At the first shot, Cantrell had rolled away from the fire. He stayed low until he had rolled a few yards. He came up with his Mare's leg in his hands. He kept low and crept in the direction of the firing. He could see Barlow over to hie right and hear the cursing of the sentry from ahead of them.
Cantrell slowed his breathing and listened carefully. The captain was speaking with the injured sentry and the multiple shots did nothing for Cantrell's ability to pick out any small sounds. He was not about to go deeper into the woods. Between the two deserters and the jumpy soldier out there in the dark, Cantrell's chances of stumbling into one of them and getting shot for his troubles were a bit too much for even him to chance.
Finally Cantrell pulled back to where Barlow was tending to the sentry
"Did they get anything? Supplies, horses?"
Storyteller / Shared NPC
In the sheer excitement of the initial exchange of fire, the trooper had shot back at the men who had opened up on his fellow sentry. And then when the attackers faded back into the darkness and brush, he recklessly gave chase. He had thought he saw a target, fired again, went in that general direction but no body on the ground. Slowly now he realized perhaps he should not have rushed out this far from camp.
The soldier paused to reload his single shot Sharps carbine and then gave it some more thought. Best go back. He should hopefully be able to spot the detachment's campfire if he heads the proper direction. If...........
As he slowly made his way in what he hoped was the right direction, he was still very tense, rifle leveled up, ready to fire any movement.
***
What he did not know was the group's Indian scout had eyes on him now. However he was in uniform, same as the two deserters, and it was still god awful dark out there.
Benjamin let a couple of troopers see to the sentry's wound. It was serious enough the luckless fellow would be out of action, but hopefully the man would survive - well, if infection didn't get him. They would need to send him back to the fort though.
As he stood up, Barlow saw the rancher approach him.
"Did they get anything? Supplies, horses?"
"No, don't think so as regards supplies. All the horses are still tethered," Benjamin replied.
"I expect those cheeky bastards were trying to chase off the horses and leave us walking. End of pursuit. But they ran up against our sentries. My trooper is down, it's bad enough I've got to send him back."
"Oh and my other sentry is out there yet, damn fool, " he gestured out into the inky darkness.
Ke Ni Tay was not too far from the sentry, and he could see the hesitation in the man's movements. He needed to be careful in his approach to the man as it was clear he was uncertain as to where he was, and where he needed to go to get back to the detachment's camp.
The Apache paused as he waited for the man to move, but he was still looking around, clearly befuddled in the darkness. Ke Ni Tay was no fool, but he decided that the best thing to do was to call out to the Trooper. so he watched for another few seconds, and then he called out in a low tone, "It is I, the scout, don't shoot!" Then he ducked down, still able to see the Trooper, but certain the man could not see him.
"I will get you back to the sojers." He called out again.
Cantrell the Indian Scout's voice out in the darkness. He crouched again and waited, his Mare's Leg aimed out into the darkness but he was careful not to rest his finger on the trigger. He waited and listened to try and figure if he could hear more than two people out in front of the campsite.
The lone trooper, lost in the darkness and still nervous those deserters would be now stalking him, froze at the sound of the voice.
"It is I, the scout, don't shoot!"
The soldier swiveled to face in the direction he thought the voice was coming from and leveled his carbine to fire. But he couldn't see a damn thing!
"I will get you back to the sojers." Same voice.
Fortunately for both men involved, the trooper knew the two deserters personally, they had been in his company and he'd heard them speak many times before. This voice was nothing like either of them. And he also well knew they had a scout, two actually. Some old bastard and his Injun. While he had never chatted with that redskin, he had had no reason too, it could well be his voice.
"I can't see ya! Which way is the camp? I'm kinda........lost!" he called back.
***
Benjamin heard voices too but there was nothing to do but wait for now. At least it was only talking not shooting.
The Apache smiled, the soldier was on edge out in the dark and having lost his way. It was easy to have happen on a night as dark as this one was, especially with the forest of trees blocking out the moon or starlight
"I come to you, then we go back to camp." Ke Ni Tay stated and took a step. "You not shoot, I am a friend." He was right next to the man, his hand resting on the muzzle of the carbine. "Come, we go." And the scout stated out, "Not far, just hard to see."
