Chapter Five: The Hunt
It was noon by the time they'd finished burying the dead, Jake Worth rode in with some of his men. "Matt, do you reckon we should start the track today or tomorrow?"
"Today, could be they turn south and keep on to Mexico, but what if they don't what if they turn east again and hit Dodge."
"Matt, I'll ride in with my men," Jake said, "give Newly and Burke a hand. I bought you out some supplies, enough for four or five days"
"Thanks, Jake, I'm obliged. If they don't turn up within a couple of days, I'd say they wouldn't be, if that's the case just help out keep the peace."
"Right! Any messages you want delivered other than to Newly and Burke?"
"Jake, you know what to tell them better than me," both Mckee and Paco looked puzzled, Jake and his men left for Dodge. "Jake was talking about my kids, I've got twins a boy and a girl I had in a former relationship, they're twelve and a girl called Mary she kind of adopted me," Matt explained how the twins and Mary had come into his life.
"Are you content with that?"
"Yeah, besides I've got my friends and that's something a lot of lawmen don't have."
"Especially Miss Kitty," Matt just looked ahead, "you know I think you should just marry up with her," Matt knew that he'd asked several times, he still couldn't persuade her that it didn't matter if the townsfolk approved or not. Until then he was content to visit her in her room after the bar closed, the only one who knew was Sam Noonan. Matt finished his meal and went to check on Buck, Paco joined him.
"Are you in love with Miss Kitty?" Matt nodded.
"Only Sam knows, Sam's the bartender in the Long Branch."
"I wouldn't sell Festus short, he probably suspects and Doc Adams from what I remember you telling me about him, he may be pretty certain," Matt smiled. "Meanwhile, I'll keep Mckee off the subject, if I can. He seems to enjoy baiting you."
"He's finished with that for now. Normally we just settle it with a good fist fight," everyone mounted up, Festus went ahead with a couple of good trackers from the Texan trail hands and picked up the trail heading west. They'd ridden for several days when they realised the men were heading straight for Garden City.
"Damn, Matthew, it looks like Comancheros, if they hit Garden City?"
"Garden City?" Mckee asked. "What's there?"
"A town, smaller than Dodge, one sheriff and only has two deputies, no one there has any chance against Comancheros. You Texans have the experience against them," Matt said.
"Yes, but even so we either send for the Texas Rangers or the Army. We only have one Texas Ranger, and no Army," Mckee said.
"Right, Mckee, I'm sending one of the men from Dodge with a letter to Fort Larned, asking for assistance to be sent to Garden City," Matt scribbled a note and handed it to one of the posse. "Ben, get there as quick as you can, tell the commanding officer that we'll probably get to Garden City before them, we'll try to hold off the Comancheros," Ben turned his horse and galloped northeast towards Fort Larned. The posse now increased speed and galloped to Garden City.
The citizens of Garden City looked up sharply as the posse cantered up and dismounted to ease their horses backs. Matt entered the Sheriff's office. "Sheriff Williams?"
"Marshal Dillon, is there something we can do for you?"
"No, we are here to save your town. Did you receive a message regarding the attack on the stage station at Kinsley?"
"Yes, terrible thing to have happened."
"We think it's Comancheros. We've tracked them in this direction, we think they are coming here. We're going to hide our horses and help you set up defences. I've sent a message to Fort Larned asking for support."
"God help us!"
"He will, but for how long we can hold out, I don't know. Have you got any space in your jail?"
"It's not large, and the cells are unoccupied at the moment."
"Good, I wouldn't want some drunk getting shot by accident. How many men in the town can you count on that are good hands with rifles apart from your deputies?"
"About ten men and four women."
"Right, let's get ready," Matt left the office with the Sheriff, his deputies came up to them. "What you'll need is to find stables for our horses for the moment and then we'll have to build barricades."
"Go to it, boys, show these men where to put their mounts and then get the people to building barricades," the two deputies assisted the posse in housing their horses and then started organising the barricades.