Chapter 1
It was less than an hour since the first tiny snowflake had drifted down from the leaden sky and now the snow was falling so thickly the two riders were finding it difficult to see beyond their horses' noses.
Hannibal Heyes pulled his horse to a halt so his partner, Kid Curry, could catch up. Removing his hat he quickly shook off the accumulation of snow from the brim before replacing it firmly on his head, angling it low over his eyes. He shivered and pulled his collar up closer to his ears. His old grey coat felt like it was starting to wear thin - it certainly didn't keep him as warm as it used to. Watching Kid riding towards him snug in his thick sheepskin jacket, Heyes thought, not for the first time, that he should get himself one too.
"We need to find somewhere to shelter," he called through chattering teeth.
"Y' think?" Curry returned sarcastically.
"Hey! It's me who don't like the cold." Heyes was a little put out by his partner's attitude.
Kid instantly regretted his bad humour and softened his tone. "I may not feel the cold the same as you, Heyes, but it don't mean I like it. Anyhow, I don't know how we're gonna find somewhere to shelter. I can't hardly see anythin'!"
"At least this snow is covering our tracks. Anyway, we can't turn back - we have to put some distance between us and Four Trees."
" Yeah, yeah. Are you sure that sheriff had his eye on us?"
"I'm sure."
Kid let out a deep sigh. "I guess lookin' over my shoulder all the time just makes me kinda proddy."
Heyes nodded. He knew exactly how his partner felt.
The small mining town of Four Trees, nestling at the base of a mountain in northern Utah had been a welcome sojourn and, for a few days, they had even felt it might be somewhere they could stay for the coming winter. But, as was often the case, the sheriff had begun taking a little more interest in them than Heyes was comfortable with and it had been decided that it was time to move on...again.
All the signs that there could be fresh snowfall in the mountains had been evident before Heyes and Curry had ventured onto the little-used pass which they had hoped would prove difficult to traverse and so deter anyone from following them. However, since the snow had set in, it was turning out to be a great deal more difficult than either of them had anticipated.
The former leader of the Devil's Hole Gang twisted in his saddle trying to see what evidence remained of their progress and also what may lie on the trail ahead as it zig-zagged up the mountainside. He reflected on the fact that it didn't take a genius like him to work out that they would be in trouble if they didn't find shelter soon.
"I guess we're gonna have to..." Heyes' voice trailed off as he noticed his cousin staring intently at a point high up, a little way off the trail. "You seen something?"
Curry pointed. "Up there, Heyes. I think it's a cave."
Heyes trusted his partner's keen eyesight. "Wanna risk the climb?"
"Do we have a choice?"
Heyes shook his head in reply, turned his horse and urged the sorrel mare up the steep mountainside.
It wasn't long before the snow-covered trail narrowed even more, eventually leading to a wide ledge which was sheltered by an overhang and partly concealed by a dead tree.
The two men dismounted. While Heyes held the horses', both of which proceeded to shower him in more snow as they shook the accumulation from their manes, Kid worked his way along the ledge towards the cave. A few minutes passed before he reappeared.
"It is a cave, Heyes. A big one. Looks dry too. Might do for us and the horses if we can get them in there. This ledge is about wide enough and it should stay clear of snow too if the wind don't get up."
Heyes glanced up at the snow-laden clouds. "I can't see this snow easing any time soon, can you? And, as I really don't fancy freezin' to death in a snowdrift or spendin' the best part of the fall - not to mention the winter - in a Four Trees jail, I figure it's worth a try."
Curry took his reins from Heyes and began to lead the way slowly along the ledge, trying to keep his horse as close to the rock wall as possible. When he reached the cave he paused in order to give his and the black gelding's eyes time to adjust to the darkness before venturing inside.
Heyes followed his partner at a distance. His horse wasn't quite as calm on the ledge as Kid's but, with some gentle coaxing, they both finally made it to the dark cave entrance. Just as Kid had done, Heyes paused and when his eyes had adjusted from the glare of the snow he started to lead the animal inside.
Without warning the sorrel stopped wide-eyed, pushing backwards with stiff front legs and throwing her head about. Heyes only just reacted in time to stop her from rearing and backing out over the ledge, her shod hooves making a loud clatter which echoed around the cave, contributing to her panic. Heyes stood still and, more calmly than he felt, ran a soothing hand down the animal's neck several times while speaking softly to her, his face close to her velvety muzzle. After a couple of minutes he tried gently leading her forward again. Much to his relief she walked into the darkness without any further trouble.
From within the cave all Kid Curry could do was stand and watch as the drama unfolded. He knew that if he moved out of the darkness towards the horse he would probably make the situation worse and besides, Heyes was used to calming her and would make a better job of it than him.
"You okay?" he asked as his cousin joined him a good distance inside the cave.
Heyes leaned against the rock wall and blew out his cheeks. "For a minute there I thought she was gonna go over."
