The Goodnight Trail
"I ain't doin' this."
"Jeez, Jed, don't be such a baby; it's not like it's the first store we've hit. Heck, remember that bank with Joe? Now, we'll come tonight; that lockbox looks like one I can pick – if we have to, we'll take the whole thing, and you can shoot the lock off once we're clear."
"Quit callin' me a baby! Look, they got little kids; I ain't doin' it!"
"Fine! So just how do you suggest we eat?" Heyes whispered back sarcastically. "Or were you thinking we should starve instead?"
"We just need a stake for a poker game."
"Well, we don't have a stake."
"I know," sighed Jed. He looked around the small, dusty store, where the two were huddled in the back corner arguing quietly. "I just, I just… Look, they don't seem that much different than us."
"Sure they do; they ain't hungry, and they got a home."
"But if we take all the money from the store, then they'll be hungry too; and they have kids."
Heyes glanced at the storekeeper in his much-patched shirt. His eyes followed the storekeeper's wife as she headed out the door with two barefoot urchins clinging to her faded skirts and a baby in her arms. His shoulders drooped. "I know. Let me think a bit."
Another customer, not many years older than Heyes, watched them leave, his eyes narrowed and a thoughtful expression on his face. Finally, he nodded to himself, pocketed several cigars, and walked out after them.
~~~OOO~~~
The cowboy looked at the two teenagers standing in front of him, eyebrows raised and a half smile on his face. "So let me get this straight, you're betting me five dollars that this kid can outshoot me?"
"That's right, Mister. We heard you talking. You're so sure you can outdraw anyone, why don't we give it a try – just give us a sporting chance." Heyes spoke as persuasively as he could, while Jed tried to look as young and innocent as he knew how.
The crowd around the three murmured to each other and parted to let the sheriff through. "What's going on here?"
The cowboy looked at him. "Hank, these two want to bet me five dollars that that young'un there can outdraw and outshoot me."
The sheriff looked back and forth. "Boys, do you know who you're betting against? That's Tex Hollister – he's the best shooter in the area, wins all the ranch competitions around. You sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright, but I'll hold the money for both of you so there's no dispute at the end. I don't want trouble in my town."
Heyes and Jed gulped and looked at each other.
The sheriff's eyes narrowed. "You two weren't betting without the money to back it up, were you?"
"Uh"
"Well…"
"It's alright, Sheriff; I'll cover their side of the wager for them."
The sheriff gazed at the well-dressed man who had spoken. "Mr. Goodnight, are you sure you want to do that for these tramps?"
Goodnight looked them up and down. "You really think you can take Tex here?" he asked Jed, smiling.
"I think so."
"Alright, I'm sure." Goodnight smiled at Tex. "I know you'll take good care of my money, Tex, and not drink it all up."
"Yes sir, Mr. Goodnight, sir." Tex nodded back.
Heyes spoke up, "Mr. Goodnight, sir, that's real nice of you, but I want to make sure I understand the terms here. What happens to the money if we win, do you get it, or do we?"
The crowd gasped at his temerity.
Goodnight laughed. "If your friend there wins, then Tex will pay him the five dollars. I'm just interested in the entertainment value of this competition."
Tex broke in. "Let's get this contest over with then – I ain't got all day."
The crowd followed them to an empty lot. Tex and Goodnight each handed five dollars to the sheriff to hold. The sheriff set up twelve cans in two groups on the fence on the far side of the lot. He turned and looked at the contestants. "You two ready?"
Tex nodded impatiently.
Jed settled himself, a look of concentration on his face, and then nodded.
"Okay. On my mark. GO!"
Jed had drilled holes through the center of all six of his cans and returned his gun to his holster before Tex had managed more than five shots, one of which missed. The crowd gasped. Heyes's smile lit his face. He ran over and clapped Jed on the shoulder.
Tex stared at him. "I don't believe it. You're just a kid."
Jed smiled broadly as he took the five dollars the sheriff handed him. He turned to Goodnight. "Gee, thanks, Mr. Goodnight. You sure you don't want any of the winnin's?"
"No, son, I'm fine. I would like to know your names, though, since you know mine."
"I'm Jed, Jed Curry, and my friend here is Heyes."
There was a murmur from the crowd. The sheriff's eyes narrowed again.
"Curry, huh?" he muttered, folding his arms and looking closely at Jed. "You the one they're calling Kid Curry; the one that drew on Bart McCracken over in Crockettville a month or so back?"
Bart McCracken had been despised throughout Palo Pinto County. He was big, and tough, and mean – mean as an angry rattlesnake. Unlike a rattlesnake, though, McCracken didn't give a warning before he struck. His death at the hands of a baby-faced, blue-eyed, blond gunslinger the papers named Kid Curry had been a seven-day wonder. The crowd waited anxiously to hear if this youth was that desperado.
"No, sir."
The crowd relaxed.
"He drew on me; I'm just faster'n he was. The sheriff there agreed I was within my rights."
The crowd gasped.
Heyes spoke up. "McCracken went after me for beating him at poker. Jed was just coming to help me when McCracken drew."
The sheriff frowned at them. Heyes and Jed looked at each other resignedly; this wouldn't be the first town they'd been asked to leave.
Tex spoke up. "Sounds about right to me, Sheriff. Everyone knows McCracken was a terrible poker player." He looked at the two boys. "Just no one else was dumb enough to beat him before. He's got a mean temper. Or, I guess, I should say he had one."
The Kid flushed and looked down. Heyes frowned.
"Leave them alone, Hank," Goodnight instructed. "They've done nothing wrong or the sheriff in Crockettville wouldn't have let them go."
The sheriff shrugged, nodded, and walked away.
Goodnight turned to Heyes and Jed. "Well, I'm mighty impressed with what I saw here. Let me buy you a meal at that café over there, and we can talk."
Heyes and Jed communed silently, except for the rumbling of their stomachs, and then nodded their acceptance.
"Glad that's settled." Goodnight turned to Tex. "Tex, I appreciate you being such a sport about this. Let me buy you a drink." He held out a bill to Tex, who looked at it, then grinned.
"Sure thing, Mr. Goodnight."
~~~OOO~~~
Goodnight sipped his coffee while he watched the two boys devour the daily special. After they had mopped up the last of the gravy with the corn bread and the waitress had cleared the dishes, he spoke, "Want some pie, boys, and more coffee?"
Heyes and Jed looked at each other, then Heyes spoke, "Mr. Goodnight, you've been real nice to us and we appreciate it, but what is this going to cost us?"
"Does it have to cost anything? Maybe I just don't like seeing two boys go hungry."
"In our experience it always costs. Now what do you want?"
Goodnight smiled. He motioned to the waitress and ordered pie and more coffee.
"Well, Mr. Heyes, are you as good a shot as young Mr. Curry here?"
"I'm not as fast as Jed, but I can usually hit what I aim at. Why?"
"I have a proposition for you."
Jed frowned. "Look, Mr. Goodnight, I don't know what you've heard or what you're thinkin', but we ain't hired guns. I killed Bart McCracken, didn't have much choice. But I ain't a gun for hire, neither is Heyes."
"Well, that's good. Now, boys, do you have any experience with cattle?"
"We worked some ranches and went up the Chisholm last year," Heyes answered warily. "Look, Mr. Goodnight, we know who you are. Everyone in this part of Texas knows who you are, but I'm not sure we're ready to be trail hands again."
"If you have a better offer, I suggest you take it, boys."
The waitress brought over the pieces of pie and refilled their coffee cups. Heyes and Jed looked at each other, then at the pie, then sighed and picked up their forks.
"What do you have in mind, Mr. Goodnight?" Jed asked.
Goodnight smiled. "It's not droving, not yet at least. You know about the fever cattle down south, don't you?"
They nodded.
"Well, we hear there're men driving some of them up this way. My fellow ranchers and I don't plan to let them come across our land. So we need ranch hands who can manage rifles to help persuade them to find a different route. Are you two up to that? It pays five dollars a week, and I'll supply rifles and everything you need."
Heyes and Jed communed some more.
