Sgt Chesterfield chose Sgt Slocum, Sgt Cooper, Trooper Caswell, Silver Plume, Bryan, Tripps, Trooper Tyree, Trooper Mccreedy, and five others to help in collecting the gold. They galloped down the old wagon trail from the fort towards the river, by the time they reached the river, night was already starting to fall, Tyree came back from scouting the river for any resistance.
Sgt Chesterfield: "Well Travis, anything out there?"
Trooper Tyree: "No Sarge, we can rest up there, fresh water and plenty of firewood."
Sgt Chesterfield: "Alright, we'll rest up there, lead the way Travis." Trooper Tyree lead the small detail of troopers down the river to their camp site. Trooper Tyree decided to do some scouting for Indian camps, for they would try to get the wagon carrying the gold again. The men broke out cold rations of Hardtack and some pre-cooked bacon, for no fires were to be lit under the circumstances of a possible attack.
Tyree saw a light not that far from where he was and decided to dismount and check it out, it appeared to be an indian raiding party, most likely after the gold that would come in the morning. He quickly rode back to the camp before he was spotted by the Indians, when he got back Cpl Blutch was eating some hardtack with bacon on it and Sgt Chesterfield drinking out of his canteen.
Trooper Tyree: "Hey Sarge."
Sgt Chesterfield: "Well Travis, what did you find?"
Trooper Tyree: "An entire war party of Sioux Warriors Sarge, they're comin for the gold, I got close enough to eat with them."
Sgt Chesterfield: *Sigh* "Alright, go get some hardtack and bacon."
Trooper Tyree: "Thanks Sarge." and he walked off.
Cpl Blutch: "How do you think they found us, we didn't see any of them."
Sgt Chesterfield: "If you saw them, they weren't Sioux, or they wanted to lead us to a trap."
Cpl Blutch: "Yeah your right, besides there known for scouting in the dark."
Sgt Chesterfield: "Say, who gave you that hardtack and bacon?"
Cpl Blutch: "I don't know, too dark to see."
Sgt Chesterfield: "NEXT TIME CORPORAL, PAY MORE ATTENTION!" and he walked over to Sgt Cooper.
Cpl Blutch processed his comment for a minute, then he realized what he meant, he wiped his face from forehead to chin.
Cpl Blutch: "Me and my stupid big mouth."
Sgt Chesterfield told Cooper to lead the horses down and across the river, for the Sergeant was going to lead the small detail to the gold wagon on foot and go down the river by raft to the horses and continue back to the fort.
He led the Troopers around the outskirts of the Sioux camp, Sgt Chesterfield looked up from behind a bush and saw the sentires that the Indians posted around the camp, but because the brush was high, they managed to get past unharmed, and it was a lucky thing that the Northerners and Southerners didn't start another brawl. By Dawn the next day, they were waiting at the rendezvous point for the wagon, but it hadn't arrived yet, and the Sergeant and Corporal started to worry.
Sgt Chesterfield: "The wagon should have been here by now."
Cpl Blutch: "Maybe the Sioux got it." Just as he said that, the wagon arrived. "Well I'll shut my mouth."
Sgt Chesterfield chuckled, and he went to speak with the wagon driver about what made them late getting there.
Wagon Driver: "Howdy Sergeant."
Sgt Chesterfield: "Hiya there, say mister, what made you late?"
Wagon Driver: "Busted an axle a few miles back, we made up part of the time."
Sgt Chesterfield: "Yeah, I'll say."
Wagon Driver: "Say, where are your horses?"
Sgt Chesterfield: "Up river, were taking rafts since the Sioux have a war party around here and we had to sneak by on foot to not be detected, now then, let's get this gold unloaded."
Wagon Driver: "Right Sergeant."
The Wagon Driver and his shotgun driver got down from the driving bench and got the metal boxes of gold and placed it on the rafts.
Cpl Blutch: "You know, were caught on that river with the Sioux, we'll not only be sitting ducks, but dead in the water as well."
Sgt Chesterfield: "Yeah, but risks have to be taken at certain points in time you know."
Cpl Blutch: "Yeah yeah, I know, you've told me more than once Sarge."
They both then got on one of the rafts and started to float down the river, as they shoved off they could hear the faint sound of hoofbeats and they knew they were the Sioux. They were in the middle of the river and moving slowly down it just as the Sioux warriors pulled alongside on the banks and started shooting at the troopers, but they returned fire immediately. The Sioux hit Trooper Harris but it was a mere graze to the leg so he could still fight.
Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl pulled their carbines up to his shoulder's and opened fire (They had Sharps Carbines for Spencer Carbines had not been fully developed yet) the others followed in firing on the Indians. The Sioux warriors fell one by one of their ponies, the troopers managed to keep the Indians off them and made them pull back. Soon they reached the where Cooper and two other men were waiting with the horses, they tied the gold to a pack mule they had with them and rode back to the fort, and met Thunderbird along the way.
Thunderbird: "Ah, hello Sergeant, did you have a great victory?"
Sgt Chesterfield: "We kept the gold safe Thunderbird."
Thunderbird: "On one else tried to steal it?"
Sgt Chesterfield: "You know Thunderbird, one of these days, you're gonna arrive too early, or too late." and the men continued on as Thunderbird chuckled.
They soon pulled up to the fort gates and unloaded the gold into a safe in Col Appletown's office.
Sgt Chesterfield: "Well sir, we managed to get the gold here, I just hope nothing else happens and the Southerners don't try anything sir."
Col Appletown: "I pray we can keep the peace here Sergeant."