Curry grinned. "I thought it was me who held all the cards when it came to charmin' the ladies, Heyes. But Jeez, if I could sweet talk them that good, who knows what..."
"Kid, you've got a one track mind." Heyes gave his cousin a narrow, sideways look.
Still grinning, Curry busied himself rifling through their saddlebags before producing two sets of rope hobbles. He much preferred tethering horses but with nothing in the cave to tie them to, this was the only choice. Carefully running his hand down the sorrel's legs he attached the hobble and did the same with his black gelding. Satisfied that their horses were secure and not able to bolt out of the cave Kid then took the long reins from his partner.
Heyes squinted as he looked toward the cave mouth. "What d' you think, should we risk a fire?" he asked.
"Don't see why not. Why d'you ask?" Curry began unbuckling a cinch.
"I was just wondering if we would be sending out a smoke signal saying 'come get me', that's all."
Kid looked over his shoulder at his cousin. "Heyes, I'm cold."
"Me too."
"So, I say let's have a fire...and if anyone is crazy enough to be followin' us in this snow storm I will personally invite them in, roast my hat and share it with 'em!"
Heyes snorted.
Kid removed his horse's saddle and set it down against the cave wall. "How about you go find some firewood while I finish up here," he suggested.
"Huh, I don't like the cold but you're the one who gets to stay inside," grumbled Heyes as he pulled his bandana higher up his neck and stomped off toward the falling snow. Kid allowed himself a low chuckle at his cousin's irritation.
By the time Heyes returned, his arms piled high with the driest twigs and branches from the dead tree, Kid had unsaddled and rubbed the horses down and was in the process of giving them several handfuls of feed from a canvas bag which had hung next to his saddlebags.
Heyes dropped the wood on the ground near the cave entrance and, hoping at least some of it was dry enough, started to try and coax a fire into life. Luckily the wood didn't appear too damp and with the addition of a few dry pieces he found inside the cave small flames began to crackle and snap as they took hold throwing out more light and, more importantly, some warmth. Next, he filled their old dented coffee pot with snow and put it on the fire to heat.
Finally satisfied that the horses were settled Kid carried their bedrolls and saddles over and set them down near the fire. He sat cross-legged watching the snow continue to fall as Heyes added coffee grounds to the pot and handed him a piece of the pie they had purchased from the cafe on their way out of town. The pastry was a little busted up but it was still edible.
After his slice of pie, a warming cup of coffee and a short nap Kid got to his feet and, selecting a suitable branch from the wood pile, held it in the fire until the tip caught alight.
"What are you doing?" Heyes asked.
"I'm just gonna take a look at the rest of this cave," replied his cousin. "Don't want any nasty surprises in the middle of the night now, do we?" The Kid walked into the darkness, the makeshift torch giving the appearance of a flickering halo around him.
Just as he had thought, the cave was large - it was not very wide but it went a good distance back into the mountain. Reaching the back wall and finding nothing threatening on the way he turned to return to the campfire and trod on something which cracked sharply under his boot. He waved the light around a little lower. It was then that he noticed a recess at the base of the cave wall to his right. He held the burning branch out in front in order to get a better look before recoiling a couple of steps in surprise.
"Heyes," he called. "You'd better come see this."
Hannibal Heyes immediately scrambled to his feet, drew his gun, and trotted quickly towards the light. When he joined his cousin the Kid was already crouched down staring at the tattered remains of some clothes, along with a few bones and a skull.
"Well, I'll be...," whispered Heyes as he pushed his hat to the back of his head.
"Wonder how long he's been here?"
"By the looks of him, I'm guessin' quite some time."
Kid now looked at the ground around them a little more closely. "Could have been eaten by animals. The bones are scattered all over." He held the flame into the recess. "Hey, are those bullets?"
Heyes knelt down beside his partner and, reaching down in between two rib bones, picked up a couple of slugs from the dirt.
"Well, at least we know what killed him," he said matter-of-factly as he tossed the bullets back on the ground. Heyes was about to stand up again when something else caught his eye.
"Move the light over there, will you?" he said, pointing to the bony remains of a outstretched hand. Kid moved the burning branch closer and Heyes gingerly moved the spindly fingers to one side. He pulled out a canvas bag half covered by dirt and, after untying the drawstring, peered inside. His brown eyes widened in surprise before he slowly raised them to look at his partner.
"What is it, Heyes?"
"It's gold," Heyes said huskily and a slow wide smile crept across his face.
"What?!"
"Gold. Look for yourself." Holding the bag out to his cousin with one hand Heyes took the flaming branch with the other.
Curry grabbed the bag and tipped some of the contents into his gloved hand. Glinting in the light of the flame lay several gold coins. Kid gave a low whistle and grinned back at his cousin.
"We're rich!" he exclaimed.
"We could well be, Kid!" Heyes chortled, his eyes shining in the flickering light.
"I don't believe it!"
"Let's take them to the daylight - have a better look there."
