The Revenge of John W: Desert Intrigue, Daring Prison Escape: Thrilling Action (Unlimited exclusive, Joe Corso Book 1)

by Joe Corso

  The explosion lit the desert sky, turning night into day until turning black again. The blast apparently had no effect on the balloon because it continued to soar smoothly and steadily in a straight line away from the prison. John hoped that when it landed, it would be near a town.

  John hunkered down in the cage. He was hungry and cold but very grateful for Willard Smith’s ingenuity. He made up his mind that if he found Dutch Henry’s gold mine, he would take care of Smith’s granddaughter. He felt he owed Smith that much. He would also keep his promise to old Dutch Henry. He thought about the bandy-legged old man with the tuft of unruly white hair who smiled, showing a mouth with a few missing teeth. The balloon drifted for what seemed like hours to John but might have been a full day because he slept a good part of the time. As if he had an internal alarm clock, John awoke periodically to ignite the flame that kept the balloon in the air. The balloon was holding up well, better than John expected. He realized Smith designed the balloon to last much longer than to just to fly him out of the desert.

  John looked into the dark night and at the stars surrounding the curve of the Earth and noticed the beginnings of a pink glow. Sunrise! He scanned the horizon and spotted lights twinkling in the distance. The wind was taking him toward the lights, and he was thrilled that he’d be a free man soon. When he estimated that he was about a mile from the town, he allowed the balloon to cool and drift toward the desert floor. He hit the ground hard, but he rolled with it and the hard landing didn’t affect him. He quickly collected the canvas, rolled it into a ball, and then buried it in the sand. He left the cage, figuring it would be a long time before someone found it. And if anyone happened to stumble upon the cage, or the canvas balloon, they would assume because of its material and the way it was constructed that it had been laying in the desert for over a hundred years. John felt good about that because the balloon would never become an issue in revealing how he escaped. His first priority now was to get to town and figure out a way to find the gold, then remove it from the mine without anyone knowing, and take it to a safe location. Once the gold was safely secured, he would find buyers to sell it to.

  The town, from high above, looked to be about an hour’s walk from where he landed, but he realized now that that wasn’t true because he had misjudged the distance to the town from the air. He walked all day and he still hadn’t reached the town. The hot desert sun was relentless. His legs felt as if they were going to give out on him. Where the hell was that town? He saw it. He knew he saw it. It wasn’t an illusion; at least he didn’t think it was. At this point, he wasn’t sure of anything, just that he saw a town about a mile from where the balloon landed. Could it have been a mirage? No, he reasoned, it couldn’t be. Not in the air. A mirage would have occurred on the ground in the desert. He knew the desert heat sometimes made things appear closer than they actually were. He walked all day and into the night. It was dark and he still hadn’t reached the town. He was so tired that he couldn’t walk another step. Exhaustion and exposure caused him to drop to the ground. He closed his eyes. As soon as he hit the ground, he drifted into a deep sleep. He woke with a start. It was daytime. He struggled to get to his feet and when his head cleared, he looked around in an attempt to determine which direction was the town. It was no use. He was completely lost, and he was very thirsty. He had no idea in which direction to go. He knew that walking somewhere, was better than dying nowhere, so he forced himself to get on his feet and start walking. He walked for six hours before he was overcome with fatigue. He became delirious and collapsed; sure he was going to die. That thought lingered on his mind as he lost consciousness and passed out.

  Something was nudging him. He tried reaching for his gun, thinking it might be a mountain lion. But when he opened his eyes, he was in the shade lying under an umbrella, staring into the face of an old man. He thought he must be dreaming because it was Dutch Henry, but as his head cleared, he could see it was someone else. Someone who looked very much like Dutch Henry.

  “Take it easy, son. Here, take a sip of this water. Not too much now, just a sip. You’re dehydrated.”

  The water refreshed John W and he felt his strength slowly returning. “Who are you - and how did you find me?”

  “My name is Sam Reed, but my friends call me ‘Persistent.’ I found you out here in the desert. I thought you were dead but you weren’t. Almost, though,” he said, chuckling. “What in tarnation were you doing out here in the desert?”

  John W’s voice rasped from dryness, managing to whisper rather than to speak actual words. “It’s a long story, Persistent. I’ll tell you all about it when I get my voice back.” Persistent handed him his canteen and John W took another long pull. He swallowed the water slowly, and then he handed the canteen back to the old man who in turn handed him a slice of beef jerky.

  “Here Eat this. It’s loaded with salt and protein, which you need. You depleted most of the salt in your body, walking and sweating in the sun without any protection. This jerky will help replace the salt.”

  John took it and ate it hungrily. The protein in the meat and the salt renewed his strength and he began to feel more like himself. He found he had his voice back. “Why are you called ‘Persistent’? That’s an odd name for someone to be called.”

  “I’m called Persistent because I’m the most persistent cuss you’ll ever have the good fortune to meet. I’m persistent in everything I do. I’ve been especially persistent in searching for gold in the Mazatzal Mountains for over forty years now.”

