Gage grimaced, “Good God, how can you do that to people.”
Bryan asked, “You’d rather I leave it out of the socket? Don’t you faint on me Travis. I need you to bring me bandages from my bag, NOW.” Gage laid her gently on the ground and brought back the medicine bag.
Dallas had a gun on Lieutenant MacLeod, “Maybe it’s time you answered a few of our questions Lieutenant. You say you’ve been working on this, but your men brought up an excellent question. Why didn’t you know about the mule?”
Lieutenant MacLeod said, “You’re assuming I was working with Mr. Travis. We found him to be very uncooperative. Especially when he was under the impression his son was dead. I was working with the Friar and her Mother.”
Dallas said, “You supplied the tip about where we could find her?”
Lieutenant MacLeod said, Private Garner is Catholic and volunteers at the Mission. It was his job to keep an eye on her boys and see if the good Friar might have been dipping into the treasure himself. Turns out he got the boys to bring back a piece or two every now and then. We had to assure him, we don’t intend to raid the church, just recover what we can from the cavern. Plus the Church gets anything that is considered a religious relic like crucifixes, crosses, rosaries, or stamped as belonging to the Holy Roman Church.” There wasn’t any way for Dallas to confirm that with Private Garner but Dallas knew there was something wrong with that. Why would he ask about Jenny’s Mom being alive if he had been working with her?
Dallas looked at Gage, “Go see if your Dad thinks it’s possible to move the mule close to the treasure room.”
Gage said, “We could be just wasting time Dallas. There is a chest of jewels. Maybe someone should go get that now. It’s going to take some time to get there and back.”
Dallas asked, “Are you saying you want to go back down there?”
Gage said, “I don’t think I have a choice. I made her run on two bad legs to find it. She can’t go, But someone could go tell my Dad I’m down there and to send the mule if it’s possible. Otherwise we need more wagons and tarps. I know he can supply that.” Dallas was fixing to run with the bone and suggest Bryan take Jenny and leave quickly for the Travis ranch when Gage stole the bone he tossed right back.
Gage looked at Lieutenant MacLeod, “Just where were you planning on sending her? You didn’t think my Dad would take her did you?”
Lieutenant MacLeod grunted, “Your Dad? No, if he had forgiven her, he’d already be here. She wouldn’t have had to run. You wouldn’t have had to go in there. No, not your Dad.” Lieutenant MacLeod looked over to see if there was any reaction on her face as he said, “The mission at Fort Yuma will take her. Not as a Nun, but they will give her refuge and cloister her giving her time to recover to adjust to life without Sparrow Hawk, her sons, and men in general. She won’t see a man in there with the sisters. She’ll have time to think, pray to what ever form of God she still believes in, and they’ll keep her occupied so she feels she has some purpose besides raising children or pleasuring men.”
Gage said, “Put her away in a monastery? In one of those little cells and way out West? Shit, you’re giving her to the Mojave you bastard.”
Bryan replied, “Mojave? You were going to give her to another Indian tribe? One that might not think Comanche are their friends. Hell no.”
Gage confirmed, “She pissed them off. She spit on them. They’d kill her.”
Lieutenant MacLeod sighed as he addressed Dallas, “Well there is the rub isn’t it. The only place she’s truly comfortable is the one place she can’t be. Pretty obvious all she’s known since she was taken is pain. That’s how they train their captives. Plus, get the first wife upset, and life couldn’t have been very pleasant. All she feels is desperation to please before we hit her again. You think I enjoyed doing that? Well you’re wrong, but my specialty is to get to the truth quickly. And I’m afraid, we really need to know where that room is. You might not like my tactics, but I can wake her up and get an answer.”
Bryan said, “I think you better let me do that. And she’s not your property to dispose of Lieutenant. Jenny can make up her own mind. You’re wrong about Sparrow Hawk. He taught her what she had to know to survive in his world. There was respect between them and love.” Bryan gently kissed her face and forehead. He whispered in her ears, “Come back to me Jenny. I know you’re watching. I know it hurts and I’m sorry. I’m a smuck, but I’m your smuck if you want me.” Bryan looked at her eyes expectantly then said, “Wake up honey. Gage needs your help.”
