11 comments/  64925 views/  24 favorites

The Trail West Ch. 01

By: woodmanone



For those of you who have read my work, you will find that this story is in a different vein. I'm trying to grow and branch out from my normal efforts and you the reader will hopefully tell me if it is worth the hard work. It is a multi-chaptered yarn which I will post on consecutive days; hopefully that will make the story easier to follow for the readers.

Some of the characters in this story were based on real people. They are part of my family tree and some of the events depicted here are factual and had a far reaching local importance, historically. 

As usual with my stories there are no graphic sex scenes. Your constructive comments and emails will help me know if I'm on the right track. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on this new adventure.

********************

It was the spring of 1862 and the early morning fog was starting to rise and burn off in the valley so you could see the budding trees and other plants coming awake after the long winter. This was the valley where young Joshua Kelly lived and he was hiding at his father's orders; he would have rather been standing in front of his home with the rest of the family. Josh watched as the raiders know as "The Bushwhackers" sat on their horses and confronted Josh's father. "I should be down there with them," Josh thought; only his father's instructions kept him from coming down from the hilltop overlooking the farm house and joining his family.

If he couldn't be with his family he planned to help protect them from his hiding place. Josh had a Sharps rifle trained on the man talking with his father; that the man was the leader of the gang. It was a long shot to make with a carbine but he was an excellent marksman and if the raiders started trouble Josh would try and take out their leader.

The Bushwhackers operated as a guerilla force during the Civil War, raiding in Missouri and Kansas along the border and the interior of these Border States. They were almost as well known as "Quantrill's Raiders who were southern sympathizers and made famous, maybe infamous is a better term, by the newspapers of both the Union and the Confederacy.

This outlaw gang would burn, steal, rape and murder in the name of their cause. It seemed their cause was to benefit themselves because they attacked both Union and Confederate forces and followers. If a Union supply train could be attacked and the goods stolen, the Bushwhackers would do it. The following week they would attack a Confederate supply depot. They were a band of outlaws hiding behind the confusion and violence taking place in Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas during the Civil War. 

John Fogerty was the leader of the group and was trying to intimidate the Kelly family members facing him and his gang of cutthroats. Josh's father, William, and his mother Molly stood on the front porch of the farmhouse facing the raiders; both were armed. Josh's 13 year old brother Samuel was in a front facing open window with a shotgun pointed at Fogerty. It was expected that William would be ready to fight to protect his family and farm but Fogerty hadn't counted on the two extra guns in the hands of Molly and Samuel. 

"Where's that oldest boy of your'n Kelly? We need to talk at him a bit," Fogerty question Josh's father. He wasn't aware that the boy in question had a gun aimed at his back. 

"That's my business and none of yours Fogerty. I'm thinking it's time for y'all to leave," William replied as he cradled his rifle in the crook of his arm. The weapon wasn't exactly pointed at the bandit chief but it wasn't far off.

"I'll leave when I'm ready Kelly. We got you outgunned so just put down your weapons and tell me what I want to know," Fogerty ordered.

"Yep, you've got more guns than us, but when the shootin' starts y'all be the first one killed," William told him. "We'll probably all die but I'll make sure that you go first. When we meet in Hell we can continue the fight there." Molly turned so that the double barreled shotgun she was holding was aimed in Fogerty's direction. The noise of Molly and Samuel cocking the twin hammers of their shotguns was a clear warning. 

He thought it was a bluff but when he noticed the move that Molly made and also saw the other shotgun pointed at him through the front window, he wasn't as sure. The thing that made him back down was the look in the eyes of both William and Molly; it was the death stare. 

Fogerty had seen that stare before in the eyes of the people fighting his gang when they raided other towns and farms in southeastern Missouri. It was a look that said "I know I'm dead but I'm going to take as many of you with me as I can"; it was a look of desperation and acceptance.

"I don't want no trouble Kelly; we just want your boy to join us. We lost some men last week and I'm recruiting from the farms around these parts. Figured you would want to help out the cause but I know you have to stay and run the farm so that leaves your boy," Fogerty explained as he tried to smooth over the earlier confrontation. "He can make a right nice bit of change to help with the cost of running your farm."

"What cause is that, Fogerty?" William asked already knowing the answer.

"The Confederacy of course. We make raids on Union troops and camps to help the South in this here war."

"Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining Fogerty," William responded. "Just two weeks ago you attacked a Confederate supply wagon and killed six soldiers and the week before you robbed a Union payroll; y'all killed ten in that raid. Seems to me your cause is you and your killers getting rich off this war. Neither me nor my boy want your blood money." William stepped toward Fogerty a couple of steps and continued.

"Just so you know me and my family aren't in sympathy with either the Union or the Confederacy. My family and my brothers are what you would call neutral in this stupid war. We're going to go on faming and stay out of it, if we can. If we're forced to, we'll fight both sides. Now turn your horses around and get off my farm," William ordered as he pointed his rifle directly at Fogerty.

"You haven't heard the last from me Kelly, I'll be back," Fogerty blustered.

"That would be a bad choice on your part. Listen carefully Fogerty, if I see you on my farm again I will shoot you where you stand like the mad dog you are. I won't tell you to leave or warn you again, I'll just kill you and leave you for the varmints. That goes for any of the scum that ride with you too. Now get!"

Fogerty looked at William's eyes and believed what the man had told him. He knew that if Kelly caught him on his property again, that he would die. He turned his horse and rode away from the farm house with his gang following him. I'll come back and bushwhack that son of a bitch, Fogerty thought as he rode away. He was more adept at shooting a man in the back than facing him in a fair fight.

Josh watched the riders as they left the farm; then mounted his horse and followed them until they climbed out of the valley onto the trail toward town. He turned his horse and rode back home feeling a lot of pride in his father; standing there like a big oak tree facing down those Bushwhackers. Josh wasn't really surprised at his mother either, standing beside her husband when danger threatened; she was a very strong woman and in a lot of ways was the back bone of the family. 

William was 6' 2" with a big frame and Molly was 5' 8" which was tall for a woman. Josh had his mother's features with dark almost black hair and blue eyes but he took his size from his father; he was 6' 1" with the same frame as his father's; he just hadn't fill out yet. He arrived home as Samuel was going out to do the evening milking; Samuel was still carrying the double barrel shotgun that he had held out the window. Josh waved at him and went into the house.

His father was oiling his rifle and the double barrel shotgun that Josh's mother had held on the raiders. William's rifle was a .44 caliber 16 shot Henry Repeater; it cost more than two month's wages and was his pride and joy. The shotgun that Molly used was a Remington Coach gun, as was the one that Samuel still had with him. The two 12 gauge shotguns were ones that William had bought before the war while working as a stagecoach guard.

When the war started, William decided he didn't want to be a target for any of the outlaws running crazy along the Border States. Many claimed to be guerilla fighters for either the Union or the Confederacy but a lot of them, like Fogerty's Bushwhackers were common thieves and murderers. William figured dead was dead no matter which side pulled the trigger so he decided to stay on the farm until the war was over. 

Josh sat at the table with his father and began to oil his own rifle; a .52 caliber Sharps breech loading carbine. He had worked for his Uncle Jake on weekends for almost six months to pay for his rifle. Jake had bought a Henry Repeater like William's and offered the Sharps to Josh at a very good price. His father had offered to buy the weapon for him but Josh wanted to earn it himself. 

Josh looked at his father for a few seconds and finally spoke. "I should'a been down here with you Pa. You or Ma could have been hurt; I shouldn'a been here to help," he said.

"If you had been here someone would have been hurt. Fogerty would have tried to force you to join them and your momma wouldn't have allowed that," William said with a little smile. "Neither would I. Understand?"

Josh nodded his head but still didn't like that he had been sent to hide while his family protected him. He understood the logic but emotionally he didn't feel it was right. A man should stand up for himself, he thought. 

At 17 Josh was considered a man as were most young men living in the hill country of southeastern Missouri. By the time a lad reached 17 he was expected to do a man's work and help his family survive. The young men would work side by side with his father on the family farm or hire out to someone like a blacksmith; all to make it a little easier for his family. 

The youngsters would continue doing this for years; most times even after finding a wife they would stay on the family farm and the family just got a little bigger. That was good because it meant another helper for the family. Sometimes another cabin was built nearby but usually the existing house had a room added on if need be.

Josh was no exception; he worked almost every day with his father in the fields and with the livestock. But sometimes he worked for other people in the area; even though it left the farm shorthanded, the money Josh made working outside of the farm was a tremendous help to the family. He had a unique talent for breaking, gentling, and training horses.

Got a high spirited horse or mule that's giving you trouble; bring the animal to Josh or have him come to your place. Usually in a few days the animal would be as obedient as a heel hound. Got an animal that you couldn't train; have Josh work with it for a few days and the animal would bust its tail doing what it was trained to do. Got a wild horse that needs breaking; hire Josh and he would break and train the animal without breaking its spirit. This talent was a money maker in an area where most of the hard labor was done by horses or mules.

There were a couple of times a year that Josh wasn't available to work his magic with animals; during spring planting or autumn harvest he was busy on the family farm. The rest of the year he was always willing to take an animal in hand and turn it into a working partner for its owner.

Josh's rates depended on the horse or mule, depended on how wild or how much training you wanted, and depended on the time necessary to do the job. He usually got a dollar a day working the animals; if the animal was extremely wild or difficult he would sometimes add a little to the final tally.

Josh seldom got less than 3 dollars per animal and sometimes he made as much as 15 dollars if the animal was hard headed. It was an unheard of amount of money for a youngster like Josh to make but his clients swore he was worth every penny.

William could see that his son wasn't happy about being forced to hide in the hills and knew what his boy was feeling. If Josh didn't like the hiding he was going to hate what I want him to do now, William thought.

"Josh, I want you to leave the farm and head west. Get away before this war drags you into it. If it isn't Fogerty it will be some other band that will try and force you to join them; or maybe Union soldiers will "draft" you. At your age as long as you're here you're in danger. You need to head west, son," William told him.

Before Josh could respond Molly came to the table and said, "You men clean off the table it's time to eat. This talk bout leaving can wait till after supper. Josh go help Samuel finish the milking and then wash up."

"Okay Ma. Be right back," Josh answered. He thought about what his father had said as he helped Samuel. He knew that his Pa was right; but he didn't have to like the idea. After supper, it was Josh's turn to help his mother clean up and as they worked Josh asked, "What do you think I should do, Ma?" 

Molly put her hand on his cheek and said, "I think your father is a smart man and knows what he's talking about. I hate for you to leave but I think it's for the best; at least until the war is over." 

William, Molly, and Josh sat at the table and talked about Josh leaving. Samuel was at the table too but this was a decision for the grownups and he wasn't quite there yet. It had been pretty much decided by William and Molly that Josh would head west; all that was left was the planning for the trip. But Josh had one last suggestion before he agreed to his parent's wishes.

"Why don't we all move west Pa? I hear there's land available out there for next to nothing; just a filing fee. The family could get a new start with a bigger place. Maybe we could get Uncle Simon and Uncle Jake to go with us. That way the whole family would still be together." Josh was grasping at straws, trying to find a way to stay with his family.

"Trying anything you can, aren't you son." William smiled at his boy. "You're great, great, grandpa settled this farm a long time back and it's been in the family all this time. I won't let a bunch of politicians or scum like the Bushwhackers run me off. Simon, Jake, and I talked about that very thing when the war started and they feel the same way I do. Sorry boy, but you're going to have to go it alone, and soon."

Josh would obey his father's order to move west, at least until the war was over. He could have just moved into town but that wouldn't solve the problem because he would still be a target to be drafted into one of the armies or one of the guerilla groups. 

The next week Josh and his parents started getting things ready for him to leave. Clothes had to be sorted through and mended if need be, the saddle and tack for the horses Josh was taking was checked out, and the trail food he would carry had to be organized. 

Josh was sitting on the front porch one evening after supper with his father and mother just watching the fireflies make pretty little points of light in the night. After about an hour, Molly stood up, kissed her husband, patted Josh on the shoulder, and went to bed. Josh started to get up too but his dad wanted to talk a bit. 

"How many horses are you going to take with you son?"

One of the extra benefits about training horses is that every once in a while Josh had a customer with a really tough horse or mule that would require more than a week or two to break and train. Sometimes the customer didn't want to spend the money on the animal saying that they didn't want to throw good money after bad and would sell them to Josh cheap; a few times they just gave Josh the animals to be done with them.

Josh would spend extra time with those animals; sometimes it took a month to bring the animal around but he was able to sell the horse for a large profit. One of the mules working on their farm had been just such an example. Consequently, Josh ended up with a string of four horses that were some of the best in the county.

"I thought I would take two with me and leave the other two for you and Ma. That bay gelding is the gentlest saddle horse around and the black is big and strong enough to be a good mount for you Pa. I'm taking Sunny, the big buckskin and Joey the sorrel with the blaze. Neither of them is extremely fast but they're both strong and run at a lope almost all day. I'll switch off every day to keep them as fresh as possible," Josh answered. 

"Good choice, we'll take good care of the two you leave behind so you'll have them when you come home again," William said with a catch in his voice. "See ya in the morning son." 

The scheduled departure date was still ten days away when they got some news that changed their plans. The Bushwhackers attacked and killed three men and wounded one in the next county. James Chilton, his two sons, and his son were melting lead and making rifle balls for their guns. Fogerty rode into their valley and shot Chilton and his sons; the son-in-law tried to escape on his horse but he was shot and left for dead.

Fogerty claimed that the men were making rifle balls for a group of Union sympathizers and that's why they were attacked. According to the son the Bushwhackers came in shooting and stole everything of value after killing the Chiltons. Obviously it wasn't a military operation but murder and robbery.

The Chilton family was close cousins of the Kelly's and the attack worried William for more than just the loss of family members. He thought that Fogerty might come back to their valley looking for more recruits, including and especially Josh after their last run in with the Bushwhackers.

Josh was an early riser as were most people who lived on farms, but his father woke him before dawn. 

"It's time for you to go Joshua; we can't wait any longer. Fogerty may come back this way now that he has supplies and you don't need to be here." All the while his Pa was hustling Josh along to hurry him up. "I got your saddle on the buckskin and a pack saddle and bags on the sorrel. You're all ready to go, so hurry up."

"Pa if Fogerty got to the Chiltons he can get to you and Ma. Let me stay and help fight them off," Josh didn't want to leave with his family in danger.

"The Chiltons were family but sometimes James didn't have sense enough to pour water out of a boot. He let himself get caught out in the middle of the field with no cover. They also had all of their rifles broken down for cleaning at the same time." William shook his head as he gave Josh the information. 

"Don't worry Josh; the Chiltons lived all alone back up in that hollar with no one to warn them about incoming riders. We've got your Uncle Simon on one side and your Uncle Jake on the other. No one can come in over the hills so the only way into our place is past one of their farms. That will give us plenty of warning if Fogerty comes back."

Josh tied his bedroll and slicker behind the saddle and turned to say good bye to his folks. His mother came off the porch with a bundle of fried chicken and some other things that he could use on the first part of the trip. He put the bundle in the pack panniers and hugged her real hard. Josh had tears in his eyes as he said good bye to her.

"God bless you Joshua," his mother said as she pulled his head down so she could kiss him. "Take care of yourself and write and let us know where you end up." Molly had been a school teacher and had made sure that Samuel and Josh could read and write; she even taught William how to read although he had her do any writing that was necessary.

As Josh turned to say good bye to his father he saw him pull the Sharps rifle out of the saddle scabbard and it's cartridges from the saddlebags. William replaced it with his own Henry Repeater and several boxes of cartridges. He smiled and said "you might need the firepower where you're headed." His father also handed Josh a leather bag with a draw string.


The Trail West Ch. 01



"There's two hundred dollars in gold coins in there; you might need something along the way, don't you know." He smiled at the shocked look on his son's face.

"I can't take this Pa. I ....." Josh tried to protest.

William interrupted and said, "It's the money you've been giving us from your horse training over the last couple of years. Ma and I saved it thinking it would a good start for you if you ever got married. Guess it will be have more use now rather than later." Josh had more tears in his eyes now and heard his father sniff a couple of times. 

"Have any idea where you're going or what trail you're going to take?" Pa asked.

"I plan on cutting south through Arkansas and then take the trail west, I guess. Maybe I'll head up to Colorado; I hear there are cattle ranches from Pueblo all the way north to Wyoming. If there's cattle ranches then they'll need a horse trainer; but I can work cattle if need be," Josh explained his plan to his father.

Josh gave Samuel a hug and then a handshake, kissed his Ma one more time and turned to his father. They shook hands and then William grabbed Josh in a bear hug and held him for about ten seconds.

"Mind your Ma boy and be careful. You're your own man and trust your instincts. Take the trail west and get out of this mess," William said.

The boy mounted Sunny, waved to the family and rode south from the farm. As he topped the first hill he turned and looked down at his family home, the only home he had ever known; he wondered if he would ever see it again. Josh waved one last time to the family and turned his horse on the trail south.

********************

The Bushwhackers were a guerilla band of supposedly Confederate sympathizers. They ran amok during the Civil War and afterward killing and stealing throughout southern Missouri, along the Mississippi River and down into northern Arkansas.

A note concerning the murder of the Chiltons mentioned in this story. I changed the names but "James Chilton" and two of his sons were murdered by the Bushwhackers. The son was also killed as he tried to ride for help. 

The Bushwhackers claimed that "the Chiltons were Union sympathizers" when in truth they had tried to stay neutral during the Civil War. According to historical letters written by "Chilton" he didn't hold with slavery but he also didn't hold with the Federal government telling folks and states what to do

Although I have changed the names, these real life men were some of my ancestors. I have a copy of an old letter written by an eye witness to their murder describing the event. 

In addition to the almost total decimation of that limb of my family tree, the aftermath of this raid had local historical significance. A group of relatives and neighbors of "the Chiltons" hunted down and dealt with "John Fogerty" and his Bushwhackers. The band of local vigilantes, who were neither Union or Confederate sympathizers, only interest was "justice" and to send a warning to other guerilla bands roaming through southern Missouri. 

I hope this brings a little more life to this story. Thanks for reading my work. 



The Trail West Ch. 02



It had been almost two weeks since Joshua Kelly rode south from his family home in southeastern Missouri; leading his pack horse he was deep in thought. He had left the only home he had ever known because his father and mother didn't want him to become involved in the Bushwhackers Gang or the great Civil War that was raging across the country. It was especially dangerous to the families living in the border states of Missouri and Kansas.

His father William, his mother Molly, and younger brother Samuel had run off a guerilla band calling themselves the Bushwhackers. Led by John Fogerty, the group had come to their farm looking to recruit Josh into their ranks; recruit wasn't the proper term, force, draft, or kidnap was closer to the truth. That was the whole reason for his trip; his folks also wanted to avoid Josh being drawn into the war because the family wanted to stay neutral in the conflict. For this reason it was decided by his parents that he should head south to stay as far away from the troubles in Kansas as possible.

Josh's final destination was Colorado or Wyoming, he hadn't decided yet. The most direct route was across Missouri northwest to Joplin and then northwest again through Kansas to Colorado City. By riding south through Arkansas he had added many miles to the journey. Time wasn't that important because he was just waiting for the war to end, but avoiding the guerilla gangs, the Jayhawkers in Kansas, and the soldiers from both sides of the war was important; that's why he road south. 

He had arrived in Fort Smith, Arkansas two days previously and was now going to the saloon to meet the master of a wagon train of families that was going to travel the Santé Fe Trail across Oklahoma and part of Texas to New Mexico. Josh hoped to catch on with this wagon train as a horse wrangler and/or a guard; but any job would do.

He could have made better time and more miles per day by riding alone but it was a long and dangerous trip. Josh was confident in his ability to take care of himself but there was no need to put himself or his horses at any more risk than he had to; and he wasn't in any hurry. His first night on the trail after leaving home, he had gotten a grim reminder of why it was necessary that he leave. 

Josh had to hold up and hide for a night on his trek south; he had caught up to Fogerty and his Bushwhackers who were camped on the road to Neelyville, Missouri. He found a grove of trees and set up a cold camp; Josh had to spend the night and part of the next day waiting for the outlaws to move on. 

The group had apparently "recruited" some farm boys recently and Josh watched from hiding as Fogerty indoctrinated these new members into the gang. The indoctrination consisted of beating the hell out of the boys until they would jump when given an order. The next day the guerillas turned north and Josh continued on his way south to Fort Smith. 

Josh entered the saloon, walked to the bar, and ordered a beer laying his Henry rifle on the bar next to him. Because he was taller than the average man at 6' 1" with 185 pounds on his big frame, no one questioned if he was old enough to drink in the saloon; Josh had turned 18 on the trail. He had been in town for a couple of days and the way he handled himself with a quiet confidence lead people to believe he was older than he was. 

As he waited for Mr. Hobart the wagon master, he reflected on the journey so far. He had made good time without having to use his horses too hard and was pleased that he got to Fort Smith as fast as he did. When he arrived he had sent a short telegram to his parents to let them know where he was and that he was okay so far. In it he promised to post a letter to them before he left Fort Smith with more detail about his trip.

Josh looked up as a man came into the saloon; it could only be Mr. Hobart, he thought. The man was shorter than Josh at about 5' 7" with bowed legs from spending years on the back of a horse. He looked to be about 50 years old with a ruddy, leather like face from being out in the weather and had the beginnings of a pot belly. The man wore a pistol strapped to one hip and a large knife on the other and carried a Spencer Rifle. This was obviously not a store keeper Josh thought.

It wasn't unusual to see a man well armed in Fort Smith. Although it had a population of almost two thousand civilians and was controlled by the Confederate Army, the town's nickname was "Hell on the Border". Most of the men in Fort Smith were armed

"Josh Kelly?" The man inquired walking up to Josh. When Josh nodded he said, "I'm Clint Hobart. I heared you're lookin to sign on with my wagon train, that right?"

"Yes sir, I'm going to Santé Fe too and thought it might be a little safer traveling with a group," Josh responded.

"Afraid to travel alone are you?" Hobart asked looking hard at the youngster; the last thing he needed was a wet behind the ears youngster that was scared to death.

"No sir, but there's no need to be stupid about it. I can make the trip by myself and will if I don't catch on with a wagon train or freight company in the next couple of days. I'm thinkin' it makes more sense to travel with others and maybe make a little money doin' it," Josh explained his reasoning.

Hobart smiled at the young man and offered his hand, "Makes good sense. What can you do? Do you have any skills I can use?"

Josh smiled back and answered, "I'm a better than an average hand with horses and can handle a wagon and team. I'm not afraid of hard work, and I don't drink much. I can promise you a fair day's work for my pay and I will stay with the wagon train until we get to Santé Fe."

"Would you have a problem riding as an armed guard? Can you shoot and will you if necessary, I mean at other men?" 

"I'm not braggin but back home I did all the hunting for my family. I usually brought home meat when I went out. As far as shooting at men, I've never had to but don't think it would cause me any worry if it was to defend the wagons," Josh meant what he said.

"Okay son, you've convinced me. The trip will take about 60 days if we can average 15 miles a day. Some days we'll do better but some we'll do worse; depends on the weather and the condition of the trail. I'll pay you $2 dollars a day, $3 dollars a day for every day over 65. I'll provide food, supplies, and a wagon to sleep in if you've a mind to. How's that sound Josh?"

"Sounds fine to me. What's my job?" Josh asked.

"Whatever I tell you," Hobart answered with a grin. "I plan on using you wranglin the horse herd and extra draft animals, and sometimes I'll have you spell the outriders who guard the wagon train; maybe have you help with some huntin a few times. Still want the job?"

"I can handle that but I have one question." Hobart nodded for Josh to go ahead. "Can I switch off to a mount from the remuda once in a while? I aim to head for Colorado when we get to Santa Fe and would like to rest my horses as much as I can," Josh explained.

"Sure can, in fact ride one of the remuda every day if ya want. If you're taking care of them you should be able to use them. Just check with the owners before you ride any horses that don't belong to me. Come out to our camp for supper tonight, get acquainted, and see what supplies you'll need. We pull out day after tomorrow at dawn. See you tonight Josh." With that Hobart stomped out of the saloon and headed to the general store across the way.

That evening he joined Hobart and some of the families for supper. Josh was introduced to several people that evening; there were too many to remember but he would learn their names during the trip. Before supper Hobart took him away from the camp a little ways to show him the animals that Josh would be herding sometimes. 

The remuda consisted of riding horses, draft horses, mules, and even four pair of oxen. Josh was surprised at the different type of animals and questioned Hobart about the strange mix.

Hobart scratched his head and chuckled. "The different families in the train got advice from different people on what type of animals they should use to pull their wagons. Some got good advice and some didn't which led to our "Noah's Ark" of draft teams." He laughed a little and continued.

"If they'd asked me I would have suggested mules to pull the wagons and a couple of riding stock for each wagon. But the choices had already been made before the families contacted me. So we have this mishmash to deal with."

"There's certainly a mix, that's for sure," Josh remarked. "Why mules?"

"Mules can pull as fast as horses, they're studier, and are stronger so you don't have to have as many per wagon. They can work longer before having to rest and they can get by with less food and water if necessary. The draft horses are better than the normal horses. Again they're bigger and stronger than the normal horse but they take more care and feeding than mules." Hobart answered.

"What about the oxen?"

"Oxen are strong, stronger than the mules, and they are almost as hardy. But they're slow and out here that can cause a problem if you need to move in a hurry. Back east they might be fine because the distances to travel aren't very far. Hell it's only 900 miles from Philadelphia to St. Louis. We'll travel that far to Santa Fe and there's another thousand miles on to California." Hobart stared at the herd for a few seconds and said, "But that's what we got Josh and we'll just have to deal with it. Or maybe I should say you'll have to deal with it." 

On the way back to camp Hobart led Josh over to the temporary corral where the horses were kept.

"See that big bay?" Hobart said pointing out the horse. "That's Diablo; I bought that horse on his looks as he stood at the back of a corral; I should have gotten a closer look. They sure named him right, he's the devil on hoofs; he's broke to lead but no one can get near him with a saddle. I don't know how much training he has, if any. If I can't get him gentled down, I'll have to leave him and lose the 40 dollars I paid for him. Think you can do anything with him?"

"I'll take a look at him Mr. Hobart and see what can be done. Will it wait until after supper, I don't want to be rushed?" Hobart nodded and they went back to camp and had supper.

When they finished eating, Josh grabbed a couple of apples and headed for the corral. Along the way he sliced the apples into quarters. The big bay moved to the back of the corral as Josh walked up to the fence. He put his hand out with a piece of the apple and one of the other horses timidly came over and took it off his palm.

Josh attracted the attention of another horse and fed it another piece of apple. By this time, Diablo was watching him and the other horses intently. The big horse, Josh guessed that he was 17 hands at the shoulder, took a few steps toward him and Josh turned his back on Diablo and leaned against the fence. He seemed to be ignoring the animal.

After about five minutes, Josh felt the horse behind him; he was only about 3 or 4 feet away. Josh took a piece of apple and laid it on the rail next to him; talking softly and gently to the horse. Diablo gingerly took the piece of apple; Josh turned around and held out another piece. When the horse reached for it, Josh pulled it back and rested his hand on the top rail.

Diablo stretched his neck out and took the apple, still watching Josh carefully. Josh held another piece closer to his body and waited. Diablo couldn't stand it; he took a few steps and stood against the rails of the corral. He finally reached his neck over the top rail and took the apple from Josh's hand. Josh gave Diablo the remaining pieces of apple, softly talking to him the whole time. When the horse finished Jose turned and walked back toward the camp fire. He had taken about ten steps when Diablo neighed at him, as if to say goodbye.

Hobart was waiting for him and said, "That's the closest anyone's been able to get to that devil. How'd you do it?"

Josh smiled and chuckled, "It's what I do Mr. Hobart. Diablo's a good horse but he's been mistreated. His mouth has scars from someone with a heavy hand sawing at the bit and his flanks have marks showing someone used those big Mexican spurs on him. It's no wonder he doesn't trust people. I'll work with him as we travel, it will take a little time but he'll be a fine animal."

He slept under a wagon that night and the next day went back to town for some personal supplies. He wouldn't need much but there were some things he thought of after talking to the people during supper. Hobart even suggested a few things to make Josh's life a little more comfortable along the way. He told Josh that he wouldn't have to worry about weight with the wagon train like he did traveling by horse. He makes sense Josh thought, this opens up some possibilities I never figured on.

Josh went to the general store and purchased a few items that he might have trouble finding on the trail including some denim pants, a couple of shirts, a pair of boots and a wide brimmed Stetson. The next stop was the gun smith to get some more cartridges for the Henry Repeater his father had given him; it never hurts to be prepared he thought. 

He looked at a couple of handguns but their high cost put him off, Josh didn't want to use too much of the money his father had given him. Maybe when I get paid in Santa Fe I'll get a handgun, Josh thought. It was early afternoon as he left the gun smith's when he met Clint Hobart who was also doing some personal shopping. 

"See you took my advice about getting some personal things. Come on Josh, I'll buy you a whiskey before I head back to camp."

"Don't drink whiskey much, but I would have a beer with you Mr. Hobart," Josh replied.

Finishing their drinks at the saloon Hobart asked, "You coming out to camp tonight or spending your last night in town? Sort of one last fling before heading west, don't you know.

"I'll come out tonight; don't see a need to spend another night in town. Besides it'll be easier to start at dawn if I'm already at the camp," Josh answered. As they left the saloon they bumped into a man standing by his belongings stacked on the ground. 

He was a big man, even taller than Josh, with a full beard and long hair. There weren't many men taller than him so Josh inspected the man with a little more interest than he would have normally. The man wore what Josh now knew were buckskins, the shirt was fringed with decorative bead work across the front. He wore Indian moccasins but Josh notice a pair of heavy boots with the man's gear. 

The stranger looked to be anywhere between 40 and 70; it was hard to judge his age because his face was aged and weathered from being outside.

"Johnny, Johnny Burrows? Is that you? Hobart asked. 

"Hello Clint, ain't seen you for about three years. How you doin you old horse thief?" It was obvious that the two men knew each other well. 

"Doing good Johnny; running wagon trains to Santa Fe and sometimes to California," Hobart said. 

"You always were one to keep moving around. Don't look like you've been missing many meals though," Burrows said laughing as he patted Hobart's middle. 

"Still trappin in the high country or did you decide to come down and get civilized?" Hobart was kidding with Burrows; he knew that his friend didn't like towns and would probably die out on the plains or up in the mountains

"Naw gave up trappin quite awhile back; the market for beaver pelts don't make it worthwhile anymore. The dandies that used to wear beaver hats are now wearing silk and that killed the market. I been hiring out as a guide and hunter for folks headin west."

"Looking for a job? I could take you on if you need work," Hobart offered.

"Nope, just waitin to meet up with a group headed for Oregon. Thought I might stay up there a spell; it sure is pretty and there's not too many people yet. Supposed to meet them in four days and leave the day after. If we get out of here in less than a week it'll be a miracle; don't you just love tenderfeet?" Burrows said laughing.

Johnny motioned at a squad of soldiers going past and asked, "I miss another war while I was up in the high country?

"Didn't miss much far as I'm concerned," Hobart answered. "Don't tell me you haven't heard about the" War Between the States",

"Yeah, I heard some such foolishness but thought it was liquor talking. Never thought folks could be that stupid," Burrows answered.

"Damn forgot my manners. Johnny this is Josh Kelly my new wrangler, Josh this is Johnny Burrows; a real by god mountain man," Hobart introduced the men.

Josh was in awe of Burrows; he had read about the mountain men when he was younger but had never seen or met one before. "It's an honor to meet you sir," Josh said. 

Burrows offered his hand and asked, "This your first time at the rodeo son? Where bouts you from?"

"Yes sir, this is my first time with Mr. Hobart. I'm from Missouri, near a little town called Poplar Bluff," Josh answered.

"Was there a lot of years ago. Met a William Kelly there, let's see that was more'n 20 years ago."

"My Pa's name is William," Josh said.

"Tall man, lean with big hands he was. Courting a pretty young thing with long almost black hair; Molly was her name as I recall," Burrows continued.

"That's my Ma's name and she's got dark hair. Those are my parents, Mr. Burrows," Josh informed him, excited that the man knew his parents.

"Well I'll be damned, ain't that something? Now that I look at you I can see the resemblance. I met your Pa when he was about your age or maybe a little older; you're the spitting image of him, except for your hair color."

"How'd y'all meet, if you don't mind my asking Mr. Burrows?"

"Name's Johnny son. Would you believe the three of us met up at a church social?" Johnny laughed about him being at a church social.

Josh and Hobart both waited for Burrows to continue the story. "Throat's dry, let's get a drink and I'll tell you all about it boys," Burrows suggested.

The three men went back into the saloon. Hobart and Burrows ordered whiskey but Josh had a sarsaparilla; he had work to do. Burrows nodded at Josh with approval and said, "Young man shouldn't drink the hard stuff until he's old enough to know to leave it alone."

"Well let's see, it was in '42, naw '43, I was 24 and was passing through Poplar Bluff on my way to Colorado. I had got tired of big city life, everybody telling me what to do and when; pushin in on a man until he could hardly breathe so I planned to be a fur trapper and it was my first go at it," Burrows began the story.

****************

Burrow said that he decided to attend the church social on a whim, thinkin it might be the last chance to be around civilized people. He met a pretty young girl that was charmed by the gonna be mountain man and they spent most of the evening together, talkin and dancing. Apparently one of the young bucks didn't like the idea of an outsider paying attention to "his girl". The young man and two of his friends braced Burrows when he went outside for a smoke.

"Mister, you best be on your way. I brought that girl to the social that you been foolin around with," he said angrily.

"Well, don't look like you're taking her home, does it? I think she likes me," Burrows responded. He interrupted his tale to explain to Josh, "I really didn't care that much about the girl, but I wasn't going to stand for the boy trying to run me off."

The young man said, "Me and the boys are going to give you a lickin and send you on your way. That'll teach you to leave our women alone."

"As the three started at me I heard someone say in a deep voice, don't think that's gonna happen Jenkins. I turned and there stood a tall young man who walked over to my side," Burrows said.

"This is none of your concern William," Jenkins complained. "Why are you takin this drifter's side?"




The Trail West Ch. 02



"I'm making it my business. This fella didn't do anything that Cindy didn't want him to do. She's just using him to make you jealous and you fell for it. If you gotta be mad, be mad at her. Y'all step away now," William ordered. He looked at the three young men, who didn't make a move to leave.

"There's one other thing for you to think about," William told him. "I don't think the three of you can lick the two of us." He stared at the three until they started to drift away. Burrows could feel the tension drain out of the big man who had helped him.

"Thanks mister, I think I could have handled them but it would have been a close thing," Burrows spoke to William for the first time as he shook his hand. "Names Johnny Burrows and I take it your William."

"William Kelly and you can thank my girl. It was her idea for me to come out here," William said. "Why don't you let Cindy and Jenkins work things out between them and join me and Molly at our table?"

"Sounds like the smart thing to do, William. Lead on," Burrows replied.

William and Burrows went back inside and joined Molly at the table. Molly looked back and forth at the two for a few seconds and couldn't contain herself anymore.

"So what happened Will? Y'all don't look like you've been in a scuffle."

"Molly this is Johnny Burrows," William said ignoring her question, "Johnny this is my girl Molly Riley; she's the one who sent me out to stop the fight."

"Pleased to meet you Miss Riley and thank you," Burrows said.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Burrows, you're welcome," Molly replied.

"Mr. Burrows is my father, call me Johnny please. Why did you send William here out to help me anyway?

Molly explained that she saw what Cindy was trying to do and didn't think it was fair that Johnny should have to pay for her little game. "Someone should paddle that girl's behind." Molly smiled and then continued, "I don't think Jenkins's man enough to do it. She's got him wrapped around her finger."

The three new friends spent the rest of the evening together; William even let Johnny dance with Molly a couple of times. At the end of the evening Burrows thanked them again and left at first light the next day.

******************

"That's why I remember your Pa and Ma after all this time. They stepped up and helped a stranger and kept me from gettin a beatin," Burrows finished his story. "I wrote to them a few times but there's no post office in the mountains and when I got to a town I was too busy drinkin and whore'n around to think about it."

Hobart was smiling at his friend and Josh was grinning from ear to ear. He was as proud as could be of his folks.

"I'd like to say that if I'd known what that little gal was up to I would 'a walked away. But thinkin about it, I probably wouldn't have. She was very pretty with long red hair, she smelled real good, and I liked holding her when we danced," Burrows volunteered. "I wonder if she ended up with that Jenkins. He didn't seem like the right man to control that filly."

Josh started laughing out loud and both men looked at him, puzzled by his outburst. "No, Jenkins didn't end up with her and you're right he couldn't handle her. But her next beau could and did. My Uncle Simon married Cindy when I was about two." Josh told them.

The three men had enjoyed the story and it brought them closer. Josh felt a touch of home talking to Burrows and wished he could stay around and talk some more. But he needed to get back to the camp because he had to get ready for tomorrow.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you Mr. Burr...I mean Johnny. I'd like to stay and talk some more but I got things that need doing. Thanks for sharing that story. I hope to meet up with you again one day," Josh said as he rose to leave.

"If you're writin to your folks Josh, in the next letter tell them that Johnny Burrows said hello, will ya?" He paused for a few seconds remembering the tall young man that had come to his defense all those years ago. "Tell ya what, if Clint here don't mind I'll ride out with you for the first day and we can talk some more on the trail."

Josh looked at Mr. Hobart and saw him nod. "I'd like that Johnny but it'll be an awful long round trip for you."

"That first day, you'll be lucky to get in ten miles; you gotta shake things out and get organized. I'll ride with you and camp that first night and come back to town the next day. We can talk as we ride and at camp that night", Burrows offered. 

The next morning before daylight Burrows rode into the camp. He met up with Josh, helped him get the remuda on the trail, and started talking. Johnny must get lonely up in the mountains and miss talkin to people, Josh thought because Burrows didn't stop the whole day. He would answer a question for Josh and then take off again. Josh didn't get in more than a few dozen words all day.

The only time that Burrows didn't talk was at supper. Afterwards Burrows started again. Josh didn't mind because he was learning about the wild country he was passing through and the even wilder country he was headed for. He heard about the quick changes in the weather that were possible, he learned about the wild animals he might run into, he learned about some of the different Indian tribes, but most of all he was reminded to constantly stay alert and pay attention to his surroundings. Inattention could kill you.

About an hour after supper, Josh excused himself to take an apple or two to Diablo and continue the process of getting the big horse to trust people again. Hobart had a portable corral that could be carried under the wagons; it kept the riding stock safer than out on the open range.

As Josh got to the corral Diablo trotted over to meet him stopping just short of the fence; a real improvement from the horse's actions the previous day. Josh laid a piece of apple on the top rail and stepped back. Diablo stretched out his neck and took the apple, watching Josh as he did. Josh talked to him in a soft soothing voice and held out his hand with another piece of apple, offering it to Diablo. Slowly the horse took the apple from Josh's hand; this time Diablo didn't step back and stayed close to the man with the good tasting treats.

Josh gave Diablo the rest of the apple and swung around to return to camp; Burrows stepped out of the shadows and surprised him. "I didn't hear you come up behind me Johnny," Josh said.

"I can be quieter than a snake when need be. It's a skill you should learn boy," Burrows replied with a sneaky little grin. "You sure got a way with horses."

"Yeah I guess I do. Back home there's a man named Reece that lived in the next valley; his wife is a Cheyenne Indian. He learned about horses from her and she taught me too as I worked with him a few summers after I got my growth. Mr.& Mrs. Reece taught me a lot," Josh explained.

At daylight, Josh was up to say good bye to Johnny Burrows and got a surprise. Burrows had decided to ride with the wagon train for another day. When asked about it by Hobart, Johnny said that the train would only make about 25 miles in the two days and he could ride back to Fort Smith in one day. He didn't admit it but Burrows had enjoyed spending the day teaching Josh. The youngster reminded him of Josh's father and of his own youth; besides he just plain liked the young man.

Josh reported to Hobart and got another surprise; he had the day off. "You'll be working plenty of 18 hours days on this trip so I thought you and Johnny could spend the day together. Who knows, you might learn something," Hobart told him.

Josh's lessons, being taught by the mountain man, continued as Burrows and Josh rode out from camp. Josh had been hunting since he was old enough to hold a rifle and thought he could move pretty quietly. But where Josh might make a little noise, Burrows made none. He taught Josh how to move like the wind over the ground and sharpened his skills in tracking. When they rejoined the wagon train Josh felt like he had been in school all day; a school that would help him survive his journey.

The next morning it was time for Burrows to head back to Fort Smith. If he hadn't made a deal and given his word to the other wagon master, Johnny would have continued on to Santa Fe. It was nice to see and talk to his old friend Clint Hobart and he liked teaching Josh.

Burrows felt good teaching Josh a lot of the things that he had learned in 20 years living in the wild. The boy reminded him of what his own son would have been like if the child and his mother hadn't been killed in a raid on their camp better than 15 years before. His wife had been a full blooded Comanche and the raiders were white men; someday maybe I'll tell the boy and Hobart that story; after it quits hurting so much, but not now. 

When Josh stepped over to say good bye, Burrows handed him a large knife in a leather belt sheath saying, "That little pig sticker you're carrying won't do no good out here. This here Bowie knife is more what you need, son."

Josh was surprised at the gift but more surprised at the emotional bond that he and Johnny Burrows had developed. He reminds me of my Pa, Josh thought; and treats me almost like his son. Josh had an idea and quickly wrote something on a page from his journal.

"Thanks Johnny," Josh said. "When you get back to Fort Smith would you send this over the telegraph to my folks? I told them I'd send telegrams along the way and follow up with a letter whenever I could. I just plain forgot before we left, I'd be obliged if you could help me out."

Burrows nodded his head as he took the message from the youngster and waved off the money Josh tried to give him for the cost of the telegram. He maybe didn't get along or understand people very good but he understood what Josh was doing. The boy was giving him a chance to reconnect with his past and people from it.

As the wagon train got started west Josh and Johnny Burrows road a couple of miles east back down the trail toward Fort Smith. They dismounted said their good byes and hugged, embarrassed by their emotions as men usually are. They both knew they had made a friend for life but would probably never meet again.

"If you ever get up Oregon way look me up boy," Burrows said in parting.

After a last good bye, Josh mounted Sunny, waved one more time to Burrows and turned the big buckskin's head down the trail west.

To Be Continued...



The Trail West Ch. 03



This chapter can be read as a standalone story but it will make more sense and give you the background of the characters and the story line if you read the first two chapters. 

Constructive comments/emails are welcome and appreciated.

There are no graphic sex scenes in this story. Thanks for taking the time to read my work and I hope you enjoy it.

**************************

18 year old Josh Kelly was pushing the horse and mule remuda along the trail just to the side of where the wagons were traveling. It was the wagon train's fourth day headed west and Josh thought about the last three days as he drove the horses and mules just off the edge of the wagon train's path.

Johnny Burrows, the old mountain man, had been right, the wagon train didn't make more than 10 miles that first day; in fact they made just over 7 miles stopping at Shady Grove, Oklahoma the first night. It took longer than even Johnny thought to get the 27 wagons, the horse/mule remuda, and the people who had no idea of what they were doing across the Arkansas River.

The second day on the trail they had made almost 13 miles according to Clint Hobart, the wagon master. By the morning of the third day Josh could see that the families were beginning to get organized; they were able to pitch camp easier every night and more importantly were able to strike the camp and get on the trail much quicker in the morning.

The third morning Johnny Burrows left to return to Fort Smith; Josh had spent two days and nights learning about staying alive in the west from the mountain man. He was sorry to see Johnny go but was looking forward to continuing his journey. The trail was in good shape, the weather was co-operating and the third day the wagons were able to cover almost 20 miles. 

So it went for several days, the train continued to make good time as the families got organized and began to understand what was necessary. One morning Hobart asked Josh to scout ahead about a day's travel along the trail; he was to look for a good spot to camp for the night. Josh spent a lot of time as a wrangler, but Hobart also used him as a guard, scout, and to help the families get their animals hitched to the wagons and on the move.

Josh was about 2 hours ahead of the wagons when he spotted a man walking, actually limping, along the trail. He noticed that the man was carrying a saddle over one shoulder and had a rifle in the other hand. As Josh got closer the man dropped his gear and turned to face the rider approaching him. The rifle wasn't pointed toward Josh but the butt rested on the man's hip and could be brought to bear very quickly. Josh's rifle was in his right hand, lying across his saddle and was also ready to bring into play in an instant.

Stopping about 80 feet away, Josh said, "Nice day for a walk don't you think?"

The man couldn't help but grin and replied, "I thought so myself, but I could've been wrong. It's beginning to get a mite warm." He lowered the rifle to his side and motioned Josh to come closer. "C'mon over, never did like to shout."

Josh rode closer and dismounted. Extending his hand he said, "Names Josh Kelly. I'm scouting for a wagon train going to Santa Fe."

"John McCall," the man responded. "People call me Texas Red or just Red because I'm from the Red River country in Texas. I'm trying to get back home to Amarillo."

"I like to walk myself but it's quite a piece to Amarillo, especially carrying a saddle. Did you think about using a horse instead?" Josh said with a straight face.

McCall chuckled and said, "Well I had a horse but he stepped in a hole and broke his leg; had to shoot him. I could 'a shot myself too but decided to try walking for a bit."

"Sorry to hear about your horse, Red," Josh handed his canteen to the man and watched him drink taking little sips of water. "You can sit here and wait for the wagons; they should be here in a couple of hours. Or if you want, cache you saddle and gear and I'll take you back to them."

"I've been walking for a spell, about five miles since day break. If you don't mind I think I've had enough for today, could you take me back to the wagons?"

Josh helped Red hide his gear and mounted his horse. They would pick up the gear when the wagons came past the hiding place. He held his hand out and helped Red get up on the horse behind him. It's a good thing I'm riding Sunny, Josh thought. Some of the others I've been riding would have never put up with carrying double.

He held the horse to a slow trot, slowing to a walk for a while to rest Sunny and then going back to the trot. Josh didn't want to overwork his horse just to get back to the wagons quicker. During the walking periods it was only natural that the two men would talk.

"I noticed you limping," Josh said. "Did you step in a hole too or did you hurt your leg when your horse went down?"

"Naw, the leg is a souvenir of the war. I was with the 29th Texas cavalry at Manassas in '61and took a bullet in the leg. I had already lost two brothers and the captain thought my family had given enough and sent me home. The wound healed and the leg is still here, although it is a mite stiff." Red explained his limp. "I was lucky," he added.

"How about you Josh? Did you fight in the war?"

Josh told Red about the Bushwhackers, his father wanting to keep him out of the war, and how he ended up scouting for the wagon train. He told the story without apology or embarrassment and added that he had only left his family because of orders from his father and mother. 

"I wish I'd had sense enough to stay out of it too. But my brothers went and I couldn't stay at home with them in the war. I don't know why we got involved, just dumb pride I guess. No damned Yankee is going to tell us what to do type of bullshit." Red laughed sadly. "Hell we don't own any slaves and the Union government is too far away to bother us."

Josh smiled in sympathy for the man but understood his need to support his brothers even if he didn't believe in their cause; they were family. The talking stopped as Josh pushed Sunny back up to a trot. About an hour later the two men saw the lead wagon and slowed to a fast walk. 

Hobart had seen Josh returning and then saw he was carrying double. Curious, he rode out to meet his scout and the unknown man with him. "Pick up a stray, did ya Josh?" Hobart said with a big smile. 

He didn't want to insult the man with Josh but he damned sure wanted to know where the stranger came from. Hobart had heard stories about outlaws getting a man inside a wagon train; the insider would dispatch some of the guards and then the gang would rob and sometimes kill the families. Hobart wasn't about to let that happen to his wagon train.

The three men dismounted and Josh said, "I guess you call him a stray, Mr. Hobart. Found him walking down the trail after his horse broke a leg." Turning to Red he said, "This is Clint Hobart, the wagon master."

Red took a step closer, extended his hand, and said, "John McCall, most folks call me Red."

Hobart listened as Red told the story of how he happened to be on the trail. As he listened he formed a good impression about the young man. There was no self pity or anger in the young man because of what he had gone through and Hobart no longer felt quite as suspicious of the youngster.

"Well Red, we're about five days out from Oklahoma City; we can give you a ride that far at least," Hobart offered to him.

"Thank you Mr. Hobart, appreciate it," Red accepted the offer. "I'll work for my ride if you let me."

Hobart told him, "I need someone to spell my wagon driver and to help set up camp. How'd that suit you?" Red nodded and Hobart continued, "Get yourself over to that lead wagon and get something to eat and some rest; we'll talk some more."

The lead wagon was still about a half mile away and Hobart indicated that he wanted to talk to Josh alone. Josh said, "Here Red, take my horse. I think maybe you've walked enough today. I'll wait until the wagons come by and pick up my horse then." Red nodded his thanks, mounted Sunny, and walked the horse toward the oncoming wagon. 

"I guess that answers my question," Hobart remarked. "I was going to ask you if you trusted him, but I figure you wouldn't have given him your horse if you didn't."

