by Joe Corso
“Wild Eagle, I have something that I was going to wait for the right moment to surprise you with, but seeing as how we may have company, I suppose this would be as good a time as any.”
When he unwrapped the blanket, Wild Eagle’s eyes widened.
“What gun is that, Charlie?”
“This is the new Winchester repeating rifle. The president knew we would be traveling on horse so he asked Winchester for two of the newest and best rifles they had, explaining why he needed them. They sent him two Winchester 73s. This gun is not due to go into production for another year yet. The Winchester Company wants someone to test it in the field and report what they like and don’t like about the weapon before they start manufacturing it. They said they would appreciate recommendations from us on how to improve it before it goes into final production.”
“Can I hold rifle, Charlie?”
“This one is yours to keep, Wild Eagle, but it comes with a warning. You must keep it away from everyone’s eyes. Both the white man and the red man will kill you for this weapon.”
Wild Eagle picked up the rifle and raised it to his shoulder, with his eye sighting a cactus, but he didn’t pull the trigger. “How many bullets this gun hold?”
“Fifteen when it’s fully loaded.”
“Fifteen bullets make this gun very special, Charlie.”
“I know, but try not to flash it around. Someone may just try to steal it.”
Charlie explained to Wild Eagle that the heart and soul of the gun was its lever action assembly. The elliptical loading port was located on the lower right side of the receiver. Charlie showed Wild Eagle how to load a round into the loading port and then handed the rifle back to him. Charlie leaned back and got comfortable against a flat section of the slope as he watched Wild Eagle gleefully loading bullets into his new rifle.
While Charlie sat back and ate a biscuit and some beef jerky, Ban-Chu, one of the two wolf cubs he saved as a pup when his mother was killed by an arrow, sat in front of him, staring at him. His doctor friend Percy Williams took the other pup.
“Okay, I know what you want.”
He threw a slice of jerky at the now full-grown wolf and Ban-Chu caught it before it hit the ground. Charlie’s mouth was dry after eating the biscuit and he wished he had a cup of hot coffee to wash the dry food down, but he knew that a fire couldn’t be chanced, not with four men tracking them. When Wild Eagle finished loading his rifle, he crawled quietly over to where Charlie was seated and sat a few feet from him.
“This gun is good. Will see how it shoots soon.”
Charlie tossed him a biscuit, which he caught easily, then handed him some hardtack. “Soon, eh?”
“Yes. Men come now.”
“You see them, Wild Eagle?”
“No see… hear.”
Charlie struggled to hear what his friend heard but heard nothing. Then Ban-Chu stood and his ears perked up. A low growl emanated from his stomach up into his chest and Charlie knew the wolf had heard them too.
“Quiet, Ban-Chu. Don’t let them hear you.”
The wolf glanced at his master but remained on high alert as he looked back at the trail.
“Look. Men come now.”
Wild Eagle pointed to a copse of cottonwood just as the four men came into view. One of the men was looking for tracks… and he found them.
Chapter 3
“Did you find their tracks, Sam?”
“Yeah, I did, but they just disappeared.”
“Disappeared? What do ya mean?”
“Just what I said. Look; the tracks lead to right here, then they disappear. It’s as if they just vanished into thin air.”
“Come on; there has to be tracks. Tracks just don’t go and disappear. They had to leave some tracks and we’re gonna find them. Now get off of your horses and let’s spread out.”
The men spread out and walked ahead, but they couldn’t find any more tracks.
“Jeez, there were two horses and a burro, so there has to be tracks somewhere.”
“Do you think they knew they were being followed?”
“I don’t think so, Jimmy. We stayed out of sight and we weren’t noisy, so no… I don’t think they knew.”
“Damn, if that’s the case, then there should be tracks leading somewhere.”
From their vantage point above, Wild Eagle and Charlie could hear the men’s conversation. Wild Eagle leaned close to Charlie so as not to be heard.
