The Ghost of St. Elmo

by L. Parks Sanford

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  THE BIG SHOOT OUT

  Soon we were all sitting in the front of the fireplace; Zack, Katie and I were excitedly explaining what we had gone through, about the gang of counterfeiters we had found, the gold we had uncovered and how we had trapped the gang in the cave. “Well, I don’t know about you, Mac, but I find this whole story just a little hard to believe. Don’t you?” the sheriff laughingly questioned.

  “Sounds pretty far fetched to me, also, but I’ve never had any reason not to believe Katie before,” Mr. Mac answered.

  “I’ll do what you want me to, Mac. After all, that’s what you elected me for, whether you liked it or not. And you didn’t like it much as I remember. Isn’t that right?” he sarcastically asked Mr. Mac.

  “You’re right, Sheriff. But you were elected, and I’m asking you now to head up a posse to get to the bottom of this whole thing. Can I depend on you or not?”

  “I’m ready when you are,” he shot back. “Let’s get a couple of your boys, and I’ll deputize them, and we’ll ride.”

  “Katie, you stay here with your mother; Ian, you and Zack can ride with us to show us the cave and where these boys are,” he directed. “I’ll have Jack saddle up a horse for you, Sheriff, and then I’ll get the boys ready.”

  “Daddy, I want to go, too,” Katie begged. “I won’t get in the way. I promise.”

  “No. You stay here. It could be way too dangerous.”

  “But Daddy, please?” she continued.

  “Katie, I said no. Now, that’s final,” he said firmly. Feeling distraught and dejected, Katie ran upstairs to her room and slammed her door. Though our bodies were still aching and not recovered from our ordeal of the last couple of days, Zack and I changed clothes and were ready to ride within a few minutes. I rushed downstairs where the sheriff and Mr. Mac were waiting.

  “Where’s Charles?” I asked. “I haven’t seen him.”

  “Oh, he went into town to pick up supplies for my wife. He’ll be back in a couple of hours,” Mr. Mac answered.

  “Don’t you think we should wait for his help?” I questioned. “He really knows what he’s doing.”

  “Time’s valuable now, Ian. It’ll be dark soon, and we don’t need to be out in that if we have trouble. OK. Is everybody ready?” he said as he checked to make sure he had shells in his rifle. “If so, then let’s get moving.” We left the warm interior of the house and headed to the barn and corral below. I turned to look back at Katie’s window and could see her resting her head against the cold glass. She looked at me and raised her hand to wave goodbye. I gave a little wave back and then followed the rest of the boys to mount up. Finally, we were on our way, once again. Zack rode up beside me, shook my hand and wished me good luck. I couldn’t remember him ever doing that before, and it gave me a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Was this a bad omen? I hoped not.

  Leading the way was Mr. Mac, and riding beside him was the sheriff. Altogether there were seven members in our posse, and that included us. I hoped that they knew what they were doing. That didn’t seem like many to me. Just as we were about to ascend the hill above the valley, Mr. Mac motioned for Zack and me to come forward. We rode along side him, and he reigned in his horse. "OK, boys. It’s your show from this point on. We’ll follow you since you know where to go. Just be careful,” he warned. “From what you said they’ll shoot us now and ask questions later.” Zack and I pulled up ahead and rode in the direction where we knew we had imprisoned the gang.

  “Did you ever think in your wildest dreams we would be leading a posse?” I jokingly asked Zack. “Nobody will ever believe this.”

  “All this because you’re so smart,” he laughed. “Now, I wish I had a dumb friend…you and your Merit Award.” We both laughed out loud and headed our horses in the direction of what could be trouble. Suddenly, our eyes focused on the small opening in the pines ahead. We both began to get a sickening feeling in our guts. We had arrived. Here was the place we were once prisoners. I held my hand up for everyone to stop. Whirling my horse around, slowly, I rode back to Mr. Mac and the sheriff and told them we were at the site. The sheriff quietly motioned to his men to dismount, and we all proceeded the rest of the short distance on foot. My heart was in my stomach, again, as I saw the posse drawing their guns and checking their ammunition. Shortly, we arrived at the hole we had covered before we had left. It hadn’t been disturbed. That was good news.

  “You boys OK?” Mr. Mac asked in a hushed tone. “You look kind of pale.”

  “Yes, sir,” we assured him. “I guess we’re sort of scared.”