Jed put down his fork. "Look, I told you; we're not hired guns. I see no reason to kill anyone over some beeves."
"Good. I'd rather avoid any bloodshed, if possible, but those cattle cannot come across our lands and infect our herds. If you have to, I want every last one of them killed. Now are you in or out?"
After some moments of silence, Heyes held out his hand. "You have yourself a deal, Mr. Goodnight, but I should tell you we don't have much experience with rifles."
"Glad to hear that. Frankly, you two are claiming a lot of experience for boys as young as you two appear to be, so admitting to not having much experience with rifles inclines me more towards believing your prior claims."
Heyes and Jed absorbed this. Finally, Heyes replied. "We been on our own for a while now, Mr. Goodnight. If you don't believe us, don't hire us."
"I'm sure you'll do fine, Mr. Heyes. I'll have Luke, one of my hands, meet you tomorrow afternoon at the Schubert's livery stable. He'll drive you to the ranch."
"Alright. By the way, I'm called Heyes, just Heyes, and he's either Jed or the Kid."
They shook hands.
Goodnight stood up, paid the tab, and walked out.
Heyes and Jed smiled broadly before getting up and heading to the saloon to find a game and celebrate the change in their fortunes.
~~~OOO~~~
Luke sat and waited for the two boys Mr. Goodnight had told him about and that he'd heard more about around town. He shook his head as he watched two trail-worn, young saddle tramps straggle in. "You two Heyes and Curry?"
They hurried up, struggling to hold the saddles and gear they carried along with their bags and bed rolls.
"That's us," Heyes acknowledged. He looked Luke over. "I take it you're Luke? Nice to meet you, I'm Heyes." He put down the saddle and held out his hand.
Luke looked them up and down, leaned over, spit his chaw out on the ground, then reached down to shake Heyes' hand. "You have saddles; Mr. Goodnight said you wouldn't."
Jed bristled slightly. "Hands are supposed to provide their own gear. We ain't greenhorns."
Luke looked them over again. "Yeah, I guess you're not. Well, get your things loaded in the wagon; they're waiting on this load out at Palo Duro - the ranch," he clarified, seeing their looks.
Heyes and Jed walked around and dumped their gear in the back. "Sure was good we won so much at poker last night, Heyes," Jed murmured as they tossed their saddles in the wagon.
"Yeah, glad we could buy some used saddles and stuff - leastwise we won't owe Mr. Goodnight for all that. Get to keep more of our pay that way." Heyes grinned at Jed's bloodshot eyes. "Probably shoulda gotten some sleep, though."
Jed grinned back. "Oh, I don't know. Flossy's was a lot more entertainin' than any old hotel room woulda been."
Heyes laughed and clapped him on the shoulder as they walked around to the front of the wagon and climbed up next to Luke.
~~~OOO~~~
They'd been riding for an hour, having exchanged the most basic of pleasantries. Jed was dozing, leaning against Heyes.
"So, Luke, how long have you worked for Mr. Goodnight?" Heyes asked.
"Long enough."
"What's he like as a boss?" Heyes persevered.
"Good enough."
Heyes sighed, while Jed chuckled without opening his eyes.
They rode in silence for another hour or so; this time Heyes dozed.
Luke looked over at them. "You really beat Tex yesterday?" he asked Jed.
"I guess," Jed replied.
"Must be pretty fast."
"Fast enough."
"I hear you're this Kid Curry that killed Bart McCracken."
"You got a problem with that?"
"No."
"Oh."
This time, Heyes chuckled as Jed sighed.
"Look, Luke, could you tell us a little of what to expect out here?" Heyes wheedled. "How big a spread is Palo Duro, how many cattle, men? Are you the foreman there?"
Luke turned and looked at Heyes. "Mighty talkative, ain't ya?"
"You don't know the half of it, Luke," Jed answered. "But really we'd like some idea of what we've gotten ourselves into. Does Tex work for Mr. Goodnight? He seemed like a good man."
Luke grunted and again spit over the side of the wagon. "Tex used to work for Mr. Loving. He got married last year; now he leases a small holding from Mr. Goodnight and runs a few hundred head of his own. He does some work around the ranch to earn his keep."
Jed and Heyes looked at each other and raised their eyebrows at Luke's burst of loquaciousness. Heyes nodded at Jed to keep asking questions.
"How many head does the Palo Duro run?"
"Mr. Goodnight's got about fifteen, twenty thousand at any one time here and another spread in Parker County. He also handles the Loving ranch cattle, that's another ten thousand or so."
Heyes looked at him curiously, "Isn't Mr. Loving…"
"Dead? Yeah. Comanches got him, but Mr. Goodnight still runs his cattle like part of his own and gives half of what he makes to Loving's widow." He turned and looked at them. "Mr. Goodnight's a good man; he treats folk fair."
Luke sat in silence for a few minutes as the horses plodded on before resuming. "Next run up to Cheyenne's gonna be about thirty-five hundred head, maybe some more to Fort Sumner." He paused and frowned, "That is if we don't get turned back." He spit again. "Those fever cattle have everyone spooked; lots of places won't let any Texas cattle through. Ours are clean, though. Mr. Goodnight runs a tight operation. He's careful with his money, but spends it when necessary."
He pulled the horses to a halt and turned to look at them. "Look, you two are guns from what I hear, even if you don't look old enough. You got hired to help stop the southern herds from coming through. You gotta stop them. You don't, and every ranch around here is done for." He glowered at them
They looked at him and nodded their acceptance of his statement. "We are here to help Mr. Goodnight stop them, but we don't aim to kill anyone," Heyes affirmed.
"Just as long as you stop 'em, I don't much care how you do it." Luke lifted the reins and they resumed the journey to the ranch.
~~~OOO~~~~
Working in tandem, Heyes and Jed tossed their lassos; Heyes dropped his loop over the frightened calf's head, while Jed roped the hind leg. As Heyes backed his horse, keeping the tension on the rope, Jed hopped off his and quickly wrestled the calf to the ground, tying its legs together.
Luke nodded his appreciation of their quick, work then bent to the task of branding the half-grown calf. When done, Jed quickly untied the animal and pulled off the ropes. The calf staggered to its feet, shook its head, and trotted away.
All around them other teams were doing the same thing. The Goodnight ranch hands had spent the past few weeks cutting out the calves born last summer and herding them in to be branded. With the extra hands that Mr. Goodnight had hired, work was moving quickly despite the apparent pandemonium in the yard.
As they re-coiled their lariats, Heyes rode over to Jed and nodded towards the fence.
Goodnight and Tex Hollister had ridden up and were watching the activity. Joss Wheeler, the ranch foreman, joined them.
"Looks like things are under control here," Goodnight commented to Joss.
"Yup, we should be ready in about three weeks to head up the trail. Buck Wilder's due here next Tuesday to get the drive ready," Joss responded. "If, that is, anyone'll take the beeves. What's the latest on the southerns, Tex?"
"They're about seven days out."
Goodnight sighed. "The last recruits arrived this morning. Time to choose your men, Tex. I'm counting on you to lead our team in to stop them."
"Yessir."
Tex rode a few yards away from Goodnight and Joss; he caught Luke's eye and motioned him over. "Luke, how they doing?" he asked.
"Well, it's a mixed group. Some have some experience on ranches and some don't, but they're all trying."
"What about those two?" Tex asked, nodding towards Heyes and Jed. "Looks like they've had some trouble. That going to be a problem?"
Luke laughed. "No. They were fighting each other this morning outside the bunkhouse, a real roll-in-the-mud match, fists flying every which way. Don't know what it was about, but they're working together fine now."
Tex nodded and returned to the matter at hand. He drew a deep breath, and in the voice he'd developed over the years, loud enough to be heard over a stampede, he yelled, "Okay, men, over to me. Quickly now!"
About forty men came from various points in the field and the bunkhouse and surrounded Tex.
"For those who don't know me, I'm Tex Hollister. You men know what we're facing. Word has it that Caulfield's herd of fever cattle will be here in just over a week and that another's right behind them. But we don't plan to let them get this far. The Ranchers Association has decided to meet the herd at the ford twenty miles south of here and stop them there. We know the sickness spreads a good ten miles either side of the trail, so we won't let them near here."
