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Chapter 1: Colter Part 4
Once outside, Dutch started speaking, addressing Bill. Arthur closed the door behind him. Damn John. "Bill, now you ride ahead and set the charge at the water tower before the tunnel." Dutch instructed. Arthur walked down the small stairs, following Dutch to the opposite side where their horses were hitched.
"Ain't a problem." replied Bill in a raspy voice.
Arthur noticed Hosea walking towards them, clearly unhappy. Arthur agreed with Hosea, honestly. He would not really doubt Dutch or ever lose his faith in him, but...
"Why are we doing this? Weather's breaking; we could leave." Hosea asked, throwing his arms in the air. "I-I thought we were lying low." Arthur and Dutch now stood next to their horses.
"Hyah... come on." Bill gave his horse the signal and set off at a canter, nearly running Hosea over.
Dutch, who was tightening the girth on his horse, looked at Hosea. "What do you want from me, Hosea?" Arthur also tightened the girth on his horse, standing behind Dutch.
"I just don't want any more folks to die, Dutch," Hosea replied, trying to get Dutch to understand. Oh, if only it were that easy. Dutch was very stubborn at certain points, and it was hell trying to change his mind once it was set.
Dutch stopped tightening the girth and turned his body towards Hosea. "We're living, Hosea... we're living. Look at me, we're living, even you." Hosea turned around in frustration.
"But we need money. Everything we have is in Blackwater." With that, Hosea slowly turned back around to face Dutch. "You fancy heading back there?" Dutch added as an afterthought.
"No," Hosea's reply was firm. "Listen, Dutch, I ain't trying to undermine you. I just..." Now Arthur was also done with his horse and was just watching the two, who were talking, arguing, or whatever it was.
In Arthur's opinion, they sometimes looked like an old married couple. It was a strange thought, almost felt wrong to think of it that way about his father figures. He knew it wasn't right, but if you really looked at them, how they argued with each other, it certainly seemed like that.
"I just want to stick to the plan, which was to lie low, then head back out west. Now suddenly we're about to rob a train." Dutch wasn't even listening, it seemed like that, having one arm resting on his horse's rump. He sighed. "What choice have we got?"
"Leviticus Cornwall's no joke, Dutch. He's..." Who the fuck is that? They kept talking about him like he's some sort of well-known feller. Someone very important or something. Deciding to voice his thoughts, Arthur interrupted Hosea. "Who is Leviticus Cornwall?"
Hosea, who knew the most about him, decided to explain. "He's a big railway magnate, sugar dealer, oil man." Dutch interrupted Hosea. "Well, how good for him. Sounds like he has more than enough to share." Hosea didn't like that at all. "Dutch!"
Dutch ignored Hosea; he instead started shouting, letting the other gang members know to get ready. "Gentlemen, it's time to make something of ourselves." Arthur gave Hosea a firm nod and turned around to get on his horse. "Get your horse ready, we have a train to rob." With that, Dutch mounted his own white horse.
With that, they began their journey to the train, a journey that would soon turn into a bloodbath, like always. Arthur rode behind Dutch, being the closest since the others had their horses hitched elsewhere. "Everybody ready? Alright, let's head out." Dutch called, leading the way.
They crossed the river, heading toward the forest. "Okay, gentlemen, listen up, all of you," Dutch called out, his voice firm. "According to the information so kindly provided to us by the O'Driscolls, the train will be coming north from Big Valley. We're going to pick it off after it crosses the border into the Grizzlies. There's a raised spot there that should give us a good vantage."
"Charles, you'll keep lookout for any outriders. How's that hand, by the way?" Dutch asked as he began giving orders.
"I'll be fine." replied Charles in a determined voice.
"Good. I'll take the driver and engineer, then run point. Lenny and Javier, you two take the front cars, deal with any guards. Arthur and Micah, you head straight for the back." Arthur cursed inwardly. Fucking Micah. Out of everybody they had, Dutch chose Micah? He knew he hated that man with his whole damn soul. Dutch continued, "That's what we're after... Mr. Cornwall's private car."
"You and me, Morgan." said Micah, and this time Arthur didn't hide his displeasure.
"Great." he complained in an annoyed tone.
"Have you got a problem with that?" Micah asked, and Arthur almost had to keep himself from laughing at the fool.