Jenny’s eyes fluttered. Bryan could see she was struggling to stay with him. Bryan’s lip pursed, “Almost there Darling, you can do it. where does the mule stop when you father sent it from home?”
Gage said, “What I do remember is it makes a lot of noise. I might not know exactly where it is, but we would hear it come back.”
Jenny said, “Tunnel. Under room. Dump treasure. Switch wrong.”
Gage frowned, “My bucket, she pointed it out. I used to dump coins into the mule. It’s a slide. We climbed a slide.”
Dallas asked, “Jenny, what about the switch?”
Jenny tried to swallow and coughed, “Father not leave pointing home.” Jenny’s eyes fluttered and closed again.
Bryan took out a sling and bandages. He wrapped her pinky together with her ring finger and placed both of her arms in the sling, “Keep them there you hear me. No climbing. You’ve lost too much blood. You could pass out again.”
Sergeant Long said, “A track switch. But is it on this side or by the ranch and does it still work or did the Comanche break it into pieces? Someone needs to go get that old man.”
Corporal Gibbons added, “We brought wheeled carts to make moving sacks easier than trying to carry them and a pulley.”
Bryan said, “That ledge is narrow. But the hole you go down into from the opening might support the pulley. What did you do Gage?”
Gage replied, “Used one of the helmets and made a sling, but the weight is enough to pull you right off the face of that wall. I think that’s what happened to those men down there. They lost their grip and fell breaking their legs.”
Sergeant Long swallowed, “All of them broke their legs?”
Bryan said, “Well, all that I could see did. Of course who knows when that happened. Maybe someone broke them after they died to make it look gruesome. Certainly had that effect on me.”
Gage asked, “So who’s going with me. I don’t need the interrogator. I want a miner.”
Corporal Gibbons replied, “I guess that would be me, Sir. I’m from Kentucky. I worked in coal mines before.”
Sergeant Long said, “Railroad here. I’m your switch guy.”
Gage looked at Dallas, “Why don’t you take the Lieutenant to talk to my Dad. Just don’t let him kill Dad like he tried to do to Jenny. We might still need him to fix some lever somewhere. I take it Private Garner is the expert in explosives. We might need him to open up that dry well at the ranch.”
Dallas replied, “We’ll pick him up on the way.” Dallas looked over to the East, “Camels?”
Jenny’s eyes opened wide, “The beast is back. Bryan help.”
Bryan smiled, “Not Gage help? You want me now.” Bryan looked out over the flats, “Daisy, good nose Jenny. Don’t worry. I think, yes, there she is and another half dozen camels. Oh look, there’s Bull too.”
Jenny pleaded, “Get me under wagon. Not want wet face. Slobber when she kiss.”
Bryan replied, “I guess I might be able to pull you on the ground.”
Gage frowned, “You’re going to drag her? Come here. Gage picked her up and carried her to the back of the covered wagon, “You’re not getting trapped under there either. Travers get up here. You need to get her back to camp and into bed. We’ve got this.”
Dallas looked at Bryan, “You arranged for camels?”
Bryan replied, “Of course. They can carry as much as a wagon any day and take it places a wagon can’t go. I simply left a no
te for the Sergeant Major to meet us with half a dozen of our best and Daisy. I figured if anything would make Jenny leave this hole, it would be Daisy.”
Dallas said, “The camels could pull the treasure up the wall face.”
Bryan’s eyebrow arched as his mouth formed a wry grin, “You think? Good thing they brought plenty of thick rope and metal buckets too.”
Gage gave Bryan a hand up into the seat, “Better get on before they get too close. If those horses spook, you’re in for a bumpy ride.” Gage looked back inside. Jenny had her right hand out of the sling fumbling through the stash in the back where they had loaded up the samples of jewels and coins, and her bag of rocks. Lieutenant MacLeod rode up just as she spotted something that made her eyes bug out.
Lieutenant MacLeod frowned, “Found yourself a jewel? Seems like she’s feeling better to me.”
Jenny smiled, “Yes, best treasure of all. Worth every sore muscle. She pulled out Gage’s wooden horse. She held it out, “Gage, you want to keep here?”
Gage smiled, “Give it to Cole for me. I think it might be just what the boy needs when he starts getting new teeth.”