"Remember I told you about Mr. Reece teaching me about horses; his wife Mali is full Cheyenne. She taught her husband better ways to handle horses but she was the one with the special touch. She said that I had that special way with horses too: that I could tell if a horse was going to be worth anything just by touching and looking at it. Mali said I'd been touched my Maheo'o, the Great Spirit and I had the same talent with men. Yeah, I trust Red, Mr. Hobart. I think he's just what he said, an ex soldier trying to get back home."

"Good enough for me son," Hobart said. "Jump up behind and I'll take you to the wagon."

"Thanks, but I'll walk a little; it will help limber me up some. I've been in the saddle all morning and I got a little stiff," Josh replied.

As the wagon train passed the spot where Josh had met Red, they both went to recover Red's saddle and gear. The wagons traveled for another hour and stopped by a small stream. For the first time Hobart instructed the wagon drivers to pull the wagons into a circle; this was a tried and true defensive position to ward off attack by hostile Indians or guerilla bands.

Red went right to work helping set up camp and gathering wood for the cooking fires. His limp didn't seem to slow him down and he did more than his share of the work. After supper he approached Hobart.

"Mr. Hobart, if you need me I can take a turn at night guard; either here in camp or as an out rider," Red offered. 

In spite of Josh's appraisal of the young man, Hobart wasn't going to take any chances; he would have Red stand a turn at guard inside the circled wagons and keep an eye on him. Red was here because of Josh's trust but Hobart would decide when and if he could be fully trusted. There was too much to lose if Hobart made a bad decision.

"Okay Red. You can take the first 3 hour watch here at my wagon tonight. That'll give you a few hours of uninterrupted sleep before we start in the morning," Hobart said.

After supper Josh walked out to the horse corral to continue his work with Diablo. The big horse was waiting close to the rails of the temporary corral for the man with the good tasting treats. He was becoming more trusting and gentle every day; Josh hoped to begin riding him soon.

Already Diablo would let the man come into the corral and run his hands down the horse's neck and across his back as Josh hand fed him and talked to him softly. "Tomorrow I'll put a hackamore on you and lead you around the corral for a spell," Josh told the horse. 

Later that evening Hobart showed Red his guard station and told him he would have him relieved in 3 hours. However Hobart didn't go to sleep, he laid on his bedroll under his wagon and watched the young man on guard. In the next few days he rotated Red through all the different guard shifts and made it a point to have the boy watched every time he was on duty. 

Hobart was a careful sometimes suspicious man; several times in his life this suspicious nature had stopped something bad from happening to him or his wagon trains. In this case his worries were unfounded; Red was exactly what he appeared to be, a young man trying to get home after a horrible ordeal. 

It took the wagon train 15 days to make the trip from Fort Smith to Oklahoma City. They had averaged about 13 miles a day which was pretty good time for a group of people that knew nothing about traveling over a rutted trail in wild country. 

The country between these two points wasn't settled land by any means but it wasn't nearly as wild as what they would be facing after leaving Oklahoma City. Hobart ordered everyone to replenish their depleted supplies and load up as much as possible. He told everyone that there were few people and fewer settlements all the way to Amarillo so they best carry all they needed; there were no stores out on the prairie.

The families bought staples like salt, sugar, flour and beans. They had a chance to replace gear that was beyond repair and get some things they had forgotten when they started on their trek. Extra harness, rope, and some cured hides were brought back to the wagons. The hides could be used to repair a lot of leather gear.

Josh went to the gun smith's checking on the price of handguns; he hoped he might find a bargain or a cheaper price than in Fort Smith. But if anything the prices were even higher out here on the frontier. I guess I'll just have to wait till Santa Fe, he thought.

He left the gun smith's and headed toward the general store. Red and Josh met about half way in between the two merchants. They discussed the things they had bought or were going to buy. 

"Where you headed Red? I was thinking about gettin a beer before I headed back to the wagons; thought you might join me," Josh said.

"I'm going to the gun smith's to do some business and then I'll join you," Red answered.

"Hope you're not going to buy much from him; his prices are more than high. That man's really proud of what he sells, I'll tell you," Josh complained.

"What were you lookin for?"

"I been thinking about gettin a hand gun but the price is just too high. I've still a long way to go after I get to Santa Fe; I need to be careful about using my money," Josh replied.

"What are you looking for and how much did the gun smith want for a decent hand gun?" Red questioned. Josh told him the gun he was looking at Colt .44 Army Revolver and the price.

"That damned old horse thief," Red exclaimed. Josh questioned him and Red answered, "I wanted to sell one of my extra hand guns and that old crook offered me about a quarter of what he wants to sell it for."

Josh and Red grumbled a few minutes and then started laughing. "I guess if you've got the only game in town, you make the rules," Josh said.

"Look, I was going to sell one of my brother's guns to help get me home. I got their guns with their personals when they were killed. Why don't I sell it to you instead of that old scoundrel and cut out the middle man?" Red suggested. He could see Josh was hesitating so he continued.

"It's a Remington New Model Army .44. I've got 2 extra cylinders and all the reloading gear. You can load all the cylinders and change them out when you empty one; you don't worry about reloading for 18 rounds or so. That's what makes it better than the Colt."

"I don't think I can afford it just yet," Josh said. "I'll have to wait until I get paid at trails end and get one there."

"The prices in Santa Fe will probably be even higher than here Josh. Tell you what I'll let you have the Remington for half of what he asked for a gun and we'll both be happy," Red offered. 

"Even at that price I need my pay at the end of the trail to afford it," Josh answered.

"I owe you a debt Josh and I trust you; Hobart only let me join the wagons because you vouched for me. Don't think I didn't notice him having me watched while I was on guard duty. I don't blame him but without you I wouldn't even have that chance. So let's help each other here."

Josh thought for a few seconds; he really wanted the gun and it was a good price but he didn't like buying on credit. "I don't know Red; I don't like to run up a debt."

"I know you'll pay me and what difference does it make when I get the money? There's no place to spend it out on the trail, don't you know." Red was smiling; he could sense that he had Josh thinking.

"Okay, you've got a deal. You should'a been a snake oil salesman Red. C'mon I'll buy the beer," Josh said leading Red to the saloon.

The two young men walking down the middle of the dirt street attracted the attention of other people on the street and wooden sidewalks. First even though it was a frontier town it was unusual to see two men passing a pistol back and forth as they walked through the middle of town. The people soon realized that this wasn't a fight about to start but a discussion about the gun.

The second thing that attracted attention was the differences in the men walking together. Josh was a tall young man for the times at 6' 1" with almost black hair and startling blue eyes. He walked lightly as if barely touching the ground, like a mountain lion. He was slender but his big frame promised to fill out as he grew older.

Red was about average height at 5' 8" with an almost squat body. At almost 200 pounds he was stocky compared to the slender Josh. According to him, people called him Red because of where he hailed from but his nickname might have had something to do with his reddish blond hair, blue eyes, and freckles. Even with his limp he stomped along as if trying to pound the earth down as he walked.

Josh was like a big panther, lithe and graceful: Red was like a bear, plodding and forceful. In his own way each of the youngsters was a force to be reckoned with. 

It was like the two men were drawn together by fate, or whatever. Both had lost something important to them because of the war; Red lost his two brothers in battle and Josh had been forced to leave his family and home. Although Josh was four years younger than Red, he was a natural leader and acted like one. Josh wasn't melancholy but he handled himself in a sedate and quite manner. Red was outgoing, boisterous, and loud. They made a good pair.

The friends stepped through the swinging doors of the saloon for a beer to seal the transaction for the pistol; at least that was the excuse they used. When Josh ordered a beer, Red changed his mind about a whiskey and ordered a beer too. Red thought it was a little strange that Josh passed on drinking whiskey; a lot of young men on their own would have had a drink whenever they could just to prove that they were men. 

"If you don't mind my askin, why don't you drink whiskey Josh?" Red questioned his new friend. 

Josh chuckled and said, "I learned my lesson a while ago, back home. The man living in the next hollar over the hill behind us ran a still. Pa caught me taste testing some of the "shine" and made sit with him and drink about a quart of the stuff. For a while I thought I was a big he stud, drinking with my pa. It wasn't very long before I threw up until there was nothin left in my stomach and I had the dry heaves; I got so sick I would've had to die to get better. That was my first and last experience with the hard stuff."

Red laughed so hard at the story that he blew beer out of his nose. "Dang, your pa knows how to teach a lesson don't he?"

As they toasted their deal and took their first drink, two men came into the saloon. Josh had learned to be much more aware of his surroundings after spending time with Johnny Burrows and he watched the two men make their way to the bar. Something about them put him on his guard; these men looked like trouble to him.

The two men were scruffy looking, unshaven, and dirty. Whatever else they had been doing bathing wasn't one of their scheduled activities. They both wore the butternut brown pants with a yellow strip of a Confederate Cavalryman; their shirts were fringed buckskin. One of the men looked around the room and saw the two young men at the end of the bar and nudged his companion pointing to Josh and Red.

The same man walked down the bar to where Josh and Red stood. "Where'd y'all get that gun?" He asked pointing to the pistol lying on the bar between the younger men. "It looks a mite big for you boys."

Red tensed and put his hand on the butt of the pistol at his hip, but before he could say anything Josh answered, "It's my gun mister, I just bought it." He pulled the pistol over to him and stuck it in his belt.

Josh could sense trouble brewing and was trying to avoid a bar room brawl. He wasn't afraid and knew he could hold his own but didn't see the sense in fighting for no reason. Josh casually brought his Henry up and laid it on the bar; leaving his hand on the weapon. It wasn't a threat or a challenge; it was just a move to let the men know that Josh could protect himself.




The Trail West Ch. 03



The man at the other end of the bar said, "C'mon Zeb, it's not worth the trouble. The boys'll take care of em later."

"Shut up Hank, you talk too much," Zeb said and walked back down the bar to rejoin his companion. The two men became engrossed in a heated discussion, sometimes looking down the bar at the two well armed young men.

Josh motioned to Red to finish his beer and they walked out of the saloon. Without making a point of it on the way to the door, either Josh or Red faced the two at the bar. They never turned their backs on the pair.

Once they got outside Josh said, "Let's get back. We need to tell Mr. Hobart what that one said about the others and later." Red nodded and they mounted their horses and headed for the camp at a lope. Josh had sort of loaned his horse Joey to Red for a spell; Hobart said he would provide a working horse for the young Texan.

When they got to camp, Red took care of the horses and Josh went to find Hobart. After he told the wagon master what he and Red heard, Hobart went into action. He ordered the wagons pulled into a tighter circle and placed seven of the wagons through the center. There was about 95 feet of space across the interior of the circle and the wagons would keep any attackers that got inside from shooting across to the opposite side.

The wagon trail consisted of 24 families; there were 39 men to defend the wagons counting Hobart and his men. Hobart put most of the women and all of the children in that center line of wagons, along with two of the older more steady men to protect them. Two of Hobart riders were stationed outside of the circle to protect the remuda which had been packed into the portable corral.

Josh, Red, and two other men were used as armed outriders, patrolling and scouting in a large circle around the wagons. They were an early warning system and the first line of defense. Hobart had done the best he could, although some thought he went overboard. It didn't matter what the few detractors said, he knew he had given the camp the best chance of surviving if an attack did come.

No attack came that night and the next morning Hobart keep two pairs of outriders patrolling as the wagon train got ready to roll. The outriders would continue to scout during the day's journey. Red had offered a suggestion on what to do if the train was attacked during the day.

Red suggested that if they were attacked that the wagons split into two smaller circles close to each other instead of trying to form one big circle. It would cut down on the time necessary to get a defensible position set up and the circles could help cover each other. Hobart thought it was a good plan and told the wagon drivers of the new strategy.

Josh felt that an attack would come before they got too far away from Oklahoma City and that it would come from that direction. He and Red rode a rear guard patrol and about three hours into the day Josh spotted a cloud of dust on the horizon; it could only be the raiders catching up to the wagon train.

The two friends found a rocky outpoint and set up a defensive position. Josh was riding Diablo and although the big horse was very strong and could run all day, Red would ride back with the warning because he was mounted on a quarter horse mare that was very fast for the short distance back to the wagons. The little mare could make the trip back to the wagons a lot faster than Josh and Diablo.

"Red, ride like hell and tell Mr. Hobart that they're coming," Josh ordered. He didn't consciously take command but fell into the role naturally.

"What about you? Where are you going, partner?" Red didn't want to leave his new friend to face the raiders alone.

"I'm right behind you. I'll discourage them a little," he said holding up his Henry. "Then I'll see how fast Diablo can get me back to the wagons. Don't worry, I'm not trying to be a hero but the wagons need to be ready when that crowd gets here." 

Red was still skeptical but did as Josh said. He quickly mounted the mare and rode like hell toward the wagons. He planned to warn Hobart and then return to help Josh. He never got to return; Hobart ordered him to help set up the placement of the armed men and the women that would help them reload, if need be.

"Josh will be fine, Red. He knows what to do and how to do it. Now get to work," Hobart ordered. He didn't stop to think that Red was the one with battle experience.

Red helped Hobart position the defenders and had just finished setting up the reloading stations when he heard Josh's big Henry sound off 16 times; there was an answering fuselage of gun fire. He looked back down the trail, heard 6 pistol shots a short pause and 6 more shots, answered by another barrage of gun fire. He saw a small cloud of dust closing on the wagons and as Red jumped up on a wagon he could see Josh and Diablo riding hell bent for leather back to the circled wagons.

When Josh got to the wagons, Diablo didn't slow and jumped through the space between two wagons and stopped. Josh slid down off the big horse laughing and patted the animal on the shoulder with affection. He talked to him soothingly; praising the animal for doing a good job. Diablo looked at Josh, his stance and expression seem to say, "Of course I did good, what else did you expect?"

Josh laughed again and turned as Red walked up and handed him a canteen. "Damn, the big guy is faster than I thought, good thing too. They were right on my tail for a while." Josh absently reached up and wiped a bleeding cut on his cheek.

"You hit? Red asked noticing the blood for the first time.

"Naw. One of those guys can shoot pretty fair; he hit the rock I was hiding behind and a rock chip cut me a little. That's when I got the hell out of there," Josh answered.

"I guess that Remington I sold you came in handy," Red happily remarked.

Before Josh could answer Hobart yelled, "Here they come. Everybody get ready, wait until I shoot then give em hell. Josh you and Red get to the other wagons and take charge over there. Jack's a good man, but he's never been in a fight like this." He had come to admire and respect Josh and it slipped his mind that the youngster had never had this kind of experience either.

Both men nodded and trotted to the other wagon circle leading their horses. There was one blind spot with this formation; where the circles were closest you had to watch where you were shooting so you didn't fire into the other wagons; the raiders weren't restricted in that way. Josh put the most experienced men there with a warning about their line of fire.

The outlaws, about forty in number, came over a small rise and got their first good look at the defensive positions the wagons were in and made their second mistake. They attacked one of the circles head on trying to overrun the defenders and force their way through into the middle of the circled wagons. Their first mistake was attacking Hobart's wagon train to begin with.

There were seven men with repeating rifles, including Hobart, stationed at the point of attack. The fire power of these fast shooting weapons was devastating to the guerilla band. They lost more than a dozen men in that first encounter. The survivors retreated, regrouped, and tried an attack on the second group of wagons.

Five men, including Josh and Red, had repeating rifles and the others had three or four of the single shot rifles at hand. Again, the hail of bullets cut down several of the raiders and forced them to retreat. Hobart made a quick count and realized that his men now outnumbered the raiders. If I had trained men I would take the fight to them he thought, but what I've got is farmers protecting their families. 

The gang was getting worked up to try another attack and Josh had the same thought as Hobart. He motioned to Red and explained what he wanted to do. The smaller man grinned, nodded his head and went to get the horses. Josh, Red, and two other men weaved their way out of the encircled wagons on the back side of the circle.

The attackers switched back to the first wagons and started to attack again, but at a different point this time. When they did Josh and his men flanked them and hit them from the side. Now the outlaws were caught in a devastating crossfire; it was too much for them and they retreated again but this time they didn't stop, they just kept running.

The riders from the wagon train that had flanked them followed the raiders until Josh was sure that the gang was really gone. He and his men returned to the wagons and helped assess the damage. 

The guerilla band left 22 dead men behind; the two from the saloon, Zeb and Hank were among them. The raiders lost over half of their number; it was a terrible casualty rate. The people in the wagon train didn't get by completely unharmed; two men and a woman were killed. The men had been defending the wagons, shooting at the outlaws and the woman had been reloading for her husband. There a few minor wounds but the families had come out of the fight in good condition.

They buried their people, Hobart said a prayer for them, and they reformed the train so they could leave. No one wanted to stay at the site of the battle. Some of the men asked Hobart if he wanted to bury the dead raiders.

"No, I don't think scum like that deserves it. Let God have mercy on them because I won't," was his answer. "Strip the bodies of anything useful and let's get on the trail. We spent enough time here." Hobart was a hard man at times.

They pushed hard and past the time that they would normally have stopped. Everyone wanted to put as much distance between them and the attack area as possible. The wagons traveled until almost dark before stopping; they had made about 13 miles. The camp that night was somber with people recovering from the stress and the danger of the attack and the sorrow for the people they had lost.

Eight days and about 120 miles later the wagons stopped and made camp as usual near a stream with running water. The train was nearing the border and should reach Texas in about a day and a half if the weather held. The camp spot had good water and grass for the animals so Hobart decided to stop for a day to make repairs to the wagons and gear and give their animals a rest. He sent Josh and another man out hunting that evening to help replenish their meat supplies. They had plenty of salt pork and dried beef but it was a long way to Amarillo so he decided to stretch their supplies by taking some game.

Josh took a shotgun with him along with his Henry and his pistol and returned just before full dark with several prairie chickens, what Josh would have called grouse back in Missouri, and a mule deer. The other hunter had returned with a few rabbits.

"I guess you weren't braggin' about being a good hunter," Hobart said as he smiled at Josh.

Josh smiled and nodded then said, "I saw sign of a herd of buffalo traveling north; two or three buffalo would go a long way toward feeding us; maybe even cut down on having to buy too much in Amarillo."

"How long you think you'd be gone?"

"If we left a couple of hours before sun up, I should catch up by 8 or 9, get a couple, and head back by midday. Should be back with the train by late afternoon."

"What'd you mean we? Plan on takin' someone with you?" Hobart asked.

"I can't pack enough back on a horse to make it worth the trip. But if you sent a couple of men with a wagon after me, I could kill two or three. We could gut and bleed them and bring them back here to dress out. I don't know what our fire wood supply is going to be along the trail so maybe you could send some people over to the buffalo trail and fill a wagon with buffalo chips for the fires."

"I was thinkin the same thing myself. How do you know about buffalo chips? I didn't think there were any buffalo in Missouri," Hobart said.

"No buffalo back home. I learned about the chips from Johnny when we rode together those two days," Josh answered.

"I think you just want to get out of mending harness," Hobart kidded Josh. "Sounds like a good plan Josh. Pick the men to go with you."

The next morning about 3 AM Josh riding Sunny with Red and Jack on the wagon left the camp headed north. "Go to that big rock out croppin' and turn due north. You'll come to the buffalo sign in a bit; follow it and we'll meet up along the way," Josh told Red and Jack. 

Hobart loaned his .54 cal Hawken plains rifle to Josh telling him, "It's got a mite more range than your Henry and better stopping power. It's one of the new ones and uses percussion caps instead of a flash pan. You can lay off almost two hundred yards and make your shot. Let me explain the best way to hunt......"

"Yes sir, I know," Josh interrupted him. "Johnny told me how to get buffalo, especially with a big bore like a Hawken. This should make it a mite easier."

Josh guided the wagon to the buffalo trail and rode off following the herd. He kept the big buckskin at a ground eating lope for about an hour and then slowed to a walk to let the horse rest a little. Sunny could have gone on for hours at that pace but there was the return trip to think about and Josh didn't know how far he would have to track the herd.

A little over two hours of travel brought the hunter to the trailing end of the buffalo herd. The herd was spread out as they grazed, not packed like they would have been if they were on the move. Josh retreated behind a low rise out of sight of the herd; he was still close enough to hear the buffalo feeding. He grabbed a handful of the grass which was belly high on his horse and let it flutter to the ground. 

"We're up wind Sonny and if we top this rise the herd will catch our smell and maybe take off. Why don't we circle around until we have the wind in our faces and then set up a stand?" Some may have found it strange that Josh talked to his horse like he would another man, but to Josh it was just a normal thing to do. Josh continued talking to Sonny, "It'll maybe take an hour or more for us to get set up and the wagon should be close enough to hear my shots by then."

Josh remounted Sunny and began to walk the big buckskin around the herd to the right. His plan was to circle the herd until he was straight downwind and find a hill or rise to hide behind and set up a spot to shoot from. If he stayed low and didn't silhouette against the skyline he would have time to take two or three of the buffalo before they spooked.

It took almost an hour to find the spot he wanted. He dismounted behind the small rise, pulled the Hawken and the Henry and dropped the reins to the ground. Sunny was trained not to move far if the reins were hanging down to the ground; Josh had spent weeks training the big horse to ground tie. Someone would have to use a whip on him to make Sunny run off and a couple of gun shots wouldn't bother him; Josh had used the horse several times for hunting back home.

Buffalo are big, strong, and at times dangerous animals. They have bad eyesight but a very good sense of smell and are very bad tempered; therefore you needed to be downwind if you're hunting them. For all their size and strength they aren't the smartest of animals. As long as they can't smell an enemy they'll continue feeding until they smell the blood scent from injured or dead animals. And when they start running, you had best get out of their way.

The Hawken was a heavy rifle and difficult to hold on target shooting free hand for any length of time so Josh used dirt and some rocks to build a rest for the big gun. He slowly inspected the herd, chose two yearling bulls as his targets, and waited for the animals he picked out to graze closer to the hilltop. It was almost 30 minutes before his first target got within a hundred yards. Cocking the rifle he took aim at the young bull on the edge of the herd and took his first shot. 

The bull dropped as if his legs had been cut from under him; the only noise he made was hitting the ground. Because Josh was downwind, behind the rise hidden from view, and over a hundred yards away the sound of the shot didn't bother the herd.

The buffalo closest to the dead animal move away a little when he went down but not seeing or smelling an enemy they soon went back to feeding. Josh reloaded the Hawken and waited for another 15 minutes for the animals to settle down again; then he took a second shot downing another young bull. Again this animal was over a hundred yards away and on the edge of the herd.

Josh could have shot several more animals without spooking them but it would have been a waste. Each of the yearling bulls would weight close to five hundred pounds and their combined weight would push the limit they could carry in the one wagon. After shooting the second buffalo he reloaded the Hawken and got back to his horse. When the major part of the herd passed he rode out to the two animals he had shot. The animals were only about 90 feet apart and he put a rope around the rear legs of one to drag them closer together. 

Now the messy job began. He used his rope and horse to get the rear of the animals high enough to place some rocks under the rear of the buffalo and cut their throats to bleed them. While they were bleeding he carefully made cuts length wise along belly of the animals.

After Red and Jack got to the downed buffalo, Josh suggested they use the block and tackle in the wagon to haul the rear of the buffalo up. This would help to bleed the buffalo and give the men room to gut the animals before they had time to go bad. While Red and Josh gutted the animals, saving the hearts and livers, Jack fed the horses some grain and gave them water. Using the horses and a pulley, the men were able to get the two buffalo into the wagon and covered them with a canvas. 

It was about midday when they began the return trip to the wagon train. On the way back Josh scouted in a two mile circle with the wagon at the center. It wouldn't do to be surprised by Indians or one of the guerilla bands; with only the three of them, their odds of survival wouldn't be good if they were attacked. It was slower going back but they had the camp in sight by 4 PM. 

They still had the two buffalo to skin, clean, and preserve for the trip. Hobart directed some of the men to take wagon tongues and make a three legged upright to hang the animals from. The men used a block and tackle to hoist the big carcasses and then skinned and butchered them. Some of the meat was cut into roasts and steaks for eating right away.

The wagon master decided to stay one more day so they could smoke, dry, and salt the rest of the meat to preserve it for use later down the trail. The people not working with the meat or doing repairs on the wagons and gear were sent to gather more buffalo chips.

Two days not traveling gave everyone including the livestock a much needed rest. The wagon train broke camp on the third morning and began the 300 hundred mile trip to Amarillo. If the weather stayed good they could make good time across the flat plains. There had been a little rain here and there but nothing that slowed the wagons down very much.

Josh had been riding Diablo more and more and the big horse was becoming all that Hobart hoped he would be. The rotation for Josh's mounts now consisted of a day on Sunny, then Diablo for a day, Joey for a day and then back to Diablo. He spent a lot of extra time training Diablo to ground tie and teaching him to be calmer.

Red had been riding horses from the remuda that belonged to Hobart. When they chased the guerilla band off they kept the best of the horses that belonged to the raiders that were killed and turned the rest loose. Red was given first choice of the animals to use; he chose two and now he rode one of those. One of his horses was a big gelding, almost as big as Diablo.

For twenty one days the train made good time and on the afternoon of the twenty second day arrived on the outskirts of Amarillo. Hobart led the wagons to the far side of the town and made camp just off the trail going on to Santa Fe. He told everyone that they would hold up for the next day and leave the following morning.




The Trail West Ch. 03



He suggested that if they went into town that they go in groups; warning everyone to be careful because Amarillo was a cow town and sometimes a hot bed of wild cowboys, guerilla bands, and the Rebel army. Hobart gave each of his men $5 and split them into two groups and told them that each group could have one night, morning, or afternoon in town. Again he warned them about the possible dangers of the town.

The next morning Hobart walked over to where Red and Josh were getting ready to go into Amarillo. "Red here's your pay along with a bonus; I think you've earned it. I want you to keep the two horses you picked after the raid; those are two good ponies," Hobart said to the young Texan. 

"Thanks Mr. Hobart. I didn't expect to be paid, I was just working my way home," Red replied. He was very surprised at the wages and the gift of the two horses.

"I guess we'll be leaving without you, now that you made it back home. You're a good man John and I've enjoyed knowing you," Hobart said shaking the young man's hand. "Hope to run into you again sometime."

"Josh, here's your town money and I'm making you a gift of Diablo."

Like Red, Josh was surprised at the wagon master's generosity. Hobart just laughed and said, "Hell Josh, that horse follows you around like a big dog anyway. I'm just glad to see that I still know horse flesh." 

Josh was grateful to Hobart for the money and the horse but he was the most thankful for the confidence, trust, and respect shown to him by the older man. "Thank you Mr. Hobart. But Diablo is pretty much over his distrust of people; he'd be a good horse for anyone as long as they treat him right. Are you sure you want to let him go?"

"I don't have time to train another man how to treat a horse. I've got enough on my plate, so you take the animal off my hands for me. Okay?" Hobart had made up his mind that Josh deserved the big bay horse and not just because he had been able to train the animal. 

Apparently I still know men too, Hobart thought as he watched Josh and Red mount their horses for the ride into town. That youngster is so much more than I could have hoped for. I knew he was a good one when Johnny Burrows took to him but I didn't realize how much he could do for the wagon train. Yep, I still know how to pick em alright, Hobart finished his thought.

The two young men rode toward town; Josh on Diablo and Red on the big gelding. Watching them leave, Hobart decided that he needed a few hours in town too. He climbed on his horse and followed the men toward Amarillo. Damn I guess I'm going to have to start using a buckboard or surrey he said to himself, I'm getting too old to ride a horse all day every day for weeks at a time. These old bones just won't take it anymore.

Josh and Red talked about what they would buy or hoped to find in Amarillo, their days on the trail, and the generosity of the wagon master. They didn't talk about what was really on their minds; the fact that Red was home and the two friends would be parting. Josh hated to see Red leave the train but he was home again; Josh would have gone home too if he could have.

They left their horses at the blacksmith's to be reshod. The two men bought a few things at the general store and then went to the gun smith's to get powder, shot, and percussion caps for their pistols; in addition they picked up cartridges for the repeating rifles that they both carried. The men were basically killing time until the smithy could finish with the horses.

The next stop was the saddle maker's. Red had been using a Confederate Officer's saddle that he had brought with him after leaving the war. Now he wanted a western saddle; it was more useful when working stock or herding cattle. He was able to find a used saddle that was reasonably priced and bought it. Red carried the saddle over his shoulder and Josh helped by carrying the rest of the gear back to the blacksmith's. This left both men with a hand free to use their pistols if the need arose. 

They got to the smithies just as he was leading their newly shod horses to the hitching post in front of his shop. Red switched out saddles, giving the military saddle to the smithy. As he finish a group of six men wearing Confederate grey rode over and stopped in front of Red and Josh.

"I'm Captain Davis of the CSA procurement office for Texas," the man leading the troops said to Red. "That's right nice piece of horse flesh you're riding." 

"Thank you, I like him myself," Red answered with a little hostility. Josh could sense the change in his friend and slowly pulled the Henry out of the saddle scabbard.

"I'll give $40 in good CSA script for the animal," Davis offered.

"No thanks, I'm right fond of this animal. He's not for sale," Red answered. 

"I don't think you understand youngster. In time of war, the army can take whatever it needs for the people it protects. I don't have to pay you for that horse, I was just being polite. Do you understand the phrase military confiscation?"

"Do you understand the phrase dead where you sit?" Red said as he slid his hand down to the butt of the pistol strapped to his hip. "You're not takin my horse Grey Back."

Josh was amazed at the change in his friend. Gone was the laughing, joking, easy going young man. In his place was a steely eyed gunfighter ready to shoot it out to keep what belonged to him. Josh had no doubt that Red was ready to kill the Captain.

"Son, there's only one of you and there's six of us. I think you're out gunned," Davis boasted.

"There's two of us mister," Josh informed the Captain as he stepped from behind his horse. He was holding the Henry in the crook of his arm. It wasn't pointed at the Confederate Captain but it could be brought to bear in a heartbeat.

"I don't think the two of you will be much problem, you're still out numbered," the Captain said.

"Maybe so Mister, but when the shootin starts, you'll be the first one to die," Red promised. Just like my pa told Fogerty Josh thought. 

"And if he don't get you, I will Captain." 

Davis turned his head to see a man with a Spencer rifle pointed in his direction. "And who are you Mister? You don't want to go against the army."

"I'm Clint Hobart and these men work for me. I'll just repeat what the boy said; the horse is not for sale." Hobart took a step or two closer.

"Don't believe you represent the Confederacy. I think you're just another son of a bitch trying to take advantage of people during this war. It might be a good idea for you to ride on." There was a deadly threat in Hobart's voice.

Captain Davis was a lot of things but stupid wasn't one of them. The three men facing his troop had the look. The look that said they were willing and able to fight Davis and his men if necessary. He turned his horse and with the rest of the troop following, rode out of town.

"Damn Red, I thought you were going to kill him," Josh said.

"I was; if he or any of his men had touched a gun, I would have shot Davis out of the saddle," Red told him. "I would have got as many of them as I could before I went down. Thanks for the support Josh; it means a lot to me."

Hobart had remounted and walked his horse over to the two youngsters; I'm going to have to stop thinking of them as boys, he thought. Those two are about as tough as any I can think of. "It might be best if we ride back to the camp together. I don't think those skunks will hang around but no need to be foolish about it. You boys ready to go?"

Back at the camp as Josh and Red were taking care of the horses, Josh asked, "When are ya leaving for home Red?"

"I guess I'll head out early morning. It's about two hours out to the ranch," he said laughing. "Hell it's just a big farm but Pa's got an idea that he's a real cowboy, don't you know."

In the early hour just before first light, Josh and Hobart watched Red saddle his horse, gather his gear, and get ready to leave. He put a pack on his other horse and loaded up his few belongings. Then he was ready to go and turned to say good bye.

"Gonna miss you son, you done good while you been with the train. If you ever want a job, look me up in Fort Smith; I'll always have a place for you," Hobart told him. He shook hands with Red and left the two young men to say so long.

"You take care of yourself Red. I don't have many friends and I can't afford to lose one. Good luck to ya," Josh said. He was sorry to see the Texan leave but knew Red needed to go home to his folks.

Red grinned to hide his feelings and said, "If I'd known about the attack on the wagon trail, the hard work I was going to do, and the run in with those fellers in Amarillo I might not have been so quick to accept your help when you found me walkin.

"Well I had to entertain you some, I mean being an ignorant Texan and all. I aim to please," Josh said.

"I don't want to lose a friend either. Hope you get to return home soon, Josh. If you come back this way, stop by the ranch to say hello," Red replied in a more serious note. "Keep your powder dry big man." 

Red mounted his horse, pulled the lead rope on the other horse tight, and with a final wave rode off to join his family. Josh watched him until he went behind one of few hills on the flat prairie. He gave a big sigh and went to get Sunny ready for the day's work. Another huntin trip was scheduled to supply the wagons with meat; the more meat supplied by hunting, the less they would have to buy.

Josh and the other hunters were able to add some wild game to the larder. The rest of the people worked on the wagons and got organized for the last push through to Santa Fe. There was always work to be done on a wagon train.

The land they were traveling through was mostly flat. There were few trees, some scrub growth, and a lot of grass belly high to a horse. A hill twenty feet high stood out like a small mountain and it was on one of this rises that Hobart posted a look out early the next morning. Out riders and guards were a fact of life out here especially as the train began to hitch up teams and prepared to travel. 

Hobart had posted one of the older boys on the hill as a look out while the wagons got ready to begin the day. Both Josh and Hobart would check the guard's positions every so often and it was Josh that saw the boy riding like hell back to the wagons. Dang, that boy can ride Josh thought, admiring the boy's skill on a horse.

The youngster pulled up in a cloud of dust and was off the horse before it came to a complete stop. "Riders coming Mr. Hobart," he reported. "At least two horses, maybe more, couldn't tell but they're raising a lot of dust."

Josh hurried to finish saddling Diablo, making sure that his weapons were loaded and readily available. He knew that if it was another guerilla band he would be more effective from horseback.

"Good job Jerry. Go tell the rest of the guards and tell them to stay alert; they might have to come back to the wagons. Now off you go son," Hobart ordered. Josh mounted and turned his horse toward the low rise. 

"Where you going Josh?"

"Going back up the hill, if it is a raiding party I can slow them down a mite. Maybe give you time to set up a defense," Josh told him. Hobart nodded and Josh started for the crest of the hill.

Sitting just below the crest of the low rise Josh was able to see the dust cloud coming toward his position. He stayed on the big horse and sat with the butt of his Henry propped upright against his hip. The wind was in his face, blowing the dust kicked up by the horses toward him and obscuring the ones causing it. When the wind shifted and the dust blew sideways he could see that it was a lone rider leading another horse. He relaxed a little but stayed alert; even a single man could be a danger out here.

When the rider drew closer Josh began to smile and road out to meet him. He recognized the rider; it was Red on a big sorrel stallion leading a quarter horse mare. The two friends pulled their horses to a stop as they met.

"You get lost on the way home?" Josh asked as a greeting.

"Naw, but I figured you would if I wasn't around to keep an eye on you so I thought I'd come back and lead y'all to the promise land," Red replied with a laugh.

"Good to see you Red. Why are you here?"

"Let's get back to the wagons and I'll explain to you and Mr. Hobart at the same time. I crossed the trail of about twenty riders headed southwest, could be nothing but he should know about them," Red suggested.

As they rode back to the wagons Red said, "I saw your scout up on the crest and then he was gone in a hurry. I guess to report my dust cloud. Who was it anyway?"

"That was Jerry Barnes; his pa and ma were killed in the raid and Mr. Hobart has sorta taken the boy under his wing, letting him work some and paying him. It helps take his mind off what happened."

"You might tell him to sit just below the crest with only his head showing. That way no one will see him and he'll be able to surprise them if need be," Red suggested. Josh nodded agreement.

Hobart was waiting for them when they got to the wagons. "Hello Red, I'm surprised to see you so soon."

"Hello Mr. Hobart," Red said. He nodded at a few people that had seen him ride in, including the Barnes boy who was still mounted waiting for orders from the wagon master. "Thought you'd like to know, just north of Amarillo I found a trail of 20 riders or so headed southwest." He waited for the wagon master to think about the riders. "Say Mr. Hobart, is that job offer still open? Thought I might go along as far as Santa Fe, if you don't mind."

"Glad to have you son, and thanks for the warning. I thought you were going to farm with your dad. What changed your mind?"

"Well, funny thing about that. When I was with the 29th Texas in '61 I couldn't wait to get back home. When I got back to the farm I realized that I didn't want to be a farmer. Besides, my sister married a guy with two children and they're living with my folks. To make things a little tighter one of our cousins lost her husband at Manassas in '61, and she and her three kids have moved in too." Red shook his head at all the people now living on the farm and in the one farm house.

"I don't hanker to sleep three to a bed in a room full of kids so I thought it might be time for little Johnny McCall to go out on his own. I loaded my gear, grabbed my horses, and come back here. Thought I might sweet talk you into a job," Red finished the story.

"Put your extra mount with the others and get to work. We're burning daylight," Hobart said with a smile. He liked and respected the young Texan and was glad to have him back with the wagon train. 

"How long to Santa Fe Josh?" Red asked but really didn't care; it was more out of curiosity than anything. He was on his own journey now and was looking forward to the trip.

"If the weather holds and no one bothers us and if nothing else happens, should take 20 to 25 days," Josh answered and continued with a grin, "But something or someone always turns up." 

Josh was also glad to have his friend back with him; they had formed a strong bond since Josh picked Red up limping down the road. He respected and liked Mr. Hobart but Red was closer to his own age and they had something in common; he had left his home too.

He looked forward to getting to Santa Fe and beginning the final leg of his journey to Colorado. Josh mounted on Diablo, turned the big horse on the trail west.

To be continued.



The Trail West Ch. 04



This chapter can be read as a standalone story, but I suggest you read Chapters 1-3. It will give you a better understanding of the characters and the story to this point.

As always, constructive comments and emails are welcome and appreciated. 

Also as usual there are no graphic sex scenes in my stories.

Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I hope you enjoy the story.

*********************

The Hobart wagon train was four days west of Amarillo and young Josh Kelly was scouting ahead for the best route, water holes, and a good spot to camp for the night. He had been doing the same thing for the last 40 days as the train made its way from Fort Smith through Oklahoma City and Amarillo toward Santa Fe. Hobart had shown a lot of faith in the 18 year old, giving him more and more responsibilities and the boy had blossomed into a very capable young man. 

The time Josh spent with Johnny Burrows, an old mountain man and a friend of Hobart's, had taught him a lot. Josh had learned skills that would help him survive in this wild country and on his journey; he put those skills to good use every day.

As he rode he read one of letters from his folks back in Missouri. He had found the four letters waiting for him at the post office in Amarillo. He had gone to the telegraph office to send his parents a short telegram; he had been doing that in every major town the wagon trail passed through since he left home. Josh's telegrams home were short but gave his parents information on his journey. A typical telegram read:

Am doing well. In Amarillo headed to Santa Fe tomorrow. More later. Letters to follow.

Love

Josh.

Josh was surprised that there was a telegram waiting for him; it was from his Pa. It was short and to the point; his Pa, Ma, and little brother Samuel were fine and don't worry about them. The telegram also said that the family had sent some letters to him in care of the post office there in Amarillo. Finally they wished him a belated happy birthday. He had turned 18 while on the trail from Fort Smith.

Josh decided to wait to send his telegram and make sure the letters were at the post office. After picking up the letters from his family he mailed the ones to his parents that he had written at night while on the trail. His letters explained about his life and adventures with the wagon train in greater detail than he could with the more expensive telegrams. Going back to the telegraph office, he sent a short wire to his parents letting them know that he was okay and where he was; he also told them that he had received their letters. 

In their first letter Josh got more details about his family; they were in good health and his younger brother Samuel had volunteered and taken on more responsibility on the farm with Josh gone. He was growing into a fine young man. The letter contained all the gossip about the little community in Missouri. He read that his uncles, Jake and Simon, and their families were well.

Josh finished the first letter and put it back into his saddle bag; he would read it again later. He found a good spot for the wagon train to camp that night; it had good water for the stock and plenty of open area for the wagons in their defensive circle. Looking at the sun still high in the sky, he figured the wagons could get to the camp site before dusk and have enough time to set up their camp.

He turned his horse Joey around toward the oncoming wagons and started back to report to Mr. Hobart, the wagon master. It would take him nearly an hour to get back and then another three to four hours for the train to make it to the water hole. 

Normally he would have continued scouting the trail further on for the next day's travel but he was uneasy. He had crossed the trail of 20 or so horses just before finding the camp spot. They were headed a little southwest but circling and he wasn't sure of who or what they were. 

Josh had good instincts for this wild country and the lessons taught to him by Johnny Burrows warned him to be on guard. What you didn't know could bite you in the ass is the way Johnny put it. So he decided to head back to the wagons early. He would tell Mr. Hobart the location and time to the camp site and inform him about the unknown riders. 

Arriving back at the wagons, he told the lead wagon driver the directions to the water hole. Before talking to Hobart, Josh went to the remuda and changed horses. Joey had been traveling since before sunup and deserved a rest: and Josh wanted a fresh horse for his next chore. He changed his saddle and tack to Diablo, the horse that Hobart had given him after Josh had retrained the big bay.

Diablo was a good mix of fast and strong and Josh planned to head back down the trail as an outrider to scout and guard the wagon train until they made camp. He found Hobart sitting on the tail gate of the last wagon in line, chewing on a piece of cold fried chicken. He laughed a little self consciously when he saw Josh.

"Being the boss means you sometimes get special treatment, don't you know," Hobart explained to Josh with a big grin. "I missed breakfast and I'm gettin too old to go all day without something in my belly and Mrs. Randle was kind enough to offer me a piece of fried chicken."

"Don't have to convince me, Mr. Hobart. I took some of the smoked buffalo with me this morning when I rode out," Josh responded smiling back at the wagon master. "Of course I didn't have a pretty woman give it to me." Then in a more serious tone said, "Saw something you should know about sir."

Hobart could see that his young scout was worried. He got off the wagon untied his horse and joined Josh. "What's on your mind son?"

"I saw tracks of about 20 horses crossing our trail headed a little southwest. Remember Red saw a similar trail just outside of Amarillo and I'm wonderin if it's the same group," Josh answered.

"We'll send out a rider to follow them a ways when we get there."

"I got a funny feeling about this Mr. Hobart. Nothing to base it on except that I find it strange that the two trails show sign of the same number of animals," Josh admitted. "And they seem to be circling back toward the northwest."

As Josh mounted Diablo and rode back toward the waterhole, his friend Red McCall caught up with him about a mile out from the wagons. "I'm going with you Josh. And before you say anything I got permission from Mr. Hobart. He said if we found something wrong one of us can ride back and warn him."

Josh smiled; he knew he could depend on the young Texan to do what had to be done in a dangerous situation. Besides, he welcomed the company and two scouts were better than one in this big country. About an hour's ride before they got to the camp site, they started to ride in a circle to the southwest searching for the trail that Josh had seen.

They had gone five miles or so when they found the horse tracks and decided to follow them for a ways. A few more miles and they saw smoke rising into the sky from behind a small hill. Josh and Red walked their mounts to the base of the hill and dismounted. Red looped his reins over the horn of the saddle on Diablo; Josh had trained the big horse to ground tie, he wouldn't move away as long as the reins were hanging down and Red's mount would also stay put.

The two young men slowly made their way to the crest of the hill, took off their Stetson's and carefully looked over the top. There below them was a camp with about 20 men sitting around two or three smoky campfires. The men had a rough appearance; unshaven and dirty looking. Some were wearing the butter nut brown trousers of the Confederacy and others wore gray pants with the yellow stripe of the Confederate cavalry.

Josh didn't think that these men were a detachment of Confederate soldiers or cavalry. He believed that they were a band of raiders pretending to be a Confederate troop; very much like the ones that had attacked the wagon train after it left Oklahoma City. 

One of the men drew his attention as he strode across the camp giving orders to the others. Watching the man, Josh knew he was right about them being raiders. He had seen this man leading a pack like this one before back home in Missouri. 

I'll be damned, Josh thought; that's John Fogerty and what's left of The Bushwhackers. There had been more than 40 men the last time Josh had seen the gang. He wondered what happened to the rest of them and what they were doing so far west and south. No time for reminiscing now, we need to get back and alert Mr. Hobart and the wagon train, he told himself. He motioned to Red and they snuck back down the hill and mounted their horses.

They walked their horses until they got far enough away and then pushed them into a lope. Back on the main trail they stopped to let the animals rest for a few minutes and discuss the situation.

"Red, you ain't gonna believe it when I tell you who them guys are. Remember I told you I had to leave home because of The Bushwhackers? Well that's them."

"You sure Josh?" 

"I wasn't until I saw that guy giving orders and strutting around the camp. That was John Fogerty himself; he's the one my Pa threatened to kill if he ever came back to our farm. C'mon, we need to warn Mr. Hobart."

The youngsters started to ride again, alternating between a lope and a fast walk to make it easier for the horses. Coming up on the first wagon they saw Hobart riding beside it and rode over to meet him. Josh explained what they saw and waited for orders from the wagon master.

"There any chance they're just riding through, Josh?"

"Maybe Mr. Hobart; I couldn't hear if they know about us or not. But they might see the smoke from our fires tonight and then they'll know about us for sure," Josh replied. "Not that it makes a difference but that's Fogerty and his Bushwhackers out there," he informed Hobart.

"The one's that drove you away from home? You're right Josh, it don't matter but it sure do piss me off. Well let's get to that water hole and set up the wagons before dark. Those bastards are gonna find out they poked a sleeping bear if they attack us. We've got some experience now and there's not as many of them as the first raid." Hobart said with a tight little smile.

Josh and Red went on point way out in front of the wagons. They took young Jerry Barnes with them mounting him on the very fast quarter horse mare that Red sometimes rode. Jerry had shown he could keep his head and they would send him back at a run if the raiders came at them; that would give the wagons the time to circle up.

The wagon train made it to the water hole without being attacked or even spotted as far as Josh could tell. Hobart circled the wagons with the large water hole on one side; that would keep the raiders on only three sides if they attacked. He also put some wagons across the center of the circle with three men in them; if any of the raiders got inside the circle this would prevent them from shooting from one side to the other.

Hobart doubled up the guards, placing men at intervals along the outside of the circle including overlooking the water hole. Josh planned to take the second shift at guard but he was going to be on horseback outside of the circled wagons. Red would be out there with him, both men felt they could be of more use as outriders. They could provide a warning if the raiders came around and then harass the gang from the flanks.

Josh had already taken a nap to ready himself for his evening patrol and still had a couple of hours before leaving on the scouting trip so he read the second letter from his family. Josh learned that Mr. Reece and his Cheyenne wife Mali, the couple that had taught him about horses, decided they'd had enough of the raids and killings surrounding the war; they packed up and went to live with her people in eastern Wyoming. Mr. Reece always did seem a mite put out by all the people in the area Josh thought.

His father said that the raids by both sides were increasing and the people in their area were fighting back. Uncle Simon's place was attacked but his Uncle Jake, Pa, and a few others came up behind the raiders and caught them in a cross fire. There were 18 bodies left behind when Fogerty and the Bushwhackers ran; like dogs with their tails between their legs is the way Pa described it. Fogerty and his men were last seen riding hard toward the southwest; no one's heard of them since.

And no, you can't come home yet his Pa had written; there were still other raiders and armies looking for young men. The rest of the letter was about his Ma and Samuel his younger brother. Everyone was well and they were praying for the day that he could come home. Josh wiped the tears in his eyes and realized that in spite of the adventures and the friends he had made and all the excitement, he was homesick.

As Josh was getting Diablo ready for their turn at guard duty, Hobart came over to him and asked, "You wanna take that quarter horse stallion of mine instead of Diablo? He's not as big as your horse but he's lightning fast for over two miles. You could get back here quicker if something blows up on you out there."

"No sir, but thanks for the offer," Josh answered. Hobart looked puzzled so Josh continued, "I'm gonna be out there until almost first light; that stallion of yours is very fast but not after riding two or three mile sweeps all night long. Diablo is a mite slower but he'll be just as fast after four or five hours as he was when he started. Besides, I trained my buddy here and I know what he can do."

"Makes sense. One last thing Josh," Hobart said and waited until the young man turned to face him. "Don't go tryin to get some kind of revenge on them fellers. There's more at stake here than you makin them pay for running you away from home. Hear me boy?"

"Tryin to be a hero is a good way to get dead. Johnny Burrows taught me that," Josh said with a grin. "I plan to keep takin your money all the way to Santa Fe, Mr. Hobart."

"Don't worry Mr. Hobart, I'll keep an eye on him," Red said laughing.

"Yeah, but whose gonna keep an eye on you? You're as bad as he is." Hobart smiled at both of his young outriders. "Seriously boys, at the first sign of them, skedaddle back here."

Josh and Red nodded at the wagon master and walked their mounts between two wagons and started their patrol. As they walked their horses away from the wagons, they talked about their plan. Getting about two miles from the wagons, Josh would ride east about a mile and turn south; Red would ride west for the same distance and also turn south. 