  “And did you ever find any gold?”

  “Some. But I never hit it big. I found enough for a few grubstakes and maybe just enough to get by on but I never hit the big one. I’d give anything to find either the Lost Dutchman or the Four Peaks Mine - and I’m persistent enough to keep trying.”

  “Well, hang in there, partner, could be your luck is about to change. You know, you remind me of a friend of mine.”

  “Yeah, and who would that be?”

  “You wouldn’t know him. He was an old prospector like you. He searched for years looking for the Four Peaks Mine.”

  “Now you have gotten my interest, son. What would this friend of yours be called?”

  “His name was Dutch Henry.”

  “Dutch Henry? You knew that ornery old coot?”

  “Yeah, I did. He was my best friend.”

  Persistent slapped his thigh and laughed. “I knew that old bugger too. Knew him well. Him and me, we searched these mountains for years.” Persistent pointed to the mountains behind us. “I searched these mountains over here and Dutch Henry, he searched those over there. Tell me. How’s he doing?”

  “Not good. His heart gave out and he died a few days ago.”

  Persistent felt bad and hung his head. “It’s too bad he died before he found that ole gold mine.”

  John tried smiling, but his lips were cracked and they hurt when he smiled. “I have news for you,” he said as he took his hanky and wiped blood from his cracked lip. “He did find that mine.”

  Persistent’s eyes lit up. “You mean he found the Four Peaks Gold Mine for a fact?”

  “That’s an absolute fact, Persistent. He did find it. He gave me the map to the mine before he died.”

  “Oh my God. Oh my God. Please tell me you’re not joshing me.”

  “I’m not. It’s a fact. He found the old lost Four Peaks Mine. If you calm down a minute, you might want to hear a proposition I have for you. How would you like it if I cut you in for a 10% share of the lost Four Peaks gold? Would that interest you?”

  Persistent was beside himself with excitement. “What king of fool question is that? Of course, I’d be interested! But, I got to be careful. I don’t want all this excitement to cause this ole heart of mine to give out on me like it did ole Dutch Henry. But, for sure I’ll listen to any proposition you have on your mind. As long as it leads me to that ornery damned Four Peaks Gold Mine.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Persistent checked the ma
p, making sure they were heading in the right direction. John told him about how he became acquainted with Dutch Henry and the reason why Governor Wilson put Dutch in this prison. Then he took his time telling Persistent his story, about how someone planted drugs in the old mine on his property, and how he was sentenced to fifty years in prison. He told Persistent how he was pretty sure the Governor had something to do with it. He said that he didn’t have answers yet but he’d have them soon. All he needed was money. If Dutch Henry was right, and he had found the lost Four Peaks Gold Mine, then he’d have all the money he needed to get back at whoever framed him. Then they’d feel the revenge of John W. John felt better knowing that with Dutch Henry’s gold, the old man could rest easy. There was no way he was going to let the Governor and his accomplices get away with the terrible injustice they did to him and Dutch Henry.

  Talking to Persistent was pleasant and relaxing, even in the heat, as they walked in cadence to the sound of equipment clanging against the sides of the sure-footed burros. Persistent rode an old nag. He explained to John, that Daisy Mae had been with him for many years, and she was as sure-footed an animal as any he’d seen. But Daisy Mae was getting old now, like him, and he knew he’d have to put her out to pasture soon. That meant digging up enough dust to get himself another horse. Of course, if they found gold in Dutch Henry’s mine, then that would take care of the horse problem.

  Persistent told John that in the old days, the Indians would sometimes set traps to discourage treasure hunters who got close to their mines. Even though the Tonto Apache were no longer a threat to treasure hunters, you never could tell with the Apaches. They still kept a careful watch, as they got closer to the mine. As they got closer, they had to find the slit in the mountain, which led to a ledge in a small valley. If it wasn’t for the map, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. They searched for a day and a half before finding the cut that led through the mountain. A tree branch blocked the opening, making the cut in the mountain practically invisible to the naked eye. If they didn’t know where to look, they would never have found it.

  Thank God for the map, John thought. The opening was just large enough for a man on horseback to pass through. When the two men walked out of the narrow path that cut through the mountain, they were greeted by a variety of flowers, giving the lush green valley an “Oz” type of look. The green valley reminded him of the movie Shangri-La because, like the movie, the fertile valley was a surprising contrast to the stark desert they just left on the other side of the mountain. John pointed to a stream, which the map said to follow until they came to a cul de sac where the Mazatzal Mountains met and surrounded them on all sides. They scanned the mountains, looking for the ledge, which the map said, was to their left.

  Persistent pointed. “There it is; there’s the ledge, John. Now it should be a simple matter to locate the cave.” Dutch Henry had to have stumbled upon this lost mine by accident, because how he ever found it was beyond their imagination. John W looked at the map and took note of where the cave was located on the ledge. He spotted it right where the map showed it to be.

