The Legend of Shorty Dawkins
Book Two
Chapter One
“Is that what you have been wanting to see?” Andre Leblanc, their Quebecois guide asked, pointing to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, where it opens into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. “How many days did it take you to cross from Winnipeg?”
“Today makes one hundred and eighty-four days.” Shorty answered. He was studying the River, and the town before them. “Now we can begin what we came here for.”
“I see British, French and Danish flagged ships anchored out there.” Caleb said, as he looked through his field glasses. “And there is a Russian flagged one. Damn, the Russians are here, too?”
“Remember the gold Yuri found on that train in Siberia, Caleb. It had US Mint markings. They are all in it together.” Shorty replied. “It’s one big lie. The bigger the lie, the easier it is to get people to swallow it.”
“The bastards probably promised the Russians they could have Alaska back, if they helped out.” Jack muttered.
“I haven’t seen any soldiers in the village.” Andre commented. “This one should be easy.”
Easy. Shorty smiled inwardly. Nothing about their journey had been easy. It had been hard. Very hard. It had stretched their levels of endurance. The cold and the snow had been constant. Some days they had made only a few miles progress through the drifted snow. During the coldest days of late December and early January, they had hunkered down to endure a stretch of three weeks when the temperature had not gotten above zero. Horses had died in the cold; but Lester, Shorty’s horse, his brave white stallion, had survived. There were times Shorty thought he would never be warm again. They had survived, though, and they were stronger for it. Just as his near brush with death had made him stronger, so did the journey. Maggie, Molly and Celia were stronger, too. They had never once complained. They did what needed to be done to survive, for that is what it was all about, at times.
Their fighting force was stronger, too, for as they had traveled, many of the Indian tribes had added warriors to their number. Resistance fighters had also swelled their numbers. Their original force of fifteen hundred men now stood at four thousand. Each day brought more men, more warriors for freedom.
Tonight, at Midnight, it would begin. They would know the Bloody Brothers were a force to be reckoned with. Confusion, mayhem and destruction would start tonight. A dozen small fishing villages would be emptied of their residents. Their homes would be burned, food stocks destroyed, and their boats would be set adrift, hopefully causing disruption of the shipping lanes. A few would be taken out into the main channel and scuttled. Fifty mortars would take aim at any vessel within range.
Twenty of Andre’s resistance fighters would cross the river when it became dark. They would loose as many boats as possible, and sneak back in the confusion.
Precisely at midnight, the Dawkins brothers, with one hundred Rangers and fifty Resistance Fighters, rode into the fishing village and roused the residents, bringing them out of their homes into the street. Five minutes later, the mortars opened fire on the five target ships. Shorty, Jack and Caleb stayed mounted, as some of the Rangers began setting the half-dozen fishing boats adrift.
“We are the Bloody Brothers.” Shorty announced to the huddling, scared villagers. “We fight for freedom. You, who sit and do nothing, while freedom is taken from you, will now pay the price. Your Masters will take care of you. They will take more freedom from you, of course, but like good shepherds, they will feed their flocks of sheep. You are sheep. You will eventually be slaves. Your children will be slaves. Yet, you do nothing.
Let the world know that the Bloody Brothers will not be slaves. We will fight for our freedom. Those who would be our Masters, will be our targets. Those who help them will pay the price.”
“You are traitors!” A woman called out.
“You are the traitors, madam. You are traitors to your children, for you would leave them a life of slavery.” Shorty replied.
“What would you have us do? We have children to care for.” A man called out.
“I have two young children myself. So do many of our men. That is no excuse. All the armies of the world have fathers and husbands in their ranks. Are you something special? My son and daughter will live as free individuals, or I will die fighting for their freedom.” Shorty paused and looked around at each face. “Are there any among you who will join us?” He waited, but none responded. “I thought not. Burn their homes.”
Caleb handed Shorty a torch. He chose a cottage and set it ablaze. “Go to your Masters, like good slaves.”
When they returned to the base camp, Shorty gave Maggie a fierce hug. “It has begun, my love. It has begun.” He said.
“Was it successful?” She asked.
“Yes. We sunk five cargo vessels and destroyed twelve fishing villages. We brought back seventeen horses and some chickens, too.”
“How did you know I was craving chicken soup?” She grinned.
“You are incredible. I bring you across the continent, on horseback, in the dead of winter, start fighting a war, and you are happy to have chicken soup. How did I ever deserve you?”
“Some women like diamonds. I like chicken soup.”
He hugged her fiercely once more. “I love you, sweetie.”
“And I love you, dearest. I don’t know what I would ever do without you.” They smiled at each other.
“You deserve a song, I think.” He rummaged in his pack and found his flute, the one Aunt Annie had made. “Gather around my fellow forest sprites. We’ll celebrate the morning sun.”
Shorty hadn’t played his flute since the first night of their journey. His mind had been fixed on one thing; the difficult journey. Suddenly, he was his old self again. Maggie winked at Molly, who understood. Shorty was back; the Shorty they knew and loved.
“Damn, I wished I’d brought my fiddle and guitar.” Jack said.
“You’ll just have to sing. How about Shenandoah? Can you play it on the flute, Shorty?” Molly asked.
“You bet.” Shorty began playing and Jack sang.
Maggie looked around at the faces of the men, and the few women. She wondered if Shorty, Jack, and Caleb, understood the effect they had on folks. She doubted it. It was something to do with their simple humanity, she knew, and their love of life, and the respect they had for those around them. The winter had been hard, but the weather was warming, and Shorty was back to his old self. Chicken soup? Heck, she just needed the man she loved.