Jenny looked at all the little bite marks on the animal and smiled back, “Hum, forgot about that. I give to Cole for you.” Jenny picked up her little pouch of rocks and held them out for the Lieutenant, “You want to see my rocks. These not yours, mine.”
The Lieutenant reached in and took the pouch, “We’ll see. Captain Travers said we could have these.”
Jenny frowned, “Not his to give. Gage picked this up before Bryan buy Texas and made promise. My rocks. You get your own.”
Dallas rode back to the wagon, “Bryan, you agreed. Is this going to be a problem?”
Bryan sighed, “Jenny, I own what you own, so technically these are mine to do with as I please. Remember?”
Jenny brow furrowed, “Yes, but.”
Bryan turned toward her wincing as the twist caused a rib to prick his side, “I’m taking you somewhere there are lots of pretty rocks. Let them have it. While you’re at it, take that helmet Dallas. I don’t care to be accused later of stealing a gem like the good Lieutenant insinuated earlier.”
Jenny pushed the helmet toward the Major with a foot, You take. You look at my pouch so he not put stone in it and say we thieves.”
Dallas took the pouch and emptied it into the wagon bed and looked through the rocks and contents of the pouch. There were two arrow heads, a jasper, a piece of flint and a striker, a broken geode, a slick river rock with a fossil of some sort of leaf showing, a piece of riddled out rock that made it look like it had it’s own cave entrance. Dallas looked at the Lieutenant, “Lieutenant, she’s a rock hound. Not one gem in the whole pouch. All that research on her, and you didn’t know that?”
Lieutenant MacLeod said, “I knew that, but gems are rocks. Her mother admitted she brought the occasional gem home. There could have been one.”
Gage said, “She doesn’t lie. You could have just asked her. She didn’t even go along with my fib about marrying them in front of Sparrow Hawk. Dallas wouldn’t have known one way or the other if she hadn’t told him.”
Jenny said, “Joined by Major already. He has my hand. I have his. I remember. Not need more.”
Dallas’ eye’s twinkled, “Jenny, have Bryan show you what he wants you to look for in one of his school books. These are nice, but his orders are to look for gems you might not have found down there when you get to Delight. That will give you something to read while you get well at the fort.”
Bryan looked at Jenny with his brow furrowed. Jenny bit on her lip and scooted down to where her rocks and trinkets laid and picked them up one at a time placing them into the helmet, “You keep, but pouch is mine. Not a rock.”
Lieutenant MacLeod picked through the stones and picked out her trinkets and rocks putting them back in her pouch, “It might not be in here, but you don’t have me fooled M.”
Jenny took her pouch opening it and looking closely inside as if she was counting the returned rocks and trinkets then pulled out a round yellow object and handed it to Bryan, “Good job reward.” Jenny pulled the strings closed and placed her pouch over to the side.
Bryan sniffed, then pursed his lips, “Wokwave lemon drops. He meant to drug you.”
MacLeod replied, “You’ll wish I had. Eases the pain. Those aren’t strong enough to hurt her.”
Bryan countered, “I see. Just strong enough to keep her wanting more. No thanks.”
Dallas mounted, “Sergeant Long, Sergeant Major Vincent and Sergeant Tyler will handle setting up the camels to haul the gold up and pack it back to Camp Verde. We’ll handle the shipments from there. Lieutenant MacLeod, why don’t you start getting ready to receive the treasure back at the fort. I’d suggest the guard house be used to store what we send back. Bryan, you think Jenny could sort and count what comes in?”
Jenny said, “I count. I remember. I can help.”
Dallas said, “Good. Set up a bed for the both of you in one of those cells. Cover the windows with curtains. We don’t need a lot of on lookers. You can count for us. The Lieutenant can decide who counts for him back at the fort.” Jenny was looking at Dallas like he had tricked her. Why did she need to sleep in a cell? Back to slave and he was a Smuck again.
Lieutenant MacLeod asked, “You don’t want help with Mr. Travis?”
Dallas shook his head, “It seems Captain Travers has taken care of the need for extra supply wagons by arranging for the camels to meet us. Frankly, I think it best I stay and supervise the removal with your team while you start taking an inventory as we pull it out. None of us would like to find ourselves brought up on charges after this is over for pocketing any jewels or coins so one of my men will make sure we’re in agreement as to what is packed and shipped.”
