Most of you are very silent as you get closer to the camp. You get within about a 150 feet of the camp. You see at lest 12 or 13 Indians sitting around the camp doing varies activities. They have horses and rifles and seem to be traveling light. Near the center of the camp Flying Eagle can make out someone in what seems to be a circle, smoke swirls around him, a few warriors seem to be watching him.
But that is as close as you get before Rufus runs afoul a flock of birds. They burst from the grass, squawking as they fling themselves into the sky. John and Antonio go flat in the tall grass. As a few eyes turn toward the sudden sound. A few warriors talk among themselves as two stalk up the hill to see what cased the disturbance.
Flying Eagle whispers to Rufus "Get flat on the ground in the grass! We can't take on this many warriors!", and takes his own advice.
Crap
Rufus tries to sneak away from where the birds where.
= 10 so 1 raise
= 15 so 2 raises
He finds himself a solid set of brush and hunkers down behind it with a line of sight to the group of Natives.
Most of the Camp seems to pay you little mind. Two Indians make there way to the hill side, they talk to each other but do not seem to look two hard. They throw up some hand signals and stalk off toward where you left the horses. They are not in view, but if they go to far that way they will find them.
Below, the others mostly carry on camp activities, they seem to be getting ready for action to you. Finishing those tasks you carry out before you expect a fight. Two of the remaining twelve join the Shaman in the circle. you can hear the steady drums.
Whispering : "I say we hi-tail it back to the horses, and get back to camp, these Indians may be preparing to attack it."
"What if we wait to see if they go without the shaman? Maybe we can ambush him while the others ride off, then try to catch up and flank the war party when they hit the camp."
"If those two that are backtracking our path find our horses, they'll know someone is around and won't stop searching until they find us.
The only other alternative I see is to present ourselves to the tribe, and hope they don't kill us outright."
I am out of my depth here dealing with them. If you suggest that is best, then lets try it. But I am not going to give up my guns
"Well I don't want to pick a fight if it's unnecessary, but if this shaman is hostile we may not have much choice. If you think they're trying to backtrack our horses then we should scramble to make sure we confront those two on ground of our choosing."
Whispering "Everyone stand up, hold your hands up and follow me."
Assuming that they do, Flying Eagle walks on the path towards the large group with his hands up and empty.
What's the group's response when they see us?
Rufus unsnaps the thongs holding his pistols in the holsters.
Really not sure about this, but here goes
He then stands up, slings his rifle, and then holds his hands up.
"You sure you don't want me to cover the group in case things go sideways?"
"There's over a dozen warriors, and they have guns. If it comes down to a firefight, we're toast either way. And the two warriors who went down the trail will find 3 horses, so they'll know there's 3 of us."
John and Antonio stay put, you hear Antonio says "I an't being taken by no redskin!"You see him exchange a look with John as he grips his rifle. John Cocks his rifle.
Below you are spotted, you see activity in the camp as Indians reach for rifles and other weapons, four seem to be armed and take aim at you as you hear them yell. In the circle, the Shaman ignores all the activity around him.
Flying Eagle mentally curses ignorant white men in general, and whispers back to the two cowhands "Don't do anything stupid! Don't shoot, no matter what!"
He then speaks loudly in his native tongue "We come in peace!" to prove he is an Indian, even if they speak a different language, then repeats himself in English.
Antonio holds still, but his rifle is aimed at the Indians below, John seems to be talking his lead in this and he does not look comfortable. One of the Four armed sends two Up the hill toward you. Down in the camp the others arm themselves. A yelp goes up from the camp, answer by those who where headed toward the horses but now head toward Flying Eagle.
Flying Eagle whispers to Rufus and Winona "Start walking faster! Maybe we can get to them before they spot the others!"
You make your way down the hill, leaving Antonio and John hidden with rifles ready. The Indians below stop and motion you forward and those who went toward the horses flank you. Three rifles are pointed at you. In heavily accented English the one motioning you says " Throw weapons on ground"
Speaking first in his native tongue and then in English, Flying Eagle says "We come in peace. We mean you no harm. We do not want to fight." He holds his right hand far away from the gun at his hip.
The Speaking one talks to another, a few more answer and then another calls out in your Native tongue. "Drop your weapons, and we will see if you come in peace" Behind you those who went to the horses have flanked you, they hold war clubs. It seems they have not noticed Antonio and John in the high grass.
You do notice the Shaman wears a worn union Coat. He looks familiar to both Rufus and Flying Eagle.