"Not if you keep your head for once."
"You worry about yourself." sneered Micah back, equally frustrated with Arthur, though Arthur couldn't care less what Micah thought about him.
"Enough!" Dutch cut in, ending their childish banter. "After Bill blows the tracks, we're gonna need to move fast... is everyone clear on what they're doing?" Dutch asked, his voice commanding.
"Yep."
"Crystal."
"Yes, boss."
"Good. Now, come on, let's ride!" Dutch ordered, leading the group forward.
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Quite some time later, after riding through the snow, they began to notice the landscape changing. The endless white of winter gave way to dead trees, and they started to see more patches of grass. It wasn't like the snowy mountains, and it sure as hell felt good. Arthur took a deep breath. Damn, how he missed the smell of actual nature. The snowy air was really starting to drive him crazy. He really wasn't made for the snow, more for the warm West. "Out of the snow, finally," Arthur commented to Dutch.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" Dutch replied. Arthur nodded, despite Dutch being in front of him and unable to see it. "But we need to get this done fast now that it's thawing... before anyone gets up here after us."
There was a brief silence before Dutch spoke again. "Oh, look at you boys... see? This is what I call a crew. Micah Bell, Charles Smith, Arthur Morgan, Javier Escuella. And what about young Lenny here? Always the first man on his horse."
"Just happy we're back at it, Dutch." Lenny replied enthusiastically.
"You sure you're ready for this, kid?" someone—probably Javier—asked. Arthur wasn't really following the conversation too closely. He had one ear on it while the rest of him was lost in the scenery. He looked up at the beautiful sky, where the sun was starting to break through the clouds. He could feel the little warmth it provided, and it felt so good. Instead of every damn day freezing, with almost no sun because it was constantly snowing or storming, this was a welcome change.
Right now, there wasalmostno snow on the ground. The green grass was visible, the mountains were free of their icy layers. It was true proof of May, proof of spring, how it was supposed to really look.
"'Course I'm ready." Lenny replied confidently.
"Just stay calm, keep your eyes sharp. That goes for all of you. No mistakes, not again." Dutch informed them sternly. This time, it was serious. They were not going to repeat what happened on the ferry. No way.
"So we do this, then we go back to Blackwater to collect?" Micah asked, his voice full of anticipation. Arthur inwardly groaned. Micah had been harping on about Blackwater the whole time. 'After this mission, we go back to Blackwater? We go to Blackwater after this? When are we going to Blackwater?' It was really annoying. Didn't Micah understand they were wanted dead? Going backnowwould be a suicide mission.
"How many times are you going to ask the same question, Micah?" Arthur asked, his irritation barely concealed. Why was Micah here again?
"That's a lot of damn money to leave sitting for too long." Micah argued back. Arthur so badly wanted to say something along the lines of how they shouldn't have convinced Dutch to rob a damn ferry after he, Arthur, and Hosea had everything perfectly planned.
"It would be crazy to go back there now. The place will be swarming with Pinkertons." Javier interjected. Thank God at least one of them had a brain—Javier, at least, had common sense, unlike Micah.
Dutch interrupted the argument. "We go back when I say we go back, and that's the end of it. The money's safe; you'll just have to trust me. And if the O'Driscolls are right, there'll be a stack of railroad bonds on this train."
They arrived at their destination. "There's the water tower. Hold up here on the ridge." They moved closer to the ridge, where they could see Bill walking toward the wooden railway with the dynamite. They stopped as they reached the ridge.
"Is Bill there?" Dutch asked.
"Yeah." Arthur replied.
"You want to head down and see how he's getting on?"
"Okay."
Arthur urged his horse into a canter, heading down toward Bill. Once he was close enough, he dismounted and walked a bit closer to where Bill was tying dynamite underneath the wooden railway.
"How you getting on?" Arthur asked, noticing Bill struggling a little.
"Yeah... I'm okay." Bill replied, though his tone didn't quite match his words.
"You sure?" Arthur asked, the struggling sounds telling him otherwise.
"Of course." Bill replied snarkily.
"Can I help a little?" Arthur offered.
"Alright. Go ahead... and set up the detonator by those rocks over there." Bill instructed, gesturing toward the detonator near him.
