Yankton

Chapter 16

Chapter 16 One Angry SumBitch

When everybody was up in the morning, I fixed a quick breakfast, then had a little chat with the ladies. "Ladies, there's a good chance Swearingen will send some of his men to escort you back to Deadwood, I intend to prevent that if at all possible, it's still pretty early, so let's get all this straw back into the barn we don't want a bunch of dry straw lying around to catch fire. When we're done with that, I want everybody to spread those blankets down in the back room there and sit down, and be prepared to lay down we could get some lead flying through these walls just taking precautions that's all, so let's all get to work." We quickly returned the straw to the barn and brought in a couple barrels for protection as well. I turned the table on it's side for added protection along with a wooden crate I found. I did what I could to keep their spirits up. Nobody knew how to shoot a gun so that was out, I just hoped Mark would show up in time. I kept scanning the road for traffic but only a few wagons, and several riders went by heading for Deadwood.

It wasn't long before my hunch proved right, I spotted four men trotting my way with one of them pointing towards the shack. "All right ladies, let's lie down cover your ears if that will help, it's about to get pretty noisy in a moment." I heard soft sobbing and replied, ""Now just stay calm we'll get through this just fine, you haven't seen me in action yet." I had my M4 shotgun at the ready but my Colt LE already pointing out the window searching for targets. The men had stopped in front of a row of cottonwoods on the opposite side of the creek, I watched through my ACOG as they took up positions. "Hey you in the shack, you've got something that belongs to Mr. Swearingen, he wants it back!" I was tired of his f**k-ass games all rules of engagement were off as far as I was concerned. I obtained a perfect sight picture on the talker, and squeezed off a round. I kept the scope trained on him as I watched his head explode in a pink mist. This unnerved the others who immediately began to move, I took out my second target with a shot to his center of mass dropping him as well. Now they began to fire back with rounds striking the porch with some coming through the wall itself.

The other two men had disappeared from sight which I assumed meant that they were trying to close on the shack and surprise me. Grabbing the M4, I took a position behind my overturned bed, the women now openly crying. I suddenly say something moving just below the window sill, which meant they were going to burst in on me. A second later they did, but I was ready, squeezing the trigger as fast as I could pull it, I sent round after round of 0 and double 00 buckshot slamming into the men as they started to come through the door. Blood guts arms and legs went flying. I immediately drew my .45 and waited taking up a new position. Only the sobbing of the girls could be heard, just as I started to get up, a single shot rang out, I identified it as coming from a modern rifle so I knew the "cavalry" had shown up. I quickly reloaded the M4, and stepped out on a porch now slick with blood and human guts. "You girls stay where you are!" I shouted, "There's bad business out here." Mark came galloping up holding his M1A. Pointing to the man he shot, I shook my head,, "Must have been one I didn't see. Shortly afterwards Montana appeared, driving the buckboard. "Don't come any closer Montana!" I shouted, "It's pretty bad." It was too late however, she took one look and threw up. I got her off the wagon and comforted her "Everybody is OK no one's hurt Montana, just go find a place out of the way, I got a mess to clean up."

She went over by the barn while Mark and I collected the bodies and piled them on the back of the buckboard. "Where are you going to take them?" asked Mark. "Back to the shithole they crawled out of," I replied, take care of Montana and the girls while I'm gone." Although I still was real proficient with driving a wagon, I headed off towards town with my grisly cargo. Blood wad dripping off the wagon in a dozen places, arms and legs were piled haphazardly on the blasted bodies. As I entered town people were gasping in horror, but my "give-a-f**k meter" was broken and I didn't really care Riders stopped and moved quickly away. As I neared the Gem Theatre a crowd began to follow me when I pulled up in front I shouted, "Swearingen get your f*****g ass out here and pick up your trash!" Some of his whores came out on the balcony and started screaming at what they saw. Swearingen and a couple of his thugs came out the door and were visibly shaken by the bloody tableau but said nothing. "I told you what I'd do if you f****d with me again asshole!" I shouted to Swearingen. By now Bullock had showed up barely looking at my cargo. Demanding to know what all this was about I told him, "This fucktard sent these men to bring the girls we rescued off the stage, the ones he was going to turn into whores, they came down to the shack we were staying at and demanded I turn them over like they were cattle!" Turning to Swearingen again, I snarled, "f**k with the bull, you get the horns."

