Partida Rol por web

The animals needed little guidance as they headed for the river. Vernon got off his horse and gathered the cowboys around him.

-Listen up, guys!, Vern said and scratched the noticeable bald of his head. –The critters are tired, and so are we. It´s been a rough ride through the bare territory. We´ll camp here for one full day, let the cattle graze around here, so they recover. Take turns to keep an eye on the animals, but they won´t go far. Let the horses rest. Eat, sleep, go swimming. It´s your call.

Having said that, he went on to check on the cattle. You could see that the quality of beef was not exceptional anymore. But it was still good. And from here they could follow the river for three weeks before heading south to Forth Worth. Plenty of time for the cows to recover.

Jason comes looking for Crowe. –Crowe, c´mere, I wanna talk to ya for a second. It had been a day of relax after over a week of long rides and hard work. Jason had also helped every now and then, but mainly because he enjoyed the cowboy work. Vincent´s son looked at the river, and started talking: -My pa´ has this problem… A small ranch near the Comanche territory. They used to steal some cattle from us. But now they´ve grown… Stand tall. And we think they got ´emselves some guns. Not sure about that. What happened with the cattle thieves, when Harv got shot. We ain´t gonna let that happen again.

Jason looks at Crowe. He knows his friend wants to become a gunslinger. –Pa´ doesn´t wanna loose any men over a few cows. But these thieves need to be taught a lesson. And we need protection. That´s why I´m here, ya know? When we are further east with the cattle, I will split and ride to Abilene.

He looks around to make sure no one is listening. –And from Abilene, I will carry on to the border, to San Acoma.

San Acoma was a place of myth and legend. Close to the Mexican border, it was an ancient and sacred pueblo on top of a mesa that overlooked the surrounding landscape. Small villages, saloons and crossroads in the area were known hideouts for outlaws, and also meeting places for hired guns and their contractors.

Crowe listened to Jason in silence. He understood what his friend was saying. Mr. Bronson had decided to hire gunmen for protection. For a moment, Crowe felt disappointed. He reckoned the men that already rode for the Bronson brand where more than capable of dealing with cattle thieves and other threats. Men like Crowe himself, who was very quick with the gun and was eager to prove himself to Mr. Bronson.

-We´ve heard Choctaw Lee is in San Acoma area, for hire. And other men also. Harv was not too keen on the idea either, he said guessing what Crowe was thinking. -But the times are changing. We could use the extra gun hands. I want you to ride with me to Abilene, and from there to San Acoma. It´s a long ride to New Mexico, and I could really do with you by my side.

It was clear Crowe had no choice but to go. On the other hand, he was somewhat pleased that Mr. Bronson had trusted him with this important task.

The name "Choctaw" Lee did not sound familair to Crowe, but Jason showed him a newspaper article from few months ago:

The Lee family had been a notorious gang of outlaws in the north, in Delaware. The nickname "Choctaw¹" was due to the fact his father was a squawman², so he was a half-breed.

After days rest and grazing, the cattle and the cowboys were ready to continue the cattle drive. Vernon decided to follow the river bank, thus guaranteeing plenty of water for the animals that need to still recover. The terrain was lush and with plenty of grass for the cattle to eat.

On the second day, a small band of Indians came begging for some beef from the cattle train. They asked for four heads. Vernon reckons it is not a good idea to upset the Indians, and gave them four heads choosing a few that had suffered the horn flies more. In total, they had lost eight heads now. This was something one could expect on such a long cattle drive.

The weather was exceptionally good for the next few days. Soon they would have to consider crossing the river. The grass was getting scarcer. It was then, on the eleventh day of the cattle drive, when Jason and Crowe said farewell. They did not give much explanations, only that they had to attend some business for Mr. Bronson in Abilene.

It was a big surprise for Sinta to see Crowe depart. After all they had been through together ---the incident with the cattle thiefs, the cattle run, the storm--- she had started to grow warm feelings for the man. He was a good man.

- You take care, big boy. We need good cowboys like you around here. Dunno what business Mr. Bronson has for you over there ---she said, half-questioning, half-respecting the man's privacy--- but it be'er be good. We'll miss you... Still a long way to go...

She gave the man a good hug. Sinta was usually weary of being too touchy-feely with other cowboys, but she felt it would be OK with Crowe.

Sinta´s hug caught Crowe by surprise. It was not common amongst cowboys, and he considered Sinta a cowboy as good as anyone else on the trail. And also a friend. He hugged her back firmly, and promised to see her again soon.

After Crowe and Jason had said goodbye, Vernon gathered the leaders of each flank, Joe Brimley and Razor for a brief meeting. Marc Corman looked at the trail boss from a distance, visibly upset when he was not invited. After some deliberating, Vernon approached Sinta and Hurd. –I´ve decided to move you from the right flank to the left, Hurd. But you ain´t taking Crowe´s position. Sinta, you will take the first position on the left, and Hurd will be riding left swing just behind you. Lon will have to stop the scouting, and he will ride the left flank. Once we have crossed to the other side of the river, he could do some scouting every other day, leaving you in charge of the cattle. The right flank will have Brimley, Corman and Razor closing the flank. What do you reckon? Are you up for it?

Vernon did not really need to ask permission. As a Trail Boss, his word was the law. But he liked to discuss things with the cowboys. This was his first time in charge, and he knew not all would be happy to see Sinta leading the left flank. She was not the most experienced of the bunch, but she had proven herself so far.