Arthur glanced at it. "Okay, sure."
Bill then explained what Arthur needed to do. "Now, justunspoolthe wire andthenattach it to said detonator."
Arthur grabbed the wire roller and slowly walked towards the rocks as Bill had instructed, carefully unspooling the wire so he could keep moving smoothly. Once he reached the detonator, Arthur crouched down on one knee and cut the wire, connecting it to the detonator just as Bill had explained.
"Okay, this is good." Arthur said to Bill, who heard him and nodded.
"Alright, that should do it. You head back to the others; I've got it from here." Bill replied.
Arthur gave a nod and walked back to his horse, mounting it and cantering back to where the rest of the group stood. The group had rearranged themselves, but there was a large space between Javier and Dutch, so Arthur positioned himself there.
"What's going on?" Dutch asked as he looked through his binoculars.
"He says it's all fine." Arthur replied.
"We'll soon find out." Javier commented.
"Everything okay?" Dutch asked Arthur again.
"I think so." Arthur responded.
Dutch then put his binoculars back in his satchel. "Okay, cover your faces. The train should be here any minute now." Everyone did as instructed, pulling their bandanas up to cover their lower faces.
In the distance, they saw the smoke of the approaching train. "Gentlemen, it's time. Good luck, all of you. You all know what to do." Dutch said, his voice steady with determination.
Bill, hidden behind the rocks, saw the train approaching. As it drew close enough, he walked to the detonator, placing his hands firmly on the handle. "Here we go.." he whispered, then pushed the handle down.
But nothing happened.
He tried again, and still nothing. "Shit, no! What? God!" Bill yelled in frustration, kicking the detonator in anger.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Dutch groaned in anger.
"Where did you find that moron?" Arthur asked Dutch, his frustration clear.
Dutch, equally angry, snapped back, "You said it was fine."
Arthur looked annoyed, narrowing his eyes at Dutch. "So it's my fault?"
Beside Arthur, Lenny and Javier had already dismounted, ready to jump onto the train after it passed underneath the tunnel. Arthur quickly followed suit, dismounting and preparing to follow the two. As he moved, he shot a final remark at Dutch, "You're pathetic, you know that?" before running to catch up with Javier and Lenny.
When they reached the top of the tunnel, the three of them jumped onto the moving train. "Here we go!" yelled Lenny and Javier as they leaped.
They all struggled with the high jump, and Arthur landed squarely in the middle of the train car. He managed to grab onto a rooftop ventilator, securing himself steadily on the roof. However, Javier wasn't as lucky—he slipped and fell off the train. Arthur looked back, concerned, but Javier waved them on, signaling that he and Lenny should keep going.
Lenny yelled, "I'm slipping!" Arthur snapped his head toward the sound and saw Lenny clinging to the side of the train, barely holding on by the roof. The train was approaching a bridge, and if Lenny fell, he would plunge to his death.
Arthur quickly stood up and made his way toward Lenny, crouching down on his knees.
"Oh shit!" yelled Lenny.
"I got you. Now stop yelling." Arthur replied as he extended a hand to Lenny. Lenny took it, gripping tightly.
"Shit, shit, shit." Lenny muttered as he slipped with one foot, but Arthur managed to pull him onto the roof.
"You're okay... now let's go slow this thing down." Arthur said, once Lenny was on the roof.
Once both were on the roof, Lenny quickly made his way to the end of the car. "Where's Javier?" Lenny asked as he jumped down onto the car below. Arthur followed close behind.
"He fell. The others'll get him." Arthur replied before jumping down as well.
They entered the car, the door already open. Arthur watched as Lenny crouched, moving silently. Arthur then spotted a man with his back turned to them. In one swift movement, Lenny drove his knife into the side of the man's neck, holding him to prevent any noise as he collapsed.
After gently laying the body down, Lenny moved forward, taking cover next to the other open door. Arthur quickly looted the man's body before joining Lenny.
"There's another guard up ahead. You want me to take him?" Lenny asked.
Arthur peeked outside and saw the guard standing in an open car loaded with boxes. "Yes, you go." Arthur instructed.
Lenny sprinted out of the car and up to the man, shoving him off the train. "Hey!" the guard yelled as he fell. Arthur quickly looked toward the next car, knowing the yell would have alerted anyone nearby. He readied his gun, bracing for the possibility of more guards coming their way.
