DUE EAST OF CITADEL ROCK
THE HEARTLANDS
NEW HANNOVER, UNITED STATES
"It's miserable." Danny said, wiping his nose. The rain had been coming down since they left St. Denis. And it had rained for almost the entire trip over. Arthur paid for all of Danny's provisions as they made their way out of the Bayou and up to the plains. He didn't talk much, Danny noted. He coughed occasionally and asked a few questions.
Waller was a great steed while going steady but quickly tired on the long fast stretches. Harlow, Arthur's White Arabian, didn't even blink the entire ride. Eventually, they had made it just north of Twin Stack Pass when Arthur began looking to the ridgeline.
"What are you looking for?" Danny asked.
"Indians." Arthur replied quietly. "One Indian, particularly."
The rain had broken about an hour earlier, but the ground was turned to mud, and the horses were getting stuck and slowed more frequently. Danny ate some salted beef Arthur had bought from a trade post near Lakay. It was chewy but satisfying.
Eventually, they made it to a specific point where many roads converged and went their separate ways. Arthur slowed Harlow.
"Woaw girl, woaw." She trotted, and then stopped. "We're supposed to meet around here." Arthur began scanning the horizon.
"Over there." Danny said, pointing to a group of trees. A small fire and smoke were visible from their location.
"Good eye." Arthur said, clicking his lips. Harlow began trotting towards the treeline. Danny followed with Waller.
As they drew closer, it became more apparent that it was their target.
"Mr. Morgan." A voice jumped from beside the camp fire. "You came."
"Said I would" He dismounted, smacking his hands together.
"And you brought company." The man noted, looking to Danny.
"Eagle Flies, this is Danny Moses."
Danny dismounted and moved towards the man to shake his hand.
"I'm glad you've both come. We're going to need a skilled hand for this job." Eagle Flies pulled a pair of binoculars from his sack. "Look to the horizon, down the hill."
Arthur took the binoculars and followed the instructions. There, in the valley, was Cornwall Kerosene & Tar.
"There's a foreman. His name is Danbury. He has the files in the office above the refinery room. It's the window with the blind drawn up."
"I see it" Arthur handed Danny the binoculars; Danny began scanning the building.
"If the files are as incriminating as we believe, Mr. Cornwall's men will destroy them if they know you're coming."
"There's only two of us, son. I don't intend to let them know I'm coming."
Danny passed the binoculars back to Eagle Flies.
"There'll be a report from the Leland Oil Development Company"
"And you've got the money?" Arthur turned to face Eagle Flies.
"Yes." He replied curtly.
"Any ideas how we could get into this place?"
"Crawl under the fence, or board one of the wagons that goes in and out." Eagle Flies said. "It's up to you, but do it quick. One of the wagons should be coming around any minute. I can't be involved, so I'm leaving." He walked over to his small fire and began stomping it out. "Good luck. I'll be waiting over the hill for you. If you can't meet me, I'll be in Valentine."
The Indian took off for the hill quietly, making sure to not be seen by the wagoners below.
"Follow my lead, keep the Lancaster on your back. Do you have a pistol?" Arthur asked Danny.
"No."
"Take this one. Do not lose it. Crack the bottom barrel to load it."
Danny struggled to figure out the latch. Arthur grabbed the gun from his hands.
"Like this." He scoffed. "It's an 8-round clip. She reloads like the Lancaster, from the bottom with the lever, you see boy?"
"Yeah." Danny grasped the pistol and cranked the lever a few times, catching the bullets and reloading them. "I get it."
"Good. Keep a cool head. We don't want any shots ringing off before they need to."
"You think we'll be shootin'?" Danny's voice trembled.
"Oh, with the way my lucks been going, son its inevitable. You ever killed a man?" Arthur motioned Danny to follow him down the slight slope which lead to the railroad below.
"Never."
"Best not to think about it. I'll do most of the shootin' if things go sour. I'll need you to back me up though." Arthur said.
