"Go slow. Wagons too heavy, ruts deep. Horses poor choice to pull." Ke-Ni-Tay answered. In his mind he could see how simple it would be to ambush them.
“One of these white men, was he round faced, bulbous nosed, as old as MacIntosh with eyes the color of the afternoon sky?” Crabbe asked urgently, punctuating his description with the sign language understood by all of the disparate, warring Indian tribes.
He looked back at Crabbe. "Moon face, big nose, drives first wagon. They not worried, believes no one sees them."
Crabbe hung on the Apache scout’s every word, nodding hopefully, then snapped his fingers, and cried with some vehemence “That sounds like the conceited bastard!”
Benjamin glared at the man, "These men are reporting to me, Mr. Crabbe. And if I want any inclusion in this conversation from you, I will ask for it."
“Sorry Captain.” Replied Crabbe soothingly “It's just that I’m as keen as you to apprehend these awful illegal traders.”
Then his eyes went back to the scouts, "Sounds like we found our prey, gentlemen. And the only way they can outrun us now if they abandon their wagons."
Crabbe, meanwhile, was deep in thought. He had to make a decision about something. Would he be satisfied merely to see Mercier dead, shot by the Captain here or the Scouts or one of the soldiers in a confused melee? Or did he really need to kill the gun-runner and rapist himself, as he looked the skunk in the eyes and told him exactly why he was dying? He decided, there and then, that he wanted to try and roll for the higher stakes. He needed to kill Mercier himself if at all humanly possible, even if he ended up dead for it himself. He owed her that much.
But now the Captain was thinking out loud about what was ahead, and Lorenzo bent an ear.
"Plus they don't necessarily know we are looking for them. After all we only found out about these fellows thanks to Mr. Crabbe here," he at least acknowledged the man's contribution to all this.
“Sure, we’ve got the jump on ‘em. Why don’t you just surround the rascals, Cap? Open fire and let ‘em have it? Ke-Ni-Tay’s identified Mercier, you’d be within your rights…” he suggested. He hoped that the fact that he had suggested it would automatically steer the company leader away for that course of action, if he’d been considering it at all.
Benjamin glared at the man, "These men are reporting to me, Mr. Crabbe. And if I want any inclusion in this conversation from you, I will ask for it."
“Sorry Captain.” Replied Crabbe soothingly “It's just that I’m as keen as you to apprehend these awful illegal traders.”
Benamin now got back on track, he was going to apprehend these men and....
"Sure, we’ve got the jump on ‘em. Why don’t you just surround the rascals, Cap? Open fire and let ‘em have it? Ke-Ni-Tay’s identified Mercier, you’d be within your rights…” Crabbe interjected again.
Now the officer rounded on the man, "I am heartily sick of having you butt into army business. Get further back into the column right now and if you say anything else, I will have you gagged and tied to your horse."
He glanced behind him, "Sergeant you just heard me."
"Indeed I did, sir," the big bearded man nodded, he looked more than willing to discipline the civilian.
Ke Ni Tay looked at MacIntosh, then to Crabbe and the Captain, understanding exactly what was happening, an amused look in his black eyes.
"So Cap'n, whenever you have a plan, we'll be ready. We can ride out again and keep an eye on 'em." The scout offered. "Doubt that much will change in the next few hours." The place where the wagons were, and some distance on, would not be a good place for anything other than an poorly planned ambush. And from what he had seen, an ambush might take out the whites, but getting to the wagons would be another story all together.
Now the officer rounded on the man, "I am heartily sick of having you butt into army business. Get further back into the column right now and if you say anything else, I will have you gagged and tied to your horse."
He glanced behind him, "Sergeant you just heard me."
"Indeed I did, sir," the big bearded man nodded, he looked more than willing to discipline the civilian.
