After leaving the Assayer's Office, Heyes and Curry walked to the livery where they sold their horses and equipment. With a few extra dollars in their pockets, they next went to the mercantile for purchases they deemed necessary for the trip, a box of bullets, a few cigars and canned goods, and of course, a book for Heyes. After dropping their purchases off in their hotel room, they headed back downstairs and across the lobby.
"Oh, Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones, a telegram came for the two of you," the clerk called to them.
Kid stood where he was while Heyes walked to the desk to retrieve the telegram.
"Who's it from," Kid asked when Heyes joined him again.
Heyes opened the telegram and smiled. "It's from Clem."
"What's it say?"
"I'll be expecting to see you both when you're in Denver. Love, Clem"
Ah, ain't that sweet,' Kid replied.
"Yeah."
"Heyes, when we get to Denver..."
"Yeah, Kid?"
"We use my coin."
Heyes laughed. "Alright, your coin, Kid."
They ambled their way out of the hotel and across the street to the saloon for an afternoon of low stakes poker.
The next morning, after having breakfast, they visited the bath house, knowing any bathing they'd be doing for the next two weeks would likely be in the Green River. Returning to the hotel, they packed their saddlebags, then again migrated to the saloon. They ate a hearty early supper, then returned to the hotel, gathered their belongings and checked out. They arrived at the Assayer's office just as the last dim light of the day was ebbing from the horizon.
"Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones, this is Mr. Avery, Warner said with minimal introduction.
While Caleb Warner was a tall, lean man with a black goatee and a thick shock of salt and pepper hair, Mr. Avery was a short, stocky, bald man, not more than five feet six. He wore a pin striped gray suit and the vest did not quite reach the bottom of his rotund belly. Neither Heyes nor Kid took him for a man capable of offering much help defending nearly half a million dollars of diamonds. Nor was he a man capable of loading his share of the rocks into the back of the buckboard.
Heyes, Curry, and Warner spent nearly two hours loading the buckboard and all three were stiff and sore from all the lifting.
"Mr. Avery will take the night watch tonight," Mr. Warner said. "Which one of you two will be the second?"
"I'll do it," Heyes volunteered.
"I won't be on watch, but I'll sleep here in the buckboard in case you find you do need some help with anything," Kid volunteered and tossed his saddlebags into the back of the buckboard.
"Do you need a blanket?" Mr. Warner asked.
"Nah, I'll just throw a section of this tarp over me," Kid replied.
"Very well. I'll be down here by four, gentlemen and we'll leave then for the docks," Warner said and turned and went back inside the store.
"Store going to be closed the whole time we're gone?" Heyes asked Avery as he hoisted himself up to sit on the edge of the buckboard.
"The Sheriff said he'd keep an eye on it for us. My wife will also stop by from time to time."
"Ah, you're married, then. Got any children?" Heyes asked, making idle conversation.
"Two teenage daughters, Both are a handful at that age."
Heyes smiled. "I wouldn't know about such things Mr. Avery."
"Never married?"
Heyes shook his head. "No, Thaddeus and me drift around a lot. Never stay in one place long enough to get serious about woman."
"In some ways I envy you, Mr. Smith."
Heyes shook his head. "Don't Mr. Avery. It's not a particularly good life. Oh, Thaddeus and me enjoy it, I suppose, but there's something to be said about putting down roots."
Mr. Avery thought about it for a moment. "I suppose you're right Mr. Smith.
"Oh, just call me Joshua and call my partner Thaddeus. No sense being formal."
Mr. Avery smiled. "You can call me Hiram, then."
Heyes smiled. "Alright, Hiram. Nice to know you."
The night passed without incident and by four-thirty in the morning, the horses had been hitched to the buckboard and they were all making their way to the docks.
One of the Deputies met them at the docks as he had graciously agreed to tend to the horses after the wagon had been loaded on the barge. Then the four men climbed aboard and, as the sun was just beginning to shed some light on the day, the barge set sail on the long journey toward Colorado.
Heyes and Avery both clambered onto the buckboard and settled in for some sleep. It was a hot, cloudless day, but a cool breeze floated across the water, making daytime sleeping a bit more tolerable.
The front of the buckboard faced the back edge of the barge, so Kid stayed close to the back of the buckboard which gave him a clear view of the crew who all went about their duties without showing any interest whatsoever in the wagon filled with rocks.
At the front end of the barge stood a large metal, empty oil barrel that rested on a large brick platform. This was used as a cooking device and had a large metal grate across the top of it that would hold a couple of frying pans as well as a couple of coffee pots. Everyone was responsible for their own food, but coffee was plentiful and shared by all.