Then they would ride sweeps back and forth across the path that the raiders would most likely take. The two men would be out of sight of each other and the only warning of trouble would be gun shots. If either of them heard gun fire they would ride like hell for the wagons. One more gun against the 20 or so raiders wouldn't make much difference but the warning to the wagon train could save lives. Hopefully one of them would spot the raiders and get back without a pitched battle.

Josh rode his part of the search area looking for tracks or trying to spot movement. As he rode he surveyed the land, checking on hiding places and possible routes back to the wagons. The land wasn't quite a desert but the only vegetation was a lot of scrub bushes, a few cactus, and damn few trees spread over a large flat area with just a few small rises to break up the landscape. 

When the two men got about five miles or so from the wagons they found places to conceal themselves and waited for the full moon to come up. The moon would be up about 9 PM and in this flat land with little vegetation, the moon would light up the night almost like day; they would be able to see movement from a mile or more away.

Hobart started the guard shifts around 7 PM, running for four hours at a time. Most people went to bed early on the trail, tired from the day's travels and work. Red was a war veteran and believed that the raiders would attack after 12, when the second shift of guards had a chance to settle in and become a little bored. 

The moon came up and painted the land with a pale light. It was around 11 PM when Red spotted the band of horsemen coming out of an arroyo over a mile in front of him. They were traveling in single file at a walk, timing they arrival at the wagon train for very early morning. The slow pace allowed Red to join up with Josh and they headed back to the wagons at a high lope.

Now they were sure that the raiders knew the location of the wagon train and planned on a surprise attack sometime after midnight. The wagon train was put on alert and prepared to defend itself; the raiders were in for a very rude surprise.

The two young men got back to the wagons and reported to Hobart and finished getting ready for the attack. Josh and Red got something to eat, saddled fresh horses, and checked their weapons. Diablo nickered at Josh when he left the big horse in the portable corral.

Again the two men would use guerilla tactics by fighting from horseback. This time Josh was mounted on the quarter horse stallion that Hobart had offered before. The attack wouldn't last long and speed would be important. He and Red would harass the raiders from the flanks hoping to disrupt the attack on the wagons.

Josh was hid in a stand of tall scrub just to the west of the wagons when the Bushwhackers started their attack. He waited until they had passed his position before making his move. Pushing the quarter horse into a gallop he came up behind the advancing riders. 

Just as they started to fire at the defenders in the wagons, Josh and Red attacked from the rear. They made a run firing their pistols and peeled off to the side. A volley of fire from the wagons greeted the gang and was repeated several times; it stopped the riders in their tracks.

They turned to retreat and were faced with more gun fire from Josh, Red, and four others who had been hidden in an arroyo west of the wagons. The riders turned again and faced more fire from the wagons. As quickly as the attack began it was over. The survivors, only eight of them, galloped off to the east putting as much distance as possible between them and the fire storm that came from the wagons.

None of the people from the wagon train had been injured, except for one man who sprained an ankle enthusiastically jumping off a wagon to take cover. The Bushwhackers weren't as fortunate; they left 14 dead on the ground in front of the wagon train but no Fogerty. Gonna make a hell of a letter home, Josh thought. This time no one talked about burying the dead men. 

It was just as well because Hobart wouldn't have done it. He repeated what he said after the first raid outside of Oklahoma City, "Let God show them mercy because I won't. 

Hobart did have some of the men strip the dead raiders of anything that could be useful; guns, powder, a couple of repeating rifles, some cartridges and horses the raiders left behind. The weapons would be given out around the wagon train to add to their fire power and the horses traded at the next town for supplies.

Hobart was walking among the wagons checking with his people for any injuries besides the man with the sprained ankle and for damage to any equipment when Josh and Red found him. "We're gonna follow those that got away for a bit, Mr. Hobart; just to make sure they don't double back," Josh told him. "I don't reckon they'll want any more to do with us but we wanna make sure."

"Sounds like a good idea. But if you boys find them don't be heroes, stay out of range and skedaddle on back here," he warned his young scouts. "Would hate to have you boys shot up after we won the battle."

Josh and Red picked up the trail of the fleeing riders easily due to the full moon and followed it; keeping very alert and watching for an ambush. Looking at the tracks both men thought the raiders were running like hell to get as far away from the rifles of the wagon train as possible.




The Trail West Ch. 04



Within a couple of miles they saw a horse standing with its' head down fifty yards or so off the trail. Josh and Red separated and came at the animal from opposite sides, looking for the rider; they found him at the bottom of a shallow arroyo 25 to 30 feet from his horse, lying on his back. The man apparently had a gun shot wound in his belly and was still bleeding. 

He looked up as Josh and Red approached him from either side with their pistols drawn. His own pistol was on the ground beside him. He was holding his wound with both hands and didn't make a move toward his weapon.

"Well boys, you got me. Don't have much fight left in me," the man said as the two young men got closer.

"I'll be damned," Josh said. Turning to Red he continued, "Its John Fogerty himself." Red picked up the man's pistol and tucked it under his own belt. 

"Do I know you boy? I've seen you somewhere before," Fogerty said.

"It's Josh Kelly from Missouri, Fogerty." Red saw that his friend's face was stern and cold looking.

"Like old home week, ain't it boy? Don't guess I'll be recruiting you after all." Fogerty chuckled and then coughed, spitting up some blood. "Looks like I'm out of action for a while," he continued after his coughing spell.

"Hang tight Fogerty, we'll get you some help from the wagon train, though you don't deserve it." Josh went to examine Fogerty's horse; the animal had a wound in his chest that blood bubbled out of every time it breathed. Shot through the lung Josh thought. We'll have to put him down.

Red shouted to him, "Why don't you go get some help? You're better mounted than me; I'll wait here and put the horse down while you're gone." 

Josh mounted his horse and started back to the wagon train. He had gone about 200 yards when he heard the gun shot. Well at least that poor animal is out of its' misery he thought. About ten seconds after the first shot he heard a second one. Puzzled he stopped and looked back over the trail. Why a second shot he asked himself? 

Back in the arroyo Red had pulled the saddle off the wounded horse and stroked the animal's neck for a minute. For a man that had just been in a battle his movements and his eyes were very gentle. He waited until Josh was all but out of sight before he shot the suffering animal. Returning to where Fogerty was lying he squatted down beside the leader of the outlaw band.

"You're gut shot Fogerty. You don't have much more chance than that horse," Red told him with a hard look in his eye. He'd had that same look facing down the man in the saloon in Oklahoma City.

Fogerty looked back at Red and said, "I figure I've got maybe three, four days before I croak and I'll be in misery and pain the whole time. That about right boy?"

Red nodded in agreement. "What's your name son?" Fogerty asked. "If you don't mind telling me."

"John McCall."

"Well Mr. McCall, you'd be doing me a service if you'd finish me off; or give me my pistol and I'll do it myself. Don't hanker laying around for several days in pain before the end."

Red didn't like the man but he had to admire his courage to do what needed to be done. Even with a doctor Fogerty had no chance; gut shot men just didn't survive. He drew his pistol then handed Fogerty his gun and stood back; keeping a sharp eye on the outlaw. Fogerty nodded at Red, looked around for a few seconds and put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. That was the second gun shot that Josh had heard.

Josh turned his horse after a minute or so to return and check out the second gun shot. He saw Red riding toward him at a slow lope. He pulled up next to Josh and handed him a Henry Repeating rifle.

Pointing at the rifle and then at a pistol stuck in his belt he said, "These are the only useful things he had on him. Fogerty decided he didn't want to go through all the pain and die anyway so he shot himself."

"How'd he get a gun, did you give it to him?" Josh asked knowing the answer.

"I didn't like the scum but he was going to die anyway. Why make him suffer?"

Josh looked at his friend for a few seconds and said, "You can be a hard man sometimes Red."

"Sometimes, in this country, you have to be hard," Red replied.

The two friends looked at each other for a moment. Josh nodded and they rode back to the wagon train. They reported to Hobart that the raiders were half way to Mexico by now and told him about Fogerty. Josh handed the pistol and the Henry rifle to Hobart to add to the stores of the wagon train.

In spite of the late night attack, Hobart got the wagons on the trail at first light. They had almost three hundred mile to Santa Fe and the weather would start to turn shortly. The wagons needed to get to Santa Fe before the summer temperatures began to soar into triple digits and the summer thunderstorms struck. It was the middle of June '62 and by the end of the month they could expect daytime temperatures of 95 and more. And when the temperatures were at their highest you could expect thunderstorms too.

The wagon train made very good time over the flat land for the next twelve days. They kept the horses and mules well watered and fed. Without the animals the people on the train could be stranded in this desert like land. Planning ahead, the oxen had been sold or traded for mules in Oklahoma City because their brute strength was no longer necessary in this arid mostly flat landscape. Josh and Red spent hours in the saddle scouting ahead for water and grazing.

Normally the wagon train would start the day just after first light. Feeding the people and stock, breaking camp and hitching the teams to the wagons took better than two hours and they would hit the trail by 7 AM. But now by 7 AM the wagons had been on the move for two or three hours; the change in the schedule was due to the heat. Around noon the wagons would stop and everyone, people and animals, would rest and take a siesta during the heat of the day. They would get back on the trail around 4 PM and travel until just before dusk; several times they would push on under the light of a full moon. 

The wagons needed to get to Santa Fe before the real heat hit this increasingly dry and dusty land; their lives could depend on it. They were about ten days out of Santa Fe and the end of the trail when the summer storms hit. First they suffered a hail storm which spooked the horses and mules; they had to stop and calm the animals down. 

The hail tore holes in some of the canvas covers over the wagon beds and when the hard rain followed it soaked the inside of several wagons. At first the wagons continued on through the rain, but on the second day it rained so hard that it was hard to keep the teams headed into it. The animals wanted to turn their backs to the storm and ride it out; sometimes it was almost impossible to force them on.

There were several arroyos and small washes to cross that were only small inconveniences in dry weather but were now impossible to cross because of the water rushing through them. The wagons had to sit and wait until the rain water ran off and got low enough for the train to continue, and as long as it rained the arroyos would be full of water. These delays cost them several days.

The families in the train silently gave thanks that they had gathered so many buffalo chips when they had the chance. Those chips made the difference between a cold camp and cook fires. Even if there had been a wood supply nearby it would have been too wet to burn.

Josh and Red didn't have a lot to do while it was raining, all the gear was in good repair, the animals were still in good shape, and you couldn't hunt in this weather. They did do scouting trips around the camp to avoid any surprises; it didn't pay to let your guard down in this wild country.

In the afternoon of the second day of waiting, the rain quit. Hobart inspected the arroyo that had forced them to stop and predicted the water would be almost gone by late that afternoon. He explained that the wagons would break camp the following morning; no need to travel for only a couple of hours and then have to make camp again.

As Hobart predicted, by the afternoon the water level in the arroyo had dropped to a trickle and would be entirely gone by the next morning. He asked Josh and Red to make a sweep on horseback around the wagons. "Take a ride and see if anything is stirring now that the rains stopped boys."

They young men smiled and quickly saddled their horses; they were happy to get out and ride after being cooped up for a few days. Red rode south while Josh took off to the north, they would ride a sweep out to about two miles and then return to the wagons.

Josh rode north amazed at the change in the land because of the rain. Instead of being hot and smelling dusty, the landscape smelled clean and fresh; the scrub trees, grass, and some wild flowers were already beginning to bloom. As he topped a small rise he saw something else new to the land, at least it was new to him.

About 100 feet away at the bottom of the rise were a dozen or so Indians.

He pulled Diablo to a stop on the crest in surprise. These were the first Indians he had seen on his journey. Josh knew that these weren't the same as the Cherokee and Osage back in Missouri; mostly those had become farmers and mixed with the white man. 

The Indians that Josh saw were not farmers. They all carried weapons from bows to lances and even three or four rifles. He wasn't too worried for the wagons, they had enough fire power to protect themselves against this group; he was worried that there might be a lot more of them. Josh wondered if he could get away to warn the camp; twelve to one, when you're the one, was not good odds. 

Although Josh was alone he didn't think the Indians could catch him before he could get back to the wagons. None of the Indian ponies had the look of speed and before they could get to the top of the rise Josh would be long gone down the other side and going at a full gallop for the camp. Josh almost smiled thinking of how far behind Diablo would leave the Indian ponies.

Apparently the Indians were a surprised as Josh; they pulled their horses to a stop also. There was a lot of talking going on between them with most of it directed at one of the men with a rifle. Josh and the band watched and inspected each other for several minutes while the talk was going on. Finally the one that appeared to be the leader handed his rifle to one of the others.

The Indian held one hand up with an open palm and started slowly up the rise toward Josh. You had to admire the man's courage; I don't know that I would have the nerve to approach an armed stranger like that, Josh thought. As the Indian got closer, Josh took his hand off the rifle lying across his saddle and held up his open hand and nodded at the man.

The distance between the two totally different men closed to about 20 feet. The young white man and the older Indian examined each other for a minute or two. The Indian's body showed several scars with a big one running down the side of his face; this man was a veteran of many battles, Josh thought. Then the Indian pointed to Diablo and slapped his palms together letting one slide past the other in a universal sign of speed, speaking as he did. Josh knew some Cheyenne courtesy of the Reece's but he didn't understand the man's language. 

The Indian continued to made signs with his hands and Josh could understand a bit more of what he was trying to say; he had also learned some sigh language from the Reece's and from Johnny Burrows. After several minutes of repeated signs and mistakes Josh understood the Indian was signing that his name was Chief Running Wolf. He and the others had been on a hunting trip but the thunderstorm had spooked all the game and the Indians were headed back to their camp empty handed.

Josh made sign, again with some misunderstandings and mistakes telling them that he was with a wagon train headed to a white man's village further west. The two men from different backgrounds continue to "talk". Josh was surprised again when Running Wolf smiled and laughed trying to get him to understand his sign. 

Among many other things he'd learned from Johnny Burrows was that Indians weren't always stern and stoic. They liked to smile and laugh as much as anyone; they just didn't do it in front of strangers or white men. By smiling at Josh, Running Wolf showed that he thought Josh was trust worthy.

After several minutes, Josh understood that The Chief and his people would have to cut back on food until they had a successful hunt. The rain had held them up too and they would be late getting to their summer camp in the high country. Learning that there were women and children at the Indian's main camp, Josh thought of a plan that he hoped he could convince Mr. Hobart to allow.

Josh signed asking Running Wolf to wait on the rise; he explained that he would go to the wagon train and return by midday. He had taking a liking to the Chief during their "conversation" and wanted to help the Indian families if he could. 

Hobart saw Josh returning at a high lope and was concerned; Josh normally didn't ride that hard unless there was trouble. He mounted his own horse and went out to meet his young scout, not seeing a reason for Josh's hurry.

"What's got a burr under you saddle, boy? Riding pretty fast just to get back for coffee," Hobart said.

"Yes sir, I mean no sir, it's not coffee I'm after. I met someone north of here that I would like to help if we can," Josh said.

Hobart nodded at him to continue and Josh told him about Running Wolf and the Indian families being short on food. "Maybe we could spare enough of that smoked buffalo to get them to their high camp. What'd you think Mr. Hobart?"

"You say Running Wolf has a scar across his face?

"Yes sir, it runs from his hairline down to the corner of his mouth. Why?"

"Running Wolf may be his Indian name, but the Mexicans call him Cicatriz, the name means Scar. He's Jicarrilla Apache and been a thorn in their side for a lot of years; they've been trying to capture or kill him for a long time. Scar's a bad one, at least according to the Mexicans," Hobart said and then added, "Although I never heard tell of him bothering a wagon train. Whites neither, unless they went after him first. Still want to help him son?"

"Yes sir. I don't know about all that other ; I think he's just a man trying to get his family to a safe place. I'd like to help them if we could spare the food," Josh answered.

Hobart had to smile at the young man, "Always picking up strays aren't you? First Red and now Scar."

Josh smiled back at Hobart, laughed, and said, "Look how good Red turned out once we got him broke."

"Ok, go get your latest stray and bring em closer to the camp. I'll see what we can come up with to help them."

It took Josh about an hour to get back to the Indians and then about 20 minutes to convince Running Wolf to follow him back to the wagon train. As Josh and Running Wolf, followed by the rest of the Indians approached the wagons, Hobart rode out to meet them.

When Hobart got close to them he held up opened hand and began to talk to the Indian Chief, making signs as he spoke. Josh was amazed the Hobart could speak the language. The two men talked and signed for several minutes. Hobart told Josh to return to the wagons and bring the three cattle that he had roped together and give them to Running Wolf. 

Josh returned driving the cattle with the help of Jerry Barnes. Hobart questioned Josh about the Barnes boy coming with him. Josh told him the boy wanted help with the cattle and to see real Indians; this was the safest way to do that. Running Wolf also asked Hobart about the boy. He told the Chief why the boy had come out from the wagons and Running Wolf nodded. 

The Chief pointed to Josh and spoke for a minute or two gesturing repeatedly at the young man. Before leaving, Running Wolf walked his horse over to the Barnes boy and handed him an eagle's feather that had been woven into his horse's mane. Then Running Wolf shook hands with Jerry, Josh, and Hobart and with a last few words drove the three cattle off to the north. Hobart watched them go and rode back to the wagons with the young men by his side. 

As they returned Hobart explained to Jerry that the Apache "blessed" their horses by weaving eagle feathers and good luck totems into their tails and manes; they believed it kept the horses and their riders safe. When they got back to the wagons the boy dismounted and wove the eagle feather into his horse's mane; just like the Chief had done.

"I noticed that you called him Running Wolf instead of Scar," Josh said as he watched Jerry lead his horse toward what was now his wagon.

"You're damned right I didn't, Scar is the name his enemies call him, we're not his enemy and I don't want him thinkin we are. Indians put a lot of store in being respected," Hobart told him.

"Why'd you give Running Wolf cattle instead of some of the smoked meat?"

"Those cattle will help feed Running Wolf's village better than the amount of buffalo meat we could have spared. I plan to come this way again and it never hurts to have a powerful friend, don't you know," Hobart replied.

As they weaved their way between the wagons Josh asked, "Whose cattle did you just give away? How did you get them to agree to let them go?"

Hobart smiled and said, "Sometimes even a bad thing can help down the line. Those cattle had belonged to Jerry's parents; I bought them from the boy. I had planned to sell them in Santa Fe to give him a stake but thought this was a better use for them. And Jerry got the money either way."

The excitement died down but Hobart still had men out scouting around the camp. No need to be surprised at this point, he thought. Josh had just finished wiping down Diablo and was giving him water and feed when Red returned from his scout. 

"What's this I hear about you and some Apache Chief?" Red was upset that he hadn't been there too.

Josh told him the whole story as they walked across the camp for the evening meal. 

"Damn you get all the luck. I've heard about Running Wolf for years and now you get to meet him," Red said.

At first light the wagon train began to stir and get ready for the day's travel; they were on the move by 6:30. The wagons had made about five miles when Jerry Barnes came back at a high gallop; Red and he were riding point that morning. Hobart and Josh were riding beside the lead wagon and the boy pulled up by them.

"Mr. McCall said we got company. He said to tell y'all there's Indians on top of that rise yonder," the boy said excitedly. 

"Where's Red now?" Hobart asked.

"He's just sitting in the middle of the trail watchin em," Jerry answered. "He wants Josh and you to come meet him, Mr. Hobart. He said he'd keep an eye on em until you got there," the boy said with admiration at Red's nerve.

Josh looked at Hobart and said, "Reckon we oughta go see who our guests are Mr. Hobart? Jerry you best stay here, close to your wagon." Noticing the disappointment on the youngster's face, Josh continued, "We'll need help with the wagons if they're hostiles and in case this turns into something bad."

Hobart nodded, gave Jack his second in command orders to stop the wagons and stay alert. Josh was already riding to meet Red when Hobart caught up to him. Red was calmly sitting on his horse watching the Indians who were watchin him back from the top of the rise. The small hill was only about 30 feet high but it stood out like a mountain on this flat land. The two groups had about 200 yards between them and neither group moved until Josh and Hobart joined Red; that's when the Indians started down the rise.

In unison Red, Josh, and Hobart pulled their rifles from their saddle scabbards and laid them across their saddles in front of them. This move wasn't done in a threatening manner but the three wanted to be ready to fight if need be. 




The Trail West Ch. 04



When the Indians got within 150 yards, Josh smiled and said, "Put away your rifles boys, that's Running Wolf."

He slid the rifle back into his scabbard and rode out to meet his new friend. As Josh got closer, Running Wolf held up his hand, opened palm, to greet him. The Chief motioned for his followers to stop and he continued on to meet Josh and the other two white men. Josh made a sign greeting Running Wolf.

Hobart greeted the warrior and they began to talk and sign back and forth. Running Wolf pointed to Josh several times. Josh had been trying to follow the sign language and finally Josh couldn't stand it anymore. "What's he saying Mr. Hobart?"

Surprisingly to Josh, Red answered his question, "Mostly he's talking about you helping his people. He thanked Mr. Hobart for the cattle but says he knows that you're the one responsible for the help. Says you're a friend and wants to say thank you. I caught most of the sign."

Turning to the wagon master Josh replied, "Aw Mr. Hobart, that ain't necessary. I just wanted to help the women and children at his camp. Don't like to see no one go hungry."

"It's necessary to him Josh. It's a matter of respect and honor for Running Wolf; whatever he offers, take it boy. The Apache are loyal and good friends but they can be fierce enemies. So don't insult him by refusing his gift," warned Hobart. 

Running Wolf said more to Hobart and then moved his horse closer to Josh. He handed Josh a seven foot long stick about 2 inches thick and decorated with at least a dozen eagle feathers. Josh took the stick and nodded at the Chief and made the sign for thank you. The Indian dismounted and motioned Josh to get down also.

"Josh keep control of Diablo. Running Wolf is gonna do some kind of ceremony and is going to touch him," Hobart cautioned.

Dismounting to face Running Wolf, Josh put his hand on Diablo's nose to quiet him. The big horse's eyes were opened wide, disturbed by the strange smell given off by Running Wolf but calmed at Josh's touch and voice. The Indian opened a pouch he carried tied to his waist and dipped two fingers into it.

He brought his fingers out covered in a yellow paste and made a mark on each of Josh's cheeks. Next he dipped his whole hand into the pouch, covering his right palm with the yellow paste; he made a yellow hand print on Diablo's rump. As the Indian made these marks he chanted several words, over and over.

Running Wolf placed his hands on Josh's shoulders looked him in the eye and repeated the same words again. He mounted his pony, shook hands with Hobart, nodded at Red, and turned his horse and rode away. The white men watched him and his band ride up and over the rise. 

"What was that all about, Mr. Hobart?" What's this stick he gave me?"

Hobart smiled and answered, "You just made sure that the wagon train won't have no trouble with any Apaches tween here and Santa Fe." He laughed at the puzzled look on Josh's face.

"That "stick" is called a coup stick. The Indians use it to show how brave they are. They'll get in close to an armed enemy and touch him with the stick; the Apache believe counting coup on his enemy instead of killing him shows the warrior's bravery. Each feather stands for about 10 coups."

Hobart counted the feathers on the coup stick; there were 14 of them. "Lots of coups; Running Wolf is a very brave warrior."

"Why did he give it to me? I've never counted coup on anyone," Josh said.

"Running Wolf gave you his coup stick as a sign of respect and gratitude. He said that you counted coup by giving food to his people instead of attacking them or letting them go hungry."

Josh smiled as he inspected the coup stick and nodded. "What about the hand print on Diablo and these marks on my face and that chant?"

"Those marks are war paint, what the Apache call a death mask. They paint their faces and ponies to scare their enemies and to show how fierce they are; they also paint themselves for special doings. The chant was a ceremony and the death mask welcomed you and Diablo as adopted warriors of the Jicarrilla Apache. 

You're now an Apache warrior Josh." Hobart smiled at his young scout. "He even gave you a name, it's hard to say but it means, "Friend with big horse; or close enough."

"Okay, I guess," Josh smiled. "But how did I make the wagon train safe?"

"The coup stick will show any other Apaches that you are a warrior brother to Running Wolf, Chief of the Jicarrilla. No Apache or most other tribes want to make an enemy of Running Wolf and his band so they'll leave you and us alone."

Red couldn't help laughing at the events and the look on Josh's face. "How's it feel to be a savior Josh?"

"Running Wolf talked about you too Red," Hobart said.

"Oh, what did he say about me?"

"He said he liked your hair and that he hoped to take a scalp that color someday."

Now it was Josh's turn to laugh at the look on the young Texan's face.

"Okay boys, let's get back to the wagons and get moving. We've still got a ways to go to Santa Fe." Hobart ordered.

Arriving back at the wagons, with Josh's approval Hobart mounted the coup stick to the lead wagon so that it stuck up above the top of the wagon so anybody within a couple of hundred yards could see it. 

That evening as Josh groomed and fed Diablo an apple he asked the big horse, "Do you know that you're an Apache warrior, big guy?"

The big bay nodded his head up and down chewing on the apple as if to say, "Of course I know I'm a warrior." Red joined him at the corral after taking care of his own horse and they walked back to the wagons.

"You understood the sign language pretty good Red. I didn't know you could talk sign," Josh told his friend. He was impressed with Red's knowledge.

"I learned it from my Pa. He was a Texas Ranger for awhile when he first settled our ranch back in '39. There were troubles between the settlers and the Indians back then; including the Apache but mostly the Comanche. Pa thought it was a good idea to be able to talk to the Indians so he learned sign language and taught my brothers and me. Comes in handy now and then."

Josh knew some sign but wanted to know more. "Think you could teach me?"

"Sure, you're pretty smart for a Missouri farm boy. We'll start tonight after supper," Red chuckled.

The next five days were routine for the wagons; up before daylight, travel all day, and circle the wagons to make camp at night. Now that the rains had stopped Josh and others were able to do some hunting to give the people some variety from the smoked buffalo meat. The trail began to slowly climb in elevation as they got closer to Santa Fe and the days cooled off a little as they got to higher ground.

Every day on their scouting trips and every night after supper Red and Hobart taught Josh more sign language. It was a useful tool, Josh might run into Indians on his was to Colorado and even after he got to his destination; where ever that would be. He still hadn't made up his mind as to where he was headed after Santa Fe.

Josh saw something interesting that had been developing for several days. About a week after the first raid Hobart had started to spend more and more time with Jerry Barnes. Aside from feeling sorry for the boy's loss, he really seemed to like the youngster and invited him to eat at his wagon every night. 

Hobart was a born teacher; he would pass along his knowledge of how to make it in this wild country, The best way to treat stock and a number of other things he had learned over the years, he taught to anyone that had sense enough to pay attention to the lessons.

One evening after Hobart had shown Jerry the best way to load a pack horse Josh just had to tease the grizzled wagon master about the boy.

"This time it's you picking up strays Mr. Hobart," he said pointing to Jerry as he went back to his wagon.

Hobart smiled and chuckled a little and said, "The boys got bottom to him. A lot of youngsters would have just folded up on themselves after losing their parents; he didn't. He's had to grow up faster than a boy should have to and he's done it well." Hobart paused sort of looking inside himself and added, "Makes me think of my son."

"I didn't know you have a son, heck I didn't even know you was married," Josh said in surprise.

"Jacob and his mother died from the cholera better than 25 years ago," Hobart told him.

"Sorry Mr. Hobart, I didn't mean to pry or bring back bad memories," Josh apologized.

Hobart sort of shook himself and smiled at the young man. "You didn't son, all I got is good memories of Martha and Jacob. We had a good life together until they got the sickness."

Josh, even though young, had a feel for animals and men. He felt that the wagon master was in a mood to talk about his family so he asked "What happened Mr. Hobart?"

Hobart had been staring into the fire and looked up at Josh. "I think that Cheyenne woman you told me about was right. You do have a feeling for people don't you son? He didn't wait for an answer and began his story.

His parents had passed away and left their ranch in California to Hobart and his older brother. The older son, Jason, had been working the place with his pa. Hobart decided to move his wife and son from Little Rock to the ranch after his parents died. The plan was for the two brothers to run the ranch together.

Hobart and his family joined a wagon train in Fort Smith and began the trek west. Between Amarillo and Santa Fe the train ran into trouble. It had been a very dry summer and a lot of the water holes had dried up and what water there was to be had wasn't good; it had to be boiled to be safe to use. Hobart had gone on an overnight scout looking for water and while he was gone his wife and son got some bad water. They got cholera and died shortly after he returned.

He stopped talking for a couple of minutes and Josh just sat waiting for him to continue. 

"They and other people died because the wagon master was a fool. He didn't know enough about the country to safely lead the wagons. It was his fault that my Martha and Jacob died. I pulled him off his horse and had my Bowie knife at his throat planning on killing him like he had killed my family and other families with the wagon train," Hobart admitted.

"What happened? Did you kill him Mr. Hobart?" Josh asked.

"No, but I wanted to in the worse way." 

"What stopped you?" Josh knew that Hobart needed to finish his story.

"I saw Martha's face in front of me. She had that disapproving look that she used to get when I did something stupid and I knew she wouldn't have liked me killing the bastard. So I let him up and told him if I ever heard about him leading another wagon train I would hunt him down and finish what I'd started."

Hobart shook himself a few seconds after finishing his tale. He looked up at Josh and smiled at the young man. "You know, every once in a while I need to talk about it, it helps to ease the pain. Thanks for listening Josh."

Josh was a little embarrassed at the emotion in Hobart's voice and changed the subject. "What's Jerry going to do at the end of the trail? Does he have other family he can go to?"

"Not really he don't. That's one reason his parents decided to get a fresh start out west, they had nobody to connect to in Illinois and with the war thought it would be safer out here. But I got a couple of ideas for the boy; it all depends on what he wants."

The next morning after the wagons were moving, Hobart motioned Josh to join him as he rode out ahead of the train. "I'm going to talk to Jerry tonight and see what he wants to do when we get to Santa Fe. I've got a couple of ideas and he needs time to think about them before he makes a decision. Will you sit with us when we're talkin, you're closer to his age and you two seemed to have taken to each other?"

"Be happy to Mr. Hobart. I've been doin some thinkin about him and I've got an idea too. I'd like to run it by you and see what you think before I tell Jerry about it."

Hobart nodded and Josh told him his idea. The older man rode silently for a minute or so and then smiled at Josh and said, "That's a fine idea son. It'll give Jerry more than one way to go. A man oughta have choices, don't you know."

That night after supper, Jerry thanked Hobart for the meal and stood to return to his wagon. "Hold up Jerry, we need to talk a bit." The boy sat back down looking puzzled. "What are your plans after we get to Santa Fe son? You know we'll be there in two or three days."

"Hadn't really thought much about it sir. Guess since we're getting close I should," Jerry answered.

"Are you going back East?"

"Don't think so. Got a couple of aunts and uncles back in Illinois but I haven't seen them for years so we're not close. Besides they already have a passel of kids and don't need another mouth to feed. I guess I'm on my own so I'll have to find a way to live out here."

"Well I've got some suggestions for you since you don't have a plan of your own yet. It's your decision and you don't have to take any of them, understand?"

Jerry looked concerned, not frightened but concerned about his future and nodded at Hobart.

"I know two good men in Santa Fe that run a stables and blacksmith; I can get you a job in the stables or as an apprentice to the blacksmith. That's one suggestion. Or you can come with me to California to my ranch. My brother Jason runs the place and we're always looking for good hands to help out. It won't make you a lot of money but you can live a good life there."

The boy nodded a couple of times as he listened to Hobart. Josh could see that Jerry hadn't thought any further than the next day on the trail and was a little frightened now.

"I've got another idea for you Jerry," Josh said. "I'm leaving the train at Santa Fe and heading up to Colorado. My plan is to get work training horses or working for a cattle ranch up there. Don't know which one or even if I can but that's the plan. After the war is over, I will probably go back to Missouri; there'd be a place for you on our farm. Either way, you're welcome to come with me. We'd make a pretty good team."

Now Jerry didn't know what to do or think. Going from having no plan to having three to choose from was almost overwhelming.

"One thing Jerry, the suggestions from Mr. Hobart will get you a good life and you won't go hungry, that's for sure. Coming with me is a bit of a gamble. It's not exactly Illinois where I'm goin, it's still a wild country, so you want to think about that too," Josh said.

"You don't have to do any of these and I'll try to help you if you decide to do something else, but we wanted you to have choices," Hobart told the boy. "Think about it until the last night on the trail and let me know what you want to do. Good night son."

Hobart watched Jerry walk back to his wagon; he felt better now that the boy had a place to go. Even though it wasn't his fault the wagon master felt responsible for the death of Jerry's parents; that's one of the reasons he wanted to help the youngster. 

He knew the boy would be big enough and strong enough to take care of himself once he got his full growth. Jerry was already 5' 8" and about 150 pounds and he would fill out and maybe get taller as he matured. He would be decent looking with his brown eyes and his shock of dark hair; right now his hair was all over the place and he needed a haircut.

Two more days and nights on the trail and the wagon train camped for the last time before getting to Santa Fe. Jerry came to Hobart's wagon for supper as he usually did but didn't leave right afterwards. 

"I've made my decision Mr. Hobart." He turned to Josh and said, "I'd like to go with you to Colorado if the offer's still good Mr. Kelly."

"It's still open Jerry, just one thing you gotta do before we join up, quit calling me Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly is my Pa, my name's Josh," he said smiling at the boy.

"Yes sir. I thank you Mr. Hobart for your offers but I want to see some more of this country. I've ridden with and know Mr. Kel...I mean Josh. I think I could learn a lot from him too." Hobart nodded at him.

"Jerry, I'll teach the best way to train horses and how to work stock. That way you can make it on your own whenever you want to," Josh told him.

Hobart spoke up and said, "I'll help you sell your wagon and other things once we get to Santa Fe; it'll give you a stake."

"C'mon Jerry let's go back to your wagon and start pickin out the stuff you'll need for our trip," Josh suggested.

At the wagon, sorting through his belongings Jerry thought of a problem. "Mr. Kel....I mean Josh, I don't have a horse. I've been riding horses from the remuda but I don't own one. I mean I can't go with you without a horse."

"I wouldn't worry about it Jerry. Mr. Hobart is going to help you sell your wagon and the gear you don't want or need; that should be plenty to get you a horse or two and give you a stake. If nothing else you can ride Sunny or Joey until we can find you a pony."

Jerry seemed relieved and went back to looking through the wagon. Josh knew that a lot of wagon trains finished their journeys in Santa Fe and that they sold off their extra horses. It'll be a good place to look for a mount for Jerry.

The next day the train made its way into Santa Fe and set up camp just outside of the settlement. Josh wanted to take a couple of days, maybe more, to get supplies and plan the next leg of his journey. Hobart told him that he could stay with the wagons until he decided to leave.

That first evening wasn't much different than all the other nights on the trail, except there was a feeling of excitement because many of the people had come to the end of the trail. At supper around Hobart's wagon Josh, Hobart, and Red talked about the trek west. 

"We made good time from Fort Smith, we didn't have any serious wagon break downs, and nobody got sick on the trail. It was a good trip," Hobart proclaimed. "Even with the two attacks by the guerillas it was a good trip."

"It was a good trip because we had a good leader," Josh said complimenting Hobart.

"Even that stray you brought worked out okay," he said pointing to Red.

"It's a good thing I found this boy," Red replied. "No tellin what kind of trouble he would have got into without me to watch over him."

The three men laughed at Red's antics and then got quiet thinking about their parting. Josh had found a father figure in Hobart; not as a substitute for his Pa but more like a real close uncle. Red had found and made two good friends. And Hobart had watched a lonely farm boy from Missouri turn into a fine young man.

"One last thing Mr. Hobart. I promised to stay with the train to Santa Fe and now I'm going to be leaving you. Thanks for everything sir," Red said a little embarrassed at his feelings.

"Thought you might Red," Hobart replied. "Didn't really expect you to stay on with the wagon train. What're you going to do, where do y'all go from here?"

"Well Josh has never been to Colorado so I'd better go along and show him the way."

"You've never been to Colorado either Red. How're you going to show me the way?" Josh asked smiling. 

"That's right, I never been but I'm a natural born path finder so I can lead you anywhere you want to go."

The three friends stayed up later than normal that evening talking, remembering, and enjoying each other's company for probably the last time. In spite of the late night they were up at first light; with months and weeks on the trail it had become a habit.

After breakfast Hobart went into Santa Fe, he had several errands to take care of. One was to let the livery stable know that he had a wagon and farming gear for sale. When he got back to the camp around midday he motioned Jerry over to him, Josh came with the boy.

"Jerry, I talked to the man at the livery and let him know about your wagon and gear. It'll probably take a few days to sell so I'll make you a deal. I'll give you $250 dollars for the whole kit and caboodle or you can wait around to see if it'll bring more," Hobart told him.




The Trail West Ch. 04



Josh smiled at Hobart and knew Jerry couldn't tell what a good deal he was being offered. It was time for the boy's first lesson so Josh spoke up.

"Jerry and I are partners now so I'd like to deal myself a hand in this game Mr. Hobart," Josh said and continued at a nod from Hobart. "How bout you give Jerry $240 and he'll take two of those old nags from the remuda off your hands so you don't have to waste feed on them?"

"Well ifin I have to give up two of those fine animals I think $180 should be enough cash."

"Most of your animals aren't fit for much but since it's you, I think Jerry could go as low as $230 if you include a saddle and tack," Josh replied.

The horse trading continued for several minutes with Hobart and Josh making offers and counteroffers until they agreed that Jerry would get $200, a western saddle and tack, and two horses for his wagon and its' contents. Through the whole process Jerry watched and listened to the two men; his head turning back and forth as they dickered over prices. 

After coming to an agreement on the price, the three went to the corral to choose the two horses for Jerry. The boy asked Josh to help him pick out the best animals. Hobart pointed out a few of the horses that belonged to other people but there was a good selection. The owners of the wagon teams had already taken their animals, now that they had reached the end of the trail; most of the horses in the corrals were riding stock.

Most boys or young men tend to go for the best looking horses as opposed to the best animal, Jerry was an exception. The first horse he chose was the black that Hobart usually let him ride, it was a Morgan, bred to be used for a lot of different jobs, including handling stock. It was very quick, had good stamina, and was good all around horse. 

He wasn't sure about choosing a second animal and asked Josh to help him. After checking with Hobart, Josh pointed out a big chestnut horse similar to his Sunny. The horse was strong and could go all day at a good pace. Jerry spent the better part of the afternoon with his two horses. He brushed and combed them and let them get use to him handling them.

Later that afternoon, Hobart paid Josh for 70 days on the trail, it had taken the wagon trail 62 days from Fort Smith to Santa Fe but he felt that Josh had earned a bonus. He also paid Red from the time they picked him up east of Oklahoma City to Santa Fe. Red said he didn't deserve pay before they got to Amarillo that he was just earning his way home. Hobart insisted that the young Texan had more than earned the money. The wagon master even paid Jerry some wages for his scouting and work around the wagon train after his parents were killed.

Hobart invited Josh and Red to town for one last drink before they left in the morning. Jerry wanted to go too but he was a mite young for that kind of entertainment. The three friends rode into town and entered the saloon. Hobart and Red got whiskey and Josh as usual got a beer.

They were standing at the bar when a big cowboy knocked against Red to make room for himself at the crowded bar. "Excuse me mister, I didn't know I was in your way," Red said to the man with a smile.

"Mind your manners when you talk to you betters sonny," the man told Red. 

"Yes sir I will, just as soon as I meet my betters. But you ain't it."

Hobart gently pulled on Red's arm saying, "C'mon he's not worth your time. Let's enjoy our drinks."

"Better listen to your Pa boy. Your about to get your backside paddled," the cowboy said. It was plain that he was looking for a fight.

Hobart looked at the man and said, "Mister, you might want to pull in your horns a little. This "boy" is a veteran of Manassas and helped fight off two raids on our wagon train by guerilla scum. He's not one to turn his back or walk away. Let me buy you a drink and let's forget all this."

"I don't need your drink and I'll decide when to back off," the man replied. Directing his words to Red the man said, "I think you better apologized for bumping into and sassin me boy." The cowboy backed away from the bar, ready to go for the gun stuck in his belt.

People scatted away from the scene not wanting to be caught up in the fight. Josh noticed that another cowboy that had come into the saloon with the bad tempered man had moved sort of to the side and slightly behind Red. Not sure of what his intentions were, Josh slowly moved over to stand next to the man.

Red stepped back from the bar and as Hobart came to his side said, "Step away Mr. Hobart, this gentleman's going to teach me some manners and the lesson is just for me. Step away sir."

Turning back to the big mouthed cowboy Red said, "I truly am sorry you bumped into me. Some people are just naturally clumsy I guess."

Red's normal voice had deepened into a challenging tone and the big happy go lucky grin on his face had been replaced by a grim tight lipped smile. Josh had seen the same look on his friend's face when the two men had braced them in Oklahoma City. It amazed him, the change that came over his fun loving, always kidding, and always smiling friend. This side of Red was a battle harden veteran who wouldn't be cowed or pushed around.

The cowboy reached to pull his gun but before he could do much more than grab the pistol's grip, Red's gun was in his hand and pointed at the man. Red's hand had moved so fast that it was a blur that not many could follow. The man pulled his hand away from his gun and sort of slumped in on himself.

"Care to try again mister?" Red asked as he holstered his gun and then drew it with a blur again. "I didn't think so; maybe you should leave since the bar is so crowded and you can't keep from bumping into people."

When the big man had started the move for his gun, his friend standing slightly behind Red had also reached for his weapon. He felt the cold steel of a pistol barrel against his throat and stopped.

"Mister you oughta think again before you pull that hog leg." He turned and looked at the young man holding the pistol. Looking into a pair of cold blue eyes made the cowboy realize he was just one move away from death. He dropped his hand and stepped back.

Josh didn't realize it about himself but Hobart did; Josh had changed from the wide eyed, naïve, and maybe innocent young farm boy into a very competent and confident young man. And Red for all his laughing and joking could be a stone cold killer. I wouldn't want to get sideways with those two, Hobart thought.

The two cowboys, now cowed, quickly left the saloon; very fortunate to get out of there with their lives. They mounted their horses and rode out of town like the devil himself was on their heels.

"Well boys, thanks for the entertainment but I've had about all the fun I can stand so I think I'll finish my drink and head back to my wagon," Hobart said to lighten the mood.

"Hadn't really planned it but I'm glad you enjoyed the show, Mr. Hobart," Red replied with a smile, now back to his good natured self. 

The three left the saloon and rode back to the camp. On the way Red rode up beside Josh and said, "Thanks for the hand back there; I probably could have handled them both but it sure made it easier with you taking care of that second cowboy."

"You saw him? I didn't think you knew he was there so I had a little talk with him. He listened real good," Josh replied.

Over a last cup of coffee before going to bed Josh remarked, "I don't have that much experience with gun fighting but I've never seen anyone move that fast Red."

"Have a cousin, name of John Slaughter, he taught me a little before the war; he's a law man or was before the war. It's not a skill I'm proud of but sometimes it comes in handy.

"Texas John Slaughter, the famous lawman? We even heard about him back in Missouri."

"Maybe infamous is a better term, but yeah Cousin John taught me a little."

The next morning Josh, Red, and Jerry were up shortly after first light; ready to start their trek to Colorado. The three travelers and Hobart met for morning coffee for probably the last time. Josh felt sad and excited at the same time. He was sad to be leaving Hobart after being with him daily for over two months and becoming good friends but he was excited on beginning the journey to Colorado.

"You certainly do pick up strays, don't you Josh. Now you got two and a bunch of horses," Hobart laughed. He handed Jerry the Henry rifle and pistol that Red had taken from Fogerty. "Y'all might have use for these son". He smiled at the look on the boys face. "Where you and your strays headed, Josh? You ever decide?"

"Well my partners and I decided to explore Chico Basin just southeast of Colorado City," Josh said with a big grin. "I hear there's a couple of big cattle spreads in the area and they might just have need of horse trainers or cow hands. Guess we'll see when we get there."

"Where'd you hear about Chico Basin?"

"Johnny Burrows told me about that area just before he left the train, so I think that's as good a place as any to start."

Hobart shook hands with the three and said, "Well, hang onto your scalps boys and if you get over my way stop in at my ranch. It's the "Double H" spread in the Laguna Mountains just east of San Diego and it is god's own back yard. You'll always be welcome for a visit or to stay. Or if you decide you like the life on a wagon train come see me in Fort Smith, I run two trains a year from there. Good luck and God bless you."

The three partners mounted their horses waved at Hobart and for the first time turned north on the trail heading for a new land and new adventures.

To be continued... 



The Trail West Ch. 05



Please read Chapters 1-4. They will give you a better understanding of the characters and the story to this point.

As always, constructive comments and emails are welcome and appreciated. 

Also as usual there are no graphic sex scenes in my stories.

Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I hope you enjoy the story.

****************

The three men were two days north of Santa Fe on their way to the Chico Basin near Colorado City. Josh Kelly, John 'Red' McCall, and Jerry Barnes hoped to find work with one of the cattle ranches in that area. 

It was about 300 miles as the crow flies to Chico Basin from Santa Fe, but they weren't crows so the trip would be closer to 350 miles. They had to wind their way along the high trails and through the passes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains just to the north of Santa Fe which added the extra miles. The men hoped to make the trip in about 20 to 25 days with stops along the way to resupply and rest their horses. 

The second night, after feeding their horses and themselves they were sitting around their fire resting and relaxing after a hard day on the trail. Josh was never a big talker but Red noticed that he was quieter than usual that night. For a man just turned 18 he's already gone through more than most do their whole lives, Red thought.

"Something on your mind Josh?" Red asked, concerned about his friend.

"Just thinking about what's coming and how far we have to go."

"You worried?" Red asked him with a smile. "We're pretty good at taking care of ourselves."

"Naw I'm not worried. Really I'm excited and looking forward to seein new places."

"You don't look excited."

Josh looked at his friend and had to smile. People underestimated Red because he was always joking around, but Josh knew that Red, who had just turned 23, understood people and situations better than a lot of older men.

"Well, I was thinkin about the raids on the wagon train and all those men that were killed. I guess it didn't hit me until you and I found Fogerty dying in that arroyo. Until then the dead men weren't real to me, they were just things that we had to kill to protect ourselves. But talking to Fogerty before he died made me realize that the others were men just like him."

"Josh those men deserved to die, so did Fogerty. They were trying to kill us and the others on the wagon train. Far as I'm concerned they were bought and paid for when they decided to attack us," Red said, trying to ease Josh's mind.

"I know Red. I wasn't worried about having to kill them defending ourselves, I'd do it again right now if need be. It's just that it's such a waste. With all the killing and dying going on in the war, it's a shame that there has to be more of it out here." Josh stopped for a few seconds and said, "I'm okay Red, don't worry partner."

Jerry Barnes was the youngest of the three at 15. His parents had been killed by the raiders in the first attack on the wagon train. For the first time he spoke up "Damn right they deserved to die." 

Red and Josh weren't surprised at the emotion in the boy's voice. They both looked at Jerry as he continued, "It's sorta like Mr. Hobart said, let God forgive them because I sure won't."

That was enough talk about death and killing Red thought. The killing and raids hadn't bothered Red as much as the other two. He was a battled hardened veteran of the war; he had served with the 29th Texas Cavalry at Manassas. Red had been shot in his leg and knocked off his horse; he survived but still walked with a limp. He knew that he'd been lucky because his two older brothers and many of his comrades were been killed in that battle.

"How far will we go tomorrow Josh?" He asked to take their minds off the morbid thoughts.

"I thought you said you were the path finder Red? You should be able to answer that question," Josh teased.

"I am and I can. But I wanted to give you a chance to plan things before I told you the right way to do it," Red kidded back.

The somber mood broken, the men discussed their plans for the next day. As usual they were up at first light; they fed and watered the horses and made sure their gear was ready. This included their pistols and Henry rifles; this was wild country and all three of the men were well armed.

Josh led the way shortly after daybreak. Where they could they rode side by side so they could talk and make the time and distances go faster. Red's horse got spooked by a snake on the trail, he lost a stirrup and was almost bucked off as his horse reacted violently.

"Damn you Jasper, I'm gonna beat you with a knotted plow line," Red yelled at the horse trying to get control again.

Josh laughed so hard he almost lost his seat. "You never did tell me why you named your horse Jasper," he questioned Red.

Red got the horse calmed down a little and answered, "Got an Uncle Jasper back home and he's the orneriest man I've ever met; he's always in a bad mood. He complains about everything and you really have to prod him to get him to do any work. This damn horse is just like him, so I named the horse Jasper. It keeps me from shootin him because I like my Uncle; he's always been good to me."

Josh and Jerry laughed at Red's story and for the rest of the day chuckled every time Red cussed at his horse. That evening after making camp, feeding and watering the horses, and getting something to eat for themselves, the men planned the next day's ride; this was done every night as they relaxed. Red tried to feed an apple to Jasper and then cussed at him when the horse tried to bite him.

"Why do you ride that animal if he's so mean? We've got other horses, heck you could ride my Sunny for a while if you liked," Josh suggested.

"Thanks for the offer but Jasper's as sure footed as a mountain goat and as strong as a bull. He may not be as fast as my little quarter horse but he can go all day every day. Besides I sorta like the big guy, even if he is about half mean," Red answered with a grin and a shrug.