The men murmured among themselves.
"Now some of you men are new, brought in for this, but Mr. Goodnight wants to be fair. The ranch is busy. We've got to stop the fever cattle and still keep the ranch running, and we've got our own herd to take north in just a few weeks.
"Mr. Goodnight's agreed to supply about fifteen men to the border, and I've agreed to lead them. I plan to select the best men among you, so I'm gonna test you some. Luke, you and the regular hands can join us if you want, but Mr. Goodnight needs enough hands here to run the ranch – so it's up to you. Those of you hired for this duty or hoping for a trail job, ride with me, I need to see how you shoot."
He turned and rode along the fence away from the cattle. Joss watched for a moment, then headed into the field. "The rest of you, get back to work branding these beeves," he shouted.
Heyes and Jed looked at each other then joined the men following Tex.
~~~OOO~~~
Tex led the men to another part of the range, where a series of targets had been set up in a winding pattern. There were others set on a fence in a row.
"Okay, men, I need to see how you are with a rifle – both still and moving."
Over the next two hours, he handed out rifles to pairs of men, watching them break them down and load them, then checking their aim on the still targets. He sent two men back to the branding. Finally, he held up his hand – "Now, men, we're likely to be on horseback when this happens, so I want to see how you shoot while riding."
Heyes and Jed had acquitted themselves well, if not spectacularly, on the still targets, improving with each turn. Now, they looked at each other.
"Shootin' a rifle while ridin' don't sound that simple," Jed muttered.
"No, it don't," Heyes agreed. "I bet there's a special way to do it. Let's watch and figure it out."
Tex mounted his horse, pulled a rifle from the saddle holster, loaded it, then urged his horse into a canter, running the pattern and hitting each target before returning to the other men. The men whistled and hooted in admiration.
"Okay, now each of you will try that – at a walk at first. The mounts we have here are all trained not to spook when you shoot. Who's first?"
One young man, a couple of years older than Heyes and much better dressed, stepped forward. "I'll try it."
"You are?"
"Rafe, Rafe Jenkins."
"Okay, Rafe, two times around. Let's see what you can do."
Rafe leapt onto the horse, loaded the rifle, and then trotted the course, managing to hit all but one of the targets. He went through again, a little faster, and managed to at least clip all the targets. He returned to the beginning and jumped down. "Piece of cake." He smirked and sauntered over to the group.
One after another the men tried the pattern, most walking the horses, with varying degrees of success – few succeeded in hitting all targets, even when walking. Heyes and Jed watched them intently, Heyes sometimes muttering insights on technique into Jed's ear. Finally, only they were left to try the pattern.
Heyes jumped on his horse, checked the rifle, and trotted off. First time through, he missed two targets but managed to hit the rest. The second time through, this time at a faster trot, he corrected his aim, and hit all, striking well inside the outer edge of most. As he jumped down on his return, Tex walked over to him. "Impressive work." Heyes smiled then swaggered over to the group of men who were applauding his efforts.
Tex turned to Jed. "I'm looking forward to seeing how you do."
Jed looked at him. "We'll see, I guess." Jed mounted the horse and walked the course, managing to hit each target, but several he just clipped. Sounds of disappointment rose from the spectators who had heard the story of his contest with Tex. Before doing his second round, he stopped beside Tex. "Mind if I do it twice more? I want to try it with my six-shooter."
"Sure, go ahead."
Jed slid the rifle into its holster on the saddle, pulled out his Colt, checked it, and gave the horse its lead. He galloped through the course, drilling each target dead center.
The men watched in astonishment. There was a moment of silence when he was done, then "Hoowee! We got us Kid Curry! Now that's something like," rang out from the crowd before they broke into cheers.
The Kid holstered his gun, grinned, and pulled the rifle back out. He loaded it and took off at a canter. This time he hit all six targets close to the center. He rode back to the beginning and dismounted.
Tex clapped him on the shoulder. "Sure is entertaining to watch you. Look forward to working with you, Kid Curry."
The Kid smiled. The other men rushed up to him, clapping him on the back and talking among themselves about the display they'd just seen.
Heyes stood back watching. Rafe wandered up to Heyes. "I hear you two ride together."
"Yeah, always have."
"Must be tough, competing with that."
Heyes looked at Rafe. "Don't know what you mean." Heyes moved away and walked towards Jed, who looked at him and grinned.
~~~OOO~~~
Goodnight, Tex, and their band of fifteen pulled up to watch the other ranchers and their men approach. Altogether there were five ranchers and nearly sixty men. The men sat silently on their mounts, or on the two supply wagons, as the ranchers met.
"You men know Tex, here," Goodnight started.
The others nodded to Tex, who looked a little ill at ease.
"I'm counting on him to lead the effort. He wears two hats – rancher and hand – so he's best suited for this."
"Seems reasonable, Charles." Jeremiah Anderson agreed.
The others murmured their assent.
"All right, Tex," Goodnight turned to him, "it's all yours. Anderson and I'll stay till the front line comes, to see if we can reason with Caulfield, but if we can't it's up to you and these men to stop him."
Tex nodded and the group moved forward to a point less than one mile north of the ford where the cattle would be crossing. The next crossing being thirty miles to the east, Caulfield was unlikely to turn aside. Here they knew they could await Caulfield's arrival.
Heyes rode along with Jed and Rafe on either side of him. He looked around when they stopped and muttered to himself.
"What's the matter, Heyes?" Jed asked.
"Well, if I were doing it, I'd put us up on those bluffs up ahead there – closer. That way we have a height advantage, and they still won't have most of the cattle across the ford before we confront them."
"What are you, a general or something?" Rafe laughed. "Sounds like you're commanding troops."
Jed grinned. "Heyes always won the battles when we'd play with toy soldiers as boys. He's real good at plannin'."
Tex rode up. "What's going on?"
Rafe spoke up. "Oh, Heyes here was just questioning the positions."
Tex raised his eyebrows and looked at Heyes, who reddened but met his gaze. "You have a problem?" Tex queried.
"No. I was just thinking that if we were in those bluffs, it might be easier to stop the ones that do come across the river and to stop most from crossing at all."
Tex looked at where Heyes was pointing and pondered for a moment. "You're right. Good thinking."
He rode off, and soon orders were issued to pull up to the bluffs.
~~~OOO~~~
A sound rose from the men as they looked towards the river and saw dust rising. The herd of fever cattle had arrived. Tex, Goodnight, Anderson, and the men representing the other ranches conferred.
Tex rode back to the assembled men. "Okay, here they come. Mr. Goodnight and Mr. Anderson are going to try to talk to them, but be prepared to stop them. Don't shoot the men unless absolutely necessary; they're just doing their jobs. Shoot the cattle if you must, but I don't want any bloodshed if we can avoid it."
~~~OOO~~~
Caulfield, Hans Baker - his trail boss - and the cook with the chuck wagon slowly approached the ford. They spied Goodnight, Anderson, Tex, and the other leaders waiting on the other side. Tex and the leaders were prominently displaying the rifles they bore.
Caulfield and Baker looked at each other. They had known this was coming, but had hoped that it was just talk. Caulfield signaled for the cook to pull up his wagon. Caulfield and Baker walked their horses across the ford.
"Goodnight, Anderson." Caulfield nodded to them as he reached the bank where they waited. "This isn't your land."
"No, but it's as close as you're getting," Goodnight replied.
"Don't want any trouble, but I have to get my beeves to market."
"You'll have to use some other route. We've told you, unless you winter your cattle north of the thirty-sixth parallel first, you aren't moving them through or near our lands."
Caulfield reddened and shouted, "And you know doing that would bankrupt me!"
"Letting your cattle kill ours would bankrupt us!" Goodnight bellowed back. "So turn around, they will not pass here. We don't want any bloodshed, but we won't let you through. We'll do what we have to."
Caulfield glowered but turned his horse back towards the ford. "They're coming and you won't stop us," he yelled as he rode back.
