Saving Alice Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Cresting the hill as they came out of the valley there laid before the two men low rolling hills. Off in the distance, defining the horizon, was a line of mountains that Chet pointed out as being the Rockies.
After riding for a few minutes subsequent to leaving the valley, Chet offered a bit of information to Matthew. “We got those sewage slime men at a disadvantage.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, that scallywag Jack is still totin’ Alice. That’s meanin’ that his horse ain’t too fresh from doin’ that yesterday. Its got to be gettin’ all weary like.”
Chet paused for a moment while he slowed up his horse to examine the ground a bit more carefully. “Then there is somethin’ else ‘bout that there other horse that the other skunk is ridin’. Its lookin’ like it may be splittin’ a hoof. If that ain’t taken care of real fast like, then that horse is goin’ to be lame quicker ‘an you can roll a smoke if it is rode too hard, and these men are ridin’ like hell cause we’re sniffin’ their trail.”
“You can see that in the trail?” asked Matthew.
“Now it’s a bit hard to see, but I’m seeing two things. First of all, there’s the odd mark that is givin’ the sign of a hoof that lost a shoe and it has a bit of the hoof missin’ right up in the front. The next bein’ that they are kickin’ up some ground as they go. That means that they ain’t out for no look around. They is on the move and goin’ faster ‘an ‘em horses will be wantin’ to move.
“We also got the fear factor workin’ on ‘em. They ain’t but two men left of ‘em, when just yestermorn they was a gang of seven. When you get yourself whittled down that bad, you start thinkin’ when will it be your turn. I don’t care how tough you may be apearin’ to everyone else. That’ll put the fear of the fire in you.
“Then there is one more advantage that we have on them,” continued Chet. “We got fresh horses for the changin’ when we need to. It be the truth that draggin’ a horse ahind you is slower goin’, but not when you is chasin’ a tired horse. Yes sir, we got a whole cartload of advantage on ‘em.”
Matthew didn’t respond for a moment. He had a nagging question that kept pushing itself to the forefront of his mind. “Hey Chet,” he said after the question pushed itself fully to the front of his thoughts, “What if they try another ambush like they did yesterday. They know we’re back here, so all they have to do is lay up and jump us when we happen into range. I think that alone can empty our cartload of advantages. I mean, after all, the fight is still two against two.”
Chet eyed him for a second thinking to himself that the fight would really be two against one, but he held that thought in check. “You ain’t said nothin’ but the truth, Son,” responded Chet somewhat kindly. “They know we is here sure as rain- leastwise, they is worried ‘bout us bein’ back here, they don’t know for sure if we found that cabin of theirs- but there ain’t no way they know who we are. They must have perched up on a hill just to have a looksee yesterday. Then they see us back there when we was still on the plane while we was still far off. Then they leave one of ‘em behind to get us. But who ends up doin’ the gettin’?
“They must’ve waited all night real nervous like for their pard to show up, but he don’t come. So what do they do? They make a hightailed run for it first thing in the mornin’. They’re nervous, and nervousness makes a man want to move. Sittin’ and waitin’ would’ve been the smart thing to do back at the cabin, but they didn’t wait. They shucked it. And as long as they be thinkin’ they got the big lead now, I think that they’s goin’ to be on the move instead of settin’ up some ambush.”
Matthew still wasn’t completely satisfied with the answer that Chet had given, so he persisted along the same line of thought. “But they can still stop at any time and take their shots at us. Right?”
Riding behind Chet, Matthew saw Chet’s head nod in agreement, “That be the way of it. They can stop at anytime. I ain’t ruled that out. Fact is, your pesterin’ is makin’ me think on it a bit more. I don’t exactly know all there is to know about this Jack, just the odd story ‘bout him that’s told while standin’ next to the bar or playin’ a hand of poker. One thing I do remember is that he is known for bein’ unpredictable.”
“So is there any way we can prepare for this?”
“There is a bit. Keep your eyes open.”
Matthew did not like the sound of this last statement that summed up all that Chet had to say- keep your eyes open. What did that mean? Matthew’s eyes wandered over the landscape before them. He saw the rise and fall of the ground as it drifted with its soft hills toward the distant mountains. Should he be looking at every shrub, or at the trunks of the few trees?
“What should I be looking for?” Matthew had let some time pass while he had scanned the area as they rode.
Chet turned in his saddle to look at Matthew. “What do you mean?”
“You said to keep my eyes open. Open for what.”
Chet turned back around. “All I mean is that you don’t want to be dozin’ off or nothin’. But you can be lookin’ for anything out of place. This area ain’t all that good for being jumped cause it don’t offer ‘nough cover to hide and retreat if someone has to. But it could happen. We just got to keep our eyes open.”
