Beaver Hollow was nestled in the heart of the Murfree gang territory, though according to John and Charles, the Murfree gang had taken quite a hit from Dutch and his men. The Murfree gang was scattered - hence why they might have attacked the Pinkertons. Beaver Hollow used to be their hideout, where they took their victims. It did not sound pleasant. It had been the Murfree gang that had killed Cal Balfour - Arthur had no love or pity for that gang. Dutch had actually done something good for once.
It was a beautiful country, nonetheless. It reminded Arthur of his home, with the lush tall trees and rolling hills. Yet it made him nervous, having to meet Dutch again, who would not be happy to see Arthur return. But if Hosea was gone, this was the only way of finding out where he was.
That, and he had to tell Dutch that Micah was a rat. Somehow.
Arthur led the four of them around the mountain path that led to Beaver Hollow. He was expecting to see a scout at any moment, and lo and behold, Bill shouted, "Who goes there?!"
"It's me, Arthur!" Arthur called out. Bill looked the same as usual, if a little worn and a bit more beer-bellied. Bill didn't look exactly amused Arthur was there and Arthur didn't blame him.
The camp was set up with several large tents and one table, with an entrance to a cave at the base of the hill. Notably lacking was Grimshaw's tent, though Pearson's wagon was still there. There were at least six men Arthur didn't know standing around camp, guns in their hands and looking ready to shoot at any moment. Cleet and Joe were in the mix, though Arthur still couldn't tell who was who.
Dutch sat at the largest tent, the fabric pulled back to reveal a table and some chairs inside. He was pouring over a map and looked startled once he saw the new company. He set aside his cigar and went to go meet with Arthur. Despite living amongst a camp of newfound ruffians who didn't know how to bathe properly, Dutch still managed to look pristine with his black pants, black shirt, with a crisp red and black vest.
As luck would have it, Micah did not seem to be with the camp. Arthur dismounted his horse and waited for Dutch to greet him. He had tried to dress his best that day, with dark pants, pressed white shirt, and white vest. He wore a leather jacket on top - there was a mountain chill in the air that day.
John went to go stand by Arthur, which he was grateful for. Dutch's old proteges had returned.
"John! Arthur, son. What's happened to you?" Dutch asked as he stopped a few feet from him. "You don't seem yourself."
"I ain't, but that's not the point. Can I speak to you, in private?" Arthur motioned toward the cave.
"Sure. Follow me." Dutch sounded skeptical, but willing to talk.
That was a positive in Arthur's point of view. He looked back to Sadie and Charles. "Wait here." Sadie gave a firm nod in response. They hadn't dismounted from their horses.
"You'll have to excuse the mess. The Murfree's were not so kind in giving this up," Dutch said and motioned to a mess of blood at the entrance of the cave. They only made it to the front of the cave, just out of everybody's hearing. "Javier told me you lot might be coming. I hadn't thought it would be so soon."
"I don't see everybody," John stated as he looked back over the camp. "Pearson? Ms. Grimshaw? Karen?"
"Gone. Couldn't see the bigger picture. Nobody left besides Bill, Javier, Micah, and myself. Does that make you happy?" Dutch asked, his voice sour.
"No, it don't. I don't like seein' the gang like this - but that ain't what we are here for. Where's Hosea?" Arthur asked.
Dutch's eyes turned to steel. "Somewhere to the Grizzlie's East. Wouldn't tell me. He was the last one to leave. We've been so close to money, real money, Arthur. But every time we almost had it, people left!"
"And I'm sorry to hear that. But you should know somethin'." Arthur shuffled his feet and coughed lightly into his hand. "Pinkertons will be comin'. They got me a couple days ago - I managed to escape. But they told me Micah ratted you out-"
"Oh, Arthur, get real. Micah is the ONLY one who ever believed in my plan!" Dutch exclaimed. "You expect me to believe this? You always hated him."
"No. I did not expect you to believe it," Arthur affirmed. He adjusted his vest and looked at John. "That's all we came here for. We ain't gonna try to convince ya. But we can say we tried. We owe you that much."
"Is that all you came for?"
"Pretty much," John replied. "We got families, Dutch. It ain't all games anymore."
A lone scream sounded from the cave, startling the two of them. Dutch seemed unphased. "Do me a favor, then. There's a woman in there the Murfree's had locked up. She's rabid and has refused our help."