Bryan couldn’t help but chuckle, “Not that we don’t trust you Lieutenant, but we read your file too. Rather close connections to the Pope. It was almost like you worked for the Church.”
Dallas eyebrow rose, “We all have a past Bryan. Not his fault he was an inquisitor.” Dallas turned to Gage, “After you show them the room, I’m sure you would be a better choice to approach your old man, especially if we’re blowing up something on the ranch.”
Corporal Gibbons said, “I can’t count that high Sir. Only went to third grade.”
Sergeant Long said, “I can count, but I’m needed here. I think Private Garner counts. Can’t be that many holes he needs to close yet, once we figure out if he needs to open one back up or clear out a path or maybe collapse something.”
Lieutenant MacLeod grunted, “I see how this is going. We’re a man short without Private Anderson. I pick Lacy Sanders to count for me back at the fort. All I have to do is look at her face to know if she’s lying or hiding something.”
Dallas’s eyes glared at the Lieutenant, “Fine. My wife will help verify Jenny’s count. You can count it yourself once we’ve got it for all I care.”
Bryan looked at the two men, “Now that that’s settled, I’ll just be leaving. Bryan slapped the reigns and left headed back to Camp Verde giving the camels a wide path.
Sergeant Tyler and Sergeant Major Vincent rode up and had their camels sit as they joined the Major. The other four camels sat on their knees as the men unloaded their supplies and introduced themselves. Private Garner road up the other side of the ravine. His face and clothes were covered in mud as he saluted the Lieutenant, “Sir, I’m afraid I didn’t get the charge set before the tunnels exploded on me.”
Lieutenant MacLeod asked, “You’re saying someone else set a charge?”
Private Garner said, “No Sir, something came at me like a steam train. Snakes, bats, and mud. Blew me all the way out into that creek. I came to warn you.” The Private Garner crossed himself, “God of mercy, what happened to him?”
Corporal Gibbons said, “An army of bats, he tried to shoot them and they got him.”
Dallas said, “Time’s a wasting. Sergeant Major, get us a
pulley rigged through that opening. There’s going to be a large drop off. Get the camels ready to pull. Gage, get down there and trail rope to that room if you can. We’ll lower the wheeled carts once you’re down there.”
The men scurried. Gage, Corporal Gibbons, and Sergeant Long repelled down the wall while Sergeant Tyler feed them rope, torches, wheeled carts and buckets. In ten minutes the men found the treasure room and had torches lit between the wall of pain and the chests. After some careful prodding, Sergeant Long found the slide. He cautiously lifted the cover to a tunnel below the main room and shimmed down to where he could examine the rails. Sergeant Long called up, “There’s a lever down here. I think I see a switch too. I need a few more torches to put some light on this.”
Gage tossed some torches down to where the Sergeant could light them and walk out inspecting the tracks. He stomped on the rails and support cross ties to see if they were still sound. Once he was a hundred feet out he could see a switch. One arrow pointed toward what looked like a picture of water and one arrow pointed toward a house. There was something coming toward him. Someone was pumping a rail cart up toward their position. Sergeant Long called out, “Identify yourself! Who goes there?”
A voice came back, “Well I’m not Sparrow Hawk you fool! GAGE are you down here?”
Gage called out, “DAD? Is that you?”
Mr. Travis was cussing up a storm, “Of course it’s me. You’re going to get your fooled head blown off if you don’t get out of here. Didn’t Jenny tell you to set the levers?”
Gage said, “Well, yes, but they didn’t believe her and I couldn’t remember were they were.”
The cart stopped at the switch and the old man got out and took a sledge hammer and pointed the rails toward his home. Sergeant Long called up, “He set the switch.” Corporal Gibbons called out, “I found them!”
Private Garner was praying as he loaded the jewels into four buckets, “I’m taking these back.”
Gage yelled out, “Go! Hurry. Let’s get that out before anyone touches something they don’t know how it works!” There was a click and then the sound of a chain being pulled around the side of the walls. Gage said, “What was that?”
Camp Camel: The Heart of Texas Page 40