As the mob gathered around and gawked at the bloody mess on my wagon I continued my tirade, "Those women aren't your personal harem Swearingen, listen to me and listen good. This is Von Clausewitz s**t. Total f*****g war, I'm going to pull the whole thing down. I'm gonna bring this whole f*****g diseased corrupt temple down on your head, it's gonna be biblical! Now tell your goons there to get this garbage off my wagon!" They stood there for a moment then dragged the bodies off and piled the corpses in the street next to the boardwalk. I then turned to sheriff Bullock "Sheriff, I'll be down at your office." With that, I jerked the reins and did a U-turn in the street heading for the sheriffs' place. When Bullock returned, I was already waiting, he stood there a moment staring at me when I said, Sir, if you have some paper, I'll be glad to give you a written statement, as to the actual events. As I told you, I'm not here looking for trouble, I'm really not, but we heard that Swearingen had some young girls coming from Chicago seeking employment, well you know what kind of employment he had in mind. If you want to talk to them they're staying at a place I bought just south of town. As soon as I can get enough money together, I'll be sending them back to Chicago." Bullock seemed confused for a moment, then said, "That won't be necessary, If I might ask, what sort of gun did you use to kill those men?" "It won't mean a thing to you sir, but if you must know, I used a Benelli M4 tactical semi-auto shotgun. It fires three inch magnum's consisting of ought and double ought buckshot.. When those men burst through the door, I met them with a solid wall of pellets slamming into them, they were dead before they even hit the floor."

Bullock acted like he hadn't heard a thing and continued with, "Those men looked like they were literally blown apart by grapeshot." I shrugged, "We started to have this conversation earlier sheriff you told me you didn't really want to go down that road." "I still don't son," replied Bullock, "But you can't threaten Swearingen like that your only setting yourself up for something." I stood up and stepped towards the sheriff. In a low voice, I said, "For reasons I can't go into, I can't touch that asshole, I really can't other than beat him up, and even then I have to be careful. "You, Calamity, Charlie Utter, uh several others I can't think of at the moment, and yes even f**k face Swearingen, are strictly off limits, but aside from him, you and the others are people I consider friends, but just know that if something should happen to Swearingen, it won't be me that had anything to do with it." "And why would that be Mr. Yankton?" I grinned, "You're a smart man sheriff, you figure it out, but it's nice to know that whatever you think you've accomplished…Or not, at the end of your life people will know of you a hundred years from now." He told me I was free to leave, but before I left, I said, "Two things sheriff. I'm selling those men's horses for coach and train fare for those young ladies, and two, do be a big favor will ya, never mention my name, or write it down anywhere like a journal or something, I'd really appreciate it."

I headed back to the "ranch" where Montana and Mark had cleaned up the mess and had the horses penned up in the corral. "OK buddy?" asked Mark. "Oh I'm fine, I had it out with Swearingen, I think he got my point, least I hope so, how are the ladies doing?" I asked. Mark snickered, "They've been kinda hangin' with Montana, they're all inside washing down the place, Montana's been looking things over deciding what should go where and all. I've been washing all the blood off the porch here, Christ! I keep finding bits and pieces of those guys, those magnums sure make a mess don't they." "I told Bullock we're selling the horses so we can send these girls home, how about their guns and stuff?" Mark shrugged, I'm no expert, but it all looks pretty average, no special editions or anything like that." I then went inside to talk to the girls and see Montana.

Montana and the four girls were scrubbing and cleaning the shack, everything was moved around, as I walked in, Montana gave me a concerned look as I looked around and said, "What's happening?" "Just cleaning things up," replied Montana, "I want to get an idea of what I'll have to work with." Pointing to the door I'd just come through, she added, "Gonna need some batwings for the door there, plus that wall's got to be repaired where the buckshot damaged it, then let's see…" As I was standing there debating on whether to go back outside, Josephine Carney approached me and asked, "Mr. Yankton, when were you planning to arrange for our passage back home?" I shrugged, "I guess just as soon as Mark and I can sell those horses out there in the corral. Right now we have to find a place to sell them, don't want to do it in Deadwood maybe Lead, or even Sturgis. But the money we get off them will go to pay for coach and train fare. She nodded, then looked at me and said, "I've been thinking, and I've made up my mind to stay here, I really did want to come west, I may stay around here for a little bit, or go further west I'm not sure yet."

