonnie and Mindy may be really in a bad way.”
Dallas had removed Mindy’s shirt and was trying to stop the bleeding. Becky, Laura, and April knelt around Lonnie. His shirt had been cut away, and blood still oozed out of the wound around the shaft of the arrow.
“We’re still miles away from the next water,” said Gus, “and we still have to replace that wagon wheel. I reckon you’re next in command, Dallas. What are we going to do?”
“There’s enough water in the barrel on the side of the wagon for a while,” Dallas said. “Lonnie and Mindy must be cared for right now. Some of you get a fire going. Becky, get the medicine chest from the wagon. Justin, you and Elliot jack up the wagon. Kirby, help them replace that wheel. It’s been bad, but the worst may be ahead of us.”
*THE OLD SPANISH TRAIL. Trail Drive #11.
17
Justin, Elliot, and Kirby jacked up the wagon and soon had the wheel replaced. Once a fire had been lighted and water was boiling, it was time to remove the cruel arrows from Lonnie and Mindy. With Lonnie badly wounded, the outfit looked to Dallas.
“Dallas,” said Gus, “I’ll tend to Waco’s wound. Lonnie and Mindy are hurt one as bad as the other. If you’ll care for Mindy, Justin can take that arrow out of Lonnie, I reckon. He’s had experience with Comanche arrows.”
The Green River Trail Page 25