"Alright. I will." Danny replied.
The duo made their way to the supplies wagon which had stopped briefly for a small passenger train rolling by from Valentine. Once the train had cleared, Arthur and Danny were already huddled down in the back of the supplies, covered by a canvas blanket. The two waggoneers were gabbing on endlessly and chiding each other so often that any noise the boys made would be covered by their drunken laughter and screams. The wagon made its way across the lower plain and entered the back of the compound from the west. Once inside, Arthur made a motion to sit up, and hop off the wagon. They did so quietly, before the wagon had stopped, and made their way for an unguarded, unlit door on the side of the factory. Arthur took the lead, opening the door, checking inside for any workmen or guards who would be straggling around at this time; most likely bored to death and sleeping. Only a few workmen were visible.
"Follow me." Arthur whispered. Danny crept behind him and they entered the factory floor. Weaving around some of the machinery, Arthur caught the first workman by chance. He was bending over and Arthur knocked him on the back of the head with his rifle butt. The man crumpled to the floor. Danny followed Arthur closely as they made their way through the building, up the rear stairs, and cautiously past the sleeping guard in the corner. Suddenly they heard a voice.
"Hey, what are you two doing here?"
It was a young man, no more than 25. He was dressed in the casual clothes of a workman. The look of understanding crossed the young man's eyes as he finished the sentence. In a moment, a decision had to be made. Would the young man sound the alarm for more guards to come, risking his life, most likely to die on the second floor of a tarring factory at 25, or would he stay silent, look the other direction, and walk away. Alternatively, he may not really understand who they are, and totally misjudge the situation. Arthur instantly reached into his pocket and pulled out a long thin knife. As quick as a flash, the knife exited his hand and flung as a bullet through the air into the man's throat. The young boy clutched his throat where the knife entered, and he began cough and gargling for air. He ripped the knife from his neck as blood started pouring into his hands and down his chest. The look of sheer panic crossed his eyes. He stared at Arthur blindly as he choked on his own froth and blood.
Arthur made a single sign with his hand, to keep Danny down. It was just his hand, held out, as if to keep Danny safe from the man, even though there was no danger. The boy coughed and hacked for half a minute before he finally rested silently in a pool of his own blood.
Danny stood there, under Arthur's watchful hand, motionless. The blood had drained from his face and eyes. Danny was pale and limp. He felt extremely ill.
"I'm sorry." Arthur said. Danny didn't know to whom. "We have to go." He pointed down the walkway to the office Eagle Flies had indicated was their match. Danny clung to Arthur like a wet cloth and said nothing until they were safely behind the door of Mr. Danbury's office.
"Ah." Arthur started. "You must be Danbury."
"Who?" The man replied. Arthur picked up a chair nearby, jamming it underneath the doorknob. "What?"
"Quieten yourself, friend, this won't take long." He continued. Danny stood motionless by the door, paralyzed with fear. Arthur walked up to the small desk where Mr. Danbury was sitting, leaned over, grabbed him by the collar and ripped Mr. Danbury over the desk, throwing him onto the floor near Danny's feet.
"Danbury."
"Yes—?" The man cowered.
"I need some papers, my friend—nothing important—a file, I'm from head office." Arthur stood looming over Danbury, his fist clenched.
"You're not from head office!" The man choked. Immediately, Arthur brought his fist down upon the man's face, sending him back into the ground.
"Does that seem important right now?" Arthur asked, moving over.
"No…" Mr. Danbury, now bloodied, sputtered.
"I need a file by the Leland Oil Development Company. The one about oil near Wapiti."
"I…I…. they'll kill me." He moved back against the wall, standing himself up.
"Mr—Abraham…" Arthur turned to Danny. "Why don't you come here, show Mr. Danbury that pretty gun I just gave you."
Danny stood still, staring down Arthur without a word.
"I said, Mr. Abraham, why don't you show that gun to Mr. Danbury."