Arthur stepped out of the car into the open space, where Lenny was already readying his revolver. Arthur, however, had his rifle aimed at the open door ahead—or rather, the space where a door would be, as there seemed to be none attached. Like the rest actually. When no guard immediately appeared, Arthur cautiously moved closer, his rifle at the ready.
As he advanced, he spotted a guard who had been hidden from view. Without hesitation, Arthur quickly shot the guard in the head, dropping him instantly.
It puzzled Arthur for a moment—how had this guard not been alerted by the earlier yell? But there was no time to dwell on it; they needed to keep moving and stop the train.
As Arthur moved forward, another guard suddenly jumped out from a concealed spot farther down the car. Arthur reacted quickly, shooting the guard in the head and dropping him instantly. It seemed like these guards were hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Arthur continued walking cautiously, scanning his surroundings. As he entered the next car, he spotted another guard crouched down, attempting to stay hidden. Without hesitation, Arthur shot him in the head as well.
Suddenly, a guard appeared out of the doorway from the adjacent car. Arthur fired a shot but missed as the guard moved, but his next shot was perfectly aimed, hitting the guard squarely in the head and taking him down.
"You alright?" Arthur asked, still aiming ahead while quickly reloading his rifle.
"Yeah, I'm good." Lenny replied, sounding more focused now.
As Arthur continued moving forward, no more guards appeared, and they soon reached a car that had no windows or doors—a secure, almost impenetrable compartment.
"What the hell was Bill doing?" Lenny asked in frustration, clearly annoyed at the situation. Arthur bit his bottom lip in thought while he looted the two dead bodies in front of him. "-He had long enough to set that charge."
"Well, I hooked up the wire, but we won't mention that."
Lenny had now caught up with Arthur, standing right behind him. "We gotta hurry! W-we gotta stop the train!"
"That's what we're doing, kid." Arthur replied.
Arthur moved forward and jumped onto the roof of the next car. Just as he hoisted himself up, he spotted a guard doing the same, their heads rising in unison. Both men were fully on the roof at the same time, locked in a tense standoff.
"What is wrong with you boys?" the guard spat, quickly drawing his gun. Arthur did the same, but the guard fired first, hitting Arthur somewhere on his side. Arthur grunted in pain but quickly returned fire, his shot hitting the guard squarely in the chest. The guard fell limply backward, tumbling off the roof.
Arthur tsked in frustration, feeling the sting of the wound, but knowing he had no time to dwell on it. He had to keep moving.
Arthur heard someone yell, "Bastards!" and immediately swung his rifle up just as another shot rang out, narrowly missing him. He quickly aimed and fired, dropping the guard with a single, precise shot.
"How you doing there?" Arthur called back to Lenny, who was still behind him.
"I'm okay."
Satisfied with the response, Arthur jumped off the roof and landed on an open platform. He quickly looted the fallen guard's body, then moved on to the second car of the train where the coal was stored.
"If we don't stop this train soon, the other boys'll never catch us," Lenny urged anxiously, the tension in his voice clear.
"I know, just stay calm."
As Arthur was making his way past a small structure in the coal car he was suddenly struck in the face by a coal shovel. The impact was jarring, his hat fell off, and before he could react, the guard responsible for the blow quickly wrapped an arm around Arthur's throat, locking him into a tight headlock.
Arthur managed to free his elbow and drove it into the guard's stomach. The impact made the guard grunt in pain, but he maintained his grip. "You got him? I ain't got no clear shot," Lenny called out.
Arthur, with a burst of strength, broke free from the headlock, spun around, and grabbed the guard by the throat. He delivered a few sharp punches to the guard's face before tightening his hold and pushing him over the railing. The guard tumbled off the train, falling into the distance below.
Arthur then made his way to the front of the car, spotting a lever. He pulled it with a determined effort. While he wasn't an expert on train mechanics, his experience with train robberies had taught him enough about stopping a train.
The train came to a harsh, jarring halt, screeching as it slowed down abruptly. Arthur braced himself against the sudden stop.
Once the train came to a full stop, Arthur jumped out and quickly hid behind a rock for cover.