"Did you even offer her any?" Arthur growled. "And can you blame her? The men you recruited ain't much better than any of those Murfrees!"
"Don't overstep, Arthur. You're in my camp. Don't overstay your welcome," Dutch warned and backed off.
"Christsakes," Arthur muttered. "Would you mind grabbin' Sadie, John? It might help if a woman's there for her. I'll head in first." He went to the cavern wall and grabbed a lantern, then made his way into the cave. He was furious. Arthur could care less about the Murfree's - the fact Dutch hadn't even bothered to rescue an enslaved woman showed just how much Dutch only cared for himself.
The cave was an unlit, winding path of twists and turns. Arthur went slow, not sure of what was still lurking in the shadows. There was one lone light at the end of the cave, down a slope, where the woman must be located. Arthur skirted down the slope and made his way towards a wooden cage. There was a sickening stench of human waste and death in the air. More empty cages were stacked against each other, thankfully all empty.
The woman was huddled in a corner, her head on her knees as she sobbed loudly. There was a key on a table right next to the cage; Dutch hadn't even bothered unlocking it. Or had left it so the other men could have access. Arthur angrily set the lantern on the table and grabbed the key.
"You okay?" Arthur asked as he went to unlock the door.
The woman answered with a piercing scream. Arthur's heart sunk once he realized how young she actually was. She was just a young girl, no older than fifteen or sixteen. He could see she was only dressed in her underclothing, which was torn and bloodied in places. She bore bruises on her arms and face and it suddenly felt like deja vu. It was like finding Sadie all over again. Yet this time, Dutch hadn't bothered to save her. She had nothing to offer Dutch. Nothing for him to gain.
"I ain't gonna hurt you," Arthur said as he opened the lock. He swung open the door and took a few steps back. "I can take you home, if you want."
She only hugged herself tighter and sobbed in her corner. If Dutch let any of the men touch her - Arthur could feel his blood boiling at the thought of it. How far had Dutch really fallen?
A hand rested on his shoulder and he turned to see Sadie. She looked clearly upset with tears in her eyes. "This ain't right," she whispered. "I'm just as angry as you, Arthur. Dutch will answer for this later." Sadie left him and kneeled by the opening of the cage. "I'm Sadie, Sadie Adler. This man here is my… intended. We ain't a part of the gang outside, but they lettin' us take you home. Where do you live?"
The girl sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "An-Annesburg."
"You got family?"
"My ma."
Sadie nodded and held out a hand. "We'll take you home. Can you walk just fine?"
The girl got to her feet slowly and stumbled a bit. Sadie went to catch her and helped her out, though the girl struggled to stay on her feet. The underclothing did little for her modesty. Arthur shrugged off his jacket and placed it around the girl's shoulders, then scooped her up. Even though Arthur had lost a lot of strength, the girl was still nothing as if she were a pile of feathers.
Sadie grabbed a lantern and they left the cave together. John waited at the entrance, his hand on his pistol. He shoulders relaxed a little once he saw them. "Where to?" he asked.
"Annesburg." Arthur went to the middle of the camp where Charles still waited on his horse. He went over to him and lifted the girl to sit in front of Charles. "He's a good man, miss. You don't have to worry about him."
"What's your name?" Charles asked.
"Meredith," she responded, her voice quiet. She shut her eyes and dug her face into Charles' chest. "Get me out of here, oh please."
The rest of them got on their horses and started leaving, the glares of the unknown men following them out. Arthur waited to follow, then said one last thing to Dutch. "I loved you like a father, Dutch. But you ain't the same man I once knew."
Dutch stood at his tent with his arms crossed, his face dark. "I haven't changed, Arthur."
"Maybe you ain't, and I'm just seein' you for who you really are, for the first time. You lost your priorities somewhere, Dutch. And I ain't gonna wait for you to get straight."
"You have proven that already."
Arthur didn't know what else to say. He clicked for Roy to move forward, and soon he caught up with Sadie and the others. Arthur didn't like the fact that Micah had been missing. It either proved that Micah was working for the Pinkertons, or Micah just happened to be out. Either way, Arthur did what he had wanted to do.
Only thing left was to find Hosea. The Grizzlies East was a wild, mountainous area. Perfect for hiding away from everyone, which was most likely his goal. As it was already October, winter would set in soon and if there was snow, the journey through the Grizzlies would be difficult. Had Arthur been in better health, he'd consider making the trip out. He would talk it over with Sadie later and see what they could do about it.