The Bloody Brothers, as they called themselves collectively, were everywhere, or so it must have seemed to the Federated Army, as it was known. They ranged throughout Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and down into Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Everywhere they went they destroyed houses, bridges, factories, railroad tracks, crops and stores of food. Anything of value to the Federated Army, and its minions, was destroyed. Each Federated force sent out to defeat them, was itself defeated. The Bloody Brothers raided munitions depots when they were short on ammunition, and destroyed what they could not carry away.
The Resistance fighters and the Indian warriors kept them supplied with food, and were constantly bringing them more men. They also brought valuable intelligence. From them, they learned the Federated Army had launched a two-pronged attack. They launched a massive attack into the Western Canadian Provinces, which had quickly stalled, both from lack of supplies, and the determined resistance of local fighters aided by Jim Castle and his former Marines, who were buttressed by three thousand of the Citizen Militia. The Southern prong, into Virginia, was having success, but the locals were denying them any support, destroying food stocks, and burning their homes as they retreated.
The Navy and Army Air Force, who were solidly in the Rebel Camp, were squaring off with the combined Navies of the Federated Forces. They were taking severe losses, but they were also sinking over half of the supply ships bringing desperately needed supplies to the imported Federated Troops.
Internationally, India, Algeria and the Belgian Congo were in full revolt against their Colonial rulers, England, France and Belgium. Russian troops had entered Alaska. Fierce fighting from the locals was reported. Japan, sensing a golden opportunity, invaded the Philippines.
By the first of July, the Bloody Brothers’ force had increased to nearly twelve thousand men. They had managed to sink three vessels in the St. Lawrence River, such that the river was blocked to shipping, and would be for months. They were moving westward, to aid Jim Castle’s men, when they were surprised by the arrival in their camp of Steve Considine, who brought ten thousand men. Half his men were former Army, the rest were Citizen Militia, including; the Dow brothers, and their friends, Kees, Izzy, and the Oscroft brothers.
“I have a request from the leadership.” Steve told them. “Draw your leaders together. Let’s talk.”
Shorty gathered his leaders together around a campfire and they listened to Steve lay out an ambitious battle plan.
“Their Western Army is presently squared off against Jim Castle and his men over a wide front. It’s basically a draw, mainly because you have denied them supplies they desperately need. Jim plans to crush this Army, then head into their heartland.
“They have one hundred and fifty thousand men, Jim estimates. He has about seventy-five thousand. Our side controls the skies, however, which means we can pound their positions from the air. They are in a bind. Common sense would say they need to retreat, to shorten and secure their supply lines. They are not using common sense, however, which makes it possible for us to crush them. Here is how.
“Luke Hargrove is taking his men east, into North Dakota. He’ll attack from the south. Our job will be to cut off their supply lines, and attack from the east. A classic squeeze.”
“It sounds so simple.” Caleb commented. “After we crush this Army, where do we go next?”
“Luke will take his men down through Minnesota and Wisconsin, and on into Illinois. His job is to wipe out industrial capacity, and food stores.” Steve said. “We will join with Jim Castle and head eastward, once more. Our goal is to get to Montreal, head south into New York, and take New York City.”
“Why not Washington, DC?” Will asked.
“The real power is in New York.” Jack answered. “The politicians are merely the figureheads.”
“Money, Will. Money is the real power.” Caleb offered.
“We’ll get to Washington in good time, Will.” Shorty smiled at the thought. “There are a few places I’d like to visit.”
“I’d be pleased to join you on those visits, Shorty.” Shamus grinned.
“You’re just the man I had in mind, Shamus.”
“And the truth shall set you free.” Jack uttered. They all looked at him and nodded agreement. “The lies will be exposed.”
“I don’t like it.” Shorty decided. “Too many men will die, for nothing. They may be low on ammunition and supplies, but they can still put up a fight, if they want to, and a lot of men, on both sides, will die. Do they really want to put up a fight? That is the question that keeps rolling around in my head.”
“I sense an idea brewing in that head of yours, so I’ll just wait for it to come to a boil.” Charlie said.
“We could always ask them.” Caleb suggested.
“We could ask them.” Shorty repeated, to himself. He stared at the Army lines, in the distance, for a while, deep in thought. No one disturbed him, for they knew something was brewing. Presently, a smile appeared on his face, which turned into a broad grin. “Damn, I come up with some doozies. This one has got to be the biggest one yet.” He began to laugh, uproariously.
Charlie watched Shorty laughing. He hadn’t seen his brother-in-law laugh that long and hard in a long time. He enjoyed watching him, and soon joined in. He patted Jack on the back. “Whatever it is, I think it will be outrageous.”
Everyone joined in the laughter, for Shorty’s laugh was contagious. They had no idea what he was thinking, but they figured it must be good.
“If you can’t lick them, join them.” Shorty managed to say between bouts of laughter.
It didn’t matter what he meant by it, they laughed harder at the thought. Yuri had to sit down, for his sides ached from laughing, which made Taka laugh all the more. Jeremiah had tears running down his cheeks, and kept pointing at Shorty as he laughed.
“If you can’t lick them, join them”, they all repeated to each other, erupting in fits of laughter as they said it.
“Hey wait a minute. Who is joining who?” Steve Considine finally asked.
