Post Grid: An Arizona EMP Adventure

by Tony Martineau

  “I've seen every John Wayne movie ever made ten times over,” said Rich, putting his guitar down and picking up his banjo. He plucked the instrument and sang...

  If you want to have a good time, jine the cavalry!

  Jine the cavalry! Jine the cavalry!

  If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun,

  If you want to swell Hell, jine the cavalry!

  “Kelly's going to be the chief wrangler of this 'gathering remounts' detail?” Jared asked, laughing and poking Kelly in the side.

  “I've spent more time in a saddle than anyone else here. Unless you want the responsibility, Mr. Malloy.”

  “How about I take over the security detail?” he bargained.

  “Fine plan,” said Kelly. “We'll need some cowhands too.” She looked over at Lynn and Jess, who were sitting in lawn chairs near the railing. Jess was sticking his hand out past the roofline, where water splashed into his palm.

  “I wanna go!” said Lynn enthusiastically. “ My riding has gotten better and Pokey is my best friend ever.”

  “Fine,” said Kelly. “We'll take you and Jess. It should be a fine outing.”

  Jess glanced away from his water play toward Kelly, looking pleased.

  The wind picked up and the rain fell anew. Small drops of water landed on the back of the porch swing, where Emma and Rich sat.

  Emma stood immediately to get away from the wet. “Well, get up, ol' man,” she said to Rich. “You guys better get home before it really starts pouring.”

  “Oh, a little rain never hurt anyone, ol' woman.” Rich said in his usual, slow drone, but he too stood.

  “Just mind you don't catch your death.” Emma raised both eyebrows and set her lips.

  That was Dennis and Jose's cue to get up. They both brushed themselves off and Jose stretched, trying to get the knots out of his knees and shoulders.

  “Come on, Mijo,” Jose said. All four men stepped off the porch and then ran, in a mad dash, for Rich's place.

  ****

  By the end of the week, they'd had time to gather gear and make plans for capturing the wild horses that roamed the river near town. The predawn sun glowed red behind the mountain tops as the group trotted on horseback down the road, leaving small whirling clouds of dust where horseshoes hit dirt. Jared, Kelly, Jess and Lynn rode along the Beeline Highway. They had packed light and hoped to return home in two days.

  “Will it be hard to find the wild horses?” Lynn asked.

  “I've never known them to stray far from the river,” Kelly said. “I just don't know what effect the collapse has had on them. We need to know what shape they're in. If we're lucky, we can bring one back with us.”

  “Can't we bring more than one?” Jess asked. “We have the ropes and tack for it.”

  Kelly chuckled. “It's going to be all we can handle to catch just one mustang and lead him back to the ranch. Okay, I know your horsemanship has improved, but I want you to be careful anyway. Jess, you and Lynn have really gotten good at roping in the corral, but that's not the same as convincing a full-sized, wild horse to leave his herd and come and live at our house. It will be downright dangerous.”

  They left the highway and went south on a dirt road that had been a playground for off-road enthusiasts. Kelly recognized the road, having roamed here in her pink “Barbie Jeep” with her “jeeper buddies” last spring.

  Finally they left the brown scrub of the desert behind and wound down through the canyon and the dark green trees and brush lining the Salt River. The horses' pace quickened when the animals breathed in the inviting smell and humidity of water. When they made it to the river's edge, everyone dismounted and let the horses drink.

  “I smell smoke,” Jared said.

  Kelly inhaled deeply through her nose. “Wood smoke.”

  The others were sniffing too. “You all look like a bunch of bunnies with your noses twitching in the air,” said Jared, grinning.

  Jess waded out into the river about ten feet from the brushy shore and scanned the banks. “Look, upstream. I see smoke from a bunch of little fires. There are some downstream, too.”

  The others took off their shoes and waded out into the flow. Kelly noticed that Lynn eagerly moved next to Jess and took his hand in hers. “They're spread out in the trees and bushes, away from the shoreline,” she said. “Looks like individual camps.”

  “Who would be way out here?” Lynn asked, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.

