Lone Jack Kid: The Buffalo Hunt (The Lone Jack Kid Book 3)

by Joe Corso

  “No good, Kid. I’ll be outside waiting for you, if you have the guts to face me.”

  Alexis asked Wild Eagle, “Is it like this all of the time?”

  The Indian grunted. “Yes. Fools want to die. Charlie kill them. He kill this white man too. If he no kill, then I kill him.”

  Anthony stepped protectively in front of Alexis with his gun held at the ready. Alexis nudged Anthony aside. “Don’t block my view. I don’t want to miss this. I must see what happens next.”

  Anthony pointed to the door. “They’re going outside to finish this fight.”

  As Charlie walked past the table, he whispered to Wild Eagle, “Watch my back. I don’t want to get shot like that again.”

  Anthony was just as intrigued by what was about to happen as Alexis, so they followed Charlie out the door and stood on the wooden planking that made up the sidewalk, watching the two men position themselves before one of them died.

  Charlie circled, concentrating on the stranger’s eyes. He wasn’t worried about a back shooter because Wild Eagle would be watching for treachery of some sort.

  “What’s your name, stranger?”

  “Tucson Jimmy.”

  “Well, Tucson Jimmy, it’s still not too late to call off this fight.”

  “What’s the matter, Kid? Afraid?”

  Charlie smiled a cold smile. “Yeah, I’m afraid… for you.”

  Tucson Jimmy spun to his right into a crouch, while at the same time pulling his gun. Two guns flashed, spouting lead at the same time. Charlie felt a snap pull him to his left while Tucson Jimmy fell dying to the ground. Charlie looked for an entry wound or blood but he found none. He wondered what force pulled him to his left. Or did he imagine it? He looked again and was relieved to find that the tug he felt was a bullet that missed him by a fraction of an inch but left a hole in his vest.

  Alexis came bounding over to him. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m all right, but this reminds me of the time in Lone Jack when Cole Younger rode between enemy lines to deliver ammunition to our boys in gray. He found that bullets passed through his shirt and vest without hitting him. The boys in blue stopped firing at him and gave him a round of applause for the courage he displayed. Seeing this vest with a bullet hole in it sort of reminded me of that time.”

  “I’m fortunate to have witnessed such an exhibition of courage. I can’t wait to tell the court about this duel.”

  Anthony, who hadn’t said two words since he was introduced to Charlie, put out his hand. “It is an honor to know you, Mr. Longstreet.”

  “Charlie. My friends call me Charlie.”

  Chapter 15

  The door burst open and Rose came rushing into his room.

  “I just heard about the gunfight. Are you all right?”

  Charlie noticed the worried look on her face and tried to assure her that everything was all right.

  “Easy there, girl. Of course I’m all right. But don’t worry, we’ll be leaving here soon and this will all be past us.”

  “When will we be leaving?” Rose asked with more than a note of concern in her quaking voice, her lips quivering as if she was about to cry.

  “Soon. Most likely the day after tomorrow.”

  Charlie explained how, according to the papers, a forty-one-year-old rancher named Fred Coleman had stopped by a creek in a small mountain valley near the headwaters of the San Diego River. His horse was thirsty, so Coleman stopped to let the horse drink the cold, clear mountain water. While his horse drank, Coleman happened to look down, and yellow particles, glittering in the sunlight, caught his attention. He dismounted, searched in his saddlebags for his skillet, and began panning. When he cashed in his gold, everyone in town was skeptical, until a mule train carrying 1500 lbs. of his gold ore arrived in San Diego. That started the gold mining boom, with miners rushing in from all over the country to make their fortune.

  “The grand duke wants to see it. He’s never seen a real gold mine before. He asked if I would take him to the gold field. I’ll take him to Coleman’s mine so he can see it for himself. I guess we can leave when we get back, because there’s no reason to stay here any longer. Listen, Rose, maybe you should reconsider and go on to San Francisco. Once you get settled there, you and Marsha can make a good life for yourselves. If you decide to do that, I can get you to Los Angeles, where you can buy tickets to San Francisco. It may be more to your advantage than waiting here for me.”