“Jesus! You fellers are kinda touchy, ain’t ya?!” sighed Crabbe and sloped off toward the back of the column. It was a pity he wasn’t going to catch any more of the conversation between the Captain and the scouts, but he knew enough now to know it was time to plan for the denouement of this odd little expedition.
He couldn’t help but think back to his conversation with Charlie Fa, the diminutive Chinese who had shared many an adventure with him.
‘You mad go after Mercier. That feller you kill in Dodge, you catch him with pants down, no gun. Mercier have many guns, many men. You mad go after him, unless you got own army!’
Yeah, Charlie had ben right. Mercier was untouchable unless he had his own little army to protect him, right up to the point where he blew that ornery, filthy, bible quoting critter’s brains right out of his ugly bald head. But thanks to Captain Benjamin Barlow, that’s just exactly what he did have. Now all he needed was a gun.
He ambled up to a couple of tired looking, very young and green looking troopers. “Hullo fellers!” he said, bringing forth a large wad of tobacco. “Care for a chew?”
And still the man had to have one last say before obeying and heading back to join the troopers, Benjamin had half a mind to order him gagged but it was too much bother and he had far more important things to do. They had found their target and he was going to swoop.
"So Cap'n, whenever you have a plan, we'll be ready. We can ride out again and keep an eye on 'em."
"No, Mr. MacIntosh, we are going to move on them right now. Every mile we let them travel brings them that much more likely to run into their customers, the hostiles," Benjamin pointed out.
This was definitely one of those times where he wished the command had more officers. But he was the lone one on this mission and you worked with what you had. Fortunately he had a veteran sergeant, that was something. Quickly he worked out a plan. Their target was those wagons more so than even the men and those bulky slow things were not going to be able to get away.
"Alright, sergeant, I want you to take the first two squads and move out toward the left," he was pointing as he explained, " You will advance until you catch sight of wagons then veer and move parallel at a distance of say...two hundred yards. In the meantime I will take the other two squads and do the same manuver only on the right. We will have these wagons in between us like meat in a sandwich. Understand?"
"Yessir, we shadow them on the flanks," the sergeant nodded.
"Yes, and when you hear the bugle sound three short notes, you face the wagons and then commence to close in. Steady not any all out charge. I will be doing the same. I highly doubt the men with these wagons have the sand to open fire. But if they do, we cannot halt and form skirmish lines as then we would be sending bullets toward each other's lines. So in that case, draw pistols and close in. Once we get among them, shoot every one of those bastards down."
Again the veteran NCO nodded.
"I expect them to simply pull up and want to talk. They have no reason to even think we know who they are or what they are about. If there is no resistance then do not shoot. I want to just round them up. Now a couple are on horseback. If they make a break for it, don't split off in pursuit. That's where our scouts will come in, they can take care of those men. Got it?"
"Yessir, understood and ready," rather than be intimidated by the prospect of action, the big man actually looked eager for it.
"Explain it to your men and then let's be off. Good luck, sergeant," Benjamin then sent him back to gather half the detachment.
Now he turned to MacIntosh and Ke Ni Tay, "Gents, I take it you heard that? I really don't think they are suicidal so doubt they will open up when we come at them from both sides with forty men. But we will handle the wagons. Your job is to take after those mounted men should they make a break for it. Actually I would not care if they got away except they might ride straight to the closest Indians and rouse them."
"Frankly if they run, assume they'll resist so take 'em down anyway you need to. Just don't let'em get away. Understood?"
Meanwhile in the back ranks, the civilian had rode up to two troopers resting on their saddle horns doing what enlisted men did all the time, sat around wondering what the hell was going on and what the man in charge was planning for them to do or go next.
One was a callow youth, a fresh recruit- doubtful he even shaved yet, the other was in his late twenties, early thirties and just looked the part of a man who'd done this sort of thing before.
“Hullo fellers!” he said, bringing forth a large wad of tobacco. “Care for a chew?”
The shorter older trooper grinned and welcomed the offer, "Thanks! Don' mind if I do."
