10 August 1869
You are on a train on the Union Pacific heading west. There have been rumors about a large vein of gold in the western Wyoming territory launching a new gold rush in the mountainous region. All manner of characters have boarded a train with you in Kansas City for the westward journey.
The long trip and the constant clacking of the wheels upon the rail often lull you into drowsiness as it lumbers down the track. The sleep car has been comfortable, but the passenger car is a bit cramped. There are about five union troops riding along armed with Spencer carbine rifles.
The scenic journey has been exciting at times. Herds of buffalo have been seen a few times roaming the plains and breaking up the monotony of the trip.
The U.S. Calvary has escorted the train at some points over concern of possible Indian attacks. The children heading west were very excited about witnessing the escort. A few placed their hand over their mouths and made the misperceived native war cry and pretended to shoot arrows at the troopers in fun.
Heat has rolled through the plains, but the foothills of western Nebraska have brought some reprieve as herds of antelope pop over the terrain, also delighting the children aboard and a few adults as well.
Rumors of bandits and famous train robbers are the reason that troopers are aboard. There is possibly a cache of money or gold headed west to San Francisco banks from the east aboard with you as well.
While eastern papers report daily of the dangers out west, it is a welcome respite from the heavy toll that the war has taken on you. You have your own reasons for heading out west, perhaps you will strike it rich or enter into entrepreneurship. The possibilities have flowed through your mind since leaving the new settlement of Cheyenne in the Wyoming territory.
Half of the day has passed and you are nearing the next stop, Just 20 miles left before the train continues the difficult journey through the Rocky Mountains. The foothills are getting a bit steeper, but there is a clear and flat prairie ahead. The train whistle begins to loudly blow as the troopers become concerned with the tracks ahead being covered with a herd of cattle.
Finally, the brakes are applied for the long hard stop to avoid the collision. Horsemen appear from behind the cattle and begin firing upon the train. A loud explosion can be heard up near the engine. Gunfire rings out. You get a glimpse of the horsemen before they ride by and start indiscriminately firing into the passenger car. Their faces are painted with black and white war paint, they appear to be Indians.
A voice from the horsemen cries out in easily understandable English, “Kill the all, leave no witnesses boys.”
Many Clouds has been seething ever since the Dakota Territory. Under the rather unwelcome care of Profs; H.F Chelmsworth and Farris Montjoy, he was denied reentry into the Great Sioux Reservation due to an argument with Indian Affairs agents at Fort Laramie. Apparently the Lakota were confined to this reservation during Many Clouds' absence. Many Clouds attacked the agents, calling them liars, and the Professors had to physically restrain him and return him to the train. Montjoy has been repeatedly whispering to Chelmsworth that they should simply abandon the 'dangerous savage' somewhere in the West and return home, but Chelmsworth has refused.
Without a plan, they have continued to hurtle West, Montjoy telegramming the Phrenology Society irritably and taking notes on Many Clouds when he can.
At the sounds of battle, Chelmsworth's eyes brighten "We may record inter-tribal conflict in person, Farris!", to which his partner scowls. "We may record an arrow through our crania. Let the savage be turned over to his own kind as bounty. They take slaves, don't they?"
Many Horses stands, his face unreadable. "I will go, Wasicun Professors. You speak a good idea, for once," he says to Montjoy. Without asking, he gathers his bundle of gear. "Chelms-worth. Philámayaye. I will get my horse out when the train stops and parley. With arrows."
Many Horses tries to think. These could be Crow. Or Cheyenne. Not friends.
A woman in dusty riding gear is snoozing in one of the seats, and starts up when the train's brakes begin to squeal. She grabs her hat, then pops her head up to look back and forth down the lane before glancing out the window.
Samuel quickly slides to the floor of the train car from his seat. Crouched under the window he takes a moment to assess his situation. Bandits, intriguing. I thought I could make it a few days in this frontier before being shot at.
With an aggravated sigh, he scans the car for any possible exits or hiding places. I don't have any chance going toe-to-toe with these outlaws and dying would be an awfully unproductive way to spend my afternoon.
In the quick moments that spawned the attack, Samuel was able to get a good look at a couple of the riders. He could tell a few odd things about them, like how a few of them wore side arms and boots. Also, the hair did not look natural on some of them.