It was ten days before they stopped to give the animals a couple of days rest and to get some supplies. They were in Springer, a small settlement at the base of the mountains. Red suggested that they board the horses, at least for one day and night. Josh questioned him and Red explained that the horses would be fed grain along with sweet hay.

"The horses have been eating dry oats and whatever grazing that been available. Boarding them will pamper them some; they've got a long way to go and we need them strong," Red said. 

"I see what you mean. What do you think Jerry?" Josh asked, bringing the youngster into the debate. That was a nice thing for him to do, Red thought. 

Surprisingly Jerry wasn't about to go along with just anything the two older men said. "I think pampering the horses is a good idea." Josh nodded at him and started to say more but Jerry interrupted him. "But I don't see the need to pay the stable for grain when we can buy it for less."

Red said, "Yeah but then we'd throw away what the horses don't eat. I don't see how that saves money."

"A 50 pound sack of grain feed will cost us about two dollars more than what the stable owner would charge us for putting up our seven horses for a full day; I asked him his prices earlier while you and Josh were in the general store," Jerry said.

Josh looked at Red with a smile and nodded at Jerry to go on.

"We can feed the horses ourselves and pack the rest with us on the trail. The horses will get better feed for a longer time that way."

"But that's an extra fifty pounds they have to carry," Red said in protest.

"Not really, but it doesn't make that much difference," Jerry answered. "We've got seven horses, five of which are trained to carry packs. Depending on which horses we're riding we have at least two and as many as four that can share the load."

Josh smiled shaking his head. Guess I got spoiled having wagons to carry the gear, he thought. I'm the horse trainer here, I should have thought of this.

Jerry saw Josh's smile and was more confident about speaking up. "We can split the weight between the pack animals and load up the saddle bags of the two not trained to carry packs. The extra weight of the grain will go down every day."

"You figure 10 to 12 days and the grain will be gone?" Josh asked.

"Well, we could stretch it out by mixing it with the oats. Heck we could even make a mash out of the oats and corn which would make it last longer. Maybe all the way to Chico Basin."

Red began to laugh so hard he had a coughin fit. "Josh old friend, outta the mouths of babes. We're supposed to be the ones that are older, smarter, and more experienced. Jerry just showed us we're not as smart as we think we are. Good figurin Jerry and smart. Maybe we oughta ask you opinion on things from now on, instead of just givin you orders." Red started laughing again.

Josh shook his head and chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Okay Jerry, good idea and I think we ought to do what you said. We'll have to find a place to camp outside of town."

"No sir, we don't have to do that. I talked to the stable owner and he'll let us put the horses in his barn overnight, he won't feed them and we can sleep in the hay loft," Jerry said. "It'll cost us three dollars but a hotel or boarding house would have cost more. So we're pretty well set for the next two days."

Josh and Red stared at the boy for a few seconds. Red laughed again and said, "I think maybe we oughta stop thinkin of you as a boy. Maybe we should get you to work all our deals." Jerry blushed, pleased at the compliment. For the first time he felt like a full partner in this group instead of a homeless boy tagging along. The three "men" put their horse in the barn and went for supper.

"Where did you learn so much about a stable, Mr. Barnes?" Red asked.

"I worked for one back in Illinois for a spell, to help out at home. I paid attention when Mr. Johnson the owner talked. Learned a lot from him," Jerry replied.

Red suggested they celebrate this new partnership by having supper at the café. "We've been eating smoked buffalo, rabbit stew, and beans for more'n a week. If the horses get better feed, so should we."

After two days and nights in town, the men resumed their journey. It had taken them ten days riding through the mountains to get to Springer. We'll make better time now that we down in flat country, Josh thought. He was right, they had average about 13 miles a day through the high country, but now they were able to cover almost 20 miles a day.

In three and half days they rode into Trinidad. It would be the last town until they reached Pueblo. They had covered about 200 miles and were within about ten days of Chico Basin; assuming the weather held, assuming that nothing happened to their horses, and assuming they didn't have trouble with the Indian tribes living in the area.

"We'll be at Chico Basin in a few days, if nothing goes wrong," Red said as the three sat around their fire. 

"Something always goes wrong," Josh replied.

"You're always thinkin things are goin bad Josh. Don't you ever look at the bright side?"

"I look at the bright side every morning when I get up. If I'm not sick, if I still got my horses, and if I still have my scalp, I look at it as the bright side," Josh answered with a grin. "We've had a good run so far and odds are against us getting to Chico Basin without somethin happening, that's all."

"What about you Jerry? Do you always think about things goin bad or do you look at the bright side?" Red drew him into the conversation.

Jerry hesitated for a few seconds and answered, "I don't think about it either way too much. I do what I can to get ready for the day and ifin somethin comes up I'll deal with it then. Worrying or hoping neither one changes anything nor gets anything done."

Josh and Red were again surprised at how mature this young man was. Josh had invited him to come with them mainly because the boy had nowhere to go after his parents were killed in a raid. Jerry didn't fold up after the death of his folks and had shown he could be trusted to do most any job given to him. I think we got more than just a boy riding with us, I think we got a smart young man that can make his own way, Josh thought.

They made one last visit to the general store and were getting ready to leave town, when the town sheriff walked up to them. "Howdy boys, I'm Sheriff Blevins. Y'all leavin town?"

"Yes sir, headed for Chico Basin up near Colorado City," Josh replied.

"Just wanted to say hello; I like to check on strangers in my town. Be careful there's been some Indian trouble in that direction. Nothing really serious just a few shots fired back and forth. There ain't been no raids or stock stolen, at least not yet."

"Maybe Running Wolf's coup stick will keep them away from us Josh," Red teased his friend.

"Thanks for the warnin Sheriff; we'll keep a sharp eye. C'mon boys let's put in some miles fore evening."

The next two days they made a lot of miles and had good spots to camp over night. They cut a buffalo trail leading north in the general direction that the men were traveling. The land they were riding through was a high plain, about 6,000 feet, with a few low hills covered in scrub bushes, not many trees, and buffalo grass that was belly high on a horse.

Where the horses had to weave their way through the scrub, the buffalo just walked over it. Their passing left a wide, fairly smooth trail. The buffalo had been running and it wasn't too old because there was still some dust in the air. The men decided to follow the trail, it was easier on their horses and they made better time. They weren't in a hurry but it was mid July and winter usually set in around mid to late October in this high country. Josh wanted to find work long before the weather changed.

Josh called a halt at midday to water and rest the horses for an hour. He'd been riding Diablo since they left Santa Fe. He switched his saddle to Sunny to give Diablo a rest, although the big horse looked at him as if to say "I'm not tired". 

Red had been rotating his mounts, using Jasper for a day or two and switching off to Queenie, his little quarter horse mare for a day. Jerry had rotated between the two horses he "bought" from Hobart in Santa Fe. The big chestnut he named Charger and the Morgan horse he called simply Morgan. Both Red and Jerry rode Josh's other horse Joey a few times.

"We got company boys," Red told his two friends, nodding his head at the crest of a hill not far away.

Ten to twelve Indians could be seen on the skyline. They were about a half a mile away and walking their horses slowly toward Josh and the boys.

"Let's get back to that arroyo we just crossed, it'll give some cover if they decide to attack. If we have time make sure your saddles are on the horse you don't want to lose. Get ready to cut the cinches of the pack saddles and we'll make a run for it ifin we have to. If it gets too hairy we'll have to leave the extra horses," Josh ordered.

Josh was able to change his saddle back to Diablo. Sunny was a strong horse but a little slow, his other horse Joey was pretty fast but his endurance wouldn't hold up to a daylong race to escape the Indians. Red was still mounted on Jasper and Jerry changed his gear over to Morgan. Guess Red really liked his uncle, Josh thought with a chuckle.

They set up a defensive position just below the lip of the arroyo and waited. The Indians had seen them and turned in their direction. As they got closer the Indians spread fan like in front of the three white men as Josh took a position about ten feet in front of the arroyo. He put the butt of Running Wolves coup stick on the ground and held it upright with his left hand; in his right hand he held his Henry Repeater with the butt brace on his hip.

"They'll see that it's a powerful coup stick, even if it is Apache," Josh explained to Red and Jerry. "Hopefully they won't mess with a warrior carrying that coup stick. But if they do my Henry will do more than count coup on them."

One Indian rode forward in front of the other riders. He was obviously the leader and one of only three men carrying a rifle: the rest were armed with bow and lances. When he got closer he saw the coup stick and stopped. Josh wasn't sure if he stopped because of the coup stick or the Henry resting on his hip; doesn't matter he thought, either way he stopped.

Laying the coup stick against his shoulder, Josh used sign language to say that they were friends. The Indian looked at Josh and the other two set up and ready for a fight. He raised his rifle over his head in sort of a salute and turned motioning the rest of the band to follow him. They road off to the southeast and were soon out of sight. When the Indians rode off Josh let out a huge sigh and turned and grinned at Red and Jerry.

"You sure do keep things interestin Josh," Red laughed. "No sir, never a dull minute around you."

Josh smile at his friend. "You boys go on ahead; follow the buffalo trail. You'll make better time that way than you would fightin through that brush. I'll catch up to you about midday."

"Where you going," Jerry asked.

"Gonna ride rear guard for a spell just to make sure that group don't double back on our trail. See ya in a bit," Josh said as he mounted Diablo and turned to follow the Indians.

He caught back up to Red and Jerry just after midday. They stopped and watered the horses. "Nobody on our back trail far as I can tell. I think we're good," Josh reported.

They were up and riding by daybreak, as usual. "I hope there some word from my folks when we get to Pueblo; I sent a telegram to them when we left Santa Fe and mailed some letters. I'll send another telegram from Pueblo and mail the letters I wrote on the trail. Maybe I'll have a telegram waiting for me," Josh said.

"Did you say hello to them for me in your telegram?" Red asked.

"No, but I did tell them that Fogerty was dead," Josh answered. When he saw the look on Red's face he added, "I did mention you to them in the letters I mailed in Santa Fe; I also went into more detail about Fogerty and his gang. Told them not to worry because I had Texas Red McCall riding with me for protection."

Red and Jerry both laughed at Josh's teasing. 

"You know we might not all get jobs on the same ranch. Sometimes they need a man but we'll be lucky to find someplace that needs three men," Red told them.

"We'll figure something out," Josh replied. "If nothing else we'll give a ranch three for the price of two or even one and a half plus found."

"What's found mean Josh?" Jerry asked, not knowing the term.

"Found is like room and board; someplace to sleep and usually two meals a day. Understand?" Jerry nodded.

It took the three partners 18 days to get from Santa Fe to Pueblo and the men and horses were ready for a little rest. They planned on resting the animals for at least a full day before heading north toward Chico Basin. Jerry worked his magic with the stable owner and the boys slept in the hayloft over the horse stalls again. Josh figured they'd only have a two day ride to the Basin when they left Pueblo; he hoped they'd find a ranch that needed a couple of hands.

There wasn't much to do at night after making camp; they checked equipment, made some repairs, and talked a little about the next day's ride. Red thought up something to entertain them. So during their nights on the trail, he began to teach Josh and even Jerry, some of the gun handling skills that he had learned from his cousin Texas John Slaughter. "Never know when it might come in handy," Red told them.

After several nights of teaching and practicing, Josh and Red would square off and practice fast draws against each other. They unloaded their guns and would test each other to see who was faster. Josh couldn't overcome the natural speed that Red possessed but he came close.




The Trail West Ch. 05



"I'd hate to bet my life on the difference," Red stated. "It'd be a close thing ifin it was for real."

Their first afternoon in Pueblo, Red suggested that he and Josh go to the saloon. "Maybe we can get some idea of what ranches are in the Chico Basin area. No place like a saloon for gossip; men like to talk when they're drinkin."

"You just want an excuse to get a drink and if there's any saloon gals so much the better," Josh laughed at his friend and then got more serious, "You're right though Red, a saloon is a good place to find information. I think I'll take Jerry and get some supplies at the general store. Might find out somethin there too, don't you know."

It was late when Red returned to the barn and climbed up to the hay loft; he had more than one drink but was far from being drunk. Josh and Jerry were asleep on their bedrolls and Red dropped down onto his. I'll tell em what I found out in the mornin he decided. Right now I need some sleep too, he thought.

Red woke to the smell of coffee. He climbed down from the hay loft and found Josh and the owner of the stable talking and drinking coffee together. Josh smiled as Red sort of waddled over to join them; he poured a cup of coffee and handed it to him.

"Late night Red?" Josh asked with a smile and then laughed. "Didn't know you were going to make a night of it."

"I was back by 10," Red defended himself. "But my hard work paid off. I got some good information about the Chico Basin area.

"Well Jerry and I found out some things too, but we didn't have to stay out until 10 to do it."

On the way to get breakfast at the café the three partners shared what they had found out. Red told them that he had met and bought a drink for a wagon driver that delivers freight to a town called Fountain and then on to Colorado City. The driver said that he knew of a ranch in the Chico Basin called the S Bar S and one in Fountain Valley named the Maggie M; he'd heard tell that both of them needed hands.

Jerry told Red what he and Josh had found out from James Mitchell, the owner of the mercantile. Seems the S Bar S was looking for a horse trainer. Mitchell's brother ran the general store in Fountain and the owner of that ranch, a Mr. Sanders, had mentioned that he needed a horse trainer. 

As they finished their food Josh said, "Well we might just have found a place to work boys. Let's get on the trail at day break. Maybe between the two places we can all find work."

They planned to go back to the stables and check over their gear and horses before hitting the trail the next day. As they curried and combed their mounts Josh just had to tease Red a little. "Did you meet anybody interesting besides that teamster Red? Like maybe a pretty gal; I can't picture you talking to an ugly wagon driver all that time." 

"Well, there was this one little filly that I did spend some time with, in fact she's the one that introduced me to the teamster so I bought her a drink or two. But when I finished talking to him I looked for her and she was already with another drover." Red chuckled at himself. "Lost my chance there I did, by doing what I'd gone into the saloon to do."

The next morning the three partners and their caravan of horses were on the way to Fountain. They wanted to talk to the owner of the general store to check on the possible jobs and get directions to the S Bar S and the Maggie M. Josh led them along the trail and continued until just before dusk; by riding from sun up to sun down now they would get to Fountain early the next day.

At midday they rode into Fountain and after watering their horses they hitched them in front of the store and all three headed inside. Josh stepped through the door, moved to the side, pulling Jerry with him and stopped; Red stepped to the other side of the door. Josh and Red both made a habit of scouting any area they entered; being aware of their surroundings had proved helpful more than once in the past.

Josh saw a man behind a counter getting stick candy for a boy of 12 or 13 and two young women being helped by an older woman, probably the owner's wife he thought. Red saw the young women too; smiling at Josh he began to amble toward the ladies. Josh had to chuckle at his friend's actions. He tapped Jerry on the shoulder and walked toward the man behind the counter. As they got closer Jerry became interested in the display of penny candies; this caused Josh to chuckle again. He sometimes forgot that Jerry was just a 15 year old boy himself.

The man behind the counter finished helping the boy and turned to Josh and Jerry. "Howdy boys, name's Steve Mitchell. This is my store, can I help you?"

Josh gave the man a list of supplies that he needed; things like coffee, beans, bacon, a little sugar and a few pieces of stick candy for Jerry. The boy smiled his thanks at Josh. As Mitchell filled the order Josh told him about meeting his brother in Pueblo. "He said that he heard that the S Bar S and another place was hiring. You know anything about that, Mr. Mitchell?"

"Bill Sanders, the owner of the S Bar S, told me about ten days ago he was lookin for someone to train some rough horses that he owns. Seems like none of his hands can do any good with the animals and he's got a lot of money invested in them."

Josh smiled as he paid for the supplies and said, "Now ain't it just lucky for Mr. Sanders. That's what I do; train horses. Can you give us directions to the ranch?"

While finding out which trail to take out of town and how far the ranch was, Josh saw the two young women and the boy leave the store. Red followed and watched them for a little bit as they walked down the street toward the stables.

Mitchell snapped his fingers and said, "I should've said something early, those two young women and the boy that just left are from the Maggie M. That's a small spread that needs a wrangler too; I never thought but I could've introduced you. They're headed to the stables to meet their pa, maybe you can catch up to them there."

Josh asked Jerry to put the supplies on the pack animals and he and Red started toward the stables. As they stepped outside they saw the two girls and the boy backed up against the front of a building. There were three cowboys facing them and heated words were being exchanged.

As they got closer they could hear one of the cowboys say, "You Maguire's all think you're better than us don't you Sarah? Well we're gonna show you that you're not as high and mighty as you think."

"Rafe, don't do this," the older girl said. "I don't think I'm better than you; I just don't want to go to the dance with you. I'm not going with anybody." She tried to calm the cowboy down.

Josh had to admire the two ladies; they appeared concerned but not frightened. The boy already had a split lip so he must have tried to protect the women. Lot of spunk for a youngster, Josh thought. He looked at Red and received a nod back. They stepped between the three backed up against the building and the cowboys.

"Yeah Rafe, don't do this. You won't like the outcome." Red challenged the three men. Once again Josh was amazed at the change in his friend and partner. Red was always joking, kidding around, and happy; but when facing danger he turned into another person. A very dangerous person.

"Mister, why don't you and your friends ride out? There's no need for this," Josh tried to reason with the three men. He didn't think it would work, it was obvious that the men had been drinking and liquored up men usually didn't listen to reason.

"It's none of your concern. You and your partner step aside and you won't get hurt," Rafe ordered Josh and Red.

This time it was Josh that issued the challenge, "We're makin it our concern; we gonna be working for Mr. Maguire and what kind of hands would we be if we didn't protect these ladies? You boys best ride on."

"Y'all might want to rethink what you're fixin to do boys. We got you surrounded," Red told them with a deadly smile, pointing behind them. The three cow hands looked behind them and saw Jerry with a Henry rifle pointed in their general direction. Jerry had his hat pulled down low over his eyes disguising the fact that he was a young boy. "Why don't you boys just get your horses and hit the trail?" Red continued.

Rafe and his boys didn't notice that Jerry was so young; they were more concerned with the Henry rifle pointed at them. They slowly backed away, mounted their horses, and rode out of town. As they left the Sheriff ran up holding a double barrel shotgun. "You three just stand easy," he ordered. "You girls alright Sarah?"

"Sheriff Horton these men just stopped what was proving to be a very unpleasant incident," the older of the two women said. "Rafe and his boys were going to....well, I don't know what they were going to do but it wouldn't have been anything good. These three gentlemen came to our rescue like knights in shining armor. I'm sorry I don't know your names."

"Sir John McCall of Texas ma'am," Red introduced himself with a bow and a sweeping gesture with his hat. "These are my squires Josh Kelly and Jerry Barnes. And your name milady, if I may be so bold?"

The young women both smiled at Red's antics, even the boy had to grin. "I'm Sarah Maguire," the older of the two said. "This is my sister Danielle and my brother Jacob. Did you say Sir John McCall?" She asked with a smile.

"Yes milady, all knights are addressed as Sir," Red teased. This time Sarah laughed out loud and Danielle giggled.

Josh noticed a large man walking quickly toward them. "Stay alert Red," he warned as he turned to face the man. The newcomer was even taller than Josh's 6' 1 and about 40 pounds heavier. For all his size he moved with an easy grace.

"What's going on here Sarah?" The big man asked when he got closer. "You all right?"

"Pa, these gentlemen just came to our rescue. Gentlemen this is my father, Daniel Maguire. This is John McCall, Josh Kelley, and Jerry Barnes," Sarah replied.

She explained the confrontation with Rafe and the other two and how their three new friends had helped them. Her father had to be restrained from following Rafe to dispense a little fatherly justice. Sheriff Horton told Maguire to let it go, that he would handle the two men. 

Sarah got her father calmed down and Mr. Maguire shook hands all around and thanked the young men for their help. "Where you boys headed John?" 

"Friends call me Red sir; we're trying to find work as ranch hands. Mr. Mitchell at the store said y'all might be looking for some help."

"We need some help but we can't afford to pay full wages so we'll just have to make due," He answered. "Sorry boys."

Josh said, "Well we'll just have to talk to Mr. Sanders at the S Bar S.

"You wouldn't get to the S Bar S until almost dark if you start this late in the day. The Maggie M is half way there, why don't you come out for supper and spend the night. We owe you boys at least that much," Mr. Maguire suggested. "You can sleep in the bunk house and get an early start tomorrow morning." 

"Sounds like a fine idea to me," Red replied, looking at Sarah. "Let's get going."

Josh didn't think it was getting a jump on seeing Mr. Sanders at the S Bar S that made Red so agreeable to going to the Maguire's. He chuckled to himself; Red's interest was in Sarah, not a home cooked meal. Of course I won't mind spending a little time with Danielle either, Josh thought.

The Maguires got into their wagon and started home; the three friends walked back to their horses that were hitched in front of the general store and soon caught up with them. Josh rode beside Mr. Maguire and talked on the way to the ranch; Red decided that the other side of the wagon, where Sarah was sitting, was the best place for him to ride.

They had tied their pack animals off to the wagon and Jerry rode in the back of it talking with Jacob. It'd been a long time since Jerry had anyone near his own age to talk to. Several times Josh looked over to see how Red was getting along with Sarah and each time he caught Danielle staring at him. He had to smile as Red talked with Sarah; Red could charm the Devil himself Josh thought. 

As Josh talked to Mr. Maguire he got a chance to examine the big man closer. When they had met in town Josh had still been too keyed up from the confrontation with the three cowboys to pay that much attention to the man. Mr. Maguire had sandy colored hair and his face was tanned and weather worn from working outside. His hands were very large and show the effects of years of hard work. 

Mr. Maguire reminds me of my Pa, Josh thought. Same size, same big hands, and same easy way with people. He'd be a good man to have at you side during trouble.

The little caravan pulled up in front of the ranch house and Mrs. Maguire was standing on the front porch to greet them. Mr. Maguire said, "Boys this is my wife Margaret, the real boss of the outfit." After the introductions the girls started telling their mother about the incident in town.

"The telling can wait until after supper," Mr. Maguire said. "Mother would you set three more places for our guests?"

Josh and Jerry went to the corral to take care of the horses and to help Mr. Maguire unhitch his team. Red had started to follow but Josh waved him back. By the time they got back to the house, Red had Mrs. Maguire laughing and giggling like a school girl. 

Margaret Maguire was a striking woman. She was tall at 5' 9 with midnight black hair gathered together and worn long down her back. When Josh took off his hat to greet her she appraised him with grey eyes. This is an intelligent woman, Josh thought. It was hard to believe that she had two grown daughters. He was impressed by the whole family.

In spite of her curiosity, Mrs. Maguire refused to let them talk about the unpleasantness in town at supper. "That can wait till after we eat," she ordered.

"How long you folks been here Mr. Maguire?" Josh asked.

"The name's Daniel or Dan please. Calling me Mr. Maguire makes me feel like my father," he said with a grin. "Been here over ten years now. After the Mexican war the Federal government gave veterans land grants up here. We were supposed to get paid cash money but they gave us land grants instead. Scouted the area in '50 then filed my claim. I built a dugout house into a hill and moved the family up from Independence, Missouri in '52."

"The first couple of years were a real adventure I'll tell you," Mrs. Maguire said. "Fighting Indians, wild animals, and the weather sure made for an interesting life."

"Yes ma'am; sounds like a right hard life. I admire you and your family Mrs. Maguire," Josh responded.

"No need to be so formal Josh. I'm Margaret but most folks call me Maggie; Daniel even named our spread after me. Now what happened in town?"

Sarah explained about Rafe and his two friends and how Red, Josh, and Jerry had come to the girls rescue. "I think they are like three knights from King Arthur's round table Sarah," Maggie said smiling at the three young men.

Josh, Jerry and even Red blushed and were a little embarrassed at the compliment. Red wasn't affected for long. 

"Think I'll go check on the horses," Red told them. "Care to take a walk Sarah?"

Charm the Devil himself Red could, Josh thought again and then grinned when Jacob offered to help Red with the horses. He almost laughed when Jerry said he'd go along too. So much for a little time alone with a pretty girl, Josh said to himself.

Red shook his head a little and said, "Josh, you and Danielle might as well come along too." Bring the whole danged family why don't we, he mumbled under his breath.

"I think a walk would be nice Josh, don't you?" Danielle replied. He smiled and nodded very pleased at the invitation.

Josh was quieter than Red but he wasn't shy. There had been more than one young lady back in Missouri that he had squired around to the church socials and barn dances. But the looks that Danielle sent his way did disturb him a little; it'd been a long time since he'd been around a young woman, especially one as pretty as Danielle.

Sarah and Red led the way to the barn walking side by side. She's almost as tall as Red, Josh noticed. Sarah was defiantly her mother's daughter; she had the same dark hair and grey eyes. And Sarah had the same easy way with people that Daniel had. She was slender, but looked strong and solid. Josh could understand why Red was so taken with her.

The walk to the barn and corral didn't last as long as Red had intended and they came back to the ranch house after a short spell. As they stepped onto the porch, Daniel poured coffee for his guests and himself and lit a cigar. He offered cigars to the boys but only Red took one.

Jacob was sent off to bed and the adults talked for a while. Sarah was 22 and the school teacher in Fountain. She would be moving back to town in about a month. During the school year the town provided her with room and board at Mrs. Cassidy's boarding house and she would come out to the ranch on the weekends. Danielle, who had just turned 18, had an offer of a position in the freight company's office. She would be moving to town at the same time Sarah went back.

"I want to thank you boys again for helping my girls. Red weren't you and Josh worried about being out numbered? I know Jerry backed you up and no offense Jerry but you're not much more than a boy; and at first it was three against two," Daniel questioned.

For the first time since Josh had met him, Red didn't have anything to say. Josh waited a few seconds for Red to speak up and then responded, "Daniel as far as Jerry is concerned, he may be young but he's got more sand than a lot of grown men I've met. He's a veteran of two raids on our wagon train and handles himself well." He stopped to pat Jerry on the shoulder and smiled at him. The boy was clearly embarrassed but proud at the attention.

"Red will brag about most anything; except how good he is when trouble jumps up. He's a veteran of those same two raids and he fought in the war too; at a place called Manassas with the 29th Texas Cavalry. He's a mighty good man to have at your back," Josh said.

"But still there were three of them and you didn't know that Jerry was going to get the drop on them from behind. Took a lot of nerve to face them down," Daniel continued.

"Didn't think about it much sir. We just saw two young ladies being bullied and stepped in," Red softly remarked.

"Red won't say so Mr. Mag...Daniel, but he's very, very good with that pistol of his," Josh said. 

"That right Red? You a gunfighter?" Daniel asked. He wasn't sure he wanted a gunfighter around his family even if he had helped them.

"No sir, I'm not. I'm just an ex-soldier trying to get by," Red answered looking Daniel in the eye. "I had some teachin from a cousin of mine to help me do that."

"Ever heard of Texas John Slaughter, Daniel?" Josh asked. And before he could answer continued, "That's Red's cousin.

"The lawman?"

"Yes sir. He taught Red some before either one of them went to war. He's not a gunfighter sir but he's as good as I've ever seen," Josh said.

Daniel stared at the two men who had put themselves between his girls and danger and thought, gunfighter or not Red and the other two are good men. "I'd be proud to consider you boys as friends," he said. 

Maggie said, "Time for bed girls." Sarah lingered a little saying good night to Red. Danielle made a point of saying good night to Josh also and then the girls went inside. "Don't stay up talking too late Dan. See you knights in the morning." She said with a smile and left the men.

Josh changed the subject. "Mr. Magu....I mean Daniel sir, you said before that you couldn't afford to hire some help. Mind if I ask way? This looks like a good place for cattle or horses," Josh said.

"No, I don't mind the askin. This is a good place to raise stock of almost any kind, but for the last year rustlers have stolen or run off most of our cattle. Sheriff Horton is a good man but we're a long way from town; by the time we can report the loss of the cattle the thieves are long gone. I've tried to follow the trail but lost it up in the hills."




The Trail West Ch. 05



"Ain't right, a man works hard to provide for his family and some no good, low down, bastards steal him blind. Just ain't right," Red commented. Coming from a ranching family himself he had strong feelings about rustlers. "So what do you plan to do sir?"

"Just hang on and hope things get better. We grow a lot of our own food in our garden and we've some money put away from better times for other things. If things don't get any worse we can hold out for a long spell, but somewhere down the road things will have to change. We want to do more than just get by."

"In town you said you couldn't pay full wages for a hand. What's considered full wages around here and what are you able to offer?" Josh asked. They needed to know before they went to the S Bar S.

"A ranch like the S Bar S usually pays $40 a month and found. We can afford about half that I guess. Why?"

"Just an idea bouncing around in my head. Let me think on it some more before I say anything," Josh answered. "Guess we'll turn in. See you in the morning sir."

"Breakfast at 6 boys. Good night," Daniel replied and went into the house.

The three walked to the bunkhouse and Red asked, "What's your idea Josh? Care to share it with your partners?"

"Let's wait until we talk to Mr. Sanders first. Then I'll tell you what I'm thinkin, okay? Red and Jerry nodded and the men went to bed.

They were saddling up after breakfast and Daniel told them that if things didn't work out to come on back. He invited them to stay with his family for a while until they decided what to do. The boys thanked him and rode out toward the S Bar S.

It took them almost two hours to get to get to the S Bar S; they could have made it faster but there was no need to work the horses that hard; they wanted to get the lay of the land and weren't in a big hurry. They rode to the ranch house where two men were sitting on the front porch. One man was about 5' 6 with a stocky build and looked to be about 50; the other was almost as tall as Josh and had a mean look about him. Josh dismounted and walked toward the house; Red and Jerry stayed on their horses.

"Mr. Sanders?" The older man stood and nodded. "I'm Josh Kelly; I heard from Mr. Mitchell in town that you might be hiring some hands."

"What I looking for is a horse trainer. Full up otherwise."

"I'm a horse trainer sir but we'd like to work together if we could. We're sort of a matched set, don't you know," Josh said smiling.

"You boys don't look old enough to be weaned much less be good hands," the other man said standing up. His tone was insulting and he looked at the three young men with contempt.

Josh didn't like the looks of him. He had an arrogant manner about him; he reminded Josh of a bully back home. A bully that would remember the lesson that the young farm boy had taught him for a long time. Josh was about to make a little joke to lighten the mood when Red spoke up.

"I'd be happy to step down and show you what a boy can do Mister," Red gave the man an evil grin.

"Shut up Tom, this is none of your affair." Sanders said. Turning back to Josh he said, "That's my brother Tom Larson; he's got a spread on the north side of the Maggie M. Sometimes he forgets his manners," Sanders said the last part to Larson.

"We are young Mr. Sanders but that don't mean we're not good workers. Rode guard for a Mr. Hobart's wagon train from Fort Smith to Santa Fe. We can earn our keep."

"It's like I said, I'm full up for regular hands, but I do need a trainer. I've got some horses that no one here has been able to get a handle on. If you can do what you say I'll give a try. How's $40 a month plus room and board sound Josh?"

"Let me show you what I can do and then we'll talk wages. Where are these horses you're having trouble with?"

Motioning to Larson to stay put, Sanders led them to a corral on the far side of the barn. Red stayed behind for a couple of minutes and pulled back on his reins causing Jasper to back up. He kept looking at Larson until he was about fifty feet away and then turned to follow Josh and the others. It was a blatant challenge to Tom Larson but he either had the good sense or lack of backbone to accept it.

"That's a nice piece of horse flesh you're leading Josh. Don't know when I've ever seen a horse that big move so easy on his feet," Sanders said admiring Diablo.

Josh reached up and patted the big horse on the neck. "Yes sir, he's about as good a horse as I've ever owned. He was one of those problem horses that Mr. Hobart had. Nobody could even get a lead rope on him until I worked with him some. Mr. Hobart gave him to me as a bonus."

"What put a burr under Larson's saddle Mr. Sanders?" Red asked.

"He wants the job of training my problem horses but I don't like his methods. When he's done with an animal its spirit is broken. A lot of the horses he works with just give up and die." He paused for a second then said, "If he wasn't my sister's husband I'd run him off my place."

The men came to a corral attached to the barn on one side. "Well there's four of my problems right there," Sanders said pointing to four horses in the corral. 

Josh inspected the horses for a couple of minutes and then climbed the fence and dropped down into the corral. 

"Be careful Josh, that sorrel is as mean as a snake," Sanders warned him.

The youngster smiled and walked to the middle of the corral and stood still. The horses moved away to the far side of the space and watched him. Josh stood still for about a minute and then turned his back on the horses. He slowly began to walk back to the fence; by the time he got there two of the horses had followed him part way across the corral.

Josh climbed up on the top rail and watched the horses for a minute. "Mr. Sanders, do you have some apples or carrots or something I can use as a treat?"

Sanders yelled at one of his hands over by the barn door, "Jones bring me a couple of those dried apples." The hand ducked into the barn and returned handing Josh three apples.

"Red put Diablo in the corral please."

Jerry opened the gate and Red led Josh's horse into the corral and walked back out. Josh cut the apples into several pieces and then jumped back down into the corral. He walked to the middle again and Diablo sort of crowded around him. The horse knew that Josh often had good tasting treats for him. He fed a piece of apple to Diablo and again turned his back on the others.

This time the two horses that had followed him before came toward Josh and after sniffing and looking at the offered pieces of apple took them from his hand. One of them allowed Josh to stroke his neck for a few seconds. Josh threw pieces of apple toward the other two horses and left the corral.

"That's as close as anyone's gotten to them without roping and hobbling them," Sanders said. "How'd you get them to come to you?"

"Horses are naturally curious and when they saw Diablo chewing on somethin they had to see what it was. The two that took apples from me I can probably be riding in 2 or 3 days. The other two will take a little longer," Josh told the older man.

"Well you boys come up to the house and we'll get some coffee and talk about your wages," Sanders suggested.

"I'll get my horse and join you shortly, sir," Josh said. He wanted to talk to Red and Jerry before any job offer was made.

"Boys if Mr. Sanders can't or won't hire all of us, I've got a couple of ideas. But we need to talk among ourselves and decide which way to go. Either way we'll go back to the Maguires for tonight; I'll need to get my gear and horses if I take the job." 

Both Red and Jerry nodded and the three partners went back to the ranch house. They saw Larson riding off and Sanders invited all three men to join him on the porch. After getting coffee for them and getting settled in he made his offer.

"Josh, I'd like to hire you as a trainer; I'll pay you $50 a month and found. When you're not busy training horses you'll help with the cattle. How about it?"

"Thanks for the offer Mr. Sanders. Do you have room for my two partners too? We hadn't planned on separating," Josh replied.

"Sorry Josh, I don't have need of two more cow hands. Bout the best I could offer would be to let them work for room and board."

Josh thought about the offer for a minute and then said, "If it's alright I'd like to talk to my friends tonight and give you my answer in the morning. Can I do that sir?" Sanders nodded and Josh said, "Either way I'll let you know first thing in the morning."

When the boys got back to the Maguires they helped with some chores. Josh chopped fire wood and then helped Jerry muck out the stalls in the barn. Red did some repairs to the corral fence. Sarah and Danielle helped their mother around the house but came out to help with the other chores too. Contrary to the calico dresses they had worn in town they were now wearing men's slacks.

Josh had seldom seen a woman wearing slacks; at least not ones as young and attractive as the Maguire girls. Sarah stayed outside to help Red with the corral and Danielle came into the barn to help Josh and Jerry muck out the stalls. She distracted Josh so much that twice he almost stabbed his foot with the pitchfork he was using. 

Sarah saw Josh looking at them and said, "Didn't mean to shock you Josh; you either Red. When we go to town Danielle and I will wear dresses or split riding skirts. But for working around the ranch wearing slacks is the best."

Josh blushed and answered, "Yes 'em. 

Red laughed at the embarrassed Josh and said, "Y'all wear what you need too Sarah. We'll get over being shocked real quick."

Josh blushed again at the laughter directed at him by the girls and Red. After finishing the chores, the three young men went to the bunk house to clean up and wait for supper.

"Okay we've played good guests now what are your ideas Josh?" Red questioned.

"Well, I was just thinkin. I don't know about you two but I'm not up here trying to make my fortune or get rich; I'm just biding my time until I can go back home. When that time comes both of you are welcome to come with me. You can hire on at our farm or one of my uncle's." Josh looked at his two friends and when they nodded he went on.

"I think you two ought to stay here and help the Maguires. Daniel won't accept charity so let him pay you the $20 and found. I'll make a deal with Mr. Sanders to work four days a week and spend the other three over here." Josh waited to see if either of the men wanted to say anything and then continued.

"If that don't suit you we can go on and try to find something else. There's sure to be other ranches west or north of Colorado City."

"I sorta like the scenery around these parts," Red replied with a grin. "Rather not get too far away. Besides I'd like to find out who or what is happening to their cattle. Might be they could use our help, don't you know."

"What about you Jerry? Do you want to hang around or should we go looking some more?" Josh wanted to include the youngster in the discussion.

"I like it here. Mrs. Maguire has been real nice to me; she sorta reminds me of my ma. Ifin its okay, I just as soon stay here."

"Figure with our bankrolls we can last for two or three years as long as we're getting room and board. And I like the scenery bout these parts too," Josh said looking at Red.

Danielle was on Josh's mind when he talked about the scenery. She was as tall as her sister with the same slender but strong build. Danielle had her father's coloring with a mane of strawberry blonde hair and startling blue eyes. Her eyes could stare a hole right through you, Josh thought. But I wouldn't mind the attention.

The boys heard the clanging of the dinner bell and walked toward the ranch house. "After supper we'll brace Daniel and see what we can work out," Josh said.

The conversation at supper flowed easier than the previous night; none of them felt like strangers this evening. Sarah and Danielle were more involved and teased the boys a lot. Red and Sarah kept stealing glances at each other. My old partner's got himself roped and hog tied Josh thought. It was obvious to everyone except Daniel that Red and Sarah were smitten with each other.

After supper while the girls were helping Maggie with cleaning up, the men went to sit on the porch. Red stayed inside and Danielle came out to join them shortly. "I'm not needed inside, Red took my place helping with the dishes," she told Josh.

Josh and Jerry looked inside and saw Red standing next to Sarah, drying the dishes as she washed them. Yep, roped and hogtied Josh thought. 

"You boys get a job today?" Daniel asked as he lit a cigar.

"Yes and no sir. Mr. Sanders couldn't take all three of us on but he did offer me a job training horses. We've got an offer for you Mr. Magu.....I mean Daniel." Josh waited for Daniel's nodded and then went on.

"I'm gonna take the job with the S Bar S but I only want to work over there four days a week. If you'd hire Jerry and Red at the $20 and found you mentioned, we could all stay in the same area. I can come over for three days and help out, if you'll feed me and let me throw my bedroll down in the bunk house." Josh finished and looked at Daniel.

"We can't afford the $20 dollars per man, when I said $20 I meant for one hand."

"No sir, I meant $20 for the two of them and all you'll have to do is feed me a little. You're getting 2 full time and one part time hand for the $20."

"That's not fair to you boys; you can earn more at another ranch," Daniel protested.

"We can't be sure we can all get hired on at the same place and besides I don't think I can get him away from here with a team of mules," Josh said motioning to Red drying dishes in the kitchen.

Daniel thought for a minute puffing on his cigar. He leaned forward in his chair, "Looks like you boys got a home."

Josh was on his way to the S Bar S by daylight to start his new job. Red and Jerry saw him off and had plans to finish repairing the corral. Later in the morning Daniel and Red took a ride around the ranch. Red found out that the Maggie M was a full section of land at 640 hundred acres and had a very large spring right in the middle of the property and several year round streams running through it. The well at the ranch house tied into the spring branch.

The next month was a busy time for Josh. He worked and stayed at Sanders from Monday through Thursday. On Friday at day break he would ride to the Maggie M, work over the weekend and spend some time with Danielle. On Monday morning he'd return to the S Bar S and start all over again.

Josh was able to gentle two horses that first week at the big ranch. He had them broke to saddle and working stock by the middle of the week. The other two took a little longer; it was going on two weeks before he could get them saddle broke. 

In the mean time Sanders had brought in two more animals for Josh to work with. It was the second week of August and he told Josh he figured they had another month and a half before winter. They discussed the situation and both agreed that Josh would stay at the S Bar S until the winter set in. He would bunk at the Maggie M through the winter unless Sanders had horses that needed training. If he did he would pay Josh for each animal he trained instead of a monthly wage.

Even though it might mean less money Josh was happy with the new situation. He had almost $500 in his bankroll which he felt would more than hold him over until spring and beyond if necessary. 

When he was away, Josh found himself missing the people at the Maggie M. He missed Red and Jerry but had to admit most of his thoughts were of Danielle. It wouldn't be long before she and Sarah moved back to Fountain. He would see her on the weekends when the girls returned to the ranch but when the winter closed in there wouldn't be many trips back to the Maggie M until spring.

Before Sarah and Danielle moved to town, Red got permission from Daniel to teach the girls how to handle a gun. "This isn't real wild country anymore sir, but it ain't St. Louis either. The ladies need to know how to protect themselves."

"Okay Red," Daniel agreed with a laugh. "Just don't teach them how to fast draw or anything," he teased.

Danielle took over the task of caring for Josh's horses while he was at the S Bar S. Almost every day she would brush them and always had a few pieces of apple for them. When Josh rode back to the Maggie M for the weekend, she took special care of Diablo too. It made little difference if Josh returned Thursday evening or Friday morning, Danielle made sure the big horse got combed, curried, and brushed. She also made sure that Diablo got his share of apples. 

"I wish someone would pay that much attention to me," Josh said one morning. He was chuckling and teasing Danielle.

"Maybe they will one day," she replied seriously. Her statement put a big smile on Josh's face.

Danielle took special care of all of Josh's horses but her favorite was Sunny. She always had an apple, carrot, or turnip for the big buckskin. The horse would have followed her around like a heel hound if he could have. Every time she walked by the corral, Sunny would come to the fence, hang his head over the top rail, and watch her. 

Danielle usually found the time to stroke his neck or scratch his ears and talk to him. When Maggie asked her about her special attachment to Sunny, Danielle said he reminded her of the chargers that the Knights of the Round Table rode.

"Wouldn't have anything to do with the knight that owns him, would it?" Maggie asked grinning at her daughter.

Danielle blushed, giggled and answered, "It just might mama."

Josh noticed and appreciated the care Danielle gave his horses. He knew it was because they were his horses that she paid special attention to them. Red made Josh blush more than once teasing him about the pretty girl taking care of his mounts.

Neither Josh nor Red was looking forward to the girls having to moving to Fountain soon. Josh was watching Danielle with Sunny one morning and had an idea. Sarah had her own horse Johnny, a big gelding that she'd bought when she began teaching school; Danielle just rode whatever ranch horse was available. The ranch horses were good animals but not of the same quality as Johnny.

One evening a few days before the girls were scheduled to leave for Fountain, Josh and Danielle were at the corral as Josh was checking the shoes on Diablo. Danielle was as usual scratching Sunny's ears and talking to him. I think I've lost my horse, Josh said to himself. Watching them for a couple of minutes, Josh made up his mind.

"Miss Danni, I think....." Josh began but Danielle interrupted him.

"Miss Danni?" She asked with a smile.

Josh blushed but smiled back and replied, "Yes 'em, Miss Danni. Is that okay?"

She reached out to touch his hand and nodded. Josh continued, "I'd like to loan Sunny to you. You need a strong animal to ride back and forth between here and town. What with the weather and the cattle rustling and such, I'd feel better if you was riding him. Like Red told your Pa, this ain't St. Louis. Sunny is just the one to take get you home safely. He's not as fast as some for a mile, but he'll still be running at the same speed ten miles later."

"Josh I can't take your horse."

"You wouldn't be takin him, he'd be on loan. Besides you'd be doing me a favor. I ride Diablo most of the time and Sunny is gettin fat and lazy. He needs to be ridden and you'd be helping both of us if you worked him some. What'da you say Miss Danni?" 

Danni had to smile at Josh's rationalization on why she should ride Sunny. She knew he was worried about her trips back and forth to Fountain. "Okay, but on one condition Josh."

"What's that Miss Danni?"

"You drop the Miss and just call me Danni. No one's ever called me that and I like it."




The Trail West Ch. 05



Josh laughed and responded, "Okay Danni, you've got a deal. Shake on it." They laughed and shook hands but held on for a little longer than normal. Then they returned to the ranch house.

In the middle of September, after the harvest school started; Sarah and Danielle moved to Fountain. Sarah began teaching and Danielle started her job with the freight company. Somehow the ranch seemed colder and smaller to both Josh and Red. They looked forward to the weekends when the girls returned to the ranch. It was obvious to Maggie Maguire that the young Texan and her daughter were smitten with each other. She wondered how long it would be before their flirtation turned into something more serious.

October rolled around and the weather started to get colder although there hadn't been any snow or ice as of yet. Sarah and Danni were still able to come home on Friday afternoons and leave early Monday morning. When winter set in with the bitter cold, snow, and ice they would have to stay in Fountain. Every time they rode home, Danni was thankful that she had Sunny to ride. The big horse would get her home no matter what and she felt safe and secure on his back.

One Friday evening late in October, Daniel watched as Red and Sarah stood talking down by the corral after supper. It was beginning to get colder and he could see their breath as they talked. He turned to Maggie and asked, "Have you noticed that Red and Sarah have been spending a lot of time together, Maggie?"

"I'll swear Dan, sometimes you don't see things until they hit you like an ax handle upside your head," she replied laughing. "Those two have been mooning over one another since you first brought those boys home with you. Expect to hear they want to get married soon."

"What? Get married? Why Sarah's still a baby; she's too young to get married," Daniel responded.

"She's 22 and four years older than I was when we got married. By the time I was her age I'd given you both of our girls."

Daniel had to smile. "Maybe I am a little dense sometimes."

"The other thing you don't see is Danielle and Josh are getting close too." Maggie had to smile at the look on his face. "We might just have a double wedding coming soon." She had to laugh out loud at Daniel's look.

Daniel watched Maggie laugh at him for a few seconds and then smiled himself. "You know, our girls could do a lot worse than those two." It was high praise coming from a father.

All of a sudden Sarah came hurrying back to the ranch house as Red stood out in the yard with his hand on his gun belt. Jerry scurried to the bunk house, returned with two Henry rifles, and tossed one to Red. He moved behind some hay bales beside the corral while Red continued to stand in the open.

Sarah got to the porch and said, "Red said there's someone coming, riding hard."

Daniel shooed both women into the house and returned with his own rifle to stand on the porch. If the incoming rider brought trouble he was going to get a rude surprise. That young man down there can be as dangerous as a mad bull and a quick as a rattlesnake if he's pushed, Daniel thought.

He heard Red yell into the night, "You'd better slow to a walk Mister and come in with your hands empty."

"If I meant to shoot you I'd sit out here and pick you off with my own Henry," the response came from the dark.

"You couldn't hit the side of a barn from ten feet," Red yelled back and started laughing. Jerry stepped from behind the hay bales laughing too. 

Daniel didn't understand what they were laughing about until Josh rode into the yard out of the darkness. He had a big grin on his face and was chuckling.

Josh dismounted when he got to where Red was standing; Jerry came to join his two older friends. Swinging down from his horse he playfully swatted at Red with his hat and reached over and patted Jerry on the shoulder. Daniel looked at the three as if seeing them for the first time. He hadn't seen them together before without others around. He compared them as they stood together talking and laughing.

Jerry was big for his age at 5' 8 or so. He had big hands and feet which promised he would be a lot bigger when he got his full growth; it was hard to remember that he's only 15. Red was like the sunshine, bright and full of life. He was stocky, solid, and strong like a bear. And like a bear he could be dangerous and unpredictable if you provoked him.

Josh was tall, slender, and moved with a cat like grace. He reminded Daniel of a mountain lion he had seen once, moving over the ground hardly seeming to touch down. Josh was quiet but when he talked he usually said something worth listening too. Daniel wasn't sure if Josh or Red would be more dangerous when prodded.

Although Red was the oldest there was no doubt that Josh led the group. He was only 3 or 4 years older than Jerry but he was a man grown where Jerry was still growing into manhood. A strange mixture, but a strong one Daniel thought. I'm glad they're our friends.

Jerry took Josh's horse Diablo to the barn and took care of him. Josh and Red walked to the porch to join Daniel. "Well looks like you got another hand sir. I've finished at Sander's until the spring so I'll be staying here with y'all if that's okay," Josh said.

"Welcome home son. We're glad to have you."

Maggie and Sarah came out onto the porch and Josh took off his hat and with a smile said hello. But his attention quickly turned back to the door when Danielle came out to join everyone. 

"Dang Josh, you've got a smile as big as Texas on your face. I know you're glad to see me but this is embarrassing," Red teased his friend. Everyone there knew who and what caused Josh's smile.

Turning back to Daniel Josh said, "I reckon I could've waited until morning to come back. But I thought I could stay at Sander's with a bunch of strangers or come back here to be with friends. So here I am."