Winona grumpily places her shotgun in the grass.
Flying Eagle translates the demand to everyone, then reaches for his gun with just his thumb and forefinger, and drops it on the ground.
Flying Eagle toss their weapons. Behind them three Indians approach and grab you and Rufus, pulling your Arms behind you. The warriors speak, but you don't really understand them. They push your down the hill, leaving Antonio and John behind you hidden as they take you toward the Shaman.
= Success
Flying Eagle recognizes the Shaman, he accompanied the railmen back in Sutter Flats to threatened Bill Sutter. You Recall him being called To'Sarre and Bill said something about him being some kind of Comanche raider.
As you are brought closer, Now with your arms being held behind your back To'Sarre opens his eyes and stares at you. In English he says "You I know, You are one of Sutter's men. What Brings you to my camp like thieves?
"Respectfully To'Sarre, we are not thieves, we are herding cattle thru this land, and have been beset by many fears. I traced the source of these fears to this camp, and presumably to you. Why do you attack us so, we who are not harming you?"
The Camp
To'Sarre Looks you over, much like a man inspecting a horse to buy, he slashes the air with his hand, as if to wave off your words "You? You are nothing. I seek not your ruin, nor so I care if you suffer. I seek to ruin he who you toil for. And How nice of you to remove a few of his arrows from his quiver"
Around you the Indians have gathered to watch. You see them well armed and a few already have war paint. They plan violence and plan it soon.
Out near the trail
Zachary and Mal had been on the trail a few weeks, this branch seemed sparsely traveled but signs pointed to a town somewhere near. You have come across signs for a few days of a large cattle herd moving, even found an old camp a few days back. Seemed a good enough idea to follow it as you can't sell cattle without buyers and so a town need be close by.
But off in the distance you see a few horses, no riders at the bottom of s little hill. A scan at a very safe distance seems to show em just lingering there. Very queer.
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Mal rode easily in the saddle. The internal calm that he had spent so long harnessing set is mood to an eternal peaceful idle.
He was by no means an imposing figure. His easy boyish smile was set on a body of medium build. His clothes were standard, made tough for the trail but of no fancy quality.
He even disdained the normal duster and concealed his light armored vest beneath a hearty plaid shirt.
If there was anything to distinguish this man who distained distinctions it was the odd medium-weight cowhide shield that rode easily on his left arm.
"Now ain't that odd, Zach?" Mal inquires to his friend as he points out the rider-less horses milling about. "No who in their right mind would leave a whole bushel of fine, fine horseflesh just standing about?"
"This might could be a thing that would be worth checking out. Best case, we get ourselves a whole peck of good horses. Worst case, well, someone needs rescuing, and that's good too."
Mal angles his own horse on an intercept course with the master-less steeds.
The Horses seem tied to some bushes, they are saddled with bags and do not seem to have been hear long. You can see some smoke rising from behind the hills.
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Mal rides closer to the horses and gives 'em a good once-over.
"Now ain't this the oddest thing, Zach? This is quite odd. Now why would a body just leave a perfectly good peck'o'horses just standing out here all nice an' purdy, without a single soul to watch over them? Why, they could get a burr, or need a feeding. Or, and Heavens forbid, a body without quite so many scruples could wander along and snatch 'em up the whole bag!
Would we do that, Zach? Would we leave a bunch of horses not attended by even a single soul? No sir we would not."
Mal stands up in his stirrups and gives the outlaying landscape a good once-over, looking for a single soul watching over the peck'o'horses.
"Oh hello! Is there a body what lays claims to these fine, fine pieces o'horseflesh?" he calls out to the surrounding greenery.
If he doesn't get a response, he says, "Now I know what you're thinking, Zach. You're probably thinking the same thing Imma thinking. You're thinking that their right'n'proper owners have got themselves perished and we should aught'a take these horses under our kind, kind ownership 'less banditos or person of a more skulduggerous nature come along and use them ill-gotten purposes. Or, worse! No one comes along and these beasts perish for want of love and kindness.
Well, no sir! No sir, says I. Imma just gonna walk over that there'n hill and make sure there's no funny business about."