Edward flips his hat away from his face and back on his head, waking up from his dozing and looking at the attackers.
Stopping the train, killing the engine -dynamite, I'd say-, then killing. Textbook job for big targets. But killing is not right. Not unless it's self-defense. Father, forgive me for the lives I'm about to take, I take no joy or pride in the act.
Reaching for a heavy bag beneath his seat, he takes out a hunting piece and chambers a round, keeping his head down.
Edward counts around twenty riders and notices that all of the "Crow" attackers are wearing boots and sidearms.
A young easterner, appearing to be a writer, smears some of a trooper's blood on his head and chest until he is satisfied and tries to hide under some bodies.
Looking up from his game of Solitaire at the blow of the train whistle, and noticing the train coming to a stop, Albrecht slowly gathers up his cards and places them into an inside pocket of his vest.
He then calmly looks out the window, curious as to the source of the commotion.
Albrecht notices about 20 horseman riding along the train looking through windows and firing into the train. Some using revolvers. Many of the "Crow" attackers have their faces painted and are wearing boots and a gun belt under their native garb.
Another explosion rocks the rear of the train. Two troopers are dead inside your passenger car along with a number of passengers, some still just injured. The other three troopers have ran towards the back of the train. Blood begins to cover the floor.
An attacker's voice can be heard, Light it up boys!
Hmmmm, it appears that our attackers are changelings, or frauds Albrecht thinks to himself as he pulls out his revolver and sights on the horse of the nearest 'crow', realizing that taking out the horse should both deal with the man and slow those behind him.
Not very gentlemanly I suppose, but I gave up that way of life a long time ago He thinks as he pulls the Colt Revolver's trigger.
Breaking a window with the butt of his rifle, Edward draws a bead towards one of the riders and shoots, his aim somewhat off due to the improvised positioning.
Hmmmmm, it appears that I hit
"Professors--get out quickly if you can. I have to get my horse," says Many Clouds. "I hope that explosion did not kill the horses," he says matter-of-factly.
Many Clouds nocks an arrow and opens the passenger door a crack.
Clementine welcomes the journey westward, peering excitedly out of the window as the landscape slowly changes as they travel, and joining the children in their gasps at the sight of buffalo, antelope and other unfamiliar animals and plants. Whilst she manages to catch a few hours of sleep, her excitement keeps her from staying asleep for too long.
When the train whistle starts to sound repeatedly, Clementine leans over to peer out the window, only to be knocked back on to her seat as the brakes bring the train to a sudden halt. At the sound of the explosion from the front of the train, she instinctively ducks down below the window, glancing around at the other passengers just as bullets pepper the carriage. Quickly Clem stands and pulls some saddlebags from the overhead compartment, rifling around inside and pulling out a belt with two revolvers which she buckles around her waist and then pulling out one of them and quickly looking out the window. Turing back to the other passengers, she focuses on a huddling child.
"Get down" she says, keeping her voice as calm as she can. "That's right, right under the seat."
Seeing the two downed soldiers' carbines lying unattended, she first takes a shot out the window, and then begins working her way towards them, cursing her decision to wear her best dress for the journey.
Shots ring out inside the train, refocusing Samuel on the attackers. It would appear I am not alone in this squabble. He quickly straightens up to expose his head in the window and catch another glimpse of the riders. Concentrating momentarily, Samuel locks his gaze onto one of the men and launches a mental assault.
The suede-wearing woman drops out of her seat to the floor when gunfire rings out, one hand keeping her hat on her head, and she starts slowly crawling down the aisle, prone.
Blood trails down the aisle of the passenger car as many are dead including women and children. Over twenty rounds have been shot into the passenger car itself.
The professor dropped a horse with a clean shot to the head, causing the rider to be thrown to the ground.
Edward Wilson's round draws even more attention to the passenger car as it is the locating shot after the troopers were killed.
A horseman spun around to stare at the passenger car for a second as he felt a strange sensation brush by his head. Hmm, phantom arrow?
Winona becomes inadvertently soaked in blood as she goes prone.
Clementine gains the trust of the huddling child before dropping a horsemen from his horse.
Many Clouds awaits a clearer view of the attackers.
