Bucking the Odds Page 14

  A little work for Janssen meant working from sunup to sundown, but it didn't bother Ryan...in fact it helped take his mind of the reason he was here. As time went by he though less and less of his problems, but he always kept it in the back of his mind.

  It took them over a year of searching and digging but they finally found their reward. It was not a big find at first, but they kept following a small vein, and slowly filling their pokes.

  Ryan never had to leave the area as Jenssen went for all the supplies, and on the few occasions that anyone passed by he was sure to keep well in the background. He was starting to feel relatively safe, and was getting along well with Janssen. They worked well together, and his muscles that were strong before were building even more, and although he always kept the Colsons in the back of his mind he started to find an inner peace.

  Then one day they struck the mother lode, the small vein they had been following started to widen and spread into a massive pocket of pure gold. This is what Janssen referred to as a glory hole, and all the digging and drilling into the mountain finally paid off.

  Now all they had to do was get it all out from the granite that surrounded it. They were looking at a wall of gold about three feet wide, but they could not tell how far it went so they started drilling along the granite to separate the gold. Ryan was using a hand held drill and a heavy hammer to work his way along the granite wall and break off pieces of the gold, while Janssen was collecting the smaller pieces that fell onto the floor of the tunnel.

  It was slow work but he was chipping the gold off in big chunks. Ryan did most of the drilling and they decided they would drill straight in to see how far it ran and then use some dynamite to help the break it loose.

  Ryan made a series of holes in a round pattern and Janssen packed each of the holes with a small charge, and they covered the area with a buffalo robe and pinned it in place with stakes propped against it to keep the pieces of gold from flying everywhere.

  Janssen lit the fuse, and the buffalo robe bulged out from the explosion but held in place, and they hurried over to see the results of their work. They spread another robe below the hole to catch anything that fell out when the removed the buffalo robe.

  Ryan pulled the stakes away and as they suspected some chunks of gold fell away onto the waiting robe. The rest was all broken loose in pieces that they picked out and carried back to the camp.

  They had indeed struck it rich and each night they would weigh the gold they had chipped away from the solid mass and Janssen would measure out Ryan's share, and although it was only ten percent it was considerable,

  Janssen made a trip out for supplies and Ryan worked steadily digging out more gold and carefully concealing it, their worry now would be getting it safely out of the mountains. There were bandits lurking around just waiting for the miners to come out of the mountains with their finds. Ryan knew that this gold could be the ticket to his freedom...all he had to do was get out without being robbed or recognized, and he could afford to disappear back east or anywhere he wanted.

  When Janssen came back those hopes were dashed. He had heard that there was a group of armed men riding around to all the mining camps circulating a wanted poster...and he showed one to Ryan.

  "Young fella, it yust looks like those mens you told me about are yust knocking on the door...it will yust be only a matter of time before they come further in."

  Ryan noticed he had brought several mules back with him and Janssen explained.

  "I think a few more days and we will yust cleaned that pocket out and I yust plan on packing my take out of here. I met a group of mens who are planning on gettin' their gold out as a group and I yust plan on joining them."

  Ryan was really not surprised, he knew that someday they would find him. He was thankful that they actually didn't find him yet, and that he had a warning.

  "I'll be riding out of here today, if they find me here they would kill you too."

  Janssen helped Ryan pack his gold and some supplies on the pack horse and when he was finished he started to hand Ryan a rifle, and when Ryan started to refuse he insisted.

  "Yust take this here rifle gun boy, it's been a good gun for me and he shoots strait...the group I'm yust going out with have plenty weapons...and lord knows I can yust afford me a new one."

  Ryan took the rifle and looked at it carefully, he had never seen one like it before. It was not the typical lever action like most of the rifles he had seen, and it had a long tubular scope running along the top of the barrel. Janssen took it back and showed him how it worked.

  "Dis is a Mauser bolt action that I used when I was in German army, I yust took it with me when I left to come America. It shoots straight and true and with that telescopic sight you can yust stand a long way off from anyone shooting at you."

  Ryan took the gun again and wrapped it carefully and put it across the saddle behind him.

  "You be careful if the Colsons show up...they're all mean."

  Janssen nodded, and Ryan mounted and started to leave, but turned.

  "Don't do anything to make them mad, tell them whatever they ask, even which way I rode out, but don't tell them I am using the name O'Sullivan."

  Chapter 3

  When he rode through the mountains and out he came to a vast prairie area which stretched on to the Rocky Mountain Range. The site was awesome and he knew that someday he would have to ride into those mountains and see them close up...why not now. On the second day he was still riding. He thought he would be there by now, but they were looming larger, he was finding out that distances on the flat land were hard to judge.

  The next day he was in the foothills and made a camp by a stream under the towering mountains. He had come across a small herd of buffalo on the prairie and shot a young one, where he found out what Janssen had told him was right...it was a great shooting rifle.

