The Reluctant Bounty Hunter

by S G Read

  He watched impatiently while they argued, before taking a circuitous route toward that area. As soon as they were out of sight Bradbury headed for the ranch, he did not stop to look at anything but rode like the devil was chasing him. Men looked up as he came down the drive, his horse all lathered up. He pulled his horse up in front of the ranch house and hurried inside without an invite.

  ‘You looked like the devil was on your tail Bradbury.’ Carter exclaimed from where he stood looking out of the front window.

  ‘Near enough Mr. Carter, I saw a passel of Sioux and they were interested in somebody who was coming from the direction Duncan Lee lives in.’ Bradbury answered.

  ‘Pillsbury has just come from that way. Send him in.’ Carter ordered.

  ‘Yes boss.’

  When Pillsbury arrived Bradbury came with him, he wanted to know what they were interested in as well.

  ‘Did you see anyone on your way in Pillsbury?’ Carter asked.

  ‘I saw a load of Pawnee on the move.’ Pillsbury answered. ‘Damned odd to. It’s too early for them to be going to a winter hideout but it looked to be all the squaws and kids, not a brave to be seen.’

  ‘It will be a slaughter boss!’ Bradbury exclaimed.

  ‘What will be?’ Pillsbury asked.

  ‘Bradbury saw a load of Sioux over his way and their scout had spotted the Pawnee I’ll be bound.’ Carter answered.

  ‘Shouldn’t we warn them boss?’ Pillsbury asked.

  ‘Not with the only person who speaks Pawnee up at a line shack.’ Carter answered. ‘Where do you think they will attack them?’

  They all moved over to the desk to the map of the ranch which showed all its lands. They looked at it and Bradbury pointed to where he had seen the Sioux.

  ‘The Pawnee as walking along here.’ Pillsbury added and pointed himself.

  ‘So they’ll swarm all over them here and they will run up this hill to escape and be cut down while they try it.’ Carter declared. ‘Get the Saratogas ready and we’ll prepare a little surprise. I reckon we owe the Pawnee a helping hand and send a man out to the line shack to bring Slim back, that way I will know what they are saying.’

  ‘Sure thing boss.’ The two men answered and hurried out.

  The old squaw led the young braves, children and other squaws along a route which would keep them hidden as long as she could do it. She knew the Sioux were about and looking for revenge as she had seen all the dead on both sides. They walked without speaking and with little noise, even the small children felt the danger and kept quiet. They walked along draws and stream beds to make sure they could not be seen on the horizon but little did they know they had already been seen and trouble waited in front of them.

  ‘Bradbury, you take ten men and go into the depression.’ Carter ordered from horseback. ‘I reckon the Sioux will hit them in the middle of the south pasture. There they will either hide in the depression to be killed when the Sioux have killed those who try to run up the hill. When you see the Pawnee coming make them start up the hill to draw the Sioux out before they are ready to attack. Then when they attack and the Pawnee start running you start shooting from the depression. When we hear you shooting we’ll bring the saratogas into play and I have a new toy to try out in the middle wagon.’

  ‘Yes boss.’

  Bradbury selected ten men and they dismounted, leaving their horses with the wagons and moved to the top of the hill. Now all they had to do was to get into the depression without the Sioux seeing them. Not an easy task. They kept low and used the long grass for cover as one by one they crawled down the hill. If the Sioux attacked now they would not last long and they knew it! The man on the ridge kept watch through the long grass to give them a warning if he saw the Sioux coming and sighed with relief when the last man reached the depression and disappeared from his sight.

  ‘They’re down there boss.’ He called back, keeping his voice low.

  ‘Okay, so you know the plan. When the Pawnee head our way, you and Pillsbury go and get the little children while we fire over your heads at the attacking Sioux. Bradbury and his men will be shooting as well. Taylor has ten men who will come round behind them to stop them escaping, I want them all on their way to the happy hunting ground today. Pesky Sioux!’