“Do you want we use our new rifles and kill them now?”
“No. Before we do anything, I’d like to find out why they’re following us. If they don’t pick up our trail, we’ll follow them. And when they stop to make camp for the night, we’ll get them while they sleep.”
Wild Eagle nodded and watched. “We do as you say, Charlie. But if they find our tracks, then they must die.”
Charlie nodded. “That makes sense to me, Wild Eagle.”
One of the men looked up to where the horses were tethered.
“Do you think they could have made their way up there?”
Just then, Ban-Chu peered down at them from where the man had pointed.
“Look, there’s a wolf.”
The man raised his rifle to shoot, but Jimmy stopped him.
“Are you crazy? You take a shot at that wolf; they’ll know we’re on their trail. Besides, if the wolf is there, it stands to reason they wouldn’t be there.”
The man lowered his gun. “Yeah, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“Come on; let’s follow the trail. They couldn’t have just disappeared. They have to be ahead of us.”
Charlie grinned. “It looks as if Ban-Chu saved the day for us.”
Wild Eagle petted the wolf. He was one of the few people Ban-Chu allowed to lay his hands on him.
“Ban-Chu good wolf.”
The wolf looked at Wild Eagle as if he understood what he said and then, with his sharp eyes, he turned his gaze to the four horsemen who were becoming smaller on the trail south until they disappeared from sight.
“You know those men, Charlie?”
“No. I had a pretty good look at them, but I’ve never seen them before.” He looked at the Indian. “I may not recognize those men, but I’ve made so many enemies in my short life it wouldn’t surprise me if they were kin to someone I killed in a gunfight. Well, I won’t know until we catch up to them.”
Charlie pointed to the stone circle Wild Eagle had set up earlier.
“They’re gone now and it’s safe to light a fire. I can sure go for a cup of coffee right about now.”
Wild Eagle lit the fire and Charlie ground the beans. After coffee and a biscuit, Charlie handed his friend a cigar, which he lit with a burning twig. Then he sat back and lit his own.
Wild Eagle grunted. “Good cigar, Charlie.”
“I brought a box of cigars with me. When we get to a town, I’ll buy us a few more boxes. Don’t pay to run short of cigars out in the wilderness.”
Wild Eagle nodded. “It still daylight. I think better we trail men now. Catch them while they sleep.”
Charlie threw the remainder of his coffee into the fire. “Good idea, partner. Let’s ride.”
Charlie was a pretty good tracker in his own right, having to learn out of necessity, but Wild Eagle was a great tracker. When the four men they were following traveled over rocky ridges, spewed out by the earth millions of years ago, the men left no tracks to follow. But not to Wild Eagle. A bent shock of grass or a stone kicked loose; a shadow that wasn’t a shadow but a dark stain where a man had relieved himself. The two men moved slowly for miles with the Indian looking for signs until they broke out into a clearing that extended for five miles.
Wild Eagle leaned over on his horse to get closer to Charlie and pointed. “Smoke up ahead. The four men do not know this trail. I think they are lost so they make camp early. We stay here until dark.” He looked up at the sky. “Get dark in one hour. We wait until they sleep and then we get them.”
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nbsp; “Good plan, Wild Eagle. Right now, though, we have to get the horses and burro off the trail and deep into the brush so they won’t be seen if those men double back.”
Nighttime came and the men they were tracking didn’t double back. Charlie and Wild Eagle waited until they were sure the men were asleep, then left the horses and traveled by foot, making their way silently to their camp.
Wild Eagle turned to Charlie and spoke in a whisper. “Maybe have man on watch. Wait here. I go look.”
A short while later, Wild Eagle returned. “No one on watch. We go now and surprise them.”
Charlie nodded. “You get on one side and I’ll be on the other. This way, we can cover one another.”
They glided silently into the camp and carefully removed each man’s gun from its holster. Except for one man, who slept with his gun in his hand.