"Shit! More guards coming out of the train car!" Arthur shouted to Lenny, who had already found shelter behind a nearby hill. The guards began emerging from the train, taking up positions on the roof and around the sides, scattering themselves in preparation for whatever was coming next. There were quite a few of them.
"There better be some money at the end of this!" Arthur silently agreed with Lenny. If there turned out to be no damn money on this train, he'd lose his mind. But as he observed the scene, "All these bastards must be guarding something." So many guards for a single train—there had to be something valuable on board. They might be hitting a jackpot after all.
The gunfire continued to crack around them as Lenny advanced further, with Arthur following close behind.
"You still okay?" Arthur called out to Lenny.
"I think so." Lenny replied, his voice steady but strained.
Arthur nodded, even though Lenny couldn't see him. "Damn, he's got an army! Who is this guy?" Lenny asked, taking out a few guards as he spoke.
Arthur ran up beside him. "You're doing good, kid."
"Where the hell are the others?" Arthur grumbled. It shouldn't have taken them this long to find a train that had come to a complete stop, especially with all the gunfire.
"I don't know! Ah, shit... look, they're coming out of that last car!" Lenny shouted, pointing towards the end of the train.
Arthur quickly moved to a small hill where Lenny had taken cover behind a rock. Both men crouched down, taking cover as the guards began to emerge from the last car. The situation was chaotic.
"We're gonna get out of this." Arthur called out as he shot another guard.
"Oh, I know we are." Lenny replied with determination, his confidence bringing a sense of pride to Arthur.
Then they heard distant gunfire growing louder. "Hey! There's the other boys." Lenny pointed out as the rest of the gang emerged from the trees, riding in on horseback and firing at the remaining enemies. The sudden arrival of their reinforcements sent the guards into a panic.
Arthur and Lenny stayed on top of the hill, taking advantage of the higher vantage point. With the guards now distracted by the riders, Arthur had a clear shot. He aimed and fired, picking off more of the panicked enemies. The tide was turning in their favor, and with the rest of the gang now involved, victory seemed imminent.
"Come on, clean this up, boys!" Dutch's voice rang out, commanding the gang to finish off the last of the guards. Once the dust settled and all the enemies were dead, Arthur glanced over at Lenny, starting to walk down the small hill.
"Good shooting, kid." Arthur praised, following Lenny down. "I can see now why the O'Driscolls brought so many here for this." The corner of Arthur's mouth twitched into a small, brief smile.
Before the moment could linger, Dutch's voice cut through the air again. "Arthur, get over here." he ordered. The smile instantly faded as Arthur's expression turned serious once more.
Arthur and Lenny made their way over to the horses, where the rest of the gang was already dismounted and waiting for them. Dutch eyed them as they approached, concern flickering across his face. "Are you two alright?" he asked.
"Yes," Arthur replied, a hint of impatience in his voice. "Let's just get the money and go." The sky was already darkening, and Arthur knew that Colm O'Driscoll might have already caught wind of their plans. Time was running short, and the last thing they needed was another confrontation.
Dutch nodded, but then pointed toward the last car. "We got some fellers holed up in this last car."
"Ah, shit." Arthur grumbled, his tone laced with frustration. They weren't done yet, and they couldn't afford to waste any more time.
Dutch stepped closer to the last car, his voice carrying an authoritative calm as he addressed the men inside. "What are you boys planning on doing in there?" he called out, letting the tension hang in the air. There was a moment of silence before he continued, his tone firm but laced with a dark promise. "Listen to me, we don't want to kill any of ya... any more of ya."
The gang chuckled quietly at Dutch's last remark, a grim reminder of the bodies already left in their wake. "I give you my word, but trust me... we will."
As soon as Dutch finished speaking, one of the men inside the car began yelling back, "I work for Leviticus Cornwall!"
But Dutch was done with the talking. His patience had worn thin, and his voice dropped into a final, cold warning. "Come on, boys," he called out to the person inside the car.
The response from the car was defiant, "We got our orders!" The men inside clearly weren't going to cooperate willingly.
Dutch sighed, more irritated than anything, and his tone turned lethal as he gave the final command. "Okay. You asked for it."
"Five.."
"We ain't opening this door!"
"Four.."
Silent.
"Three, Two, One."
