Leading the pack mule, he started downriver, reining up when his excitement subsided and common sense took control. He had no idea how many men Laird employed, or how soon they might discover his body. Ten of them had taken the horses and mules to some location downriver and might soon be returning to Laird’s place of business. In fact, he might meet them, and the loaded pack mule might quickly arouse their suspicions, for this was the first time he had ever left Laird’s with anything but the horse he rode. He quickly rode more than a mile east of the river before again riding south. He knew he must reach the steamboats before encountering anybody.
Burt Wills felt uneasy without fully understanding why. Estrello hadn’t seemed all that put out over the impending increase in the cost of the whiskey or a reduction in the price Laird had been paying him for horses and mules. Why?
“Pick up that gait, boys,” Wills shouted. “There may be trouble at Laird’s.”
The riders swatted the horses and mules with their lariats. Nobody questioned Wills’s demand for haste, for he had long been Laird’s second-in-command. Reaching the hidden corral where livestock of questionable ownership was kept, they drove the horses and mules inside the corral. Toomey and Grant, two of Laird’s men assigned to keep watch, leaned against the six-rail fence, watching. It soon became apparent that the new arrivals didn’t intend to dismount.
“Hey,” Toomey shouted, “ain’t you unsociable varmints gonna stop and jaw a while?”
“Not now,” said Wills. “We don’t have the time.”
Wills and his riders kicked their horses into a slow gallop, and when they came within sight of the huge structure Laird owned, Wills knew something was wrong. There was no lamplight from any of the windows, and even in the starlight, he could see the lone horse where Laird always picketed his mount.
“Trouble,” Wills said, reining up. “We’ll go in on foot.”
Reaching the entrance, they found the door open. On the wall inside hung a lantern. Wills lighted it, holding it in his left hand, well away from his body. In his right hand was his Colt, cocked and ready. Wills said nothing, but his nine companions did not follow him. Someone had to go in, and Wills took the risk. At first the office seemed empty, but when Wills reached the big desk, he could see Laird’s dead face in the dim light from the lantern. With shaking hands, he lighted the lamp on Laird’s desk. That was the signal for the rest of the riders to enter, and they did so, freezing as they viewed the remains of their late employer.
“That son-of-a-bitch Estrello,” said Wills.
“He cleaned out the safe, too,” one of the riders observed. “What’n thunder we gonna do now? There wasn’t nobody but him.”
“Wrong,” Wills said. “There’s me, and there’s the money Estrello took. I want each of you to find as many of our bunch as you can. Have them waiting near the landing where Estrello’s four steamboats were. We’re goin’ after the bastards.”
“How?” a rider asked. “We can’t run down them steamboats.”
“We can if we have a steamboat of our own,” said Wills. “Laird has a private steamboat and a crew to pilot it. All of you be waiting where I told you, and I’ll have the boat there within two hours.”
“You can take Laird’s private steamboat?” one of the riders asked.
“Hell, yes,” Wills snapped. “Now all of you mount up and ride. I especially want men who have Sharps .50 buffalo guns. There’s going to be a running fight.”
Estrello was thankful for the darkness, for his men had seen to it that everybody went back aboard the boats. Carrying the sack of gold, he went aboard the first steamboat. He had a key to a personal locker he was allowed to use, and dropping the sack of gold inside, he locked the steel door and went back for the bag of currency. Wilder stood on deck, apparently wondering what Estrello was doing, but he said nothing.
“Why the hell are you standin’ there?” Estrello demanded. “Get back aboard the Goose, where you were assigned. We’re pullin’ out in a few minutes.”
When Estrello returned with the sack of currency. Wilder was no longer there. Captain Savage, in charge of steamboat one, met Estrello as he came aboard.
“Are we ready to depart?” Savage asked.
“Yes,” said Estrello, “but with one change. I want this steamboat to exchange positions with the Star, with the Star taking the lead. We’ll bring up the rear on this one.”