Standing at the mouth of the cave in the snowy white light they each examined a piece. The coins were certainly unusual, being completely covered in an intricate pattern with several larger symbols around the edge. In the centre of one side was a face unlike any the ex-outlaws had seen before. It was slightly grotesque and appeared to be wearing some sort of headdress. From its open mouth protruded a long angular tongue.
Heyes firmly bit his coin then inspected it carefully. "It's gold alright. But it's not from round here, that's for sure."
Kid laughed. "I don't care where it's from, Heyes. We found it and, for once, there's no one here to steal it from us and we don't have to give it back to anyone neither. It's ours."
Kid Curry tossed his coin in the air with a flourish then pocketed it while Heyes returned his to the bag with the others. He frowned thoughtfully as he weighed the bag in his hand, trying to estimate its worth.
"There's gotta be about two or three pounds here, Kid. Maybe more. But, as it isn't gold dust or US currency, I can't begin to imagine how much money we're talkin'. We'll just have to wait until we get to a town with an assay office to find out for sure."
ooooo-OOO-ooooo
For a further two days they remained holed up in the cave until, on the third morning, they awoke to a bright blue sky and the sound of dripping water from the overhang outside. There was no doubt about it, the snowfall had been too early in the season and would be gone in a day or two. Since their food supply was dwindling they lost no time in breaking camp and, with the bag of gold coins stashed safely in Kid's saddlebags, made their way tentatively out of the cave and along the ledge to the relative safety of the snow covered trail.
Later that same day the former outlaws found themselves winding their way through a pass which they hoped would lead down and away from the mountain. Wishing to press on quickly to lower ground, when the trail widened a little they urged their mounts into a steady jog.
They were making good progress until Kid said, "Hold up, Heyes."
Heyes reined his horse to a halt. "What's the matter?"
"My bedroll's fallen off. Lucky I spotted it." Kid pointed to an object lying in the snow a few hundred yards back along the trail. "Sheesh, can't believe it's come loose, I always tie it on real tight," he griped as he turned his horse and trotted back along the trail to retrieve it.
Jumping down from the saddle he picked up the roll of tarp and blankets and was just about to re-attach it behind his saddle when his attention was drawn to a sound high up on the mountain. Heyes heard it too and looked up. As the noise grew louder he shouted to his partner in alarm.
"Get outta there, Kid!"
Before he could get his foot into the stirrup, Kid's usually placid gelding reared propelling him backwards into the snow before bolting back down the trail, slowing only as he reached the comforting presence of Heyes' mare. Heyes quickly leaned out from the saddle and grabbed its loose rein before it could pass him.
Feeling the ground begin to vibrate Curry found his feet and started to run back towards the horses, both of which Heyes was trying desperately to control, while at the same time keeping his eyes fixed on his partner. Unfortunately, the thundering wall of snow was moving faster down the mountain than the Kid could run so he made a split second decision and rolled himself into a ball half a second before it engulfed him.
"No!" cried Heyes from his vantage point just out of reach of the roaring tide of white. He watched aghast as it buried his friend yet swept completely past him and the horses. When the snow had stopped moving he kicked both feet free of his stirrups, jumped from his mare and sprinted into the deep snow trying all the while to visualize the exact spot where he had last seen his partner.
"Please..., please still be here," he breathed, thrusting his arms into the snow up to his shoulders. Heyes knew that if the avalanche had pushed the Kid down the slope he had very little chance of finding him.
"Jed! Jed!" he shouted, reverting to his cousin's given name as he fought the fear which was starting to grip him. Breathing heavily he moved along a little further, struggling through waist-high snow while frantically searching with hands that were rapidly becoming numb in what he prayed was not going to be Kid's icy grave.
Suddenly, Heyes' hands made contact with something which was too soft to be a rock and he immediately began scooping away great armfuls of snow as fast as he could.
"Jed! Hold on, just hold on!" he shouted as, with untold relief, he began to uncover a sheepskin jacket and a brown hat.
Pulling his partner on top of the snow, Heyes growled in frustration at his numb fingers as he tried to undo the fastenings on the sheepskin jacket so that he could put his ear to his partner's chest. Despite the pounding in his ears from his own exertions he was sure he detected Kid's heartbeat. Re-buttoning the jacket as best he could he knelt in the snow, supporting his partner with one hand and tapping his face sharply with the other. Kid's lips didn't look blue so he guessed he must have been trapped with a pocket of air but he was desperate to see him breathe.
"C'mon, c'mon. Show me you're still with me," he murmured searching his cousin's face for signs of life.
A few more taps to his face and Kid's eyelids finally began to flicker. Heyes smiled and sighed with relief as the blue eyes slowly opened and tried to focus.
"Hey, Kid," he said, shakily.
Curry took a deep breath, coughed and attempted to sit up.
"Take it easy, partner," said Heyes as he helped support his cousin's back. "You hurt anywhere?"