  He had packed the tongue, the liver and one of the hind quarters with him, planning to eat the liver and tongue, and dry the meat of the hind quarter for later use. The liver and tongue he did eat while he was cutting the rest in strips and curing it over the fire for eating later. The Indians and early trappers lived on dried meat, and something they called pemmican, and he needed something that was easy to eat that didn't require a fire to cook, in case the Colsons found him.

  He was right in his thinking, because the next morning as he was warming himself over his small fire a shot rang out that threw hot ashes on him. He jumped back, grabbed his rifle and dove behind some rocks. When he looked around the rock he saw four riders galloping toward him across the flat prairie. Now they were all shooting and the bullets were hitting the rocks all around him.

  He took careful aim and fired, knocking one of the riders backwards off his horse...the others dove off their horses and scattered. As they were running to shelter his second shot took one of them and he stumbled, but he and the others managed to reach the safety of a gulley before he had a chance to fire again.

  He waited...they were close enough that he could hear them arguing, but he could not make out what they were saying. He knew it was the Colsons because the one he had wounded was Wesley's oldest boy, Orrin...he has seen him clearly through the telescopic sight. He had fired at the closest one first but did not recognize him, but he knew he had just killed another man.

  They must have split their group looking for his tracks coming out of the Black Hills because Janssen had told him that there were more than this. He went to the pack saddle and removed all his gold and buried it behind the rocks...if they got him, at least they wouldn't get the gold. He took a mental picture of the spot and then went back to watch for an attack, but he was just in time to see them riding off. They must have gathered their horses when he was busy with his gold and they were hightailing it back across the prairie.

  The man he shot was still laying lifelessly on the ground, and he figured Orrin must be hurt badly enough for them to have to get him some medical help. That help was at least three hard days of riding an
d he knew that this bunch would be out of his hair for quite some time...but what of the others?

  He would have to make some kind of move before the rest arrived, he wanted to ride into the mountains, but he didn't have the supplies and tools that he knew he would need to build a good shelter or cabin. So he packed up and headed south along the front range of the Rocky Mountains keeping to a trail that was once used by the early fur traders, and now by the miners that were swarming the area.

  At first he covered a lot of distance quickly, but now he had to cover his trail because he knew they would be coming, so he left the main trail and started riding more carefully, covering his tracks as he went. He decided he was going to head for the town of Denver and lose himself in the crowds.

  He had heard that, because of all the mining that was going on, Denver was becoming a bustling metropolis and he figured he could hide himself easily among the people of the town...that way he would not be making any tracks for them to follow.

  The trip that would normally have taken only a week, too him almost a month. He rode in and out of the mountains at various places, and each time he was overwhelmed by the incredible views. He felt alone and saddened by the fact that he was not able to enjoy what he saw without looking over his shoulder and waiting for the Colsons.

  When he arrived at the outskirts of Denver he saw a large barn with a corral full of horses and decided to see if he could trade his horses...riding a Colson brand and having the other horse might cause him problems here.

  When he rode up to the building a man came out to meet him.

  "Howdy, light and set we got water over there for your horses."

  Ryan dismounted stiffly.

  "Thanks, I was wondering if I might do some horse trading."

  The man looked him and his horses over more closely.

  "I'm in the freight business...not the horse trading business, but we can talk about it, unsaddle those animals and let me have a look."

  Ryan did as he was asked and put his saddle on the hitch rail, then he went about unloading the pack horse, which didn't have much on it since he hid his gold.

  "I been riding long and hard and these two nags are about worn out."

  The man held out his hand.

  "I'm Angus McDougal."

  Ryan took his hand.

  "Ryan O'Sullivan, pleased to meet you."

  Ryan was continuing to use O'Sullivan, still worrying about any of the wanted posters that may have found their way this far south. He had grown a beard and bulked out a lot while working with Janssen and he looked older than his age. He smiled as the man pumped his hand and when the handshake was finished Angus looked the horses over closer.

  "Lad, you ain't much of a horse trader, runnin' down your animals like that, but perhaps we can make a trade"

  He was standing on the other side of the horses and he looked back at Ryan again. He was a good judge of people and horseflesh and these animals looked to be in good shape.

  He took Ryan to the corral fence.

  "Pick out what you want lad and we'll talk turkey."

  Ryan picked out two good looking horses and on Angus's invitation they went into the house, where after some preliminary talk, they came to a deal that Ryan was happy with...even though it required some money on his part. He didn't have enough money from his mother's savings, so he paid for the horses in gold. When he buried the rest, he had kept a pouch full of the smaller pieces of gold for future use.

  He was about to leave when a girl came flitting in and stopped in her tracks when she saw him. She was dressed in man's, overalls all covered with dirt and had a bandanna tied around her head, but Ryan could see under all the dirt and grime that she was beautiful. He looked into her penetrating eyes and couldn't stop staring until Angus broke the staring match.

  "This is my daughter Kenna...Kenna this is Ryan O'Sullivan we just traded some horses."

  She took his hand as he held it out to her and gave an embarrassed laugh at being caught dressed like she was.