He reached for the wad and then bit into it tearing off a healthy size hunk.
The lad only shook his head, "No thanks." And the look he gave was one of almost horror at the thought of indulging in the habit.
Even as he began chewing, the one asked, "Hey what's goin' on up there? Big pow wow. We goin' inta action?"
The boy only swallowed nervously.
"Frankly if they run, assume they'll resist so take 'em down anyway you need to. Just don't let'em get away. Understood?"
“Yes’sir. Clear and understood, they won’t get away. Figger we came at them from what’d be their front, give us a better chance of not having to give chase.” Not that it would really matter, they would be ready, Winchesters cocked, with the idea that they would likely have to shoot the riders. Men selling guns to the hostiles knew they would hang for it, if they weren’t stood aginst the post wall and shot. They had done this or something similar before.
“Anything else, Sir?” MacIntosh asked
“Yes’sir. Clear and understood, they won’t get away. Figger we came at them from what’d be their front, give us a better chance of not having to give chase.”
"That seems like a sound plan, Mr. MacIntosh. We will hold back for a bit and let you two ride on ahead so you can get in front of the party," the officer pulled out a watch, "Say ten minutes head start? Then we begin our flanking."
MacIntosh looked to Ke Ni Tay and back. "Should be enough time to get in place." Prob'ly more than then needed, but better to have more time than not enough, Sir." He touched the brim of his hat and the two scouts wheeled their horse and galloped off to where they would lay in wait.
Ke Ni Tay was smiling, he liked ambushes and the surprise of the ones ambushed. The initial fear of what was happening. One thing about the Apache, he was patient. Racing across the flat he looked to MacIntosh knowing he felt the same, because he felt the same.
Even as he began chewing, the one asked, "Hey what's goin' on up there? Big pow wow. We goin' inta action?"
“Reckon so.” answered Crabbe, taking a chew himself. “Big bunch of wagons ahead, full of gun runners armed to the teeth with the best shootin’ irons money can buy. I reckon things’re going to turn pretty ugly pretty soon.” He said seriously, before heaving a plaintive sigh.
“Only wish your Captain would let me take up a gun m’self, figured another man might make at least make a little difference, but he don’t trust me cause of these.” Lorenzo pointed to his spectacles. “Thinks I’m so short sighted I’ll shoot one of you fellers by mistake.” he mopped.
“But really, with these things on, I’ve probably got the best eyesight in the bunch.” He pointed to a distant forlorn, bird-less tree about half a mile away. “Why I can even see that jaybird in yonder tree.” He lied.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
NPCs written by Wayfarer
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"Reckon so.” answered Crabbe, taking a chew himself. “Big bunch of wagons ahead, full of gun runners armed to the teeth with the best shootin’ irons money can buy. I reckon things’re going to turn pretty ugly pretty soon.”
The chewing trooper slowly nodded, "You don't say? Maybe we should have brought the whole company?"
The youthful trooper looked wide-eyed, "Holy moly!"
“Only wish your Captain would let me take up a gun m’self, figured another man might make at least make a little difference, but he don’t trust me cause of these.” Lorenzo pointed to his spectacles. “Thinks I’m so short sighted I’ll shoot one of you fellers by mistake.”
The chewer chuckled, "My eyesight ain't as good as when I was a young whippersnapper. But ain't considered spectacles yet. I'm still a mite short of thirty."
“But really, with these things on, I’ve probably got the best eyesight in the bunch.” He pointed to a distant forlorn, bird-less tree about half a mile away. “Why I can even see that jaybird in yonder tree.” He lied.
The chewer squinted in that direction, "Dammit, I can see the trunk but can't even make out no branches. Yer better than me alright."
Now the boy, he also looked but his reaction was not the same, he didn't see any bird on that tree. But it wasn't like him to call a stranger a liar. Besides the man had spectacles on so maybe he could see things with glasses that regular folk couldn't? So he diplomatically kept quiet.