Chapter 9

I wanted ta see what would happen when the bandits ran away, so I told everybody not ta shoot accurately enough ta kill, jus' accurately enough ta chase the bandits away. I figured that we could use this same gang ta good advantage ifen we jus' kept an eye on 'em.

We came roarin' in, hell bent fer leather, yellin' an' shootin' our pistols in the general direction of the bandits. They seen us an' took off fer parts unknown. I wuzn't worried, I figured that we would find 'em back at the cabin in a few hours.

I explained ta the folks in the wagon what had jus' happened, an' they he'ped us clear the road. The stagecoach roared passed us a few minutes later, an' they never knew what they had missed. I guess that wuz a fine example of "ignorance is bliss."

I sent John an' George back ta keep an eye on the cabin. Jim wanted ta go with 'em, so I told him ta go ahead. Meanwhile, I headed back ta Eagle Pass ta let Hester know what wuz goin' on. After that, I went ta the ranch ta see Ann. We still had time fer the swimmin' hole ifen we hurried.

My guess that the three bandits would return ta their cabin wuz right. One of 'em didn't stay long, I guess he left ta report ta his boss that the stagecoach robbery had gone bust. Anyway, he showed up at supper time with word that they were supposed ta rob the same stage in three day's time. Good, that gave us more time ta git ready.

When the bandits showed up, they didn't have ta work as hard as they did the first time, since they used the same tree limbs as before ta block the road. We got there in plenty of time ta find us a good hidin' place where we could watch the robbery an' the followin' escape.

Everythin' went smoothly as far as the bandits were concerned. Nobody got shot, an' the stage crew handed over the strong box without no argument. There wuzn't no passengers this time, soz the robbery wuz simple an' straight forward. Right after the robbery, the bandits made a bee-line fer the Rockin' W, Abner Washington's ranch.

We followed close enough ta keep them in sight, but not so close that we wuz spotted. They rode ta a line shack on the edge of the property an' turned the strongbox over ta the foreman. I admit that I hadn't expected that, but it wuz a reasonable thin' ta do. The bandits rode off, an' the foreman rode back toward the ranch house carryin' the strongbox.

Stayin' out of sight wuzn't as easy as I had hoped, once we got ta the ranch house. Me, John, an' George dismounted in some trees an' left Jim ta mind the hosses. He wuz ta bring 'em in a hurry ifen we ran inta trouble.

We snuck up ta the house an' looked through a window. We couldn't see nothin', so we moved from window ta window 'til we found sumpthin' worth lookin' at, an' I don't mean Miz. Washington takin' a bath. We finally came ta the window ta the room used by Abner Washington as his office. The foreman wuz in there talkin' ta his boss, an' we could hear through the partly opened window. It wuzn't so easy ta see, but I managed that, too.

The foreman had a file, an' he wuz workin' on the lock, tryin' ta cut it off with the file. It must of taken him nearly half an hour ta git the fool lock off soz he could open the lid of the strongbox. He opened the lid an' pulled out two cloth sacks what he opened an' dumped on the desk. Eagles and double-eagles tumbled an' rolled around on the desk. Abner an' the foreman began countin' the coins, an' the total came ta $640. Abner said, "Count out $60 apiece fer Jed, Tom, an' Ike. We'll deposit the rest, come Wednesday."

The foreman did as he wuz instructed and Abner Washington put the rest of the money in his office safe. "Git rid of the strongbox the usual way, an' bring in the two new hands." I guessed that must mean Bill an' Eddy.

The foreman took the box and left. I said ta George, "Ya see what they do ta git rid of the strongbox, and wait with Jim. Me an' John will stay here ta see what happens next."

George took off ta follow the strongbox, an' we settled down ta wait. I shore wuz glad that there wuz some bushes planted by the window soz we could watch an' listen without bein' seen from the yard. We had ta wait 'bout 20 minutes fer anythin' of interest ta us ta happen. Washington worked with his books while he waited fer the foreman ta git back.

Finally, Eddy an' Bill wuz ushered inta the office. Unexpectedly, the foreman pulled his gun an' ordered my two men ta shuck their guns. They reluctantly laid their guns on the desk, at which point Washington picked them up an' put them in a desk drawer. The foreman holstered his gun an' they seemed ta relax. Abner Washington said, "Don't take it personal, men. That wuz jus' a precaution in case ya git too excited when I explain the operation around here."

Eddy an' Bill looked at each other kinda funny, an' they both shrugged their shoulders. I loved those men—they wuz real cool customers! I pro'bly would of jumped out of my skin by being disarmed like that, but they acted like it didn't make no never-mind ta them. Real slick actin', I shore wuz proud of 'em.

Eddy said, "What's goin' on, Mr. Washington? I ain't done nothin' an' I pretty damned shore that Bill ain't done nothin' either."

"Jus' relax, boys. Y'all ain't got nothin' ta worry 'bout, long as y'all listen ta what I have ta say all the way through. First off, I know y'all had ta notice that there ain't enough work 'round here fer as many hands as we got on the payroll. Well, the reason is, the Rockin' W ain't anymore a workin' ranch than y'all are saloon whores. The ranch is a front fer my real business. I work as a fence fer stolen goods an' as a washer man fer cleanin' up stolen money.

"I won't go inta details y'all don't need ta know, but what I really need y'all fer is ta act as guards when the time comes ta move a passel of money. My partners over in New Mexico Territory have got a slick setup in Santa Fe, an I supply a lot of the money what keeps it goin' as smooth as it does.

"I had ya checked out, an' I know that y'all are both ex-bounty hunters down on yer luck. Well, I'm offerin' y'all a chance ta make some real money ifen y'all got the stomach fer it. What do y'all say ta that?"

Eddy said, "Shit, Mr. Washington, I'd do most anythin' ta git a good stake. I'm yer man."

Bill chimed in with, "Shore, Mr. Washington, I'll go along with ya an' be pleased ta git the chance."

"OK, boys, I'm glad ta have y'all with me. Here are yer guns back. Ya jus' keep takin' orders from Ansul (the foreman) jus' like always. He'll let ya know when ya have ta become real guards. Now, all of y'all git out soz I kin git some real work done."

I signaled ta John, an' we headed back ta Jim an' George. George had shown up just afore we did, soz we were all ready ta git off the Rockin' W afore we wuz spotted. We went back ta the office in Eagle Pass ta work up all that we knew.

George reported finding a gully that wuz "nearly filled" with empty strongboxes an' other such things. There had ta be over a hundred tossed there, an' some looked ta have been there fer five years, or more. They wuz just off Washington's property, soz we figured that he thought that would keep 'em from bein' connected ta him. Some people jus' ain't as smart as they think they is.

I thought 'bout it a while an' decided ta wait 'til Washington tries ta move his loot. That way, we should be able ta find out who he's workin' with in Santa Fe. So far, we ain't done a thin' ta earn us a penny in reward or compensation an' nobody'd been kilt, soz we might as well let the scheme run a bit longer. We might find a way ta turn it ta our advantage ifen we don't rush too hard.

The hands from the Rockin' W usually come inta town on Saturday night ta visit the saloons, an' that's when either Bill or Eddy meets up with either John or George ta exchange information over a beer or two. We try ta rotate the contacts around soz it ain't so obvious that they're reportin' in.