Maggie asked Josh if he'd had supper and pushed him into the house when he said no. Everyone sat around the table as Josh ate and talked. They had seen him the week before but were happy to have Josh back "home"

"I guess Jacob's in bed already," Josh said. When Daniel nodded Josh said, "I've got a present for him, it'll be here tomorrow morning." There was a chorus of questions but Josh told everyone he wanted it to be a surprise. 

"I wanted to travel fast tonight and couldn't bring it with me. Mr. Sanders and his cook are making a supply run to Fountain tomorrow and he said he would drop it off on his way by," Josh told them.

Sanders was mounted on one of the horses that Josh had trained and his cook drove the wagon up to the front of the house early the next morning. Everyone came out to greet the men with Josh in the lead. Sanders motioned to the barn and Josh nodded.

"Jacob I need some help with something, could you give me a hand?" Josh asked. The boy nodded and followed Josh as he walked toward the barn. "Wait right here, I'll get it, and you can help me," Josh ordered.

He went to the back side of the barn and returned leading a big buckskin colt about a year and a half old. Josh walked to Jacob and handed him the lead. "He needs a good home and a good owner. Think you can do that Jacob?"

The boy was stunned and didn't know what to say so he just nodded.

"You're a big help to your family and showed a lot of sand trying to help your sisters when those cowboys scared them. I think you should have your own horse to raise and train. That okay with you?"

Again the boy nodded still not able to speak. "You'll have to take care of him and teach him how to be a good horse. It'll be about a year before you can ride him heavy but by that time he'll be your partner."

Jacob found his voice and leading the colt toward his parents said excitedly, "Ma, Pa, look what Josh gave me." Then he stopped, "Thank you Josh. I'll take good care of him, I promise."

Maggie and the two girls had tears in their eyes at how happy Jacob was. Growing up on a ranch didn't give a young boy much time for anything but work and it was good to see Jacob so excited. Daniel stepped down from the porch and looked over the young horse.

His voice had an uncommon gruffness to it when he said, "It's a fine looking animal Jacob. Gonna be a big horse when he gets his full grown, 16 hands or so. Looks strong too. Better go find a stall for him and feed and water him good."

Jacob led his horse toward the barn. Daniel turned toward Josh, "I'll pay you for whatever the colt cost Josh."

"No sir, that's a gift to Jacob from Red, Jerry, and I. We admire the way the boy stood up to Rafe and besides Jacob don't have no kids his own age for friends so this pony can be his friend."

"We appreciate it Josh, but Jacob can ride one of my horses when need be. You didn't have to spend you wages on the colt."

"A man should have his own horse and Jacob's not far from being a man. Besides all the animal cost was a little of my time."

"What...how's that?" Daniel asked.

"The colt's mama was killed by a mountain lion about six months ago. Mr. Sanders didn't want the colt to be out on the range during this winter and was finally was able to catch him last week." Josh turned toward Sanders and smiled. "But then he didn't know what to do with the animal. The colt is too young to ride yet so he'd be like a pet for a year or so."

"I already got a couple of dogs. Don't need no more pets," Sanders interrupted. He tried and failed to sound put out and gruff.

Josh continued, "I remarked that the colt reminded me of my Sunny and Mr. Sanders told me I could have him. Said I'd be doing him a favor if I took the animal off his hands."

"I also said you'd have to work with him on your own time, didn't I?"

"Oh Mr. Sanders quit play actin at being mean; you're a good man with a kind heart. You're the one that gave me the saddle and tack for Jacob. Anyway I looked over the colt and thought he'd make a fine mount for Jacob. I worked with the horse after supper every night; he's comin along pretty good." 

Daniel stepped over to Sanders and shook his hand saying thank you. Maggie asked, "When do you figure to come back this way?"

"We'll buy and load supplies tonight and start back to the ranch at first light tomorrow morning. Probably pass by here around 8 or so. Y'all need me to pick something up for you?"

"No sir, but ifin y'all stop by in the morning, I'll feed you the best breakfast in these parts," Maggie said. Sanders nodded and he and his cook left for town. 

"Let's get some work done, we're burning daylight," Daniel said. 

After working most of the morning around the house place, Daniel, Red, and Jerry went into the hill country to cut more firewood for the winter. Never can have too much firewood, Daniel thought. Josh and the two girls picked the last of the apples from the five or six trees growing down by the spring. Maggie would make a couple of apple pies and she would can or dry the rest for use during the winter. 

Sarah watched Josh and Danielle flirt back and forth and smiled. Maybe her little sister had found a beau too. After they brought the apples up to the house, Josh walked down by the corral. Jacob was sitting on the top rail just watching his horse.

"Might as well be working him instead of just lookin at him," Josh said to the boy.

"I'd like to but I'm not sure what I should be doing. Besides, he's a little skittish; after I took the lead off he sorta danced away from me. He keeps moving away whenever I try to get close to him," Jacob replied.

"He's not used to you yet, you're something new." Josh handed Jacob a few pieces of apple, "Go to the middle of the corral and eat a piece of apple. Don't look at him, don't pay any attention to him; he'll come over to see what you're eating. He knows about apples, that's what I used working with him."

Jacob did as Josh said and the young horse did come to Jacob expressing an interest in the apple. "Give him a piece of apple, rub his neck, and talk to him. Now walk away and come back toward me."

The colt followed Jacob all the way to the corral fence. "Now he's your friend, you can start to train him," Josh said. "Every time you work with him or curry and comb him, or feed him you need to talk to him. It doesn't matter what you say, he needs to get to know your voice."

Saturday morning Sanders rode back into the yard on his way back to his ranch. The cook had decided to continue on instead of stopping. Maggie welcomed Sanders and put on a huge breakfast of ham, flapjacks, and eggs.

Sitting on the porch, stuffed after the great meal, Sanders asked Jacob if he'd named his new horse yet.

"Yes sir. Since his mama was killed by a mountain lion and he's the same tawny color as one, I'm gonna call him Puma," Jacob answered.

"Good name son," Sanders said. Josh and Red smiled and nodded approval at Jacob. 

"You had any problems with rustlers Mr. Sanders?" Daniel asked.

"Please call me Bill. No I haven't had any trouble. I've lost a few cattle to wolves and mountain lions but not many. Have you?"

"I've had over 100 head stolen in the last year; ten head just two days ago," Daniel admitted. "I find it strange that you haven't had any trouble. I mean you have a lot more cattle than we do."

"Tom Larson's ranch is just north of yours and he hasn't had any trouble either," Sanders said.

"It's almost like the rustlers are targeting my place," Daniel responded.

They talked until about 10 and Sanders decided he needed to get back to the S Bar S. The men stood and started to go work on the different chores necessary to keep a ranch running. Josh asked Daniel to stay behind for a minute.

"Between all of us we've got your place in pretty good shape for the winter. I'd like to take Red and do some scouting. Maybe we can find out something about these rustlers; where they went and what trails they took. If we can find their trail we might be able to find where they took the cattle and who they are."

"Okay, but be careful Josh. Rustlers are usually hard cases so don't get too close," Daniel warned. 

"We'll be real careful but those men haven't run into anyone as hard as Red. He's fit to be tied that someone is hurting his friends. Red's a good man at your back but a damn bad one to have against you," Josh responded.

Red mounted on Jasper and Josh on Diablo rode out that morning. Sarah and Danielle watched them go with a bit of worry showing. The two rode to the top of a rise, waved one more time, and rode on.

They were looking for a trail and weren't sure where it would take them; but they were on their way.

To Be Continued...



The Trail West Ch. 06



If you've hung in with the story until now, thank you. If you're just getting started; welcome.

I suggest you read Chapters 1-5. They will give you a better understanding of the characters and situations.

There are no graphic sex scenes in this story. As usual constructive comments and emails are welcome and appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read my tale and please enjoy.

**********************

Josh and Red came to the base of a large gently sloping hill; they'd been following the tracks of ten cattle and three horses for most of the day. It had to be the rustlers trail. Now the two young men stopped to give their horses a breather. 

"Red, how's Jasper holding up?" Josh asked about Red's horse.

"He's mad because I've kept him at walk for the last two hours. He'll do," Red answered.

"Diablo's in good shape too. I'm thinking if we cut over the top of the hill we can cut down the lead they have on us," Josh suggested. "What'da you think?"

"Sounds good, I'd like to get closer before it starts raining," Red replied pointing at the low lying dark clouds.

They were mounted on two of the finest horses in Colorado and knew they could run down just about anybody or anything. Josh led the way over the top of the hill and down the other side stopping to examine the tracks again.

"I'd say we picked up about a half hour on them Red. Wonder why they're not traveling faster," Josh remarked.

"Those cattle aren't Texas Longhorns; they're mostly Hereford cross breeds. They can't be driven as hard as Texas cattle," Red answered.

They are no sooner started on the trail again when it began to rain. It wasn't a gentle rain. It came down in sheets reducing visibility to just a few feet; the two riders couldn't see much beyond the head of their horses. And the rain washed out the trail. They continued riding in the general direction that the cattle had been going.

Josh was a good tracker having learned from Mali Reece, a Cheyenne woman, back home in Missouri and from hunting in the hills around his father's farm. As the rain stopped, Josh had to admit they had lost the trail. They followed what had been a small stream that turned into a raging torrent. Climbing out of the draw to high ground again, they were confronted by five men. Josh recognized one of them.

"Hello, Mr. Larson. Nice to see you again," Josh greeted the man.

"What are you doing on my spread?" Larson asked.

"We were following the trail of some stolen cattle but lost them in the rain. Didn't know we were on your land," Josh answered.

"Well now you know, so get off my ranch," Larson ordered. When he said this the four men with him got tense, waiting for something to happen.

Josh looked at Larson and the other men, his smile slipping from his face, then said, "We'll leave Mr. Larson but we'll be come back if necessary."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

'It means that the trail was leading to your spread before we lost it in the rain. If we find it again we'll follow it no matter whose land it crosses," Red told him. "If you're gonna stop us now's as good a time as any.

"There's five of us boy. You don't stand a chance," Larson bragged.

"We're not looking for trouble," Josh said. "But if shootin starts you'll be the first to go Mr. Larson. Won't much matter what happens after that, at least not to you." 

Larson looked hard at Josh and Red. He didn't see any bluff in their faces. "Get off my land" he said and turned his horse around and rode off. His men waited a few seconds and then followed him.

Josh and Red turned back toward the Maggie M. They felt that Larson was involved in the rustling but couldn't prove it. They talked in low voices and had been riding for about 10 minutes when Josh stopped and motioned for quiet. Red listened for a moment and then heard it too. It was the sound of cattle that were upset.

They scouted around and found a trail that had been made after the rain stopped. Following the tracks for about a mile Josh signaled a halt. Using sign language he told Red to wait with the horses and he would scout ahead a ways. Red wasn't happy with that idea but Josh was a much better tracker so he agreed to wait.

Josh took off on foot keeping behind cover where ever he could. He had been gone for almost 20 minutes and Red was getting worried. Then he heard Josh calling him to bring up the horses. Red mounted and leading Diablo soon joined Josh. He found Josh, the cattle, and a stranger at the head of a small box canyon. 

There was a man kneeling on the ground and Josh held him at gun point. "There's Daniel's cattle Red, all rounded up and waitin for us. This feller was just sitting under a cover tryin to keep dry."

"Who is he? He looks familiar, like I've seen him before." 

"He won't tell me but maybe he'll tell the Sheriff," Josh answered. "We'll drive the cattle back to the Maggie M and take him to town tomorrow."

"Good. It'll give me a chance to see Sarah sooner than this weekend," Red responded with a big grin. 

They tied the man's hands in front of him, got him on his horse, and then tied his hands to the saddle. Josh said, "Mister if you try to run, we'll catch you and tie you face down across your saddle. Either way, sitting up or face down, you're coming with us back to the ranch. It's your choice how you get there."

Josh and Red started the cattle back toward home and the man rode at the back of the small herd with Josh. Red rode point and helped keep the cattle headed in the right direction as Josh drove them from behind. It took the better part of the day to get the animals back near the ranch house.

Daniel and the whole family came out to greet the three men. Josh took their prisoner down to the barn and tied him in a stall. Red was telling the Maguires about Josh scouting ahead all alone.

"How'd you know there was only one man guarding the cattle?" Maggie asked.

"The tracks showed three horses going in but only two came out of the box canyon," Josh answered. "The one that stayed had a loose shoe on the left front. The horse would have gone lame in another few miles. My guess is that they left the man there to guard the cattle and went to get another horse somewhere."

That evening Josh and Daniel went to the barn. Josh brought the prisoner some supper while Daniel fixed the loose shoe on the man's horse. The rustler finally told them that his name was Carl but refused to answer any more questions.

"Just so you understand Carl, you're going to be the one punished for rustling. Not the other two that were with you, just you," Josh explained. "I don't know about out here but back home they hang cattle thieves."

The prisoner's face turned white. From his reaction, Josh guessed that they hung cattle thieves in Colorado too. "Think about it Carl."

Red and Josh brought Carl some breakfast the next morning; Carl still refused to tell them who had been with him. The only thing he did say was "My boys will take care of me." They tied Carl's hands and helped him mount and started for town. This time they led his horse; Josh was concerned that the man would try to escape and he didn't want to have to shoot him..

The men rode three abreast on the wagon road. As they came out of a small gulley, Josh tensed, glanced around and looked at Red. "Stay loose Red. Somethin don't feel right," Josh warned his friend.

The words were barely out of his mouth before they heard a rifle shot. Carl pitched over the rump of his horse and fell to the ground; he'd been shot through the chest. Red and Josh spurred their horses in different directions into some cover and jumped off. They pulled their rifles from the saddle scabbards as they dismounted.

They scanned the hill tops and stands of cedars looking for the shooter. After 15 minutes they remounted and rode back to where Carl's body lay on the ground. Red rounded up Carl's horse and they tied him over his saddle; they would still have to take the body to town. 

Red finished securing Carl's body to the saddle and said, "Well he was right. His boys did take care of him."

Once they got to town they rode to Sheriff Horton's office. Josh explained about the stolen cattle, catching Carl, and the rifle shot that killed him.

"Any idea who did it?" Horton asked.

"Didn't see em," Josh replied. "But it was a big caliber rifle like a Hawken or a Sharps, I know the sound. There wasn't any cover for over two hundred yards; a mite far for that kind of shootin with a Henry or Spencer."

"My guess would be this guys partners shot him to keep him from naming whose was in it with him," Red added. "Ifin you're done with us, I'd like to see Sarah before we head back to the Maggie M."

Sarah and Danni had left the ranch for town the same morning that Josh and Red started tracking the stolen cattle. Fine idea Josh thought; I'd like to see Danni. Sheriff Horton nodded and the young men rode away, Red toward the school house and Josh toward the freight office.

Danni had her head down working in a ledger when Josh walked into the office. "Be with you in a minute," she said without looking up, 

"I don't know if I can wait that long Miss," Josh replied.

Danni raised her head and saw him standing there smiling at her. She was surprised at how happy she was to see Josh. "What are you doing here?" Danni asked. "I mean it's good to see you Josh but what brings you to town?"

He explained about recovering the stolen cattle, catching Carl and the ambush where he was killed. "We had to bring his body into the Sheriff so we thought we'd make the trip worthwhile. And here I am. Hope you don't mind," Josh finished with a grin.

Danni stepped close to Josh took his hand and said, "No, I don't mind at all." She went to an open office door and said, "I'm going to an early lunch Mr. Whitworth."

Josh and Danni had just sat down at the café when Red walked in and joined them. 

"You get to see Sarah?" Josh asked.

"Yes sir, I did. We got to talk for a few minutes while the kids were at recess but then she had to go back to teachin."

"It's a shame you couldn't spend more time with her," Danni said.

"Yes ma'am it is. That's why I'm gonna wait until we can have supper together before I head back. There'll be a Comanche Moon tonight so I'll be able to make my way back to the Maggie M pretty easy."

"Comanche Moon? What's that?" Danni asked.

"It's a full moon," Red told her. "Folks back in Texas called it that because Comanche's like to attacked by its light."

"I know you're afraid of the dark Red so maybe I should just wait and ride back with you. Sorta hold your hand, don't you know," Josh said to Red but with a grin at Danni. She giggled and he continued, "Miss Danni would you like to have supper with me this evening?"

She agreed and they made plans to meet at Mrs. Cassidy's boarding house and then walk to the café for supper. After lunch and walking Dannie back to the freight office, Josh and Red went to the general store to pick up a few things and to say hello to Mr. Mitchell the owner. Included in the supplies they bought was some stick candy for Jerry and Jacob. Of course Red had to try a piece to make sure it was good enough for the boys.

Josh walked in front of a full length mirror in one corner of the story and stopped to look at his image. "Ya know Red I'm gettin a little scruffy lookin. I think I'll get a new shirt and pants." Still looking at himself in the mirror he said, "We've time to spare so maybe a haircut and shave wouldn't be a bad idea either. It's not every day I take a pretty girl to supper."

Red joined Josh at the mirror, nodded and said, "For once I think you're using your head for more than a hat rack. Good idea."

They each selected a pair of pants and a shirt and added them to the supplies. As they were paying Mr. Mitchell, he told them that the barber had a bathhouse out back. "You boys can get a shave, haircut, and a hot bath for a dollar."

At the barber shop they were told it would take about an hour to get the bathhouse warmed up and water heated. They decided to get a beer at the saloon and come back in an hour. Red had just drunk a shot of whiskey and started on his beer when a big man stood next to him at the bar.

"Well son, I guess my information helped you. Y'all still here."

Red looked at the man and after a few seconds recognized Bill Thomas, the freight driver that he had talked to in Pueblo. "Yes sir it did. I'm working for the Maggie M and my partner here is training horses at the S Bar S. Let me buy you a whiskey."

"I've never turned down a free whiskey." The three men talked for a few minutes and Bill said, "I heard you boys brought in Carl Davis draped over his saddle. What happened?"

Josh and Red explained about catching Carl with the stolen cattle and how he was shot as they were bringing him into the sheriff. 

"Knew that boy was no good. Figured he's end up shot dead or hanged. I'm surprised y'all didn't shoot him the first time you had a run in with him."

"First time?" Red questioned.

"Yeah I heard you two faced down Carl and his two friends, Rafe Johnson and Barry Summers when they were botherin the Maguire girls."

"That's where I seen him before," Red replied snapping his figers. "I just couldn't remember where."

"Carl and his friends are bad ones are they?" Josh asked.

"Yep, none of them worth the powder to blow them to hell. They sure found a home with the rest of that scum that works for Larson," Thomas said. "How bout another drink sonny?"

Red motioned for another whiskey for him and asked, "So Carl and his bunch work for Tom Larson?"

The freight driver nodded and knocked back his whiskey. "They did last month when I was here."

"How'd you hear about our run in with those boys? I mean you're on the trail most of the time."

"There are two places that men gossip like old women; the barber shop and the saloon. I always get a bath and a shave at the end of a run, whether I need em or not. And I surely do like a saloon; so I hear a lot of what's happened while I been gone."

Red and Josh thanked him for the information and started back toward the barber shop.

"That sure puts in fox in the chicken coop, don't it Red? Let's get finished at the barber's and then go talk to Sheriff Horton before we meet the girls," Josh said. "I got couple of questions I need to ask."

Red had learned to trust his young friend's instincts and hunches; he nodded in agreement.

After the boys dressed in their new clothes they came out of the barber's and headed for the Sheriff's office. They caught Horton as he came out of his door.

"Got time for a little talk, Sheriff?" Josh asked. Horton nodded and motioned them into his office.

"You boys sure look spiffy, goin to church or something," he teased the young men. He knew very well why the boys had gotten cleaned up. "What's on your mind?"

Josh grinned at the Sheriff's compliment and said, "We heard Carl Davis was working for Tom Larson, is that true?"

"Yeah he does or did I should say," Horton answered. "He had a reputation for being a little free with a running iron. I figured he was doing a little rustling on the side."

"What about his friends Rafe and Barry, do they work for Larson?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, they do. You think those boys were with Carl?"

"I'd bet on it," Josh replied. "There were three horses drivin Maguire's cattle. Two riders came out of that box canyon and left Carl there. My guess is that it was Rafe and Barry."

"Makes sense, but it's not enough to arrest those two. Just because their saddle partner is rustling doesn't prove they're in on it."

"Sheriff, Mr. Sanders told Daniel that he hadn't had any problem with rustlers. He also said that Larson wasn't havin trouble either. Why would someone rustle cattle from the Maggie M and not the others? It don't make sense, both the other ranches have a lot more cattle that are spread out over a lot more land," Josh asked.

"It's almost like someone is targetin the Maguires. Like they're trying to run them out. Why would someone want to do that? Red asked, jumping into the discussion.

"Don't rightly know Red. I can't think of....." Sheriff Horton paused for a few seconds. "Water," he said. "I bet that's it."

"Water?" Both Josh and Red asked. Josh continued, "What about water?"

"The Maggie M has the best water holes in the area. There's at least seven spring fed ponds on the ranch. You also got Black Squirrel and Chico Creeks. That's a powerful lot of water for these high plains. If the Maguires were forced out, whoever took over the Maggie M would get the water rights too. "There's your reason boys, water rights."

"And Larson's place butts up against the Maggie M," Red said. His voice was soft and low like he was talking to himself. "Might be time to have a talk with Mr. Tom Larson." 

"Red don't go off half cocked, ya hear? All this is just talk right now, we don't know that Larson's behind the rustlin," Horton warned the young Texan. "I don't want to have to come after you if you break the law so just sit tight until I can find out more."

Josh looked at his friend and slowly shook his head and motioned Red to be quiet. "Okay Sheriff, thanks for talkin with us. We'll tell Daniel what we talked about and see what he wants to do. Just so you know, if Daniel wants to go talk to Larson, we'll be goin with him."

They left the Sheriff's office and still had an hour before meeting the ladies. Red mentioned that he wanted the blacksmith to check out the right rear shoe on Jasper; it was wearing thin. He said that if the smithy had time, he'd have Jasper reshod. Josh agreed to go with Red; he wanted to see Sunny. 

Sunny enjoyed the carrots that Josh had brought him and the men were waiting for Jasper to get new shoes. As they sat in front of the blacksmith shop, Rafe and Barry rode passed and turned in to hitch their horses in front of the saloon across from the livery stable. Red had been sitting with his feet on the hitching rail leaning back in a chair. When he saw the two men, he sat up quickly, and then stood.

Josh saw the look on Red's face and the change in his friend. He had seen this side of Red before; when there was trouble Red became a deadly force. A force to be reckoned with. He put his hand on Red's arm to calm him down but Red looked at him and shook his head. 

"Not this time Josh. Maybe the Sheriff can't do anything but I can," Red told him. Seeing the worry on Josh's face he said, "Don't worry, I'm just goin to give those boys a friendly warning," he continued, grimly smiling at his partner. Josh nodded and followed Red toward the saloon.

Red crossed the dirt street and called out to Rafe and Barry as they dismounted. They turned and tensed up when they saw Red and Josh.

"What'da you want Mister?"

"I've got a message for you boys," Red told them. The two men could see that Red and Josh were primed for trouble. "Mr. Maguire said to tell you to leave his cattle and his ranch be. No more rustlin his stock."

"I don't know what you're talkin about. We didn't steal his cattle; that was all Carl's doin. You tell Maguire that..."

"That's horse shit Rafe. But I won't argue the point with you. You've heard the message, now hear the warnin. If anymore of his cattle get stolen or if anybody bothers him or his family, I'm comin for you."

"You don't have any proof Mister. The Sheriff can't arrest us without proof," Rafe said.

"The Sheriff don't come into this, I'm talkin about me. I'll come for you and it'll be me that deals with you," Red said. "I'll finish both of you. That's not a threat, that's a promise. If anymore trouble comes the Maguire's way, I'll put you under." 

"If you gun us down, you'll go to jail."

"Maybe so, but it'll be too late to do you boys much good." Red stared at the men; his eyes were piercing and had death in them. He stopped talking and looked back and forth between the two men. "Y'all understand me clear; I'll kill you if you bother the Maguires again." With that final promise, Red turned and walked back to the livery stable and sat down in his chair.




The Trail West Ch. 06



Josh stood staring at Rafe and Barry. "Boys if I were you, I'd pay attention to what he said. I've never heard him threaten anyone. He normally acts instead of talkin. And just so you know, if he comes for you, I'll be comin too."

Rafe and Barry turned and hurried into the saloon as Josh went to join Red. "Damn Red, what about not goin off half cocked?"

"I didn't, they're still breathin aren't they. I promised not to take the law into my own hands and I didn't. I just gave those boys a friendly warnin. Well, maybe it wasn't so friendly but I did warn them instead of shootin them."

Josh looked at his friend for a few seconds and then smiled. "C'mon let's go meet Sarah and Danni."

The ladies were waiting for them when they got to the boarding house and after bundling up against the cold they all walked to the café for supper. All four of them took off their coats and the girls saw that in addition to having been to the barber shop that the boys were wearing new clothes.

"Did you feel you had to get dressed up to talk to Sheriff Horton, Red?" Sarah asked grinning.

Red smiled and blushed. When Danni turned to Josh she didn't even have to ask the question to get him flustered. "Well we thought Maggie might like to see us all cleaned up," Red responded.

This got all of them laughing. When they settled down, Josh said, "There is something we should discuss." Red nodded and Sarah and Danni waited to hear what Josh had to say.

"With the rustlin from the Maggie M and Carl getting shot we think one or both of us should escort you ladies between town and the ranch," Josh suggested. 

Sarah said, "We're grown women and can take care of ourselves Josh. We don't need babysittin." She wasn't happy with Josh's idea.

"Yeah, you can take care of yourselves alright. Just like the day we meet you when Rafe and his friends were about to get all friendly with you," Red replied with an impish grin.

"Really Sarah, things are getting real serious around here. Your folks would feel better if you had someone with you. Let at least one of us ride back and forth with you for their peace of mind," Josh requested. "And for mine," he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that last part?" Danni asked. She knew very well what Josh had mumbled and was touched at his concern.

"It'd make both Red and I feel better if at least one of us was with you." Josh grinned and continued, "If nothing else we can keep Sarah from shootin some poor soul who only wanted to say hello. I heard you've gotten a little trigger happy with that pistol Sarah."

Sarah sputtered and tried to argue with Josh but everyone started laughing at her and then she laughed too. "Okay Josh, we give up. One of you can come meet us and then ride back with us, but only one. There's too much going on at the ranch to have both of you gone. Agreed?"

"I knew you'd see it our way. How could you gals pass up riding all alone with two handsome cowboys like Josh and me?" Red teased the girls. But deep down he was glad that he and Josh would provide protection for them. There's bound to be more trouble and I don't want them caught in the middle, Red thought.

Danni said that she would arrange to have her work day end on Friday at 3 PM; the same time Sarah got finished at school. Then the girls and their escort for the day could make it back to the ranch before full dark. The days had gotten shorter as the winter season rolled in; it got full dark around 6 PM.

After dinner on the way back to the boarding house Red and Sarah lagged behind; Josh and Danni were in the parlor for almost 20 minutes before they showed up. Waiting for the other two, Josh was a little shy talking to Danni. Finally to get him to talk more Dannie asked about his two favorite horses, Diablo and Sunny.

"I've had Sunny for 4 years or so and he's as good a horse as I've ever known; maybe with the exception of Diablo," Josh said.

"Which one is faster Josh?" Danni asked to keep his talking. He relaxed when he talked about his horses and she could see more of the real Josh.

"Depends on what you mean by faster. If you ran them both at a gallop from here to the S Bar S, Diablo would be there about 15 to 20 minutes before Sunny. You'd have to give Diablo a breather before he could start back; a horse that big uses up a lot of energy running that hard. Sunny on the other hand you could turn around and start right back and he'd still be running at the same speed. He probably would be back at the start more than an hour ahead of Diablo."

"So Sunny is faster over a long distance?" 

"I guess you could say that. But both of them can go at a lope all day long, day after day. If I wanted to get to someplace like Pueblo in a hurry I'd take Diablo; but if I had to turn around and come right back without resting my horse, I'd take Sunny," Josh replied. "But no matter which horse you'd take you'd be riding one of the best in the Colorado. Or any place else for that matter," Josh said with pride. 

Danni was smiling at Josh's intensity and obvious love for his horses. She took his hand in hers and said, "See, it's not that hard to talk to me. Is it?"

Josh returned her smile and shook his head. "Don't know of anyone I'd rather be talking to Danni."

Before either of them could say anything more, Red and Sarah come through the door and into the parlor. "Where have you two been?" Danni asked teasing them.

"I was showing Sarah how to find what direction is north by using the North Star," Red deadpanned. 

"Sarah already knows how to use the North Star," Danni replied.

"Well now she knows how to use it the Texas way," Red responded. "Besides, there's no such thing as too much education. Right Sarah?"

Red's antics made all of them laugh. After the girls quit giggling, Josh said, "Hate to break this up but we need to head back to the ranch. C'mon Red, let's hit the trail."

Red realized that none of the boarders were around and Mrs. Cassidy was busy in the kitchen. He pulled Sarah to him and kissed her; telling her he would see her Friday. Sarah returned the kiss for a few seconds and then pulled back blushing. Red gave her a big grin and walked out the front door.

Danni followed Josh to the door and just before he left she kissed him on the cheek and said, "Thanks for a lovely evening Josh. I hope we can talk some more this weekend at the ranch."

On the way to the stable to get their horses, Red said, "Josh, if you don't quit smiling your face will freeze that way in this cold."

"I could say the same thing to you Red. If it gets too dark on the way back to the ranch we can use your smile to light our way."

Both men laughed and mounted their horses for the hour ride back to the Maggie M. Arriving back at the ranch, Josh and Red sat on the porch with Daniel. They told him about Carl being shot and their discussion with the Sheriff. Daniel agreed the water rights could be the reason behind all the trouble. The boys decided that Daniel didn't need to know about Red's warning to Rafe and Barry. 

That Friday afternoon Red rode into Fountain to escort the ladies back to the ranch. Daniel and Maggie felt better with Red or Josh riding with their daughters. Maggie had a big supper waiting when the three got to the ranch. Jerry and Jacob took the horses to the barn and soon after everyone sat down for the big meal.

Sarah and Danni talked about their days in town and all the gossip about the town's people. They were told about what was happening on the Maggie M. The plans for getting new stock in the spring, the changes planned for the bunk house, and a new well that they planned to dig come spring when the ground thawed out. 

After supper Red went to the barn to make sure Jasper had been properly taken care of after the ride in the cold. Sarah decided to keep him company. Maggie smiled to herself thinking about the possibility of a wedding in the spring. The two young people had been gone for about 30 minutes and Daniel decided he'd go see if there was a problem.

Josh and Danni spoke at the same time saying, "I'll go." They laughed and then both went to check on the missing two. They knew that there was more going on than Red taking care of his horse. As Josh and Danni got close to the barn, they started talking in loud voices as a warning to Red and Sarah.

Before they got all the way to the barn, Red and Sarah came out and joined them. "Let's get back to the house," Red suggested. "It's gettin real cold out here."

Walking back to the house Danni helped Sarah brush the hay off the back of her clothes and out of her hair. Sarah was red in the face but Red had a Texas size grin on his.

Back in the house Jacob was sent to bed and Jerry wandered off to the bunk house. The rest of the group had a last cup of coffee before retiring.

"Was your horse okay Red? Daniel asked. "You were gone so long I thought there might be something wrong."

"Yes sir, he's fine. I was just makin sure," Red replied with a sly grin.

Daniel started to say more but Maggie nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Hush now Dan," she said in a quiet voice. Daniel looked at Maggie, bewildered. What did I say? He thought. He started to ask Maggie about the elbow but she said, "Time for bed. See you in the morning boys."

As the boys left, the girls went to their room, and Daniel and Maggie went to theirs. We're goin to have a talk before we get to sleep tonight, Daniel promised himself.

They got into bed and Daniel asked, "What was that elbow and you shushing me about Maggie?"

"You're a good man Dan but sometimes you don't see things right in front of you. Red and Sarah are falling in love; they're young and they like to spend some time alone. You askin about why it took so long just embarrassed Sarah."

"You don't think Red and Sarah are doing anything ...er ... er improper do you?

"No more than we did when we were courtin. Remember that hay ride we went on the night you ask me to marry you?"

"Yeah I do," Daniel answered and chuckled. "And I remember that you're daddy almost took a bull whip to me that night. He would've too if I hadn't told him we were gettin hitched."

The next morning Daniel asked Josh to ride out with him to check on the cattle. "There's weather coming in the next few days and I want to scout out the grazing situation." They found most of the cattle grazing near a canyon that would provide shelter for them in the upcoming storms. Daniel pulled up on top of the rise and turned to Josh.

"Josh, I want you to know that I respect you and preciate the help you've given my family."

"Thanks Daniel. I like your family and you've all been very good to Red, Jerry, and me.

"I feel the same way about Red. I know he and Sarah are gettin close, so I need to know what kind of man he really is. So I'm asking for your help here. Will he make a good husband for Sarah?"

"People don't take Red seriously because he's always laughin and making jokes. But don't under estimate him Daniel. He's as good a friend as I've had and as good a man as I've ever met. I've trusted him with my life several times and would do it again. Like I said before he's a good man to have with you and a very bad one to have against you. Yeah, he'd make a good husband for Sarah."

"That's good to know. I like Red but I worry about my daughter."

"Daniel, the only thing to worry about is when someone tries to hurt or harm his friends or the people he cares for; he don't like people pushin him neither. When someone threatens him or his he changes and becomes harder; the laughter goes away and he get as serious as hell. He'll do anything to defend his own and he don't worry about what comes after," Josh admitted. 

"I worry about him being so good with that pistol of his. I wouldn't like to think he's on the prod."

"I've never seen anyone better than Red. But I've never seen him do more than protect himself or his friends. He don't go looking for trouble Daniel, but if it finds him he can handle it. I told you before, he's not a gunfighter."

"That's good enough for me," Daniel said. "Let's get back to the house before I freeze my tail off.

Sunday afternoon late both Josh and Red rode back to Fountain with the girls. They decided that this would be the last trip until Thanksgiving. School would close at Thanksgiving until after the first of the year and Sarah would be home for all of December. Danni had made arrangements at the freight office to take off also. There wasn't that much to do as the freight wagons didn't run but every two weeks or so during the winter.

Thanksgiving dinner at the Maguires reminded Josh of his family back in Missouri. He was happy to be with his new friends but the holiday made him a little home sick. Josh sat on the front porch thinking about his parents, family, and the farm; Danni came out to join him. She brought a blanket with her, sat down next to him, and wrapped it around the both of them against the cold night air. 

Josh looked at her smiling face and all of a sudden he forgot about not being home and began to think about the pretty girl sitting next to him. He couldn't help himself and leaned over and kissed Danni. Josh pulled back embarrassed by what he had done and started to apologize. Danni smiled at him and leaned back into him for another kiss. Then she hugged him, jumped up, and went back into the house.

For the first three days of December, Josh worked and stayed at the S Bar S training four horses for Bill Sanders. Between the cold weather and the rain, it didn't make sense for him to ride back to the Maggie M each night. Josh earned $30 for his work with the four animals. When he came back to the Maguires he put $20 in the house hold kitty that was kept in a big mason jar in the cupboard.

First Daniel and then Maggie objected to him giving them the money. "My two partners have been doing most of the work around here and I just wanted to pay my own way. You folks have fed me, given me a place to sleep, and a place to board my horses. I'm lucky to have friends like y'all."

Josh's second morning back at the Maggie M dawned to be a nice day for that time of the year. It was a little cold but not bitterly so and the sun was shining bright. He motioned for Jacob to follow him and went to the corral next to the barn.

"Let's see how the training of Puma is going Jacob. Bring him out and show me what you've been doing."

Jacob was pleased at the attention and ran to get his horse. He led the young buckskin into the corral; it was more like the horse followed Jacob like a big dog. Jacob put a blanket and saddle on the horse talking to Puma in a soft voice just like Josh had instructed him. He dropped the lead rope to the ground and walked away. When he was about twenty feet from the horse he clapped his hands and yelled loudly. Puma turned to face the noise but didn't move from the spot. Jacob had trained his horse to ground tie.

"Where'd you learn that, Jacob? I never showed you how to train him to ground tie," Josh said.

"Red taught me Josh. He said that all your horses were trained to ground tie and that it was a good thing to teach an animal," Jacob replied.

"Well he's right about that. It sure is a blessing not to have to look for a rock or tree to tie your horse to when you're out on the range. Have you put a bridle and bit on him yet?"

"No sir."

"Let's try it now. Here feed him a piece of this apple and then rub another piece on the bit." Josh helped Jacob get the bit into Puma's mouth and finish putting on the bridle. "Let him get use to the feel for a spell and then we'll try some more."

Jacob continued to talk to Puma in a soft voice, stroked his neck, and scratched behind his ears. The boy had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the young horse's head.

"I think you could sit on him here in the corral for a spell. It will teach him how you're weight feels and it won't hurt him. Go on give it a try."

Josh held Puma's head and Jacob climbed up onto the horses back. Puma turned his head to see what was causing the weight on his back. Jacob reached forward and stroked his neck still talking to him. Josh released the horse's head and went back to the corral fence and climbed onto the top rail. He looked back at Jacob.

The boy had an ear to ear grin as he sat on his horse for the first time. Other than shifting his weight a little, Puma just stood quietly. Josh had to smile; it was such a small thing sitting on a horse in a corral but to the boy it was like opening a Christmas present early.

"Okay, now walk him easy around the corral for a bit," he told Jacob. The boy gently nudged the horse with his heels and Puma began to walk. Josh felt someone come up behind him and turned to see Daniel leaning on the corral fence watching his son. I don't know whose smile is bigger Jacob's or Daniel's, he thought. Twenty minutes later Josh said, "That's enough for today Jacob. Take off the saddle and then brush and curry Puma. Make sure and give him a piece of apple after you get him back in his stall."

***************

A bright, sunny, April day greeted Red as he rode over the ranch to check on how the cattle had done through the winter. He was also checking to see how many early spring calves had been dropped. Shortly after the sun came up he had to stop and take off his coat. Guess spring is finally takin hold, Red thought. About damn time, I'm sure tired of snow and cold weather. 

He found several calves and marked where their mothers were grazing on the early spring grasses. Daniel, Josh and he would come back to round them up for branding. Red thought of Daniel and the upcoming conversation that they would have. 

Sarah and he were in love and wanted to get married, but first Red felt that he had to ask for Daniel and Maggie's blessing. He knew Sarah would marry him anyway, even if her parents didn't agree. Red for all of his free spirited fun loving ways was traditional at heart. It was only right, he thought, that he first talk to Daniel and Maggie.

Of course, Maggie already knew about Sarah and Red. She had started wedding plans on the night Sarah came back from the barn with hay sticking to her clothes and hair. Maggie knew her daughter wouldn't play games in a hay loft with just any young man that came through. Sarah was head strong and independent but she was no man's fool.

Sarah's school was over until after the fall harvest; most of the children were needed at home with the beginning of spring planting and the round up and branding of cattle. She was living at the ranch full time now. Danni's job at the freight office wouldn't start up until May; the roads in the area were mud bogs because of the spring thaw and not many wagons were coming and going. Maggie watched her daughters clean up after breakfast and thought how nice it was to have the family all together.

As Red rode north from the ranch house, Josh rode south. He was also checking on cattle and was hunting at the same time. The family needed fresh meat; they wouldn't starve but their supplies of dried beef and salt pork were running low. There were plans to butcher a steer when the animals had time to fatten up after the winter, but that was still a couple of weeks off. In the mean time Josh would try to find a deer for them. Jacob and Jerry were doing their part by taking shotguns and hunting for rabbits and grouse.

Josh rode Diablo out of a thicket of cottonwoods and willows along Black Squirrel Creek, He was following the tracks of a small herd of deer; Josh had his Henry rifle lying across the saddle in case he needed to make a quick shot. As they cleared the last big cottonwood Josh was surprised to see a lone bull buffalo staring at him; it was one of the few times that Josh had ever been caught unaware of what was going on around him.

The bull was large and relatively young but was injured. In the few seconds that Josh looked at the bull he could see that the animals left rear leg was torn and bleeding; it looked like a mountain lion or wolves had attacked the bull. The injury made an already mean animal ever more bad tempered. The bull looked at Josh and Diablo as they came out of the trees, gave a snort, pawed the ground once, and charged.




The Trail West Ch. 06



Josh spurred Diablo to get out of the way but the big horse slipped on the mud and sand bank of the creek. The buffalo was on them very quickly in spite of his injured rear leg. He butted Diablo in the ribs knocking the horse off his feet; as he went down Josh pulled his feet from the stirrups and rolled away. Josh was able to hang on to his rifle; as he came to his feet fired at the animal from about 20 feet away.

The first shot just seemed to make the bull angrier; he turned toward Josh, snorted again, and lowered his head. Josh moved quickly to the side and put three more shots into the bull's chest before the animal could charge again. The big animal snorted one more time, spraying blood from his nose and fell over on his side.

Josh limped over to the animal and made sure it was dead. He cut its throat to bleed the carcass so that it wouldn't spoil. No need to waste all that meat he thought, although I'd rather shoot at them from 100 yards away. This was a mite too close.

Diablo came to Josh favoring his left leg; his knee was beginning to swell. Josh inspected the knee and decided that the injury wasn't serious. It was a light sprain and would be fine after a day or two; but he couldn't ride Diablo back to the ranch house that day. Lucky we're only about four miles from home so I guess I can walk and lead Diablo, he thought. 

Josh limped as he walked around his horse checking for any more injuries and his leg started to ache and burn. During all the excitement he hadn't noticed that he was injured too. He looked down at his leg and saw blood seeping through a tear in his pants. Josh sat down on a rock beside the creek and pulled his pants leg up. I guess the bull got his licks in after all, he thought. 

He was bleeding from a gash an inch deep in places and six inches long in his calf; the bull had come close to goring Josh right through his leg. Josh washed his leg in the creek, grimacing at the burning sensation. He got a spare shirt from his saddle bag and cut strips to make a bandage for the wound. Don't look like I'll be walking back today he said to himself. Guess I'll make camp and wait for tomorrow.

*******************

It was early evening and getting dark; Red had been back for over two hours. He was beginning to worry because Josh hadn't returned yet. Most hunting success comes early in the day Red thought; there's no reason for him to still be out on the range. 

"Shouldn't Josh be back by now?" Danni asked Red with a worried tone.

"Yeah, he should. He must have run into some problem or something," Red answered. When he notice how worried Danni was he said, "Don't worry Danielle, Josh can take care of himself. He'll be alright."

"Is that why you're twisting that lariat around in your hands?" She asked smiling at Red.

"Like I said he can take care of himself, but I'd feel a mite better if he was here. I'll head out at first light to follow his trail. It's too late tonight; as good as I am I can't track in the dark."

Before first light, Red was saddling Jasper to go look for Josh. When he came out of the barn leading his horse he saw Jerry mounted and waiting for him.

"Where're you going Jerry?" Red asked unnecessarily. He knew very well what Jerry planned.

"Josh is my partner too Red. I'm going to help find him; beside two of us can cover more ground," Jerry said. 

"Okay, let's go." Red knew it was a waste of time trying to talk the youngster out of going to look for their friend.

They headed south from the ranch house and picked up Josh's trail almost immediately. It took them two hours, moving slow, following Josh's trail, to get to Black Squirrel Creek. Jerry gestured at the tracks leading out of the water on the far side of the creek. Red pointed at smoke from a campfire rising into the early morning air; he led the way across the creek headed toward the smoke. Jerry and Red cleared the last stand of cottonwoods and saw Josh sitting by a campfire.

He looked up as his friends rode over to him. Red saw the bloody pants leg with part of bandage sticking out. Jerry stiffened when he saw the blood but Red just sat on his horse and looked down at Josh. 

"You'll do about anything to get out of your share of the chores, won't you?" Red asked with a smile.

"I thought you two could handle it so I thought I'd take a break, don't you know. You boys have any coffee with you?"

Jerry got down and took a small coffee pot out of his saddle bag. As he added water and coffee to the pot, Red noticed the dead buffalo. He dismounted and examined Josh's leg; there wasn't much more that could be done until they got back to the ranch.

"You know you're supposed to shoot those animals not wrestle them to death," Red remarked.

"I've done that; thought I'd try something new. But I don't think I'll do that again," Josh said with a lopsided grin. "At least it'll give us enough fresh meat for quite awhile, so it wasn't a total waste of time."

After Josh got a cup of coffee, Red asked Jerry to ride back to the ranch and bring a wagon out to get the buffalo back to the house so they could butcher it. It would take about three hours for Jerry to make the round trip. 

"Nothin to do but wait I guess," Red said as he flopped down using a big rock as a back rest.

"Come on, let's start skinning this beast. It'll help get the heat out of the body so it won't spoil," Josh said as he got up and limped over to the buffalo carcass. 

"I did both of our chores last night since you weren't there so I should get to rest this morning," Red kidded as he went to help Josh. They made the necessary cuts in the hide and attached a rope to Jasper's saddle and to the hide. Using the power of the horse they were able to strip most of the hide off the buffalo. They could see the steam coming off the body as it cooled.

Jerry returned and between the three of them they got the big carcass into the wagon. Josh tied Diablo to the back of the wagon and got up on the seat with Jerry. He tried to hand the reins to Josh.

"You drove it out here, you drive it back. Besides I'm injured and I'm just gonna be your passenger today," Josh teased Jerry.

Two hours later they pulled into the yard at the ranch house. The entire Maguire clan was standing on the porch as they pulled to a stop. Danni ran off the porch to where Josh sat on the wagon. She took his hand in hers and looked up at him. 

"Are you alright?" She asked. When Josh nodded she asked, "What do you mean, worrying us all to death and why are you riding in the wagon?"

"Diablo sprained his knee and I didn't want to ride him."

"Diablo's hurt?" Danni left Josh's side and went to the big horse. He nickered at her as she stroked his neck. "Poor baby, Danni will take care of you. Jerry take him into his stall and get him some grain, I'll be down to take care of him later," she ordered. 

Josh and Red quickly told everyone the story of the bull buffalo, pointing to the carcass in the wagon. "We need to butcher him pretty quick before the meat turns bad," Josh said.

Red helped Josh get down from the wagon as his leg had stiffened up on the long ride back to the ranch. Danni turned back to the wagon and for the first time saw the bloody pants leg as Josh limped toward the porch. She ran to his side and put her arm around him to help him into the house. Danni made him sit at the table and gathered the things she needed to tend to his injury.

Maggie brought hot water in a wash basin, cloths to clean the wound, and coal oil to treat the deep cut. She also brought a bottle of whiskey and offered it to Josh; he shook his head turning down the drink. Danni sat on the floor and put Josh's foot on a low stool so she could work on his leg. She slit his pants leg and long johns up the side so she could get to the long gash better.

Red picked up the whiskey and said, "I'm a little shaky even if Josh isn't. Maybe I'd better have a little drink to settle me down." He put the bottle to his lips but before he could take a drink, Sarah took it away from him. She playfully slapped Red's shoulder and told him to bring in more wood for the stove. 

Danni cleaned up the wound and applied coal oil directly onto and into the gash. And then applied a pad soaked in coal oil to the wound and bound it up. The whole time she worked on his leg she talked to herself. "You could've been killed. How could you be so dumb? Don't you know you worried me to death?" And then softly almost in whisper said, "I don't know how I could take it if something happened to you."

In spite of the soft and quiet tone, Josh heard every word. He put his hand out and touched Danni's hair. She looked up at him and he could see the tears trickling down her cheeks. Their eyes met and in that exact moment he knew that he may never go back to the farm in Missouri; and if he did return he wouldn't be alone. It was at that exact moment that he knew he loved Danni and that she loved him. It was at that exact moment that he knew that their lives would be tied to each other forever.

Danni smiled up at Josh, wiped the tears from her cheeks and eyes, and went back to treating his wound. "This is going to hurt some," Danni said showing him the needle and silk thread she would use to sew up the gash. "Are you sure you don't want some whiskey to deaden the pain?"

"Naw, if I drink that stuff I might get sick to my stomach. I'd rather put up with the pain."

Daniel stepped into the house to see how Josh was doing. He heard Josh refuse the whiskey and walked over to a storage trunk and pulled something out. Walking back to Josh, Daniel handed him a thick piece of rolled up rawhide. "You might want to bite down on this son."

Josh took the rawhide put it between his teeth and Danni began sewing the edges of the cut together; this would make it heal more quickly. She had done the same thing with others in the family when they were hurt and even to some of the live stock. Danni pulled the sides of the gash together and made a zig zag stitch back and forth across the cut to close it.

Afterwards Maggie brought Josh one of Daniel's night shirts and a quilt. "Get out of those duds so we can wash the blood out of them," she ordered. "After they're clean we can sew up the slits in the legs." 

Josh blushed and Maggie laughed at his embarrassment. "The girls and I will step outside until you get decent. You can sleep on the sofa tonight so we can keep an eye on you."

The girls left and as Josh was changing Red came back into the house. He grinned as Josh explained what Maggie had ordered him to do. "Maybe I ought to get hurt so I can have three pretty women takin care of me," Red laughed. "On second thought, gettin horned by a buffalo is a mite far to go just to get some attention."