Matthew perceived that he wasn’t going to be receiving any further enlightenment on this point. So he just prayed under his breath, Lord, help me keep my eyes open.
Eventually they had turned to the north and were riding parallel with the distant mountains. They had already cautiously crossed through the wash that they had been in earlier in the morning, though it was significantly narrower. When they had come to the top of a steep bank that defined the wash, Chet had stood his horse for a moment to examine the area. Then he asked Matthew to wait while he went on to investigate. He made it to the top of the other side about a quarter of mile off without incident. Having been waved on by Chet, Matthew had made his way through the wash also.
That had been over an hour ago and the sun had risen considerably into the sky. Chet initiated a horse change, asked how Matthew’s backside was doing, dolled out some food, and continued on. The pace of the horses were steady and ate up ground rather quickly, crossing two streams, giving them a chance to refill their canteens.
During an extended length of silence Matthew started to wonder just what it was that Chet did to make it in this world. He pondered where his destination was before being sidetracked by this pursuit. Matthew chewed on these questions for a time before deciding he would ask his questions.
“Chet, what do you do out here when you’re not helping strangers?”
“Oh, I do a bit of everythin’. I first came to be a rock rancher- diggin’ for gold, but that got old very quickly. I’ve run cattle a number of times. There is a few ranches here ‘bouts that I helped punch cattle on. But I tend to drift quite a bit when the itch gets to me.”
“Is that what you were doing yesterday when you found me?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Where were you drifting to?” continued Matthews query.
“I’ve been this way for quit a bit of time, five years this next summer,” responded Chet. “I been thinkin’ that I’d like to see the Pacific Ocean, ain’t never seen that. I’ve been to the old Atlantic, and I done seen that Texas sea, but I’d sure like to see that Pacific. So I was a headin’ to California. Not directly, but goin’ in that general direction.”
“Have you ever been married?”
Chet didn’t answer, but rode on in silence. Matthew thought that Chet must not have heard the question, so he tossed it once again up to Chet.
“Yes. I was.”
Though the answer was short, Matthew thought he could detect a certain amount of stoniness in Chet’s voice. This put a check on the flow of conversation between the two as Matthew debated about pursuing this trail into Chet’s life. But he finally decided that he would see if the trail was open. “How long were you married?”
Chet took his time before answering. “Five years, well just short of five years. She died one week before our weddin’ date.”
“I am sorry to hear that, Chet.”
“So am I,” said Chet.
Silence settled back in as they continued over the land. Matthew wondered how life was so full of pain- so many painful stories in the people he came across. As a preacher people would tell him their stories after a service he conducted and there was never rhyme nor reason for some of the suffering that so many people just carried in the privacy of their heart and minds. And here before him was another person who seemed so strong and self-reliant, yet he carried wounds that seemed to have never healed. This knowledge made Matthew wonder if Chet’s wanderings were to be more accurately called running.
To Matthew’s surprise Chet broke the silence that was settling in. “She…” Chet said hesitatingly, “she was killed.”
Matthew said nothing, but he felt the words like a blow to the chin in light of his own situation. His feelings were split as he feared for his own wife, and felt for Chet. The emotions caught any words that he may have said in his throat.
“I was a rancher south of St. Louis, and I had gone into town for supplies overnight. When I come home everyone was dead.”
Everyone, thought Matthew. Who is ‘everyone’?
“My wife and my two sons.”
“Chet, I am sorry.”
“Ain’t nothin’ so bad as hurtin’ women and children. Nothin’.”
“Did they ever catch the killers?”
“‘they!’” Chet spit the word out like it was milk gone bad. “There was no ‘they’. Leastwise not after two days of chasin’ the killers. Every man who was with me turned back home. They gave up. I guess dead women and children just weren’t worth it the further they got from home.”
“How about you, Chet. Did you ever find the men that did it?”
“Most. There was five of ‘em. I got to four of ‘em. They were left for the buzzards, crows, and coyotes to deal with.”
Though they were quiet for a short time, Matthew not quit knowing what to say, Chet spoke up on the matter once again, “The leader of the group went by Tommy Redhand- Redhand ‘cause he has birthmark that covers the back of his right hand that makes it look red. He disappeared, and I ain’t never seen him or him or heard of him in four years. Took me a full year to catch the other four, but Redhand plumb fell off the earth somewheres. For all I know, he already got himself killed.
“I know you’re a preacher and all, but you’d be doin’ me a kindness if you ever see someone like that, that you shoot him dead.”
Matthew was struggling to find the words to respond to Chet when they crested a low hill and Chet reined his horse to a stop. Looking into the distance, Chet pointed with a nod of his head and said, “Look on over there. I do believe I’m seeing ol’ Jack.”