Heyes and Avery woke mid afternoon and Avery volunteered to fix them all some beans and salt pork for supper. After supper Kid and Warner slept for a few hours before assuming the night watch.
"Well, day one went smoothly," Kid said to Warner as they stood watch. "Only ten more days to go."
"One day at a time. I like your attitude, Thaddeus."
"Who do all them rocks belong to, anyway?" Kid asked out of simple curiosity.
"A conglomerate of people, actually. A group of twelve that invested in one particular mine that seems to have paid off very well."
"You a part of that conglomerate Mr. Warner?"
"Me? No. I wish I had been. I'd be a wealthy man right now."
"So you sell the rocks for them, get the money and then distribute it out?" Kid asked.
"No. The rocks have already been sold to a buyer in Denver. I won't ever see any of that money, other than the wage earned for transporting the merchandise. I'll be paid just like you, Avery, and Mr. Smith. The remainder will be directly deposited in an account in Denver and will then be distributed to the owners."
"You and Mr. Avery must be paid pretty well in order to offer me and Joshua as much as you did."
"I suppose."
"You've done this kind of transporting before? You seem to have the process down pretty pat."
"Yes, a few times before. The river just seems to be the safest means of transferring the rocks. The most dangerous part of the journey will be those four hundred miles on land to Denver."
"Ever been robbed? I mean, I hear the Hole in the Wall gang is centered in Colorado, ain't it? Any gang ever tried to rob you?"
Warner nodded. "Among a few others. We take precautions. We'll be making camp early each day once we're on the road. I then ride to the nearest town and wire the Sheriff in Denver as to our location. That way, if we are robbed, and we can't contact the nearest town, he'll know which town to contact to form a posse and go after the robbers.
"Sounds like a good plan."
"Having done this a few times, we've managed to hone in on a lot of little helpful details. So, now it's my turn at the questions, Thaddeus. Sheriff Trevers said you and Joshua have some experience transporting valuables. So, what was he referring to?"
"Oh, nothing as valuable as this, Mr. Warner. We've helped a friend with moving some art work from Mexico to the United States, and we've helped moved some jewelry from one location to another, but nothing on a scale like this."
"And how did you become so fast with a gun?"
"Just practiced a lot since I was a Kid. Don't have much call to actually use it, so I just still practice a lot."
"I bet there's quite a demand for someone with your skill."
"Oh, no, I'd never even consider hiring out my gun. I've met up with a few people who have done that and, I just don't ever see no good coming of that."
"Probably a lot of people want to prove they're better, faster, I mean?"
"I try to avoid those situation , too."
They both fell rather silent, watching the moonlight glisten against the river.
"I'll go get us some coffee. I think this is going to be a long, peaceful night," Warner said.
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The night was quiet, as were the next two days as the barge moved slowly on toward Colorado. The river had a good current but was not rough or choppy. When he wasn't sleeping or on night guard, Kid often sat along the edge of the barge, his bare feet dangling in the water. Occasionally Heyes would join him.
"Wish I had a fishing pole," Kid told his partner late in the afternoon of the third day on the barge.
"Yeah, a fresh trout sounds a good deal better than another can of beans or canned tomatoes.;
Kid laughed. "You'd think some of the fellas that work the barge would have a fishing pole. They must get tired of beans as much as we do."
"Well, if we ever do this again, we'll know to bring one along, Kid."
"Sure has been easy pickins so far, and we only got a couple of more days on the river."
"Yeah, I'm guessing that's when things start getting a little tougher."
"Mr. Warner told me the other night that they've been held up a couple of times taking these wagons to Denver."
"Well, I would think it would be pretty easy to do. After all, there's only four of us guarding it," Heyes replied."Maybe we ought to suggest staying off the main road, being as that's the route they always take."
"We can suggest it, but I don't get the feeling Mr. Warner would be too keen on changing his plans."
Heyes smiled. "Well, we got a couple of more days before we have to even think about it."
Kid and Warner pulled the night watch duty which again was peaceful and quiet. They watched as the morning sun rose in the eastern sky, casting brilliant hues of red throughout the morning horizon.
"Likely storms coming," Kid remarked. "Better get some sleep early as I bet we won't be getting much by afternoon." Kid glanced down to the far end of the barge where crewmen were busy tying things down on deck. "They know we're in store for a rough ride today. Red sky in the morning..."
"When Avery and Smith are a wake, we'll get the wagon and contents secured better before we sleep."
"Might consider moving the wagon back a bit, away from the edge of the barge. River's got a good current and a storm will hasten that up even more. The river is wide enough and deep enough to pick up a good roughness. I wouldn't be surprised if we have to drop anchor and dock somewhere along the river's edge for a spell. That sky don't leave much question to what's in store."