That evening after supper, Josh told the story of his run in with the bull buffalo in more detail. Red teased Josh some more about getting out of his chores but everyone could see that Red had really been worried about his friend. Late in the evening Red and Jerry went back to the bunkhouse. The Maguires went to their rooms with the exception of Danni.

Josh was bedded down on the sofa and Danni pulled her father's big chair closer. She explained to Josh that she would need to check on his bandage a couple of times during the night and this would be the easiest way. The two young people talked softly late into the night; Josh fell asleep still holding Danni's hand. In the morning she kissed his cheek to wake him and handed him coffee.

While he drank his morning coffee, Danni examined the wound again. "It's already started to heal and looks good. There's no sign of blood poisoning and the blood isn't seeping out anymore. You should be back on your feet in a couple of days."

It was actually three days before Danni would let Josh go back to doing his chores around the ranch. Josh had tried to get back on his feet the day after the accident. Danni got angry and told him he could get up if he wanted but not to come running to her the next time he did something stupid and got hurt. Josh didn't think it would've been a good idea to point out that she came running to him to take care of him. He didn't know a lot about women but he knew enough not to respond so he sat it out for two more days.

****************

May rolled around and the roads and wagon tracks began to dry out. Danni had to go back to work at the freight office but she did made a deal with the owner of the company. She would work full days Tuesday through Thursday and a half a day on Friday. She would go back to the Maggie M on Friday afternoons and return to Fountain on Monday.

The freight business was picking up but it would be late June before things got real busy. Even then Danni thought she could get everything done in four days which would give her more time at home. It would also give her more time with Josh; that was becoming more and more important to both of them.

Danni was all set to come home on the second Friday of the new work schedule and was waiting for her "knight escort" as she called them. She was surprised to see Jerry ride up to the boarding house to join her on the ride home. He was riding the big chestnut horse he called Charger.

"Hello Jerry. I thought Josh or Red would be coming for me."

"Hello Miss Danielle," Jerry greeted her. "Red is helping your Pa round up the spring calves for branding and Josh was at the S Bar S training horses that Mr. Sanders needs for his round up. With both Josh and Red busy I was the logical choice to come fetch you; I mean come and ride back with you. I hope you're not too disappointed."

Danni smiled and replied, "I'm honored to have such a fine young knight escort me home. Thank you Jerry."

They rode back to the ranch alternating walking and trotting the horses and talking along the way. Danni asked, "What are your plans for the future Jerry? What do you want to do with yourself?"

"I don't really have any plans. I'm real happy just where I am and as long as Mr. Maguire will keep me on, my only plan is to stay on the Maggie M. It's a good place to live and your Ma and Pa have been real good to me," Jerry replied.

Danni saw that Jerry was very alert and paid attention to the country they were riding through. There hadn't been any trouble since the rustler had been killed on the way into town but Jerry wasn't taking any chances. Josh would be really mad if I didn't take care of Miss Danielle, he thought to himself.

They were riding close to a big rock bluff and Jerry saw sunlight shinning off of something on the far side of the trail. He slapped Sunny hard on his rump making the big horse jump into a run; at the same time he put the spurs to Charger. As the horses started to run, a rifle shot rang out chipping rock off the bluff when they had been.

"Get behind that big rock," Jerry ordered a surprised Danni pointing to a house size boulder. They got behind the rock and dismounted. As Jerry jumped off his horse he pulled his Henry rifle from the saddle scabbard and quickly fire two shots back down the trail. Then he fired two more in rapid succession and chuckled.

"Got 'em pinned down now," he said grinning at Danni. "They're not going anywhere too soon."

"Got who pinned down?"

"Those two that shot at us. See that big rock on the far side of the trail? They're hiding behind it." Jerry paused to fire twice more and then reloaded his rifle. "Miss Danielle I'm going to cover you and you ride like hell for the ranch and get help." Before she could protest he added, "You're the reason those two are here. I don't know if they meant to scare you, kidnap you, or kill you but if you're not here they can't do any of that. So get going."

Danni was surprised at the way Jerry took charge. She remembered that Josh had said Jerry was a veteran of two raids on their wagon train. Danni also remembered how he had came up behind Rafe and his friends as Josh and Red faced them.

She lean over gave him a swift kiss on his cheek and said, "I think you can call me Danni. I'm going for help."

He nodded and as she mounted he fired several times at the rock where the two gunmen were hiding. Jerry didn't really expect to hit anything; he just wanted to keep their heads down while Danni got away. Danni pushed Sunny into a gallop and headed for the Maggie M, about two miles away.

Jerry reloaded and watched carefully for movement and every time one of them stuck his head up Jerry would fire at him. Those guys are sure dumb, he said to himself. They didn't hold on to their horses and now they can't move from behind that rock. If they try for the horses, they'll be out in the open, if they try to retreat they'll be out in the open, and if they try to rush me they'll be out in the open. Not real smart are you boys?

*****************

Josh had spent Thursday night at the S Bar S after working with Mr. Sander's horses. He had worked from first light until about noon on Friday. He rode back to the Maggie M because he wanted to be there when Danni and Jerry got home. Josh had loosened the saddle cinch to let Diablo rest a little and was talking to Red as he unsaddled and brushed Jasper. Red's horse had been working cattle all morning and deserved a rest.

Red had just feed Jasper and started toward the bunk house when Danni came into the yard at a high gallop. She was off Sunny and talking to Josh before the horse came to a full stop. Danni explained what had happened and that Jerry was still back there. 

Josh asked a couple of questions as he cinched up his saddle and waited as Red saddled his other horse, Queenie. Both men checked their guns and rode off at a fast pace; they needed to get to Jerry in a hurry. It took Red and Queenie less than ten minutes to reach Jerry's defensive position. Josh and Diablo weren't far behind; Diablo was very fast for a big horse but he couldn't keep up with Queenie. She was a quarter horse and could run like a big cat for short distances.

Red was grinning and held up his hand as Josh rode up. He pointed to where Jerry had made his stand. Red was a war veteran and saw at once that Jerry was in charge. It took Josh a minute to understand and then he smiled too. Jerry had someone pinned down behind a big rock on the far side of the trail.

Josh whistled like a quail to attract Jerry's attention. When the boy saw them he smiled and pointed at the big rock. Using sign language Red found out that Jerry had two men pinned down. He signed to Jerry that he and Josh would flank them and come up behind them. When Josh and Red were in position, Josh whistled again and Jerry fired four shots into the base of the rock to keep the men's heads down.

The next sound the two men heard was Josh telling them to drop their rifles. They frozen for a second or two and then started to turn. "Oh please do," Red pleaded. "You know I'd really like a chance at you two so keep on turning. Damn Josh, it's our old friends Rafe and Barry."

Rafe and Barry weren't the sharpest tools in the shed but they weren't stupid. They dropped their rifles and put their hands over their heads. Josh held a gun on them as Red stripped them of their pistols and picked up their rifles. Josh yelled to Jerry that they were coming out and walked the men onto the middle of the trail.

"I warned you boys what would happen if you caused anymore trouble for the Maguires. Josh let's give them back their pistols and settle this right here," Red suggested. Josh wasn't sure if he was serious until Red winked at him.

"You can't do that. We're your prisoners, you have to take us to the Sheriff," Rafe said almost begging.

"I told you before I'm not the law," Red answered. "Give 'em their guns Josh."

"You know Red if these boys would tell us who's behind all this trouble we might see our way clear to take them to Sheriff Horton."

"It's Larson, that's who it is," Rafe said quickly. "He told us to steal Maguire's cattle; everything was going good until you caught Carl and shot him."




The Trail West Ch. 06



"Tom Larson? Why would he want to hurt the Maguires? He's got more land and cattle than they do," Josh was talking to Red but Rafe answered.

"The Maggie M has the best water for a hundred miles in any direction and Larson wants the rights to it. He said if we stole enough cattle and scared the Maguires he could buy them out real cheap. We'll tell it all to the Sheriff and testify if you won't shoot us like you did Carl."

"That's twice you've said we shot Carl. We didn't shoot him Rafe; someone shot him out of the saddle as we were taking him to Sheriff Horton," Josh told him. "I think Larson killed him to keep him from talking to the Sheriff."

"That son-of-a-bitch! I bet you're right. He said that the Sheriff didn't believe your story that someone else shot Carl but couldn't prove any different. You get us to Sheriff Horton and we'll help put a nail in Larson's coffin."

Red looked at Josh and then Jerry, "You boys take them into the Sheriff. I've got something to do."

"Where're you going Red?" Josh questioned.

"I'm going to put an end to it. Larson has got to pay for his actions and I'm the collector."

"You're going to throw away a life with Sarah because of that piece of cow shit? If you kill him Red you'll be on the run for the rest of your life. Stop and think about it for a minute."

Red stared at Josh for a while and then nodded his head. "You're right friend. I want him bad but I want Sarah more." He looked at Rafe and Barry for a bit and asked, "Were you supposed to shoot Danni?"

"No, we were just trying to scare her. We figured to shoot her horse and scare the hell out of her," Rafe answered.

Now it was Red stopping Josh from killing someone. When Rafe said they were going to shoot Sunny, Josh's hand started for his pistol. Red grabbed his hand and asked, "You want to be on the run for the rest of your life or do you want to spend it with Danni?"

Rafe watched and listened to his captors and when he looked at Josh he saw death in his eyes. He gulped and swallowed hard. He hung his head and said softly, "Sorry Mister."

When Red was sure that Josh was okay he turned to Jerry who had joined them. "Jerry you did good son. Would you ride back to the ranch and tell everyone we're takin these two into the Sheriff?"

"Yes sir Red. Will y'all be back tonight?"

"Not sure yet," Josh answered and then turned to Rafe and Barry. "When were you gonna let Larson know how the plan went?"

After seeing how upset Josh had been, Rafe quickly answered, "He's supposed to meet us at the saloon in town tomorrow about midday and pay us."

"Then we won't be home tonight Jerry. We'll hang around and see what happens when Larson comes to town," Red told him. He turned to Josh and said, "You didn't say I couldn't watch Larson get what's coming to him."

They tied Rafe and Barry to their saddles and rode the five miles into town. After turning the pair over to the Sheriff, Red and Josh arranged rooms at Mrs. Cassidy's boarding house for the night. They planned to stay and watch Tom Larson get put in jail. 

Sheriff Horton looked at Red and said, "You stay out of this, you hear McCall? You too Josh. I'll not have vigilante justice in my town."

"Okay Sheriff, we just want to watch you put him in jail. And maybe laugh at him a little," Red responded with an evil grin.

At 11 AM the next day Tom Larson rode into town and stopped at the saloon. He was sitting at a table near the front door pouring a whiskey when Sheriff Horton stepped over to him and set down. "Haven't seen you in town for a while Tom. Got business to take care of?" The Sheriff asked in a friendly manner.

"Been over to the bank and I'm meeting two of my cowhands in a few minutes. After that it's back to the ranch," Larson replied.

Neither the Sheriff nor Larson noticed that Red and Josh had come into the saloon through the side door. They positioned themselves off to the side of the men at the table. Red had convinced Josh that they should at least be around in case something went wrong when the Sheriff arrested Larson. "One way or another, Larson's going down Josh," Red promised.

"I don't think Rafe and Barry are going to make your meeting Tom," Horton told him. Larson was surprised that the Sheriff knew who he was meeting and it showed on his face.

"They're down in the jail; arrested for shooting at Danielle Maguire and for stealing cattle. Those two had an interesting story to tell. I'm gonna have to ask for your gun Tom; you're under arrest."

Larson knew his plan to get hold of the Maggie M was over and maybe his freedom too. He stood up quickly pushing the table into the Sheriff as he did and pulled his pistol. Before he could really get it pointed at Horton he heard a voice from his left. 

"If you finish that draw Larson, I'll put a bullet in your head." Larson turned his head and saw Red with his own pistol pointed at him.

"And if he don't get you I will," came from Larson's right. He turned in that direction and saw Josh pointing a pistol at him too. "I'll give you the count of three to put your pistol on the table," Josh continued.

"If he gets past one Larson, you'll never hear the count of two," Red threatened. 

Larson dropped his gun onto the table and raised his hands. Horton stood and picked up the pistol, pulling his own and pointing it at his prisoner. "Let's mosey on down to the jail Tom. I've got a special cell waitin on you."

"We'll walk along with you Sheriff," Red told him. "If that's okay with you, that is."

"I could say no but you two wouldn't listen any better than you did when I told you to stay out of all this. Now would you boys?"

Both Josh and Red smiled at the Sheriff and followed him to the jail. After putting Larson in a cell Horton said, "Thanks boys. Things could have got a mite tense if you hadn't stepped in. I'm glad you didn't pay no mind to me."

"When will he be tried?" Josh asked.

"The circuit judge will be here in about three weeks. That's when we'll formally charge him. I'll need you two to testify about following the cattle onto his land. Between Rafe and Barry and you two we should be able to send him to the territorial prison for quite a spell. The courts don't take kindly to rustlin."

They said good bye to the Sheriff saying they could still make it back to the Maggie M well before supper. Josh and Red had been on the road for about half an hour when Red spoke for the first time since leaving Fountain.

"Josh, how am I gonna get Sarah to marry me? I don't know what to say to her." 

"I spect all you'll have to do is ask her. The way she acts, she's rite fond of you. Oh, and you might want to tell her you love her," Josh answered.

The two young men rode into the yard of the ranch house. Red turned to the corral where Sarah was tending the horses. He climbed over the corral fence and Sarah ran to him. He picked her up and twirled her around both of them laughing. Josh rode on toward the house as Danni jumped off the porch running to him. He had barely stepped down from Diablo when she threw her arms around his neck and put her head on his chest.

I don't believe I'm ever gonna take that trail back to Missouri, Josh thought.

To be continued...



The Trail West Ch. 07



If you haven't already done so, I suggest you read Chapters 1-6. They will give you a better understanding of the characters and situations.

There are no graphic sex scenes in this story. As usual constructive comments and emails are welcome and appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read my tale and please enjoy.

*******************

It had been over three weeks since Tom Larson had been arrest for cattle rustling. Now the trial was over; Josh Kelly, Red McCall, Jerry Barnes, and the entire Maguire family were in the courtroom waiting for James Houston, the circuit court judge to give his verdict. 

Larson's trial was short and straight forward; giving the court a clear picture of Larson's actions. The whole thing could have been completed in one day but the delaying tactics of Charles Gibbons, an attorney that Tom Larson hired had extended it into two days. The Denver lawyer tried several things to postpone the verdict. I guess he had to at least pretend to earn his fee, Josh thought. 

The testimony that Josh and Red had given about following the trail of the stolen cattle onto Larson's ranch had pointed a finger at him. But the testimony of two of his cowhands, Rafe Johnson and Barry Summers, had sealed Tom Larson's fate. The two men admitted that Larson had paid them to steal the cattle from the Maguires. 

In addition they testified that Larson paid them to harass Sarah and Danielle Maguire while they were in town. Larson also ordered them to shoot at Danielle to scare her; all these actions were done to force the Maguires to sell their ranch to Tom Larson. The trial of Johnson and Summers had run concurrently with Larson's.

The court wouldn't allow any speculation concerning the death of Carl Davis as there was no evidence tying Larson to that killing. The judge also disallowed testimony by Johnson and Summers saying they heard other hands talk about rustling cattle. Houston said it was hear say and not admissible. Only the cattle stolen by the two witnesses was considered; a total of 50 head.

"The prisoner will stand," Judge Houston ordered. Tom Larson stood and faced the judge. "This court finds you guilty as charged of cattle rustling and conspiracy to perpetrate acts of violence against Sarah and Danielle Maguire. Do you have anything to say Mr. Larson before I pass sentence?"

Larson shook his head but his attorney stood to speak. The judge pointed his gavel at the man and said, "I've heard about enough from you Mr. Gibbons; sit down and be quiet sir." Judge Houston turned back to Larson and continued, "I sentence you to 10 years in the territorial prison. In addition you will pay Mr. Daniel Maguire for the 50 head of cattle that you stole in the amount of," he stopped to consult a Denver paper for quoted stock prices. "The current price for cattle at the railhead is $12 a head. That's a total of six hundred dollars Mr. Larson."

"Your honor, my client doesn't have six hundred in cash as you can see," Mr. Gibbons said handing the judge a bank statement.

"I don't doubt that Mr. Larson has the money squirreled away someplace but it's not the job of this court to track it down." Judge Houston paused in thought and then said, "Very well, Mr. Maguire will go to your ranch and cut out 60 cattle and take them to his spread. The extra 10 head will help defray the cost of getting them to market. Is that satisfactory to you Mr. Maguire?"

Daniel was surprised that he was getting anything; all he expected was that Larson would be punished. "Yes sir, your honor. Perfectly satisfactory," he answered.

"Sheriff Horton you will accompany Mr. Maguire to the Lazy L to get the cattle at his convenience. When that is done you will escort Mr. Larson to the territorial prison to begin his sentence."

Judge Houston turned to Johnson and Summers and said, "I sentence you both to 3 years in the territorial prison; you will be eligible for parole in two years. If either of you two come before this court again I will impose the maximum sentence allowed by law. This court is adjourned." 

Josh nodded at the verdict and the sentence; he was also surprised at the court ordered restitution. His friend and partner Red McCall smiled in satisfaction; he was glad to see Larson pay for his attacks against the Maguires. Everyone involved was glad to have the trial over. Maybe now they could get on with making the Maggie M a paying proposition. 

"If this was Texas, Larson and those two hands of his would have been hung," Red remarked.

Josh and Red walked out of the saloon that had been used as a courtroom. They were with the Maguires; Daniel, Maggie and their two daughters Sarah and Danielle. Maggie said, "I wonder what Nancy Larson's goin to do now? Her husband's going to prison and a lot of the workers on her place are a surly, lazy, no good bunch at best. I hope her brother can help her."

Maggie hadn't noticed that Nancy's brother, Bill Sanders, who owned the S Bar S was walking right behind them. "I'm gonna be running her place and mine until my boy comes home from the war," Sanders responded. "He's due back the first of November. I guess I'll be puttin in a lot of trail time, ridin back and forth between the two places." He stopped and looked at Josh and Red with a calculating stare. 

"Say boys, why don't you two run the place until William gets home? I'll pay you top wages," Sanders offered.

Red was the first to reply, "I don't think I could work with those boys. Josh and I had a run in with some of them before and we just wouldn't get along."

"Anyway, we couldn't leave the Maguires without help," Josh added.

Daniel Maguire spoke up. "There's not much goin on right now Josh. I could use a little help later on with the fall calving season and come round up time."

"Naw, you don't understand Red," Sanders continued. "You two would be the top hands. I want you to cut out the bad ones, run 'em off or shoot em; I don't care which. Get rid of the bad blood and keep anyone that wants to work. You might need to hire some men to take their places; I'll leave that up to you. What'da you say boys?"

Now Red was the one with the calculating look. "What kind of wages are we talkin about here Mr. Sanders? I mean you want us to be the range boss and run the whole shootin match, so what are you offering?"

Sanders smiled to himself; he knew he had just hired the two men. It was only a matter of money now. "I was thinkin $50 a month for each of you."

"We'd have to have $150 a month," Josh responded.

"Each?"

"No sir," Josh answered, grinning at the look on Sanders' face. "That's for the both of us, $75 a month per man."

"That's a bargain for a good range boss Mr. Sanders," Red threw in. "Not only do you get two good men, you get someone to straighten out that mess over there. That ought to be worth somethin."

"Tell you what boys. I'll give you $130 a month for the pair. I'll bring any horses I need trained over to you Josh and pay you for any that you break that belong to the Lazy L. And remember, Nancy's place is about 3 miles closer to town and these two young ladies here."

Red nodded at him and Josh said, "Remind me to never try to buy a horse from you Mr. Sanders. Okay, you just hired yourself a couple of range bosses."

Red spoke to Daniel and said, "We'll help with the round up and branding on the Maggie M sir."

"We'll help drive your cattle to the buyers at the railhead in Colorado City too," Josh promised.

Sanders was all smiles, "Now that's what a good deal should be, everybody's happy and got something they wanted."

Josh and Red decided to stay in town and visit with Sarah and Danni. The rest of the Maguire clan headed back to the Maggie M. Daniel and Maggie had picked up some supplies while in town and rode in the loaded wagon. Jacob was riding the horse that Josh had given him back in December. It was the first time that he had taken Puma off the ranch and he was as proud as a peacock.

Jerry Barnes, Josh and Red's young partner had stayed at the ranch. No one really expected more trouble after Larson was arrested. The four or five men Larson had hired as gun hands and enforcers weren't being paid and had no reason to raid the Maggie M, but Jerry decided to stay and keep an eye on the place. 

Josh and Red stayed in Fountain and had supper with Sarah and Danni. Since it was warm weather they slept in the stable as they had done before. The next morning after breakfast with the girls they rode back to the Maggie M. They wanted to finish up a few chores at the ranch before they went to Larson's place to take charge.

That evening after supper Josh told Jerry about the new job working for Nancy Larson. Given the choice Jerry decided that he'd rather stay and help Mr. & Mrs. Maguire. He said that Mrs. Maguire reminded him of his Ma and he felt like he had found a home with them.

Josh nodded, patted him on the shoulder and said, "I thought that's what you'd want but I had to give you the choice. I'm glad you're staying, we won't feel so bad about leaving Daniel and Maggie alone."

That weekend the girls come back to the ranch as usual and as usual they had an escort riding with them; this weekend it was Josh. Jerry rode back to town with Sarah and Danni on Monday morning. After saying good bye to the ladies, Josh and Red rode to the Larson's ranch, the Lazy L.

Bill Sanders was there to meet them and introduce them to Nancy Larson. Josh and Red knew who she was, they had seen her at her husband's trial but they had never actually met her. He had explained to Nancy about hiring the young men to straighten out some of the problems and run the ranch. Mrs. Larson was a little timid and nervous but showed the boys the house and told them to make themselves at home. She said she planned to move to the S Bar S to live with her brother.

Her decision to move to her brother's was a bit of a surprise but Josh and Red were happy to have a nice place to stay; they wouldn't have to share the bunk house with the men that worked for them. 

Mrs. Larson and Sanders called the hands together and introduced Josh and Red. "These two will be the range bosses and will be totally in charge," Sanders told them. "There's gonna be some changes in the way this place is run." Turning to Josh and Red he asked, "You boys got anything you want to add?"

Red stepped forward and looked each man in the eye. "We know some of you weren't hired to be cow hands. That stops now; if you stay on the Lazy L you'll be expected to work. We'll get to know y'all in the next few days; Josh and I will start you boys with a clean slate. If you work you can stay, if you don't you can draw your pay and leave. Any questions?"

One man stepped forward and was followed by three others. None of them had the look of working cowboys; they were all dressed little too nice and carried pistols slung low on their hips. "We weren't hired to be nurse maids to a bunch of cows. Mr. Larson hired us for security. We'll just keep doin that until he tells us different."

Sanders started to speak but Josh put a hand on his arm to stop him. "I don't think you understand," Josh said as he stepped forward to join Red. "Tom Larson's got nothing to say about this ranch anymore. His wife is the owner and hired us to run the place for her. So you'll work as cow hands or leave; there's no third choice."

The man had a mean look to him and after looking at his friends for support, he bristled and started to speak again, but Red interrupted him.

Red saw the low slung pistols and the way the four men stood; they were directly challenging Red and Josh. "What's your name, Mister?" Red asked with his evil grin.

"Jake Stillwell. Why?"

"This looks like this is gonna get rite nasty and I hate to bury a man without a name on his grave marker," Red replied. 

Stillwell tensed and slowly moved his hand closer to his pistol. 

"If you pull that hog leg, I'll kill you," Josh said. "I'm not as good as Red here, so I won't take the time to be careful with my shot." The man stopped his hand and stood very still.

The four men were standing in a line facing Josh and Red. The last man in line started for his gun but before he could clean leather Josh drew and shot him; hitting him in the shoulder. Red drew his pistol and covered the other three men.

Holding his smoking pistol Josh said, "I know you four were involved in trying to get rid of the Maguires just like Barry and Rafe. The only reason I didn't kill them was that we needed them to put Tom Larson away. I don't need you men; don't give me an excuse to put you down.

Red motioned at the wounded man, "Take Douglas to town and get him a doctor. As soon as he's patched up, I expect you to keep riding. Get out of the country or the next time we meet....well I don't think you'd like it. Now git!"

The four men saw the wild look in Red's eyes and the grim determination in Josh's. They quickly mounted their horses and rode toward Fountain. Red watched them leave and turned to Josh with a big grin. "I thought I was supposed to be the gun hand? You takin over for me?"

Josh answered with a serious tone, "Damn I guess I need more practice. I was aiming at his chest. Almost missed him, I did."

Red looked at him with surprise until Josh started to smile. "I hit just what I aimed at Red," Josh admitted.

"I thought you were the peaceful one of the group," Red teased his friend.

Josh knew Red was teasing but the smile left his face and he replied, "I was until they shot at Danni and Jerry and tried to kill my horse. Right then I decided I was gonna do what had to be done."

"Sorry boys, I knew those men were a rough crew but I didn't expect there to be this kind of trouble," Sanders said.

Nancy Larson spoke up. "I'm sorry too Mr. Kelly and Mr. McCall. It seems like the Lazy L is nothing but trouble for you two." 

Red nodded and said, "Weren't none of your doin Mrs. Larson. Mr. Sanders, why don't you show us around the place so we can get to work. We'll start culling the hands tomorrow."

Their first evening at the ranch, they talked to the cook after supper. The meal hadn't been fancy but was good, solid food.

"Do you plan to stay on here Mr. Swede?" Red asked.

"Like to. Got nowhere else to go," he answered. John Swede wasn't much more than five feet tall and almost as wide. He had no nonsense air about him and wore a Derby hat all the time, both indoors and outside.

"Worked on the Lazy L long?"

"Going on fifteen years. Used to own the two hundred acres that are on the north end of the L, but I lost them in a poker game while I was drunk." Swede told his story. "Larson bought the land from the winner and then offered me a job. Been here ever since."

"We'd like you to stay Mr. Swede. You're a good cook and run a tight kitchen," Josh complimented the man.

"Can I try cookin some different things? Mr. Larson only ate meat and potatoes but I got some recipes that are real tasty."

Red grinned and said, "Suits me fine. Just don't try none of that fancy stuff. We'll eat about anything as long as we can recognize it sitting on a plate."

Two weeks later Josh and Red were talking after supper about the changes they had made so far at the Lazy L. They culled some of the hands and were down to five including Mr. Swede. After getting rid of Stillwell and his group, three of the other men they inherited just didn't have the skills to be kept on as full time hands; they had to go. Josh said that he wanted to hand the ranch over to Sander's son William with a good crew.

It was the third week of July when Bill Sanders rode over to talk to Josh and Red. He made it a point to check in with the boys every two to three weeks; sometimes Nancy Larson came with him. This time he was alone and just in time for supper.

Josh explained to Sanders that he and Red planned on making Charley White the top hand; if both Josh and Red were gone he would be in charge. They would both be gone for a few days to help the Maguires with the fall round up and branding. Red said he agreed with the choice telling Sanders, "Charley may not be the smartest man I ever met but he's steady, dependable, and he knows cattle."

Sanders nodded and Josh continued, "Your son will need someone to show him the ranch and how it's being run when he gets here. We'll be available a day or two at a time until he gets his rope around everything."

"I'll leave that up to you boys; you've been working with this crew. But I've got an offer for you two. I wrote William and explained how we were handling things and about you two. He wrote me back and he'd like you and Red to stay on when he gets here. You can have until he gets home to make up your minds, but I'd like y'all to stay too."

After Sanders left, Red walked down to the bunk house to tell Charley about his promotion. Josh sat on the porch reading the latest batch of letters from his parents. He had been writing his Pa and Ma twice a month, sometimes more if something worthwhile happened; such as the trial and conviction of Tom Larson for rustling and conspiracy.

He opened the third and last letter from home and after the usual we're fines and hope you doing okay, the next part of the letter surprised him. His folks wanted to know when he was going to marry Danni. How did they know about Danni? Josh wondered. He had mentioned her when he told his parents about the Maguires and the Maggie M but hadn't written anything about his attraction to her.

The next few lines solved the puzzle. They said that Red's latest letter explained that there would probably be a double wedding in the spring; Red and Sarah and Josh and Danni. Red's latest letter? Apparently his friend had been writing to his parents for a while. His mother suggested that he have Danni write to her so they could get to know their new daughter.

Josh was a mite put out with Red for writing to his folks about Danni and planned to confront him when he got back from the bunk house. The possibility of he and Danni getting married was something he had just started to think about. Red stepped onto the porch turned a chair around and sat with Josh.

"How're your folks doing?" Red asked pointing at the letters that Josh held. 

"Everybody's doin good. Samuel is growin like a weed; he almost as tall Ma. Uncle Simon and Aunt Cindy had a new baby; a boy named James. Pa sez the Union is wearing down the South. He sez that the southern states just can't compete with the factories, supplies, and the number of troops that the Union has. He thinks the war will be over by next year."

Red nodded and said, "I saw that back in '62. It was hard getting supplies with the 29th. , even that early in the war. We usually had to provide our own weapons, food, and horses. I thought it would go sideways quicker than it has."

"Pa sez that there ain't no quit in the southern boys; he just doesn't think their bravery can overcome the odds. He also sezs that there's just as many brave Union troops. But then you already know all this from your letters to my folks. Don't you?" Josh gave Red an accusing look.

Red smiled and nodded; he wasn't embarrassed at all. "Your Ma told me about Samuel and your new nephew. It was good news so I thought I had to give them more than you were doin okay."

"I wish you hadn't told them I was getting married," Josh replied. "Danni and I haven't talked about getting hitched."

"Why not?" Red asked and when Josh didn't answer he continued, "You love her, don't you?"

"Yes."

"You want to be with her, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you draggin your feet son?"

"I haven't told her how I feel about her. She hasn't said anything about how she feels either," Josh answered.

"Yes you did and so did she," Red replied. 

"We never talked about how we felt. I'd remember something like that."

Red saw the confusion on his friend's face and said, "That day that Danni doctored your leg when that buffalo gored you, you two said plenty."




The Trail West Ch. 07



"But we didn't say anything bout how we felt," Josh protested.

"When you reached down and touched her hair and she looked up at you with tears in her eyes, even a blind man could see that you two were sweet on each other. I don't want to get all poetic and stuff but that look said more than all the talkin you could've done. Danni loves you Josh, take my word for it," Red assured his friend.

"Am I that thick headed?" Josh asked and then with a smile answered his own question, "Yeah, I guess I am."

"I'm goin to meet Jerry tomorrow," Red explained. "We haven't had a chance to talk much lately. I'll tell him that you'll be the one goin to meet Danni when she comes home Friday. "You go and talk to that girl." 

Josh nodded at the suggestion and Red continued, "Y'all better put a brand on that filly fore some other cowboy throws a rope on her. I hear some of those boys in town are gettin real interested in Danni. Especially Steve Mitchell's boy."

"Stanley? Why he's just a boy."

"He's 20 Josh, the same as you. Better pay attention to your stock there, fore someone rustles her away," Red responded.

Josh was quite for a couple of minutes and looked at Red with a grin. "You remember what happened to the last ones that tried to rustle stock that I had an interest in. But you're right; I'll have a talk with her on the way back to the ranch from Fountain. Thanks Red."

"Somebody's got to guide and take care of you; sometimes you're not smart enough to come in out of the rain." Red teased.

*****************

Friday morning just after daybreak, Bill Sanders rode back to the Lazy L. He stepped down from his horse and Josh and Red came out to meet him, bringing a cup of coffee for their boss.

"You boys got time to have a talk?" They both nodded and offered him a chair. 

"There's been a little change in plans. William wrote again and wants you two to stay on and help him with the ranch after he gets here."

"For how long?" Red asked.

"He said he'd keep you on for two years and after that y'all can decide what you want to do. But he told me he'd just as soon you boys make yourself a home on the Lazy L," Sanders replied.

"That's fine I guess. But what happens when Larson gets out of prison and comes back?" Josh asked.

"Tom Larson won't be comin back. Nancy just got word that he was killed in a prison riot. I didn't like the man, but I never wished somethin like that on him. It hit Nancy pretty hard." Sanders stopped for a few seconds shaking his head.

"So boys, it looks like y'all got a job for life, ifin that's what you want. I've heard some rumors about you and those two Maguire girls." Sanders looked at Josh and Red with a little grin. "If y'all get hitched you can live in the big house. We'll make over that second bunkhouse into a place for William to live in. Oh before I forget, you'd still be makin the same wages as now. How about it boys, are you in?"

Josh looked at Red and at a nod from him said, "It's a good offer Mr. Sanders. Give us a week to think about it."

Sanders nodded, got up, and mounted his horse. "Let me know as soon as you can boys. If you're not gonna stay I've got to figure something else out." He turned his horse and headed back to the S Bar S.

"Don't that beat all?" Red remarked. 

"Reckon we aren't just drifters anymore," Josh grinned.

****************

Danni stepped out of the freight office at noon; she had arranged with her boss, Mr. Whitworth to work four days a week and a half day on Friday's so she could ride back to the Maggie M for the weekend. Her horse, Sunny, was tied to the hitching rail in front of the office; saddlebags packed and ready to go.

Sunny wasn't really her horse; he belonged to Josh. He had loaned the horse to her for her trips back and forth between town and the ranch. Actually it was more of an intense request that she ride Sunny; Josh said he wanted her on a good horse to make the trip safely.

Maybe Sunny wasn't her horse but she treated him like her own. Every day after work and before returning to the boarding house, she made it a point to go to the stables and visit with Sunny. She always brought an apple or piece of turnip as a treat for the horse. She would spend several minutes with him, brushing and talking to the big buckskin. As far as Sunny was concerned Danni was his human.

Josh was leaning against his horse Diablo when Danni came out of the office. She expected to see Jerry waiting on her and was surprised and pleased that Josh was her escort instead. Danni returned Josh's smile and walked to him and gave him a quick hug.

"Hope you don't mind Danni, but I thought I'd take Jerry's place today and give him a rest."

"Let's go Sir Knight, I'm ready if you are," Danni responded.

They left town at an easy walk, talking and enjoying each other's company. About a mile from the ranch they top a big rise that had a good view of the valley below. The north fork of Black Squirrel Creek with cottonwood trees lining its banks ran at the base of the rise. Josh said that they ought to stop and rest the horses for a bit. As they dismounted, Danni thought it strange because they had been walking the horses the entire way from town. Josh found a fallen tree in the shade and they sat next to each other looking over the valley. 

Josh started to say something, stopped, and then started again. Stuttering a little he finally said, "Danni, your special to me. The first time I saw you outside of Mitchell's store I knew how I felt." He stopped for a few seconds, seeming to gather himself and continued, "I love you Danni. I want to spend the rest of my days showing you how much. I guess what I'm saying is, will you marry me?"

From the phrase, special to me, Danni had been smiling. "I love you too Josh. Yes, I'll marry you."

Josh heaved a huge sigh of relief and pulled Danni into his arms. He kissed her long and hard and when he let her go she said, "I thought I was gonna have to have Red explain the facts of life to you. I've been waitin for you to tell me how you felt since that buffalo gored you."

"That's what Red told me," Josh replied laughing. "He said the way I looked at you that night told the whole story. Reckon he was right."

This time Danni pulled Josh into her arms and they held each other. They talked for a bit and then Danni asked, "Where are we going to live? Are we going back to Missouri?"

"I hadn't thought that far ahead. Where do you want to live?"

"With you. You'll be my husband and my home is where ever you decide it should be."

"I think I'd rather stay here. There's really no extra on the farm and my Pa's a long way from being put out to pasture. Besides, according to the letters from Pa, Missouri gonna be a tough place to start fresh after the war. I'd rather build a life here, with you. Okay?"

Danni smiled and nodded. Diablo picked that time to whinny as if to say let's get going; we rested long enough. Josh and Danni laughed, mounted, and continued on to the ranch. 

Josh said hello to Daniel and Maggie. He wasn't really surprised when Red and Sarah came out of the ranch house too. Red caught Josh's eye and raised his eyebrows with a question. Josh didn't respond and said he had to get back to the Lazy L. Maggie invited him and Red for supper the next evening.

"Mr. Swede is a pretty good cook but I'd rather eat your cooking Maggie. We'll be here," Red replied.

"Wouldn't have anything to do with the company, would it Red?" Daniel asked trying to hide a smile.

Red laughed and nodded, he mounted and joined Josh for the ride back to the Lazy L. He waited until they had gone about a mile and asked Josh, "Did you talk to Danni?"

Josh didn't look at him but answered, "Yeah, I talked to her." He didn't say anymore.

"Damn it Josh. What did she say?"

He waited a few seconds and answered, "She don't want to move to Missouri, Red." 

"Did you tell her you loved her?"

"Yep."

"Did you ask her to marry you?"

"Yep."

"And she said no? I could have sworn she loved you. I'm sorry Josh, I reckon I read it wrong," Red said with a sad tone in his voice.

Josh let him stew for a couple of minutes. "I think we'll get married in the spring, probably in May."

Red lifted his head, puzzled. "Didn't you just tell me she said no when you asked her to marry you?"

"No, what I said was she didn't want to move to Missouri. Neither do I; we're gonna live here," Josh responded laughing at the look on his friends face. 

"You sure come out of your shell since you been ridin with me." Red grinned at the trick Josh had played on him. Getting serious he said, "I'm gonna talk to Daniel after supper tomorrow night. Gonna ask his blessing to marry Sarah. It might be a good idea for you too."

"I thought Sarah already said she wanted to marry you?"

"That's right she did and we'll get married come hell or high water. But I need to talk to Daniel about it; it's the right thing to do Josh."

"I guess you're right partner. I'll join you, besides he can't shoot both of us....... Or can he?"

Saturday at the Lazy L seemed to drag on and on. Josh and Red were both on edge all day, waiting for time to leave for the Maggie M. It was about 30 minutes between the ranches at a slow lope, the boys left early and walked their horse most of the way.

Finally Red turned to Josh and said, "C'mon let's go. This can't be as bad as facing Fogerty and his bunch."

Josh grinned and answered, "Don't know about that, but I don't reckon we'll get shot at. You're right, let's get this over with."

At supper that evening the boys were a little jumpy and nervous. Maggie said they were acting like they'd sat on an ant hill. Josh and Red smiled at her joke and tried to calm down; Sarah and Danni were giggling like two little girls which didn't help the boys very much. After supper Daniel went out on the front porch with his cigar; they two young suitors followed him.

Red and Josh nudged each other trying to get the other one to speak first until Daniel asked, "Okay boys, what's put a burr under your saddle. Out with it."

After one more look at each other Red spoke first. "Daniel, sir, Sarah and I want to get married and I'm asking for your blessing." 

Maggie came out of the house and joined the three men. She could see and feel the tension between them and asked, "What's going on Daniel?"

"Red just told me that he would like our blessing to marry Sarah," Daniel explained to his wife. Turning he looked at Josh and said, "How about you Josh, are you here for the same reason?"

"Yes sir."

"You want to marry Sarah too?" Daniel tried to hide a smile.

"Er, er, no sir. I want to marry Danni," Josh stuttered.

"Daniel, stop teasing the boys," Maggie ordered with a grin, nudging him in the ribs . "The boys are serious and you shouldn't make fun of them." But Maggie was trying not to laugh too.

Josh took a deep breath. "Daniel, Maggie, I love Danni and she loves me. She's agreed to marry me. Motioning to Red he continued, "Red and I thought it only right that we talk to you about it."

"How do you boys plan on supporting my daughters? Do you plan to move back to the Maggie M? Have you even thought that far ahead?" Daniel wasn't teasing or making fun of the boys. He was serious, wanting to make sure his girls would be provided for.

This time it was Red who answered. "We've both got good jobs, Daniel. Mr. Sanders just asked us to stay on at the Lazy L to help his son run it."

"And I'm still training horses so that'll be extra for Danni and me. I think we can take care of them pretty good sir," Josh added.

Daniel looked at the two young men for all most a minute and then yelled, "Sarah, Danielle, get out here."

The girls stepped out onto the porch so quickly it was apparent they had been listening. Daniel looked at his daughters and said, "You two sure you want to hook up with these two cowhands? They're kinda scruffy, don't you know?"

Danni walked to Josh and took his arm. She turned back to her father smiling and nodded.

Sarah said, "We'll beat em into shape Pa." She laughed and ran to Red and put her arms around him.

Daniel smiled at his girls and Maggie had tears in her eyes. Then everyone laughed and started to talk. After they calmed down a little, Daniel asked one more question.

"What would you have done if I said no?" Looking first at Red and then at Josh with a small smile.

Red started to speak but Josh interrupted him. Looking at Danni he said, "Daniel, with all respect I would have married Danni anyway," he answered with a determined look on his face. Red was holding Sarah and nodded that he felt the same way.

"Well it's a good thing that we gave our blessing then," Maggie said. 

Sarah and Danni hugged their father and then went into the house with Maggie. The men heard something about having a double wedding to plan as they were left alone on the porch.

"Tom Larson's not comin home," Josh said, telling Daniel about Larson's death and about the offer that Sanders had made them. "I guess we'll have the job for two years. Might be longer according to Mr. Sanders." 

Daniel nodded his head at the news and said, "I know, Bill Sanders stopped by here on his way back to his place Friday mornin. He told me about Larson and about his offer to you." He thought for a few seconds and then added.

"Can you boys stay over tonight? I got someone I'd like you to meet and tomorrow is as good a time as any. It's about an hour's ride to his place. We can leave after breakfast and be back by midday and then y'all can go back to Lazy L that afternoon."

Josh and Red agreed to go with Daniel the next day. They went into the house to say good night to Sarah and Danni and then took their horses down to the corral. When they got to the bunkhouse they had a lot to tell Jerry; he had gone back to bunkhouse right after supper.

First they told him about the new job offer from Sanders. "If you want, you can work with us at the Lazy L, we can hire you on as a full paid hand," Josh told him. "If you rather stay on the Maggie M, that's okay too"

"It's never been about money for me," Jerry replied. "I like it here and feel like I'm helping Mr. Maguire. Just feels like I'm needed here more than I would be on the Lazy L. I'd just as soon stay here if Mr. Maguire will let me."

Josh told Jerry that they had already talked to Daniel and that he would like Jerry to stay on with the Maggie M. "His exact words were, Jerry's a good man. Besides, if I let Jerry go away Maggie will have my hide," Josh said to Jerry with a grin. Jerry chuckled and blushed at the compliment.

"There's one other thing you need to know partner," Red added. "We're gonna have two more partners in our group come spring." Jerry looked puzzled and Red continued.

"Sarah and I are gettin hitched. So are Josh and Danni. So that'll mean there'll be five partners instead of just three. How's that sit with you?"

Josh butted in before Jerry could answer, "We gave our word to each other that we'd be partners. I plan to keep my word. Of course if you want to break up the partnership that's up to you."

Jerry smiled with a hint of tears in his eyes. "Five sounds like a good number."

Daniel pulled Maggie into his arms as they got into bed. "Looks like we're gonna lose our girls. I hope the kids can make a go of it."

"Sarah and Danni are working and the boys are drawing good wages; they'll have as much or more than we did when we started out," Maggie replied. "We did alright, don't you think? Beside we're not losing them, our family is just getting bigger."

Josh and Red were pleasantly surprise after breakfast. Daniel wasn't the only one riding with them that morning. The whole crew of the Maggie M saddled up and ready to go. Sarah, Danni, Jacob, and Jerry were joining them. Even Maggie was going mounted on Josh's horse Joey.

Daniel said, "I planned on ridin straight to visit a fellar but with everyone goin I reckon we ought'a take the long way." He refused to answer Josh and Red's questions about where they were going. With everyone enjoying the ride and the company and talking time seemed to go by fast. After about 30 minutes, Daniel said that they had just left the Maggie M.

"Whose place is this?" Josh asked.

"You'll see son. By the way see that spring yonder? That's the main start of Chico creek; it's a year round spring with sweet water. Just north of the spring would be a good house place. Next to the Maggie M, this spread has the best water in the area."

Josh and Red wondered why Daniel wouldn't answer their questions. They were also puzzled by the roundabout way they were riding. Josh shrugged his shoulders, grinned at Red, and rode closer to Danni. Anytime I can spend with Danni is a good thing, he thought.

They continued riding toward the northeast; Daniel pointing out features of the landscape as they rode. Another 30 minutes and he stopped again. Gesturing toward the foothills and mountains to the northeast he said, "The far boundary to this spread goes back into those foothills. There's lots of timber up there and lodge poles to use for corrals."

Topping a small rise, the group saw what was basically a large bunkhouse. An older man was sitting in front of the building and stood up as they got closer. He looked to be in his late 60s with salt and pepper hair and a big bushy gray mustache. The man had intelligent looking blue eyes and stood ramrod straight in spite of his age.

"Brought the whole clan to see me, did ya Daniel?" The man greeted all of the Maguires by name. "That's a fine looking animal you're ridin Jacob. Good to see you with your own horse. Danni I see you've got a new horse too; he looks strong. And Maggie it's always a pleasure to see you." He looked at Josh, Red, and Jerry. "Don't believe I know these three Daniel."

"No you don't Ambrose. This is Josh Kelly, Red McCall, and Jerry Barnes. Boys this is Major Ambrose Elliott," Daniel made the introductions. "He commanded my company during the war."

Josh and Jerry smiled and nodded at the man. Red sat straighter in his saddle and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Major."

Ambrose smile at him, "Do I hear a Texas twang in your voice son?"

"Yes sir... grew up just north of Amarillo."

"Thought so," Ambrose said. "Had some military training too I'd guess from the way you sit your horse. Y'all get down and set a spell. I can offer you coffee or spring water; I'm fresh outta whiskey gents."

The ladies sat on the chairs offered and Ambrose joined them. "What brings y'all here, Daniel?"

"Thought you'd like to know that Sarah and Danielle are getting married. To these two here," he replied pointing to Josh and Red.

Ambrose congratulated the girls and then Josh and Red. "You boys are gettin the pick of the litter with these girls. Finest young women I've ever met."

The young men both nodded. Daniel waited a few seconds and asked, "You still planning on sellin out Ambrose?"

Ambrose nodded and Daniel asked, "How much you wantin out of the place, if you don't mind my askin?"

"Twelve hundred dollars. There's 640 acres; that's right at $1.88 an acre but it includes the cattle. Got 30 head that'll bring at least $12 each at the railhead in Colorado City. I just don't have the want to or energy to make another cattle drive. Gonna move to Denver to be close to my grandkids. You thinkin about buying it Daniel?"

"Might have a buyer for you, if the price is right."

"Who's this buyer Daniel? And why are you getting involved?"

"Bill Sanders over to the S Bar S," he answered. "I'm workin on another deal with him.

I'll let your buyer have the place for Eleven hundred dollars. Cash money, no loan for me to carry."

"Today's Saturday, will you give me until Tuesday to get things together?"

Ambrose nodded. "Okay business is over, let's visit a spell. I'd like to hear how you young people met."




The Trail West Ch. 07



For the next hour the group talked and Ambrose heard the story of how the Maguire girls met Josh, Red, and Jerry. Ambrose listened to Josh telling how Jerry held off two men to protect Danielle and turned to the youngster and said, "That took sand boy. Good for you."

The visit over everyone said good bye and mounted for the ride back to the Maggie M. Josh tried to question Daniel but he just said, "Wait until we get home and I'll explain everything."

Arriving back at the ranch, the men took care of the horses while Maggie and the girls made lunch. After eating Daniel called everyone outside.

"I've got an idea to run passed you three partners. Let me show you my thinkin." Daniel squatted down and drew in the dirt with a stick.

"This is the Chico Basin; it's sort shaped like an egg, lying on its side. Here at the west end is Fountain and almost directly east on the other end of the basin is the Maggie M. Just to the northwest and butting up against us is the Lazy L." He sketched a circle to show the Larson place. 

"Over here on our northeast border is Ambrose's land." He drew another circle indicating that ranch. "And here to the east is the S Bar S. It butts up against Ambrose's place on its southeast border." Again he drew a circle. 

"I talked to Bill Sanders the other day and we came up with an idea that might just work for everyone. If he can buy the Major's place he'd make you boys a deal on the Lazy L. He wants, or rather Nancy Larson, wants two thousand for the place. If you can put down $1100, Nancy will carry a mortgage for the $900 balance. She will give you three years to pay off the mortgage. Sanders will then use your $1100 down payment to buy the Ambrose spread." 

"The Lazy L is smaller than the Major's place," Red observed. "It's just over 500 acres. If we wanted to buy a ranch why would we pay more for less land?"

"Yep, it's about 500 acres but it already has about 150 head of cattle and it can support more if you want to increase the herd. In addition there's a big house and several outbuildings on the ranch."

"Why would Mr. Sanders buy the Major's place?" Josh asked. "He already owns the S Bar S and controls the Lazy L."

"Ambrose's land has good water but not a whole bunch of grazing pasture; about a third of the acreage goes back up into the mountains. The S Bar S has lots of grazing but it's limited on water. Combine the two and you've got a real good spread. And Bill wouldn't have to travel a half day's ride to keep watch on the Lazy L."