Kid Curry considered this question for a moment attempting to concentrate his mind on his cold limbs. "Don't think so," he replied carefully, then flexed his left shoulder and grimaced. "Well maybe a bruise or two."
"Thought I'd lost you under all that snow. Think you can stand?"
Kid nodded and Heyes helped him to his feet. "Let's get outta here, Kid."
They slowly started back to where Heyes had left the horses. Abruptly Kid stopped, turned around and trudged back towards the pile of snow that had buried him.
"Where are you...?" Heyes began, then rolled his eyes as his partner held up a snow covered bedroll.
ooooo-OOO-ooooo
Two more days in the saddle saw the former outlaws put a good number of miles between themselves and the mountain and they were more than grateful to now be wending their way over gentle hills and through scattered stands of bur and gambel oak. The weather had continued to improve and daytime temperatures were warm for the time of year. Night time ones, however, were not so pleasant.
Despite his protestations that he felt fine after the avalanche Kid Curry had begun to realize how battered his body was and would have happily traded some of the gold to soak in a nice warm bath and sleep in a comfortable bed. However, just before sunset and still with no town in sight, they had little option but to surrender to the fact that they would have to spend yet another night out of doors.
They were both heartily sick of beans and jerky, the supplies of which were now perilously low, so while Heyes set about looking after the horses and making camp Kid volunteered to go in search of some game for supper. Taking the rifle from the scabbard on his saddle he set off through the trees.
Generally speaking, Kid preferred to use his Colt whatever the circumstances - he didn't consider himself a very good shot with a rifle - but he also didn't want to miss out on a possible kill if it happened to be out of range of his revolver. Having found a good location within sight of a small clearing he sat, his back against a tree with the rifle across his knee and his Colt in his hand, and waited patiently.
Little more than twenty minutes later there was a movement between the trees and a small deer stepped into the open space not more than a hundred feet away from his position and started to gently tear at the short grass. Curry smiled to himself; he had a clear, easy shot and he took it...and missed.
The animal looked around in alarm then, with a single leap, it was gone.
Kid sat with his eyes wide and unblinking staring at the spot where, seconds before, the deer had stood. "What the...?" he said out loud as he looked from the gun in his hand to the clearing and back to the gun again. He rotated the cylinder - that moved smoothly. He cocked and un-cocked the hammer a couple of times - that felt fine. Aiming at a small branch on a tree at maximum range he pulled the trigger - the branch splintered and fell to the floor.
"Huh."
Back at the camp Heyes had just got the campfire burning nicely when he heard the shots. He rubbed his hands together with relish at the prospect of fresh meat so he was more than a little surprised to see his cousin return carrying only the rifle over his shoulder.
"Well, what did you get us for supper then?"
"Nothin'," growled Curry, avoiding Heyes' expectant gaze.
"Oh, don't tell me... the critter got the drop on you," Heyes mocked.
Kid Curry slumped down on the ground and leaned against his saddle. "Funny."
Heyes was feeling a little too hungry to play games. "Come on now, Kid! Go fetch whatever you shot, I'm hungry."
"I told you, Heyes, I got nothin'." Kid pulled off his gloves and dropped them into his hat on the ground beside him.
"But, I heard shots!"
"Oh, there was a deer." Kid nodded sagely as he frowned into the flames.
Heyes smiled. "I knew it."
"But, I missed it."
Hannibal Heyes shook his head and chuckled. "I think there must be somethin' wrong with my hearin', Kid, 'cause for a moment there I thought you said you missed it."
"There's nothin' wrong with your hearin', Heyes. That's what I said."
Heyes stared at his cousin. "But...what...how...?" He was having trouble believing that the legendary Kid Curry could possibly have failed to hit his target.
"Dunno. I had a clear shot...but..." Kid shrugged.
"Huh." Heyes sat down heavily on the ground opposite his partner. "Well, I guess there's a first time for everything."
They both sat in stunned silence for a long minute before Heyes asked, "What about the second shot?"
"Oh, I thought I'd make sure there wasn't anythin' wrong with my gun. Tried shootin' at somethin' else."
"What did you do? Try to shoot yourself in the foot and miss that too?" Despite feeling tired and hungry, Heyes just couldn't help himself.
Ice blue eyes narrowed at the sarcasm. "Just leave it, Heyes, or I swear I'll come over there and flatten ya."
Heyes turned his face away in an attempt to suppress a mischievous smile.
While his partner prepared their meal Curry used what was left of the daylight to take his revolver apart, clean it meticulously with gun oil and, after inspecting every piece carefully, reassemble it. He then repeated the whole process just in case he had missed something the first time.
Later that evening, after another disappointing supper of beans and jerky accompanied by a couple of stale biscuits Heyes had found wrapped in a spare bandana at the bottom of his saddlebags, the two men sat silently sipping Heyes' equally disappointing coffee and staring into the glowing embers of the fire.