  “Anyone who could last this long,” Jared replied. “It's going to be tough to look for horses by the river without having to deal with the locals.”

  “These are the people who were able to make it out here, away from town, and live out here for months on end,” Kelly added. “These people have the equipment and skills to camp, hunt and fish. This is the only water on this side of Phoenix and it's the lowest I've ever seen it.”

  “Why, what happened to all of it?” asked Jared.

  “There's never been a lot of water in the desert, but the Salt and Gila rivers used to flow year-round and overflow their banks each spring. That left good planting soil. The local Indians built irrigation canals near the confluence.”

  “Why don't the rivers flow anymore?” Jared asked.

  “Geez, I guess you didn't have to take Arizona history in Michigan,” Jess said. “We had to take the Dam Test in eighth grade and again as sophomores. You have to name all of the dams and reservoirs in the state.”

  “In 1903,” Lynn said, “the Salt River Project started building dams and reservoirs along the rivers to supply Phoenix with water and power. The water here, near town, is held back by Stewart Mountain dam. The level is already down. The flow is blocked upstream by other dams.”

  “Thanks, Hermione,” Jess said.

  “Back to the problem at hand: looking for horses. We need to stay in the brush as much as we can and skirt around the camps,” said Kelly. “We can come out to the river's edge between the camps and do our scouting. It's midday. I prefer to look for horses at dusk and dawn. Let's move away from the river and find a safe place to wait out the afternoon. Our horses need to rest anyway. Maybe we'll get lucky and a nice herd will wander into us,” Kelly chuckled.

  “I hope no one ate all the horses,” Jess said.

  Lynn's eyes widened. “You're so mean, Jess Herrero,” she pouted.

  ****

  Later that afternoon, Lynn returned to the group from the water's edge, holding the binoculars. “I didn't see any horses down there,” she said. “I stayed on my belly, in the shadows, like you told me, Kelly. I saw one of the camps though. It's a family with a couple of small hiking tents and some lean-tos. Kids' clothes are on a rope between two trees. There are fishing poles set out into the river. It looks like a cow's skin is stretched out on stakes. It's like an Indian camp in the old movies. Whoever lives there must be gone or hiding.”

  The clan mounted and rode upstream as soundlessly as possible. They stayed a good distance uphill and away from the rocky, flatland of the valley, a dry floodplain with low scrub. As they climbed to a better vantage point, Kelly scanned the river with binoculars.

  “What's that?” Jess murmured almost inaudibly. He pointed to a stand of green-barked palo verde trees about a quarter mile closer to the river than they were.

  “Something's moving,” Jared whispered.

  Kelly played the field glasses over the area and saw long, brown hair through the branches. The group stared at the trees. Finally, Kelly saw straight, black hair hanging vertically as well.

  “Horse's tails? Maybe they're headed for a drink?” Kelly said in a hushed tone.

  “Let's go get them,” Jess said enthusiastically, louder than he had intended. Everyone brought their fingers to their mouths simultaneously, reminding him to stay silent.

  “Let's just watch them for a few minutes while we decide what to do,” Kelly whispered. “It's always better to have a well-thought-out plan than to go in willy-nilly. We don't want
to spook 'em.”

  Shortly after formulating a plan, Kelly rode Pokey a little closer to what she hoped would be a future mount. The other “cowboys” were spread in a semicircle downwind from the palo verde stand. Kelly watched the horses grazing on the sparse grass. There were about twelve animals of all ages. They looked in good shape. Kelly picked out what she thought might be the herd stallion and the boss mare. What was that flash, a spark from a rock? I can't believe it, Kelly thought. At least one is shod!

  “Some of these horses may be domesticated,” Kelly told Pokey, leaning forward and stroking him on the neck. “I hadn't even considered that. I bet we can just ride in, nice and easy so as not to scare them, offer them our sweet, molasses-laden oats, and go home with a couple horse buddies for you who are already saddle-broke. Shhhhhh, boy.”