~~~OOO~~~
The sun was setting as they saw the smudge on the horizon that indicated the front line of cattle arriving. The cook setting up his chuck wagon on the far side of the river told Tex and the waiting men that the herd would make camp there for the night and attempt a crossing in the morning. Goodnight and Anderson had left an hour earlier.
As the front line of Caulfield's cattle and his point riders came into sight, Tex moved his men to the top of the bluffs, where their armed silhouettes were visible to the oncoming herd.
Baker and a couple of his men approached the ford. Tex let loose a volley of fire into the air. Baker and his men backed off.
~~~OOO~~~
Dark settled on the two camps.
Jed sat next to Heyes, cleaning his gun. Rafe was sitting with them, whistling quietly to himself. "What do you think is goin' to happen, Heyes?" Jed asked worriedly.
Heyes sighed and looked off in the night, towards the river. "Nothing I hope. Just stick by me, Jed, and I'll keep an eye on you."
Tex walked up to them, leading his horse. "I want to talk to you two," he said quietly.
They nodded and stood, moving a little way away from the others by the fire.
"Kid, you're the best shot I have. Come first light, I want you near the river bank with me. The first steer they move into the river – kill it. I'll be shooting, too, but I want to make sure we don't hit any men, so it's just going to be the two of us."
The Kid nodded and glanced at Heyes.
"Heyes, I need you to work the left flank with the men from Palo Duro and the Lazy J – they should listen to you. Things will be happening quickly and you can figure out the best plan, since we won't have time to coordinate. Take Rafe with you; he's one of the better shots too."
He gestured to the man with him. "Harrigan here, from the Carlisle ranch, will take the right flank and the center will follow me." He looked at all of them. "Don't shoot unless you have to. I'm hoping that when they see how many men we have here they'll turn back. If they don't, go for the cattle, not the men." He paused, "But we stop them here even if we have to shoot the men."
They nodded somberly to him.
He sighed and rode off, setting a watch for the night. The lowing of the cattle carried across the river.
~~~OOO~~~
Before dawn, the sounds across the way alerted the watchers. As the sun rose, they could see drovers riding into the water, preparing to cross the ford.
Tex nodded to the Kid and they rode forward.
"Baker" Tex called. Baker looked up from where he had been conferring with his men. "We told you, don't cross that river." Baker waved him off.
Tex rode forward a ways and pulled out his rifle.
The drovers in the river looked at the armed man on the far bank and at the lone rider a short ways behind him, also ostentatiously displaying a rifle, glanced at each other, and went back to preparing to move their charges across the ford.
As the first few moved to the river's edge, Tex rode back to the Kid and signaled for the others to come to the top of the bluffs where they could be seen.
The lead cattle moved into the river.
Tex looked at the Kid and pointed. The two of them raised their rifles and the first steer went down.
Two cowboys on the southern bank wheeled around and shot over their heads. Tex and the Kid retreated, then turned and shot the next two steers to enter the river. The remaining cattle bellowed and backed away from the water.
Baker yelled orders and his men retreated.
~~~OOO~~~
For the next day and a half an uneasy peace reigned at the ford. Caulfield's men calmed the herd and removed the carcasses of the downed cattle from the water. Neither side changed position.
With the Kid occupied with Tex, Heyes and Rafe spent much of their time together, as Heyes developed plans for "his" men. The cowboys constituting his flank snorted quietly to themselves at the cocky young man as he strutted among them, but recognized that Heyes had a good strategy and followed his lead.
Whenever he could, the Kid would watch Heyes. Heyes too was trying to keep an eye on the Kid, even as he relished his role, growing in confidence with each passing moment.
"You're going to get eye-strain trying to watch the Kid like that," Rafe commented.
Heyes smiled. "Just habit, I guess. I been watching out for Jed for so long it just seems natural."
He and Rafe were playing blackjack to pass the time. They were about evenly matched.
"So you going up the trail after this is over?" Rafe asked.
"Why would we want to go to Cheyenne? I'm none too fond of droving."
Rafe smiled. "Yeah, me neither, but it'll pay my way up and give me some money when I get there."
"So, why Cheyenne?"
Rafe looked around. "I got kin up there; have a sweet deal; won't need to do any more droving ever again. Maybe I just may let you in on it, once I get to know you better."
Heyes shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'd have to see what the Kid thinks about it. He can be real stubborn sometimes."
~~~OOO~~~
"Heyes, that brother of yours sure can shoot," said a cowboy as he helped himself to some coffee.
"He's not my brother," Heyes corrected absently. "But, yeah, I guess he is pretty good at that."
"I ain't never seen the like of it. Bet he helps you a lot that way."
"Not really." Heyes shrugged. "I spend more time keeping him out of trouble."
The cowboy finished his coffee and moved off.
~~~OOO~~~
"Looks like somethin's gonna happen soon," the Kid announced as he came up to Heyes and Rafe.
"Why do you think that?" Rafe asked.
"Because more men rode up across the way, and a whole bunch of them are looking over here. What do you think it means, Heyes?"
Heyes glanced towards the river. "Means trouble is about to start. Stay in sight, Kid. I need to keep an eye on you. Now I gotta go warn my men to get ready, so just stay here."
"I can keep an eye on myself, Heyes! I gotta ride with Tex."
Heyes frowned. "No! You need to stay by me. Look, Kid, you may be handy with that gun, but I know you're gonna do something…" He broke off and sipped his coffee.
"Do somethin' what, Heyes? Stupid? I ain't stupid! And I ain't a kid." He stomped off.
Heyes sighed. "Jed…" he said quietly to the Kid's retreating back.
"I'm sure he can take care of himself," Rafe commented, shrugging it off. "You need to focus here. Tex'll watch the Kid; he thinks mighty highly of him. He's not your responsibility."
Heyes sighed again. "I guess."
~~~OOO~~~
The men waited tensely, but nothing happened. They got little sleep that night and from sounds wafting across the river, it appeared Caulfield's men didn't sleep either.
As the stars faded and the black night turned pre-dawn grey, the relative quiet was rent with shots and shouts.
"Hee up!"
"Git!"
"Git!"
Tex and his men sprang up and stared towards the river.
"What in tarnation?!"
"Stampede! They're stampeding them across the ford!"
The cattle raced to the river, a dark mindless mass surging across, chased by some of Caulfield's men shouting and shooting in the air, while others battled to keep the stragglers going forward.
Tex turned to the Kid. "We have to turn them back! Come on!"
Tex, the Kid, and ten others leapt on their horses and raced towards the cattle, shooting in the air and shouting, trying to turn the leaders. The remaining men on the right and left flanks headed down at an angle, determined to prevent the cattle from turning along the river banks.
The leading steers stumbled and fell, their followers piling up on them. Caulfield's extra men disengaged from driving the cattle and set up points.
SLAM! One of Tex's men went down as his horse was shot.
"Kid! Men! Try to take down their horses! Stop 'em!" Tex yelled. The Kid lay down a line of fire with his Colt as quickly as he could. The men behind followed their lead, some with rifles and some with handguns. The flanks kept shooting and shouting at the herd, trying to turn it.
Pandemonium reigned as cattle, horses, men, and bullets collided.
~~~OOO~~~
"Got the last one, Heyes; I'm sure no more cattle got through on our side."
"Thanks."
Heyes looked wearily at the carnage before him. Carcasses were strewn alongside and in the river, turning the water red, mirrored by the sun which bled into the sky as it sank to the horizon. The lowing and bellowing of injured cattle rang out. There must be more than a hundred beeves down, he thought. A number of horses lay among the cattle too, he saw. He swallowed hard, trying to settle his stomach.
Tex, sporting a bandage around his head, rode up. "Well, Heyes? What's the result over here?"
"Nothing got through, Tex."
"Good. Harrigan's men are still chasing some strays, but I think we stopped them." He paused a moment. "You have a real talent for organizing, Heyes. I wasn't expecting a stampede, but I can tell you were."
Heyes glowed. "Caulfield, where's he?"
"He took a bullet to the shoulder. Some of his men are dead. I heard him damning us all to hell, but he's pulled back. What's left of his herd is moving away. It's someone else's problem now."
"Anyone hurt on this side?"