Glancing sideways at his cousin Heyes sensed his feeling of despondency. He knew how fed up the Kid was with waiting for the Governor to grant them amnesty - they both were. He also knew that the blond had to still be bruised from the avalanche and now, to cap it all, his pride was hurt too. Thinking he knew what might cheer his cousin up he reached over to the saddlebags and pulled out the bag of coins. Heyes frowned. Was it his imagination or did the bag felt heavier than it had when they had found it almost a week ago? Dismissing the idea he took out a single coin and, leaning forward toward the fire, he turned it over in his palm.
Kid's blue eyes blinked sleepily. "What are you doin'?"
"Just having another look at these coins."
"What for? They ain't changed since we looked at them the other day."
"I know that but, they are ours and they are gold," replied Heyes with a broad grin.
"Yeah well, they're no use to us out here in the middle of nowhere," Curry grumbled through a yawn.
"We're not gonna be in the middle of nowhere forever, Kid. In fact, I think there's a pretty good chance we'll reach Tornford sometime tomorrow afternoon."
"Really?" Kid felt his spirits lift a little at the prospect of a return to creature comforts. "Well, you know now, I figure it's my turn for the first bath."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. You always get all the clean hot water."
Heyes pretended to consider this for a moment then smiled impishly as he held up the gold coin. "We could always flip this to see who gets the first bath?"
Kid sighed deeply. "Heads," he called, without too much conviction.
With a flick of his thumb Heyes launched the coin into the air and they both watched it spin, glinting brightly in the firelight. He caught it deftly in one hand and slapped it onto the back of the other. Grinning confidently, Heyes looked down at the coin.
"It's...heads," he said, failing to hide his disbelief.
"What?!" Kid leaned towards Heyes to take a closer look. "Hey, what d' y' know. I get the hot water!" he crowed triumphantly.
Perplexed, Heyes' brow furrowed and he absent-mindedly pushed the errant coin into the pocket of his dusty corduroy vest.
The next morning dawned sunny and warm and the cousins rose in good spirits despite their protesting limbs from yet another night on the cold, hard ground. The prospect of spending a few nights in a hotel room, not to mention the consumption of some wholesome food and a visit to a saloon or two, foremost in their minds.
The land was levelling out and they loped their mounts most of the way in companionable silence. It was just past noon when the Cold River came into view and the trail narrowed a little, bordered on one side by the river and on the other by a natural embankment covered by a mix of sagebrush and greasewood. All they had to do now was follow it downstream to the little town of Tornford.
Alongside the slow-moving river a soft, cool breeze provided some welcome relief from the warmth of the early fall day and so they slowed to a walk in order to enjoy it for a while. The breeze stirred the vegetation into a gentle whisper but neither man noticed the sound, even when it changed to a sudden rustle. Seconds later a ground squirrel broke cover and dashed across the trail almost running over the front hooves of Heyes' mare.
Heyes was an accomplished rider who could easily sit his mount's unpredictable movements - of which there were many - however, as the startled animal jumped sideways in one direction Heyes and his saddle unexpectedly pitched sideways in the other and landed heavily on the dusty track.
Curry, who had been walking on ahead, heard the thud together with his partner's loud "Oooof!" as he hit the ground. He turned his horse. "Heyes?"
Heyes lay on his back staring at the sky, half covered by the saddle and trying desperately to suck air into his lungs. Having been winded a number of times in the past he knew that if he kept calm eventually he would be able to breathe again. It just wasn't a pleasant sensation until he did.
Kid dismounted and ambled over, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Huh, ain't like you to chew gravel," he grinned as he looked down at his prone partner who was now concentrating on breathing deeply.
"What happened?!" Heyes asked incredulously, finally pushing the saddle off his chest. "One minute I was riding along and the next..."
Curry reached down and offered his hand which Heyes gladly grasped and pulled himself to his feet. He stood easing out his back and shoulders before hobbling a few steps to retrieve his old black hat from underneath a bush. Momentarily he considered the possibility that if his horse had jumped in the other direction he may well have ended up in the river and he decided that, if he had a choice, he would rather be dusty than wet.
Kid crouched down and inspected the saddle. "Cinch is broken," he stated.
"Huh?" Heyes was busy brushing the latest deposit of trail dust from his clothes and hat.
"Sheared right through."
"But that's impossible - it's new."
"See for yourself." Kid undid the buckle that still attached one end of the cinch to the saddle and waved the offending piece of tack at his partner. Heyes took it, shaking his head as he examined it closely.
"Aaww, that can't be repaired," he grumbled. "You ever seen a cinch break on its own like that?"
"Nope."
"Neither have I. I've seen a few look like that when they've been cut through but I think I'd have noticed if anything was wrong with it before we left Fourtrees. We didn't leave town in that much of a hurry."
Kid heaved the saddle back onto Heyes' mare and tied some latigos together, looping them underneath the horse to hold the saddle in place. "Well, it looks like we're gonna be ridin' double for the last few miles," he stated.