Zack leans back in the saddle, chewing the inside of his cheek slowly (a nervous affectation he seems to have picked up from somewheres) as he considers his companion's words. "I'll admit that my way of thinking was somewhat slant-wise to yours," he replies in a soft, diplomatic tone. "But then I am accursed of both the most insatiable sense of curiosity and a most foolish propensity for doing what is right. It is a plague indeed to have a conscience that, on seeing a sight such as this, I am left to wonderin where in tarnation the folks who owned these fine beasts might have gone - and, indeed, if they might be in need of some such assistance as I can render."
He smiles at Mal, a boyish-looking grin that is only slightly out of place on his weather-lined face. If it weren't for the laughter-lines around his eyes, he could easily be mistaken for a youth just out of his teens; an impression that is accentuated by the closeness of his shave. "I am by no means insistin' that you join me on what may prove to be a most unprofitable search, but I should state here and now that my intention is to try and find the owners of these beasts and rejoin the riders with their mounts." He squints up, trying to make head or tail of his surroundings in the harsh sunlight.
"Where do you suppose they might have gotten to?"
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"Oh, smarts! That's what you got, Zach. Indeed indeed let us do it your way. Oh my but that plague'o'conscience must be a heavy burden. Glad and light is my heart that I do not need to share that load."
Mal unseats from his horse and tells her to stay. "I think Imma take Big Cat with my, but little Jimmy can stay sleepin' for the now." he says, slinging his rifle across his back but leaving his shotgun in its holster.
"Ooo, we gonna get dressed up and gonna dance it right toNIGHT I tell you what little darlin'."
Without looking he taps his pistols at his hip, his little girls, Emma and Allie, checking to make sure they're still there and ready to play.
"Now, see Zach, I ain't one o' them spirit peoples what can hide in the shadow of a leaf, or track a falcon on a cloudy day, so no, sir, I do not know from whence they is going. Way I figure, we got only one clue says anything else going on in this particular piece of nowhere, and that is that smoke over yonder. Maybe this is trussed up proper and already getting et on by some dirty, dirty tribe of cannibals. Can't save 'em then, no sir.
But maybe, just maybe, they is only trussed and not yet et on. Then maybe we can save them. And they shall be ever so grateful. I am looking forward to their undying gratitude, I tell you I am. ...'Specially if any of them is half as foxy a philly like the one I caught you spying at the other night you old scoundrel!
Welp, no help for it. Let's get a move on. Even if we gonna be dang fools and leave our own horses here 'cause there's gotta be a reason for right?"
With that Mal ducks his head and steps into the shadows of the foliage.
Using his experience at travelling, Mal moves toward the smoke making as little noise as possible.
Zack looks in the direction Mal is pointing. "That would be the direction to go in, would be my guess also. When in doubt, a man should move toward the sound of guns or the smell of smoke." Realising that now is the time to dismount for a lower profile, he gives his horse a quick, reassuring pat before moving to follow Mal. Truth be told, he is at least as much into the finding out of what is going on here as he is into the stealthing of going undetected and he keeps his eyes and ears open. The LeMat revolver in his hand is a nice reassurance in case things go wrong, although he does not have anything like Mal's armoury. The Gatling pistol (a surefire sign of being an Agent) is far too distinctive and as yet he has not displayed it openly; it remains stashed in a saddlebag where he can retrieve it at need.
Provided, of course, that he doesn't do the damnfool thing of leaving his horse behind.
He gives a slight, crooked smile that makes him look younger than his years. There's something exhilarating (rejuvenating, almost) about knowingly doing something foolish.
The terrain is mostly high grass with bushes here and there. The wind is low so little of the grass ripples and the leaves occasionally shake in the low, hot breeze. Mel and Zack crawl though the foliage, keeping low to the ground as the crest the hill.
Below they see a native camp with a dozen or so Indians. Three people seem to be held at gun point. Two are white, one a native himself, they seem to be speaking to another Indian in a blue union jacket.
"What has Sutter done to you? Why do you seek revenge? And what are you going to do with us?"
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"I knowd it, I just knowd it. Didn't I tell ya I knowd it, Zach?" Mal says just above a whisper as the two look down on thescene of ill omen. "There we go, them nice cattle-pokes done got themselves bushwacked by that their peck of dirty, dirty cannibals and is about to get themselves et.
Now I know what you're thinking, Zach, and, no, I will not let you march down there and try to talk this thing out. With all the jaw-hacking I can see them doing they is doing enough talking and it just gets looking worse and worse.
Now the way I see it there are only two ways out of this. One way is I done let the Cat here sing her song, and those dirty, dirty cannibals try to come up here and scalp us, and then I'll pick them off as they come.