"Yeah, about ten men are injured one way or another. Two dead. Those extra men Caulfield brought in must have been gunnies; they were aiming at us, not our horses."
Heyes looked up suddenly. "Jed? He's not with you. He's not…"
Tex smiled. "The Kid's fine. He's just resting over there." He nodded off to the right. "He did real well today; you should be proud of him."
Heyes grunted an acknowledgement and hurried over to find the Kid.
~~~OOO~~~
"Kid! How you doing?"
"I'm fine, Heyes. You okay?"
"Yeah." Heyes hesitated a moment. "Jed, I just wanted to say, about before…"
Before he could finish, several of the other men came up, pushing past him to get to the Kid. "Great job, Kid!"
"That sure was some great shooting!"
"Dang!"
The Kid laughed and blushed.
Heyes looked at him and at the men surrounding him, then walked away to find Rafe. The Kid didn't notice.
~~~OOO~~~
Tex rode over to Heyes and the Kid where they stood tightening the cinches on their saddle girths. "What are your plans now?"
They looked at Tex. "Don't know; guess we'll try to find some work."
"You could stay here with the men staying behind. Harrigan's going to lead them. There's another herd expected through in about a week, ten days… unless of course they turn back after yesterday."
The Kid grimaced at Heyes and spoke, "Don't think so, Tex. We're not real good at sittin' around waitin'."
"And not sure we really want another fight like yesterday, either," Heyes admitted.
"Yeah," Tex sighed. "Look, I have to take my cattle up to Cheyenne. Why don't you two sign on to the drive?"
Heyes looked thoughtful. "Yeah, we just might. I know Rafe is going."
The Kid stared at him. "I guess..."
~~~OOO~~~
Heyes, Rafe, and the Kid turned the wagon over to the livery and stepped out on the street to look around. It was three days after the showdown at the ford. They had been paid for their time and taken jobs on the upcoming drive. Now, they were ready to enjoy a Friday night on the town before picking up a load of supplies for the ranch on Saturday.
"Heyes," the Kid whispered as they sauntered down the sidewalk, "does it seem to you that folks are starin' at us?"
Heyes broke off from his conversation with Rafe to look around. "Nah, Kid, they're just enjoying the sight of three handsome men come to town."
The Kid noticed a cluster of men standing off to the side whispering. "I don't think so, Heyes."
This time Rafe answered. "What's the matter, Kid, not enough fans of your shooting here in town for you?"
Heyes gave a short laugh, quickly stifled. The Kid glowered, but before he could respond, the men walked up to them. The leader blocked their way and looked them up and down before turning to the Kid. "You the one they're calling Kid Curry?"
Heyes stepped forward. "Why?"
"Got a message for him."
The Kid spoke up. "What's the message?"
The man pulled back and punched him solidly in the stomach, doubling the Kid over. Then he and his men walked away before Heyes or the others could react.
Heyes helped the Kid up. "You okay, Jed?"
"Yeah. What was that about?"
Rafe gave a quick smirk. "Guess not everyone's a fan of your shooting. That's what happens when you try to make a name for yourself."
The Kid glared at Rafe. "I ain't tryin' to make a name for myself."
"All that fancy shooting in the middle of town last week and now the last few days? You could have fooled me. But, whatever you say, Kid." Rafe waved him off.
Heyes looked back and forth, his expression troubled. "Rafe…"
"What do you want to do, Heyes?" the Kid asked, pointedly ignoring Rafe. "Maybe we can get dinner, then go by Flossy's again. We sure had fun there before, and now we have more money."
Rafe looked at Heyes. "Nah, I know a place a couple blocks down that plays for higher stakes than can be had at Flossy's, and the women are finer."
Heyes temporized. "Let's get some dinner first then we can decide. What kind of stakes, Rafe? Are the players any good?"
The Kid sighed. "Look, Heyes, you were tellin' me how we need some of that money to buy new clothes – ours are pretty worn. Flossy's would be safer."
"What's the matter, Jed? You doubting my poker skills now?"
"No. I'd back you in any honest game, you know that. But higher stakes means there's gonna be card sharps and cheaters, and we need the money and don't need trouble. Won't nobody in this town bet against my shootin' now like they did before, so we can't get any money that way."
"You know, I don't like the way you're thinking that you're the only one to raise money for us. I've taken care of you just fine till now. You got a problem with that?"
Rafe spoke up. "It's natural for young'uns to worry, Heyes. We men know better; we won't be rooked in the game. Let him be."
Heyes laughed.
The Kid stopped short. 'I'm gettin' dinner, and then I'm goin' to Flossy's, Heyes. You can join me if you want or you can go off with Rafe, but I want my share of the money now."
"Calm down, Jed. Can't you take a joke? We'll get dinner. Afterwards maybe we can spend some time at Flossy's, then head to this place Rafe is talking about; it sounds like a chance to make some real money." He rolled his eyes at Rafe, while the Kid looked down at his boots his cheeks red.
~~~OOO~~~
Heading back to the Palo Duro, the Kid drove the wagon in silence. Heyes sat between him and Rafe looking back and forth at the two, frowning.
Rafe sat contentedly, whistling to himself. "Sure had fun last night," he commented.
The Kid grunted.
"Yeah, it was a lot of fun; that was a great place, Rafe," Heyes responded, casting a worried look at the Kid. Then he sighed, and the three relapsed into silence.
"Sure was great whiskey too," Rafe ventured after several minutes. He glanced sidelong towards the Kid. "You should have had more, Kid. Two glasses doesn't seem hardly enough to enjoy that fine drink."
"He knows his limit, Rafe," Heyes said warningly.
"Yeah, I guess he does. Why, I remember when I was that age, couldn't hardly drink anything, just a baby really," Rafe mused. "Guess it don't come as natural to you, Kid, as does shooting." He laughed, "Maybe we should've had you practice some more."
The Kid glowered and hunched a shoulder, but his only sound was to "Gee up" the horses.
The three lapsed back into a tense silence.
~~~OOO~~~
The ranch yard teamed with activity as the men prepared to trail a herd to Cheyenne. Charles Goodnight conferred with his trail boss, Buck Wilder. Wilder nodded and waved the men to him, as the cook finished loading his chuck wagon. Goodnight handed the cook his bag to stow on the wagon.
"Alright men; who hasn't gone up a trail before?"
Three men stepped forward.
"You, there, you know horses well?"
"Pretty well, sir."
"Then you're the wrangler."
"'Scuse me, Mr. Wilder, sir," Rafe interrupted.
"Yes? Rafe, is it? What do you want?" Wilder barked.
"Well, seems to me that the youngest ought to be the wrangler and let the men handle the beeves," Rafe drawled. "And that'd be him." He pointed to the Kid, who glared back at him.
"You, how old are you, boy?"
"I'm sixteen, but this isn't my first drive. I went up the Chisholm last summer and, yeah, I wrangled the first part of it till one of the flank riders got injured, and then we switched places for the last couple of months." The Kid scowled.
Wilder nodded. "My decision stands. You there," he said pointing to the first man, "you're wrangler this drive. You other two, you'll handle the calf wagon." He turned back to the Kid. "You, what's your name?"
Tex answered quietly, "That's Kid Curry."
Wilder blinked, then looked him up and down. "Okay, Curry, you ride with Tex. You two will be lookouts as necessary. You listen to Tex; he knows this trail."
The Kid nodded but looked at Heyes.
Wilder sized up the remaining men and began pairing them up. When he reached Heyes and Rafe, he considered them, then told them they'd ride together.
The Kid stiffened at the pairing and watched Heyes closely. Heyes exchanged grins with Rafe, then looked at the Kid and shrugged his shoulders, smiling ruefully. The Kid swung around and strode away. Heyes's shoulders drooped slightly before he turned back to Rafe.
~~~OOO~~~
The first day went smoothly. The four thousand head seemed placid enough – even the cows had been unconcerned by the calf wagon; now all were bedded down for the night. The men sighed in relief and lined up to get their meals from the chuck wagon.
"How's it going, Kid?"
"Heyes! Haven't hardly seen you since we got started." The Kid smiled broadly at his friend. "I sure am tired."