Frustrated with their loss of personnel, the Crow attackers quickly load their quarry of two crates onto some pack mules and whisk them away. Two riders ride hard and fast towards the car with burning bottles of what appears to be whiskey to throw into the passenger car windows.
Clementine pauses in her progress towards the downed troopers as she hears the approaching hoof-beats. Once again poking her head above the window she brings up her six-shooter, targeting the closer of the two men as he rides past, before she ducks back down below the window.
Seeing a woman down the row shoot at one of the riders bearing down on the car, Albrecht sights the other down the barrel of his revolver, takes a breath, and releases the breath as he pulls the trigger.
And I thought I wasn't a believer anymore He thinks to himself as he sees his bullet tear into the rider
Albrecht's shot knocks a rider off of his horse, but fails to kill him. Even so, he drops the burning cocktail and is surrounded by fire. It catches on the dry grass and begins to create a line of flames on the left side of the disabled train.
Clem's shot is not so lucky. The rider advances, trying to get the fire bomb into the window, he misses the opening, but the flammable liquid explodes on the outside of the wooden car and it begins to burn on the exterior.
A small amount of smoke enters the cabin from the ceiling.
Come on, let's go. We can pick them off as they head towards town. Get the cargo secured, we'll worry about witnesses later. a voice orders the others.
Half a prayer on his lips, Edward fires a quick, wild shot at the man lugging the incendiary cocktail before chambering another round and shoots at the closest pack mule. I'll need to get out before getting roasted, but I wanna know what's in those crates.
Wilson drops two more riders, dead before the group of raiders head off into the tree-lined hills.
The woman on the floor keeps moving, prone, toward the front of the train, using her elbows and knees to scuttle slowly forward while staying below the fusillade of gunfire.
Seeing that the bandits are well and truly off, Albrecht realizes that the people need to get off the burning train fast but that they also need to be prepared for the journey ahead and they need to try to stay calm...
Folks! Please remain calm and listen to me- we need everyone to get off the train calmly and in an orderly fashion on the right hand side of the train- please take your belongings and your loved ones and CALMLY exit the train. Thank you!
God I hope this works he thinks to himself as he starts to look for any weapons dropped by the now-dead soldiers for retrieval to keep the group safe on the trip to the nearest town.
Many Clouds inclines an eyebrow at the impressive shooting and speaking of the bespectacled Wasicun. He nods and assists people off of the train, then speaks to the spectacled man. "There are horses, in the back. We'll need them. Is there a handcar. Or a telegraph." His inflection on questions are somewhat stilted in English.
He then hops off the train and trots toward the livery car, keeping an eye on the retreating riders. He approaches the car, making whickery sounds to soothe the horses.
Clementine holsters her gun as the raiders ride away and quickly moves the rest of the way towards the downed soldiers, picking one of the carbines off the floor and quickly checking it's condition. Turning to the train she nods at the shouts of the other two passengers. Slowly she makes her way back to her seat, helping any passengers who need aid.
she shouts down the carriage,
With the train robbers gone, Samuel methodically grabs the small bag carrying all his belongings and stands. As he makes his way down the aisle, a voice calls from the car adjacent to him attempting to prevent further chaos.
Samuel placidly follows the other passengers leaving the train cars.
Once the shooting dies down, the crawling woman stands back up, blood still soaking her elbows and knees. She jogs to the engine car to make sure that the engineers are still alive.
Grabbing his possessions, Albrecht starts going through the car, using a mirror he has taken from his bag to check and see if any of the downed soldiers are still breathing
We need to get all the weapons and ammo off the train before it goes up completely- if the bandits come back, we'll need them! he notes as he picks up any of the weapons or ammo he comes across himself whose owner is not still among the living.
Clementine nods in agreement with 'the professor' and, once she's helped any passengers and retrieved her gear, she helps in gathering up any guns or ammunition.
Coughing a bit from the smoke, Edward ignores the men and women scuttling around and the dead lying on the floor. He's seen his fair share of both during the war. Instead, he hurries towards the animal transport wagon, looking for his only friend in the world. "Copper! Ah'm coming, boy!"
The passenger car burns slower as the accelerant has mostly disappeared. There are many casualties in the car itself.