They all stopped laughing and looked at Shorty. Shorty grinned a sly grin. “We are about to have a very large Army join us in fighting for freedom.”
“How?” Charlie asked.
“We are the Bloody Brothers, right?” Shorty asked in return.
“Yes.”
“Would you want to face us in a life and death battle? A fight to the finish? No quarter given?” Shorty looked at each of the men in turn. “Or would you prefer to fight beside us, knowing you will be free?”
“Are you saying we should ask them to join us, not just in fighting, but in living free?” Jeremiah asked.
“Yes. It is a simple answer to a difficult question. That is what got me laughing. Who would you rather fight for, I asked myself; yourself, your family and those you love, or a government that could care less whether you live or die? If we offer them the same help and friendship we offered all the immigrants who have come here in the past couple of years, do you think they would turn us down? Don’t most folks yearn to be free? Given the option between death and freedom, which will they choose?”
“I think you’ve hit on something, Shorty.” Steve decided. “It’s usually a choice between some level of slavery and death. We can offer them something special; a life of freedom, for them, and their loved ones.”
The artillery guns, which had been shelling the foreign army positions, went deathly silent, as Shorty, Caleb, Jack, Yuri, Taka, and Jeremiah rode forward under a white flag of truce.
Before they began, Shorty had told his friends, “Remember, if we are successful, these men will be our new neighbors and friends.”
Shorty had borrowed Will’s harmonica, and as they approached the Army lines, Shorty said, “It’s time for you to work your magic, Jack.” He began playing Shenandoah, and Jack sang like he had never sung before. He sang as if the lives of thousands of men rested on his ability to sing one beautiful song. For all they knew, it did. The Army lines parted, making room for them, as they approached. As they stepped aside, they listened to Jack singing. A General stood waiting for them.
“We are the Bloody Brothers.” Shorty said, as they stopped in front of the General. He spoke loud enough for the nearby men to hear. “The guns of war are silenced. We come to talk to you of friendship. Let us not fight each other. Let us instead join together and fight those who would enslave us. You are brave men. You have families, friends and neighbors. We offer you the chance to live in freedom; to share this freedom with those you love. We will give you our assistance, and our support. Let us talk.”
“I am General Asher Abercrombie. I command these troops. We have nothing to talk about. You are rebels. We have come to put down your sad rebellion.”
“You would rather die, than live as free men?” Shorty said, looking about at the soldiers. “Your General would have you dead, when we have offered you freedom. If this is the man you would follow, then prepare for your deaths. You are low on supplies. We have cut off your supply lines. Time is on our side. We offer friendship, while your General offers death. Choose your path, my friends. Choose your path.”
Shorty nodded to his friends and they turned to leave.
“He’s right, General. You have just signed our death warrant.” A Major said.
“Shut up, Major. I order you to keep quiet.” The General snapped, angrily.
“No, sir. I will not shut up. You are a fool. You don’t care about us. You care only about serving the Elite.”
The General started to pull out his service revolver to shoot the Major, but a Sergeant shot him before he had it fully out of his holster.
“I’m not about to die for his glory.” The Sergeant said. “Neither will the lads.”
No one moved to arrest, or disarm, the Sergeant. They merely looked with distaste at the dead General, sprawled in a bloody pool. The Major looked at Shorty. “I’m Jonathan Radcliff, a former Major in the British Army.” He declared. “Let us talk of friendship.”
Word was sent to Steve that all was well, and asked him to join the discussions, with Andre, Charlie and Will. Luke Hargrove and Jim Castle were also asked to join them. Luke and Jim took Shorty aside when they arrived.
“Let me get this straight, Shorty. You convinced them to join us, not just surrender?” Jim asked. “How?”
“Jack sang Shenandoah for them. After that it was easy.” Shorty gave them a wink and left them to pick their jaws up off the ground.
Jonathan Radcliff turned out to be a likeable, thinking fellow. He asked many questions about how they would fit in with the rebel forces, and about their life after the fighting was over, for he knew they could never return home. Shorty, and the others, talked of Freedom, New Freedom, the Five Ranches, and of the Citizen Militia and the gold and silver mines.
“Voluntary cooperation. That is the key to how we live our lives.” Shorty told Jonathan. “Or, as Bucksaw Upton used to say, “only the willing”. We work together because it is to our benefit to do so. No one is forced to do anything. No one is taxed. Everything is voluntary. While the fighting continues, you will be paid from the Citizen Militia funds, which are enormous. One silver dollar per day. When the fighting is over, you can go to work for the Network until you find your own employment, or start your own business. The Network runs some of the ranches, builds homes and buildings for businesses, operates a railroad, runs a freight business, and operates the gold and silver mines. Of course, you have the opportunity of living anywhere you choose. It doesn’t have to be in one of our territories.”
“There is so much opportunity. I think it will be hard to choose where to live, and what to do.” Jonathan said.
“Freedom is opportunity, Jonathan. You are free to make your own choices. So is everyone else. You’ll see something, which will strike your fancy. If it works out, fine, if not, you can try something else.”
Chapter Two
Jim Castle requested a special meeting with the leadership of the Bloody Brothers that evening. They were happy to oblige him. As they sat around a campfire, he explained.
“I have a special request.” Jim began. “I was born in the Adirondack Mountains, in Upper New York State. Some mighty fine folks live there. I still correspond with several of them to this day. There are also some very bad people who have mansions and estates in those mountains; summer places, mostly, though some use them for skiing vacations. These are the mansions and estates of the Elite. Most of them are Enlightened Ones.