"Yeah, fifteen hours of saddle time'll do that. I wish we was paired up - at least then we could talk at night. Well, let's get something to eat and play some cards with the other men."
A lament could be heard from the night watch softly singing to the cattle. Heyes and the Kid strolled over companionably to join the poker game that would run at all stops on the trail. The various camp fires flickered, and one of the men began a series of stories about Stumpy Joe and his old dog, Randy.
Wilder walked through the men, setting the rest of the night watch.
He came to them, "The herd's big enough and restless enough that I want three men on each shift. Kid, I'm gonna split you and Tex for the night watch. You can ride with Heyes here and Rafe, the two of them together and you riding the opposite direction. You three have the middle watch every other night." He walked off without waiting for a reaction.
The two had grinned at each other when they learned that they'd watch together, but when Wilder kept the pairing as is, the Kid frowned slightly, and Heyes looked down. They sat quietly for a few moments, watching Wilder stop at other groups.
"Where's Rafe?" the Kid asked Heyes.
"Oh, he's over there somewhere. I said I was going to try to find you," Heyes answered nonchalantly.
The Kid grunted.
"Where's Tex?"
"He's over there with Mr. Goodnight." The Kid nodded in the general direction.
~~~~OOO~~~~
Some weeks later they reached a watering hole mid-afternoon, and Wilder settled them there. Once all the cattle had come up and the men were gathered, Goodnight rode up with Wilder.
"Men, this next stretch has no water, but once we've made the Pecos, it's only a short haul to Fort Sumner," Goodnight stated. The new men murmured among themselves. "If we push, we can make it to the Pecos in three days, four at most. Now you experienced hands know the beeves can last that long but will probably get a bit crotchety, so Wilder wants to explain the next few days now."
Wilder stepped forward. "We'll spend two days here making sure the beeves are well-watered. Then we'll travel from just before dawn until the sun gets overhead, break for the worst of the heat, then move on till midnight. Each of you will keep two horses at all times and trade off every hour. There's one canteen each a day – so drink wisely. At each stop, the horses will drink and rest – you'll switch to two more of your horses, then we'll move on. Calves will nurse at mid-day when we're resting and after midnight. Those of you on calf-wagon duty - get them in and out quickly. You others help them when necessary."
He stopped and looked them over. The experienced hands nodded agreement that this haul could be done. He smiled, "After that, men, it should be smooth going to Fort Sumner – except, of course, for rustlers and Indian attack." He strode away, leaving the men standing.
~~~OOO~~~
The cattle moved slowly, no longer making any noise, conserving their strength. Their heads drooped to the ground. It was late the third night of the dry march. They had only enough water for the horses at this point, so the men rode without canteens.
Tex and the Kid were riding near the front a ways away from the herd, looking for any danger, now while they were at their most vulnerable. But the land seemed quiet.
The Kid sighed heavily.
"What's the matter, Kid?" Tex asked.
"Nothin'. Just wonderin' how Heyes is doin'." He rode quietly for a bit. "He and Rafe sure seem to be gettin' along." He sighed again.
Tex smiled and changed the subject. "I was just thinking about Betsy, my wife. She's probably been asleep a few hours now, I figure."
"I guess you miss her a lot," the Kid commented.
"Yeah, and I won't be back before the baby comes. Sure hope that fool nephew of mine is taking good care of her and the ranch." He sighed. "Oh well, don't do any good to worry."
They rode on quietly, each caught in his own thoughts.
Suddenly the lead cattle bellowed and sped up; the other cattle also roared and picked up speed.
"Are they stampeding?" the Kid asked Tex through parched lips.
Tex smiled, "No. They don't seem to be frightened. I bet they smell water. They'll be hard to hold back now."
~~~OOO~~~
Rafe and Heyes had been riding flank near the middle of the herd, dozing in their saddles, when the water sent the cattle hustling forward. Several headed away from the main group. Wilder came cantering up.
"You two, go round up the strays!" he ordered.
"In the dark?!" Rafe exclaimed.
"Yeah, in the dark, unless you have a way to make the sun rise faster," Wilder replied, angrily. "Now get going!"
Rafe and Heyes took off after the strays, pushing their tired horses into a canter in order to catch them.
They rounded up about twelve head. Heyes circled them quickly to hold them together. Suddenly, his horse stumbled and he flew over its head into the churning cattle. He tried to get up but a steer knocked him down. He flung his hands protectively over his head and rolled, trying to avoid the sea of hooves.
Finally, he heard Rafe swearing and lashing out at the cattle with his quirt. The cattle parted and moved away from Heyes. Cautiously, he sat up looking around then pushed himself to his feet.
"Not the best place for a nap, Heyes," Rafe commented as he rode up. He stretched down a hand to pull Heyes onto his own mount.
Heyes grinned and clambered up. "Thanks, Rafe."
"No problem. Let's find your horses, then get these dumb beeves headed back towards the water. You hurt?"
"Nah. Just a few bruises here and there."
~~~OOO~~~
The Kid watched the cattle wallow in the river and looked upstream at the men who were swimming. He headed towards them.
As he stopped near the bank to take off his gun and boots, Heyes walked up.
"How you doing, Jed?"
"Heyes!" A big smile lit the Kid's face. Then he looked at the bruising on Heyes's face and frowned. "What happened to you?"
"Nothing. Are you going swimming? I'll join you."
"Heyes, that's not nothin', and I can see your ribs are hurtin' you. Who did this? Was it Rafe?" The Kid frowned and reached back down for his gun.
"No, Jed," Heyes answered hurriedly, putting a restraining hand on the Kid's arm. "Nobody did this to me." He looked away and blushed. "I just got thrown from my horse is all," he muttered. "Rafe and I were chasing strays and my horse stumbled in the dark, threw me into the dang beeves. Rafe pulled me out."
"Oh. Glad you're okay." Then the Kid began laughing. "You fell off your horse? Wait'll the others hear this."
Heyes's eyes darkened as the Kid kept laughing and teasing him. He was tired and sore and embarrassed. Suddenly, he punched the Kid. Surprised, the Kid stopped laughing, his face darkened, and he punched back. The two rolled into the river fighting while the other hands gathered around, hooting and hollering.
~~~OOO~~~
They spent three days at the water hole, resting the herd, allowing it to recover. Wilder, Goodnight, and Tex spent much of that time together, examining the maps and speaking quietly.
"Kid, do you know what's going on with them?" Heyes asked, walking up to him one afternoon and nodding towards the three men.
The Kid shook his head. "Not really. Tex doesn't tell me everythin'. I think they're worried about Indian raids. We're gettin' near where the Comanches attacked Loving."
Heyes looked at him. "Have you seen any when you've been off scouting?"
"Nah. Tex says since we're the first herd through for the season, the raiding parties may not be out there yet. Still …"
"Yeah, still… They killed Loving, didn't they?"
"Yeah. Tex tells me that Loving and his friend got away from the Indians, but he was hurt bad. His friend rode for help, but Loving made his own way to Fort Sumner. He died there – gangrene."
Heyes and the Kid looked at each other somberly.
"Mr. Goodnight made it to Fort Sumner before he died, Tex says," the Kid continued. "Promised to get him back to Texas to bury him, and he did after they finished the trail up to Cheyenne."
They stayed silent for a moment.
"Heyes, let this be the last drive we do. I don't care what we do as long as it isn't drovin' anymore."
"Yeah, Kid, yeah." Heyes nodded. "I just gotta figure out what else we can do to eat more regular than we have the last few years." He looked at the Kid. "I'll figure something out."
"Maybe we could quit at Fort Sumner. We're leavin' a bunch of the beeves there. They won't need all of us."
"Nah, Kid, let's go all the way up to Cheyenne. Wyoming might be interesting and it's more money that way. But after that, no more, I promise."
The Kid narrowed his eyes. "Just the two of us, Heyes. I know you like Rafe, but I don't," he warned as he walked off.
Heyes stared after the Kid.
Rafe walked up. "What was that about?"
Heyes stayed silent.