Hurd listened to his friend Vernon. He looked a bit different now that he was in charge. It was a big responsibility, and poor Vern had to make difficult decisions almost on a daily basis. Now he had reshuffled the positions, leaving Corman and Brimley on the right flank. Hurd was happy to be assigned on the other side. Corman and Brimley were both veteran cowboys, and Hurd felt somewhat out of place with the pair. But while Brimley was an excellent right point and often helped Hurd and the Jenkins brothers, and taught them the trade, Corman was a loudmouth. He picked on everyone he considered inferior to himself, and if it wasn´t for Brimley, the cattle would have been stampeded a few times due to his lack of atention. Most nights, Corman played the flute and sang, and Hurd had caught him drinking from his hip flask.

- Sure thing, Vern - Hurd said.

He had felt a tiny sting of jealousy poking at his insides when his friend had chosen Sinta to lead, but the feeling didn't last long. It was probably the wisest choice. And he was more than comfortable with it. Riding on the left side with Sinta was miles better than doing it with that Corman jerk.

He looked at the cowgirl. When Laura introduced them to each other he had felt equally awkward and intrigued about her... tomboy manners. Now he just saw her as a friend, and somehow he felt more at ease in her company than he usually did with other ladies. So, if someone disagreed with Sinta's new position, it was certainly not Hurd.

He smiled at her and nodded with the best look of complicity his dull face was capable of showing.

-Good. It´s settled then. Tomorrow we ride with the new set up. I´ll go and tell the others, Vern said and left Hurd and Sinta by themselves.

It was time to get some rest. The next few days were going to be tough, and soon they would need to cross the river.

There were some long looks and mumbled comments about the new formation after Jason and Crowe had left. Vernon was the boss, and no one would openly challenge his authority. Marc Corman was not happy, but on the other hand he was riding just behind Brimley who he respected. And behind him was Razor, another hard working and skilled cowboy. So Corman could ease down a bit. After a few days, Corman was playing his flute again when they camped, even though he stayed away from the “other flank group”, as he now called Sinta, Hurd and Lon.

The day after the change, the terrain started becoming increasingly difficult. There were a few slopes and rocky areas, and the recents spring storms had caused the river to flood, and now there were muddy areas. The cattle had been trailing well, but now it was moving forward at a very slow pace. The points had to look for the best route, and stop frequently.

In general, cattle did not trail in a group, but strung out in a long line. Several natural leaders took their places in front, while all the others fell into an irregular line behind them. Now, the line was getting very long. In total, the herd was stretched out over a mile and a half during the day. Each drover had a “mirror” on the other flank, and between the two, they kept the line straight.

So Sinta worked closely with Brimley, even though the two hardly ever spoke. Hurd with Corman in the middle, and Lon and Razor further down. Brimley was an aging cowboy, but well respected and he really knew his trade. Corman was actually his brother-in-law, according to Lon. Brimley also knew the terrain well, and he was able to drag the cattle away from the river when needed. Their natural instinct was to move towards the water, and it was down to Sinta, Hurd and Lon to keep them moving in the right direction.

On a normal day, the drive covered 10-15 miles at a normal movement rate. But the rough terrain meant it took twice as long to move forward. Leading the trail, Vernon kept looking for a suitable river crossing.

During the last few days, it was blatantly clear, there hadn't been a great vibe among the men. And work was getting harder, the terrain complicating everything and the cattle, as always, not making it easier. Hurd was not the most experienced cowboy, but he knew situations like that could lead to errors and regrets. He also knew that every mistake they made would tarnish Vern's debut as trail boss. And he definitely didn't want that.

So Hurd had decided to just focus on the job and do his best. He tried to be constantly on alert, paying all his attention to the critters, the ground and the horizon. He only crossed eyes with Corman when necessary, and they mostly communicated with head gestures and short words. Hurd was a laconic man anyway, but he was also actively avoiding pointless conflicts. It was in everyone's best interest.

Finally, they got the critters to an easier territory. As they moved forward, something caught Sinta´s eye. A reflection of metal from the hills on the other side of the river. She kept looking in that direction, and soon enough she was certain. A group of men was following the cattle drive on the other side of the river.

There were six or seven of them, and she was sure they were mounted. As they camped for the night, she told Vernon about what she had seen.

-Outlaws!, he hissed. Hurd and Lon were with the trail boss. –Normally they wait for the right moment to come out firing to stampede the herd. It´s easy then for ´em cattle thieves to get a dozen or so mavericks from the herd, while we gather ´em.

The veteran cowboy looked at the river, and the other side. And shook his head. –The old ford is around this part of the river. But we can´t cross it now. It´s safer to stay on this side. See, there is an open range from the river to the hills. I reckon they are waiting for us to cross the river.

Then he looked at Sinta and the others, and nodded with a smile of approval. –Good job in your flank, all of you.

Vernon doubled the number of cowboys on guard at night. And during the day, they kept a close eye on the other side of the river. He did not want to send anyone to scout, considering it was best not to let the outlaws know they knew.

After a few more days, the terrain was lush again, and the animals were starting to recover their condition. The quality of beef was between excellent and good, but there was still a long way to go on the drive, and they needed to leave the river behind at some point.

A thunderstorm out of the blue sky caused some havoc among the animals, but by then the cowboys were more than capable of handling the cattle, and also the animals had gotten accustomed to the drive and they were easier to handle. No animals were lost.

Also, no more signs of the outlaws were to be seen, which was a relief. Vernon decided to let the cows graze for a full day. By then, it had been three weeks since they left Sabbath. There were still plenty of food supplies (corn, bacon and beans) in the chuck wagon, but Hitchins warned about too many delays.