“As I said, I keep in close contact with several of my old friends who still live there; Jim Hebert, Tom Spencer, Jeff Brock, Tim McLaughlin, and Herb Smith. I know these men to be good, solid, trustworthy men. Between the group of us, we long ago came up with a plan to create an enclave of freedom, if the need should ever arise. The need has arisen. I am asking for your help in implementing this plan.”
“We’d be glad to help in any way we can, Jim.” Jack told him.
“Yes, the Bloody Brothers stand ready to help their friends fight for their freedom.” Taka added.
“Thank you for your forthright support. However, I should tell you our plans before you commit yourselves.” Jim paused to collect his thoughts. “The estates I talked of have always been the bane of the local population. On the one hand they provide a certain number of jobs for the locals, but on the other hand they hinder other types of jobs from being created. And, of course, the superior attitude of the Elite has always bothered the locals. Most of the locals despise the Elites, even as some of them try to cozy up to them.
“Shortly after I arrived in New Freedom, I had a talk with Basil about my friends. He agreed to put them in contact with several of his Network people who lived in the area. Last I heard, their numbers were growing steadily, and numbered above two thousand. They have also been building up supplies, for the day the plan goes into action.
“The plan is simple. Take over the estates of the Enlightened Ones, and use them to benefit the locals. We plan to create little villages around the Mansions. Horses, sheep, dairy cattle and beef cattle will be raised on these estates. The Mansions will be opened to the villagers’ uses; perhaps as meeting places, or restaurants. Lumbering operations will begin, and hunting, fishing, or even riding the trails, will be open to all. In short, New Freedom in the Adirondacks.
“On the trip up here, I spoke with my men, particularly those who came from that area of the country, and asked them if they would be interested in my project. To my surprise, more than six thousand pledged to help. This afternoon I talked with Jonathan Radcliff. He said something rather curious, I thought. He said: Shorty said something would tickle my fancy. It didn’t take long.” Shorty grinned. “He is definitely with us, and he is sure he’ll find quite a contingent of his English and Scottish soldiers will be joining us. He is talking to them now.
“I’m asking for your help for two reasons. The first is the reputation the Bloody Brothers have for fiercely fighting for freedom. Folks are aware of you. They believe in you. They will follow you. Secondly, and this is a rather odd reason, I admit, but the simple fact of the matter is, that as Caleb is always saying: Things happen to the Dawkins family. I might add, things happen because of the Dawkins family. I can’t really explain it, but it does.
“The plan is to take my people by truck as soon as we can get going tomorrow. My men, Jonathan’s men, and hopefully the Bloody Brothers. We can get there sooner by truck than on horseback, especially if we travel twenty-four hours a day. During the time it takes the rest of the combined Army to travel east, we can seize the estates and construct some rudimentary defenses. The locals can then start creating their version of New Freedom.”
“Charlie and Will will want to go with us.” Caleb suggested. “Izzy might want to join us, too.”
“We’ll have to find some folks to look after our horses.” Jeremiah realized.
“We can look after them for you.” Andre said, as he joined the group. “I’ll contact some of our people in Quebec, too. They can lend a hand. I heard Jonathan Radcliff talking to his people. Seems like he’s getting a lot of interest. I’m mighty glad to hear of what you’re doing, Jim. We’ll be neighbors. You folks have helped us rid our land of conquering armies, and we’ll be there for you, just as soon as we can get there.”
Jim reached out his hand to take Andre’s. “I’d be right proud to have you as neighbors, Andre. Thank you.”
“What can I do for you, sir?” The butler asked, seeing Major Radcliff, of the British Army, standing before him.
“It is imperative that I speak with Mr. Armstrong. Immediately. It is a private matter, so I will wait out here.” Radcliff told the man. “This information comes straight from the top.”
The man nodded his understanding and closed the door behind him. In less than two minutes, Armstrong appeared.
“You have information for me, I am told. I am Henry Armstrong.”
“I have a letter, sir, for you to read in my presence, after which I will give you additional information.” Radcliff handed him the letter.
Henry Armstrong was not a man to be trifled with; or so he believed, anyway. He dined with Presidents and Kings, and ruled his business empire from his office in New York City with an iron fist. No one dared cross him, least of all the Presidents he carefully chose and installed. Senators and Congressman groveled before him. Judges called him sir, for they remained secretly on his payroll. Basil’s Network knew him to be the top Enlightened One in the country. It was fitting he should be the first to fall.
Your time is up.
The Bloody Brothers
A short, simple message, but it said all that was necessary.
“The Bloody Brothers.” Armstrong said, quietly. “They have been quite a problem for us.” He looked at Radcliff. “Are you one of them?”
“No. Not yet.” Radcliff replied. “I’ve yet to earn the name. Would you care to meet some of them? The leaders of the Bloody Brothers, the Dawkins Brothers, are in my car.”
“Yes. I have some things to say to them.”
Radcliff signaled them to come forward. Shorty, Jack and Caleb approached, calmly, but warily. They kept their distance from Armstrong.
“You think you are winning, but it is merely a temporary setback for us.” Armstrong began. “We are unstoppable. You cannot win.”
“So your people keep telling us.” Shorty replied. “Until now, you haven’t faced the Bloody Brothers.”
The two men stared at each other for a long time.
“It’s a pity, really. You could be a very rich and powerful man.” Armstrong told Shorty.
