Chapter 5

This damned war was getting too expensive to continue much longer. Jason had bought a total of 18 new shotguns and several cases of expensive pin-fire shells that he normally would not have needed just because of it. He was running low on ready cash, and he would not have a way to replenish his money supply until the following spring when they sold the wool they sheared. Then he would have plenty of money, but things could get close up until then.

The new men started dribbling in, and Jason had to find ways to keep them busy while he waited for the new shotguns to be delivered. He decided to use the extra labor to put a fighting platform on top of his house. The main house was a single storey with a conventional peaked roof. Jason decided to put up two platforms, one at each end of the roof. This part of Texas didn't get enough snow to worry about, so he only needed to have it strong enough to support several men. He had to admit that, from a strictly esthetic point of view, the rig was pretty silly, but it consisted of two platforms, each one 12 feet square, which were connected by a walkway 3 feet wide. There was a chest-high wall completely surrounding the structure that was 2 inches thick, made of hardwood so that it would stop bullets, and liberally supplied with loopholes for shooting through by a kneeling man. Access was by two ladders which were to be pulled up to the platforms when the house was under attack.

These fighting platforms had several technical drawbacks, but they should do well enough for the kind of defense Jason expected to have to mount. For one thing, there probably would not be an extended siege. The psychology of the attackers and their weapons did not lend themselves to a drawn out fight. Most likely, no raid would last more than 20-30 minutes.

The new shotguns were finally delivered to the gunsmith, so Jason went in to pick them up. He took along Hector and two of the new men, half expecting another attack like the previous one. The three Mexicans rode in the wagon and Jason rode his horse. All four had shotguns, and Jason was also armed with his Henry rifle and two LeMat pistols.

As before, they made it into town without being attacked, and they went directly to the gunsmith's shop. As on the previous occasion, the gunsmith had cleaned the shotguns so that they were ready to use if they were required. It took only a few minutes to load the wagon, and the gunsmith used the time to show Jason a new pistol that he had just gotten in. It was the S&W Russian .44 which used a metallic cartridge.

Like most men of the day, Jason Boyd was fascinated by anything new in the way of handguns. The advantages of the new pistol over his LeMat were so obvious that Jason had to have a pair. He splurged and bought a pair with plenty of ammunition. The potential for quick reloading and for greater accuracy over his current pistols were the final selling points.

The return home was almost a replay of the previous trip, except that there were more men involved. This time, there were 18 attackers and four defenders. The 18 attackers charged in as if some of them had cavalry experience. From the sound, Jason determined that they were using Navy Colts which they began firing at 40 yards range.

By this time, all four of the Mexicans were under the wagon with their shotguns ready to fire at Jason's command. Jason wanted to see what would happen to a charge when it had to face a volley from the shotguns, and this was the perfect chance for that experiment. This time, Jason was off his horse and standing behind the wagon with his shotgun also at the ready.

The charging horsemen had reached the 25-yard distance when Jason shouted, "FIRE!" All five shotguns roared, and the carnage was evident even through the cloud of powder smoke. Seven men and three horses were down with only five shots being fired. Before the cowboys could recover, Jason again shouted, "FIRE!" This time, five men and three horses fell.

The remaining cowboys scattered, and the four Mexicans reloaded their shotguns. Jason didn't follow his own orders. Instead he drew one of his new pistols and fired at a retreating horseman. The man fell with a bullet in his back, but that was the end of the shooting. Every living horseman was now out of range and riding as fast as he could go toward home.

One of the downed horses had to be dispatched by a shot from Jason's pistol, but none of the rest, man or beast, was still alive. At close range in volley fire, those shotguns were pure murder! Three of the dead horses wore the Bar B Bar brand and the remaining three were Circle R.

They looted the dead men and horses before resuming their journey home. As soon as they got to the ranch, Janet ran out to greet them with a wave to the Mexicans and a soul-searing kiss for Jason. It was almost dinner time, so Janet was willing to wait until the afternoon before taking Jason to bed.

Jason distributed the new shotguns, and the men went immediately to clean the four that had just been fired. Black powder was murder on gun barrels if it was not cleared out of the barrel as soon as possible. One of the men took Jason's shotgun to clean it, but Jason cleaned his own pistol—after all, it was his new toy!

Janet was fated to be disappointed on this afternoon, because Jason felt that he was compelled to visit the Circle R ranch with a ultimatum. Either the cattlemen called off this ridiculous range war or Jason was going on the offensive. It was their choice, but they had to choose very damned soon!

After the noon meal, Jason organized 10 of his men into a body guard to go with him to visit Henry Richards at the Circle R. Jason and his men rode up to the front of the Circle R ranch house with Jason carrying a large white flag. Only a blind man would miss seeing it. Henry Richards was standing on the veranda with a dozen of his men when Jason's entourage rode up.

As his greeting, Richards snarled out, "What the hell do ya want, you bastard?"

"I'm here to tell you the facts of life, Richards. Either you and your friends call off this stupid range war, or I will go on the offensive. I must warn you that I have had a hell of a lot of Army cavalry experience, so you will be in for a big hurt. So far, I know that the Circle R, the Rocking J, and the Bar B Bar are my enemies. Any others will also feel my wrath if y'all don't back off.

"My people are well armed and they will show no quarter if you attack. Y'all can expect the same from us if we are forced to attack. This is my last warning. If y'all see me again, y'all can expect bullets to fly. That's it. Heed my warning, or even more men are going to die!"

Richards spat at Jason and stalked back into his house. Jason ignored the insult, and he and his men rode away. Back home, they relaxed. Jason figured that it would take a day or two for the cattlemen to meet and decide what they were going to do.

Now, Janet grabbed Jason and they headed for bed.

It turned out to be three days later before anything came of Jason's visit to the Circle R. It was time for the sheep to be moved to a new range, so Jason had sent six men to guard the sheep and shepherds as the move was made. Arturo was there, so Jason stayed at home just in case there was an attack while the place was less than fully staffed.

As it turned out, the main house was ignored, and an attack was mounted on the sheep-moving detail. This time, the cowboys were waiting in ambush as the sheep and shepherds got close. Fortunately for Jason's men, the cowboys had not noticed that there were extra men with the drive.

The battle was opened with pistol fire from the cowboys. Surprise was complete, since Arturo was not experienced enough to put out a point guard. One shepherd was killed and another was lightly wounded; both of these men were the new-hires, so they did not have the experience with previous attacks and were not as alert as they should have been.

There were five cowboys involved in the ambush, and they were all using their Navy Colts. Arturo grasped the situation immediately and sent his four guards racing around to flank the cowboys. The cowboys were caught between Arturo and two shepherds, all armed with shotguns, and the four flanking guards who were also armed with shotguns.