  "Pleased to meet you Mister O'Sullivan, I'm sorry I look a mess...I've been cleaning out the barn. Dad wanted a boy but this is the closest he could get."

  She still held his hand after she finished and Angus broke in again.

  "I don't think I could have done any better with a boy."

  Ryan spoke for the first time, as he reluctantly let go of her hand.

  "I can see that...happy to make your acquaintance Miss Kenna."

  She blushed and put her hand back down to her side.

  "I just came in to make some dinner for Dad, would you like to join us?"

  He looked at her as she flashed a smile that almost cracked the dirt on her cheek.

  He shuffled his feet and turned the hat in his hands.

  "I'd be happy to Miss Kenna."

  Angus showed him into the sitting room where he offered him a cigar and a drink, but he held up his hand.

  "I've nothing against it, but I'm not much for drinking and smoking."

  Angus reached for the bottle to pour himself a drink.

  "In that case, you can watch me drink and smoke and we'll just talk some...since you paid me in gold, then you must be a miner, and that gold is distinctive, my guess would be that it came from the Black Hill country."

  Ryan was surprised at his awareness to detail, but wasn't prepared to give much information.

  "Yes I did hit some color in the Black Hills a while back."

  Angus was aware of something else too...the horses he traded were still in good shape and were nowhere near as worn out as Ryan had suggested, so he took a chance.

  "Lad, those horses are nowhere near worn out...so usually the only reason a man wants to trade off perfectly good horses is because he doesn't want to be recognised or they are stolen, and you don't strike me as the kind of young man who is a horse thief."

  He sipped his drink and waited for an answer, but Ryan hesitated, not wanting to lie to this man but worrying about telling him the truth. Angus took his time lighting his cigar while he waited for a response. He knew the young man in front of him was anguishing over his answer, but he had the patience to wait.

  Ryan took a deep breath, he felt that there were other good people like Janssen who were willing to listen and understand, so he took a chance and told his story, leaving out only the fact that his real name was O'Neil. When he was finished Angus just looked at him.

  "This is a hard country lad, and a man has a right to defend himself, those two horses won't be around here long enough for anyone to see them because we haul freight all over these mountains and they will end up somewhere in the system between here and there."

  Before Ryan could answer, Kenna stuck her head around the corner and yelled 'come and get it'. Angus went out first, and when Ryan rounded the corner he came to an abrupt stop. There before him stood the same girl, only now she was all cleaned up and her hair was long down around her shoulders. She was wearing a brightly colored dress with a white apron on the front.

  Angus smiled as he sat down, he rarely saw Kenna in a dress and he knew she was taking advantage of the opportunity to be a woman. He couldn't help thinking that she needed more chances to do this, maybe he was expecting too much of her in helping to run the business.

  She placed the plates in front of her father and him and when she did he got a smell of something wonderful. During the whole meal he had to fight to keep from staring at her, and was hardly paying any attention to what Angus was talking about, until he heard him ask.

  "What are you planning on doing in Denver lad?"

  Ryan looked at him for the first time since he sat down.

  "I don't rightly know sir...I've never been in a big town like this before."

  Angus thought for a minute.

  "Well lad, we're kind of in a bind for drivers and guards, so if you would be interested I would like to give you a job."

  Ryan could hardly believe what he heard, and he looked across to Kenna to see her beaming with a big smile.r />
  "Oh, do come to work for us, Dad is not a real slave driver and we could use the help."

  He smiled back at her.

  "A man could hardly resist a request like that from such a pretty girl."

  She continued smiling but now with that noticeable blush on her cheeks again.

  "Why Mister O'Sullivan, I do believe you are attempting to flirt with me."

  This time it was his turn to blush. He had not had much contact with girls, and the one girl he was comfortable with was only a friend, but she ended up betraying him. He had no reason to believe this lovely creature across the table from him would betray him, and he knew that he had more interest in her than just a friend. He had only one way of talking and that was direct to the point and always tell the truth.

  "Miss Kenna, if I thought it would do me any good, I would be happy to confess to flirting with you."

  Before she could answer Angus coughed quietly, interrupting.

  "Well son, does all this cross table talk mean that you will take the job?"

  Ryan looked at him sheepishly, realizing he had been ignoring him.

  "Well, I don't have any experience in driving a freight team, but I would be willing to give it a try."

  He looked again at Kenna and she was beaming, and Angus slapped him on the shoulder. Angus went on to tell him about the freighting business. He had started his company years before the coming of the railroad, when all the goods for Denver and the surrounding area were freighted in from Omaha on the Missouri river. But the railway had closed that part of his business down and now they were freighting goods to the outlaying mining towns, and to some of the mines.

  The fur trade was gone but mining had taken over, and it was hard to get good help because most of the men were scouring the hills in search of gold. The town of Denver had grown into a large town with a mixed culture, there were still remnants of the fur industry, mixed with the newly developing cattle industry, the settlers and the continuing influx of miners.