"I'm surprised that Mrs. Larson would even think about doin business with us," Red remarked. "I mean it was us," he motioned at Josh, "that put Larson in prison."

Daniel stood from his map he had drawn in the dirt and looked at Josh and Red. "I asked Bill how she felt about dealing with you boys. He said that things between Nancy and Tom hadn't been the best, even before he started rustlin cattle. I think the Lazy L has some bad memories for Nancy and she just wants to get out," he added. He looked at the three young men for a few seconds and added, "I know this is a lot to think about, so take some time to decide if you're interested. But remember, I told Ambrose I'd let him know by Tuesday."

Red looked at his two partners. "That sure puts a big load in the wagon, don't it? I think we need to chew on this after supper." Josh and Jerry both nodded in agreement.

That afternoon Josh and Danni rode to the Lazy L to have a word with Charley White, the top hand. Josh knew Charley could handle running the ranch for a day or two but wanted make sure no problems had come up while he and Red were gone. After hearing from Charley that everything was okay, Josh advised him that both he and Red would be back about midday on Sunday. 

While she and Josh were there Danni asked for a quick tour of the Lazy L and the ranch house, "It might just be my home in the near future."

After showing Danni the house and a small part of the ranch, they rode back to the Maggie M. He and Red planned on spending the night again. They felt they should include Jerry in the discussion about the possibility of buying the Lazy L. Did they even want the responsibility of owning and running a ranch? In addition the money situation needed to be addressed to see if it was even possible.

Sarah and Danni were helping their mother clean up after supper, but Maggie shooed them out of the house. "Go spend some time with your beaus," she suggested.

"Let's take a ride," Josh suggested. "There's a Comanche Moon tonight that'll throw a lot of light." 

Danni thought it was a fine idea but Red and Sarah declined. They ambled down toward the barn and corral. Josh and Danni rode up to the spring that was the start of Black Squirrel Creek. It was almost two hours later when they returned and took their horses to the corral. As they dismounted Red came out of the barn carrying his saddle and put it on the top rail of the corral.

"Where's Sarah?' Danni asked.

"She's up to the house. I heard y'all comin and thought I help with your horses," Red replied.

The three of them quickly bedded down the horses and started back toward the ranch house. "It's none of my business but you might want to tuck your shirt tail in," Red pointed at Josh with a big grin. "And Danni you got some twigs in your hair you should probably comb out."

Josh blushed and helped Danni with the twigs; he also quickly tucked his shirt into his pants before they got to the house. Daniel, Maggie, Sarah, Jacob, and Jerry were all sitting or standing on the porch waiting for the three young people to join them. 

Red walked over and put his arm around Sarah and said, "Reckon it's time to get to it boys. We've got a lot of talking to do."

Jerry said good night and he and Red started toward the bunkhouse. Josh was still standing next to Danni and saw the expectant look on her face. He gave a little smile and although it embarrassed him he leaned down and kissed her. "Good night honey," he said as he joined the other two.

Danni giggled, Daniel didn't know if he should frown or grin, and Maggie laughed out loud. "Good for you Josh," she said to him as he walked away. "No need to be shy now."

The three young men sat in front of the bunkhouse with cups of coffee waiting for someone to start the discussion concerning the Lazy L. No one spoke and finally Red started it off.

"I guess the big question is do we want to own a place instead of just workin for one. We've got good jobs the way it is Josh, but is that all we want? And remember if Mrs. Larson sells the Lazy L to someone else our jobs might not still be there.

Red turned and asked, "What'da you think Jerry?" The youngster was flattered that his two friends would ask his opinion. "We're partners: you've got a stake in this too."

"Owning a place would give us a home; we wouldn't be drifting anymore," Jerry replied. "I like the idea of having a home. How about you Josh?"

"I come up here to get away from the war; didn't have any plans to put down roots. Reckon that idea's run its course. I'm here to stay and I'd rather have my own spread than work on someone else's."

Josh saw the nods from Red and Jerry, and grinned at his two friends. "Well I reckon that tells us what we want to do. Now the question is do we have the money to do it? I think we do so let's see what we can put together."

Red motioned for Josh to go on.

"I got a little over six hundred in my account in town. I've been able to save most of my wages and money I earned for training horses; haven't had too much in the way of expenses. Red, how much can you put together?"

"Just over five hundred; most of that I brought with me from home. I haven't saved a lot from the $20 a month that Jerry and I split. Course I haven't had to pay anything for room and board either."

"Jerry, what about you?"

"Me?" 

"You're our partner aren't you? If we're gonna do this you're part of it too," Josh answered.

"I got almost three hundred in my bedroll; you can have all of it," Jerry responded touched that he was included.

"Okay, I'll put in my six, Red you put in your five; Jerry we'll keep yours as seed money to help add stock and pay expenses until we can get our cattle to market. How's that sound boys?"

Red and Jerry smiled and nodded their agreement. "Didn't know you was a banker Josh," Red teased.

"The real question is can we pay off a nine hundred dollar mortgage in four years?"

With a smile at Josh, Red wagged his finger at him. "Let's do a little horse tradin with Sanders."

"Huh?" Josh said. "Horse tradin?"

Red nodded and said, "I know how you hate to buy on credit Josh. Remember that pistol you didn't want to buy; you wanted to wait until Mr. Hobart paid you? But I suggest we offer Sanders $1500 cash and maybe go to 17 ifin we have too."

"That sounds real good; it'd save us some money if Mr. Sanders took the deal. But how are we gonna get that much money?"

"There's over a hundred head of cattle ready to market leaving us 50 some head. We'll make our offer, give them the $1100 cash up front and agree to pay the rest of it after driving the cattle to the railhead," Red explained.

"We can use the cash and the quick payoff money to wipe out the balance owed to Mrs. Larson, and not pay as much for the Lazy L. Then we don't have to worry about a mortgage if we have an off year," Red finished with a Texas sized grin.

Josh and Jerry laughed at the please look on Red's face. "Yep, I guess we can horse trade some," Josh agreed. "The worst Mrs. Larson can say is no."

The next morning after breakfast Josh, Red, and Jerry were saddling their horses and getting ready to ride over to see Sanders and Mrs. Larson; they were going to make an offer for the Lazy L. Daniel was going with them as he was the go between with Ambrose. Before they could leave the Maguire women came to the corral.

"Saddle my horse will you Jerry?" Maggie asked.

"Josh will you help me saddle Sunny please?" That request came from Danni.

Daniel looked surprised and asked, "And where do you think you ladies are goin?"

Looking her father and then Josh in the eye Danni replied, "If the Lazy L is gonna be my home I think I ought to be in on it from the start." 

"Well dang. Aren't you gonna saddle your horse Sarah?" Daniel asked his oldest daughter a little exasperated. 

"Johnny's been saddled and ready since before breakfast Pa," she replied. "I'd planned to go even if none of y'all did."

Jacob came from the barn with two horses; he led his horse Puma and Sunny for Danni. Following right behind him came Jerry leading his other horse, Morgan. He handed the reins to Maggie and said, "Morgan's a good horse Mrs. Maguire; you'll like him."

Daniel started laughing and said, "Look out Bill Sanders; the whole clan is comin to get you."

It took the group a little over an hour to get to the S Bar S; they could have made it faster but the ladies had to stop at every patch of wild flowers to take a look and discuss whether to gather some to plant around the ranch house. Daniel was a little upset but Josh and Red chuckled and got to spend extra time with their ladies.

They found Bill Sanders sitting on his porch when they rode up to the ranch house. He stood smiling at the group. "Nancy, c'mon out; we've got company."

Nancy Larson hesitantly came out of the house. She wasn't sure how to react around Josh and Red; Nancy was concerned that they might blame her for her husband's actions. Both of the young men smiled and tipped their hats to her. When Nancy saw the Maguire women she smiled, and stepped out more confidently. "Welcome, get down and come into the house. I've got fresh coffee and some muffins I just took out of the oven."

Jerry and Jacob took an interest in the promise of muffins and took off for the kitchen. Maggie and her two daughters followed Nancy into the house. Sanders looked at the three men facing him and said, "Now I know y'all didn't ride over here just to be sociable so what's on your mind?"

Daniel motioned to Josh and Red to say their piece. Red spoke up, "Mr. Sanders my partners and I will give you $1400 for the Lazy L. Cash money."

"I couldn't take that for that spread. Nancy would have my hide if I sold it for that. But I could get her okay for $1800," Sanders replied. "And that's a fair price."

This time it was Josh that spoke up. "At that price, you'd have to carry a mortgage for three or four years. We'll offer you $1500 cash."

Red jumped in and said, "Mrs. Larson would get her money right now, or in about three months; instead of having to wait for years to get a few hundred dollars more. Were me, I'd rather have cash in hand instead of a maybe sometime down the line."

Nancy Larson had wandered back out onto the porch and was listening to the men dickering on a price for her ranch. "Bill, give the boys the place for the $1500 cash. Those two are about to get married and need a good start in life. Like the young man said, I rather have the money in hand than hope for more sometime later. Settle it Bill."

Sanders looked at his sister, gave a little smile, and said, "If you boys agree to $1500, you've just bought the Lazy L."

Josh smiled and shook hands with Sanders as Red let out a rebel yell. Jerry, Jacob, and the Maguire ladies run out onto the porch. "What happened?" Jerry asked fingering the pistol at his side.

"We got ourselves a home Jerry. No more driftin around," Red answered and gave another rebel yell.

********************

One month later all the details for purchasing the Lazy L were completed. Josh, Red, and Jerry gave Nancy Larson $1100 and she agreed to wait for the remaining $400 until after the fall round up. The boys would be able to take one hundred cattle to the railhead in Colorado City and clear over $1000 for the sale of their cattle; Mrs. Larson would be given the remaining balance from that profit. It also meant they hadn't had to use any of Jerry's money

Josh and Danni rode to the Chico Creek spring on the Maggie M for a picnic on a Saturday. After lunch Josh was sitting looking out over the country side, lost in thought. Danni was holding his hand and watched his face.

"Where are you Josh? Come back to me," she said with a smile.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. A year and a half ago I was alone and just passing time until I could go home. I'm not alone anymore and have a ranch that will be my, I mean our, home. It's sort of funny how things change."

"Good changes I hope," Danni replied.

Josh smiled and pulled her close. "Good changes."

"When do you want to get married, Josh?"

"How bout we ride into Fountain tomorrow and get married after the Sunday services at the church?" Josh saw the look on Danni's face and laughed. "Just teasing you honey, whenever you want to is good for me."

"Sarah and I would like to make it a double wedding. Would that be okay with you?"

"That's fine Danni. If Red agrees I'm all for it."

"I think we should wait until a couple of weeks after the spring roundup; things will slow down on the ranch and we'll have more time for us," Danni suggested.

Josh was impressed by Danni's thinking. She's already started thinking like a wife; doing things that are good for me and for our ranch. When they got back to the Maggie M, Danni ran into the house calling for Sarah. That evening at supper, Maggie and the girls started making definite plans for a mid May wedding. 

The next morning Josh rode back to the Lazy L. Red had stayed at the ranch that weekend to ramrod some work; the jobs didn't require both men. Danni was still working in Fountain 4 days a week and was only home on the weekends. Sarah was back at the Maggie M as the school was out for the summer. Red offered to stay at the Lazy L so Josh could spend more time with Danni.

Josh had already talked to Jerry about an idea he had and now would talk to the other partner, Red. Jerry liked the idea and said "You ain't led us down the wrong trail yet Josh. I'm with you." 

He found Red working at the largest bunkhouse; it would be modified to make another house on the property. Stopping at the door he saw Red had made a lot of head way on the conversion of the bunkhouse. He and Josh had put together some ideas on what they wanted to do. Red had marked the places that they wanted to cut through the log walls to add extra windows. Josh noticed that a trench had been dug for the foundation for the new room.

"Didn't know you were a carpenter," Josh said to get Red's attention. "Or that you knew how to use a shovel."

"I can do most anything I set my mind to son. You ought to know that by now."

"Well partner, I've got an idea I like you to set your mind to." Josh took about an hour to explain his plan and asked, "What do you think Red? Will it work?"

"I guess it's only natural that ridin with me would make you smarter," Red teased with a smile. Then in a more serious manner said, "It's a fine idea and yes, I think it will work. Now we just need to convince Daniel and Maggie."

The next day Josh and Red rode to the Maggie M for Sunday supper. It was more than just a chance to spend time with Sarah, Danni, and the rest of the Maguires. Daniel went onto the porch after supper and lit his cigar. Josh motioned for Red and Jerry to follow him and they joined Daniel on the porch.

Josh pointed at all three of the partners and said, "Daniel we've come up with an idea that maybe could help all of us."

Daniel looked at each of the young men, smiled at their seriousness, and motioned for Josh to continue.

"The Lazy L has the best grazing in these parts, but it's a little short on water. The Maggie M has lots of water but it's short of stock. We reckon it would be a good thing to join the two ranches."

Josh looked at Daniel to see how he took to the idea. Daniel didn't give his feelings away and said, "Go on Josh."

"If either place is going to do more than just get by, they both need to grow. Your place needs more stock and ours needs more water. We can get more cattle but we'd be short of water so let's join the herds." Glancing at Daniel, Josh went on, "If we got several hundred head we could move them between the better grazing and the better water." Josh stopped again to try to judge Daniel's reaction.

The older man stared at his soon to be sons and then grinned. "You know I was thinkin the same thing when you boys bought the Lazy L."

"I guess we're not as smart as we thought", Josh said. 

Red chuckled and asked, "Why didn't you say something Daniel?"

"Wasn't my place to suggest my idea to you boys, at least not this soon. I didn't want you to think I was tryin to force you into anything just because you are marrying my girls. But I do think it's a good idea and would help both places."

"With respect Daniel, I'm about as stubborn as a Missouri mule," Josh replied grinning. "I don't believe Red or I could be forced into anything."

Daniel returned Josh's grin. "How do plan on sharing the profits, if we do join the ranches?"

Red spoke up saying, "Thought we might just have an even split between the Maggie M and the Lazy L. Reckon that'd be the best way."

"We've got a few things that need to be talked about before we do this," Daniel said. "Jacob and I can handle about 50 head of cattle by ourselves. Many more than that we'd have to hire some help and right now we can't afford the wages. Even if we could it would just eat into the profits."

"I thought about that very thing," Red replied. "Countin Josh, Jerry, and me we've got seven hands over to the Lazy L; add you and Jacob to the mix and we've got nine to work the herd. I know Jacob's young yet but he's good on that horse of his; he'd be a big help. Then I thought we'd move the men to wherever we need them; two or three of them could bunk over here. Heck if we get in a bind Sarah and Danni can ride as well as most men." 




The Trail West Ch. 07



"Better not leave Maggie out," Daniel said. Laughing he continued, "She'd have all our hides if the girls got to worked cattle and she didn't."

Jerry spoke up for the first time that evening, "I reckon we're gonna do this. When can we start?" He was smiling and excited at the idea of being partners with Mr. & Mrs. Maguire. It made him feel like he had a real family again.

Daniel looked at Josh and Red and then answered Jerry, "We could go to Fountain on Monday and have the papers drawn up. The three younger men nodded at Daniel's suggestion.

"Okay, but there's one last thing," Daniel continued. "We need a name for the new ranch; we can keep callin it the Lazy L and the Maggie M but I think we should have one name for the new deed. Any ideas?" 

The four men were quiet for a few minutes thinking about what to call the new place. The Maguire women and Jacob joined them on the porch, listening to the discussion. Jerry looked back and forth at the others as names were brought up and rejected.

Jerry took a deep breath and said, "All we talked about and planned since we left Santa Fe was getting to Chico Basin. How bout we call the place the Chico Basin Cattle Co?" Jerry suggested. "Our brand could be a CBC with a squiggly line below the letters."

"I get the CBC, but what's that line mean?" Red asked with a puzzled look.

"It stands for Black Squirrel Creek; it runs across both of the ranches don't you know," Jerry replied. 

After a few seconds everyone started talking at once. It was obvious that Jerry's name had the approval of the whole group. Danni and Sarah stepped over to Jerry, hugged him, kissed his cheek and Danni said, "Thank you for naming our new home."

***************

Monday morning at first light, all the Maguires, Josh, Red, and Jerry headed for Fountain. Danni had to get back to work but would be able to join the others at the lawyer's office. 

John Akins looked up as the eight people came into his office. He smiled nodded at the ladies and greeted them. "Hello Daniel. Are you here for a social call or is this business?"

Daniel introduced Akins to the three owners of the Lazy L and explained what they wanted to do. "Any problems gettin a new deed drawn up, John?"

"No sir. I can have the papers done in about an hour. After the interested parties sign I can file them at the Territorial Capitol in Golden. Should I list it as the Lazy L or the Maggie M or do you have a different name you want to use?"

Josh nudged Jerry forward, "Tell him Jerry."

"You should list it as the Chico Basin Cattle Company," Jerry said in a proud voice. He handed Akins a sketch that Sarah had drawn of their new brand. "And this is the brand we'd like to register."

"That's what I'll put on the deed," John replied. I'll file the paper work and register the brand at the same time. See you in about an hour. You know it's funny; Bill Sanders was in here last week doing basically the same thing. He had a new deed draw up to combine Ambrose's place and the S Bar S. He said his boy William would be home earlier than he thought; he's going to live and run the new section of the ranch. He listed his sister, his son, and himself as the owners."

"I plum forgot about William, what with gettin engaged, buying the Lazy L, and joining up the two ranches," Josh said. "I'm glad it worked out for Mr. Sanders and his boy."

Two hours later after revisiting John Akins office, Josh stayed to say good bye to Danni as the rest of the group headed back to the ranch. After walking Danni to the freight office, he stopped at the post office and picked up the mail. There were two letters from his parents, a letter for Red from his folks, and surprisingly a letter from his Ma addressed to Danni. 

Josh stopped on the rise overlooking Black Squirrel Creek to read one of his letters from home. This is the place where I asked Danni to marry me, he said to himself. Before he opened his letter he thought back over his journey to where he was now. I came from Fort Smith to Santa Fe to Colorado just gettin away from that damn murderin thief John Fogerty and his Bushwhackers. Now, I won't be goin back home; no that's not my home anymore, this is my home now.

Josh continued thinking about the changes in his life. Now I'm part owner of the Chico Basin Cattle Company; he had to smile at the name of the new ranch. But most important I'm getting married to the prettiest girl in the territory. Not bad for a farm boy from Missouri.

The letter from his folks gave the usual news about the farm, family, and the area. His mother put a few lines at the end of the letter. She wrote how happy she was that he'd found someone to spend his life with and that she had written a separate letter to Danni. He got a few tears in his eyes thinking about his parents and the farm but quickly felt better as he thought about Danni and the life they would make here in Chico Basin.

Josh put away the letter and continued on his way to the Maggie M. He hadn't gotten use to calling the place the CBC yet. 

Red was still at the Maguire's when Josh got there; he was sitting next to Sarah on the porch swing. Daniel stepped out of the house as Josh rode up.

"Thought I'd wait for you Josh, before I headed back to the Lazy L." 

"I think you waitin was more about that pretty girl next to you than wantin to ride back with me," Josh teased. 

"I heard something in town we might want to think about," Red replied. "That's why I waited for you. Of course, I'd rather wait here with Sarah than over to our place." He hugged Sarah and motioned for Daniel and Josh to join him.

"Was talkin to Bill Thomas, the freight driver; you remember him Josh." Josh nodded and Red continued, "He said he'd heard about our new ranch. He said he knew a place that we could get more cattle by just roundin them up."

"If they're so easy to get why haven't the other ranches gone after them? And where is this place?" Daniel asked with interest.

Red explained that the area was called Cripple Creek on the southwest side of Pike's Peak. He said that the cattle were scattered through the foothills and would be hard to round up. There were a lot of canyons, arroyos and scrub brush; tough places to find and gather the cattle. It's was too much trouble for an established ranch to send hands to find them, Red told them; especially this close to the fall cattle drives. 

"We got a good handle on the Maggie M and the Lazy L; I think we can spare the time and hands to go. It'd be a good way to increase our herd in a hurry," Red told them. "What'da you think?"

Daniel gave a little smile and said, "You're always one step ahead, aren't you Red? I think it's a good plan."

Josh pointed to Daniel and Red saying, "You two know more about running a cattle ranch than I do. I don't mind the hard work to increase our herd." 

"Who do you plan to take Red?" Daniel asked.

"I reckoned Josh and I would take one of our hands with us. Thought we'd leave Charlie White in charge over to our side," he answered.

"Just three of you to ride that rough country?" Daniel asked.

"No sir. Figured we'd take Jerry and your boy Jacob too. That'd give us five hands; should be enough to round em up and drive em back to the CBC."

"I should go instead of Jacob," Daniel remarked.

"Well.....You could go but if you did Josh or I would need to stay here. One of the owners should be here just in case, don't you know," Red replied. "Sides, Jacob needs the experience if he's gonna help run the CBC in the future. No time like now to start learning."

"Didn't know you were so tactful Red," Daniel said grinning at the young Texan. "You're sayin I'm too old and big to get the job done."

"No sir; didn't say such. People round here know you better me or Josh, you're the best one to be here if trouble jumps up."

"Okay, okay, I know when I've been out talked," Daniel laughed. "When are you goin and how long do you plan to be gone?"

The rest of the afternoon plans were discussed and finalized. It was about 30 miles through the mountains to the Cripple Creek area. They would leave Wednesday morning at first light and should be there by Thursday midday. Red wanted to round up cattle for six or seven days and start back; he expected to get about 100 head. It would take them about three or four days to get the herd back on home range. 

"Lot of cattle, 100 head," Daniel said. "Think just five of you can handle that many?"

"We've got four experienced hands and Jacob will know what to do by the time we start back. If we don't run into bad luck, we should be fine," Red answered. "When we get back we'll rest and feed em for two or three weeks and then drive em to the railhead. With the cattle we'd plan to ship already we should turn a good sum of money."

Josh rode into Fountain on Tuesday afternoon. He wanted to see Danni and tell her the plan; they wouldn't see each other for about two weeks; Danni took off work and they spent the afternoon together. She was both happy and worried about Jacob but understood that the boy had to grow up sometime. Josh returned to the Maggie M late that evening. 

The next morning the crew started on the trail for Cripple Creek.

To be continued...



The Trail West Ch. 08



Chapter 8 -- The Conclusion

Please read Chapters 1-7. They will give you a better understanding of the characters, situations, and obviously how we got to this point in the tale.

There are no graphic sex scenes in this story. As usual constructive comments and emails are welcome and appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read my tale and please enjoy.

******************

Late Thursday afternoon, the group set up a base camp and made ready to start the round up the next morning. Their camp site was at the entrance to a box canyon where they could hold the cattle until they started home. The canyon had water and some grazing for the captured animals.

Each of the men had brought two horses with them; Charley White loaned a trained cow pony to Jacob to go with his Puma. Josh brought Diablo of course and his second horse was Joey.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring Sunny," Red said. He had brought Jasper and Queenie.

"Don't think I could've got him away from Danni. She's just about takin him for her own and I don't think Sunny would leave her either. Besides, Joey is a better stock horse than Sunny; he's smaller and quicker. He's just the horse for this rough country."

*****************

By Tuesday evening five days later the men had rounded up 87 cattle. The box canyon was getting full; there wasn't a lot of room for many more animals. It had been a hard five days work; riding from sunup until sundown through scrub brush, cedar trees, and lots of rocks.

"One more day I think," Red offered at the campfire Tuesday night. "Don't think our corral there will hold many more and the cattle are getting harder to find. We'll make one more sweep tomorrow morning and get geared up to leave Thursday early. That suit you boys?"

Josh, Jerry, and Jimbo Hughes, the hand from the Lazy L, all agreed it was time to head home. Jacob was the only hold out.

"I didn't get a chance to work the round up. Josh, I'd like to do more than just baby sit the cattle. Can I go out with you tomorrow?" Jacob asked with a hopeful look.

Josh had to smile; Jacob would do. He'd done most of the work around the camp, taken care of the remuda, and guarded the animals already collected. He never complained and was always ready to help take care of the horses after a hard day of riding.

"Okay Jacob. I'll stay here and be the baby sitter tomorrow. But you take Charley's extra horse; you don't want to get Puma all cut up in the brush. You can ride with Jerry; he'll show you what to do."

Jacob was awake and up before anyone else the next morning. He'd made coffee and was a bundle of nerves waiting for the men to ride out. When they left Jacob had a big smile on his face; he was finally going to be a cowboy.

Josh left Diablo, ground tied, at the head of the box canyon and started to pack up unneeded items at the camp. The presence of the big horse would keep the cattle bunched in the canyon. He heard a strange noise just over a little rise, mounted Joey and went to investigate. Sounded like someone riding through the brush he thought.

He topped the rise and as he came around some cedars a rifle shoot rang out. Joey staggered, coughed, and went down in a heap. Josh was thrown and rolled as he hit; he stood up a little dazed. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs and saw four men riding toward him. Before he could pull his pistol the lead rider had a rifle pointed at his chest.

Josh recognized Jake Stillwell and the other three drovers that he had run off the Lazy L. Douglas, the man that Josh had shot that day was with them and had an evil grin on his face.

"You should'a killed me when you could've Kelly," Stillwell said. "Looks like it's our turn."

"Now I'll get you for shootin me," Douglas added pointing a pistol at Josh.

"You didn't ride all this way just to hunt me down Stillwell," Josh said ignoring Douglas and playing for time. "You could have found me a lot closer to home." He hoped the men would relax a little and give him a chance to pull his pistol to defend himself. "What'da you doing here?"

"Heard you talkin in Victor when you stopped to get some supplies. Thought we'd let you do all the work and then take the cattle."

"So take em and go," Josh replied.

"We will, but first we're gonna settle our debt with you. After you threw us off the Lazy L the word got around and no one would hire us so we've living on slim pickins. When we're done with you we'll go find McCall and settle up with him too."

"You won't have to go far to find me; I'm right here."

Stillwell and the others spun around and saw Red sitting on his horse about 30 feet behind and to the side of them with his pistol drawn. Douglas turned back toward Josh raising his pistol but before he could bring the gun to bear Josh pulled his own pistol and shot him in the chest. He brought down another man and turned toward the others. Stillwell and the other man were on the ground; one dead and one fatally wounded. Red had put them down.

Red rode over to Josh, "Are you okay partner?"

Josh nodded and holstered his pistol. "Little shook up from being thrown but I'm okay. Glad you decided to come back when you did."

"I didn't find enough cattle to stay out so I thought I'd come back and take it easy with you sittin around camp," Red replied with a big grin. "Decided to make one last sweep through that gulley yonder. I heard the rifle shot and then heard you and these fellers talkin. Thought I'd better come and see what kind of trouble you'd got yourself into."

Josh didn't return Red's grin and looked at the dead men. "I guess we should bury em."

"Why? They wouldn't have buried you; they'd left you to rot. Besides coyotes and varmints got to eat too. Let's get back to camp." 

"We just can't leave them here Red. It's not right."

Red disagreed but knew that his friend was upset at the killings. Josh wasn't squeamish about defending himself or his friends but the wasted lives always bothered him. So Red didn't argue with him, he just said, "Sorry about Joey. He was a good horse." 

Josh nodded and pulled his saddle and gear off his dead horse. He had tears in his eyes as he climbed up behind Red.

"Jasper now you behave yourself or I'll beat you with a brandin iron," Red told his horse. As they rode Red suggested that they roll the bodies in ground cloths and the next morning put them across their saddles. They could drop them off with the law in Victor.

They hadn't been in camp for more than a few minutes before the other three members of the crew came in riding hard. Jerry was the first in, holding his pistol at the ready. When he saw Josh and Red he holstered his weapon and said, "We heard shots. What happened?"

Red quickly told the three about Stillwell and the gun battle on top of the rise. After answering a few questions Red took Jimbo and went back to the scene of the gunfight. They wrapped the bodies and rounded up the dead men's horses.

At daybreak Red and Josh started the herd back to Chico Basin. The dead men were tied across their saddles and lead ropes had been attached to their horses. It was Jerry's unpleasant task to lead that death train until they reached Victor. Jacob took Jerry's place on the left flank of the herd.

Late that afternoon they bedded the cattle down just outside of town. Josh and Red went to find whatever law there was in Victor, leading the horses carrying the bodies. They took them to the undertaker and dropped the dead men off. The undertaker said that the town sheriff would be back to town around 4 PM.

"How much to bury a man?" Red asked.

"Twenty dollars," answered the undertaker.

Before Josh could offer to pay for the burials, Red pointed to the bodies and said, "Their horses, saddles, and guns should cover the cost, don't you think?"

The man nodded, not wanting to cross the stranger with the wild eyes. Besides, he would make a very nice profit from selling the gear of the dead men.

Red continued, "The Sheriff will want to see the bodies before you put them in the ground. My name's Red McCall, this is Josh Kelly; we'll wait at the saloon until he gets back to town."

Josh went with Red to the saloon to wait for the Sheriff. He really wanted to go back to camp but couldn't leave his friend to face the law by himself. It was a case of self defense but they were strangers to the area and sometimes the law was funny.

They sat at a table and Red had a quick whiskey while Josh nursed a beer. Red had just sat back down after getting a beer for himself when there was a commotion behind him.

"Is there a back shootin, horse stealin, cattle rustlin son of a bitch name Red McCall in here?" A short, solid looking man about 40 asked. 

Red stood with a wild, mean look in his eyes and turned to face the man insulting him. When he saw the man asking about him, he smiled and then laughed. "Watch who you're calling a son of a bitch, you old tub of lard," Red replied.

Josh had stood when Red did and was prepared for a fight; his partner wouldn't let anyone get away with those deadly insults. He was surprised and puzzled at Red's reaction. The man confronting them had a Sheriff's badge pinned to his vest.

Red saw that Josh was primed for trouble and put his hand on his friend's gun hand. "Josh, this old fart is Jackson Slaughter. He's too lazy to find real work, so he came out here and became a Sheriff I guess," Red explained. "He's John's older brother; Jackson is my cousin too."

Jackson shook hands with Josh and grabbed Red in a bear hug and spun him around. "Damn, it's good to see someone from back home; even if it is a no account scoundrel like you."

"Put me down you old coot. Pa told me you'd come out to Colorado, but he didn't know where. Said you hadn't written or anything since you left," Red remarked. He paused and then asked, "Why'd you leave anyway?"

"My family didn't own slaves, never did and never would; didn't see any sense in gettin shot up in that damn stupid war over something I didn't abide with. So I left in late '60. Heard John went to fight in early '62; don't know if he's still kicking or not. My folks aren't real happy with me so I don't have much contact with them."

"John's fine, at least as of last month, according to the letter from Pa. He joined the Confederate Army but got real bad sick and was sent home. Now he's riding with the Texas Rangers." Red explained. 

"Sorry to hear about your brothers Red. I did get word about them," Jackson said putting his hand on Red's shoulder. After a sad moment, he continued, "So tell me about those four bodies over to the undertaker's."

Red explained about Stillwell and the other dead men. "They tried to kill us Jackson; we couldn't allow that to happen. Josh said we should bring them to the law; I wanted to leave them out on the prairie."

"Those boys were no good; I knew it and run them out of town just after you came through. But I'm glad you brought them in. You won't have any trouble over the shootin; not with what I knowed about them. Now, can you come over to the house for supper?" 

"No Jackson, we have to get back to our herd. Can't stay for a visit this time, but you're invited to my wedding next spring. I'm living just outside of Fountain; I'll write and tell you all about it," Red responded.

On the way back to camp Red asked Josh, "Feel better now?"

Josh nodded.

*******************

Two days later they completed the drive from Cripple Creek to the CBC. Josh and Red cut out about half of the herd and pushed them toward the grazing grounds on the Maggie M. Jerry and Jimbo drove the rest of the herd to the Lazy L.

Danni was at the Maggie M, home for the weekend. She was at the corral with Sunny hoping Josh would come home soon; she wanted to see him before she had to go back to Fountain. 

Sarah was the first to hear the cattle, mooing and bellowing as they got closer to the ranch house. She yelled, "They're back." Sarah made a running leap, mounted her horse, and tore out toward the herd. Danni was right behind her on Sunny. The slowed as they got close to the cattle to keep from spooking them.

At point, leading the herd was their brother Jacob. He was dirty and covered in dust and looked dog tired; but he rode tall and proud. Josh and Red rode drag. Drag was the worse place to be on a cattle drive; the riders were almost obscured in the dust kicked up by the herd.

Danni and Sarah smiled at each other; it was typical of their men to take the hardest job. They never asked their hands to do anything that they wouldn't do first. The girls waited for the herd to pass, then joined Josh and Red riding drag. They were quickly covered in the dust thrown up by the herd; neither cared, their men were back safe and sound.

Josh had been wearing a bandana across his nose and mouth to protect him from the dust; Red also wore one. He pulled it down and greeted Danni with a big grin, "Dang, it's good to see your but y'all gonna get covered in dust back here."

"It'll wash off. I didn't want to wait for you any longer," Danni replied riding Sunny closer to Josh and taking his hand in hers.

Red didn't bother with words. He rode next to Sarah, leaned over, put his arm around her, and kissed her. "I missed you girl," he said to a smiling Sarah. "Didn't know how much until right now."

The dust settled as they drove the cattle onto the grass of the Maggie M and past the ranch house to the grazing grounds near Black Squirrel Creek. "They'll settle down for the next few days," Red told the others. "They're tired and hungry and won't leave the water and grass. Let's get back to the house."

Jacob was dead tired by the time they got back to the ranch house. He was a strong boy but he wasn't used to riding and working stock for 14 to 16 hours at a time. Maggie rushed off the porch and hugged her son, glad to have him home safe. Daniel tried to get by with just patting Jacob on the shoulder but couldn't help himself; he pulled the boy to him with a big hug and a kiss on the top of Jacob's head. He offered to take care of Jacob's horses for him.

Jacob turned down the help. "My horses, my responsibility," he said and led Puma and the cowpony to the corral.

"Mother, I guess our boy has grown into a real cowboy," Daniel said with pride.

Red smiled at Jacob as he passed and said, "You'll do boy. Good job."

The three cowboys went to the creek for a bath. After supper everyone had to hear about the trip to Cripple Creek; they talked until nearly 10 PM. Josh finally stood and said, "Maybe Jacob there isn't tired," he pointed to the boy asleep in a chair, "but I sure am. See y'all in the morning. He kissed Danni and headed for the bunkhouse.

******************

The cattle brought from Cripple Creek were allowed to graze and rest for about a month. Not all of the cattle from the wild round up or from the two ranches were ready for market this year; some would be held over and fattened up until the next year's round up. 

Between the cattle rounded up from both parts of the CBC and the ones brought from Cripple Creek there were 250 some animals to be driven to the railhead for sale. Daniel, Josh, Red, Jerry and Jacob went on the cattle drive. They also brought Jimbo Hughes and Will Stinson another hand from the Lazy L; leaving Charlie White and the other two hands to take care of the ranch. When the men of the Chico Basin Cattle Company started the drive the quote was $15 a head. This would bring almost four thousand dollars for their cattle; more than double the amount that the ranches had ever brought in previously

Maggie, Sarah, and Danni rode ahead of the cattle to Fountain; they wanted to look into some things from Mitchell's store for the upcoming weddings. They would wait in Fountain for the men to ride back from Colorado City after delivering the cattle. The girls and their mother had discussed wedding dresses but Saran and Danni decided they would rather get married in Sunday go to meeting dresses; maybe a little fancier than normal but something they could wear more than once.

"After the wedding and the shivaree, a special dress won't stay on any longer than it takes to get to the house anyway," Sarah said nudging Danni in the ribs and giggling. "Rather spend the extra money on things to make the house at the Lazy L more of a home."

It took two full days for the men to drive the cattle to Colorado City's railhead. By the time they got there the price for cattle had gone up to $17.50 a head. The drive was finished on a Friday and Saturday morning early the crew started back for Fountain. Daniel had a bank draft for $4375 in his inside vest pocket. It's a great beginning for the Chico Basin Cattle Company, he thought. 

The partners and the cow hands met the Maguire women in Fountain. Red suggested that they stand good for haircuts, shaves, and a hot bath for the two hands. "Wouldn't be a bad thing for us to do the same thing; I'm a little ripe myself after two days on the trail with 250 cattle," Red suggested with a wrinkled nose and a laugh.

Josh agreed saying that the men had worked hard on the drive; they deserved a little extra. "What about paying them a bonus for the drive and giving them today and tomorrow off? They probably would like a night in town to blow off some steam."

Red nodded and said, "Next weekend we can give Charley, Will, and James a night in town." He turned to Jerry and explained, "We pay the boys a salary but a cattle drive is extra work, so we'll give them a bonus with some time off. But you have to do that for all the hands. Jimbo went with us to Cripple Creek but the others took care of the ranch while we were gone. They deserve a little extra too."

All of the men made a trip to the barber shop to get spiffed up. After the baths, shaves, and haircuts Daniel gave each of the hired hands a $10 gold piece and some advice. "We're givin you boys a week's pay as a bonus and the two days off. But remember, come Monday morning we expect you back at the ranch ready to work. Have a good time fellars."

The two cow hands thanked Daniel and headed for the saloon laughing and hollering. I'm afraid there's gonna be some headaches in that group come Monday, Daniel thought and smiled. Did the same thing when I was younger and before I met Maggie.

After the happy cow hands left the rest of the group went to the café for an early lunch. They wanted to get back to the ranch that day. It wasn't fair to leave Charley and the others doing the extra work for much longer. While they had been gone on the cattle drive the three hands back at the ranch had extra work to do. 

Even after a large portion of their cattle had been taken to market there was still a lot of work that had to be done at the ranch. Charley, Will, and James were the ones that stayed and made sure things were taken care of. They checked and counted the calves born that fall, branded most of the remaining cattle brought in from Cripple Creek, and did the day to day chores necessary on the place.

Finishing lunch, the Maguire women made a visit to the seamstress, again to discuss the dresses that Sarah and Danni were having made for the wedding. Daniel and his three young partners went to the bank. On the way Daniel steered all of them to the saloon, including Jerry. Josh, Red, and now Daniel considered the youngster a man now; his hard work and attitude earned him that right.

"I thought we were going to the bank while we waited on the women," Red remarked with a big grin. "Course I got no problem with a saloon, don't you know."

" We'll have to go gather up those women or we'll be here all afternoon. About the only thing I've learned about women is that when they start talking about dresses and such you'll end up having to throw a rope on em to drag em away," Daniel replied. "Sides I got some business I want to talk over with you three and the saloon is as good a place as any."




The Trail West Ch. 08



Walking into the saloon, Daniel led them to a table nodding at two men leaning on the bar. The bartender came over to see what they wanted to drink. Ralph Jennings was new to the area from back East somewhere. He was a bit of a dandy, wearing a collared shirt, string tie, and a brocade vest. Jennings believed he was better than most of the customers because he was from a big city; sometimes his arrogance showed.

Daniel and Red ordered whiskey and Josh asked for a beer and took a little ribbing from his partners about his refusal to drink hard liquor. Before Jerry could order the bartender said, "Can't serve you anything sonny. You're just a boy and too young to even be in here. I ought to throw you out but I guess I could get you a sarsaparilla."

Jerry hung his head for a few seconds and then looking Jennings in the eye said, "I'd be happy to step outside and show you what a boy can do Mister."

Red laughed out loud. "Damn Jerry, you been spending too much time around me."

"What's your name Mister?" Josh quickly asked before the man could react to Jerry's challenge.

"Ralph Jennings," the bartender answered.

"This 'boy' is a veteran of two guerrilla raids on the wagon train we were traveling with; he lost both of his parents during one of those raids. This 'boy' has backed our play in dangerous situations several times. This 'boy' held off two bandits so my fiancé could go for help," Josh stopped and fixed Jennings with his cold, wild blue eyes.

"I'd go easy on that throw you out part Mister Jennings," Josh continued in an angry tone. "That 'boy' has just returned from a cattle drive and before that did two men's work over to Cripple Creek. He's a full partner in our ranch and earned every bit of it. I'm right fond of that 'boy' and you might have trouble throwing him out."

I can't let Josh have all the fun Red thought and added, "Besides, he's with us and he'll have whatever he cares to." Red had the beginnings of the evil little grin he wore when trouble came up.

"And just who might you two be?" Jennings still wasn't impressed with the group sitting at the table in spite of Josh's words; taking them for plain old cow hands off some hard scrapple ranch. He had been surprised at the boy's readiness to stand up to him.

"I'm Josh Kelly and this is Red McCall. And that 'boy' is Jerry Barnes."

Jennings turned a little pale at hearing those names. The one thing that's more available in a saloon than whiskey and beer is gossip. Men would come in to drink and talk about the news, rumors, and stories about town's people and visitors. He had heard the stories concerning Kelly and McCall, their run in with Tom Larson, how they ran Stillwell and the other three off the Lazy L, and the shoot out that left the four men belly up on the plains. 

"Sorry Mr. Kelly, Mr. McCall. I didn't know who you were," he said backpedalling. Turning back to Jerry he asked, "What can I get for you Mr. Barnes?"

"Think I'll have a sarsaparilla," Jerry answered with a straight face.

This time it was Daniel that laughed out loud. Jennings nodded and quickly left to get their drinks. He was glad to get away.

"Okay, now that the funs over what did you want to talk about Daniel?" Red asked. Josh turned to face Daniel as the anger bled out of him. He was surprised as anyone at his reaction to the insulting manner that Jennings had treated Jerry.

"When we formed the Chico Basin Cattle Company," Daniel started looking at Jerry with a smile, acknowledging his idea for the name, "we agreed to split the profits 50/50 right?" At a nod from his three companions he continued. "I think we ought to rethink that agreement."

Josh and Red were surprised at his statement and leaned forward in their chairs. They thought they'd made a fair and equal way to split the profits and couldn't understand why Daniel would want to change it. Of the three only Jerry seemed unconcerned. He smiled and leaned back in his chair.

Jennings returned and carefully sat the drinks on the table; he made a special effort and sat the sarsaparilla directly in front of Jerry. Red threw back the whiskey and ordered another. Daniel just sat there waiting for his partners to react.

Josh motioned to Red to let him do the talking. I'm the one that pretty much got us into this, he thought. So I should be the one to find out what changed Daniel's mind.

"How do you want to change our agreement, Daniel?"

Daniel smiled to himself at the carefully controlled tone in Josh's voice. "I reckon when we take this draft over to the bank that we take $400 off the top so you boys can pay off Nancy Larson; like you promised. The balance should be put into one account." Daniel paused to sip his whiskey, enjoying the looks on Josh and Red's faces.

"Our spread isn't the Lazy L or the Maggie M anymore; it's the CBC and it's one ranch. I propose that we put the balance of the money into one account for the Chico Basin Cattle Company."

Red's big grin and Josh's smile at the teasing gave Daniel a lot of pleasure. "Besides, I'm already trusting you with my girls and they mean a lot more than money."

"That's a mighty fine idea," Red responded. "Let's have a drink to the new agreement." In a loud voice he said, " Another round if you please barkeep."

Josh looked toward the bartender and said, "Mr. Jennings, bring four whiskey instead, if you will." Turning back to his partners he smiled and said, "I reckon I can stand one whiskey to celebrate the Chico Basin Cattle Company's first round up."

Daniel and Red laughed at the faces that Jerry and Josh made after drinking the whiskey. "Now I remember why I don't like that stuff," Josh said with a grimace.

The four men went to the bank and set up the new account. Daniel handed the boys $400 in Double Eagle $20.00 gold coins. That was Red's idea. He remark was, "I don't know about Mrs. Larson, but I trust gold a lot more than paper dollars right now. Anyway we told her cash money."

Going to meet the women, they found that Daniel was right; the ladies weren't ready to go and had to be persuaded to leave. "We might have to use a brandin iron to get them apart," Daniel said.

"Hush Daniel, we're ready to go," Maggie said with a grin. When Josh explained the new money agreement to the women, Maggie turned to her husband, "That's a fine thing to do honey. I'm proud of you." She put her arms around his neck and pulled his head down and kissed him.

On the ride back to the ranch, Josh had a thought. "You know, Mr. Swede might be a mite upset if all the others get a bonus and he don't. I think we'd better give him a little extra and let him have a couple of days off too."

Red laughed and agreed, "I sure don't want to face a mad Mr. Swede. He might serve us skunk or somethin."

At the cutoff to the Lazy L, Josh and Red stopped to say good bye to Danni and Sarah. They would see the girls the next evening for Sunday supper but that was a long time to wait for the young couples. The rest of the Maguires and Jerry rode on toward the Maggie M to give them a little privacy. Daniel kept looking back over his shoulder until finally Maggie said with some exasperation, "Daniel, mind your own business. The girls will be fine."

Sunday about midday, Josh, Red, and Jerry rode past the Maggie M to the S Bar S. They got to the ranch house and Bill Sanders stepped out onto the porch to greet them.

"Howdy boys. Good to see you, what can I do for you?"

As usual Josh was the spokesman. "We'd like to see Mrs. Larson if we could."

"Hey sis," Sanders called back into the house. "There's three young gentlemen here to see you."

Nancy Larson came out of the house with a puzzle look until she saw her visitors. She walked over to stand next to her brother.

Josh dismounted and walked onto the porch. "Mrs. Larson we brung the rest of the money, $400, that we owe you for the Lazy L; just like we promised. Red here thought you'd appreciate cash money so it's in double eagle gold coins." He handed her a draw string pouch; she could hear the coins clinking together as she took the bag.

Nancy had a little smile playing around her mouth. "Wait just a minute please, Mr. Kelly. She returned into the house but came back shortly with what looked like a letter.

"Bill told me that you gentlemen would be here as soon as you finished the cattle drive. I wrote this letter stating that you've paid for the ranch in full and had Bill witness it. I hope you and your ladies will be happy there. It was a good place to live at one time." She smiled, handed the letter to Josh, and returned to the house.

"The place has bad memories for her," Sanders said. "It'll do her good to get shed of it. 

The new owners of the Lazy L thanked Bill but turned down the offer of a drink or lunch and made the ride back to the Maggie M.

*****************

After the round up and drive to the railhead, things became a little more hectic for the two young couples. Sarah had to go back to Fountain to teach and now there were two young ladies traveling back and forth between town and the ranch. Neither of the girls was looking forward to the winter weather which would keep them in town. It was hard enough just seeing their men on weekends but when the snow and cold came in late October or early November they'd be lucky to see them once a month.

Before the weather changed there were several projects accomplished on the two ranches. An additional well was dug at the Lazy L. The corrals and barns were mended and the work on the bunk house enlarging it into a regular home was almost finished. 

Daniel, Josh and Red were riding the range checking on the late season grass. They were trying to decide which area would be best to winter the cattle. They were riding along Chico Creek where it wound through a basin and then between two hills as it flowed southeast from the Lazy L to the Maggie M. It was the outgoing, boisterous, joking Red that came up with an idea that would be a boon to the CBC in future years.

Red stopped, looked at the stream, and rode to the top of one of the hills. He studied the countryside as Daniel and Josh joined him. Josh started to ask what he was doing but Red held up his hand; asking for quiet. After several minutes, while his two partners stared at him with questioning looks, they heard Red say, "Thought so; just like back home."

Josh couldn't keep quiet any longer. "What's just like home Red?"

He got down off his horse and squatted, picking up a stick to draw a in the dirt. "See here where Chico Creek goes between these two hills? He asked, drawing line on his a diagram. "If we build a low water rock dam from here to here," drawing another line, "we could back up the water and make a good size lake."

"A lake?" Daniel asked.

"Yes sir. My Pa did the same thing with Willow Creek back home." 

"I don't have the knowhow to build a dam that would stop all the water, it will leak," Daniel objected. 

"So, let it leak, that will take the water pressure off the dam" Red answered.

Josh began to see what Red was talking about. "We won't stop the flow from Chico Creek; we'll just borrow it for a while until the lake is full."

"Yeah, that's the idea," Red replied. 

"We could have good water for a lot more cattle," Josh remarked. He looked at the surrounding land closer; now the farmer in Josh took over. "You know this land is pretty good for growing things, it's just short on water. If we dug a ditch to that plain yonder, we could get water down to it. We could grow some hay and even corn to help feed the cattle through the winter."

"Be a lot of work for our hands and us. With everything else going on I don't know if we'd have the time to work on the dam much," Daniel cautioned.

"Things are gonna slow down with winter comin on so we can work on it right through to spring; as long as we don't get a lot of snow. Maybe get done in time for the spring thaws," Josh offered.

The next two months were a bee hive of activity, at least as far as the dam was concerned; Jerry, Charley White and Jimbo Hughes handled the normal day to day operation of the ranch; the rest of the hands helped with building the dam. Red supervised building two rock levees from each of the hill sides toward the center where Chico Creek flowed. They left a space between the levees until they were at the correct height; then they filled in the space. 

The weather was good and didn't slow down the construction; it began to get cold but there was no snow. It was nearing the end of October when the dam was finished and they got the first snow storm of the season the day after. Chico Creek began to back up into the basin; creating the small lake. When the proper depth was reached the water began to flow over the top of the dam and continue its journey south.