The other way is I shoot one, and they all scatter and try to shoot back. Then, well, I'm still just as like to pick them off, just not the way they think.
Unless you got another plan, Zack? One that doesn't get us all et? And no, sir, like I said I will not let you walk down there and talk this out. All them nice cowpokes is trying that right now and it ain't mattering a hill of beans."
Zack gives a rueful smile as Mal pre-emptively nixes his plan to try and talk it out. "They don't seem the type for a chin-wag, do they? So you may have a point there. But I would point out, there don't seem to be any violence right now. Draw a bead on yon blue jacket with your rifle and if it looks to be going sideways, drop him. I'll then start shooting to give those unfortunates some cover to get away." He speaks with a quiet assurance of his own skill, despite the fact that this is not optimal range for a pistol.
In the camp
To'Sarre stands and gets closer to flying eagle "There is blood between us, that is all that matters" He says something to those around him and two take off up the hill. "We will find your horses useful, I do not think you walked such a distance. How many remain in camp?" He grunts and gives you a stern look "You know we are not beholden to the weak ways of the white man, you will tell us all you know. Perhaps you will not die screaming.'
Up the hill
Zack and Mel lay around two hundred yards up the hill, hidden in the high grass. You can't make out what they are saying but clearly those captured are not liking the conversation. You see the blue coat one stand up and say something, then two Indians take off up the hill, slightly to the right of where you lay.
Flying Eagle continues to speak in English, even if To-Sarre doesn't : "While I have my own reasons to hate *some* white men, Sutter took me in and is treating me and paying me well. I will not tell you anything about the camp."
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"Oh D---" Mal swears as two natives veer off and come toward them. "I know'd it. They's decided to get them et, so they sent off two bucks to go bring in their horses. Told you, if'n we didn't snag them horses some skullduggerous folk would. Only way to keep them horses now is to cut them off at the pass.
You only got the hogleg, eh? Well I don't like other men running their hands all over Catherine, but just this once if you want you can have her 'cause we can't look over this gift to take their numbers down by two. I reckin' we might could do it without them seeing, too, we just wait past some trees and around the bend.
So lets make tracks and wait for those two runners to come along us. You open up and make them honest. Imma throw some shots and then they're gonna run at me for some fisticuffs. It ain't gonna go well for them and then they'll be two done and none the wiser as to what happened. Maybe they'll send a couple more to go see what all the gunfire is about and then we'll do the same to them.
Best chance them down there got, I say."
Mal offers the Bullard to Zach and then takes off to get in a good ambush position to ambush the two coming their way.
With no warning To'Sarre punches' Flying Eagle in the gut, only the warrior holding him keep him from being over. Those Holding Winona and Rufus pull them back to keep them from interfering. "You will talk" He says as he says something else in Comanche. One of the Indians in the camp pulls his knife and slips the blade into the camp fire. "You will talk, it only a matter of how loudly you beg for death before it comes."
As you start to move off you can see the blue coat punch the Indian prisoner. The two native heading up the hill seem to be armed, but not really expecting trouble. The each seem to have rifles of some type and guns handles visible from sashes.
Fear rolls to hold fire or panic and attack
Antonio
John
Zack considers Mal's words, and nods his appreciation at the offer of his rifle, but ultimately decides against it. "The moment you shoot that thing, any advantage we may have in surprise goes galloping over the horizon yonder." He reaches down to his belt and pulls out a wickedly sharp knife that gleams with the unearthly light of Ghost Steel - perhaps the first sign that good ol' Zack has more going on to him than meets the eye.
"If I can circle round those two and get in close enough to use this, it'll keep things on the down-low for a mite longer." Suiting the word to the deed, he creeps forward to try and manoeuvre his way into a position of advantage.
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Mal's eyes get wide as the wicked gleam of Ghost Steel comes out of Zach's fist. "Well now, ain't that a piece. I tell ya what, cutter, that'll do ya yur business.
You are a man of surprises Zach. Alright, let's take 'em real quiet-like. Keep our options open."
Mal glides along with a woodman's step equal to his companion's.
You see the Indians below dragging the three captives closer to the fire. The two walking up the hill seem not to pay much mind to the goings on below. You are able to circle around to get close to them, about twenty yards. They are headed up the hill and so far you are hidden
Zack moves in as close as he can before his arm whips back and then forward in one smooth motion, sending his bowie knife through the air and into its target.
Ghost steel, it seems, has a near-insatiable thirst for blood.