The silence from the car was deafening, a clear sign of defiance. Dutch turned to his gang, a smirk playing on his lips. "Seems our friends have gone deaf. Wake 'em up a little!"
At his command, the gang drew their guns, aiming at the steel car. The air erupted with the thunderous sound of gunfire as they all shot together, bullets ricocheting off the metal surface. Arthur, taking aim and firing along with the others, couldn't help but think this was a waste of good bullets. But orders were orders, and they needed to show they meant business.
"That's enough!" Dutch's voice cut through the chaos, and the shooting stopped abruptly. He then lowered his tone, turning to Bill. "Mr. Williamson, give Mr. Morgan and Mr. Smith some dynamite. You two boys, go blow that door open."
Bill rummaged through his satchel and handed over two stacks of dynamite to Arthur, who took it with a grumble. He split the stacks, tossing one to Charles, who caught it easily. Together, they walked towards the door of the car.
"Now don't matter too much to us," Dutch called out, his voice echoing with a final warning. "But you boys in there might wanna take a step back..."
They placed the dynamite on the door. "Seems good enough. Now light the fuse." Charles instructed.
Arthur took out a match and struck it on his boot. Charles did the same, the cackling fire catching on the fuses of the dynamite. Once they were sure the fuses were lit, they flicked the matches away and threw them into the snow, stepping back towards the rest of the gang.
"Unless you got a death wish, I'd step back, fellers." Bill warned once more.
The gang covered their ears, bracing for the explosion. Arthur, having done this countless times, just stood there waiting. A few tense moments later, the dynamite exploded, sending the door flying in big, splintered pieces.
"Alright, come on... just walk on out here," Dutch instructed, the people inside the car, had taken the warning seriously, as they had retreated further into the car. There was no escape for them; the only way out was through the door they had just blown open.
Three wealthy men, dressed in fine suits, emerged from the car with their hands up, grunting nervously. "We don't wanna kill you... we just wanna rob your boss." Dutch chuckled, watching as they cautiously made their way out. The gang, closing in, aimed their rifles at the trembling men.
Javier and Charles urged the three men forward. One of them looked quite confused, but Charles firmly grasped his arm and positioned him to follow the other man, giving him a rough shove. "Get on up there, search that train." Charles instructed, handling the last person.
Micah chuckled menacingly and walked up to the door, with Lenny following closely behind. Arthur followed them too.
Micah was the first to enter, followed by Lenny and then Arthur. Lenny's mouth hung open in awe. "Look at this place. It's like a palace." It truly was. The exquisite antique furniture would fetch a fortune if sold. The entire car could be worth thousands, but they weren't here for that. They needed to find the money.
Behind Micah and Lenny was a safe. "Now, I've seen everything." Arthur commented. Inside, he was quietly impressed by the opulence of the decor. It was like a dream to be surrounded by such wealth.
Arthur half-turned to face Micah and Lenny. "You two got the safe? I'll search the rest." He then turned back to explore the rest of the lavish car. "Oh yes, should be easy as cake." Micah replied with a smirk.
Arthur began to search through the opulent car, moving among the rich furnishings. On top of a small round table, he found a letter.
LETTER TO LEVITICUS CORNWALL FROM LELAND OIL COMPANY
Dear Mr Cornwall,
We are yet to receive payment of $2,000 for the initial phase of exploration at the Wapiti Indian Reservation, Ambarino, as agreed in the contract between Cornwall kerosene & Tar and the Leland Oil Development Company, dated November 9th 1898.
On receipt of the funds, we will proceed with phases two and three of the project and present you with a detailed report of out findings within the month.
Yours respectfully,
James Critchly
Head of Accounts
Leland Oil Development Company
When Arthur finished reading the letter, he heard Micah and Lenny bickering nearby.
"I'm parched." Micah complained.
"Shut up. Me and Micah did all the work." Lenny shot back.
"Yeah, kid did good. Didn't see you rushing to jump on that train," Arthur could basically hear Micah roll his eyes at him.
"He's keen, I'll give you that." Micah replied.
Arthur shoved the letter from the small round table into his satchel and walked over to a nearby desk that was half-placed in the middle of the car. There, he found another letter. He quickly picked it up and began to read.