Finally, Danny moved. He pulled the pistol from his pocket, pointing the golden long barrel at Danbury. The man cowered, covering his face.
"Okay!" He shouted. "It's here, it's here. No need for that." He moved over to the desk, opening the drawers. From the top drawer, he pulled a red and brown leather bookfold and threw it on the desk to Arthur. Arthur grabbed it, opened the fold checking for the words Leland. He threw the bookfold to Danny.
"You done good, Mr. Danbury. Real good. They'll give you a promotion for this."
"Unlikely. They'll kill me." Danbury replied.
"Then I guess you might want to jump out the window with us, and make a run for it."
Danbury looked to the window. Danny was flipping through the pages of the bookfold. In it were a few different documents pertaining to the Leland Oil Development, and the Oil Development Plan. Danny pulled them from the pouch to read them closer.
There was a sudden knock at the door. Danny jolted.
"Danbury, are you alright?"
"Oh dear. Now Danbury, you're just gonna tell those gentlemen that you're just fine. You wouldn't want to end up with me coming back for a visit from head office now, would ya?" Arthur asked.
"I'm—fine." Danbury replied loudly. "Just working."
The footsteps from behind the door began to move away, and finally they disappeared. Danny continued reading the documents. In bold writing, underneath the Leland Companies name was 'subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company'.
"Standard Oil?" Danny questioned aloud.
"What?" Arthur muttered, making a move for the window.
"These documents belong to Standard Oil."
"What do I care?" Arthur slid the window open, looking outside.
"The biggest oil company in the world? Your man Cornwall has the most powerful friend in the United States." Danny said, his eyes ablaze. "My daddy—my daddy worked for Standard. They worked him to the bone."
"They won't miss these papers. We're a long way from wherever they are I'm sure." Arthur started moving out of the window, motioning for Danny to follow. Danny slid the documents into the bookfold again and then followed Arthur onto the roof. It was corrugated steel, and extremely slippery from the rain.
"Oh they will. Rockefeller doesn't miss a thing. You know he had my ole man put 38 rivets in the barrels because 40 was a waste, and at 37, they'd leak. The man's a freakshow. He'll shit all ov—"
Before Danny could get the words out, he'd slipped on the wet steel and began sliding down the roof. Arthur reached out quickly to grab him but fell himself. They both slid down the roof, clamoring around for a ridge or bolt to stop themselves. Both men fell off the edge and landed on the ground with a loud clamour. A few guards nearby rushed over to the scene. Arthur and Danny were doubled over, getting back onto their feet.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in." One of the guards laughed. "Gentlemen, of course, I'm going to have to demand your weapons."
"I figured—you would." Arthur coughed a few times. "And I will obviously have to decli—"
Before the sentence was finished, he'd reached for a silver Schofield revolver in his pocket and blasted 3 shots. One into the first man's head, the second, into the second man's chest, and the third, into the third man's groin. They all doubled over, two screaming in agony.
At that moment, a billowing soundwave blasted past both Arthur and Danny, nearly knocking them over. The oil derrick at the edge of the long yard had burst into flames like a pillar of fire from heaven in the night.
"Well—shit." Arthur spat. A throng of men were galloping into the yard, hollering and screaming. They fired off their guns angrily into the sky, and once they'd spotted the two imposters, they took aim and began firing.
"Son, I'm gonna need your help now, ya hear?" Arthur said. "You pull out that Lancaster, and you fire. Don't think. Just shoot. Aim, and shoot. Go right for the chest above the belly." Arthur jumped behind a pallet of tall wooden boxes. Danny stood motionless in fear once again but was snapped out of it by Arthur's scream.
"BOY. I said get your gun, and shoot!"
Danny leaped down beside Arthur and poked his head out. The men didn't quite have a location on them and were firing away. Arthur had pulled the bolt action rifle from his back. He careful lined up the shots and was picking off the men who were panicking. Danny leaned out a little further and pulled the Lancaster to his eye, taking aim. A guard, in his 30s, was wrangling some of the panicking men. He was about 100 yards away, well within shot distance. Danny had shot a soda bottle at much farther distances. He knew he could make the shot, but he hesitated. Arthur continued popping shots. The young man continued screaming to rally his troops. He was pointing at Danny and Arthur now.