Charlie bent low and nudged the man with the barrel of his gun. The man’s eyes opened wide and he tried to raise his hand, but Charlie had his knee on his gun. He leaned closer to the man.
“Drop it or I’ll cave your skull in.”
“Who the hell are you and what do you want?”
The man let go of his six-shooter and sat up.
The rest of the men heard them talking, woke, and reached for guns that weren’t there. They looked around and saw a white man, an Indian, and a wolf standing before them.
“Come on; get on your feet. All of you.”
The men stood, wondering how something like this could have happened.
“Who’s in charge here?”
Jimmy raised his hand. “I guess I am,” he said sheepishly.
“Why the hell are you following us?” Charlie demanded.
One of the men looked at his boss and blurted out, “The jig’s up, Jimmy. You might as well tell him.”
“Did you ever hear of a man called Ted Parker?”
“Yeah, I know the bastard.”
“Well, he put us on your trail. We couldn’t get you at the agency, so we waited for the right opportunity. When we saw you leave with the Indian and a burro, we knew we’d never get a better chance to kill you.”
“So that’s it, eh? You boys must be out of Virginia City in the Nebraska territory, right?”
“Yeah.”
Their heads hung down.
“And my guess is that ole Ted is back on top again, seein’ as how he could afford to pay the likes of you boys.”
“Virginia City is growing and so is Parker’s bank. He’s no longer in the cattle business. He’s in the money-lending business and he’s taking businesses away from the people that can’t pay him back.”
“I know this guy’s name is Jimmy and there’s one of you call Sam. So which of you is Sam?”
The fellow next to Jimmy raised his hand.
“What are your names?” He pointed to the other two men.
“I’m Harvey and this is Luke.”
“How much did Parker pay you boys to kill me?”
The men shifted uncomfortably. “Five hundred each up front and another five hundred when the job was completed.”
“Empty your pockets, boys, and hand me all the money Parker paid you. You won’t be needing it now.”
“You’re not gonna kill us… are you?”
“No, but I should. You boys were gonna kill me, so the least I should do is kill you first, but I ain’t gonna do that if you tell me that you’re cured of the foolish notion of killing me. You are cured of that notion, right?”
They all nodded vigorously.
“Good, because if I see you again, next time, I’m not gonna be so nice. I’ve killed a lot better men than you boys, so don’t go giving me a reason to lower my standards and kill the likes of you four. Now, here’s a hundred dollars traveling money.”
Charlie dropped the money on the floor and pointed south.
“You’ll find your horses and guns about ten miles down the road. If I were you boys, when you get your horses and guns, why, I’d turn right around and head in the opposite direction. I’m gonna leave you with a little advice. I don’t know if Parker told you about my friends, but if anything were to happen to me, Jesse, Frank, Cole, and the whole gang would like nothing better than to kill the four of you. I’m sending them a telegram when I get to the next town telling them who you boys are and where they can find you.”
Charlie took their billfolds and wrote their names and addresses down.
“Don’t want to make a mistake and have the boys visit the wrong men now, do I? If you see Parker, tell him for me that I’ll be seeing him after I conclude my business for the president of these United States.”
Wild Eagle whispered something to Charlie.
“Oh, and my friend says to tell you that him and his tribe will hunt you down like the dogs you are. This man is Wild Eagle, chief of the Kaw nation, and when he gives his word that he’s gonna do something, then nothing in the world can make him change it.” Charlie patted Ban-Chu on his head.
“And if you decide to visit me while I’m asleep, you’ll have to deal with my friend here.”
On cue, Ban-Chu bared his teeth and growled at the men.
Wild Eagle looked at the four men and then his gaze shifted to Charlie. “You get on horse and go. Wild Eagle kill these men for you.”
“Thanks, Wild Eagle, but I think these men have learned their lesson. Right, boys?”
“Don’t worry, Kid; you won’t ever see us again.”
“Good. Make sure you remember that.”
“We will.”
“You better, ‘cause your lives depend on it.”
