Chapter 4

There was an interesting discussion in the bunk house that evening. It started when Cicero said, "They's nice folks. I'd like to stay here. Don't y'all feel the same way?"

The three women nodded, so he continued, "Ifen we runs away, we'll just be picked up by some Whites and turned into slaves again. We needs to find ways to git them to want to keep us here with them. Augusta, you and Julia got skills what White folks values, but me an' Justina can't do nothin' really useful. Justina do have one advantage with what she carries 'tween her legs, but I really gots to hustle to find sumpthin' I kin do."

Justina said, "Maybe we kin talk them into keepin' you, Cicero, ifen they likes us enough. I'll git it started by visitin' Massa Arthur tonight. Ifen I gets into his bed, he might look more kindly toward all of us."

"Ya'd do that fer me, Justina? Lawdy, I'd shore does 'ppreciate it."

"Ya're a good man, Cicero. I'd do anythin' I could ta he'p ya."

Later that night, Arthur's bedroom door quietly swung open and Justina stepped into the room. She quickly shed the wrap she was wearing and slipped, naked, into bed with Arthur.

"Mmm, uh, WHAT THE HELL!?! Woman, what are ya doin' in my bed?"

"Massa Arthur, please don't throw me out! I been abused by that no good old bastard fer too long! I need some regular lovin' real bad. Please take me. I can't hardly remember how good regular gentle lovin' kin be. I'll leave afore them other White folks wake up so ya won't be embarrassed, but please give me a dose of good lovin' tonight."

"Lord he'p me! I ain't strong enough to resist the temptation. It's been so long since I had a woman that I 'bout fergit what ta do, but I 'spect that it'll all come back real fast! Justina, are ya sure this is what ya want?"

"Oh, yes, Massa Arthur. I wants ya real bad!"

Arthur was somewhat halting and stumbling until old skills came back, but he soon had Justina very happy with her decision to visit him that night. Arthur rose to heights he didn't know he still had, and it was a night in paradise for them both! All too soon, Justina said it was time for her to leave and Arthur was sorely disappointed to see her go.

Back in the bunkhouse, Justina gave her co-conspirators a blow-by-blow description of the night's events and how much she enjoyed them.

The next morning before we got out of bed, Amy and I discussed the night's unexpected tryst between Arthur and Justina. Amy couldn't help giggling over how much noise they had made and we agreed not to interfere. If that was what they wanted, so be it.

Arthur spent the whole day with a silly grin plastered on his face, but he never mentioned what had happened.

That morning, we discussed what we should do about living at the ranch and my business in Zuni. We decided to move to the ranch and abandon our Zuni connections. There was a town, Blister, about two miles east of the ranch that we could use for shopping for the food and materials we couldn't raise on the ranch. I would see about where to set up shop as a gunsmith after we got better organized at the ranch.

We decided that, with Pike dead, there was not much danger at the ranch and Arthur and the three Negro women could keep an eye on it for a few weeks while, Amy, Cicero, and I went to Zuni to finish up our business there. Cicero was interested in learning to be a gunsmith, so I took him on as my unofficial apprentice; I was behind in my work on the modified shotgun I had contracted for, so I could use the help in finishing that.

We three returned to Zuni and dove into the work we needed to do. We turned in the two horses at the livery stable and I payed the tab with a minimum of grumbling (actually, I thought the price was reasonable, but politeness required that I complain about how high prices were getting to be).

Amy started packing the items she wanted to take back to the ranch and we didn't need in day-to-day living. Cicero and I dove into finishing the special order and packing up the things I wanted to move from my shop. Several surprising things happened: Cicero turned to out to be very good with delicate hand work, we finished the order on time, and the Army actually paid me for the ammunition shot off in defending against the Indian attack (maybe pigs WOULD fly, come Christmas!).

I bought a wagon to use for hauling my shop holdings and Amy used the buckboard for the household goods; we said goodbye to Zuni for the last time and moved, literally, "lock, stock, and barrel" permanently to the ranch. At the ranch, I set up shop in one of the sheds which we spruced up, and Cicero and I set out to make modified shotguns for the whole "family." I felt that the Negroes really were in bad need of a means of self protection.

While we were gone, Justina had moved in with Arthur and we didn't comment when we returned, except to remark that Arthur was looking remarkably spry for 49 years old. Justina certainly looked happy, too.

When we returned to the ranch. Amy, Julia, and I made a shopping trip to Blister for the food we needed. Everything went well until just before we were ready to leave. Julia was already seated and I was helping Amy into the buckboard when a scruffy looking individual grabbed me by the arm from behind. I turned around and he shouted, "WHAT DO YA MEAN, BRINGIN' A GOD DAMNED NIGGER INTO MY TOWN?"

I replied, "New Mexico Territory is Free and she can go wherever she wishes. Now, back off!"

He took a swing at me and I pushed him in the chest, none too gently. He staggered back and regained his balance. At this point, he reached for his gun. I reacted without thought and drew my weapon. I fired one barrel into his belly and killed him instantly. I swung the gun around, looking for other idiots, when I heard the blast of Amy's gun. A man slightly behind me was breathing his last from Amy's well aimed shot into his chest. A crowd quickly collected and a man came running up. I was about to shoot him when I saw his badge; Blister was large enough to have a town marshal.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

I answered, "This galoot tried to pick a fight with me and I shot him. You can see his gun in his hand. The other man was shot by my wife when he tried to shoot me in the back."

"Shit, I can see that ya're right 'bout what happened. It was clearly self defense. Say, what's that cannon ya're holdin?"

"I'm a gunsmith and this is a specially modified shotgun I made. My wife also uses one."

"That's really sumpthin'! Kin I see it?"

I opened the breach and pulled out the shells. I handed the opened weapon to the marshal and he looked at it with the reverence it deserved at that day and time. "Son of a bitch! Kin I try it out?"

"Sure, Marshal. Where can we go?"

"That there vacant lot is a good place. We kin shoot at the adobe wall of that abandoned building."

We walked over to the vacant lot and I handed the marshal two shells, with a warning to expect a lot of recoil. By this time, a sizable crowd had gathered and went with us to see the show. Amy followed us with the buckboard, just to back me up if I needed it.

The marshal loaded both barrels and pointed the gun at the wall. He fired and he was surprised that the recoil wasn't worse than it was. He fired the second shot and, by this time, had blown a hole almost completely through the adobe wall. "Shit, man! That is some weapon! Kin ya make one fer me? How much would it cost?"

"Yes, Marshal, I can make one for you. It would be custom fitted and it would take about three weeks, once I had the basic shotgun. I would have to charge you $75 for it, half down when you order it."

"Shit, that's a lot of money. My pistol only cost $20."

"Yes, but your pistol was machine made in a factory. My special shotgun is made one at a time by hand. And it has some features your pistol doesn't have, like a custom fitted grip and a safety to keep it from firing accidentally. See this brass strip in the grip? Well, the gun won't shoot if that's not pressed when you squeeze the trigger. Also, the gun has no hammers; it cocks as soon as you close the breach. All these things add up to a more expensive weapon."

"Well, ya sold me! But I ain't got that much money now. Where kin I find ya when I do?"

I'm living at the Woods' ranch, about 2 miles west of here. I'm John Akers and I would be happy to do business with you. Is there another gunsmith in town?"

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Jim Roberts. No, our gunsmith got killed about a year ago and nobody has come in to take his place."

"I've set up shop at the ranch and I'd appreciate you spreading the word, if you'd be so kind."

"Shore, be glad ta. We need a gunsmith aroun' here. Welcome ta the area!"

"Thank you, Marshal Roberts. We must be leaving now, Goodbye."