Not relishing the thought of bouncing around behind the high cantle of Kid's saddle for even a single mile, Heyes closed his eyes and groaned.
ooooo-OOO-ooooo
The small town of Tornford was tucked into the bend of the river as it turned south on its way towards the Great Salt Lake. It looked, sounded and smelled exactly like a hundred other small towns they had passed through.
Having noted the location of the hotel, the saloon and the Sheriff's office which, thankfully displayed a name they weren't familiar with, they headed straight for the livery stable.
The livery owner came out, called a greeting and regarded them with curiosity as Heyes stiffly slid down from behind Kid's saddle. They both looked on as the man inspected the damaged cinch and confirmed that it was indeed beyond repair. Heyes begrudgingly paid him a few dollars to obtain a new one as well as for a couple of days' stabling for the horses before they shouldered their saddlebags and, carrying their rifles and bedrolls, crossed the main street to the small hotel.
The hotel's desk clerk emerged promptly from the back office in response to a sharp tap on the ornate counter bell.
"We'd like a room at the front of the hotel and a bath please, in that order," requested Heyes, flexing his back before leaning stiffly on the desk.
"I only got a room at the back with one small bed and a cot," said the man as he studied his register.
"Beg pardon?" Heyes queried. This did not make sense. Tornford was just a small one horse town on the way to nowhere in particular.
"That's all I got."
Heyes nodded, slowly. "That's all you got."
"The boarding house at the other end of town had a fire so everyone moved over here." The clerk tried to sound apologetic but he didn't succeed. The partners exchanged a tired glance.
"Guess we'd better take what you got then," said Kid. "Now about that bath..."
"No hot water."
"What?" Curry's tone was starting to take on an edge.
"Too late," was the unhelpful explanation.
Kid's jaw tightened. "It's only just past noon."
Aware of his cousin's rising temper Heyes threw the man a tight lipped smile as he asked, "Is there a bath house in town?"
Neither of them particularly liked using a public bath house, preferring the privacy of their hotel room but if there was no alternative...
"Chinese fella runs one, round back of the livery."
S#*t and soap, thought Heyes, stifling a moan. Great combination.
The clerk turned the register round for the two men to sign. As they did so he removed the last remaining key from a board of empty hooks on the wall behind him. "That'll be four dollars."
"That's for the week?" queried Kid.
"For tonight."
"Four dollars! For one bed and a cot?!" Curry's right hand was starting to stray dangerously close to his holster. He also had a niggling suspicion as to who would end up sleeping on the cot.
"That's today's price," shrugged the clerk, totally unfazed by Kid's tone. "Take it or leave it."
"That had better include breakfast." Curry gave the clerk an icy stare as he begrudgingly produced four silver dollars from his vest pocket and snatched the proffered room key.
"Sheesh," he muttered, as they made their way up the stairs. "And they want to lock us up for 20 years for robbin' people."
The room was, as they had expected, small - extremely small, in fact - and overlooked the alley at the rear of the hotel, just above the kitchen. Kid walked resolutely over to the cot and dropped his bedroll onto it. Heyes watched him with some amusement.
"Don't you want to flip a coin, Kid."
Curry shook his head. "Uh, uh. No point, Heyes, 'cause I know you'd get the bed."
"You won when we flipped for the hot water yesterday, remember?"
"Hmph! Yeah, that worked out real good."
Heyes fought to suppress a smile. "If that's how you want to play it, then we'll swap tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow night? At these prices!."
Heyes laid his hand on his cousin's shoulder and pushed him through the door. "C'mon, let's go find this bath house."
Still carrying their saddlebags over their shoulders the two men retraced their steps down the stairs and out into the street. Kid continued his icy glare at the clerk as they passed the front desk.
The bath house was indeed behind the livery stable but was not quite as bad as they had imagined. The ex-outlaws managed to get two large round wooden tubs together in a room for which the dour Chinese owner charged them fifty cents each for hot water with a small piece of lye soap and ten cents each for a very thin, but clean, towel. Upon reflection they had to admit this was probably better value for money than a bath at the overpriced hotel would have been.
Dressed in their only change of clothes they left their dirty laundry at the bath house to be washed and made their way along the street to a cafe for something to eat.
An hour later and Kid Curry was feeling a lot more amiable. His stomach was no longer rumbling; it was now comfortably full of fried chicken and vegetables together with two helpings of apple pie and fresh whipped cream. He sat back in his chair in the Satisfaction Cafe with a contented sigh, closed his eyes and stretched out his legs under the table.
Hannibal Heyes took a mouthful of his second cup of coffee and regarded his cousin with amused affection. There was no doubt about it - Jed sure could eat. Sometimes Heyes wondered if the man was still making up for lost time. During their stay at the Valparaiso Home for Waywards the food had been neither plentiful or appetizing, and they had suffered five years of it before running away. After that they were still hungry more times than he cared to remember until they had got better at stealing, that is. Exactly how the Kid had managed to grow from a small scrawny boy into the tall, strong man before him now was beyond his comprehension.