"Never mind, look when we get to Fort Sumner – I got an idea…"
~~~OOO~~~
Tex looked over at the boy riding next to him. "You're mighty silent today," he commented. "There a problem?"
The Kid sighed and looked at him. "Not really. Just wish I saw more of Heyes on this trip. I'm not used to seein' so little of him; we've been together a long time now."
Tex looked keenly at him. "Maybe you're also wishing he spent less time with Rafe?"
The Kid shrugged.
They rode quietly for a while.
When they stopped to rest their horses and take a drink from their canteens, Tex spoke again. "I don't see any signs of Indians; hope there's no problems between here and Fort Sumner."
"Are we almost there?"
"Yup, another couple of days. Wilder will see to it that we all get a chance to go into town." He smiled. "I expect there'll be a letter or two there for me from Betsy. I sure do miss her. Wonder what's happening back home too."
"Do you think there's any trouble from that fight with Caulfield?" the Kid asked.
"Sure hope not." Tex looked troubled then shook his head. "Well if there is, there's nothing we can do about it from here. I'm sure Mr. Goodnight made some arrangements with the other ranchers. Hope those include my spread too."
The Kid looked at him. "Are you leaving at Fort Sumner? I know they won't need as many hands at that point. You could go back."
"No." Tex sighed and looked into the distance. "Wouldn't mind heading home. I worry about Betsy with just my fool of a nephew there, but I've got about three hundred head of my own here, contracted for Cheyenne. I need to take them all the way up, or else."
"Or else what, Tex?"
"Or else I gotta pay Mr. Goodnight to take them up, and I can't afford that. Can't afford not to send them either. I get a good price for them in Cheyenne, or I lose my ranch," Tex stated matter-of-factly. Then he shrugged. "Well, let's ride that way and see if we find anything. Maybe we'll see something we can bring for fresh meat for the crew. I sure am getting tired of canned tomatoes and beans, which is all we have left till we get to the Fort." He kicked his horse into a quick trot, and the Kid followed behind him.
~~~~OOO~~~
Tex stopped abruptly.
The Kid looked over, "Tex, what…."
"Shhh…" Tex held up his hand.
The Kid stopped as well and listened intently. Finally, he too heard the soft chink of spurs and the low murmur of voices coming closer. He glanced at Tex, then both checked their guns. Tex urged them forward slowly.
Soon they could see the shapes of five men. Tex called out to them. "Can we help you? You looking for something?" He motioned for the Kid to stay back.
The five men stopped their horses, then looked at one another. Finally the leader rode forward. "Just heading to Fort Sumner, friend."
Tex looked them up and down, noting the lariats, and extra ropes. He saw a branding iron sticking out of one of the men's saddlebags. They were well armed.
"Not this direction, friend." He spoke softly but made a show of unlatching his holster. "There's nothing in this direction for you or your friends. You'll have to find another way to go."
The men looked at each other, then at Tex and the boy sitting his saddle a short distance back.
The leader laughed. "I don't think so." He signaled to his fellow rustlers and pulled his gun. Suddenly, his weapon was gone, and he was holding his hand. One of his riders shouted as blood seeped through the fingers of the hand he held to his other arm.
The other men froze as Tex and the Kid kept their guns trained on them. Tex spoke, "I said, not this way. You try to come near our herd again, and we'll kill you."
The rustlers glared and muttered, but their leader scowled and turned away. "Watch your backs friends, watch your backs," he called to them as he rode off.
Tex sat motionless watching them depart, then turned to the Kid. "Hey, Kid, you okay?"
The Kid was pale and breathing shallowly. He took one deep breath, looked at his hand, and holstered his gun. "Yeah."
Tex laughed. "It gets easier, Kid, and you got a real talent. That was a real impressive shot you made, shooting the gun out of his hand."
The Kid grinned weakly.
"Come on. We gotta get back and report this to Wilder."
~~~OOO~~~
By evening, all the hands knew that Tex and the Kid had driven off rustlers. Over the campfires, they crowded around Tex, listening avidly.
"Well, there we were, just the two of us and five of the orneriest looking desperados you ever seen…" drawled Tex, extending the drama of the tale. "Suddenly, they started shooting, but before they could barely begin, the Kid here had shot the gun right out of the leader's hand, and wounded another…"
The Kid and Heyes sat back away from the other men. Heyes turned to the Kid. "Jed, I think maybe you should volunteer to be wrangler or something. I don't like this riding lookout when I'm not there to protect you."
The Kid opened his mouth to answer hotly, but several of the hands came up and clapped him on the back, cheering him for stopping the attack. The Kid shrugged them off. When they had gone, he turned back to Heyes. "I don't think so, Heyes. I like ridin' lookout. I like ridin' with Tex."
Heyes reddened and prepared to argue when Wilder came up. "Good going, Kid. Glad you're with us." The trail boss left.
Heyes scowled, shook his head, and walked over to join the poker game without another word to the Kid, who watched him leave, bewildered.
~~~OOO~~~~
Once the cattle were settled for the night, Wilder called a meeting. "We'll reach Fort Sumner tomorrow, early. In the morning we'll cut out those destined for the Fort, and four of the hands will take them in with me and collect their pay. The rest of you watch the herd here. You'll all get a chance to get into town, but you have to be patient." He snorted. "I know that ain't a long suit in this crowd, but try."
Heyes and the Kid walked away from the group. "So when do you think we'll get in, Heyes?" the Kid asked then yawned.
Heyes looked tired too, but he laughed at the Kid's yawning. "I don't know, Kid, but I know that as soon as we do, we're getting baths and haircuts and some new boots. Gotta get coats for Cheyenne, too, if we can find 'em here." He sighed. "Then we'll see what we can do with what's left, if there is any."
The Kid looked down at his boots, lifted his left foot, and examined the size of the hole in the sole. "Yeah, I guess so." He sighed.
"What?"
"I just… I just…" the Kid looked away. "I just wish we didn't always have to plan for clothes, and worry how we'll eat, and, and everythin'. It's been three years now. I thought we'd be all set by now when we left Valparaiso. I guess I thought you had a plan."
Heyes shouted, his face red. "We had a plan, but we didn't know what it was like out here! There's only so much I can do. I'm doing the best I can! I've taken care of you, haven't I? You'd rather I'd left you there?"
"I know you have," the Kid answered miserably. "And no, I'm glad we went together. It's just…" He trailed off, head hanging. "I don't know, Heyes."
"Yeah, well maybe it's time you grew up, Jed." He laughed, without humor. "Maybe Kid is the right name for you. Bet I'd've been better off if you'd stayed, and I'd gone on my own. It's not been easy looking out for you, you know."
"Yeah, well, I don't need you looking out for me! I can look out for myself just fine!" The Kid turned away, then back. "You know, I've taken care of you too." He stomped away.
Heyes glared after him, then looked down at his feet and sighed. "Jed…" he called, but the Kid did not turn around and kept walking. Heyes picked up a rock and flung it as far as he could the other direction, then stalked off to find Rafe.
~~~OOO~~~
The next day, after helping to cut out the cattle destined for Fort Sumner, the other drovers made camp. Other than taking turns checking on the cattle, they sat around camp, mending saddles, playing poker, and telling tall tales. Heyes and the Kid managed to busy themselves away from each other.
"You two have a fight or something?" Rafe asked Heyes as they dug some leather scraps out of the wagon in order to repair one of Rafe's stirrups.
"Yeah. Nothing new there." Heyes shrugged. "Say, so you gonna tell me about this deal in Cheyenne?"
Rafe smiled and the two walked a ways away from the other men before settling down to their repairs. "Well, I gotta tell you something. I saw you before we met at the ranch."
"Oh yeah?" Heyes asked, intent on his work.
"You and the Kid were at the back of a store I was in."
Heyes looked up sharply. "And …"
"Nothing," Rafe said, bending over his stirrup. "What would you say if I said I could make us a lot of money up north, more in Colorado than Wyoming though?"
"Money's good." Heyes said looking intently at Rafe.
"Yeah, well, I got me a cousin up there, Jim Plummer, who's looking for a couple of men. Thought I'd join up with him."
