Voting is nice, ya'll know how to do that so vote.
Waking up this day is something of a relief, and trial. Could not sleep well, kept waking up to odd sounds or another waking. Their movement wakes me if not up already, though strangely no one else has problems sleeping. The sky is lit when I wake, guess no hunting today. At least I'm still the first awake, though Chun looks quite happy.
The men are waking when Chun and Bia suckle on me. I can't help feeling embarrassed about them watching me get relief. At least nobody says anything while sergeant gets the fire going. Once Chun and Bia finish I get dressed and sit next to the fire.
"No hunting today?" I sigh and shake my head.
"Coney are easy before sky is lit, after can take spell. If need be Elan and I will hunt in evening, though town coming up, I reckon we can buy meat." Dan nudges me.
"What do we do if our target boarded the train?" I sigh and shrug.
"Board train and ask at each stop if they stopped."
"Marshal if the train is there hold it, you can ask the ticket man if they got tickets or boarded." Both marshals nod, Dan then turns to sergeant.
"Sergeant there will be a saloon, perhaps a hotel. You will find out if we can get rooms, multiple beds since our gals are for multiple men." Sergeant nods then shrugs.
"Seems best I go with marshals and find out if we need them." Dan nods though Cucaracha says something.
"Perhaps better to have sergeant stay with injun so he doesn't find the bottom of bottles." We all laugh though sergeant swats Cucaracha.
"Janet you will go with Chun, Bia, Bipin, and Elan to store and get supplies. I'll come along presently." I nod at Dan then a thought comes and I swat him.
"I only have a couple dollars and a small mess of pennies left." Dan sighs.
"That should be enough unless you buy out the supply of chocolate." Chun and Bia are laughing, I just don't get it.
"Why would I do that?" Dan shrugs though sergeant is laughing.
"Other women hold to chocolate being the prime food. You are different Janet but we already spoke on that."
I open my mouth to say something then Chun puts a plate in my hands. I forget what I was going to say, powerful hunger. Been smelling the cooking for a spell and been drooling a bit. We have egg with baked beans and jerky wrapped up in tortilla. Shortly after everyone else is getting plates and no talking, we are all enjoying our vittles.
Once we finish our vittles we get going on packing up. Takes longer today because of the dead men, the horses don't seem happy either. Course the bodies don't bend well any longer, too cold. A few of them the dead end up tied to the saddle and sticking out straight. Rather funny to see though the dead will thaw and end up bent over the poor horse.
Finally on our way and it starts to snow again. I look up and groan, this is bad, constant snow means no tracking until we can see them.
"It could be worse, plenty of snow means they will hole up." Dan has a point, there is one thing though.
"If they have a place, how did the poster end up in Kansas City?" The marshals groan.
"They have been going across the country, we got it sent to the courthouse. If it's any consolation you two were asked for." I look at Dan and he's grinning.
"See, they don't hate injuns that much." Sergeant snorts and shakes his head.
"Ach lad be thinking the opposite, they sent us orders on what to do if the Apache give us trouble. It involves dynamite and not for clearing stumps."
I think we all end up staring at sergeant for a spell. That is so not something we wanted to know. He probably wasn't supposed to share either, not likely to be done at this reservation, but others it probably would. Just keep right on riding with nobody talking. Not much to say anyway, if the man left path we won't know.
Still chances are best they went straight to this town. Likely not rob here, towns with train can send word and the lawmen ahead will know to watch for them. This is bad thing, gangs tend to avoid that as much as possible. Usually the reason for them moving about, to get away from the wanted poster.
Then the next town comes into view and it's big. Extends along both sides of the rail with several stores. Can see the train station, taller building with a water tower for the train. There are three tall buildings, at least one has to be a saloon. The other two are either more saloons or a hotel though there is one thing.
"Dan would a place of that size need two saloons or hotels?" Dan sighs.
"No, and the nearness to each other isn't so good."
"Perhaps one is a whorehouse." Look over at the marshal a bit then shrug.
"Perhaps but whorehouse not needed that tall. Seems odd to have three tall buildings, don't reckon they have more people visiting than we do."
"Courthouse?" Look at sergeant then turn to look at marshal who shakes his head.
"Not here no, the big law town is north and west of us."
Well call this confusing but we fall quiet again. Doesn't take us all that long to make it to the edge of town. Get met by a deputy and the undertaker, someone noticed and fetched which I'm thankful about. Smile at the undertaker, I'm sure ready to get rid of the dead. Then Dan is hopping off his horse and waving at me so I hand the reins to Elan and hop down to trot over.
"Afternoon sheriff." He looks at me as I stop next to Dan. "Best to keep your Mexicans on a short leash, they aren't liked here."
"I'm Cherokee..." Would have more to say just Dan puts hand over my mouth.
"Hush Janet. The dead we got here is a gang, unsure on if there are posters for them but we do have five bags of bank money and a wallet from probably a bank manager."
"Well now, got reports on bank robbers and key members to watch for. I reckon you got one of those at least." Tired of standing here with hand on mouth I stomp on Dan's foot.
"We are tracking a gang of eight, two Mohawk are with. We have a poster for one but you probably would have noticed because they are injun like me. Not Mexicans but round eye never able tell difference anyway." Deputy scratches at head then spits on ground.