  Kelly urged Pokey, in a slow, meandering walk, toward the horses grazing on tall grass under the palo verde trees. She slumped in the saddle to look less menacing, following them slowly, oats in the nose bag to try to get the attention of any domesticated animals. The horses, especially the black stallion, kept an eye on her, most of them wary, but a few interested. The stallion stood between Kelly and his herd, ears erect, head held high.

  Kelly gave the nosebag a good shake, hoping the noise and smell of the oats would carry.

  Suddenly the huge, black stallion pranced toward Kelly, raising his knees high, flaring his nostrils and shaking his shiny mane. He made a false charge at Kelly and Pokey, ending only five feet in front of them, then dropped his head and pawed at the ground three times. This was a direct challenge and Pokey met it by lunging into the air simultaneously with his aggressor. Hooves pounded again and again against both horses' chests. Unable to keep hold of the reins, Kelly was thrown to the ground, knocking the wind from her. Landing unceremoniously in the dirt at Pokey's feet, she drew herself into a fetal position, listening to hooves crash around her. One hoof to the head and...

  The stallion was knocked off balance. He twisted his body so that he didn't fall flat on his back and landed close to his combatant. Pokey tore into the turned stallion's flank with his teeth. The black beast's legs buckled, and he dropped his hindquarters in an attempt to get away from his rival's teeth. Kelly got to one knee, cried out, and clenched her arms about her head. Pokey released his jaws, but lunged again toward his adversary. The stallion kicked up both of his hind legs, but Pokey reared back, avoiding a kick to the head by two strong hind feet. Kelly let out another bloodcurdling scream, afraid she would be trampled.

  Jess, hearing Kelly, took off at a fiery pace toward the fray on Traveler, and The others followed in hot pursuit.

  “Jump right, Kelly!” Jess screamed as he rushed to intercept the powerful stallion.

  She did so just quickly enough to avoid three of the four crashing hooves, her eyes shut so tight she could see stars. She couldn't tell if the offending hoof was Pokey's or the stallion's, but it hit her square in the shoulder blade, knocking her facedown in the dirt. “Don't,” Kelly screamed at Jess. “They'll kill you!”

  Traveler bolted into the fracas at Jess's ruthless urgings. Horseflesh collided with horseflesh as together, the team buffeted the black stallion. Jess managed to keep his reins even as Traveler reared high in the air. Pokey and Traveler stood together warding off the stallion, their bodies positioned between him and Kelly.

  Pokey snorted, lowering his head. The stallion took off toward his herd, head held high, signaling his mares to retreat. The confrontation was over for now.

  Kelly, still trembling, got to one knee, crying in pain and shock. Jared got to her seconds later, overcome with tears. He slipped from his horse and ran to her, landing on both knees at her side. “Are you hurt?”

  “Mostly my pride.” She threw herself into his arms.

  “It's okay, it's okay,” Jared said, his arms clenched about her.

  “I should have known he was going to charge me. How could I have been so stupid?” She chastised herself for knowing better.

  “You couldn't have known, Kel.”

  “That's just it,” Kelly sobbed. “I did know, but I wanted those horses so badly I took a stupid chance and put Jess in danger too.”

  Lynn trotted up on Buckskin. Jess and Lynn sat atop their mounts, watching Jared and Kelly huddle together on the ground. “I think we need another plan,” said Kelly.

  Jared pulled her to her feet, ensuring that she could stand, and looked her over for open wounds. She made it up onto both feet but stood bent forward at the waist, holding her shoulder. Jared put his hand on hers and urged her into a full standing position, then held her as she took a few steps toward Pokey.

  “I think I can walk.” said Kelly.

  “Let's get back to camp, it's getting late.” Jared said. “It will take a little time to see how bad that arm is, and Lynn can make us some dinner.”

  ****

  “Okay, this the last of the wire,” Lynn said. It was now mid-morning and the group had been working for hours on Kelly's new plan. “Do you think this will hold the horses?”

  Kelly inspected the ersatz corral constructed of scavenged Forest Service fencing and paracord strung between ironwood trees, palo verde trees, and boulders. Tents, sleeping bags, tarps, and brush were hung on the strands of cordage, which gave it a mostly false look of solidity. Two wings stretched out from the gate, forming a funnel to guide the herd into the corral.