"You done eatin' for now?" he asked.
Kid forced his eyes open. "For now."
"Well, if you think you can still walk with the weight of all that food you've just taken in, we need to pay a visit to that assay office we passed on the way here." Heyes leaned forward and lowered his voice. "This gold is starting to make my saddlebags feel real heavy. I don't want to be carrying it around any longer than I have to."
At the mention of the gold Kid's eyes shone. "Good idea, Heyes," he whispered. "I wanna find out how rich we are."
ooooo-OOO-ooooo
"We'll have to decided what we're going to do with the gold once we've had it valued," said Heyes as they walked back down the main street. "If they will only buy part of it at the assay office then we could keep the rest somewhere safe...like a bank." He chuckled. "Now, wouldn't that be something; us walkin' into a bank and making a deposit - instead of a two o'clock in the mornin' withdrawal."
Kid flashed his cousin a wide grin. "That would be somethin' alright."
A small bell tinkled as they let themselves into the assay office which, in many ways, felt like a small version of a bank. Both men were aware of a slight familiar tingle.
Right in front of them was a large bankers cage with a counter on which stood a set of gold scales and weights. Through the bars they could see a door, which was slightly ajar, leading to an office. Through the opening Heyes spied part of what could only be a safe. Brown eyes lingered on the door a moment longer than they really should have. He involuntarily rubbed his thumb back and forth against the fingers of his right hand, re-living the sensation of the tumblers falling into place.
Herman Kisling sat within the bankers cage, his brow knotted in concentration as he studied a large leather-bound ledger. He was a short, stout man in his early forties, his hair already greying and thinning but his bushy moustache belying the light brown of its original colour. He looked up and over his small round spectacles as the two men approached. These two didn't look like your usual run-of-the-mill prospectors, he thought. They were a might clean for that. He also couldn't help but notice the low slung gun belts with the tied down holsters and his shoulders stiffened with apprehension.
"Herman Kisling at your service. What can I do for you, gentlemen?" he asked pleasantly.
"We've got some gold we'd like you to take a look at, Mister Kisling," said Heyes cheerily, reaching into his saddlebags and taking out the canvas bag which he placed on the counter. He pushed it through the gap under the bars.
Herman Kisling picked up the bag and undid the string tie which was holding it closed. Peering inside his eyes widened growing larger as he removed one of the coins.
"Kinda unusual, ain't it?" said Kid.
"It most certainly is," remarked Herman. "How many do you have here?"
"A lot," said Heyes, pleased at the man's reaction.
"It appears to be gold, but I will need to test it to be certain."
"Fine," nodded Curry. "Test away!"
Turning to a table behind him Herman began rubbing the coin against a large black stone until it left a clear mark. Then, having selected a small bottle from a number of others lined up on a rack he removed the stopper and, with a dropper, applied some of the liquid to the mark. The gold mark remained on the stone. He then chose another bottle and dripped a small amount of a different liquid onto the mark. This time it disappeared.
"It's gold alright," he confirmed as he turned back to the two expectant faces at the counter. "Very pure too." Placing the bag on the scales, Herman balanced it out with a few well chosen weights.
Heyes and Curry exchanged a grin.
Herman's eyes weren't what they used to be, even with his spectacles, so he opened a drawer and took out a hand lens in order to examine one of the coins more closely. A few seconds later his expression turned cold and he quickly returned the coin to the bag and pushed it back towards Heyes.
"So, how much will you give us for it?" asked Heyes.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?! But, you just said it's high quality."
"Look if y' ain't got enough money in your safe we don't need to sell it all at once," offered Kid.
"Oh, it's got nothing to do with how much it's worth, gentlemen."
"So, what is it?" Kid leaned forward on the counter. He was trying his best to keep his tone civil but he could feel his temper rising for the second time that day.
"It's just..." Herman backed up a step and ran a finger nervously around the inside of his collar. "Have you ever heard of Montezuma?"
Curry shook his head while Heyes narrowed his eyes in thought before answering. "He was a king down in Mexico, right?"
Herman nodded at Heyes as he continued. "That's right. Well, there's a legend hereabouts that hundreds of years ago Montezuma sent his gold north to keep it safe. Eight thousand Aztec warriors brought it here, all the way from Mexico, to hide it."
"From Mexico. To Utah." Curry was sceptical. "They sure came a long way to hide one li'l ol' bag of coins."
"No, no. This would only be a small part of it. A very small part, indeed. The legend says they had a vast quantity of gold and they hid it up in the mountains somewhere."
"And just who were these Mexicans hidin' it from?" Kid wasn't buying too much of this man's story.
"From the Conquistadors."
"Con-kister what?"