"What were you thinking of doing Miss, it's a pretty rough life for a woman out here," I stated. "You aren't seriously thinking of going to work in a w***e house are you?" "Oh god forbid! On the way from Cheyenne one of the gentlemen who was with us for a short way, mentioned something about a school being organized in a place called Custer City, I thought perhaps I would investigate that." Pointing south, I replied, "Custer City is almost forty miles to the south, I might be able to take you down there, but not right away , How about the rest of you ladies, anyone else thinking of remaining here?" Sara stopped what she was doing and raised her hand. "I've been thinking about it, perhaps I will accompany Josephine to this Custer city as well, maybe I could find employment in one of the mercantiles there?" This was certainly a change, I thought, "How about you two, Jenny and Rebecca, are you two the only ones going back?" Both said they were going back but, "We may only go as far as Omaha," said Rebecca, "This might be our only chance to leave Chicago, Omaha is a booming city, I'm sure we could find work there." Montana suddenly expressed what I'd been thinking, "There's lots of w***e houses there as well, don't fall into one of those."

"Ma'am we have no intention to", replied Jenifer.

I went outside to talk to Mark who was just finishing up, "How about we try and sell the horses in Lead or even Sturgis, I'm damn sure not going back into Deadwood. Say, how's Kitty doing?" Mark smiled, "Just great, the antibiotics are really helping, but you know what, Melonie is the one that's been the real help, that chick is really putting her heart and soul into this, she's not afraid to ask questions, she's even brought up things her Uncle has told her things that clash with modern medicine, mostly stuff about infection and germs. When that happens I'll stop what I'm doing, we'll both sit down and I'll carefully bring her up to date on things, we even had quite a discussion on Louis Pasteur. I explain things in a way she understands and accepts, but she has really surprised me by the way she really digs in and gets the job done." Mark then said, "Say old buddy, if you plan on going on any more shooting spree's let me have one of the bodies, I think Mel is ready for a little "Grays anatomy," I could sure use a corpse to poke around in, I want to show her how to extract bullets." I wasn't sure how to take that, only saying, "How about I go back to Deadwood, put a round into Swearingen's upper body cavity and drag his dead ass over to the house." Mark shook his head, "You don't need to do anything rash, just the next time someone pisses you off."

I took the buckboard over by the creek and spent over an hour washing and scrubbing all the dried blood off the wagon. When I was almost done I thought of what Mark had said about seeing color in the bottom of the creek, and taking my bucket, scooped up the creek bottom in various places, I then slowly poured the contents out over the bed of the wagon letting the water drain off through the cracks in the boards leaving only the gravel. It was a crude way of doing it, but I started to spot tiny flecks of gold. Calling Mark over, I showed him what I had found. "Man! That's real f*****g gold, and you found that much just doing what your doing." "I know," I replied, I can't believe nobody's covered this creek before, I mean look at the fact there's a shack here, that guy I bought this place from must have checked this out?" "Maybe he did," replied Mark, "Maybe there just isn't enough to really be worth it." "Well," I said, "Let's get away from here, somebody's gonna see us and check the creek out when we're not around." I placed the flecks of gold into a small plastic bag I had in my pocket, as we headed back to the shack.

"Do you suppose it would be worth it to buy some prospecting equipment," said Mark. "You ever watch that show called "Gold Rush" on the Discovery channel," I asked. "Yeah, a couple times," he replied, "Those guys are idiots, but look at how much work they have to do just for a little bit of gold, I don't want to get into anything like that." "Naw, I don't want to either," I replied, maybe just a few basic things, but we've got a decent length of creek here, plus there's other places, no, I still want to bring the gold to us with this place, but we need to get a little "working" capital going here lumber costs money." "Say, speaking, of lumber, I say what looked like an abandoned shack that had collapsed a little north of here let's check it out, might be able to salvage some good lumber from it," speculated Mark. Montana bid us goodbye heading back to Dora's, I told the girls to stay inside, and keep the door bolted, then Mark and I took off to find that pile of wood he saw. It was true, what had once been a crude shack had fallen over due mainly to poor construction. Not seeing anybody around we tore the boards apart, and loaded as much as we could on the buckboard. We made three trips by the time dusk came on. We made sure the women would be all right and left for home.