They arrived in Annesburg late that night and stopped in front of Meredith's house. It was a square house plastered in a row of other houses - all homes for the miners. Arthur hopped off his horse and went to lift Meredith down. She was pale and still too weak to stand, but she'd survive. Sadie knocked on the door and they waited anxiously for it to open.
It creaked open and a woman peeked through the crack. She suddenly gasped and the door flung open. "Meredith!" It was obvious the older woman had been crying, as her eyes were red. She went down the steps briskly to meet her. "Heavens above, you're alive!"
"Hi, ma," Meredith said tiredly. She held out her hand to her mother, who took it and let out a sob. She led them up the few stairs and into the house.
"Set her here," the mother said, pointing to a bed in the corner of the tiny house.
Arthur set her down tenderly and turned to leave.
"Wait, mister." Meredith sat up and shrugged out of the jacket he had given her. "This is yours."
"Thank you, miss. You take care now." Arthur accepted the jacket and tipped his hat to her. He went outside and pulled on the jacket. Now that it was dark and they were by the bay, there was a strong, cold breeze and he had been missing his jacket immensely.
Sadie pulled the mother aside. "The Murfree gang had her. They gone now, but..." she looked to where Meredith had snuggled up under the covers. "They done things to her. It ain't gonna be easy for her."
The mother's eyes welled up with tears. "I'll take care of her. Thank you so much." She dug into her skirts and pulled out a bracelet. "I don't have much, but take this. Please."
"We don't need it, ma'am." Arthur pulled Sadie down the steps and to the horses. He could see the family didn't have much to survive on. There were makeshift beds in the house and children's playthings jammed in the tiny house - that family already had too many mouths to feed. "Let's make our way home."
The group had made a quick camp on the outskirts of Annesburg, not wanting to ride another few hours home. Then they had woken early and set off just as the sun began to rise. It was a cold morning and everyone had slept poorly. They only made small conversation. It wasn't until they made it back home and sat in Arthur's living room where they discussed what the plan was.
"I'll go find Hosea," Charles said. He held a cup of coffee in his hands. "If only to find out where he's living."
"Thank you, I'd appreciate that," Arthur remarked. He stood by the front door, dressed in thick pants and his heavy jacket. He would be hard at work preparing the house for winter, meaning lots of firewood. They had a proper stove and fireplace now, thanks to Charlotte, which would be useful come winter.
"Do you want me to invite him to live here?"
"It's up to him," Arthur said with a grimace. "He might not even be well enough to travel. We won't know until you find him. For now…" he looked around the room at everyone. "We just keep tryin' to make this work round here. John and I can work on can work on buildin' more fences. Might grab another pig or two, within a week."
"What's our goal, here? What do you wanna do with this place?" John asked. He sat on the new blue couch in the room with Abigail, his legs crossed and a glass of whiskey in his hand.
"Well… I dunno. Might buy some horses from Kieran, run my own stable. He might be able to get me some horses with legit papers. Start breedin' them. If there's anythin' I know best besides fightin', it's horses. Gotta get lumber for a stable down the road."
"Huh." John took a sip of his drink. "We got lucky with that money from the O'Driscolls. I admit, it's been odd, stayin' in one place. Sleepin' in a bed."
Abigail put a hand on his knee and smiled at him. "It's been nice. John and I were thinkin' of buying our own land, not too far from here."
"But those Pinkertons are awfully close, and they know us by name," John said. "I ain't committin' to anythin' until I know it's safe to live here. I know this is your house and land, Arthur. But you gotta admit you worried, too."
Arthur scratched his beard in thought. "I hope that won't be the case. We will lay low - Dutch is distractin' enough as it is for the Pinkertons. They only got lucky with me."
"Let's hope so."
"Arthur… we were talkin'," Abigail began. "It's gettin' cold outside. We don't want you to sleep out there anymore. If you won't sleep in your room, sleep on the couch."
"I don't wanna get you sick," Arthur disagreed. "I won't. Besides, I can handle it out there. Plenty of blankets."
"The cold weather is only going to make it worse."
"No. I ain't gonna do that. Excuse me." Arthur put on his hat and exited the house. He appreciated that they were willing to let him sleep in the house. He just couldn't risk it, especially in close confines. If one of them got sick… Arthur wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He wouldn't change his mind.