Ch 7
"Jimmy?'
"Yeah Buck."
"Let's ride all night. We need to make up lost time." Buck says.
"Sure, we get too tired, we will stop." Jimmy says.
They walk their horses for hours in the dark. The boys got tired as they rode late in the night.
"We should cross the Mississippi River tomorrow some time". Jimmy says.
"That sounds good." Buck said as he wipes his face. Wake up he said to himself.
"Let's stop to sleep." Jimmy said.
As the sun warms his face, Buck stands up to walk around . He walks out to the trail to have a look as well.
"Jimmy, wake up man. There is someone up the trail." Buck says.
They grab their guns and went to have a closer look.
"Let's get our horses." Says Jimmy.
They run back and put away their bedrolls.
"Let's go ride up closer. It looks like two men pulling pack mules." Jimmy tells Buck. "One with long boxes, one with small boxes on it."
"What you want to do Buck?" Asked Jimmy.
"I say we kill both of them." Buck states.
Jimmy said. "Hell Buck looks like a good day for a killin."
Jimmy and Buck ride close before speaking.
"Morning!" Buck yells out.
The two men jump and pull their guns. Buck and Jimmy keep easing closer.
"Stop right there you two!"
The older man shouts, "Stop fucker! I said stop!" He yelled.
Jimmy was about fifteen feet from the two men and Buck was on Jimmy's heels.
"Easy mister." Buck said as he slid one hand down behind Jimmy's back grabbing his new pistol.
"We are headed to Illinois with a shipment of guns." The man states.
"Y'all need to back the fuck up now! Nice an slow."
The other man has a rifle in his hands. Buck raises his hand slowly matching Jimmy's left arm. Jimmy holds his left hand out front
"Easy mister." Jimmy says.
He reaches for his colt with his right hand. He leans back in his saddle. His horse backs up. Jimmy draws and fires, shooting the older man in the chest . Buck fires killing the other man. He rolls off his horse.
"Damn that was good!" Jimmy yelled.
"It's a good day to die!" Buck yells.
They started laughing and dismounted.
"Damn we a pair." Jimmy said looking at Buck.
Buck smiling says, "Ya damn right we are. Let's drag them off the trail an ride on down the road with them mules."
Buck grabs the man's guns and puts them in his saddle bag. He got what little bit of money that they had. He stuffed it in his pocket. Jimmy looks at Buck downing his head. He knows Buck's life was hard in a boy's home, never having nothing. He liked to take what he could when he can.
"Look here Jimmy." Buck pulled out a nice folding knife and slings it to Jimmy.
"Take it Jimmy. I want you to have it."
"Thanks Buck." says Jimmy, "He won't be needing it no more."
Laughing they mount up and ride on down the trail a few miles. They get off the trail and cut through the hills. Finding a place that they feel safe, they open the crates. The long crates had eight rifles and eight holsters.
"Man, oh man! Look at that!"
Buck slings Jimmy a lever action rifle and holster. He takes one for himself. They lace the guns to the saddles. They bust open the four small boxes. The first two boxes they opened were full of bullets for the rifles.
Jimmy pulled a box down as Buck takes the last box down.
"This one is kinda light." Buck says pulling the top off of his box.
"Holy shit man."
"Look at this!" Buck yells out.
Jimmy runs over to see Buck pulling hand fulls of cash out of his box.
"What the hell!" Jimmy screams.
Buck's hands are full of strapped money.
"Its full Jimmy. It's full to the top!" Buck screamed.
Jimmy hits his knees.
"Holy shit Buck. We did good brother. There's no better way to start the day than getting rich." said Jimmy as he put his hands in the box.
"Let's head to that big rock over there. We will count it up and make a decision what to do." Jimmy says.
After they get to the rocks, they open the last box.
"No way man! This box is full of strapped cash too!" Jimmy told Buck as he put the top back on.
"Let's count up your box. This one must have the same amount in it."
They spend hours counting the money, putting it in piles of one thousand. They end up with a even twenty thousand dollars cash. Buck looks at Jimmy.
"Brother that's forty thousand dollars!" They burst out laughing.
"Where were they taking this cash Buck?" asked Jimmy.
"I don't know man."Jimmy says as he looks at Buck, "Better question is what are we going to do with it?"
"Let's pack up and ride." Buck says.
They ride all day .
"That looks like a good spot over there." Jimmy said pointing over to the rock pile.
They made camp under the ledge of a huge boulder and started a small fire.
"Well if we are smart, we will never need to work again." Buck says .
"You got that right Buck. I think we should take the money with us. Head south then East again. Sell or trade the guns an store the cash somewhere safe." Says Jimmy.
"Sounds good man." replies Buck.
They set the mules free the next morning and loaded up their horses. They set out south riding most of the morning before stopping.
"Let's try out this rifle," Buck says. "I could go for some good deer meat myself." He tells Jimmy. They load the guns and set out walking the river bank. The river is wide and the water is moving fast.
"Buck, this is the Mississippi River."
" Wow!" Buck says, "I never seen it before. What state you think we in Jimmy?" he asked.
"Well I'm not sure Buck." Jimmy replies.
"There has to be a ferry going across sooner or later."
"Jimmy look! There's a beaver on the bank." says Buck.
Jimmy and Buck get down behind some logs . Buck takes aim and fires, shooting the beaver dead.
"Hell yeah ! Buck that was badass!" Jimmy yells slapping him on the back. They ran over and grabbed him up.
"We are eating good tonight Jimmy. Let's clean this bad boy up an make a fire." Buck says.
The boys set out building a fire and cooking Buck's kill. They sit around with their belly's full of meat, boxes full of cash, and boxes full of guns and ammo.
"Boy we shittin in high cotton now." Jimmy laughed.
Buck said to Jimmy, "When we sell these guns an hide the cash, we need to kill Kid an get on back . I got something on my mind."
"Bill, you hear what that half breed said?
Hey Earl get over here." Tom said.
"What is it Tom?" Asked Earl.
"That half breed said they had guns an money to hide."
"Damn Tom, you think it's in them boxes?" Earl asked.
"It has to be." Tom said.
"There's only two of the punks, hell they look like kids from here."
"Shut up you to." Tom tells them. "Shit fire, I can't hear myself think. And stop breathing in my ear, your breath smells like a dog's ass Earl."
"Ok Tom." Earl says laughing.
"Earl what you laughing at shit head?" Bill asked.
"I said shut up both of ya. we got to think up a plan damnit." Tom barks.