Chapter 28:

The inhabitants of Jackson were used to seeing Jubilee with Logan, so used to the sight that they hardly paid attention to her anymore. However, the sight of the well-dressed stranger riding a horse, and the silent, tearful young woman walking beside his stirrups, caused a stir.

The commander of the fort detached himself from the knot of interestedly staring officers and approached Remy. "Howdy, Mister," he said. "This your slave?"

"Yes," Remy said briefly, slowing his horse but not stopping it. Not for the commander's sake, but for Jubilee, who was showing signs of exhaustion from the long walk. They'd taken turns riding Rogue, but in town it would have looked odd if Remy walked leading the horse, so she walked and Remy rode. Remy wished they'd been able to take a horse, but Logan didn't know anyone in town well enough to have the horse left with them until Logan came to collect it.

"May I ask how you came to own her?"

"I bought her," Remy said shortly. The soldier leered at her, and Remy suppressed the urge to kick the man away.

"Hey, boys, he bought her!" the man said jubilantly to the other officers watching, and the men crowded forward, interest in their faces and smiles on their lips. Jubilee pressed herself against Remy's stirrups, trying to avoid the hands that reached out to touch her. Remy said sharply, "Off, she's mine!"

The soldiers drew back. The commander said, "That stingy old man back at the ranch wouldn't share her around, or hire her out to Miss Gina, so we had to sneak a taste of her every now and then in secret. You gonna be tightfisted like that?"

"She's mine," Remy insisted, eyes narrowing. "I bought her, and I'm de only one goin' to touch her."

The commander's eyes narrowed. "Mister, I could order you to let us have her, and you have to," he said. "I could have ordered that old man to do it, but he was never here when I was here, and none of my men have that kind of authority. You want to give her to us for a night, or do you want me to order you to let us have her?"

Remy swung off the horse in front of the train station, and faced the man squarely. "Look, Monsieur, you can't order me to do not'ing. I'm French, from Canada. Not a citizen of de United States. An' since I bought her, fair and square, she mine too, dat make her property of Canada after she property of me."

The man cleared his throat. "May I see your papers?' he asked Remy petulantly.

Remy smiled nastily as he handed the man his travel permit and the paper Logan had signed giving him Jubilee. Remy had entered the price of three hundred dollars later as a precaution, in case anyone wanted written proof of money changing hands. The commander looked closely at the papers, as if hoping to find something wrong with them so he could take Jubilee from Remy; but Remy had crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's, and there were no flaws to be found. Finally the man handed the paper back to Remy with a dissatisfied grunt. Remy smiled and handed the reins to Jubilee. "Hold de horse while I go make arrangements for transportin' Rogue," he said, and Jubilee obediently grasped the reins and held the horse as Remy disappeared inside. The commander and the other officers retreated to a safe distance to grumble. There was nothing they could do.

Remy came out as the train pulled up. "Take de horse to de second to last car. Dat's where dey transport de livestock. Tie him in de stall, de one wit' de number 6, crosswise, an' make sure dere's water in de bucket an' hay on de floor." As he said that, he stepped in and pretended to fiddle with the girth strap. "Dey transport slaves on de last car, an' it pretty full already. You know de laws; you have to ride in dere, an' de conductor tells me it mostly men." Jubilee drew in a sharp breath.

"If I have to, I'll have to," she whispered grimly. "I survived it once, I'll survive it again. I don't care. I've nothing to live for, anyway." Her voice was soft, bitter. "Papa thinks I'm a whore, might as well start being one."

"Non!" Remy grabbed her arm swiftly. "You tell dem you belong to a Canadian, an' we do t'ings different. Tell dem your Master don' like ot'er slaves touchin' his property. Got dat?"

The trainmaster came up. "Hey, Mister, that horse looks awful antsy," he said, eyeing Rogue, who was shifting restlessly in place. "You sure he goin' to be okay?"

"He be fine, monsieur," Remy said with a grin. "He always get antsy."

"Well…" The trainmaster scratched his head. "The gentleman whose horse is in the next stall saw your horse and he's a little worried. If your slave can handle horses he asked if she can stay with your horse, to make sure nothing happens to his. He asks that if something happens to his horse because of something yours does, your slave is forfeit."

Remy drew in a breath to say something, but Jubilee moved her foot and applied pressure to his toe. She gave her head a tiny nod, and returned her gaze to the ground. Remy stared at her, at Rogue, then sighed gustily and said to the conductor, "It a deal. My slave goin' ride wit' de horse."

"Good. Let me get a set of chains for her. We won't chain her like we usually do the darkies; she has to be free to move to a certain extent if things get rough in there." The conductor bustled off, looking relieved.

As soon as Remy saw the other horse in the stall next to the one for Rogue, he understood the other passengers apprehension. The horse's stall was actually two stalls, with the separating wall knocked out. It was dark, but Remy could hear the pounding of hooves against the thin wooden walls. Then the horse stuck its head out and saw Rogue, and screamed a challenge. Remy stumbled back a step. The horse was one of the heavy draft type, glossy black with a rolling, savage white eye. It was an ungelded outlaw stallion, straight through. What the hell was its owner thinking, traveling with such a dangerous animal?