"Have you spent much time on a river, Thaddeus?"
Kid shook his head. "But, I've spent a good deal of time in a saddle. You learn to read the signs."
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As was expected, dark, threatening clouds began looming overhead in the late morning hours. Near noon the first downpour of rain with raucous thunder and bright bolts of lightening sent everyone on the barge scrambling for cover. Winds began to pick up as dark clouds moved swiftly across the sky and pilot, navigator, and crew scrambled to maintain a steady course through white capped waves that broke against the barge, and sprayed streams of water across the deck.
Having never been on a boat during such a storm, both Kid and Heyes were cautious but awestruck by the velocity changes and newfound strength of the river. And, although the storm moved through quickly and no damage had occurred to man nor boat, a second, more ominous storm could be seem moving in from the distance.
"Get the tarps tied down tight over the wagon," Heyes shouted as the first storm began to ebb. "And make sure the wheels are chained down tight! Wouldn't want to see the cargo lost."
All four men worked quickly to ensure the wagon and cargo was secure as blue sky and sunshine made a brief appearance. But even in the brief interlude between storms, the winds grew increasingly stronger, the river waves and white caps increasingly higher.
"We'll be entering the Canyon of Lodore very soon," Warner told Heyes and Curry. "It's a white water area even without a storm to contend with. If it gets too rough, they'll pull the barge close to the banks and drop anchor to wait out the storm. But if you don't have your sea legs, you won't have an easy go of it."
Heyes and Kid looked at each other with some trepidation, both inexperienced in water travel, and both very much aware of the dangers of the magnitude of the storm that was approaching.
"You might think these magnificent canyon walls would provide a bit of safety in a storm, but they don't. Winds tend to get caught in the canyon and that causes them to swirl and do battle with the current. These falls only drop about a foot, but in a storm, on a barge, that can be enough to split the barge in two if the winds do battle with the currents. I've never seen that happen, but I have heard stories. If it were to happen, don't worry about the cargo, just worry about your own safety. You understand?"
Heyes and Curry both nodded, knowing their own safety would always be first and foremost, regardless of Mr. Warner's instructions.
The storm reached them just as the barge entered the area known as Hell's Half Mile. With no safe place for shelter, the four men clung tightly to the sides of the buckboard, desperately hoping the chains were enough to keep the wagon in place. Swirling wind speeds reached at least forty miles an hour and caught in the confines of the deep canyon, the winds seem to blow in from all directions. The natural white caps of the river soon began reaching heights of ten feet or more and came crashing across the deck of the barge, pelting the men with cold sheets of rain that stung their faces and drenched their clothes, and rocked the barge sometimes violently.
"Thought you said they would pull towards shore and drop anchor!" Kid shouted to Warner.
"Can't do that in the midst of the rapids! Another half mile or so, then maybe."
Kid nodded, then tucked his head down against his chest to try to escape some of the pelting rain as great cracks of thunder exploded overhead and bolts of lightening raced across the blackened sky.
A corner of the tarp loosened and began flapping in the winds and Heyes and Kid struggled to inch their way toward it to tie it down again. The loosened section of the tarp flapped about in every direction, but they were finally able to get good grips on the tarp and pull it taut once again. Tying it down was another matter as each could only free one hand from the their grip on the buckboard without fear of being blown overboard.
Heyes was able to wrap the rope through the spokes of a wagon wheel and together they were able to knot the rope securely just as the barge reached the end of Hell's Half Mile.
The winds and pelting rain continued for several more minutes, but once out of the natural white waters, the stability of the barge improved significantly and they, like the crew of the barge, held their grips tight and weathered out the remainder or the storm.
"Heyes, look," Kid said, pointing to the receding dark clouds where the bright sun now reflected a double rainbow. "Don't see them very often."
"Calm after the storm, Kid," Heyes replied.
"Looks like we might be done with the storms," Mr. Avery declared
"Don't think I could take much more of that," Heyes replied.
"Once is enough for my lifetime," Kid added.
"We'll be reaching the port in Colorado sometime tomorrow afternoon. The rest of the way is land travel," Warner reminded them all.
"Not sure that sounds much safer than this," Heyes replied. "You ever consider taking the wagon off road, Mr. Warner? We wouldn't be as visible to road thieves that way."
"We tried that once. Found the terrain to be much too difficult. We actually had our wagon break beyond repair and that set us back over a week and left us isolated and easy prey that entire time. No, we have no choice but to travel the road, I'm afraid."
Heyes nodded and looked at Kid. "I think we're already going to be pretty easy prey, Mr. Warner," Heyes replied.