“Changing positions in the dark without running lights requires a great deal of difficulty,” Captain Savage said. “We don’t turn around in the dark. Is this necessary?”
“It is,” said Estrello. “I have reason to believe we may be pursued by a pack of thieves, and we may need the Gatling gun to defend ourselves.”
“I think not,” Captain Savage said coldly. “We have not been paid to defend you and your men against a running attack with your enemies.”
“Maybe this will change your mind,” said Estrello. In an instant, his Colt was in his hand, taking the startled captain by surprise.
“You fool,” Captain Savage said, “you can’t keep me under the gun all the way to Fort Smith.”
“I can’t,” said Estrello, “but I have enough men so that one of us can. Now you get into the pilothouse and turn this thing around.”
“The other captains must be told of the change,” Captain Savage said.
“I’ll see that they’re told,” said Estrello. “Now you do as you’re told.”
Some of the men from the lower deck had heard the conversation. Tull McLean and Dutch McCarty had climbed the ladder and stood on the upper deck, looking at Estrello in surprise.
“Don’t stand there like damn fools,” Estrello shouted. “I want you to escort this gent to the pilothouse and keep him covered. He’s going to turn this steamboat around so that it brings up the rear back to Fort Smith.”
“Why?” McLean asked.
“By God, because I said so,” snapped Estrello.
“He’s being pursued,” said Captain Savage, “and intends to use the Gatling gun. I’d say he’s gotten himself and the rest of you in big trouble.”
“Is that true?” McCarty asked.
“I had trouble over the price of the whiskey,” Estrello lied. “There was some shooting, and there may be gunmen after us.”
“How in hell do you chase a steamboat?” McLean asked in disbelief.
Captain Savage laughed. “In another steamboat.”
“Give me fifteen minutes,” Estrello told Tull and McLean. “The other captains have to be told about the change in formation.”
Convinced, McCarty and McLean drew their Colts, covering Captain Savage. Estrello hurried to his locker to dispose of the sack of currency, and from the shadows stepped Wilder. His Colt was steady in his hand as he said, “I saw you bring the gold aboard. The gold you took to pay for the whiskey. Now I’m wonderin’ what you got in that other sack. Open it.”
Estrello had no choice. He untied the neck of the burlap bag, and Wilder’s eyes went wide at the sight of the currency. He laughed. “No wonder you’re expectin’ somebody to come after you. That, and what you didn’t pay for the whiskey is quite a pile. When do you aim to divvy it up?”
“Certainly not now,” Estrello snarled. “I must talk to the other captains and get these steamboats moving. We may not have much time.”
“Then put that sack in there with the other one,” said Wilder, “and don’t be gettin’ no ideas. Some of us will be watchin’ you every damn minute.”
Estrello put the sack of currency in the locker, closed the door, and locked it. He then turned away and ran toward the ramp, cursing his rotten luck. Wilder had his circle of friends, and before the night was over, they would all know of his treasure. Gangplanks to the second, third, and fourth steamboats had been raised, preventing Estrello from going aboard. He shouted, seeking to attract the attention of someone on the upper deck of boat two.
“Yeah,” said Skull Worsham, “what is it?”
“Get Captain Lytle for
me,” Estrello shouted. “I need to talk to him.”
Captain Lytle took his time, saying nothing until Estrello had told him of the change in the order of the steamboats.
“You’ve spoken to Captain Savage, I presume,” said Captain Lytle. “What did he say?”
“He’s agreed to the change,” Estrello said. “Now get ready to move out.”
As quickly as he could summon them, Estrello spoke to Captain Stock, captain of the Midnight, and Captain Jenks, captain of the Star. Estrello hurried back to the Aztec and found Captain Savage had done nothing toward reversing position. McCarty and McLean still faced him with drawn Colts.
“Well?” Estrello growled.
“He’s captain of the damn steamboat,” said McCarty. “What you expect us to do, shoot him?”
“Yeah,” McLean said, “without him, how do we get this thing back to Fork Smith?”