The conductor came into the livestock car, holding an iron shackle on the end of a long chain. He stayed near the door, careful not to go anywhere near the plunging, snorting, angry outlaw. Remy stared at the chain, and at Jubilee. Logan had said she had a scar from being chained in a stall beside an outlaw horse; well, here she was, volunteering to do the same thing. She was quietly urging Rogue to enter the designated stall, with soft words and a lot of patting. After a long last look at the horse next door, Rogue entered the stall reluctantly.

Remy stood watching as Jubilee measured out oats and water for Rogue. "What dat outlaw horse doin' on de train?" he said angrily. "He dangerous!" the other horses in the car were snorting uneasily. The outlaw's stall was in the far corner, and Rogue was the only horse close to him, but every horse felt the dangerous undercurrents from having two stallions in such close quarters.

The conductor shrugged. "The gentleman says his name is Outlaw," he said apologetically. "He's shipping the horse back East to display to the city folk how wild the horses out here are. He's paying a lot of money, or I wouldn't let him transport the damn horse in my train." He handed Remy the chain and pointed to a small ring set close to the floor of Rogue's stall. "Fasten her chain off to that ring there. That'll give her plenty of room to move if something happens." Remy did so, grumbling, then stepped back.

"I'll be fine, Master Remy," Jubilee said, feigning a confidence she didn't really feel. That horse in the next stall scared her. She stepped into Rogue's stall, picked up a handful of straw, and started to curry the sweat off the horse's coat while whispering soothingly. Remy descended from the car, and watched as the conductor closed and locked the livestock car door. He looked down the train to the last car, wondering if putting her in with the other slaves might not be a better idea, but the deal was done.

He was sitting worriedly in his seat, staring out the window and not really seeing it, worrying about the young girl locked in that car with seven horses and wondering if she was going to be able to handle all of that, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Hey. You the guy with the other stallion?"

He looked up at a fat, florid-faced man wearing a waistcoat and puffed up with importance. "Yes. My girl's in with my horse, she make sure not'ing happens." He wasn't as confident as he sounded.

"Oh, good, good," the man said, obviously relieved. "Just want to make sure nothing happens to my horse, he doesn't break a leg or something. The circus will pay less money for him if he's damaged."

Remy said grimly, "What if somet'ing happen to my horse, or my slave? If dat devil horse of yours do somet'ing to dem, you goin' to forfeit dat horse for my horse?"

"Oh, if something happens to your horse because of something my horse does, I'll compensate for whatever damage is done,, if that;'s what you wish," the man said. 'But isn't that what your slave is for? Handle the horses? If she lets anything happen to them she ought to be whipped for her carelessness."

Remy ground out tightly, "She very good wit' horses, monsieur, but she still an eighteen year old girl. Dere only so many t'ings she can do if t'ings get out of hand."

The man shrugged. "Oh well, better her than my horse." And he moved off. Remy was glad. If he had to put up with that fool for one more minute, the horse would be the last of the man's worries.

As soon as the train got to Independence, He ran back to the livestock car. Jubilee's head poked out of the window of Rogue' stall, pale but composed, in answer to Remy's call. He gave her a hunk of bread and cold beef he'd bought from a store in town, and when she assured him that she and Rogue were all right, he went back to his seat.

It seemed a long week, traveling east with that devil horse, but Jubilee seemed to be doing all right, and she even asked Remy if he might be able to get her some carrots for Outlaw. Remy was astonished, but got her the carrots anyway.

The train's last stop was in Baltimore; that was where Remy had planned on catching another northbound train to New York, and then get a horse for Jubilee there and get up to the Canada border in another week. He alighted just behind the fat man who owned the Outlaw, and watched as the man went back to the livestock car.

The conductor was telling him that the other horses should be unloaded first, but the man was arguing. Finally the conductor shrugged, threw up his hands, and surrendered. The man gestured to two brawny Africans from the slave car to take the horse out, directing them with many flourishes and shakes of the heavy black horsewhip he held. Remy watched the two Africans go in, and snarled to himself. If the man had two such large slaves, surely it made sense to put them in the rail car with the Outlaw than one slim, frightened girl?

The two men came out after much shouting, swearing, and pounding of hooves, leading a huge black draft horse who was completely angry at being dragged around. He stopped short on the unloading ramp, staring at the horses and carts that clogged the city streets in front of the train station, the people bustling about, and started trembling. The two Africans dragged him by main force down the ramp, and then the conductor gestured to Remy to call Jubilee out. She appeared on the loading ramp a moment later, looking calm, and gently urged Rogue down. Rogue was only too happy to get off the train; Remy knew his horse hated the noise and fuss of railroad travel.

He danced a little as his feet touched the platform; She, sensing that he was just trying to stretch out and get the kinks out, allowed him to sidle a little bit, sideways, smiling at his antics.