  “That’s okay,” he smiled. “So am I.” We tied off our horses and gathered at a large boulder nearby, waiting for further instructions. I quietly explained the layout of the cave and tunnels below, and Mr. Mac and the sheriff mapped out their plans to the men on how they would proceed. “Good luck, boys. Keep it quiet. They’ll shoot if they have to,” Mr. Mac ordered.

  “Let’s get her done,” the sheriff suggested. “Times a wastin’.” Zack and I slowly and quietly inched our way toward the opening and carefully began to uncover the entrance. Soon it was completely open, and we peered into the darkness below. Whew! We were relieved. We could see nobody. It was all clear. Mr. Mac had tied a rope to his saddle and carefully backed his horse over close to the hole. Telling Jack his plans, he grabbed hold of the rope and had Jack back his horse up slowly to let him drop into the hole and down below. I looked over the side, and he was standing upright at the bottom waiting for everyone to follow. The sheriff followed closely behind, and the posse, one after the other followed behind them. Soon it was our turn, and Zack and I were lowered in by Jack, as well. He would stay above in case there were any problems and to watch the horses. Once we were all at the bottom, I pointed out the tunnel we had gone down and described what to expect. Everyone had brought flashlights, so there would be no problem seeing where to go. Mr. Mac headed into the tunnel first with his gun drawn, and he asked me to follow since I was familiar with what lay ahead. The sheriff and Zack were last, and Mr. Mac’s men were in the middle. We only used the one tunnel since that was the largest, and the only one that would put us in a position to surprise and capture Jeb and the gang. The going was extremely slow as we silently crept through the dark, musty interior. Not a sound could be heard as we proceeded deeper into the cave. Soon I could hear the faint sound of the waterfalls and tapped Mr. Mac on his back to let him know we were getting close.

  “That’s the falls we told you about. We’re getting very close,” I whispered.

  “OK. Pass the word back to not make a sound and turn off all flashlights,” he acknowledged. I did as he had ordered, and the tunnel went completely dark. We sat there in the darkness for a few seconds until our eyes became adjusted to our surroundings. Soon we moved off again toward the opening ahead. It was obvious that we were coming to the end. The roar of the water was getting louder and the smell of sulfur stronger. Mr. Mac put his arm back against my chest in a gesture for me to stop. I followed in turn and did the same to the rest of the men. We sat in total silence. It was obvious Mr. Mac was planning out his next step, how to surprise the gang without anyone getting hurt. He whispered to me to move aside and let the posse move up in place behind him. I moved back as they came up along side me and then I took my place in the rear with Zack. We sat huddled together not saying a word.

  “Pow! Pow! Pow!”

  “Don’t reach for it, Jeb, or you’re a dead man. Get your hands up on top of your heads and lean against the wall. Go on. You heard me. Now!”

  “Pow! Pow!

  “I told you to get against the wall, Slim. Do it, now! The rest of you men throw your guns down and join the two of them. Let’s go! Do it! Now!”

  We could feel the rest of the posse easing out of the tunnel ahead of us, and we followed close behind. As we reached the opening, we stood up and saw the posse led by Mr. Mac heading down the stairs toward the men with their hands held high. The
fire was still roaring, and it was obvious that they had been asleep and had been surprised. There couldn’t have been a better ending. No body hurt and the whole gang captured.

  “Well, I’ll be. If it isn’t old man Mc Vicar,” Slim yelled out. “How ya doin’ boss? How do ya like all that pretty gold we found? Ain’t it a pretty mess?”

  “Feeling kind of good for someone that’s going to jail, aren’t you? I should shoot you right here on the spot for what you did to my daughter, but I’ll let the Sheriff take care of that. Maybe you’ll be singing a different tune later,” Mr. Mac said jeeringly. Mr. Mac walked toward Slim and pushed him hard in the side with the barrel of his pistol.

  “That feel good to ya, old man?” Slim said throwing his head back in laughter. “I’d be careful if I was you.”

  “And you, Jeb. Of all the people, you would be the last one I’d believe would be running a gang of thieves like these no good bums. After everything I’ve done for you and your son. How could you? Didn’t you think about your son, at all? What’s wrong with you? Answer me!” Jeb just stood there silently with no expression on his face, just a complete blank stare.