“Savage,” said Estrello, “if we’re attacked, you can die just as quick as any of us. I’ve talked to Lytle, Stock, and Jenks, and when you turn this steamboat around, they’ll lead out.”
The first three captains had already begun the tedious job of reversing their boats, and having little choice, Captain Savage entered the pilothouse. The rest of the men aboard Captain Savage’s craft were aware a change was taking place and had gathered on the upper deck. Their attention was drawn to the pilothouse, where McCarty and McLean stood before it with drawn Colts.
“What’n hell’s goin’ on?” Ike Jabez wanted to know.
“I shot an hombre over the price of whiskey,” said Estrello desperately, “and some of the gang may be coming after us. We’re moving this steamboat into fourth position so we can use the Gatling gun if we have to.”
At that point, Wilder stepped out of the shadows. “He ain’t told you all of it. He brought back the gold he took to pay for the whiskey, and besides that, a sackful of bills. Thousands and thousands there, I reckon. Now we just need Estrello’s word that he aims to divide all that money and gold, fair and square, once we’re back in the Territory.”
“That’s exactly what I’m planning to do,” Estrello said. “The bastard I had to shoot over the whiskey had a safe full of money. What was I supposed to do, just leave it?”
“Hell, no,” said Wilder. “You can’t hang but once. We ain’t against what you done. We just want to be damn sure you ain’t forgot who your friends are when it’s time to divide the loot. Now you just mind your business, and don’t get no funny ideas about a double cross.”
Captain Jenks’s steamboat, the Star, had turned around and had now become the leader.
“What in tarnation’s he doin’ that for?” Bill wondered.
“Who knows?” said Mark. “It’s hard to see by starlight, but it looks like the other three steamboats are turning around. Ours will be first in line.”
“This will hurt our chances of jumping ship just before we reach Fort Smith,” Vernon said. “If we run this steamboat aground, with the other three behind us, they’ll know what we aim to do before we can escape.”
“That’s a chance we’ll have to take,” said Nick.
“Something must have happened, causing this change,” Amanda said.
“I think you’re right,” said Mark, “and it may mean big trouble for Estrello.”
“It may mean big trouble for us all,” Ed said. “At least one of those Gatling guns has a cylinder it takes ten shells to fully load. In practice it’s been evaluated and is supposed to fire four hundred times a minute. Enough hits could sink us.”
“That, or explode the boilers,” said Nick. “In either case, we’re finished.”
“Well, it hasn’t happened yet,” Bill said, “and if this bunch from St. Louis comes after us, we’ll still have three steamboats between us and them.”
“We’ll need them,” said Lee, “but until they get closer, our Winchesters won’t be of any use.”
“You’re right,” Todd said. “We’ll just have to pray that Estrello has men who can operate the gun, and enough ammunition to feed it. Five volleys, if it’s the big Gatling, and there’s two thousand shells.”
Burt Wills eventually found ten additional men to join in the chase. It took longer than he had expected, because he finally had to tell them of the robbery and murder of Taylor Laird. Some of them were difficult to convince.
“Look,” said Wills, “I know this business backward and forward, as well as sideways and upside-down. I can operate it as well as Laird did, but we can’t do it broke. We need the cash and the gold that Estrello took, and we need to teach that varmint a lesson. Now, who’s got the sand to go after them?”
The ten men stepped forward, and, mounting his horse, Wills led out. As expected, the four loaded steamboats were gone. In their place was the black-and-gold stern-wheeler that had belonged to Laird. It was an impressive sight, reassuring them that Wills could do exactly what he planned to do. Didn’t he have control of Laird’s steamboat, a fancy craft that few of them had ever seen, and that some didn’t know existed?
The steamboat already had up steam, smoke boiling from its twin stacks. The nine men Wills had sent on ahead waited on the upper deck, and he noted with approval they all had a Sharps .50 buffalo gun, as did the ten men he had brought with him. Wills hurried to the pilothouse, where Captain Tyndall waited. Tyndall had not been told the purpose of this expedition, and without beating around the bush, Wills told him the truth.
