by Mark Stewart
TO GET ready for their surprise ambush Lightening Dawn cut six shorts lengths of rope from the one hanging on the side of his saddle. Jessica walked their horses to a luscious patch of green grass growing under a tree. The moment she returned she collected Lightening. Together they climbed to the halfway point on their side of the hill. They sat in silence observing the sky changing from pale blue to billowing black clouds. At first, they dotted the sky. In minutes, they were joined by other rain clouds. The sky seemed to be alive. The few ribbons of sunlight filtering through the canopy of the trees faded then vanished plunging the hill in a grey eerie light. The wild flowers growing on the hill were closing for the evening.
Jessica pulled her wide-brimmed hat further onto her head.
On the horizon, lightning lit the sky. The first clap of thunder vibrated the ground. By 4:00pm, the rain changed from drizzle to a downpour. Thunder and lightning rolled together. Arcs of lightning flashed from one side of the sky to the other. The wind started to howl through the trees, bending the tall grass to a precarious angle.
“The storm looks bad,” whispered Jessica. “Far worse than I hoped.”
“I too have been taken by surprise at the fierceness of the storm,” said Lightening Dawn. “The lack of birds is signaling the storm will turn far worse before it has blown itself out.”
“Maybe it’s a blessing. If we accidently make any noise we’ll never be heard,” advised Jessica.
“True. Thanks to the storm I’m positive if the third bushranger is guarding the camp he’d have abandoned his post by now.”
Jessica and Lightening Dawn crawled through the scrub to the top of the hill. Water poured off their wide-brimmed hats. Arcs of lightning lit the sky highlighting the two bushrangers and their dying fire. Over the sound of the wind and the rain, Jessica and Lightening Dawn could hear the men singing.
“I don’t understand why the bushrangers seem extra jovial sitting under large leaves in the middle of a storm?” whispered Jessica.
“Judging by the empty whisky bottles littering the area I’d say they may be celebrating another robbery.”
“It’s a good sign,” admitted Jessica. “The more they drink, the easier it’ll be to sneak into their camp.”
The surrounding bush quickly darkened; the rain clouds were midnight black in colour. Jessica and Lightening Dawn watched the men staggering about trying to save the fire. Eventually, the flames surrendered to the rain.
“It’s time,” hissed Jessica. Pulling her gun from the holster, she cocked the trigger.
Lightening Dawn copied her. Before Jessica could take a step, she felt a tug on her arm.
“I’ll do everything in my power to make certain of your safety. I want you to take extra care. Take no unnecessary risks. Keep in mind there is still no sign of the third bushranger.”
“Thank you. Your words mean everything to me,” admitted Jessica. “I think we should change our plans. If we can sneak past the bushrangers, I think we should grab my stuff and get the hell out of there.”
“It might be the best thing,” agreed Lightening.
Together they slid down the grass covered hill on their stomachs towards the camp. The two bushrangers were drunk and too covered from the rain to know visitors were standing only inches away. Their leafy roofs seemed quite effective. Their boots were the only part getting wet.
Lightening Dawn watched the bush while keeping his gun trained on the two lumps buried under the branches and leaves. Jessica didn’t hesitate to walk across the waterlogged ground of their camp towards the horses, thankful they didn’t make a noise. She found the saddle bags and the saddles at the base of the tree the horses were thethered to.
The first bulging saddlebag strained against the leather straps which kept it closed. Jessica set to work on the knot. Every few seconds she froze, listening to the sound of rain water hitting the leaves of the trees before resuming her work. She opened the leather flap. Looking inside, her eyes bulged at the contents. Jessica pulled the first white calico bag out, reading the inscription on the side; ‘Property of the State Bank of Victoria.’
From where he stood, Lightening Dawn’s impatience grew quickly. He glanced sideways wondering why Jessica was taking far too long. He saw her face break out into a grin. Looking his way; she beckoned him over.
Lightening Dawn quietly sidestepped over to the horses, being careful not to make any undue noise. Keeping the barrel of his gun riveted on the two sleeping bushrangers he let Jessica show him the bag stuffed full of pound notes ranging from one to twenty. Lightening muffled his high pitched whistle. Jessica placed the bag on the ground before moving on to the next. The contents of the next bag were the same as the first. Searching the last four bags, her eyes bulged at seeing them stuffed full of gold nuggets. Jessica pulled the bags out, placing them on the ground next to the money bags. Pushing her hand to the bottom of the first saddle bag her fingers wrapped themselves around a small object. She pulled it out. The sparkle in her eyes told Lightening Dawn she discovered what they came to find. Jessica slipped the blue diamond ring on her finger, placed all eight calico bags back into the saddle bags then retrieved her gun belt and the two solid silver colt45’s hanging from a saddle. Stone faced she dropped the gun belt she wore around her waist, replacing it with the other. Stooping, she picked up the old gun belt and placed the lot over the saddle.
Jessica started to chew on an idea which seemed to have the implications of a perfect frame up. Never to be concerned about money or the bushrangers ever coming after her possessions thrilled her to the bone.
‘Severance pay,’ she decided. If you steal, you must pay back ten times. It’s what the good book says.’ Whispering in Lightening’s ear, she continued. “We’ll go back to the first plan, only, this time, we’ll take the saddles and the horses.”
Lightening Dawn placed a saddle on the first horse. The moment he finished strapping a saddle to the other two horses he gathered up the reins.
They walked the horses quietly over to the first lump whose boots were soaked. Water dripped off the souls in a torrent. Staring at the two lumps trying to stay dry Jessica hovered over them contemplating putting a bullet in their heads or not when she saw Lightening Dawn squatting. He slipped a short piece of rope around both the bushranger’s ankles, tethering the two men together.