“We are rich and powerful. We have more money than we could ever spend, and we are a powerful force for freedom, not slavery. We are the Bloody Brothers.” Shorty replied.
Armstrong made a sudden move and four shots rang out almost in unison. Armstrong sank to the ground. Radcliff, Shorty and Jack put their guns back in their holsters. Radcliff checked the pocket Armstrong had reached into.
“Just as I suspected. A poison dart.” Radcliff said. “Meant for Shorty, no doubt.”
“Thanks for the warning, Jonathan.” Jack nodded his appreciation.
“No thanks are necessary. I’m just protecting my new friends.” Jonathan replied.
“In that case you can very slowly reach into your pocket and pull out the poison dart you just palmed.” Caleb told him. He had his gun trained on Jonathan.
Jonathan had a terrified look on his face. He knew he was a dead man, that he had been found out. He hesitated, then made a move for his gun. Caleb shot him three times. Jonathan crumpled to the ground. Caleb checked Jonathan’s pocket.
“Just as I suspected. A poison dart.” Caleb looked at Shorty. “How did he know about the poison dart? I watched him closely when he pulled the dart out of Armstrong’s pocket. You won’t find a dart in Armstrong‘s pocket.”
Jack confirmed there was no dart. “What made you suspect him?”
“He seemed too eager to please.” Caleb replied. “He was a Major in the British Army acting like a student trying to please a teacher. It seemed false to me. I’ve been watching him since that first day.”
“Well, whatever made you suspicious, I’m glad you were. Good work, Caleb. And thanks.” Shorty winked at him. “He had me fooled, but not you.”
Charlie and Will arrived in a truck, followed by some other members of their party. They saw Jonathan’s body, as well as Armstrong.
“Radcliff was one of them. An infiltrator.” Jack told them. “We’ll need to keep our eyes open. There may be more.”
“What is to happen to me?” A woman was standing at the front door.
“Are you Mrs. Armstrong?” Shorty asked the impassive face.
“Yes.”
“For now, you will be moved into the Gardener’s Cottage.” Shorty informed her. She turned from the door. “No jewelry or valuables of any kind, Mrs. Armstrong.”
She tore a diamond brooch from her neck and threw it on the ground in front of him. “You are no better than common thieves.”
“You were married to the biggest thief of all, Mrs. Armstrong. While he was stealing their money, he was taking away people‘s freedom.” Shorty stared hard at her until she turned away.
“Let’s get the ladies up here. They can keep an eye on her.” Caleb suggested.
“I’ll get them.” Will offered.
Before Will got to the car, a shot rang out inside the house.
“I guess she couldn’t live without her jewels.” Shorty commented. “You’ll notice she showed no sadness for her husband. These people make me feel sick.”
“I’ll organize a burial party.” Izzy offered.
They began settling in, for the ten days, or more, the main part of the Citizen Militia would take to arrive. Within hours, the locals who would transform the estate into a village arrived. Shorty estimated there must be close to three hundred locals. Tom Spencer, Jim Castle’s friend, was with them.
“I’m Tom Spencer.” A distinguished looking man with graying hair announced to Shorty and Jack. “It is a wonderful thing you are doing. We thank you. It’s our job now to make it work.”
“I’m Shorty Dawkins, and this is my brother Jack.” Shorty replied, taking Tom’s hand in his. “Caleb, our other brother, is around here, somewhere. Any friend of Jim Castle is a friend of ours.”
“That’s mighty nice of you to say. Jim is a good man. A good friend. I’ve known him since we were just boys. Jim had some mighty good things to say about you fellows, in his letters. He thinks highly of you.” Tom grinned. “He said “things happen” to you fellows. Is that so?”
“We are here, aren’t we?” Jack grinned. “Yes, I guess you could say things happen to us. Here come our wives.” Jack pointed to a threesome of ladies getting out of a car. “If you can spare some time, we’d like to introduce them to you.”
“It will be my pleasure.”
“It’s nice to see you all in one piece, this time.” Maggie smiled. “Where is Caleb?”
“Here I am.” Caleb called from the porch. He walked over to join them.
“We might not have been in one piece if it weren’t for Caleb.” After introducing them, Shorty told them the story. “So, beware the quiet one with the piercing look.” Shorty chuckled.
“I figure my job is to watch you two guys’ backs.” Caleb protested. “Someone has to do it.”
“You’re darn right, Caleb, and Maggie and I are glad you do.” Molly squeezed Caleb’s hand.
“These three goofy, wonderful, fellows work as a team, Mr. Preston.” Celia said. “They depend on each other, and they complement each other.”
“That’s right, Celia.” Maggie agreed. “And the Bloody Brothers add to that team, not just in numbers, but in different temperaments and abilities. They really make a remarkable group.”
“And they are all stinking rich.” Molly said with a laugh. “It seems remarkable men do remarkable things. When I married Jack, I never expected to be rich, at least not monetarily rich. Jack had everything I needed, or wanted, in a man. I knew I would be rich in love, and there would always be music. What more could a girl ask for?”
“It sounds to me like you have a sound head on your shoulders.” Tom Preston said. “Good things come to good people. Too many people concentrate on the monetary side of things, forgetting about the other riches life has to offer.”
An hour and a half later, Charlie found Shorty, Jack and Caleb settling into the guesthouse. Will, Izzy and Tom Preston were with him.
“I have bad news. To put it bluntly, we have been set up. Jim Castle is one of them.” Charlie announced, grimly. “They plan to assassinate the three of you this evening.”