Danny took the shot. The round exploded out the barrel and sunk into the man's back instantly. He crumpled, and lay on the ground, quietly bleeding out. I wonder what he's thinking. Is he bargaining with God? Is he already gone?
"Good shot." Arthur screamed. "We gotta move." He stood up, grabbing Danny by the coat and yanking him from the platform. They made a run towards the derrick where Arthur spotted Eagle Flies, riding a horse with a torch and a bow, shooting arrows towards the men following them. Eagle Flies had brought their horses nearby, but they were spooked by the explosion and were aways off in the field. The boys ran like mad, sometimes turning to take shots at the men near the derrick.
A second ear-splitting explosion blasted into the sky as more of the oil and kerosene tanks nearby went up in flames. This bought Arthur and Danny the time to find their horses and gallop off into the distance.
"So you did this, all for your buddy." Lenny asked Obee. They were sitting around the fire; Mary-Beth, Emelia, Karen, Miss Grimshaw and Pearson had also sat down.
"Yeah. Emelia needed the help." Obee concluded, looking over to her with a smile. She smiled back and looked to the fire.
"My cousin, putting his life on the line. Never thought I'd see the day." Lenny laughed. "You shor' grown up since I saw you."
"Lotta things changed, since I was in the bayou." Obee drank his beer. "Lotta things."
"I'm glad you did." Emelia added. Obadiah grinned. "How long have you all been together?"
"Oh that depends." Mary-Beth said. "Some of us for a few months, like Micah. Some of us for many, many years like Arthur and John. All depends when Dutch found you."
"Dutch is the sun that we all revolve around?" Emelia asked.
"Indeed." John said, approaching the group and sitting down on the opposite edge of the fire. "He's the glue that sticks to you and you can't help but get stuck, then dragged along."
"What's your story?" Karen asked, looking at Emelia. "You poor? You seem thin as a rake."
"I'm not well." Emelia admitted, coughing hoarsely. "I don't know how long I got."
The was a short silence.
"We'll make everyday count, then." John smirked.
"Will do." Emelia raised her beer bottle, drinking back them warm liquid. "Danny's looked after me ever since we were young. 15 or 16, I think. My dad worked for himself, he owned an oil land development company. We were wealthy. Big house, big stable. My dad was riding horses a lot. Then Standard Oil came knocking. They drove my dad's company into the ground. He couldn't pay people to buy his oil, because Rockefeller was paying them not to. Eventually he sold it to Rockefeller, who brought him on at Standard Oil. They worked him to the bone. He killed himself, and my mother moved away with another man. I don't remember much. Danny doesn't like talking about it. We moved from place to place, we both got jobs. Then I got sick. Now were here."
"Wow." Pearson mumbled. "Now that's a life. Wonder what it would be like to be rich."
"Yeah, now's the appropriate time to bring that up, Pearson." John said.
"What!" Pearson retorted. "I was just saying."
"Mind yo' manners, cook." Lenny laughed. Pearson raised his hands in surrender.
"Alright!" There was a shout from behind the campfire. Dutch approached the circle with Hosea at his side.
"We've got the plan ready!" He said, triumphantly. "Dear Hosea and I have been working tirelessly on this, and its ready to go. It's happening tomorrow."
Micah approached the fire from the rear, leaning up against a nearby tree to hear.