  “Well, if it isn’t the sheriff, too. How ya doin’ there, lawman? It’s awful good to see you. It’s been a long time. What’s wrong, Sheriff? The cat got your tongue?”

  “You know, Slim, I never did like you. You’ve got a great, big

  mouth, and, someday, someone’s going to close it for good,” he shot back, glaring at Slim. “But right now,” he said busting out in laughter. “Why don’t you come over here where I can untie you?”

  Mr. Mac turned and looked at the sheriff. His mouth dropped in surprise. “Drop your guns! All of you! Now! I said now! That means you, Mac. Drop them,” the sheriff ordered. Mr. Mac and the entire posse dropped their weapons and were herded into a corner at the wall while the sheriff untied Jeb and the rest of the gang. Zack and I stood silently watching what had just taken place and were in shock. Now, we were in trouble.

  “Just do as they say,” Mr. Mac whispered, “and everything will be fine.”

  “Well, I guess the jokes on you, Mac,” the sheriff suggested. “Now we’re even for all the money you took from my pocket. You, your cattle and all your high falootin’ morals. Who do ya think you are? I knew I’d get even with you someday, and today’s the day. Now, you’re all gonna die, and we’ll be the richest men in this area. Just look at all that gold! We don’t need to counterfeit no more boys, ‘cause we’re rich. We’re rich. Do ya hear me? Rich!”

  Slim walked toward Zack and me with a look of hate in his eyes. “You two are dead. Do ya hear me, dead?” Slim grabbed me by my collar and forced me to walk and stand against the cold, damp wall. He took out his pistol and forced it into my mouth. “Pray boy! You better pray! ‘Cause you’re dead!” He backed off and slowly raised his pistol, pointing it at my head. “I told you brats to stay away, and you didn’t listen. So, goodbye city boy. Oh! Don’t worry; your boyfriend’s next and then that girlfriend of yours. You’ll have plenty of company.”

  “Hey! Up here!”

  “Pow! Pow!” Two gunshots came from above, and Slim fell to the ground wounded. He had been shot twice, once in each arm. “Drop your gun, Sheriff and have the rest of your boys do the same.” Surprised, the sheriff had no choice but to drop his pistol and ordered the rest of the gang to follow.

  “Charles! It’s Charles! I told you he’d know what to do. Where’ve you been, Charles?”

  “I’ll tell you later, Ian. It’s a long story.” Mr. Mac and the rest of the posse picked up their guns and ordered Jeb, Slim and the rest of the gang onto the ground and had them lie on their stomachs with their arms outstretched. After frisking them all, Charles and Mr. Mac stood them up and tied their hands behind their backs.

  “Look at all this gold,” Mr. Mac said, astonished by what was laid out before him. “I have to be honest with you boys. I wasn’t sure if your imaginations were getting the best of you, or you were telling the truth. But, from what I see, I guess we never should have questioned you. I’m proud of you. You’re quite the detectives.” I looked over at Charles, and he just smiled with those big white teeth. We knew he would believe us. He was the best, and as in the past, he was always there when we needed him. “Come on, Charles. Let’s get these boys out of here and locked up. I’ll leave Jack and a couple of boys here to guard the entrance, and then we’ll return and remove all this treasure these boys found,” Mr. Mac ordered.

  “Sir,” Zack shot back, “It wasn’t just us. Katie is the one that really figured out the code. Without her, we may never have found anything.”

  “Is that right?” Mr. Mac asked. “You’ll have to tell us later what you mean by that. We’d love to know. But, right now let’s get these boys out of here and in jail.”

  Charles led the way and headed back up the stairs and into the tunnel. He would lead the way and be there below the entrance waiting for everyone to arrive and keep them under control. Mr. Mac ordered Jeb and Slim to head out following Charles and then staggered the remaining posse and gang members as they exited through the way we had arrived. Zack and I took up the rear. As everyone disappeared from sight, we took one last look at the treasure shining brightly as it was illuminated by the fire, gave each other a big high five, and let out a loud, “Yahoo!” Just another typical day in the adventures of Ian and Zack, I thought.