The trooper was still quite wary of the whole situation, especially as the excitement of the past few minutes wore off. Now he just wanted to join the rest of the detachment and see how the other sentry was doing. Hopefully he wasn't dead. He nodded to the Indian scout then quietly followed the man who turned out to be correct in his assessment.
It was but a short trip and the two of them were back again in the camp.
Benjamin was relieved even if he did not smile.
"Oh good! Thank you, Ki Ne Tay, job well done," he greeted them both, "Private, that was pretty bold of you to chase 'em out there. By any chance did you hit either of them?"
"No sir! Leastwise if I did, didn't knock 'im down. I got excited though and mad. Bastards just opened fire on us," the private didn't bother to salute, they weren't at the fort but on campaign, those formalities were usually ignored.
"Well, glad they didn't knock you down. You're relieved for the night, go have a coffee or try and get some sleep," Barlow directed.
"Sir, how's Larson?" the trooper asked.
"He's been better but he'll live. Go talk to him if you want," Benjamin then let the man go past him and head for the closest camp fire.
The sergeant had already doubled the guard for the rest of the night though even these deserters couldn't be that crazy to try this again, could they? He doubted it, they were cowards essentially, ambush and murder being their tactics. But it meant they were close too and tomorrow the patrol would catch him, he was very hopeful.
He turned to MacIntosh, "Get what rest you can, we head out at break of daylight so you two can track. Let's run these bastards down once and for all."
"Sure thing Captain, though Ke Ni Tay might be out there for a while, he won't let it go till he finds a trail to follow, and he will follow it til he comes upon them, but they won't see him, then he'll be back and whatever time that is it'll be time to move out after 'em." MacIntosh apprised the officer. He liked Barlow, he was far better than a majority of the officers he had dealt with over his career, that was for sure.
"So I'll be headin' off to get some shuteye." He said, "I'd say we're close, real close." And with that, he turned and walked to his blankets, then settled down to nap.
----------------
Ke Ni Tay returned the trooper to the makeshift camp, then went back to where he had seen the trampled grass and started after the trail. This was where the Apache wanted to be, where he shined, tracking. Yes the dim light was a disadvantage, but then tracking in the dark was something he enjoyed and it was not long before he found where one had waited with the horses, sitting the saddle while the animal shifted about.
It was clear the deserter had no idea what he was doing. The trail was clean in the sparse moonlight, they had walked the horses away from the spot. Galloping away into the forest would have been a poor choice. Ke Ni Tay had an easy time of it, following along, and within three-quarters of an hour he lay in the brush looking at the men in a clearing some ten yards from him., He backed away slowly until he could stand and pick up his pace to run.
"Hello the Camp! I am scout, have found who we seek!" He called out.
The detachment broke camp with the coming of the very first glimpse of sunlight. Barlow saw to it four troopers went back with his wounded soldier so that the fellow could seek proper treatment either at the fort or even in Kalispell, they had a doctor. So their detachment was weakened in number but he was still confident there were plenty of them if only they could corner these bastards.
The Apache had brought back good news, he had actually spotted them and saw the direction they were heading. They too then had a direction to head out toward. If they could get within shooting range, Benjamin was determined they'd end this rampage once and for all.
A few hours in and suddenly they clearly heard shots up ahead. Two...pause, three more. Silence. What the hell was that about?
He looked to the others, "Did those idiots blunder into the Indians?" It was a rhetorical question of course. The party had been warned by the trio of hunters yesterday that a band of Indians were about. Not a war party though, they had women and children with them. Just some (of many it had to be said) who were off the reservation, emboldened by the Custer defeat.
If that was the case, he found himself thinking if the Indians killed the deserters, that would be almost disappointing. He wanted to be in on the final showdown with those murdering traitors.
ooc: I know what happened and we are getting close to the climax of all this but please don't jump the gun and make up stuff that might upset my own little plot here :)