“Jim Castle, one of them? You have proof?” Shorty couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“They do, Shorty. In Jim’s own hand. Armstrong saved letters Jim wrote him. Charlie and Will found them in the vault. He has been on their side for years, the phony bastard.” Tom backed Charlie up.
“What makes you think it will be tonight?” Caleb asked Charlie.
“His last letter said you three would be assassinated on an “auspicious” occasion. Today is the anniversary of the Indian Valley massacre.” Charlie replied.
“Ah, yes. A black day for them, which means they will make the attempt at night. Symbolism is very important to them.” Shorty said.
“Where is that letter, Charlie? Can I read it?” Caleb asked.
“Here it is.” Tom handed it to him. “I just can’t believe how Jim suckered us all these years. He seemed so genuinely with us.”
“Luke Hargrove and Jack Milton were suckered, too, according to the letters.” Izzy told them. “And Castle implicates Col. Porter and Capt. Holland, as being with him.”
“And Castle indicates Major Thomas and Lieut. Jaeger are two fellows who he has to be very careful around.” Will said, looking at the notes he took.
“Lieut. Jaeger is here. I met him this afternoon.” Charlie said.
“So is Major Thomas.” Tom Preston remembered.
“That’s interesting.” Shorty said. “Why would you place the two men you most worried about at the scene of an assassination, unless you wanted to implicate them?”
“Or, you were setting them up to be slaughtered with the rest of us.” All eyes turned to Caleb. “All our intelligence has been coming through Jim Castle, hasn’t it? And it says right here in the letter they plan to separate the Bloody Brothers, eliminate us, then crush the rebellion. Could there be an Army nearby, ready to pounce on the rest of you, once we are out of the way?”
“Caleb’s right.” Jack said. “We’ve been depending on Jim Castle for our intelligence. He could be lying to us. There could very well be an Army to the south of us. We just don’t know.”
“It looks like we need to pay Jim Castle a visit. He has the radio equipment. He is in touch with Luke Hargrove. He is our nemesis, right now. Let’s deal with him.” Shorty suggested. “Are there any horses in that big barn?”
“At least a dozen.” Will said. “I peeked in earlier this afternoon.”
“Let’s go for a ride, shall we? Ladies included. They go where we go, until we get out of this scrape.” Shorty decided.
The Peter Wallace Estate was only five miles to the northwest of the Armstrong Estate. The group, which included Major Thomas, Lt. Jaeger and Tom Preston, rode into the Wallace place at a little after two that afternoon. Jim Castle must have had a few misgivings as he saw the group ride up to the main house, but he was a consummate actor, and hid any feelings he had behind a friendly front.
“Out for a ride, are you?” He inquired.
“Yes, we thought we’d like to see the countryside. We figured the Free Brothers might want to come along, too.” Shorty replied. “We’re kind of curious what is about. Maybe we’ll go into the hills to the west. Tom says there is a nice gorge out there.”
“There is a more spectacular one to the south.” Jim told him. “It’s a little further away, but worth the ride.”
“I thought of that one, Jim, but I wasn’t sure if the area was clear of troops, or bandits. I’ve heard rumors of bandits to the south.”
“There were some Militia troops a little further south of the gorge, but the word I got was they had moved further south. I can’t say I’ve heard anything about bandits.” Jim said.
The Free Brothers were ambling across the yard towards them, Tom noticed.
“Well, if you say it’s safe, then maybe that’s where we’ll go. You’ve never lied to me before, except about being an Enlightened One.” Jim Castle froze. “I don’t take it kindly when someone lies to me, Jim. Especially about something as important as that. And what’s this I hear about you wanting to assassinate the Dawkins brothers, Jim? That is truly upsetting to hear, Jim. Yes it is. I’m afraid I won’t let you do that. No, sir, I won’t let you assassinate these nice fellows.” Tom glared at Jim for a long moment. “There is no use you attempting to deny it, Jim. We found the letters you wrote to Armstrong. He kept them in his vault. You tripped yourself up, Jim. You sent the Dawkins brothers to the wrong place. Or did you? The Armstrong place is the furthest south, right in the path of the huge Army headed this way, so maybe you figured it right, after all. You could get rid of all the Dawkins boys, and Charlie and Will Upton, and their friend Izzy Bolton, and a bunch of your old neighbors at the same time. Tom Preston can die with the rest of those rebels. Is that what you thought, Jim?”
Jim knew he was caught. All the years of lying had finally caught up with him. “You are wrong, you know. All wrong. It is quaint to believe you can live as you do, for long. It won’t last long. Most people are sheep. They need shepherds to guide them. The Elite will guide this world into an era of peace and harmony.”
“Slavery, Jim.” Shorty corrected him. “They are guiding the world into slavery.”
“A slave can be happy, Shorty, if he doesn’t know he is a slave.” Jim smiled. “I am useless to them now. You may as well shoot me.”
“As you wish.” Shorty pulled out his revolver and shot the smiling Jim Castle. “He was one of the Enlightened Ones, Jeremiah. We need to find, and kill, Col. Porter and Capt. Holland. They are in league with Castle.”
“It will be my pleasure, Shorty.” Jeremiah replied. “They are standing on the porch. Follow me, my brothers.”
The four Free brothers walked up to the porch of the house, together. Neither of the two men moved. They merely smiled the smile Jim Castle had on his face. Wordlessly, the Free brothers pulled out their revolvers and shot the two men.