"With Bronte gone, Jack safely home in our care, it's time to make our move. The Lemoyne National Bank is a sitting duck." He laughed, sitting down on the log beside Emelia. "Hosea, Abigail. You're drawing out the police with the dynamite we have stored on the wagon. We move in calm and fast. John and Lenny, you boys've got the front doors. Javier takes the side exit. Bill, Micah, Charles and Obadiah will be on crowd control. Shoot the ceiling, I don't care. Scare 'em good. Mary-Beth, Karen, Tilly, Miss Grimshaw and Pearson, you all better be packed and ready to move as soon as we leave. Once this thing starts, there's no telling when it will stop. Emelia, you rest. Oh, and once Arthur and Danny return, they'll be with me in the bank vault, securing the payload. Got it?"
"Got it" each member said simultaneously.
"Good. Emelia, could you come with me dear?" Dutch asked, pointing towards the illuminated big house.
"Sure." She stood slowly, steadying herself and following the husky man.
"I bought a bottle of Ginseng Elixir from an Indian chief a while back. He said it won't cure anything, but it will stave off any infections and clear up chesty coughs. I wasn't sure if I still had it, but I left it with Hosea." Dutch pulled the tall crystal bottle from a storage sack, giving it to Emelia. "It tastes absolutely awful, by the way. But it works. Take it consistently.
"Thank you, Dutch." Emelia smiled sorrowfully. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet, darling. Let's get ourselves out of this shithole. Thank me then." He smiled, bowed, and walked back to the fire.
Eagles Flies met Arthur and Danny on the trail back towards Lemoyne. He paid Arthur for his services, and then took the documents from the red leather bookfold. He smiled brightly and said, "This will help us a lot."
Arthur and Danny took off into the night, knowing the law would be hunting them feverishly by morning. Not a word was spoken between them during the longest section of the trip. It took them many hours with breaks in between for feeding the horses to finally reach the border of Lemoyne. Once they crossed over the river and spotted the sign, Arthur breathed a sigh a relief.
"We made it." Arthur said, slowing up the horse a bit. "No way they followed us this far."
"Not in their jurisdiction anyway."
"Now that's a word." Arthur smiled for the first time since they met. "You—uh, you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"I mean about—"
"I know what you meant." Danny cut him off.
The rode in silence for a moment.
"It get's easier." Arthur said.
"I don't know if that's good, or bad." Danny replied.
"It's not good. But it's true. It get's easier. Soon you won't even think about it."
Arthur looked to the horizon, the great calling of the wild upon him. He reflected on the young man following, not unlike himself in many ways. The look of goodness in the eyes and heart but taken by the black cynicism of the world. Some sordid past, surely. How would he have ended up here?
They rode on, occasionally discussing the occurrences of the previous night. Eventually by midday, they'd reached St. Denis. Arthur had to pick up post for Dutch at the main office, and he wanted to give Danny the go-around of St. Denis before the heist would be happening. Dutch had filled in Arthur before his departure to meet with Eagle Flies.
Danny walked around the train station at first, getting his bearings while Arthur was in the post office. He didn't want to wander too far off and get lost as he barely knew the way home. Fortunately, there were a few different maps nailed to the walls of the office. As well as wanted posters, including that of "Any man, woman, or child, associated with the van der Linde Gang." 50$ compensatory reward.
"Thinkin' of turnin' on us?" Arthur said, approaching from behind.
"No." Danny said without skipping a beat. "$50 ain't enough."
Arthur smiled.
"We ain't done a lot of good lately." He conceded. "Lotta good people been hurt. I intend to put an end to it."
A train began rolling into the station. It wasn't bigger than usual, but it was sleeker. The locomotive was much longer than the usual brand. It looked fairly new, the paint on the locomotive and tender was a bright ultramarine blue; very uncommon for the line. The cars pulling up behind were newer as well; painted a variety of greens. The locomotive slowed up in the station, the whistle blowing loudly. Some passengers began disembarking dressed smartly. Suddenly Arthur noticed that from the rear-most cars, a group of men began stepping off. They were all dressed in shotgun coats, the same ultramarine blue as the locomotive. Underneath were dark brown vests, white collared shirts, and ties. Many of them had shotguns and long guns hanging off their backs.
"What the hell is this." Danny turned to Arthur.