  They settled down to wait and watched the old squaw as she looked across the pasture to see if there was any trouble. With no one in sight she led the tribe forward oblivious to the danger. The depression was some way away and she headed for it to be out of sight as soon as possible. The Sioux scout watched from his vantage point. They did not want to attack until they were far enough on to the pasture land not to be able to retreat into the woodland behind where some would be able to hide and escape death. They too wanted to kill them all or take some as slaves.

  Bradbury stood up as they approached the depression, making sure that only the Pawnee would see him. He signaled, first a hand up in friendship and then trying to direct them up the hill to safety. The old squaw stopped when he signaled. She looked at him and then all around, sniffing the air as she did so.

  ‘Gather the little ones we need to go up the hill in a hurry, I can smell Sioux on the wind.’ She said to the other squaws.

  It was a lie but the other squaws never argued with her and started moving the younger children up the hill while the older boys with weapons took the rear to fight if they had to.

  Bradbury dropped down out of sight when he saw them turn up the hill and readied himself for action.

  ‘Get ready boys, it is going to get very hairy around here and sooner the later.’ He warned.

  The Sioux scout saw them turn and whistled to his chief. The chief rode up the hill in front of him to see what was going on and then signaled the attack. A horde of Sioux braves appeared from the dip they were hiding in and charged at the fleeing Pawnee, whooping as they went.

  ‘Wait for my signal.’ Bradbury ordered as they remained out of sight.

  The Pawnee ran up the hill as fast as they could but the Sioux new that they would not reach the top before they were upon them and then the killing would begin. Each Sioux brave urged their pony on to be the first to kill a Pawnee and some gained on the braves who had slower ponies. Bradbury watched them close in on the fleeing Pawnee but bided his time. They needed maximum effect of their fire to ensure no Pawnee were caught and killed, the old squaw being the slowest as the smaller children were being carried.

  ‘Let them taste lead.’ He hissed when they were closing on the Pawnee enough to be easy targets.

  Men moved to be able to pick their targets and rifles spat death at the Sioux. The ones who were closest were the first to fall, while the Sioux behind chose to veer away from the sudden death coming from the depression. That took them away from the Pawnee for a few seconds but then they turned back to kill the helpless squaws, as the slope sapped their energy.

  Above them the farm hands drove three wagons up onto the ridge and as they stopped the canvass sides rolled up to show more men with rifles in the outer two while the middle wagon had a Gatling gun secured in it.

  Once again death spat at the Sioux and they turned back from the chase to escape it, riding into the guns down below as they did so. Braves fell off their horses and others tried to find a way out of trouble by riding to the right of the depression but they merely rode into the men stopping their escape.

  The tired Pawnee fell to the ground while the fight ensued, with the exception of one young brave who killed two Sioux with arrows when they were in range. A Sioux took exception to him killing members of his tribe and rode straight at him. Bradbury saw him and fired at him trying to knock him out of the saddle but he seemed to have a charmed life. He rode ever closer to the little brave as the little brave tried to fit an arrow in his bow but his eye was on the approaching Sioux warrior. Carter saw the charge and fired at him with the Gatling gun but he had to make sure he did not hit the Pawnee and missed.

  The Sioux drove on with murder in his mind but at the last mo
ment a squaw leapt up and took the blow meant for the young brave. The young brave screamed in horror and fired the arrow which previously had refused to go in the bow. The Sioux reeled from the impact but stayed in the saddle. He looked at the young brave with an evil smile but before he could do anything else Bradbury shot him dead.

  The brave stopped fighting and fell to the ground to cradle the young squaw who had saved his life while the fight raged on. One by one the Sioux died until the whole war party was wiped out.

  The men in the depression walked among the Sioux making sure they were dead by shooting them even if they looked dead. They were seasoned Indian fighters and you do not live to become one of them without being careful.

  The old squaw stood up and straightened her dress. The young brave was cradling the head of the squaw who had saved his life and there were tears running down his cheeks. She obviously meant a lot to him and he must have meant a lot to her for her to sacrifice herself for him. The old squaw walked to where she lay and issued orders to the other squaws. The injured squaw was picked up and carried up the hill toward the wagons, with the young brave following. The men in the nearest wagon jumped out and the squaw was gently laid on the wagon floor. Carter looked down at the injured squaw.