“If there are any more Enlightened Ones around, you can expect the same fate.” Jeremiah called out.
“Jeremiah, we need to use the radio. Where is it?” Shorty called to his friend.
“It’s inside. I’ll take you to it.” Jeremiah answered.
They found the radio and with the help of the radioman, they were finally able to contact Luke Hargrove.
“Luke, this is Shorty.”
“Shorty? I thought you were dead? Jim said you, Jack and Caleb were dead.” Luke answered.
“Why that bastard…That was wishful thinking on his part. He’s the one who is dead, Luke. I just shot him. He was one of the Enlightened Ones. We have tons of proof, in his own hand. Radcliff, too. Tell me what is going on, Luke. Jim was probably lying to us, so I need to hear it from you.”
“Jesus! Have you started moving north, yet?” Luke asked.
“No. Is there an army to our south? Tom Preston suspects there is one.” Shorty asked.
“Yes. Two Divisions worth. Get the hell out of that area, Shorty. Head north. There are some reinforcements just north of you. Brody Ellison, who says he knows you, from Vermont, has five hundred men, and Andre called for help from his people. They have about six hundred. Andre, Shamus and the Dow brothers should be in your area by nightfall with four thousand men. I wish I could have sent more, but that’s all the trucks we had, Shorty. I’m still three days out with the tanks and the rest of the men on horseback. Jack Milton should be getting close to your area. I know he’s ahead of me, but I don’t know how far. We lost radio contact with him yesterday. Get your butt in gear and head north. You’re up against one hundred thousand men.”
“Understood, Luke. We’ll keep the home fires burning till you get here.” Shorty said. “Pack this thing up. We’re getting out of here.” He told the radioman.
Shorty went outside to warn everyone. When he told them how Jim Castle had told Luke he, Jack and Caleb were dead, Charlie shouted, “That son-of-a-bitch! If I could kill him again, I would. Luke probably passed the word back to Freedom, thinking you were dead. Dad and Mom, Edna Mae, and the rest, are grieving right now. Grieving, for Christ’s sake! Damn! That’s low! That’s really low!”
“That’s right, Charlie.” Jeremiah agreed. “You can’t get any lower than that. I can picture my Emma shedding tears of grief, and I don’t like it. I don’t like what she’s going through one bit. Those bastards will pay for what he has done. They might have a big army, but we are the Bloody Brothers, and we are madder than a hornets nest ever thought of being. The wrath of the Bloody Brothers will come down hard on them. Send the women and children northwards, but I plan to stand here and fight. One hundred thousand men? Three hundred thousand couldn‘t stop us.”
“Any who want to head north, are free to do so.” Jack shouted out. “I will stand with my Bloody Brothers.”
“You are here because of us.” Tom Preston said. “I will fight by your side. I’ve waited more than twenty years to make my stand. Now is the time.”
“Welcome to the Bloody Brothers.” Caleb said. He clasped Tom’s hand in his. “All who dare to take a stand and fight for their freedom are our Bloody Brothers.”
Word was sent to the other estates, and to the north, where the Dow brothers, Andre’s friends, and Brody Ellison were waiting. They all agreed to make their stand with the Bloody Brothers. As Brody put it, “We can take a stand now, or later. I like the idea of standing with you fellows. It evens the odds.”
“This little skirmish might rate a whole page in Caleb’s book.” Madison Dow commented, wryly.
Taka, Yuri and Jack were sent to find a good spot to make their stand, while everyone else saw to getting the women and children off. When they returned, Yuri had a smile on his face.
“Caleb can call this battle the Massacre at Bloody Creek.” He stated.
“It is just right.” Taka averred. “It is both beautiful and treacherous, as it is meant to be.”
When he saw it, Shorty had to agree it was both beautiful and treacherous. There would be a massacre here; of that he had no doubt. There was a stream, which ran into the river, running down the southwest side of the valley. The river came close to the foothills, and the stream ran across the valley. The stream had steep banks, lined with poplar trees. On the south side of the stream, it was heavily forested. On the north side, there was a stonewall, which bordered fields of pasture, and sat high above the stream. The only penetration of the forest was the road heading northward.
The men proceeded to dig into their defensive positions. Shamus and Brody set dynamite charges in the road ahead, for the tanks. They set some in the forest, too. The bridge over the stream had charges placed on it as well. When the time came, the bridge would be destroyed.
Shamus had brought twenty pieces of artillery with him, and Brody had six. They had firepower, even if they had no tanks. With over sixty mortars, and forty machine guns, they could stand up to the forward strength of the Federated Army.
Taka and Yuri requested the honor of defending the roadway. Shorty acquiesced, but insisted he, the Free brothers, Jack, Caleb, Charlie, Will, Izzy, Tom Preston, Andre and Brody be nearby. Tom Preston, Andre and Brody had been invited to fight alongside the Dawkins brothers. They had gratefully accepted.
“Brody, you can still shoot as well as you used to, can’t you?” Jack grinned.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Jack, but I can’t shoot as well as I used to.” Brody replied. “Ever since I got my new rifle, I shoot better.”
“Well, hot damn! We’ll see if we can’t get some respect out of those Federated boys. They’ll be screaming for their Mamas, for sure.”
“I’m not looking for them to respect me, Jack. I’m looking for them to fear me.” Jesse Free said.