"I dunno." Arthur said. Both men were staring intently. "It ain't good. Looks like Pinkertons but they don't wear blue, they wear red and black mostly."
Then she stepped off. She was wearing a shotgun coat like the rest of the men, but it was dark brown. Her vest was the same, and her collared shirt was open without a tie. She was beautiful. One of the most strikingly beautiful women Danny had seen. She was in her early thirties perhaps, with the most golden locks of shoulder length hair which was tied up to keep it together in the back like the hair of a horses' tail. She had a large light brown estate boss hat on.
"Who the hell is that." Arthur muttered.
"Let's find out." Danny said, moving closer to small crowd of blue as they gathered together beside the train station
"Danny, no—" Arthur said loudly, quickly reaching for the boy but no to no avail. Danny was already moving up to the side of the post office, clinging against the wall. He was exhausted, but his curiosity was eating him alive. As he approached the group, he could see the whites of their eyes, the quickness of the big city emanated from them. They were all speaking together in groups until she spoke.
"Listen up."
She had turned to face the throng of men. They instantly bit their tongues and turned to face her. She stood on the edge of the boardwalk around the post office. Danny was shocked by their stillness. Not a man drew breath without first being told. They went from a disorganized sea, to a coursing river of attentiveness.
"We are here for one thing, and one thing only. We minimize collateral damage. No civilian contact. No beer. No bars. No brothels. This is a Christian nation, for God sake. Let's keep it that way."
Some of the men began smiling, others made no face at all.
"We are here as the exactors of justice. We get in, we get out. As I told you earlier, the van der Linde gang is resting somewhere near the outskirts of the city. We do not know where…"
Danny turned to face Arthur. The sturdy man was standing a ways off, cautiously watching Danny from across the street. Arthur could see Danny was alarmed and so he began walking towards him.
"Search this city high and low, using anything within the law to find their location. They have documents pertaining to a deal that John Dee is very fond of having returned. We're on any force necessary, boys."
Danny could see a grin cross her lips, as well as many of the union in front of her. Some of the men cheered.
"Good. Now get out of my sight. I'll be waiting around the post office here until someone brings us something. I'll sounds the train whistle five times quickly, and then we meet here. We leave as soon as were a group."
As fast as they had offboarded the train, they dispersed through the city like rats in a maze. The beautiful ring leader walked down the boardwalk. Danny quickly turned to face away from her and looked towards Arthur who was now nearly upon Danny.
"It ain't good. It ain't good." Danny mumbled. "Look away."
Arthur grabbed his large hat, tilted it down and brought a cigarette to his lips. He faced immediately away from the woman as she walked behind them.
"Excuse me." The woman said. Danny's hair stood on end and he reached down for his pistol. "Do you have a light? I left mine behind."
"Of course." Arthur said, pulling out a small box of matches, and striking one for the woman. He held it to the cigarette she had placed between her rose lips. She inhaled and exhaled a large plume of greyish blue smoke.
"Thank you." She said, nodding and walking into the post office.
"She's after us." Danny mumbled. Walking the long way around the office towards the horses. "They're already here."
"Who? Who goddammit?" Arthur said, perplexed.
"Standard Oil. They're here." He was nearly losing his mind, he spoke in broken sentences.
"The company we just stole from?" Arthur asked.
"Yes."
"How the hell'd they get here so fast? What's so bad about them."
"You don't get it." Danny hopped onto Waller. "You just don't understand. This is gods country. And god is John Davison Rockefeller. He will come down on us with a hellfire you haven't even seen before. He will rip you apart limb from limb and feed you to the dogs with your torso alive."
"How the shit do you know so much about him?"
"My daddy worked for him. We used to be rich, see." Danny clicked his heels and Waller began walking. Arthur had saddled onto Harlow and he followed in close proximity. "We were the Moses' of Rossville. We owned all the oil in New Austin and some of New Hannover. Then he came down from Cleveland and destroyed my father's company. He'd buy out every supplier, pay off every union leader, undercut at ever price. It ruined my father, but then ole John Dee came and made daddy a deal he couldn't refuse. They bought him out, repainted our barrels with Standards name, and kept going. Gave my daddy a job at headquarters in Cleveland so we moved to Ohio. What a shithole that city is."
