The men reached Sweetwater by the time the sun crossed the horizon, nothing had happened while they were gone, but a group of guys got a little curious of what was in the wagon. When the company rode back into town, they relieved the deputies and the four troopers and reformed the guard, four hours on, four hours off. The Lieutenant made sure that they were ready to move out the next morning as fast as possible, something about this town made his knees shake uneasily.

Cpl Blutch: "You think something's gonna happen here that the Lieutenant is taking all these precautions?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "Maybe, but they're necessary for this mission."

They both walked into the barn they would be sleeping in for the night, a few guys were listening in on anything important, they didn't really hear anything so they walked over to the saloon. When they entered they sat down at a table where a well dressed man was playing solitaire, the man looked up from his cards and looked at the two men.

Well Dressed Man: "Alright you two, what did you find out?"

Henchman #1: "Apparently those Soldier Boys have something mighty important in that wagon."

Henchman #2: "Should we try and take it."

Well Dressed Man: "No, not yet, we'll wait till the time is right, then we'll take whatever is in that wagon."

Unknown to those men, Lt Danford had heard the conversation through the door of the saloon and quietly ran back to his command by the barn. He shook up Lt Cohill, Sgt Chesterfield, and Cpl Blutch to come up with a plan for this situation.

Sgt Chesterfield: "I don't know why anyone would even dream of stealing from the United States Army in a time of need."

Lt Danford: "People have always been one for greed Sergeant, no matter what."

Lt Cohill: "I say we light out of here now."

Lt Danford: "Exactly, but we'll need to do it quietly if we're gonna do it right."

Cpl Blutch: "I'll wake up the men sir." The Corporal and the Sergeant walked out to wake up the men in the company. The men quietly gathered their weapons, saddles, and horses and moved out quietly toward Sudros Wells, a stagecoach stop to the Northeast of Dodge City. It was another place they had to stop along the way to St Joseph, MO.

The men noticed this the next morning and were frustrated, the Well Dressed Man was Cooper Langdon, a gambler, gunrunner, and outlaw combined. But the Federal Marshal in Kansas had not been able to get any evidence on him to arrest him and put him away in the prison at Fort Leavenworth, he decided to go get some help from someone also hunting the gold.

Meanwhile

The men of Company B of the 22nd United States Cavalry continued marching along to Sudros Wells, Lt Danford decided to send Sgt Chesterfield, Cpl Blutch, Trooper Ben Tyree and six others ahead to Sudros Wells to scout for any rebel presence there.

Cpl Blutch: "I hope we don't run into those guys again."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Well, I personally welcome the chance for another fight."

Cpl Blutch (Grumbling): "You would."

Sgt Chesterfield: "WHAT WAS THAT?!"

Cpl Blutch (Snickering): "Nothing."

Just then, they saw three men on horses on a ridge looking at them, one of them was well dressed, it was Cooper Langdon, the same one Lt Danford saw the previous night.

Cpl Blutch: "Aren't those the same men from yesterday?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "They must be, we'd better get to that Way Station soon." Just then, Trooper Tyree came over a ridge and waved his kepi to direct the small patrol towards him.

Trooper Tyree: "HI-HO, OVER HERE!" Sgt Chesterfield saw him and moved the small group of troopers in his direction.

Sgt Chesterfield: "THIS WAY!" And the patrol went over the ridge and approached the small building where there were four horses in a corral and a smokehouse to the right of the corral. A man in a dirtied plaid shirt with a beard and a pipe in one hand, and a Double-Barrel Shotgun in the other, he looked at the approaching troopers.

Mr Sudro (Pointing his Shotgun at Sgt Chesterfield): "Alright, What do you want?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "Are you the boss here?"

Mr Sudro: "Who's asking?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "Sergeant-Major Cornelius M Chesterfield, 22nd United States Cavalry."

Mr Sudro: "Oh, well then, Mike Sudro, I'm in charge here."

Sgt Chesterfield: "A pleasure Mr Sudro. Well we've got an entire company of our boys heading this way, and we would be grateful if we could camp here for the time being."

Mr Sudro: "Well alright, that sounds fine to me, It'll keep the Rebels away from raiding this place for the horses, and the meat in the smokehouse." Just then, the three men that the Sergeant and Corporal saw were riding down towards them.

Cooper Langdon (Tipping his hat): "Hello there gents."

Mr Sudro: "Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in, what do you want Langdon?"

Cooper Langdon: "All I want to do is ask the soldiers something."

Sgt Chesterfield: "What do you want Mr Langdon."

Cooper Langdon (Slyly): "Oh please soldier boy, Mr Langdon was my father, call me Cooper."

Sgt Chesterfield (Getting Enraged): "I don't really like being called a 'soldier boy' Mister, now state your business."

Cooper Langdon: "Now listen here soldier, I'll call you anything I like, I'm not in your army and you can't give me orders."

Cpl Blutch: "Look pal, just tell us what you want."

Cooper Langdon: "To be honest, I want to know what was in that wagon you boys had in Sweetwater." The troopers were getting nervous, but made sure not to show it to this man of self making fortune on the suffering of others.

Sgt Chesterfield: "It is an ambulance wagon, and why does it concern you?"

Cooper Langdon: "I don't take too kindly to liars soldier, now tell me what was in that wagon, now." He went for his holster, but the Sergeant got his Remington and pointed it at him.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Listen mister, you better clear off before you get hurt." The others drew their carbines because of this and the three men were a little bit frightened.

Cooper Langdon: "This isn't the last time Soldier boy, I'll make sure of that." So Cooper and his two henchmen rode off to find someone who would help them, gladly for the information, for a bit of a price.

Sgt Chesterfield, Cpl Blutch, Trooper Tyree, and the others watched as the three men rode away to the south, and they all thought the same thing, he was going to get the Texas Dragoons.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Alright men, dismount and prepare for attack." The men dismounted and took positions around the Stagecoach stop, much to the confusion of Mr Sudro.

Mr Sudro: "Sergeant, he only has his two fellow desperados, he won't mount a large attack."

Sgt Chesterfield: "No he won't, be he might get the Texas Dragoons to do it for him." The Sergeant pulled his horse over to the corral like the others had already done, he grabbed his Spencer Carbine and took a position by the smokehouse.

Sgt Chesterfield: "BLUTCH, TYREE, FRONT AND CENTER!" The two troopers ran to the Sergeant who called them."

Trooper Tyree: "What is it Sergeant?"

Cpl Blutch: "Yeah, what's the deal Sarge."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Look, we don't have that large of a force to hold off the Rebs for long, so someone has to go back and bring the Lieutenant here on the double."

Trooper Tyree: "So who'll go?"

Cpl Blutch: "I'll go Sergeant."

Sgt Chesterfield: "As much as I hate to say it, Blutch, you'll have to be the one to go get help, and if you desert on us in our time of need, when you die, I'll break your neck when you get to heaven."

Cpl Blutch: "Alright Sarge, I'll leave right away, and thanks for the positive reinforcement."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Oh shut up you." The Corporal quickly got Polka, his gray mare and rode off towards Lt Danford and Company B."

Trooper Tyree: "Do you think he'll come back in time?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "I hope so, or we'll all be playing poker with Saint Peter."