  “It doesn't need to be super-strong,” Kelly said. “Most horses won't try to go through what they think is a solid fence. My granddad used to make horse traps like this in the White Mountains. It worked for him. I don't want a repeat of last night.”

  The corral had been placed between where the herd had been the day before and the river. Jess and Lynn arranged nibbles of oats, spread out in a line, leading from the grassy area where the horses seemed to graze, to the gate of the trap. A veritable feast of molasses-coated oats had been prepared for any horse willing to enter. Traveler and Buckskin chomped grass in the shade behind the trap. Kelly thought Emma's horses might help the strays to feel more at ease, or at least pique their interest. Jess took his position behind a bush on the left of the trap, and Lynn hid on the right. Each held a rope attached to a makeshift gate.

  “Okay, everyone knows the plan?” Kelly asked. Without waiting for an answer, she spurred Pokey in a wide arc toward the last known location of the herd. It was important to come at them from the far side to drive them toward the trap. Jared rode Hokey beside her.

  They rode slowly, silently, watching for the herd. The day was beautiful; it felt like one of the many joyrides Kelly had taken in this area before. She had to remind herself that this was serious business. Finally, they spied horses grazing. Jared stayed where he was as Kelly began slowly moving around the horses. She rode a distance behind them, then slowly encouraged the animals to move in the direction of the trap. She didn't want to push the herd too hard, just encourage them to amble in the right direction. After some time, one of the horses found the first deposit of oats. Shortly, another found more oats. Their pace increased as they searched for more treats. The horses grouped closer together, competing for the food. The black stallion, ahead of the others, sniffed the air, head held high and his body on alert.

  Kelly decided to be the dominant “horse” at that point and let out an impressive “neigh” that reverberated off the surrounding hills. She motioned to Jared to rush the them with her. Dust rose into the air from Hokey's and Pokey's hooves as she and Jared focused on spooking the herd.

  The stallion bobbed his head and neighed loudly, signaling to the other horses to follow his lead, then broke into a full run toward the makeshift corral.

  “This is it!” Kelly cried. “It's working.” She flashed a thumbs-up sign to Jared.

  The stallion slowed as he approached the trap, dancing back and forth. He looked like he was trying to decide his next move, but his ladies and the junior males kept coming. Jared and Kelly drove forward until the entire troop was w
ell into the wings of the trap. They circled a short distance back, along the rear and sides, driving the herd forward, pushing them through the gate.

  Jess and Lynn closed the gate behind the herd as the horses ran around and around the perimeter of the enclosure.

  “Looks like a circus act,” yelled Lynn.

  Kelly, who had joined her young friends, said, “Stay back in case one of them rushes the fence.”

  It took the horses a good fifteen minutes before settling down and standing quietly, taking in their predicament or simply grazing. All four horsemen leaned over the sturdiest part of the fence, observing the different horses and contemplating.

  “Are we going to bring them all home?” Lynn asked, her voice jumping with excitement.

  “No, most of these are wild.” Kelly raised her voice to be heard over the breeze and the jostling horses. “I don't want to have to saddle break and wagon break broncs if it can be avoided. Besides, Mom's house can't support this many.”

  “Now what do we do?” Jess asked.

  “Let them rest, calm down for a bit and eat the oats, then we can start cutting the wild ones out of the corral.”

  “I like the pretty pinto,” Lynn said, pointing to a mostly-white horse with large, tawny brown bubbles of color splashed across her body.

  “She is pretty,” Kelly said. “We'll have to see if she will take a saddle. I'm so excited to have some domestic stock.” Kelly moved about in her saddle, trying to contain her joy. “Let's see, I count five wearing shoes: four mares and one gelding.”

  It took the rest of the day, with plenty of rest breaks for both cowhands and horses, to get the herd cut.

  “We're going to have to spend another night out,” said Jared, flirting with Kelly by wrinkling up his nose and throwing his head back slightly.

  “That's fine with me, Cookie,” Kelly said. “I could use some chuck.” She wrinkled up her nose, echoing the flirt.