  After everyone had exited the pit and was standing in the deepening snow, Mr. Mac ordered each posse member to his horse. He then forced a gang member onto a horse with them, tying their hands to the pommel of the saddle. “Jack, you stay here with Tom and Steve. I’ll be back later with a wagon and some men to remove everything from below.” We headed off into the biting, cold wind toward the ranch. I couldn’t wait to sit by a warm fire and tell Charles everything that he had missed. But, most of all, I couldn’t wait to see Katie and let her know about the sheriff and the rest of the gang. It seemed like it was forever, but soon we could see the outline of the ranch in the setting sun through the dark clouds ahead of us.

  After a few long minutes, we arrived at the barn and were greeted by the ranch hands and Katie standing at the entrance. “Charles, you and I will take a couple of the hands and take these boys into town to be locked up,” Mr. Mac directed. “The sheriff should be real comfortable. It’ll feel like home to him,” he smiled. They loaded the entire gang into a cattle truck and headed down the long driveway into Buena Vista. To see them sitting in the back of the open truck, with the cold, wet snow clinging to them as they disappeared, was a great feeling and a beautiful sight.

  “Come on, boys,” Katie said as she grabbed Zack and me by our arms. “Let’s get into the house. I want to hear everything that happened from the beginning to the end,” she said excitedly. We didn’t have to be coaxed very hard and quickly followed her as she ran up the path to the house and pushed the huge pine door open. Mrs. Mac was standing there with a broad smile on her face and greeted us both with a big hug and a kiss on the forehead. Feeling the tenderness she was showing us, we looked up at her and saw the tears in her eyes. She didn’t know it, but that expression of her happiness and concern meant everything to Zack and me. Since we didn’t have parents and had lived in the orphanage for as long as we could remember, this was as close as we would come to feeling a mother’s love. We didn’t know what to say. “Come on you guys, sit down and tell us what happened,” Katie ordered, hardly able to control her curiosity.

  “Now, Katie, there’s plenty of time for that,” Mrs. Mac insisted, “but first they’re going to get a good, hot meal and some rest. When your dad and Charles get back, they’ll be plenty of time for that kind of talk.”

  “Oh, Momma, I guess you’re right,” she admitted.

  Large platters of steaming hot food were laid out in front of us, and we didn’t have to be asked twice to dig in. One thing was for sure; we had never eaten like this before. We sat there for the longest time, savoring every bite. Wh
at an adventure this was turning out to be!

  “Beep…Beep” We ran to the window and saw Mr. Mac and Charles returning from town. After they had parked the truck, they were soon knocking the snow from their boots, brushing their coats off, and hanging them over the elk antlers on the foyer wall.

  “Let’s all go sit down in the library and have a good long talk,” Mr. Mac suggested. “Mom, will you bring some real hot coffee for Charles and me and some hot chocolate for Katie and the boys?”

  “Certainly, Dear, I’ll be right back,” she said smiling as she returned to the kitchen.

  “Well, you three, where do you want to start?” Mr. Mac asked. “I’m sure you must have an awful lot to explain.”

  “Yes, sir, we sure do,” I volunteered. “You’re not going to believe what we’re going to tell you,” I said excitedly.

  “Well, why don’t you give it a chance,” he smiled. “I think Charles and I might have something to tell you, later,” he cryptically answered. Zack, Katie and I all looked at each other trying to imagine what secret they may have. We started from the very beginning, relating our experiences and adventures with Slim, the gang, the counterfeiting, how we had been captured and how close we had come to being killed.

  But, we saved the last important piece of the puzzle for last…our Indian with the yellow moccasins. “Indian with yellow moccasins?” Mr. Mac roared with laughter. “Do you really believe in that old ghost story? That French Pete legend has been floating around since the gold rush days of St. Elmo. It’s just a story that’s been added to over the years, nothing else,” he smiled, looking over at Charles. We didn’t know how to tell him that we had seen the Indian and the yellow moccasins, so we just pretended to accept what he had said. I looked over at Charles, and he was staring at me. He knew I wouldn’t lie, and I felt he wanted to know more.

  But, the subject was soon changed when Mr. Mac had heard everything we had to tell him of our adventures. “I’m happy that no one was hurt,” he said, “but the next time, I suggest that you let someone know if you have any suspicions of anything and ask for help. You could have been killed, and I’m disappointed you didn’t get us involved.” The room became very quiet, and we looked at each other not knowing how to respond to his admonishment. He was probably correct, I thought, and then maybe he would have seen the Indian like we had. But, now it was too late. Our adventure and the mystery were over, we thought.