A large ditch had been dug from the edge of the basin down to the plain that Josh had pointed out before the ground froze. A gate, or weir, as Red called it, was built that could be raised or lowered to allow water to flow to the plain. We'll have to wait until spring to plant and see if all this work was worth it, Josh thought as he looked at the ditch.

*********************

It was two weeks before Christmas and Josh and Red went to Fountain to bring Sarah and Danni home. The school would be shut down until after the first of the year and freight wasn't moving due to the bad storms to the south around Pueblo. The boys went in a day early to buy some supplies and would ride back with their ladies the next day. 

Josh and Red lead the girls up the cutoff to the Lazy L and took them by the dam. Sarah and Danni were impressed with the idea for the dam and the amount of work that had been done. Sarah rode to top of one of the hills followed by the others.

"Didn't know I was marring an engineer," she teased Red as she inspected the dam.

Pointing to the irrigation ditch Danni said, "Well I knew I was getting a farmer." Josh stuck his tongue out at her and she giggled.

That evening during and after supper the girls told all the news and gossip from town. The boys stayed in the bunk house that night and rode back to the Lazy L the next morning after breakfast. When they rode up to the front of the house, Charley White came from the bunk house and met them.

"Surprised to see you, thought you'd stay over to the Maggie M," Charley said. Before either Josh or Red could answer Charley continued, "Y'all head back, there's nothing here that me and the boys can't handle. If anything comes up I'll send for you."

Red slapped Charley on the shoulder and said, "Yes sir, Mr. Boss Man, whatever you say." He got back on Jasper.

Josh looked at Charley for a few seconds and mounted Diablo. "Thanks Charley, we owe you one. Take care of things." Josh and Red retraced their steps back to Sarah and Danni. Jerry rode with them; he wanted to spend Christmas with his adopted family. 

All too soon for the two young couples it was time for the girls to return to Fountain. The day was bright and sunny as they rode back to town. But on the way back that afternoon, the boys could see storm clouds building up over the mountains to the north of Chico Basin.

"We'd better ride a little faster Josh," Red suggested pointing to the gathering storm clouds.

Josh nodded and replied, "Yeah lets head for the Lazy L pronto. I'd like to be at the ranch, just in case, when that hits us. We'll ask Jerry and Jimbo to ride over to Daniel's and give him a hand."

The storm held off until late morning of the next day and then struck with an intensity that Josh hadn't seen since he came to Chico Basin. They were snowed in for three days. Twice Red or Josh tried to ride out and check on the cattle. Neither of them was able to make it much more than a mile from the house; the snow was just too deep. It was five days before they could get to the cattle.

Most of the animals had taken shelter in the canyons and arroyos and so far they were okay. Red told Josh that they were going to lose some cattle if the weather got worse. "Need time between storms for the snow to melt off some so the stock can graze a little," he told Josh.

So much for Danni and Sarah comin home, Josh thought. The size of Sarah's classes at the school dwindled as the weather turn bad but there were still enough town children to keep the school open. Danni could have come home because the freight wagons couldn't run due to the storms but she stayed; she didn't want Sarah to be left alone.

Finally at the end of January, Josh had enough. Red found him in the barn saddling Diablo. Josh was wearing his full length oilskin drover's coat and his fur lined moccasins. Red dressed the same way.

The moccasins weren't much good when it came to working stock but they were a lot warmer in cold, snowy weather than boots. After their first winter in the Chico Basin, Josh traded a steer for the moccasins at the trading post just north of Colorado City. He got a pair for Red and Jerry at the same time. "Don't need to be gettin no frostbite on our toes," Josh told them.

"Where you headed partner?" He asked knowing the answer before Josh spoke. 

"Going to see Danni. Last few days have been sunny so the snow should have melted off the trail some," he answered. "It's been too long."

"Been thinkin the same thing myself," Red replied as he led Jasper from his stall. The horse was already saddled.

As they rode out of the barn, Josh yelled at Charley, "Take care of things, will you Charley. We're headed to town. Don't know how long we're gonna be."

"It's a wonder it took this long. You both been mooning around here like lost calves," Charley yelled back.

The ride that normally took a little over an hour at an easy pace, took well over three hours. The men pushed their horses through the snow. It places it had melted until the trail was almost clear, but in places the snow had drifted to six or eight feet. Josh and Red took turns riding in front breaking the trail; they stopped several times to give the horses a breather.

They had left the ranch about an hour after midday; it was close to 5 when they rode into Fountain. Both the men and the horses were very tired. Josh and Red put Diablo and Jasper in the stable; telling the owner to feed them a warm corn mash. Then they walked to Mrs. Cassidy's boarding house to surprise Sarah and Danni.

They found that the girls had already walked to the café for supper. Mrs. Cassidy insisted that they have a cup of coffee before going to meet the girls. "You look half froze to death; it won't hurt you to sit and warm up for a few minutes," she said, mothering the boys.

It seemed like forever before Josh and Red could get away from Mrs. Cassidy; she was a widow and got lonely during the winter months. They stepped into the café and saw Sarah and Danni sitting at a table with their backs to the door. Red nudged Josh and winked. When they got close to the table, Red disguised his voice.

"Here are two pretty fillies that would probably like some company. You know someone that they could warm up with."

Sarah turned with fire in her eyes to respond to the insulting words and voice. When she saw Red, her eyes got big and began to fill with tears; she stood and ran to Red. As fast as Sarah was, Danni reached Josh before Sarah got to Red. It was several minutes before the youngsters released each other.

Red's own eyes were wet also and he said, "C'mon girl, let's sit down. You're embarrassing me." But he was grinning when he said it.

Josh and Danni couldn't have sat much closer unless they used the same chair. She was hanging onto Josh's arm and refused to let go. Danni said, "I'm really glad to see you but how did you get here through the snow?"

"Diablo wanted to see you pretty bad because when I pointed him toward town it was all I could do to hang on," Josh teased.

"And Jasper didn't want to be left out of getting pampered at the stables, at least that's what I think," Red added.




The Trail West Ch. 08



"You rode Diablo?" Danni asked. "Poor baby must be frozen. We better go see him after supper; I want to make sure he's okay."

"Guess that tells you who's got the upper hand," Red teased.

"Red!" Danni responded, giggling.

"Quit teasing her Red; she's been very upset at not being able to get home," Sarah admonished her fiancé. "Me too."

The young people finished supper and bundled up for the walk to the livery stables. Danni told Josh that she and Sarah had made a habit of going to see Sunny and Sarah's horse Johnny most nights after supper. "Those little walks keep me from getting cabin fever."

As they got to the door to the livery, they heard Diablo whiney in welcome. He had his head hanging over the door to his stall and Danni went to him immediately to stoke his ears and neck. The big horse nuzzled her and sighed in contentment. Diablo's other human was there and he was happy.

Josh went to talk with the stable owner and arrange special feeds and bedding for the horses. When he came back Danni was feeding his horse pieces of dried apple and whispering in his ear. Josh heard her softly say, "Thank you Diablo for bringing him to me."

Before he could get Danni to leave she had to spend a few minutes with Sunny; she gave him his share of the apples and said "I know you could've brought Josh to me but you stayed here to take care of me, didn't you?" Horses still get better treatment than I do, Josh thought laughing.

Mrs. Cassidy was happy to rent the boys a room. During the winter months her boarding house was vacant except for the room upstairs shared by Sarah and Danni. Occasionally a drummer or cattleman would stop by but not often. She put the boys in a room on the first floor that had two beds. "You boys stay put, ya hear? No funny business in my house," Mrs. Cassidy warned them.

Josh got to spend most of the daytime with Danni but Red had to limit himself to the school's recesses and lunch time to be with Sarah. Of course they would spend the afternoons and evenings together. Josh and Red stayed in Fountain for two days. After discussing it with their ladies, they decided for the rest of the winter that they would come to town two times a month rather than the girls having to brace the weather.

The return trip to the ranch was considerably easier than the trip to town. The days had been cold but sunny and a lot of the snow had melted. The drifts they had fought through were almost completely gone so the ride back to the Lazy L took about two hours.

Ten days later, after another snow storm passed through; Josh and Red returned to Fountain. This time they rode in on a Friday, which would give them two full days with Sarah and Danni without Sarah's school interfering? The trail wasn't as bad as the last time they made the trip but it was far from easy. 

Instead of following the wagon trail all the time, they rode along the ridges and crests of hills where they could. Most of the snow had melted or been blown off up there. But there were still places where they had to force their way through deep drifts. 

Sunday evening as the two couples got ready to go to the café for supper, Red held back and told them he would catch up. He rejoined them at the café about twenty minutes later. Josh looked at his friend and thought Red seemed to be in high spirits considering that he wouldn't see Sarah for another two weeks or so. 

They were having a last cup of coffee before returning to Mrs. Cassidy's when Red spoke up. "Josh, if you don't mind I'm gonna stay here. There's not much goin on at the ranch and I don't want to be away from Sarah anymore. It bothers me not to see her every few days." He took Sarah's hand as he talked.

Josh had to chuckle at Red because he was blushing and looked so sad. "Don't see a problem with it partner. Course Sarah may decide she don't want to marry you after having you around all the time," Josh teased. 

"Not much chance of that," Sarah said with a big smile, taking hold of Red's arm.

"I reckon the CBC can afford to pay your room and board for a month or so," Josh said.

"Won't have to," Red replied, now grinning again. "Made a deal with Mrs. Cassidy just afore I came over here. I'm gonna do some repairs around her place and give her a half beef come summer. She'll feed and board me in trade, at least until Sarah can come home."

"I guess I can find my way back to the ranch by myself," Josh replied with a grin. "Done it before."

"You won't be by yourself," Danni said. At Josh's puzzled look she continued, "I stayed because I didn't want to leave Sarah alone. With Red here she won't be alone and I'd just be in the way, so I'm coming with you."

Josh grabbed Danni and hugged her, quickly letting her go when he remembered they were in public. Now it was Josh's turn to blush. "Doggone fine idea, if you ask me," he responded.

The next morning after breakfast Sarah and Red walked Josh and Danni to the livery. "I don't think you have to worry about Ma," Danni replied giggling. "But Pa's going to get a burr under his saddle about this."

"I know Pa's not going to be too happy but tell him and Ma not to worry," Sarah said to Danni. "Mrs. Cassidy is here to chaperone." 

Red gave Danni his drover's coat to wear back to the ranch; the weather was still cold and it would help protect her on the ride. Josh and Danni said good bye and mounted Diablo and Sunny. "Glad to be going home Sunny?" Danni asked the big buckskin. His ears perked up at her voice and he nodded his head as if answering her. In fact the horse was just glad to be going anywhere instead of being cooped up in the stables.

Their return to the ranch was easier than the ride into town. The trail had already been broken by the boys and the sun had melted more of the snow. They rode into the corral at the Maggie M in just over two hours. Daniel and Maggie came out of the house as they rode in; surprised that their daughter was home. Jerry and Jacob came out of the barn at Maggie's shout of surprise.

Daniel, Maggie, and Jacob crowded around Danni, hugging her and welcoming her home. When they stepped back Jerry stuck out his hand and said, "Welcome home Miss Danni."

Danni pushed passed Jerry's hand and hugged him. "Thank you Sir Knight," she told him. Jerry's face turned red and Josh chuckled at the comical look on his face. 

"What are you doing home? I thought you were going to stay with Sarah," Maggie asked.

Josh and Danni took turns explaining what happened. As predicted, Daniel wasn't very happy with Red staying in town and living in the same house as Sarah. He started to complain but Maggie interrupted him.

"Calm down dear. Sarah's a woman grown and we raised her right; she won't do anything to shame us. Besides in spite of your concerns, Red is an honorable young man," Maggie told him. "He won't do anything to shame us either."

After lunch Maggie and Danni spent the afternoon making plans and discussing the upcoming wedding. Daniel rode out to check on the cattle; Josh offered to go along but Daniel told him to rest a little and took Jerry and Jacob with him. Rather than just sit around listening to the women, Josh read the letters from his family that he'd picked up before leaving Fountain.

There were three letters from his folks; two for him, and one for Danni. The letters were full of the news concerning his family; his parents William and Molly were in good health, happy for Josh and Danni, and said they hoped to get to meet her after the war. William wrote that even through the danger posed by Fogerty and his Bushwhacker's was over, it was a dangerous time to be traveling. Josh's younger brother Samuel had grown like a weed to almost 6 feet tall. The letters also gave good news about his uncles and their families. His pa wrote that the war was going badly for the Confederacy; William looked for the war to come to an end within the next few months.

Josh put the letters away and went to check on Diablo and Sunny. The trip from town hadn't been too bad but he wanted to make sure the animals were warm and well fed. While he was at the barn, Daniel, Jerry, and Jacob returned. He helped Daniel and Jerry with their horses but Jacob wouldn't let anybody but himself take care of his horse, Puma.

"How're the cattle holdin up?" Josh asked Daniel.

"Doing pretty good. Most of them are hunkered down in some canyons and arroyos up to Black Squirrel Creek. There's good grazing now that some of the snow melted."

After supper Josh said that he had to return to the Lazy L for a few days but would return to the Maggie M by the weekend. Danni wasn't especially happy with his going but understood that with Red living in town Josh had to put in a bit more time at the ranch.

"Now don't get all worried if I'm not back before Saturday," Josh told Danni the next morning before leaving. "If there's any trouble over there I'll have to sort it all out before I can come back." 

Danni nodded but put her head down; she'd just spent weeks without seeing Josh and now he was leaving again. Josh put his hand under her chin and raised her head so he could look her in the eyes. "Won't be long fore we're married and we'll be together all the time," he said tenderly. He paused, smiled, and teased her to lighten the mood, "Heck, you'll probably get sick at the sight of me and run me off for a few days."

She had to smile back at him. Danni was touched that Josh understood how she felt and that he didn't just brush her disappointment off. I got myself a pretty good man, she thought as she waved good bye at him.

The weather had turned bad and it was the middle of March before Sarah and Red were able to come to the ranch for a long weekend. After supper Saturday evening Jerry and Jacob returned to the bunk house and the rest of the group sat around the fireplace talking.

"I told the town council that I'm not coming back to teach next fall," Sarah said. "Told them I'd help find a replacement if they wanted but I'm not going back." She looked at Red with a small grin, "Got a new job being a wife and it's going to take up all my time." 

Red grinned back at her and nodded. Obviously the two had talked and made this decision together. "Hard to start a family if Sarah's in town and I'm out to the ranch," he said.

"Red, behave yourself," Sarah scolded him; she got a little red in the face but had a big smile.

"I was thinking the same think about Josh and me," Danni said. "Told Mr. Whitworth that I wasn't coming back after the wedding. I think Red's right, it'd be hard to start a family with me living in town. Besides I'd rather help run the ranch."

Now it was Josh who got red in the face, but he smiled also and then chuckled. "Nothin bashful about the Maguire girls, is there?"

Sunday when Sarah and Red returned to Fountain, Josh and Danni rode with them; they would stay overnight and return to the ranch Monday afternoon. Josh led a pack horse so they could pick up some supplies but mostly he wanted to check the telegraph office to see if there was any news from his folks and to mail the letters he'd written.

After school, Sarah and Red accompanied Josh and Danni to the stables to say good bye. Josh had just finished loading the pack horse when they heard a man shouting and a horse making noise out in the corral; Josh went outside to see what the commotion was. When he didn't return for a few minutes, Red and the two girls followed him.

An older man had a young filly cornered and was trying to put a lead rope on her; there were two other horses sort of hiding behind her. Every time the horse tried to get away the man would use a yard whip to keep the horse cornered. The first time the man hit the horse with the whip she screamed, Josh climbed the corral and started forward.

"Easy Josh," Red cautioned his friend. Josh just waved his hand at Red and continued forward.

"Looks like you could use some help Mister," Josh said with a grim smile. "Let me give you a hand."

He stepped between the man and the horse, taking the lead rope from him. Josh held the rope down at his side and took very slow small steps toward the young horse. He talked constantly in a soft voice and tone to the animal. He extended his hand so the horse could smell him and shortly was able to stroke the animal's forehead. Slowly Josh brought the lead rope up and showed it to the horse. After two minutes or so he was able to attach the rope to the animal's halter.

Josh led the filly to a hitching post in the center of the corral and tied the lead rope to it. He picked up two more lead ropes off the ground and did the same with the other two horses in the corral. 

"He surely do have a way with horses, don't he?" Red remarked about his friend. "With women too I guess," he continued grinning at Danni.

Danni blushed but smiled and replied, "He certainly does. And that's a fact." Red laughed at her reply.

"She's young and high spirited Mister. You have to treat her gentle," Josh told the man. "She'll just fight you if you don't."

"Have to treat women the same way," Red remarked softly. Sarah dug her elbow into his ribs and punched his shoulder.

"Thanks son. She's been actin up and I can't control her." I'm Bill Sorenson," he said shaking hands with Josh.

"Howdy Mr. Sorenson, I'm Josh Kelly. Where ya headed with the horses, if you don't mind my askin."

"Tryin to sell them. My ranch is a day west of town and the winter's been tough on us. Thought I might get enough for these three to help us make it into spring." 

"Had any takers?" Josh asked.

"Naw, every time I get someone interested she," Sorenson pointed at the big grey filly, "starts actin up and scares off the buyers. Nobody wants a horse that's half wild."

"How much you want for her?"

"Got to sell them as a set, we need the money," Sorenson replied. "I think the three are worth a hundred dollars. You interested son?"

"Not at a hundred dollars, I'm not," Josh answered. 

Sorenson knew from Josh's response that he had a buyer if they could agree on a price. Josh saw the calculating look in the man's eyes and knew it was time to do a little horse trading.

Red chuckled as Sorenson and Josh went back and forth trying to get to a price that both could live with. Daniel and I may know more about cattle but Josh is about as good as they come when it comes to horses, Red thought. Finally the two came to an agreement. Josh paid Sorenson $65 cash money and got a bill of sale for the three horses.

"Not questioning you Josh, but what do we need with more horses?" Red asked after Sorenson left. "We got four between us, not countin Jerry's two."

"Actually I've only got Diablo. You don't really think I'll ever get Sunny back from Danni, do you? Josh said with a smile. "Besides, I told you when we bought the ranch that I wanted to breed and raise horses. That filly is a very good animal; she'd make a fine mate for Diablo."

Red walked slowly over to where the horses were tied and examined them closely. "Yeah, she's a good one."

"That pinto is young and has the makins of a good cow pony; a lot like your Queenie. This one," Josh said putting his hand on the horse's reddish brown coat, "will make a good saddle animal. Thought I might work with him a little and give him to Maggie. She hasn't had much to ride since we lost Joey."

Danni came into the corral and very slowly walked up to the grey filly, talking softly. "Poor baby's scared aren't you? Don't worry we'll take good care of you. I think we'll name you Lady Guinevere, after all you belong to Sir Knight there. We'll call you Lady." The young horse seemed to settle down and pushed her head against Danni.

"Looks like I'm not the only one that has a way with horses," Josh said with pride. "C'mon on, let's get goin.

**************

The cold weather and a couple of snow storms continued until the last week in April. The weather didn't stop the work being done at the Lazy L but it pushed back the spring round up. Josh and Red began to wonder if they'd be done in time for the wedding the second week of May. They pushed the men and themselves hard and were able to finish the week before the wedding.

The work on the bunk house was completed, turning it into a two bedroom log cabin. It wasn't as fancy as the big house but it would be cozy and warm during the winter and cool during the heat of the summer. The big ranch house at the Lazy L had just been finished about a year before Tom Larson went to prison. The only work done on the main house was the addition of a covered porch that wrapped around three sides of the building. Josh, Red, and their wives could sit on the porch and look out over the valley where Black Squirrel Creek ran.

The wedding was at the Lazy L; there was a flat area where the actual service was held and it gave room for a party afterwards. Maggie, the girls, and Mr. Swede had worked for a week organizing things and cooking. Several lodge poles had been set upright in the ground to hold lanterns which would provide light so the party could continue after dark. Ropes of wild flowers had been stretched between poles and the house had colored banners hanging from the new porch. The converted bunkhouse was open and had seating for whoever felt like taking a rest.

Josh and Red approached Jerry a week before the wedding and asked him to be their best man. "I thought you two would stand up for each other," Jerry said.

"Well, we're gonna be a mite busy partner," Red replied.

"We want someone we trust standing there with us," Josh said. "You're as close as we got this side of home."

"You'll have to do double duty, you know hand us the rings at the right time and such," Red continued.

"Yeah, and keep us from passing out, don't you know," Josh added with a laugh. 

Jerry was a little embarrassed as the tears welled up in his eyes; crying like a blamed kid he said to himself. These two had accepted, no wanted him as a partner, when they left the wagon train. They always treated him with respect; like a man and a full partner. He thought of them as the older brothers he'd never had. Jerry appreciated the Maguires taking him in and making him feel at home, but Josh and Red were his family. And now he could add Sarah and Danni too.

Sniffing back the tears Jerry said, "I'd be right proud to stand up for you. Thank you."

"That means you can't get drunk until after the service you know," Red teased.

Sarah and Danni wore dresses made by Senora Hernandez, the seamstress in Fountain. They were a fancy Sunday Go To Meeting type that the girls could wear again. Maggie had put her foot down when Sarah and Danni wanted to wear split riding skirts and boots. Josh and Red wore suits bought at Mitchell's store and shirts with button on collars. They both wore string ties and pulled at the collars until the ceremony was over; the ties and collars were loosened as soon as possible.

The service itself went very well in spite of Josh stuttering and stumbling over the vows a couple of times. Red was typical Red, loud, smiling, and happy to be the center of attention. Jerry handed Josh and Red the plain gold bands at the proper time without fumbling them.

Reverend Stalls got to the end of the ceremony and said, "I now pronounce you husbands and wives; you may kiss your brides." There were loud cheers and a couple of rebel yells from the crowd of friends and relatives.

The Maguires, Daniel, Maggie, and Jacob were sitting in front of the other guests who stood. Bill Sanders and his son William was there as was Nancy Larson. Nancy still felt responsible for her late husband's actions and wasn't going to come until Josh rode to the S Bar S to personally invite her.

Charley White and the other three hands from the Chico Basin Cattle Company were there and three other hands, Will, James and Jimbo helped Mr. Swede serve the food and drink. Mrs. Cassidy had rented a surrey from the livery stable and Bill Thomas, the freighter, drove her out from town. Steve Mitchell, the owner of the general store in Fountain, and his wife rode in the surrey with Mrs. Cassidy. Sheriff Horton rode beside them on his horse.




The Trail West Ch. 08



Two surprised guests showed up; they had both been invited but no one knew if they were actually coming. Jackson Slaughter, Red's cousin from Cripple Creek way rode over at Red's invitation. Ambrose Elliott came all the way from Denver to see the two little girls he'd watch grow up get married.

As the two couples turned to face their guests, Jerry spoke in a loud voice. "May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. John McCall and Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Kelly." Another loud cheer and more rebel yells rang out; then the party started.

The ceremony had started about one and was relatively short. The party however continued until close to 9 PM. Josh and Danni changed clothes, mounted Diablo and Sunny, and rode to a line shack on the northwest corner of the Lazy L. There was a Comanche moon so they could see the trail to the cabin. Red and Sarah took off in the opposite direction without telling anyone where they were going. Most of the guests returned to Fountain but a few stayed over in the newly finished bunkhouse.

Josh and Danni returned to the ranch house after three nights. They found Red sitting on the front porch leaning back in a chair with his feet propped against the railing.

"Took you long enough to get it right," Red teased. "Always knew a Texas boy was smarter than a Missouri farmer."

"Hush Red," Sarah scolded him as she came out onto the porch. "Sometimes I think you shouldn't be allowed around decent folk." She seemed upset but when Red looked at her in surprise she started to giggle.

"Dog gone it woman, I can never tell if you're serious or not."

After greetings and hellos were exchanged, the two new brides went into the house to talk. Red told Josh, "We'd better do some plannin for the trip."

"And what trip is that Red?" Sarah asked as she came back out of the house. 

"Yes, what trip Josh?" Danni added.

Josh and Red looked at each other and waited for the other one to speak first. The ladies didn't sound too happy about a trip and they for sure wouldn't like this one; especially so soon after getting married. Finally Red spoke out. "We're goin back to Cripple Creek for more cattle," he said. "It's a quick way to add to the herd; lot of hard work but worth the trouble."

"And when are we leaving?" Sarah and Danni asked almost together.

"Josh and me and the hands are leavin in three days," Red replied. "And what do you mean we?"

"John McCall, you don't really think I'm going to let you ride off a few days after our wedding, do you? Danni and I are going too."

Red started to argue but he'd learned during their courtship that when Sarah called him John, that he was in trouble. He turned to Josh for help and found him smiling and nodding at Danni. 

"This ain't gonna be no honeymoon Sarah," Red told her. He tried to explain how hard and dangerous the work was, how hot and dusty it would be, and the fact that they'd be sleeping outdoors without any shelter. But he could see by her face that he hadn't changed her mind. "Whatever you say dear," he said, giving up the battle.

They planned on taking Jerry, Jacob and one of the hands from the Lazy L; probably Jimbo as he had made the last trip to Cripple Creek. That would leave Daniel, Maggie, and the rest of the men from the Lazy L to run the ranch. They would make arrangements with Bill Sanders at the S Bar S to "borrow" a couple of cow hands for the ranch if needed. 

"If there's all those cattle roaming around why don't the other ranchers go after them too?" Danni asked, trying to understand.

Josh grinned at her and answered, "It's hard work and there's a chance we won't get enough cattle to make the trip worthwhile. Most of the others have bigger herds and can grow just by their calf crop. We're not that established yet........but we will be one day." He paused and added, "It's a gamble but based on what we saw last year, I think it's a good one." 

Three days later the "Crusade" as Danni called it started to Cripple Creek. It took them a day and a half to get to the area they wanted. While Josh and the girls set up camp, Red and the rest of the crew gathered some downed trees and built a gate across the open end of the box canyon.

Red pointed at the finished gate and said, "No one will have to baby sit the cattle to keep them in the canyon." If we can find cattle to put in there, he thought to himself.

Sitting around the campfire that evening Red and Josh explained their plans to the rest of the group. They hoped to get enough cattle to fill the holding area in five or six days.

"Don't plan to be here more than eight or nine days and we could head back before then depending on how many cattle we can round up," Josh said.

"We hoped to get a hundred head or more fore we head home," Red added. 

"What can we do to help?" Sarah asked. 

"The men will drive any cattle they find out onto that flat yonder; you and Danni take over and bring them back and put them in the canyon," Red answered.

Sarah glanced at Danni and at a nod from her said, "We're going to help with the round up."

"No you're not Sarah," he replied, deadly serious. "It's dangerous work chasing cattle through the canyons and the arroyos. There is a lot of scrub brush and small trees that tend to knock you off your horse."

"These cattle aren't like the ones on our ranch; these are totally wild and will fight if you corner them," Josh said. "I don't want you or Sunny to get caught by a horn. Believe me it's not much fun. Remember my run in with the buffalo?"

Danni nodded remembering how lucky Josh had been. She didn't want him to worry and she really didn't want to put Sunny in danger, but she wanted to do more than sit around the camp. 

"Sunny's not made for this type of work and neither is Diablo. That's why I brought Lady and Spot to work the cattle," Josh said. Then he laughed and continued, "I can't believe I let you name my pinto Spot. Anyway those two are bred and trained for this. They're sure footed and quick on their feet. Sunny's a good horse but he's too big for this type of work." 

Sarah was always the fiery one of the two and she wasn't about to give up. "I don't think I like you telling me what I can and can't do Red," Sarah said. She wasn't angry but she was serious.

Red looked at his new wife and asked, "Sarah, how long have we known each other?"

"About three years," she answered, surprised at the question.

"And how long have we been sweet on each other?"

"Almost three years," Sarah said with a little smile. "We didn't waste much time."

"In all that time, have I ever tried to tell you what to do?"

Sarah returned Red's stare for a moment and replied, "No, not that I can remember."

"Well this is the first time. If you won't listen to me as your husband, by God you will listen to me as the range boss. You two are greenhorns, on your first drive. So you'll do the work that all greenhorns do until they get some experience. Understood?" 

This is a different side to Red, Sarah thought. He's very forceful when he wants to be. Sarah paused for a bit, chuckled, and replied, "Yes sir, range boss sir. Whatever you say?" She gave Red a big grin, walked over and dropped onto his lap, and hugged him.

Each morning after the cowboys left to look for cattle, the girls did the chores around the camp and took care of the remuda. For six days the men would bring two or three cattle at a time out onto the flat. Sarah and Danni drove the animals into the box canyon. The round up wasn't going well, so far they had only gathered about sixty cattle. 

After the crew left the camp on the morning of the seventh day, Danni turned to Sarah and said, "They won't find any cattle for a while, let's go for a ride. I've got an idea."

Sarah knew her sister had something on her mind. "What are you thinking Danni?"

"I want to check that big clearing we passed on the way in. You know, the one with that little stream running through it. I think we might find some cattle there."

"But Red and Josh rode over there the second day we were here and didn't find anything," Sarah replied.

"I know, but if the cattle got spooked with the men riding around chasing them, maybe they'd go someplace quieter. It's not that far and besides me and Sunny are tired of sitting around the camp."

Sarah nodded and the two young women mounted their horses and rode east of camp. About midday they returned to the camp and waited for the cow hands to return for something to eat. The men came back without any cattle. After they finished eating, Sarah stood.

"Red, we'd like you Josh to take a little ride with us," Sarah requested. "Let the men and horses have an afternoon off. They've been rode hard and it's not like they're bringing in a lot of cattle anyway." She saw him hesitate and added, "Please Red Honey, come with us." 

"Yes, please Josh," Danni joined in.

The men were bone weary but had to smile at their respective wives. Red knew he was lost, anytime Sarah called him Honey he pretty much did what she wanted.

"It wouldn't hurt to have an afternoon to rest," Josh said looking at Red. They agreed to go with the girls. "You boys take it easy this afternoon; we start up again in the morning."

As they neared the clearing, Sarah led them to the east side. "Have to get downwind so they can't smell us," she explained.

"So who can't smell us? Red asked but Sarah made a motion to be quiet.

The four rode slowly, stopping in the cedars at the edge of the clearing. Sarah and Danni pointed into the open space. Grazing along and around the stream were close to thirty head of cattle. The surprise on Red's face was funny and the girls had a hard time not laughing.

Danni spoke in a low voice that wouldn't carry to the cattle, "Figured the ones that got away from you in the scrub might return to a quieter place. And here they are."

Josh chuckled and said to Red, "You know partner, sometimes we're not smart enough to pour water out of a boot."

Sarah and Danni were excited and pleased that they had surprised their men. The girls rode point leading the cattle back to the corral with Josh and Red riding drag. Danni rode ahead and told Jerry to open the gate and the cattle were driven into the canyon. The hands were really surprise at the number of cattle and had a lot of questions. Explanations were made and a new plan was formed. 

"That gives us about ninety head, so tomorrow we'll make one more sweep to the west and start home the next morning. On the way out we'll check Sarah and Danni's clearing again; there might be a few more head there. Good job and good thinking ladies. Don't think we can call you greenhorns anymore."

The next morning Jerry stayed at camp and loaned Sarah his horse Morgan. She wanted to experience combing cattle out of the scrub brush and rough country. Danni went also, mounted on Lady. It didn't take very long for them to understand Red and Josh's concerns for their safety. Each of the girls could have been injured as cattle charged them. The horses they rode were both well trained and stock savvy and were able to get Sarah and Danni out of harm's way.

At midday the crew returned to camp to eat and rest until early evening; they would go back as the cattle started to feed and look for water. Sarah and Danni unsaddled their horses, rubbed them down, and made sure they were fed and watered.

"Had enough ladies?" Red asked with a big grin.

Sarah looked at Red and returned his grin. "If you say I told you so I'll take a yard whip to you, but you were right Red. We don't have the experience to do that kind of work." 

Danni nodded at Josh agreeing with her sister. "If I'd been on Sunny out there, we both might have gotten hurt. I got away from cattle that wanted to fight because Lady is well trained. You and Red were right, Josh."

Red didn't tease the ladies, surprising them. "Y'all are about the smartest women I've ever met. But when it comes to handling stock, Josh and I know a bit more than you. I'm glad you got to see things our way without anyone gettin hurt. Now, what's our next move Josh?"

"Reckon we've got bout all we're gonna get this trip. I say we rest this afternoon and leave at first light. On the way back we'll check Sarah and Danni's clearing for more strays. Then it's the CBC and home."

Everyone was happy and excited that they were going home. At first light the crew started driving the cattle back to the ranch. They did pick up ten more head from the clearing which gave them a total of just over a hundred animals. The whole crew had worked very hard and the trip was considered a success.

Red decided to push the cattle a little harder than the last time. They traveled from sunup to dusk and got back to the ranch in two days. This time they drove the cattle close to the new lake.

"They'll settle down and feed now," Josh told Sarah and Danni. "We'll let them fatten up until round up in September."

"If things go right we should be able to drive almost four hundred head to Colorado City," Red told them.

*******************

The owners and wranglers of the Chico Basin Cattle Company drove 378 head of cattle to the railhead in Colorado City. They left about 300 head not counting calves at the ranch. Daniel, Josh, and Red talked about not driving so many head to market but the quoted prices for cattle were too much to pass up. "The price might not be this high next year," Red said.

"We can always make another run to Cripple Creek if we have to," Josh added. "Besides a lot of the calves from the last two years will be big enough to drive next year." 

Danni and Sarah were on the drive to Colorado City this year after their experience at Cripple Creek. The price for cattle was at an all time high bringing $20 a head which gave them well over seven thousand dollars for that year's hard work. The Chico Basin Cattle Company wasn't a struggling ranch anymore.

"I don't understand why the price is so high," Danni said. "I'm not complainin, I just don't understand."

"Folks back east want beef and are willin to pay for it," Red answered. "There's not much beef comin out of places like Texas and Oklahoma because of the war. Hell, there's not many cattle comin out of Kansas and Nebraska either. So the meat packers in the North are willin to pay more for cattle."

Red paused for a bit and said, "It's a Got and Want deal."

"It's the law of supply and demand, dear," Sarah told him.

"Maybe so, but we got cattle and they want em; Got and Want, don't you know."

When they got back to the ranch, Josh started making plans to cut, dry, and store the feed that he'd grown on the flat plain near the new lake. This was their first crop of corn and the second cutting of the hay. 

"You're pretty smart for a Missouri farm boy," Red teased as he and Josh harvested the corn. The whole crew of the CBC including Sarah, Danni, and Maggie were helping. "This corn and the hay we cut earlier will help get more cattle through the winter."

"I guess I'm smart enough, but I've learned a lot from a feisty Texan I met up with," Josh replied.

The men of the CBC started to gear up for the cold weather. A wagon trail was built out to the lake; with the natural grass land there and the feed they had stored, it was a good place to winter the stock. Apparently Diablo agreed that Lady Guinevere was a good mate for him as she was going to have a foal. Queenie got into the act too, she mated with Spot; it would interesting to see the color of that foal, Red thought. There would be two new horses for the ranch come spring.

The big ranch house at the Lazy L had plenty of room and both young couples lived there. The converted bunkhouse was kept for guests like Daniel and Maggie when they visited. Josh and Red had offered it to Mr. Swede but he said he rather stay in the bunkhouse with the other hands. "It'd be too quiet for me," he said.

Josh and Red built an addition at the back of the house. It was basically a roofed room without walls; it would be used by Mr. Swede for cooking during the hotter summer months. The Chico Basin was a high plain but it still got plenty warm during June, July, and August.

The cold weather and snow storms were a little easier to take with Sarah and Danni both at home. No more time apart and trips back and forth to town, Josh thought. He had to chuckle because they had a mild winter. 

Red kidded that now he had to spend more time with Sarah, he didn't have an excuse to get away from her. Josh laughed at his friend and said, "I couldn't pry you two apart with a branding iron Red."

"Yeah, but don't let Sarah know it," he replied laughing.

Josh was able to spend time training the horse he'd bought when he got Lady and Spot. He called the horse Colorado because his coat was a reddish chestnut. The horse wasn't as big as Sunny but was sturdy and very gentle. 

Maggie was surprised and touched when Josh gave her Colorado at Christmas. "A fine steed for a fine lady," Josh told her. She kissed Josh on the cheek and hugged him. Maggie stayed down at the barn with the horse for so long that Daniel sent Jacob to get her.

In addition to the normal gifts and surprises at Christmas, Sarah told Red she had a special gift for him. He sat in the kitchen at the Maggie M and waited for her to give the present to him.

"I won't be able to hand your present to you for about seven months," Sarah told him.

"What kind of present will take you that long to come up with?" Red asked.

"In seven months or so I'll be able to hand you our first baby honey," she answered with a huge smile.

"What? I mean how......I mean when?" Red stuttered and stammered, not quite sure how to react. After a bit he jumped up and hugged Sarah. It was obvious he was happy about becoming a father.

********************

March came quietly to the high plains of Chico Basin. It was a very early spring and the days began to grow warmer. The CBC had lost very few cattle during the winter and prospects for another good drive in the fall looked promising. The spring calf crop in late April was very good. The CBC was growing and maybe there would be no need for another tough and dangerous trip to Cripple Creek. 

It was early June, Josh and Red were riding over the range checking on the new calves and the rest of the herd. They heard a shout and saw young Will Stinson, one of their hands riding toward them at a gallop. Josh and Red rode to meet him.

"Miss Danni and Miss Sarah need up you to the house," Will told them.

"What's wrong Will?" Red asked with a worried look. "Is something wrong with Sarah?"

"No sir. They said to tell you there's some people at the house that they need help with."

Josh saw a little smile playing around Will's face and wondered about it. Red had already started for the house at a gallop so he spurred Diablo and gave him his head. They had been about three miles out; it took Diablo less than two hundred yards to pass Red mounted on Jasper. Josh started to pull up but Red waved him on.

"Go on I'll get there as fast as I can," Red yelled.

"Let's go big guy," Josh said to Diablo. The big horse resumed his run toward the house. 

Red had to admire the speed of Diablo. Never seen a horse that big move so fast, he thought.

As fast as Diablo was it still took five minutes before Josh pulled up in front of his home. He jumped off Diablo before he came to a stop. Josh pulled his pistol and stepped onto the porch, noticing a strange surrey standing in front of the gate. If I scare anybody or insult them with the pistol I'll apologize later, he said to himself. But I'd rather have it ready if need be.

Josh went to the side door and entered the ranch house. He figured if someone was waiting on him they wouldn't expect him to come in that way. He could hear people talking in the front parlor and he quietly stepped toward the front of the house. Josh was almost to the entry of the parlor when he heard a man talking, apparently to Danni.




The Trail West Ch. 08



Damn, I know that voice he thought. No couldn't be. He stepped into the parlor with his pistol held down by his leg.

"I don't think you're gonna need that hog leg Josh," his father said, smiling at his son.

"Pa! Ma! And Samuel. I never expected ......"

Before he could continue his mother, Molly, came to him and wrapped her arms around him. His father, William, and Samuel joined them for a family hug. Danni had tears in her eyes as she saw her husband reunited with his family. For several minutes no one spoke; they just held each other. Josh motioned Danni to join them and they included her in the hug.

Red came charging into the room with his Henry, ready for any trouble. He slid to a stop, surprised at the people and Josh hugging. Sarah came to him; she had tears in her eyes too.

"It's his family honey. His Pa, Ma, and younger brother," she told him as she pushed down the rifle and put her arms around him.

Finally Josh was able to step away from his family and sit with Danni. "How'd you guys get here? I mean what about the farm? How long can you stay?"

William smiled at his son; just like the boy to worry about us and the farm he thought. "We got the spring plantin done and your uncles, Jake and Simon, are takin care of things until we get back. Figured we stay for a month or so, if that's okay with Danni." Then he turned to Red and Sarah, "And if it's okay with the McCall's."

"You're welcome as long as you want to stay," Danni said, happy that she'd finally got to meet the people that meant so much to her husband. It was nice to be able to put faces to the people she'd been writing to.

"It's a big house with lots of room," Sarah responded.

"It'll give me a chance to tell you what your boy has really been up, not just what he wrote in his letters," Red added as he grinned at Josh. He walked over and shook hands with William and said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mr. Kelly."

Taking Red's hand he said, "Name's William to friends and family and I consider you part of the family Red. A close part after all those letters between Molly and you."

Molly came to Red and hugged him. "It's nice to finally meet my other son."

Red blushed and returned the hug. Are those tears in his eyes, Josh asked himself. Can't blame him, my eyes are sorta blurry too.

Josh turned to his brother to hide from the emotions. "I can't get over how much you've grown Sam."

Samuel at 6 feet was almost as tall as Josh. He hasn't filled out yet and will probably grow another inch or two in the next year or so, Josh thought. He's the spittin image of Pa; hard to believe he's 16 already. Guess I'll have to stop thinkin of him as a boy; he's almost a man now. 

His "little" brother carried and handled himself more like a man than a 16 year old boy. After the first excitement of seeing Josh, he settled down. When someone asked him a question or talked directly to him, his response was thought out and calculated; he didn't ramble or talk more than was necessary with his answers.

Samuel, almost at first meeting, had developed a crush on Danni. It was obvious to Molly and Danni that he already thought the world of his new sister and of Sarah too. When he met Red he was fascinated by the young Texan and the pistol he wore low on his hip. 

"Did Texas John Slaughter really teach you to shoot, Mr. McCall?" Samuel asked. "That's what Josh wrote anyway."

Red had to chuckle at Samuel's boyish enthusiasm. "Yeah, he's my cousin and he thought I ought to be able to protect myself." Red whispered a question to William and getting a nod continued, "Tell you what Sam, before you go I'll teach you a few things; just like I did with Josh."

The boy nodded his head and Red added, "Just one thing. Your Pa says I'm part of the family so that makes you my little brother," he had to stop and laugh, shaking his head. Sam was almost 4 inches taller than him. "You don't call you brothers by their last names; my names Red. Okay?"

Sam nodded again and said, "Really? That'd be great. When can we start? Pa, I'll need a pistol to practice with and........" He realized he was acting like a young boy and stopped himself. "Thank you Red. I really appreciate your help," he finished in a more sedate manner.

"One more thing, I'll show you how to be more accurate with a pistol, be a little quicker makin your shots, and pickin your targets. But I'm not teachin you to be a gun hand or gun fighter. Agreed?"

"I understand Red and I'll remember what you said," Sam replied. William nodded silently at Red, happy that the young man had put some restriction on the lessons.

It was about an hour later that the Maguires, Daniel, Maggie, and Jacob rode up to the house. Jerry rode with them. Maggie rode Colorado, the horse Josh gave her for Christmas and Jacob rode Puma; another horse that Josh provided.

Josh and Danni introduced the Maguires to the Kellys. Everyone was excited and pleased to meet the people that had become a part of their extended family. Jerry hung back a little, not wanting to intruded on what was basically a family meeting. Josh took his arm and pulled him over to his parents.

"Pa, Ma, this is Jerry Barnes. He's our partner," Josh said pointing to Red. "Has been ever since we left Santa Fe."

"Jerry, this is my pa, William and my ma, Molly," he completed the introductions.

Molly stepped to Jerry, put her arms around him, and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for watching out for Josh; Red and Danni too. Josh wrote about how you covered them outside the store that day and how you protected Danni on the trail."

Jerry blushed and put his head on Molly's shoulder. When he stood back he had tears in his eyes as did Molly. William came over and offered his hand.

"This country must be pretty fertile; I just got here and I already got two new sons. You're part of the family too, Jerry," William said while shaking hands. 

That night at supper Josh was glad that Tom Larson thought he was something special. Larson had bought a big dining room table that could seat twelve people. We just about fill it up Josh thought, looking at the eleven people sitting there. The evening was a happy time with everyone talking at once and having a good time.

After a lot of talking it was decided that Daniel, Maggie, Jacob, and Jerry would stay for a few days at the Lazy L. Daniel and Maggie were given one of the four bedrooms in the big house; William and Molly took the other one. The arrangements filled the house so Jerry, Samuel, and Jacob bedded down in the converted bunkhouse. 

That night in their bedroom Josh asked Danni, "Did you know about them comin?"

Danni smiled and giggled. "Yes, your folks and I have been planning this ever since we got married." Josh shook his head and chuckled pulling Danni to him.

The next morning Josh asked Charley and two of the hands to go over to the Maggie M and take care of the place for a while. "Don't know how long it will be Charley so I'll send Mr. Swede with you to do the cookin."

"You sure he's gonna want to go Josh?" Charley asked. "You know how he is about his kitchen."

"Yeah, but Danni sweet talked him into goin. Mr. Swede said there were too many women around anyway," Josh answered with a laugh.

Red asked the other hand James to take the surrey back to town but Jerry, Sam, and Jacob offered to do it. Sam was happy to go because he got to spend some time with people closer to his age and he got to ride Jerry's horse Morgan.

William, with Josh and Red guiding, took a tour of the Chico Basin Cattle Company over the next few days. On their rides Josh went into more detail about his trip from home to Fort Smith and to meeting up with Red east of Oklahoma City. When he got to that part, Red helped with the story of their adventures with the wagon train.

The young men told William about the raids on the train and meeting and bringing an end to John Fogerty and his band of cutthroats. 

"Don't like to speak unkindly of the dead but that's one that the country can do without. No loss there," William said. It was quiet for a minute and he continued, "Josh wrote about a few of your run ins Red. Heck, Danni ever wrote about them. I've got to ask, are you a gun fighter?"

Red looked William in the eyes and started to respond, but before he could Josh spoke up. "Pa, I don't know what you heard but if it was anything bad about Red it was wrong."

"I was askin Red son," William replied.

"Yes sir, I know. But Red is my partner, no more than that, he's my friend. I guess you could say we're as close as brothers and I don't intend for anyone to talk bad about him. Not even you Pa," Josh replied.

"I didn't mean to bad mouth you Red. I was just askin a question."

"To answer your question Mr. Kelly....," Red began but at the look on Williams face he said, "I mean William. No, I'm not a gun fighter. But I won't stand by when someone threatens my family, my friends, or me. I don't look for trouble but I can damn sure handle it if it comes to me." The last statement was said with a defiant look in Red's eyes.

William looked at Red for a minute or so and thought, this young Texan can be a hard man when need be. But I think you couldn't have a better one at your side if trouble comes. 

These rides and talks took place over several days. Daniel returned to the Maggie M after two days but Maggie stayed on. He would come back to the Lazy L for two or three days and then go check on his part of the spread. The four women spent the days much like their men. Talking about how Josh and Red got to where they are and plans for the future. Sarah said she hoped the child she was carrying was the first of many. Danni said that she and Josh wanted a passel of kids too.

During this time the younger men Jerry, Jacob, and Sam formed a close bond. Josh and Red were the guides for William and Jerry took over that task with Jacob and Sam. The "boys" would ride out early of a morning and often make it back to the ranch house just in time for supper. Red kept his promise to Sam and taught him how to handle a pistol. The youngster became skillful but always remembered that the gun was for protection and not for showing off.

The night that the extended clan dreaded came; the last night before the Kellys would start home. Josh, Jerry, and Jacob would ride into Colorado City with William, Molly, and Sam. Sarah was getting on in her pregnancy and she and Red stayed at the ranch. Now that the war was over and it was relatively safe to travel by rail, the Kelly's would board a train to begin the long journey back to Missouri; the trip home would take more than a week.

That night at supper the conversation was a little more serious. "You know the war's over don't you Josh?" Molly asked. "It was over in early April, before we started out here.

"Yes em. We heard about it in Fountain at the telegraph office. Heard that someone shot and killed President Lincoln too. Gonna make puttin the country back together a lot harder."

"Now that it's over, do you think you'll ever come home?" Molly asked hopefully.

Josh looked at his mother and then at Danni, Red and Sarah. "Ma, I am home," he answered with a lot of emotion. I miss y'all but I've got a life here now."

Molly nodded as tears welled up in her eyes. "I know and it's a good beginning. But I had to ask and hope."

At daybreak, William and Josh took one last ride together. They rode to the rise that overlooked the valley where Black Squirrel Creek ran. It was the same place that Josh had proposed to Danni.

"Nice place," William said. Josh nodded and explained the importance of that little hill to him and Danni.

"You've come a far piece Josh. Can't think of you as my little boy anymore, you've grown into a man. I'm proud of you son."

Josh nodded but didn't answer; he and his father had always managed to embarrass themselves with their love for each other.

"I guess you've rode your last trail. You've come to the end here in Chico Basin," William said.

"No sir, I've got one more trail to follow."

"Where to?" William asked puzzled.

"I've got to follow the trail to being a father. Danni told me this morning that she, I mean we, are gonna have a baby," Josh replied. He looked at his father, sharing the moment with him.

William couldn't talk for a few seconds. He cleared his throat and said, "It's a good trail to follow Josh. I hope you'll be as lucky as I've been son." He paused and then said, "You know what your Grandpa always said when there was a new baby born?"

"Yes sir, I do. He always said "Life goes on."

THE BEGINNING OF A NEW TRAIL