“If we don’t catch up to this bunch of thieves and killers,” Wills concluded, “then we’ll be broke and out of business.”
“I don’t know if we can catch them or not,” said Tyndall, “since they have a considerable head start. Suppose we are able to catch up to them? What do you intend to do?”
“There are twenty of us armed with Sharps .50 buffalo guns,” Wills said. “We can stay out of Winchester range and give them hell. These big guns can cut their pilothouses down to the bare deck. I aim to take up where Laird left off, and I’ll begin by making an example of these varmints that done the killing and robbery.”
“You’re the boss, then,” said Tyndall. “Let’s get started.”
Within minutes, the black-and-gold steamboat was on its way south, traveling at top speed. Grimly, twenty men lined its upper deck, shading their eyes, hoping to see the quarry somewhere ahead.
Not quite a hundred miles south of St. Louis, the four steamboats bearing the Estrello outfit were forced to stop and take on wood. Men from the fourth steamboat—now Estrello’s—quickly went ashore, supposedly to stretch their legs. One of these men was Drew Wilder.
“Where the hell you been, Wilder?” Gabe Haddock asked. “You was supposed to be on the Goose, and I ain’t seen you since before we left, last night.”
“I been on the Aztec, talking turkey with our amigo, Estrello,” said Wilder. “Get the others over here from the second, third, and fourth boats. This is something you all need to hear.”
Except for McCarty and McLean, the men gathered to hear what Wilder had to say. Before he finished, there were shouts of anger. Elgin Kendrick said what all of them were thinking. “Damn it, now there won’t be any more whiskey, no more easy money.”
“There may not be any money at all if they have a steamboat and catch up to us,” said Wilder. “Estrello cleaned out the safe, and there must be hundreds of thousands, besides the gold we saved by not payin’ for the whiskey. I saw the money and the gold Estrello put in his locker. We’ll all have to watch Estrello if we aim to keep him honest. If there’s no other way, shoot the varmint. We can manage without him if we have to.”
Bert Hamby laughed. “Keepin’ Wolf Estrello honest is like teachin’ a rattler to behave like a salamander.”
“From here on to Fort Smith,” Wilder said. “I’ll be on the Aztec, watching Estrello. He’d kill us all for that pile of money and gold he brought back.”
“Not if we kill him first,” said Burrell Hedgepith.
“Only if there’s no other way,” Wilder said. “He di
d what he should have done, bringin’ back the gold and the stolen money. So he gets a chance to share it with the rest of us. But at the first sign of a double cross, he’s fair game.”
Shouts of approval erupted as the men again boarded the steamboats.
“I need to talk to the other captains,” said Captain Savage, aboard the Aztec.
“You ain’t talkin’ to nobody,” McCarty said. “Far as they know, they’re follerin’ your orders, and it’s gonna stay that way.”
St. Louis. August 4, 1866.
At the military outpost in St. Louis, Sergeant Ember knocked on the post commander’s door and was bid enter. He saluted, had it returned, and then presented Captain Hailey with a lengthy telegram. Quickly, Hailey read the telegram.
“By the Eternal,” said Captain Hailey, slamming his fist down on the desk, “we’ve been right about Taylor Laird and this whiskey running, but there was never any conclusive evidence. Now it’s startin’ to add up. I want you to detail men to search all Laird’s warehouses, destroying any illegal whiskey.”
“Yes, sir,” said Sergeant Ember, “but what about the killers? Two days ago, those four steamboats were seen headin’ south, without running lights. Don’t you reckon those whiskey runners have a load of the stuff aboard?”
“I’m sure they do,” Captain Hailey said, “but with a two-day start, there’s no way we can catch up to them from here. They’re on their way to Indian Territory.”
“You could telegraph Fort Smith,” said Sergeant Ember.
Ralph Compton Whiskey River Page 13