  They tied the animals to a tree at the base of the cliff below the mouth of the cave. Persistent took a lantern and rope from his burro, and the two men followed a path to the base of the mountain. They climbed the short distance up the mountain to the ledge, but they didn’t enter the cave. John took a moment and allowed his eyes to follow the ledge. He noticed that it sloped downward on an incline and met with the valley floor in the distance. This was good because if there was gold in this mine, it would make it easier and less time consuming to have the burros walk the gold out of the valley, rather than try to lower the gold by rope to where their horses were tethered.

  The two men looked at each other and silently wondered who would be first to enter the cave. Finally, John W shrugged his shoulders and said, “We came all this way to find this cave, and so I guess I’ll see what’s in there.” He boldly walked into the cave. The old man held his lantern high and followed behind as they stepped into the darkness. The cave opening was small, but once you stepped inside, it was very large. A few steps into the chamber, John noticed a Spanish conquistador’s helmet by the entrance. The helmet was a surprise because they had no idea the Spaniards were ever involved with this mine. They noticed a lance leaning against the wall on the right and as they looked around the large room, they could see bits and pieces of Spanish armor on the floor. John motioned for Persistent to hand him the lantern. He took the lantern, pointed it in front of him, and walked to the rear of the cave. Where he thought the chamber ended, he found that it veered to the left. They followed the path, which led to another chamber.

  When they entered the chamber, John held the lantern high and the room lit up. They were instantly bombarded with the reflection of gold dancing off the ceiling and walls. Old Dutch Henry had melted down the gold he found into gold bars. He had stacked them in neat rows against the wall. There were so many of them, it looked as if the walls on both sides of the cave were made of gold. It must have taken Dutch Henry years to accomplish this.

  Persistent stood with his mouth open. “I would have never have believed this if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. This is more gold than I ever dreamed of finding. My God, it’s real. It’s all real. The rumors about this old mine were all true.”

  John W just smiled. “Come on. Let’s see what’s back there,” he said, pointing to the back of the chamber. When he reached the end of the chamber, there was an opening leading into a third chamber. John stepped into the chamber and lifted his lantern. The chamber exploded in a kaleidoscope of colors, as millions of twinkling stars reflected off of the ceiling and walls. He was so mesmerized by the dance of colored lights that he was reluctant to look for its source. He lowered the lantern and found the light show was caused by light reflecting off of hundreds of colored stones that littered the ground. John noticed that the accumulation of stones was more abundant near a number of large chests, as if someone had dug into the chest with their hands, looking for something, spilling the stones on the floor. Some chests were open and some were closed, but all had human skulls on top of them. Persistent said that the Tonto Apaches placed the skulls on top of the chests to scare off intruders.

  The two men walked through the large chamber and couldn’t believe their eyes. There was a lot of Spanish armor and weapons spread among the human bones in this room, most likely Spanish soldiers. John leaned his hand against the wall and took a deep breath. He thought of the second chamber, which contained a room full of gold and this chamber contained so many jewels and precious stones that he didn’t think they could count them all. The jewels were spread all over the place. The Indians had no idea of the value of the stones. They thought they were just pretty-colored stones and when the novelty wore off, they cast them aside.

  From the look of the chamber, John figured Dutch Henry must have picked up many of the precious stones and put them back in the chests, because this part of the chamber floor had been swept clean. There were still so many stones lying around. He picked up an emerald the size of a walnut and shined his light on it. The effect was immediate, causing a cascade of shimmering green light to float along the ceiling and walls so that even Persistent stopped what he was doing to admire the dancing green light as it played along the walls and ceiling.

  The Apaches must have killed the Spaniards for attempting to take their gold. The chests of precious stones were obviously brought here by the Spaniards, who John assumed must have looted every village they passed as they worked their way through Mexico and into North America. This could even have been Montezuma’s treasure. John could just imagine what the Spaniards must have thought when they heard of the vast gold mines that the Indians found. The Spaniards must have had all of this jewelry ready to ship to Spain, when they heard of the Tonto Apache gold mines. They must have salivated at the thought of bringing all that gold back to Spain. The logical assumption was that before they shipped the jewels back to
Spain, they’d find the Indian gold mines. So, John surmised, they must have decided to take the jewels with them, thinking they would find the Indians’ gold, take it from them, and then ship both the jewels and the gold to Spain. How else could they explain these chests of precious gems, and the Spanish armor among the bones of the conquistadors?

  Persistent dropped a ruby he was admiring into a chest and walked over to John W. “Did you ever in your wildest dreams ever think you’d find this much wealth in one place?”

  “No. Never in a million years would I ever have thought I’d see anything as wonderful as this.”

  “Yep. That’s the right word, all right. Wonderful. And wonderful is what it is.”

  John W reached down and opened the chest in which Persistent had dropped the ruby and gasped. It was full to the brim with rubies of different sizes. Some were set in gold rings, broaches, and even necklaces and earrings. He opened the next chest, and this one held emeralds and even some diamonds. Some of the chests were mixed with other precious stones; all of them worth a king’s ransom. This find would make John one of the richest men in the world. He had to get the gold and jewels out of here and into a bank or repository where it would be safe.