A bespectacled professor, an odd complexioned stranger, a drifter and a bloodied woman dressed in leathers, slowly and carefully depart the car. Clementine helps two twin boys, now orphans and an elderly lady off of the train. Ten other passengers lay as victims to the attack. Only two of the union soldiers are visible. They are dead.
At first glance, the train is obviously not functional. The engine has been blown off of its undercarriage. The engineer and fire man lay face down in the grass. Gunpowder, smoke and the smell of blood fill the noon-time sky.
The mile marker indicates that you are twenty miles from the nearest town of Cawk's Hill, a twenty-two hour walk down the tracks, a section of which is now twisted and snarled.
The livery car is charred and empty, although there are no carcasses inside. To the left, you see two of the soldiers lying dead, hair missing from the top of their head. Another soldier lays face down by the charred caboose, a smoldering arrow sticking out from it.
A quiet wind breaks the silence. The tall pines and cedars fill the landscape of the surrounding hills, leaving you feeling small.
There is no sign of the marauders who brought this destruction to you.
Once he's outside with whatever weapons and ammunition he was able to gather up from the soldiers' corpses, Albrecht finds a spot outside the burning train to sit and consider his next move
Wounded and scared people who will only slow me down, I can't stay here with them or I'm gonna die and I'm too handsome to die yet... he thinks to himself with a small chuckle at his own joke.
But women and children against armed bandits who made it clear that they'd be back for any and all witnesses- can I really leave these people to die?
Then again, it's not just me here- there was that fella with rifle, definitely a former soldier, and the woman who shot back, maybe a few others I didn't notice, didn't that actual Indian say something about horses and needing them? Maybe these people will be okay without me after all... And with his mind made up, he turned to the assembled people and simply stated,
Anyone who can shoot, divide the rifles up among yourselves- look out for each other and remember those bandits said they'd be waiting for you. Good luck and be careful."
And having made that declaration, he simply started in the direction of Cawk's Hill
"It's twenty-two hours on foot to Cawk's Hill," says the bloodied woman. "If we're going to get safely to town, especially if we're gonna help these people, we are gonna have to buckle down and camp somewhere along the way. Better see if we can scrounge up some food and blankets from these boxcars and put 'em on the horses."
Coming back from the animal wagon with a reddish-haired, lean horse, Edward takes in the sdight of a massacre. What a mess. And I thought I'd left war behind me.
"Hold on a second, Doc!" he shouts in a Texan drawl at the man heading away. "We're spread thin enough as it is, a tight pack is safest. An' you looked like a fair shot, we'd use another gun. Not like any of us are heading elsewhere than Whatsitcalled Hill."
"Y'all can walk? 'f someone's injured ah'can lend them my Copper."
Hearing himself being hailed, as "Doc' no less, Albrecht turns back towards the man he took to be an ex-soldier
I'm sorry, but I'm no hero- I'm not the man you look to to watch your back- what makes you think I can help you get these people at this he motions to take in the rag-tag group of survivors, To that town over yonder?
But still, inside Albrecht thinks to himself Maybe they do need me, and more importantly- maybe for now, I need them
The elderly woman is shaking from fright, and the newly orphaned twins are suffering from shock. They hear you and follow your requests, but do not speak, even after they were so talkative earlier on the trip.
"Ne'er said any of us were heroes. Heck, ah' don't know if I can get them to safety, but ah can try, an' I know bein' alone makes you easy pickin's. Then, you wanna go alone, knock yerself out, but ah'd watch yer back if ye watched mine."
Turning towards the others, he helps the elderly lady get on top of Copper, before kneeling next to the kids and trying to lead them into prayer. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
Ah Hell, safety in numbers it is, then, Albrecht exclaims as he walks back to the group.
Rummaging around in his bulging backpack, he removes a heavy blanket and then wraps it snugly around the elderly lady to help her with her shaking.
He then takes the heavy leather duster he was carrying and put it on, seeming to take some comfort himself in the weight of it around his body
He then checks one of the carbines to make sure it is armed and if not he arms it and then shoulders it and stores the ammo for it in a belt pouch, he also reloads the two spent rounds from his own revolver. This prepared for battle, he turns back to the group,
Supplies- food and water, and anything else of use to us right now, let's see what we can find...
One other thing, I guess I might as well tell you, the name is Hutton, Albrecht Hutton. Not so well met, but met nonetheless.