Charlie and Wild Eagle leaped onto two outlaw horses and led the other two towards where their own horses were picketed.
“This is your lucky day, boys. You’ll find your horses and guns down the road heading south and you still have your lives.”
The two men turned their horses and rode away, with Ban-Chu following alongside.
Chapter 4
After traveling about ten miles, they tied the horses to low-hanging scrubby trees with enough length to allow the horses freedom to graze. Charlie would never leave a man in this hostile environment without a weapon, so he laid the guns in plain sight in the shade of a cottonwood tree.
The two men mounted up and continued their ride south along the Indian trail that ran parallel to the old Butterfield stage route that curved and snaked its way south and then west into Texas and New Mexico. The first leg of their trip was to follow that route and travel the three hundred miles to Horse Head Crossing, which was arguably the toughest and most feared river crossing in Texas. The first time Charlie passed through Horse Head Crossing, he was with his friend Percy Williams. They discovered that the river crossing got its name from the many horse skulls John R. Bartlett found while he was surveying the Mexican boundary in 1850. The crossing became notorious when the Comanche stole many cattle in Mexico, and the water-starved cattle were lost after drinking too much water. Horse Head Crossing became an important stop on the Butterfield overland mail route from St. Louis to San Francisco and an important little town grew around it.
They reached the crossing after ten days. The first thing they did after taking care of their animals was to book a room in the small hotel, then they walked over to the general store to replenish their supplies. Charlie told the clerk they were staying at the hotel and to deliver the supplies there.
The clerk took the pencil from behind his ear and a slip of paper from his counter. “What’s your name, stranger?”
“Charles Longstreet.”
The clerk noticed their rifles.
“Say, those are swell rifles you have. Would you be interested in selling them? I’ll give you top dollar for them.”
“Not interested. Sorry.”
Charlie’s mouth was so dry it felt like he had cotton stuck in it. A cold beer was just what he needed to wash away the trail dust. This being a small town, every store was crowded into the square and was within walking distance of the others, so t
hey walked up to the large, double tent-like structure and through the folded flaps that were held open by large hooks secured to the door frame. They sauntered up to the bar, which was nothing more than three empty whiskey barrels with planking on them.
“A cold beer, bartender.”
The bartender had a face like a twisted pretzel. He shook his head. “We don’t serve Indians in this establishment.”
Many of the hard trail herders gave more than a look at the Indian standing at the bar with the white man.
Charlie smiled. “I understand, partner, but I’ve changed my mind. Now I’d like two beers instead of one.”
The bartender looked past Charlie to three cowboys sitting at a table with a fancy dressed man wearing a colorful red vest, who resembled a riverboat gambler. Charlie watched the man in the mirror as he gave a slight shake of his head.
“Sorry, I can give you a beer but not the Indian.”
Charlie turned and walked over to the man wearing the red vest. “Are you in charge here?”
The man shrugged his shoulders. “Who me? Nah, I’m just passing through.”
The other three men gave troublesome, silly laughs, probably out of nervousness, which irritated Charlie.
“Why are you asking, stranger?”
A shadow of a smile crossed Charlie’s lips. “I just like to know the name of the man who owns the establishment I’m about to wreck.”
The three men started to go for their guns, but Charlie was faster than a greased pig. “Keep your hands where I can see them. Now, my friend and I would like two cold beers. Nod your head to the bartender so he knows it’s all right to do that. Do it!”
The man hesitated for a moment but nodded, then he turned to Charlie. “I’m impressed with the way you handle your gun. What did you say your name was?”
Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “The name is Charles Longstreet. Remember that and you’ll live a while longer.”
Wild Eagle lowered his Winchester toward the floor, but it was in line with the men sitting at the table. If there was a shootout, he would simply raise his rifle and fire.
As Charlie walked back to the bar, he heard the three taps. He turned to see who was doing the tapping and it was one of the three men at the table, who stood and faced him.