Heyes turned to his cousin. "Conquistadors. They were soldiers from Spain," he explained. Curry swiftly nodded his comprehension then returned his gaze to Herman. "Go on."
Herman cleared his throat nervously. "Well, it's said that before they hid the treasure their high priest held a special ceremony. He made a blood sacrifice, a human one by all accounts, and then put a curse on the gold in order to keep it safe."
Curry took a steadying breath. "A curse," he said derisively as he raised his eyebrows at Heyes.
Herman nodded his head and swallowed hard as Kid's blue eyes once again bored into him.
"What sorta curse?"
"A nasty one, I'm afraid. It is said that whoever is in possession of Aztec gold is cursed with bad luck. Real bad luck. So bad it would eventually lead to their death."
"And that's why you won't buy it," stated Heyes.
"Das stimmt." At two puzzled expressions Herman shook his head and elucidated, "er, that's right."
Picking up the canvas bag Heyes jingled the coins in his palm. "Where would you suggest we take it then - to sell it?"
"It won't matter where you take it. Nobody will buy it."
Heyes and Curry exchanged another glance.
"How do you know that?" Heyes couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I just do. Everyone in the gold business - in these parts anyway - has heard the story of Montezuma's gold. I suppose you could try keeping it until you get a little farther south but, with that curse, you probably won't make it very far."
"So, what do you suggest we do with it?" Kid asked evenly.
Kisling looked nervously from one man to the other knowing that this piece of advice would not be well received. "Well, to be brutally honest, gentlemen...I'd just get rid of it."
"Aaaww, come on now! How do you propose we do that if no one will buy it?" asked a bemused Hannibal Heyes.
"Any way you can! Bury it, throw it away, anything; but do it soon, before the curse gets you killed."
"Pfftt. Curse," scoffed Kid again, throwing Herman a disgusted look before turning his back to the counter and taking a step towards the door. "C'mon, Joshua, let's go."
Heyes made to follow him then stopped and held up a gloved forefinger. "Just a minute." Turning back to the man who was visibly starting to relax now that they were leaving, he asked. "Okay, Mister Kisling, let's suppose for a moment that this isn't Aztec gold. What would it be worth?"
"Oh, I really couldn't say."
Heyes' brown eyes hardened as did his tone. "I suggest you try."
A bead of sweat began to meander down the side of Herman's face. He looked at the weights that he had put on the scales and pushed out his bottom lip as he considered the question.
"Er...I'd say... considering its purity... at today's price..." Herman cleared his throat. "Maybe, ten thousand dollars."
Heyes pressed his lips together and ran his tongue across his front teeth. Without a word he stuffed the bag of coins back into his saddlebags and followed his cousin out onto the street.
Not needing to consult with one another they automatically strode toward the saloon, each man lost in his own thoughts. Pushing their way through the batwing doors they leaned on the bar with their heads bowed while the bartender poured two beers before settling themselves at a table near the far wall. Heyes dropped the heavy saddlebags at his feet and they both took a long draught of beer.
Kid eventually stopped staring blankly at the tabletop and broke the silence. "Well, what d'ya make of all that?" he asked.
"I'm sure I don't know," replied Heyes. He still felt a little stunned. "It never occurred to me for one minute that we wouldn't be able to sell it."
"Do you think he was right about it bein' Mexican?"
"He could be right, I suppose. Those coins do look strange."
Curry took another swig of his beer before lounging back in his chair. "And what about the curse? Could there be any truth in it?"
"Cursed gold?" Heyes snorted before considering the idea again. "I dunno, Kid. When you think about it, we have been a might unlucky lately but...," he shrugged, "it may just be nothing more than co-incidence."
"Well, with the kinda luck we have, Heyes, do we need to carry more bad luck around with us?"
"Okay then, do you wanna do what he suggested and get rid of it?"
Kid looked incredulously at his partner. "Hell no! I was just wonderin' that's all." He lowered his voice. "Can you imagine us throwin' ten thousand dollars away?"
"No," Heyes chuckled.
"So, you got a plan?" Kid cast his eyes cautiously around the saloon. "That gold's not a lot of good just sittin' there in your saddlebags."
"Well, I think we should stay here in Tornford for the next day or two and..."
"At the price that bandit's chargin' for the cupboard he's callin' a room?" Kid interrupted.
Heyes closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath before regarding his cousin with some irritation.
"As I was saying, I think we should stay here in Tornford and rest up. Don't know about you but I wouldn't mind soakin' my achin' back and the bruises from that fall in another warm bath." He caught his cousin's dubious glance. "Look, we've got enough money from that delivery job to enjoy ourselves a bit. We never got to spend hardly any of it in Four Trees. I could top up our stake playing a little poker, you could have some fun," he aimed a lewd grin at Kid, "and then we could try the next town, see if someone there will buy the gold."
Curry's brow creased as he considered this for a minute, then he gave a single nod. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said, chinking his glass against his partner's.