  ‘Well if she aint dead yet she has a chance but she won’t be going with you to wherever you are going.’ He declared and then he waited while a squaw translated for the old squaw. ‘We can doctor her at the ranch house until she is fit to go on or dead.’

  The old squaw spoke after the squaw translated the last sentence.

  ‘We are going to Many Hands village, it is the order of Little Buck our new chief.’ The squaw translated.

  ‘Hell, is Running Wolf dead? I thought he would live forever.’ Carter said in amazement. ‘When we have taken the squaw to the ranch house we can give you a ride over the pasture where you might be jumped by more Sioux.’

  There was a delay while that was translated and the old squaw answered.

  ‘We will tend to her wounds before we go and come back for her when she is well enough to travel to Many Hands village.’

  Carter just nodded and the men proceeded to load the Indian children and squaws on to the wagons. The young brave wanted to ride with the injured squaw but the old squaw stopped him with a few well-chosen words, which were not translated. He climbed onto another wagon but still looked at the injured squaw in the other wagon.

  ‘Seems a bit young to be his mother.’ Carter declared.

  ‘It is his sister.’ The squaw answered without translating but then had to explain to the old squaw.

  ‘What are we going to do boss?’ One of the men from the wagon asked.

  ‘You either walk back or get the men with horses to collect up the Indian ponies, then you can ride back on them. After you have buried them Indians, I don’t want a passel of angry Sioux coming after us without them having to dig them back up again to see if they were scalped.’ Carter answered.

  ‘Couldn’t we just scalp them boss.’ Bradbury asked from down the hill.

  ‘If there were trees you could burn them but there is only one option, bury them.’ Carter answered. ‘Besides it will be good for the pasture land.’

  Bradbury and the ten below returned to their horses and gathered up all the fit Indian ponies, the shot the injured ponies. The men from the wagon started digging holes to drop the dead Indians in. There would probably be reprisals but they were a big ranch with a lot of men so an all-out attack was unlikely. The squaw who could speak some English rode in the wagon behind Carter and they talked on the way back to the ranch house. With every question from Carter there was the inevitable pause while the old squaw was told what the question was and asked also whether or not the squaw should answer.

  ‘Why are you going to Many Hands village?’ Carter asked.

  ‘There was a big battle and many braves on both sides were killed. Our village is unsafe now and Little Buck has told us to come to him in Many Hands village.’

  ‘Was Running Wolf killed in the big battle?’

  ‘No, he was the cause of the big battle. There was an ambush by our enemy the Sioux and he was killed. The braves with him fought bravely to bring Running Wolf back to the village, so that our enemy the Sioux could not make sport with Running Wolf. Little Buck led an attack but it was into an ambush meant to wipe out our braves but it failed when Duncan Lee attacked the Sioux from the rear with Crazy Dog.’

  ‘Is Duncan Lee okay?’

  ‘He was injured but we think he will live.’

  The wagons turned into the ranch house yard and stopped in front of the ranch house. The squaw was carried inside and laid on a bed, something she would not have done before but she was in no position to enjoy it or argue about it. The old squaw issued instructions and the other squaws tended her wounds. They searched outside and found roots. They were mashed up or chewed by other squaws to make poultices to put on the wounds. They were then placed on a cloth and carried inside for the old squaw to examine. If they were good she let them put them onto the squaw’s wounds, if not they were sent back to be prepared properly or discarded. The injured squaw was made comfortable, with her wounds treated in Indian fashion. When they finished, the other squaws left, bar one who sat by the bed to watch the injured squaw.

  Outside the old squaw assembled the others to talk to them. What she said was not translated so Carter did not know what she said, until the squaw who could speak English told him.

  ‘We will accept your offer to take us to Many Hands village as there may be injured who need tending there. Dancing Shadows wants to get there as soon as possible.’