Neither bushranger stirred.
Above Jessica’s head, a lightning bolt arced across the sky. She kicked the first lump on the heel of his boot.
The lump didn’t move.
Jessica froze thinking they had walked into a trap. She frantically searched the scrub expecting the three bushrangers to be standing under a tree watching their every move.
Noting the rain had eased to drizzle, Jessica heard water dripping off everything. The thunder ceased. Lightning arcs were less frequent. In the wet semi-darkness, the trees resembled giants with grotesque arms reaching out to grab them. Jessica heard a slight groan. The first lump under the leaves sat upright. She swung her attention back to his closed eyes, pointing the barrel of her gun directly at his face.
The bushranger opened an eye. He lay motionless staring at the end of the short metal tube.
Jessica spat through gritted teeth. “The next bullet I shoot from my gun has your name on it. I suggest you don’t move.”
Dan opened both eyes. “Who are you?”
“I’m your worst nightmare,” she chimed.
“I’ll be the judge,” announced Dan.
“I want you to lie on the ground, placing your hands behind your back,” growled Jessica.
“If I won’t, what will you do?”
Jessica pulled the trigger of her gun.
Dan fell back onto the ground moaning. He kicked out. To his horror, both his feet were tied to the second lump lying next to him.
Barry moaned, struggling to a sitting position. Staring at the two visitors he reached for his gun.
“Don’t do it,” warned Lightening Dawn.
“I
don’t want to see either of you twitch,” blurted Jessica, sweeping the end of her gun between the two bushrangers.
“You shot me,” groaned Dan.
“You’ll live,” snarled Jessica. “It’s only a flesh wound. Take note of my warning. The next time I shoot I’ll put a bullet in both your heads. I’ve already dug one grave another two will be easy.”
“Why did you shoot me?”
“You don’t know the reason?”
“No, I’ve never seen you before in my life.”
Jessica swiped her wide-brimmed hat from her head. “Are you sure? Take a closer look.”
“No, never have.”
“Let me jog your memory. Do you remember our meeting at the train you robbed?”
“No. I must add we’ve never robbed a train.”
“Do you remember stealing my guns or the blue diamond ring?”
“No.”
“Are you positive?”
“Yes.”
“Where’s the third bushranger?”
“We’re not bushrangers. Barry and I are alone. We’re gold prospectors. We arrived yesterday. We lived in hope to strike it lucky. There’s a strong rumor moving across the land there’s gold in the ground around these parts.”
“I’m not here to debate the issue,” hinted Jessica. Pointing her gun at Barry, she asked her question again.
“We’re poor men. We left our families to strike it lucky. We don’t have much food left. You’re more than welcome to take it.”
Jessica studied the men’s faces. They were wet and looked a mess. Doubt flashed into her mind. She needed to be certain these were the two men who robbed her. She’d wait patiently for the bushrangers to use their unique mannerisms. The same ones they used when they robbed the train.
In the uncomfortable silence, Lightening Dawn stood guard.
“You came up from Melbourne?” questioned Jessica.
“Yes,” blurted Barry.
“Explain why there are bags of gold in your saddle bags?”
Dan snorted. “We struck it rich over the last couple of months in Ballarat. When the veins of gold dried up, we shifted our attention to here.”
“You sound convincing,” said Jessica.
“It’s the truth,” Barry replied.
In a bold move, Jessica stepped closer to Dan so he could have a closer look at her gun belt.
“Explain to me why the bags have the words, ‘property of the state bank of Victoria,’ stamped on the sides?”
“When we went to the bank we were given the white calico bags. We already converted some gold into pound notes. The bank clerk told me to come back in a couple of days.”
“Did he?”
“My brother speaks the truth,’ insisted Barry. “Please believe us. I haven’t seen my wife in six months. I want to go home.”
“How did you come across my guns and the blue diamond?”
“I found them in the bush yesterday being guarded by a dead man.” Dan clicked his fingers at Jessica’s belt. “Give.”
“You’re acting skills almost convinced me,” scoffed Jessica. “Thank you for using the exact words you spoke when you robbed me of my guns and the blue diamond ring. I knew in time if I got you chatting you’d slip up. You did. I now know for certain you are two of the three who robbed me. Where’s the third man?”
“We have no idea what you’re talking about,” continued Barry.
“The third man is dead,” confessed Dan.
“Tell them nothing,” blurted Barry.
“Are you the law?” whispered Dan.
For the question, Lightening gave him a clip behind the ear followed by a jab to the jaw.
“We aren’t the law,” he barked.
“Take anything you want,” sulked Dan calmly. Please, don’t shoot us.”
“Now we’re getting cooperation,” snarled Jessica. “Doesn’t it make you feel all warm inside?”
“Sure does,” taunted Dan. “The money and the gold are actually from our last bank job.”
“Brother I beg you, don’t tell them nothin’,” urged Barry.
“The money you stole from the bank, we’ll take every pound note for severance pay. I’ll give you a word of warning as my main man ties both of you up to the tree. If I ever see either of you again, especially if you come looking for the money you stole from the bank or my guns or my blue diamond I’ll shoot you dead. Now drop your gun belts and crawl over to the closest tree.” To hammer her warning home Jessica kicked both men in the ankles.
In no more than two minutes Jessica and Lightening Dawn bid the men goodbye. They rode off into the night, taking three spare horses, the gold, the money and the bushranger’s guns.
“They’ll come wanting their goods, not to mention the bags of gold, your guns, and the blue diamond,” warned Lightening.
Jessica looked at him wearing a confident expression.
“Let them come. I have a strong long handled shovel waiting to be used.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