  San Francisco was no longer in Rose’s plans. She had already made up her mind that she wasn’t going there. She would wait for Charlie to return and take her daughter and go with him wherever he decided to go.

  Visiting a gold mine was a unique experience for the young grand duke, and one he would enjoy explaining to his guests back home in the Russian court. On the return trip to town, Charlie told Alexis that they had a timetable to follow and they should take the train to Nebraska as soon as possible.

  Alexis’s expression of annoyance spoke louder than words. Charlie could tell that taking the train wasn’t going to happen. The grand duke folded his arms and assumed a royal pose, which Charlie assumed he must have used a number of times to intimidate his minions back home. Only Charlie wasn’t one of his minions and the duke wasn’t home. He was in America during the western expansion.

  Alexis interrupted Charlie’s thoughts. “Charlie?”

  “Yes, Alexis. Sorry, my mind wandered for a minute.”

  “No matter. I’ve decided that I prefer to travel by horse part of the way and I’d like you to accompany me. I’d like to experience for myself what living in the wild is like. I want to spend a week or two sleeping under the stars, the way you and Wild Eagle do, while I have this opportunity. I’m really looking forward to seeing the land and getting a feel for what it’s like to live without the conveniences I’ve been fortunate to have. I’d like to rough it for a little while, and I would feel safer knowing you and Wild Eagle were protecting me and acting as my guides. I don’t mean to be a pest, Charlie, but we do have time before I’m to be in Nebraska. I want to deviate from our schedule for a few days. You can plan a route to another city, where we can catch a train to Nebraska. Meanwhile, I intend to have Anthony accompany us, and I’ll send the rest of my staff to Nebraska. When they get there, they can inform Generals Sheridan and Custer that I will meet them on January eleventh or twelfth and that they shouldn’t worry, because you’ll be acting as my guide and protector.”

  Charlie was in a quandary. He had Rose and Marsha to think of. He was worried about their safety. Knowing there could be danger, he couldn’t chance taking them into the wilderness with him. Since Rose refused Charlie’s offer to take her to Los Angeles and buy her and her daughter train tickets to San Francisco, he had no choice but to send them by train with Alexis’s staff, and when they arrived in Nebraska, they could wait for him there, protected by the soldiers.

  Charlie waved goodbye to Rose and little Marsha after seeing them safely on the train. He watched them find seats by a window. They waved to him as the train billowed steam and smoke, as the wheels screeched, trying to gain traction. He stayed there, watching the train gaining speed, pulling away until it was a faint line in the distance, reminding him of a snake crawling on the track. She had just left and he missed her already. Charlie sighed, but he was glad she was going somewhere safe.

  Charlie had tried talking Alexis out of traveling through hostile Indian country and instead taking the train, which was faster and safer, especially given the route they were planning to take.

  Tyler Bar, the owner of Circle Bar Stables, told Charlie about an old trapper named Fuzzy Bowden. Tyler told Charlie that Fuzzy had trapped all along the Mormon and California Trails, and if anyone knew the best route to take to Utah, he’d be the one to ask. “You better find him now while he is still in town. If I know Fuzzy, he’s probably sleeping off a hard night on the town somewhere.”

  It took Charlie and Wild Eagle most of the morning, but they found the old tra
pper in a barn behind a bar, sleeping off the previous night’s overindulgence of rotgut whiskey.

  “There he is. I dragged him in the barn rather than see him lying in the dirt behind my bar. A thing like that could spoil my bar’s reputation.”

  Charlie laughed inwardly, wondering how anything could possibly spoil this seedy bar’s reputation. He handed the man a silver dollar for leading him to the old trapper. The man took the coin and smiled.

  “Any time, stranger.”

  Charlie was surprised the man didn’t recognize him. If only the others in this town were as ignorant.

  He walked over to the prone body, lying on the cold, dirt floor, sleeping off what must have been one hell of a drinking bout. He bent over and tried waking him while Wild Eagle remained by the door. The old man snorted, then turned on his side as if he were sleeping on a comfortable mattress. Charlie found a pail hanging from a hook near the barn door and filled it with water from the trough. He walked over to the sleeping trapper and emptied the bucket unceremoniously on the old man’s face, head, and shoulders, waking him with a start.