  Carter assumed that Dancing Shadows was the old squaw’s name and could not imagine a more unlikely name for her. Dancing Shadow spoke to the other squaw who in turn spoke to Carter.

  ‘She says she was young once.’

  Carter smiled. ‘Hell, she even knows what I am thinking.’

  The squaw laughed and then translated it for Dancing Shadow, who in turn laughed.

  The remaining Pawnee climbed onto the wagons and the ranch hands who had already returned, saddled up their ponies, to mount an armed guard for the wagons. When everyone was on board they turned the wagons to go back out of the ranch house yard. Now the young brave looked stony faced in the wagon to show no emotion. As they turned down the slope to the right of the scene of the battle, they could see ranch hands digging holes to drop the Sioux in. The idea was to try to disguise the graves as much as possible to leave the Sioux guessing what went on and where there war party was. Carter was not to know that there were not many left in the local tribe, they had suffered just as much as the Pawnee. They crossed the pasture at a faster rate than the Pawnee would do, were they walking with the children but it was still slower than the men wanted. They went as fast as they thought was practical, as they did not like being out in the open in a wagon, with Sioux about but it would be worse to be out in the open with a wagon with a broken axle.

  Men flanked the wagons, riding with their rifles out of the scabbard so they were ready for any sudden attack. At the edge of the prairie they stopped and two riders rode forwards to see if there was any sign of the Sioux but all sign was old. They looked at the sign and realized it was from the Sioux they had already fought as they moved round to ambush the Pawnee.

  ‘Fancy killing and scalping women and children.’ The man who was off his horse looking at the sign said disgustedly.

  ‘That’s if they were lucky.’ The second man answered. ‘Looks clear to go on now though.’

  ‘It do, ride back and tell the boss while have a looksee around. If you hear a shot hold them back and be ready.’

  ‘Will do Slim.’ The second man rode away while the first mounted his horse.

  ‘Looks all clear Mr. Carter but Slim is just having a last look around.’ The man who had ridden back announced.

  ‘Okay. Move them out.’ Carter called softly.

  The wagons moved on and were soon off the past
ure land and following a trail which led through the hills in front of them. They drove the wagons at an even speed, making sure they were not ambushed as they went, until they saw Slim in front of them. He waved them on and the journey continued. It was a long journey for three Saratogas but it would have been even longer for the Pawnee squaws and children on foot.

  The squaw who could speak English passed on directions to the front driver and he turned where she told him to until the large cactus came into view. There he was told to stop. The Pawnee jumped out of the wagons and walked away. The men on horseback followed them leaving a gap between them and the Indians until they came to a distinct trail. There the old Pawnee squaw stepped from in front of the group which was walking and waved them away. They stopped for a few minutes until they saw a group of mounted Pawnee come out of the rocks they were headed for. The Pawnee braves did nothing but make sure the Pawnee squaws and children made it inside without any trouble. The ranch hands turned and rode away.

  Sarah looked out of the window and sighed, she wanted to be out of the town and into the land around the town or better still back in her valley. There had been no word from the Pawnee but there had been attacks around town from small bands of Sioux who were roaming about killing and raping wherever they could get away with it. It was smaller farm houses and nesters who were suffering. The farmers were killed and their women and children taken. The women were usually found later, either tied to a stake over a fire or over the fire in some way, although some were never seen again and it was assumed they were now in the Sioux village. The local lawman was out of his depth and sent word to the cavalry for help.

  They obliged by sending a troop of soldiers to clear out the Sioux, although they treated all Indians the same, shoot first and ask questions later. Some were green recruits who were sent as cannon fodder while the real Indian fighters gauged the situation. Word arrived at Bluegrass and a rider was sent to tell Duncan. On the way he met Bradbury from Carters ranch and heard about the Pawnee migration, it was their only way of finding Duncan, asking a Pawnee brave to fetch him. Instead of riding on to try to find Duncan, the message was left with Carter who did not mention the injured squaw or the young squaw looking after her.