LETTER TO LEVITICUS CORNWALL FROM ARCHIBALD JAMESON
Dear Leviticus,
Thank you for the telegram and for your continued interest in the Jameson mining company. However, any news you have received of mismanagement or financial difficulties at the mine in Annesburg are simply fake and I would urge you to question your sources.
The coal industry is quite different from the oil industry in a number of ways so I certainly remain open to a business meeting at your convenience to exchange ideas and educate each other on our respective areas of our corporate expertise. I would also be delighted to host you in Annesburg and give you a personal tour of the mine and its associated facilities. I look forward to further correspondence.
Yours sincerely,
Archibal Jameson
Arthur stuffed the letter into his satchel and turned to see Micah talking to Lenny. "There. See? That's how it's done." Micah said, clearly pleased with himself. They had managed to get the safe open.
But.. "Shit, just a pile of papers."
"Bonds?" Arthur asked.
"I don't think so."
Arthur tuned them out and circled the desk to search in the drawers. He found some premium cigarettes, his favorite, and took them. He also discovered a stack of bills, which he grabbed. Then he moved to the two big shelves, searched the cabinet on his left but found nothing, and turned to the other cabinet where he discovered a lockbox.
Arthur quickly slid the lockbox from the cabinet and used his knife to pry it open. Inside, he found a stack of bonds. He grabbed them all and stuffed them into his satchel. Just as he finished, Dutch's voice cut through the noise.
"Come on, let's hurry this along, boys!"
"Think I got 'em." yelled Arthur back.
"Nice." replied Lenny, who then already jumped out of the train. Micah was following behind Lenny.
"Well, thank God. Come on." grumbled Micah. Arthur followed after them. Arthur immediately walked up to Dutch, who was slowly walking toward him.
"What did you find?" he asked. Arthur reached into his sack and took out the bonds, giving them to Dutch.
"These... bonds. They worth anything?" Dutch looked through the thick stack.
"Oh, sure... bearer bonds. I think we can probably sell these pretty easily. Well done."
Then they turned to the three men sitting on the floor, scared out of their minds.
"Now would you get rid of all this?" Dutch asked Arthur.
"The train?" Arthur asked, a little in disbelief.
"Yeah, get it out of here." Arthur looked at the floor where the three rich men sat, their expensive suits now soiled by the dirty snow. Who would've thought? Three rich men in their fine clothing, sitting helplessly on the ground.
"What about them?" Arthur asked, glancing at the frightened trio.
"What do you think?"
"I don't know." shrugged Arthur. Dutch chuckled at Arthur.
"It's up to you. Kill 'em, leave 'em here, take 'em with you on the train—just make sure they don't send no folk after us." Dutch walked to his horse, the rest of the gang already mounted and waiting for him.
Arthur watched as Dutch mounted his horse. "Okay," he replied to Dutch. "See you back at camp. When you get back, we'll be moving on."
Then he addressed the rest of the gang. "The rest of you... let's ride!"
Arthur heard the sounds of the hooves getting more distant and looked at the three men. What to do with them?
"Okay, get on the train, quick, all of you." The three men rushed to stand up and walk back to the train, their movements hurried and clumsy.
"Any bright ideas, I'll kill all three of you... so behave." he ordered sternly, his gaze sharp as he watched them closely. As they stepped onto the train, one man hesitated, holding his hands up and looking nervously at Arthur.
"Come on, move." Arthur said sharply to the man who wasn't moving.
"We won't tell a soul, I swear!" said the hesitant man, his voice trembling. Arthur pulled out his gun and aimed it at him.
"Get a move on!" That did the trick—the man immediately turned around and stepped into the train, his fear evident.
Arthur quickly ran to the front of the train but got momentarily distracted by the opportunity to loot a few of the guards. After all, rich men often have rich things. He rifled through their pockets, gathering what he could before resuming his run to the front.
He quickly stepped onto the train and looked around for a way to get it moving. Spotting a lever, he pushed it forward, and the train began to inch forward.
Arthur whistled for his horse, which was patiently waiting for him. He jumped off the train and mounted his horse, giving it a few reassuring pats. As the train moved alongside him, Arthur kept a close watch, making sure no one tried to escape. Once he saw the end car come into view and confirmed that no one had run off, he kicked his horse's sides and urged it forward.
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