"And you thought the Kid and I might too."
"It's a package deal, is it?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Okay. Let me think on it a little more. I'll tell you after Fort Sumner."
Heyes frowned at Rafe, then looked back down at the quirt he was fixing, without saying anything.
~~~OOO~~~
The Kid was with Tex the following morning when Wilder came back into camp. He dismounted and walked over to Tex.
"Picked up some mail for you," he said, handing Tex two letters.
Tex smiled and tore them open.
The Kid watched him read them, and noticed that he was frowning when he finished.
"Trouble?"
"I hope not. Betsy says there's talk in town that some of the gunmen with Caulfield have been let go and are hanging around the area. But nothing's happened so far."
He sighed and looked back down the trail, as if he could see all the way back home. He looked up. "I gotta go find Mr. Goodnight, see what he's heard." He strode off.
~~~OOO~~~
The men entered Fort Sumner and began to disperse. Tex hurried off to telegraph Betsy to check on his ranch.
"Come on, Kid," Heyes said tentatively. "Let's go get those baths and haircuts, then find us some new boots."
"I'd like a bath and cut too, mind if I tag along?" Rafe asked. "I know a place to get some good boots cheap."
The Kid sighed. "Come along then," he said, looking anything but pleased.
Rafe appeared not to notice. "Great!"
"Yeah, great," Heyes muttered, looking back and forth.
~~~OOO~~~
The Kid threw in his hand and looked around the table. He glared over at the other table, where Heyes and Rafe had found seats. He'd done okay, but it was a low stakes game, and he'd won maybe three dollars over the past few hours. He was sick of poker at this point anyway. When the round was done, he picked up his money and vacated the table.
He stopped by the other table next to Heyes and watched as Rafe raked in a ten-dollar pot. "You want somethin' to drink, Heyes?"
"Nah, Kid, I'm fine," Heyes replied absently.
"I'll take another shot, Kid, thanks." Rafe threw a coin to the Kid, who glowered but caught it.
The Kid stalked over to the bar, fought his way to the front, got Rafe's drink and returned it, plunking it solidly next to him. "Keep the change," Rafe said without looking at him.
Heyes' eyebrows rose, but he said nothing.
"I'm gonna go to another bar and get a drink, Heyes. It's too crowded here. You comin'?" the Kid asked through gritted teeth.
"I'll join you later."
"Sure. See you at the hotel."
The Kid strode out of the saloon, not noticing the exasperated, worried look Heyes gave him as he left. He wandered down the street disconsolately, finally turning in to a quieter bar. He sat at a table and stared at the wall across the room, without seeing it.
As the Kid walked in and sat, Tex looked up from the table where he was with a couple of the other hands and watched the Kid. He thought a moment, picked up his drink, made his excuses to the others, then walked over to the Kid's table.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Huh? Oh, hi, Tex."
Tex sat and looked at the Kid, then focused on the wall himself. "Where's Heyes?"
"Playin' poker up the street."
"I know you play; I've seen you at night."
"Yeah, I played some at another table. Wasn't room for the three of us at that one table. Did okay too." The Kid sighed. "Guess I just wasn't in the mood."
Tex nodded and the two sat, drinking quietly.
"You okay, Tex?"
"Yeah."
"How's Betsy."
"She's fine. Her time's coming any day now." He sighed.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Tex."
"Yeah, she will. I just…" Tex trailed off.
"Just what Tex?" the Kid asked.
"Those gunmen are making more noise around town, I hear. I don't like it just being her and Bobby – my nephew. He's never been on a ranch before, barely knows how to do anything, and he's real young." He sighed deeply and finished his drink, motioning for another. "There's nothing I can do about it."
The Kid sat silently for a moment.
"Would it help if I went back and stayed with them while you're on this drive?"
Tex looked up. "I thought you were heading all the way to Cheyenne."
"That's what Heyes wants us to do, but I don't see any reason to go all the way to Wyoming."
"Do you think Heyes will agree to go back to Texas?"
"No, but Rafe'll go up with him. He'll be fine."
"You sure?"
The Kid finished his drink and looked at Tex for the first time. "I'm sure."
"I couldn't pay you much; I got about twenty dollars I won tonight that I can give you, but that's it. But Betsy'd see that you were well fed. She's a fine cook." Tex spoke eagerly, his frown lifting at the thought.
"That's enough."
"Well," Tex temporized. "You can tell me in the morning if you're still willing when we meet up to head back to the camp."
~~~OOO~~~
Tex and the Kid stood by the other hands as they waited for all to gather. The Kid tucked a letter into his vest, and Tex mounted his horse as Rafe and Heyes, bleary-eyed, staggered up, horses trailing behind them.
One of the hands looked at them and laughed. "See you two made good use of your time here."
They laughed and agreed, then tried to steady their horses to mount.
Heyes looked at the Kid standing to the side. "Kid, sorry I didn't make it back to the hotel last night. You got to get mounted; we have to head back. Wilder's waiting for us."
The Kid walked over to Heyes. "I'm not going, Heyes. I told Tex I'd go back to Texas and help his wife out until he gets done with the trail."
Heyes stared at him, mouth open slightly, then thrust his reins into Rafe's hand and grabbed the Kid, pulling him to the side. "What are you talking about? I told you we're going to Cheyenne."
"No, Heyes. You're going to Cheyenne. I'm going back to Texas with Mr. Goodnight and the others." The Kid looked at him. "You were right the other day. You have taken care of me, and you probably would have been better off without me."
Heyes flushed. "I didn't mean it."
"Yeah, you did. I been thinkin'. You have taken care of me, but I've also taken care of you. I meant it when I said you didn't have to take care of me anymore." He smiled sadly. "So here's your chance. You don't have to take care of me anymore. But do me a favor, take care of yourself." He turned and walked away.
"Jed…" Heyes watched him walk away. His shoulders slumped, and he made a move as if to follow, then he stopped. His eyes narrowed, and his frown deepened. Heyes's face turned a deep red, and his lips thinned. "Fine, just fine." He turned, stalked over, and mounted his horse. The waiting hands looked at him without speaking. Once he was mounted, they headed back to camp.
Authors notes: The Goodnight-Loving trail was started in 1868 by Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving. Instead of heading for the railheads in Kansas, the Goodnight-Loving trail went west to Fort Sumner then north to Denver, supplying cattle to the forts, mining towns, and Indian reservations along the way, before ending in Cheyenne. As noted in the story, in 1869, Loving and one other man were scouting ahead of the herd when they were attacked by Comanches. Loving died of his wounds after gangrene set in and he refused amputation (there not being anyone with sufficient experience in amputation available at the time). For many years after that Goodnight continued to run their operations in both their names and split his profits evenly with Loving's heirs.
In addition to founding the westernmost cattle trail, Charles Goodnight was responsible for several other innovations. What we consider the ubiquitous chuck wagon of the west was designed by Goodnight and proved so useful it was adopted on most drives. Goodnight also invented the calf wagon. Prior to this, calves born on the trail were shot because they could not keep up. Goodnight built a large wagon; every morning the calves would be placed in sacks in the wagon, and, when they stopped in the evening, the calves would be let loose to find their mothers. Because cows identified their calves by their scent, each calf was numbered and carefully placed in the same bag every day.
For stories about Charles Goodnight/Oliver Loving and the Goodnight-Loving Trail - PM the author for links
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Originally the main cattle supplied by the west came from Southern Texas and from Mexico. These cattle were immune to Redwater Fever, but were carriers. As they went, ticks would drop off their bodies and bite onto local cattle, which were not immune. The mortality rate for non-immune cattle infected with Redwater Fever was over 95%. At first, the disease was not traced to the healthy cattle passing through on the trail, but eventually people realized that a swath of death would follow for ten miles to either side of a trail after these cattle passed by. This led to bans on Texas cattle, quarantines, and potential disaster for the Texas cattle industry. Charles Goodnight and other panhandle ranchers armed ranch hands with rifles to prevent the southern fever cattle from passing through their range land. This became known as the Winchester Quarantine.
For information on the Texas fever cattle and the Winchester Quarantine: - PM the author for links