  “What? Who threw water on me?”

  Bowden sat up and looked around through a set of hazy eyes that weren’t quite co-operating yet and saw a figure slowly coming into focus, standing in front of him.

  “Did you do that? Did you throw water on me?”

  Charlie reached down and offered the old man his hand, which he took.

  “Yeah, that was me.”

  “Why in tarnation would you want to do a thing like that, now?”

  “You wouldn’t wake up, that’s why. No matter what I did, you just kept sleeping.”

  The old man looked at Charlie a little more closely now that the cobwebs had cleared a little. “If you took the time to notice that no matter what you did to me, I wouldn’t wake up… then that should have given you your first clue that I didn’t want to be woken up. Next time, if there is a next time, let a sleeping man sleep. But now that I’m awake, what in hell do you want from me? I don’t think I have any money left and I wouldn’t give you none if I did so… What was so important you had to go and disturb a man’s sleep?”

  Charlie smiled and said, “You look like you could use something to eat and so could I, so why don’t we get some dinner? It’ll be my treat.”

  Bowden smiled and rubbed his hands together in glee. “Hell, son, why didn’t you tell me we were going to have breakfast, or is it lunch? If you would have told me that right off, I would have been more pleasant. Anyhow, filling a man’s stomach sure has a way of making a body more pleasant, don’t you agree?”

  Charlie agreed. “It sure does, old timer.”

  “Call me Fuzzy. Everyone does. Now what’s your name, son?”

  “Charlie.”

  “Charlie what?”

  “Longstreet. Charlie Longstreet.”

  “Well now that I’m awake, it’s nice to meet you, Charlie. Now what can I do for you?”

  “Me and three other men are traveling to Nebraska, but we’re going by horse until we get to Salt Lake City. Once we’re in Utah, we’re gonna take a train the rest of the way to Omaha. I just need to know the right trail to take and I’ve been told you know which one is the best.”

  “I sure do, son. Let’s have breakfast in here. They serve the best food in town.”

  “Sure, if you say the food’s good.”

  As soon as they walked through the door, Charlie looked for a table by the wall. All conversation stopped as the customers recognized him. Fuzzy noticed it as well. He lifted his arm and smelled his armpit.

  “Maybe I should have taken a bath before coming in here?”

  “It’s not you, Fuzzy.”

  Charlie pointed to the table he wanted. “Let’s sit over there.”

  Once they were seated, Fuzzy asked Charlie, “What did you mean, ‘it’s not me?’”

  “Listen, Fuzzy, sometimes silence is the best answer.”

  The old man frowned. “That means you’re not gonna tell me, right?”

  Charlie felt a tinge of guilt. “It’s not that. It’s just that my reputation seems to follow me wherever I go.”

  Fuzzy leaned closer and smiled, showing a toothless mouth. “What did you say your last name was?”

  “It’s Longstreet, Fuzzy.”

  Fuzzy scratched his chin and when nothing came to him, he began scratching his head. “Nope. I can’t say I recollect hearing your name, son. Are you some sort of desperado?”

  Charlie chuckled. “No. I’m no desperado.”

  The old man frowned, disappointed he wasn’t having dinner with a real desperado. “Oh well. I was hoping your face was a-hangin’ on a wanted poster, but it seems I never have any luck in matters like that.”

  Fuzzy looked around the room, noticing the furtive glances from customers.

  The waitress appeared and, when she looked at Charlie, she seemed nervous but not frightened.

  “What can I get for you gents?”

  “You can start by getting me a dozen flapjacks and six eggs. And I’ll have a beer.”

  “We don’t serve beer in here. We serve milk and water and coffee.”

  “Water? That’s disgusting. Fish do terrible things in water. Bring me a cup of coffee.”

  “And you, Mr. Longstreet?”

  Fuzzy wondered how she knew Charlie’s name.

  “I’ll have a thick, juicy steak and whatever kind of potatoes you’re serving.”

  “And your friend?”

  Wild Eagle looked at someone eating a steak at the next table and he pointed to it. “I will have that.”

