Knights of the Golden Circle
Part 3
The next day brought rain. Everyone was huddled in their shelters. Lightning and thunder threatened to send the horses out in their paddock in a panic.
Despite the rain, Boss-man Henricks and his foreman Tom McConnell left the camp at sunrise to replenish their stores. The six men who were killed the night before had been buried. Caine helped with the burials and the comforting of the women whose husbands had been lost. It was a solemn and sober day; not a good day to start an investigation, so Kwai Chang Caine decided to sit and read some of the letters his grandfather had given him. Perhaps they might hold clues as to where he might find his newly discovered half-brother.
"Dear Grandpa,
I'm sorry things haven't worked out. I know how you feel about Delonia Cartell. She is really a sweet and wonderful girl. If it's any consolation, Delonia's father doesn't approve either. He feels the grandson of a stonecutter just isn't good enough for his daughter. I want to make this work. That's all I can say. I'll write when we get settled. I want to make it on my own, build that ranch, but I may have to do some things I know you won't approve. I love you grandpa. Danny"
There were no clues in this letter. The ink was faded, and it seemed older than the rest. The date in the upper right corner proved it. Even the postmark gave no answers. It was smeared. It had been happenstance when he came upon someone who had directed him to the Rankin Ranch where his brother had left a watch. It was the only other tangible evidence that he had of his brother's existence. Before Caine could read a second letter, there was a great commotion out in the yard.
Caine peered out from his cabin to see many men rushing through the rain and mud. Boss-man Hendricks was riding back, carrying a wagon loaded with supplies and something else, a body wrapped in a shroud.
"Get a burial detail out here!" Hendricks shouted. "We were ambushed on our way back. We did our best to out-run them. Tom was hit. I manage to make it across the river. Tom's dead. I tried to wrap Tom up . . ."
Caine suddenly rushed forward to catch Hendricks as he fell from the wagon.
"You are hurt."
"Didn't see their faces. They all wore masks. Whoever it is they don't want us to finish this line."
Caine felt the man go limp as he lapsed into unconsciousness. Caine carried Hendricks to his cabin and placed him on his cot.
"Please, bring water."
A few men were gathered at the entrance, their eyes filled with fear and concern. Caine rolled up his sleeves as he waited for the water. He could hear whispers in the background as his brands were revealed to the men.
"He is Shaolin."
"A Shaolin here?"
"I heard the emperor is looking for a priest who killed his nephew."
"You know nothing."
"Then why is the Shaolin here?"
Caine approached the men, a stern expression on his features. "This man is badly hurt. I will need water and bandages as well as my pouch from my tent. Will no one assist me?"
"I will Shaolin." It was the woman whom Caine spoke with yesterday. In her hands were some strips of cloth and a large teapot with steam curling from its spot. "Do you have nothing better to do than gossip like old women? Go bury the foreman."
"They seem to listen to you."
"My husband was the first to be hired by Mr. Hendricks. He allowed me to stay in the camp. Many young men barely old enough to swing a hammer require a mother's strength to remind them they have manners. A few brought wives and children. They seek a new beginning, away from persecution, even in this new land, but they are learning nowhere is safe."
"Yet they still come."
"Mr. Hendricks is a good man. They are paid well and are fed well. Mr. Hendricks cares for the safety of his men."
"Now they are fearful because Mr. Hendricks is hurt," Caine observed. "They fear someone else will come and not be such a good boss."
"You are right, Shaolin," the woman stated.
Caine bathed Mr. Hendricks' wounds. He added herbs to the water to help fight infection, then bound the wounds with yarrow to close them.
"His wounds are not life threatening, but he has lost a lot of blood. He will be weak until his blood can be replenished." Caine handed the woman a small pouch. "He will need to drink this three times a day. One cup at each meal."
"We are glad that you are here, Shaolin. We do not have a doctor. And the railroad will not provide us with one. There are not enough."
Caine thought of the kindly doctor who took him in when he first arrived in this country. It felt like a lifetime away.
Caine wasn't feeling well. The trip across the ocean had been a harrowing experience. He had to stay hidden and only emerge from the cargo hold at night to get some fresh air or even to get something to eat from the galley. When he arrived in San Francisco, he was weak from hunger and sickness. He stumbled from the dock area trying to find a place that would welcome a new arrival from China, but no one took him in. He could not remember if the captain had recommended someone or not, so he wandered the streets hoping to find a friendly face. Even in Chinatown he did not seem to be welcomed. They looked upon him with scorn not knowing or caring who he was. Finally, Caine came upon an open doorway that seemed inviting. A symbol that was strange and familiar drew him in. He was reminded of something that his father had said and knew at least here was a place that he could seek shelter and perhaps a meal or two.
Caine stumbled through the open door to see a small line of men waiting to be served at a counter. He waited his turn and soon a bowl of soup and a crust of bread was being handed to him. Caine looked down at the soup, and though the contents smelled enticing, he had to refuse its offering.
"What's wrong. Don't you like soup?"
"I do not eat meat," Caine replied.
"You'll probably want a bowl of rice instead."
Caine weakly nodded back to the man serving the soup.
"Hey, you don't look too good."
Just at that moment, blackness swam in front of Caine's eyes, and he collapsed onto the floor.
Caine later woke to someone's soothing touch as a cool cloth was placed on his forehead. "Where am I?" Caine asked, his mouth was pasty and dry. "Thirsty."
"Here you go," the man who spoke to him about the soup brought a glass of water to his lips. "Drink it slowly.
Caine did as the man instructed, sipping the water until his thirst was abated.
"You've had a fever for the past three days. It's finally broken. Do you remember what happened?"
"You gave me some soup."
"Yes, and you refused to eat it because it contained meat. Well, this time you will not have to be concerned with that. This is just vegetable broth."
Caine allowed the man to spoon feed him the broth.
"After you finish this, I want you to sleep some more. Oh, my name's Doc Graham. I run this establishment. You need anything, just let me know."
Caine listened to the man speak while he continued to be spoon fed.
"Now, what's your name?"
"Kwai Chang Caine."
"Not a Chinese last name to be sure."
"My father was an American."
Doc Graham gave Caine a nod of his head. "What brings you to these shores?"
"I . . ." Caine hesitated, not knowing if he should reveal that he was a fugitive.
"Don't answer that," Dr. Graham interrupted. "I'm just a nosy old coot. The less I know about a person, the less likely if they're running from something, there's any chance of betraying a confidence. Well. You just get better young man and then we'll see about getting you some proper clothes and maybe some work. If there's any work to be had."
Caine remembered staying with Doc Graham for a week. The doctor had found him work but it did not last. He was on the move and Caine remembered his goal of finding out about his father's home in Lordsville. Other work would be had later, work for the railroad and a very different boss-man.
"Here is more water."
Caine was brought out of his reverie.
"Will he recover?"
"Yes," Caine stated, though now his thoughts were on the ambush. It did not appear that this ambush was related to the previous attack. 'I will need to know where the attack happened,' he thought. If the two were related he might get a better picture of what was happening and why. For now, he would take care of Mr. Hendricks until more answers could be found.
Continues With Part 4