Arthur said nothing but was enraptured by Danny storytelling.
"Rockefeller killed him. He was gone at every hour of every day and night. What money we had, my mother spent on her affair with some city socialite. She bought him everything. Eventually, Daddy figured this all out, the affair along with never seeing us, and couldn't take it. He hanged himself in his office. Ole Rocky didn't flinch. Probably pulled him down, took the name off the desk, and slapped a new one in the same hour. He's coming for you; us. He's coming for us."
They rode in silence.
Arthur's mind was racing, coming out on every angle. He didn't know where to go. "I've only dealt with the Pinkerton's" He hollered as they galloped through the industrial sector. "How much worse could they be?"
"Much." Danny said. "They're smarter, organized, and funded by a company with the money of the USA."
Harlow quietly overtook Waller as the twosome passed Cornwall's plant in St. Denis. They were making their way towards the outskirts of the city headed southwest. From the adjacent road, Arthur noticed something in the corner of his eye. Travelling nearly the same speed was a single mounted man in an ultramarine shotgun coat. He wasn't galloping at speed, neither was he trotting along slowly. He was keeping pace.
"We're being followed." Arthur spat. "How'd they get here, how'd they find us suh'damn quick?"
"I told you." Danny said calmly. "These ain't the Pinkerton's. It's begun."
Arthur quieted himself for a moment and began thinking. The two roads on which they, and the man in the shotgun coat, were on, converged ahead as they came to the steel bridge leaving St. Denis. It wouldn't be a minute before the man was upon them. The entire force must be alerted by now, if they are as fast as Danny said, and wouldn't be far behind. They had one shot to make it out. The city would be a swarm if they delay, and Dutch's plan; ruined.
"Jump to my horse." Arthur shouted. Danny looked over as if the elder man was not in his right mind. "Jump onto my horse, we'll never make it with that steed. He's old, fat, and slow. Not meant for a high speed chase. The Standard man is riding a Missouri Fox Trotter, looks like. He'll be on you before you can blink. Now jump to my horse, dammit!"
Danny quickly changed direction and rode especially close to Harlow. Arthur calmed her down and continued at speed. Danny threw Arthur the long gun on his back, and then reached over to grab the edge of Harlow's black saddle. He could feel the horse slowly moving away and Waller was tiring quickly at the pace they were riding. With one fell move, Danny kicked away from the work horse and landed lying across Harlow's rump. Waller slowed down instantly, and moved off the road.
"I'm never gonna hear the end of this from Pearson." Arthur mused. Danny lifted himself quickly, turned to face Arthur, and held onto his coat tightly. "Hee-yaw!" Arthur shouted while spurring Harlow. The white bullet took off instantly. Danny gripped Arthur even tighter with fear. The Standard man didn't notice their quick speed gain for at least 10 seconds after the take off and angrily spurred his spotted steed as well. As the roads converged towards the bridge, Arthur turned and noticed that behind the Standard man on the Missouri Trotter, a group of 5 other men lingered back about 200 yards. The first Standard man was now about 50 yards behind them.
As they reached the steel bridge, Arthur heard the first shot ring out. A bullet whizzed past his head and knocked into one of the steel trusses above him. He ducked, pulling out the Schofield from his holster, and returned fire blindly.
"Grab the Lancaster from my back, and shoot!" Arthur screamed. Danny obeyed, unclipping the leather strap, and turned behind him. The Missouri Fox Trotter wasn't closing the distance, but was not falling behind either.
"Can't you go faster?" Danny asked.
"She's weighed down, boy. Can't go quicker than we are already. She's doin' her best."
Danny spun, extended the long black iron rifle, and took aim towards the Standard man.