  Before leaving, the waitress put a menu and pencil on the table and asked Charlie if he would sign it for her. “I’d appreciate it if you mentioned my name. It’s Cindy.”

  Charlie wrote: “To Cindy, your friend Charles Longstreet, the Lone Jack Kid.”

  Fuzzy watched the scene play out with his mouth open. “What in tarnation did she want you to sign her menu for?”

  Charlie really didn’t want to talk about himself. He needed to discuss the best route to Utah. “Look, Fuzzy, I don’t want to talk about me. I need information from you. I need to discuss the best trail to take east.”

  Fuzzy’s attention was no longer on the signature. He was considering Charlie’s request. “When did you say you and your friends were gonna leave?”

  “Probably tomorrow, if I can figure out the best route to take to Utah and talk it over with my companions. If they agree, we’ll leave tomorrow morning or the day after.”

  Fuzzy nodded.

  “Well then, you’re in luck, because me and Josephine will take you there ourselves.”

  “Josephine? Who’s Josephine?”

  Fuzzy smiled shyly. “She’s my burro. I don’t go anywhere without her. Tell you what, let’s go talk to your friends and we’ll set a definite time to leave.”

  Chapter 16

  The meeting room in the hotel was comfortable and the five men chatted amiably while enjoying a cold beer. Charlie introduced Fuzzy to Alexis and Anthony. The grand duke was happy to have a man familiar with the route that would lead them to Utah. They had all agreed that when they arrived in Salt Lake City they would buy tickets to Nebraska for themselves and their animals.

  “Why don’t you describe the route we’ll be taking and what, if any, dangers we might encounter,” suggested Charlie.

  Fuzzy took a long swig of beer and wiped the foam from his face with his sleeve. Then he began explaining what they were about to undertake.

  “I hadn’t figured on going up to Salt Lake City, but trapping can take you anywhere you plumb please. So I’ve changed my mind and decided that now I’ll trap along the Mormon Trail.”

  “The Mormon Trail?” the grand duke asked.

  “Yep, that’s the route Brigham Young took when he led thousands of his followers successfully to Utah. I know that trail well because I’ve trapped all along it. As I see it, we’ll be facing two problems. The first is with the Paiute o
r Shoshone Indians. We’ll be passing through their lands and they don’t care much for white men.”

  “What about the Snake, the Bannock, and the Nez Perce Indians?” Charlie asked.

  Fuzzy shook his head.

  “They’re northern Indians and you don’t usually find them in southern Utah. No, it’s the Southern Paiute or Shoshone we need to worry about. It’s their hunting grounds we’ll be traveling through and I think it would be a good idea if we took something we could trade with. If we’re overrun by a large war party, we might be able to buy our lives if we have something they like. I suggest we buy something that they couldn’t use to kill us with, maybe colorful trinkets, tobacco, or blankets. Yeah, blankets. It gets mighty cold in those mountains, so maybe we should buy a parcel of blankets and buy us some tobacco to use as a hole card.”

  “You said we’d be facing two problems. What’s the second problem?”

  “We’ll be passing Robbers Roost.”

  Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is Robbers Roost?”

  “Robbers Roost is where many bandits hide out when things get too hot. The Farrington gang uses Robbers Roost because the law can’t touch them there. Matt Warner is a cattle rustler who uses Robbers Roost. He joined the McCarthy gang, hoping to join up with Levi Farrington. Used to be two Farrington brothers, but Hill Farrington was killed. He was captured and when he tried to escape, he was killed. Him and his brother robbed the Mobile and Ohio train in 1870. They still use hit and run tactics like they did when they rode with Quantrill.”

  The Quantrill name caught Charlie’s attention.

  “Are you sure he rode with Quantrill?”

  “Yep. I know it for a fact. Just remember that when we enter that part of the country, we have to be very careful not to be caught by the likes of them.”

  Charlie was surprised how well informed Fuzzy was, and was happy to have him as a guide for their party. He was a survivor who hadn’t lived this long in the wild without garnering a lifetime of survival experiences.

  Charlie glanced toward Alexis. “Alexis, you heard what Fuzzy said. We could run into trouble while on the trail. Are you sure you want to go ahead and travel by horseback instead of taking advantage of the safety of a train?”