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A short story excerpt for the day
This story continues from the link https://hereiamattheedgeblogspotcouk.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/wagons-ho/ .
The Commanche didn't wait to form up, their rifles firing from the grass were occupying the men in the wagons. A surprise attack wasn't the element, the force stormed the hill and rampaged across the plain, their war cries chilling the blood of the men as they tried to take aim.
Jonas took a quick glance at the situation and yelled, "Clem, can you and your men cover the rifles in the grass? If you can keep their heads down, we may get out of this."
Clem looked across at his friend and replied, "We ain't got many guns and little ammunition, but we'll do what we can for you, Jonas. Sgt. Dawkins, take some men over to our left and fire at the rifle flashes. Make each shot count, this could be our last stand!"
Dawkins saluted and signalled for four men to follow him as he jumped from the wagon. It didn't take long for the rifles to fire at the small group, Dawkins called out, "Make for the hill to the left, we'll have a slight rise to shoot from!"
Jonas surveyed the small group of men in his charge and said, "Mr Mabey, can you spread some of the troops as you see fit to cover our flank. We need to keep the Indians off guard, and the only way is a cross-fire?"
Mabey glanced at the storming band heading for them and replied, "Out there is a good a place to meet my maker as trapped here like a coyote in a snare, I guess."
Mabey signalled, and four men followed him to a small rise to the left of the main group, "Now'd be a good time as any to ask your Lord for help, boy. We won't get much time later if we live. Beleive me, where we're heading this is only the start of our troubles. I don't know what you did to deserve this but someone, somewhere, doesn't like your officers, and we'll be paying a heavy price."
Carter looked scaredly at Mabey and asked, "What do you think is in front of us?"
Mabey scratched his beard then replied, "It ain't what I think, it's what I know. Where we're going is a gulch, the natives don't fight over it because they believe it to be filled with ghosts of the past. We'll be trapped, Commanche to the North, Kiowa to the West and Apache to the South. They hate each other, but they hate us more. If they don't kill us, the desert will."
Carter wiped the sweat from his eyes as he viewed the Chief sitting astride his horse directing the warriors on the slope, "What do you believe, Mr Mabey?"
Mabey wiped his face with his dirty hat and replied, "I believe if we survive this, we'll be lucky. As for the ghosts, I've lived among the people too long not to respect their beliefs, plus I have witnessed things in the valley that I cannot explain, or perhaps I don't want an explanation for them as that could be worse than not knowing. Tell me, Mr Carter, why were you of all people chosen for this train? The prisoners I can understand, the officer in charge has upset someone, but why you?"
Carter winced as he recalled the incident, then said, "I didn't get chosen, it was either this or being discharged for striking an officer. It was in the heat of the moment over a female prisoner we'd taken. I needed to defend her as she was being raped and I couldn't let it happen."
Mabey smiled, then commented, "May the Lord be praised, in all this horror there are still a few gentlemen left. You should be proud of what you did, son. It took courage to stand up for an Indian woman, nobody will thank you for doing it, but you have your honour."
Carter looked out from his spot on the wagon, then said, "If we get out of here, can I join you as a frontiersman? The Army won't have me after this incident."
Mabey patted his friend on the shoulder and replied, "If we get out, it would be an honour for me to have you by my side. For now, we need to think about holding this position for as long as we can, which I don't think will be that long. They have more rifles and ammunition than we do and there are bound to be more warriors nearby to join in."
Clem looked across at his friend and replied, "We ain't got many guns and little ammunition, but we'll do what we can for you, Jonas. Sgt. Dawkins, take some men over to our left and fire at the rifle flashes. Make each shot count, this could be our last stand!"
Dawkins saluted and signalled for four men to follow him as he jumped from the wagon. It didn't take long for the rifles to fire at the small group, Dawkins called out, "Make for the hill to the left, we'll have a slight rise to shoot from!"
Jonas surveyed the small group of men in his charge and said, "Mr Mabey, can you spread some of the troops as you see fit to cover our flank. We need to keep the Indians off guard, and the only way is a cross-fire?"
Mabey glanced at the storming band heading for them and replied, "Out there is a good a place to meet my maker as trapped here like a coyote in a snare, I guess."
Mabey signalled, and four men followed him to a small rise to the left of the main group, "Now'd be a good time as any to ask your Lord for help, boy. We won't get much time later if we live. Beleive me, where we're heading this is only the start of our troubles. I don't know what you did to deserve this but someone, somewhere, doesn't like your officers, and we'll be paying a heavy price."
Carter looked scaredly at Mabey and asked, "What do you think is in front of us?"
Mabey scratched his beard then replied, "It ain't what I think, it's what I know. Where we're going is a gulch, the natives don't fight over it because they believe it to be filled with ghosts of the past. We'll be trapped, Commanche to the North, Kiowa to the West and Apache to the South. They hate each other, but they hate us more. If they don't kill us, the desert will."
Carter wiped the sweat from his eyes as he viewed the Chief sitting astride his horse directing the warriors on the slope, "What do you believe, Mr Mabey?"
Mabey wiped his face with his dirty hat and replied, "I believe if we survive this, we'll be lucky. As for the ghosts, I've lived among the people too long not to respect their beliefs, plus I have witnessed things in the valley that I cannot explain, or perhaps I don't want an explanation for them as that could be worse than not knowing. Tell me, Mr Carter, why were you of all people chosen for this train? The prisoners I can understand, the officer in charge has upset someone, but why you?"
Carter winced as he recalled the incident, then said, "I didn't get chosen, it was either this or being discharged for striking an officer. It was in the heat of the moment over a female prisoner we'd taken. I needed to defend her as she was being raped and I couldn't let it happen."
Mabey smiled, then commented, "May the Lord be praised, in all this horror there are still a few gentlemen left. You should be proud of what you did, son. It took courage to stand up for an Indian woman, nobody will thank you for doing it, but you have your honour."
Carter looked out from his spot on the wagon, then said, "If we get out of here, can I join you as a frontiersman? The Army won't have me after this incident."
Mabey patted his friend on the shoulder and replied, "If we get out, it would be an honour for me to have you by my side. For now, we need to think about holding this position for as long as we can, which I don't think will be that long. They have more rifles and ammunition than we do and there are bound to be more warriors nearby to join in."
As if on cue, the rifles in the grass began to fire, "Clem, how are your men doing?" called Jonas.
Clem waved his hat and shouted, "You keep the body of the attack, and we'll take care of the horns, won't we Mr Mabey!"
Mabey waved his hat and replied, "That we will, sirs!"
The Chief on the hill stood up in his stirrups and yelled.
Mabey, Clem, and Jonas looked at what they had with them, and Jonas called out, "This is it, men, make every shot count!"
Clem waved his hat and shouted, "You keep the body of the attack, and we'll take care of the horns, won't we Mr Mabey!"
Mabey waved his hat and replied, "That we will, sirs!"
The Chief on the hill stood up in his stirrups and yelled.
Mabey, Clem, and Jonas looked at what they had with them, and Jonas called out, "This is it, men, make every shot count!"
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