Outlaw reached out toward Rogue's hindquarters and snapped at the other stallion angrily. The African who had a rope tied around the horse's upper lip cursed and grabbed the rope a bit more firmly, and the horse subsided.

Rogue crow-hopped a little, and Jubilee turned and spoke to him soothingly, then reached into her pocket for some horse oats she had hidden the re and fed it to him. Rogue settled down to lip the oats from her hand. The Outlaw, sensing that here was something he might want, too, reached toward her for a mouthful. She dug her hand back into her dress pocket and came up with another handful, which she fed to him as he quieted.

The fat man turned around from his conversation with the conductor and saw her feeding the Outlaw. 'Hey!" he cried indignantly. "You're not allowed to feed him! Only my slaves feed him!"

Jubilee drew her hand back, frightened, and Outlaw reared as he saw his handful of oats taken away. The two burly slaves on the ropes tried to hold him down, but a well-placed kick from one front hoof sent the first man flying. A buck shook off the second man, who dropped the rope looking terrified, and the Outlaw reared high on the platform, his heavy hooves reaching for the sky in an appreciation of his freedom. He came down, and Jubilee offered him the handful of oats again as she reached for the rope to control the horse. He submitted, and she was about to grab the rope when…

The fat man uncoiled his horsewhip and cracked across Jubilee's arm, opening a welt in it only inches from the horse's face. "Stop that!" He snarled. The horse turned on him, flying toward him with pounding hooves and bared teeth. The people who had gathered to watch the train unload screamed and started to stampede away from the rampaging horse.

Jubilee handed Remy Rogue's halter lead, and ran down the train platform, calling the Outlaw's name. The horse was pursuing the fat man, who was running as fast as his short legs could take him, and looking terrified. Jubilee caught the dangling end of the Outlaw's halter rope, shouted for him to stop. The horse didn't stop, but he did slow for a moment. Jubilee took that moment, and ran faster until she could grab the mane and pull herself up.

The horse reared, trying to shake off the little figure that clung to his neck like a burr, but Jubilee didn't give up. She screamed at the crowd to clear the platform as she grabbed the ropes hanging from either side of the horse's lip. Using them as reins, she exerted pressure on the horse' head, turning him in a tight circle. When he tried to rear again, she turned him in another tight circle. The horse kept circling, faster and faster, until finally he came to a stop, swaying dizzily.

She slid off his back, looking exhausted, and held the ropes while she spoke to the horse quietly. Remy handed Rogue's lead rope to the conductor and was about to run to her side when the fat man came running up. Remy was expecting him to thank Jubilee for saving his life; that horse had meant business, but instead the man raised the butt end of his whip and brought it crashing into the side of her head. Jubilee cried out as she went down.

The crowd murmured in anger, but before Remy could step in, the horse moved. Still dizzy and unsteady, Outlaw took a few steps forward, standing over Jubilee protectively while he bared his teeth at the fat man. The man cursed, roared at his two African slaves to get the horse away, and as they led the Outlaw away Remy went to her.

She lay on the wooden platform, unconscious from the blow, and Remy saw the cut on her forehead leaking blood into her hair. The fat man was about to raise his whip again when Remy snatched the thing from him and flung it into the dirt. "What de hell you do dat for?" he snarled at the man. "She saved you r life, mon Dieu, de leas' you could do is t'ank her!"

"She started it!" The man cursed. "Offering feed to him! Doesn't she understand that horse is wild? Why do you think he went after me?"

Remy stared at the man in utter disgust as he cradled Jubilee in his arms. "Outlaw would have calm down right after kicking your slaves if you didn' crack your damn whip in his face," he snapped. He pushed up Jubilee's sleeve and inspected the raw welt on the inside of her wrist. "You hurt her, and she still save your life. I t'ink you owe her some t'anks."

There was an approving murmur from the watching crowd, and the man looked around uneasily. Jubilee gave a soft moan in Remy's arms, and her eyes fluttered open. She immediately closed them and pu t a hand to her head, as though it ached. The fat man snorted. "I don't thank slaves." He turned and was about to push his way back through he crowd when a uniformed man on horseback appeared in front of him. "I saw the whole thing," the officer said to Remy briefly. Then he turned to the fat man. "You injured this man's slave and endangered the lives of a lot of people. The city officially fines you five dollars for endangering the lives of all these people, and orders you to pay restitution to the owner of the slave for your injuring of her." The fat man stopped short, staring but the policeman was implacable. He finally grudgingly dug into his pocket and produced a wallet, giving the policeman a five and Remy two dollars, then turned and strode off.

The policeman dismounted and stopped beside Remy. "She going to be all right?"

Jubilee struggled to her feet, a little unsteadily, and nodded to Remy. "I'm fine." She went back down the train platform to Rogue, taking his reins back from the bystander who had held him. The crowd broke into applause. She looked stunned, but lowered her eyes and simply waited for Remy to get the rest of their stuff.