By seven o’clock, their preparations were complete. Taka and Izzy were busy heating water for coffee and tea over a campfire. The sound of the stream was pleasant in the beautiful summer evening. Shorty sat relaxing, thinking it hard to believe a massacre would happen in the morning. He munched on a stick of sausage and stretched out his feet. Closing his eyes, he thought of John Lester and Liberty Jane. He missed them. He missed them terribly. He missed his Mom and Dad, too. And everyone else. He saw the kids playing with the ever patient Lobo. A smile crossed his lips. Lobo was a good dog. He loved the children, and the children loved him.
Was he dreaming? He thought he heard drums and bagpipes. He sat up and listened carefully. Yes, he was hearing drums and bagpipes.
“What the heck?” Jack muttered. “Drums and bagpipes. Coming from behind us. Who is it?”
“It can’t be ours.” Caleb said. “They’re with Luke. He said he was three days out.”
“They must be friendly, or Major Thomas and Lt. Jaeger would be shooting at them.” Charlie suggested.
They waited, impatiently, as the sound grew louder, but whoever it was remained hidden behind a hill. The sound grew louder, and louder, and still they could not see. Finally, when Shorty’s patience was strained to the limit, a group of five horsemen cleared the crest of the hill. Shorty looked in disbelief, then glanced at Charlie, who was beside him. Charlie rubbed his eyes, as if making sure he wasn’t dreaming. No, Charlie, we’re not dreaming, Shorty thought to himself. It’s the Big Five: Ted, Elias, Bull, Too-Tall and Lester. What was more incredible was the sight of Aunt Annie, Erma and Edna Mae, riding behind them.
It was a tearful reunion, to say the least. Everyone was busy hugging everyone else. Maggie Molly and Celia appeared and joined in the hugs.
“I don’t understand.” Shorty sputtered, finally. “Why are you here?”
“We missed you, dammit.” Bull replied. “I admit it. I missed you. The rest of them are here at my instigation. Damn! It’s great to see all of you.”
“We knew you were just a Teddy Bear, Bull.” Jack laughed. “Well, dammit, we missed you, too.”
“What’s with the band, and all these men?” Charlie asked, pointing to the large number of men coming forward as trucks were emptied.
“We didn’t want to come empty handed.” Too-Tall replied. “We figured you could use some help, and a little entertainment.”
“How many of you are there?” Tom Preston asked.
“Five thousand, or thereabouts.” Ted informed him.
“We could use the help.” Shorty said. “We’re facing one hundred thousand. Not very good odds I’m afraid, but the Bloody Brothers do some miraculous things.”
“You have a lot more help. Jack Milton arrived. He’s on their southern flank.” Bull told them. “There is something else you should know. The bastards have about ten thousand children and old people with them. We think they are planning to use them as human shields. They’ll stop at nothing, the monsters.”
“What do you mean, human shields, Bull?” Maggie asked.
“They’ll march the children and old people in front of them, forcing us to either shoot them, or be overwhelmed.” Maggie gasped at the thought. “We need to get those children and the old folks free, Shorty. I was thinking we could sneak in once it’s dark. What do you think?”
Shorty thought a minute. “Are they off by themselves, or mixed in with the troops?”
“They are off by themselves. Huddled together. Surrounded by machine guns.” Bull replied. “We counted ten machine guns. Three men at each.”
Shorty thought for quite a while. As he did so he looked around at the expectant faces. His gaze finally rested on Bull. “We can do it, Bull. We’ll need the drums and bagpipes to play their loudest. And the ladies will have to help. Are you ladies ready to take a chance?”
“I won’t have those children and old folks slaughtered. I’m ready, Shorty.” Erma insisted. The others nodded their assent.
“Can we contact Jack Milton by radio?” Shorty asked Bull.
“Yes.” Bull quickly answered.
“Listen while I describe my Symphony for Children and Old Folks.” Shorty sat them down to give them their assignments. “My Symphony has many movements. Let me explain.”
Shorty waited in the dark for the drums and bagpipes to begin his Symphony. They were the First Movement. Their purpose was to create noise, lots of it, and distract attention to the other side of the valley, away from the huddled children and old folks. He had seen them just before dark, a miserable testament to man’s inhumanity to his own kind. According to Bull’s intelligence people, they had been rounded up in the poor ghettos of New York. They were Irish immigrants, Italians, blacks, Greeks, all the poorest, detested “scum”, who had been shunted off into their own ghettos, because the “right people” thought them dirty, lazy and ignorant. This hatred of people who are “different”, whether it be because of national origin, culture, color or religion, was fostered by those in power, as a means of dividing people, and thus keeping their power. Shorty would be glad to have these ill-treated people as his neighbors, instead of the arrogant, aloof, pillars of society, who talked of sacrifice, as they piled up riches, taken from the poor struggling immigrants they secretly, or openly, derided. Yes, they believed in sacrifice; the sacrifice of others, never themselves.
Shorty was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of the drums and bagpipes. The First Movement had begun. Even from across the valley, the sound was loud. Good. It would cover Taka and Yuri’s men, as they took out the machine guns aimed inward, at the children and old folks. The Second Movement commenced. Taka and Yuri, and their men, were masters at taking out sentries, and guards. They moved quietly and swiftly, using their knives to great effect. Any moment now, and Maggie and the other ladies would be encouraging the captives to run for their freedom. That was the Third Movement; The Race For Freedom.
Shorty, Jack, Caleb, Charlie, Will, Izzy and the Free brothers crept forward. It was their job to assist in protecting the race to safety. Brody had a dozen men on the other side of the huddled captives, prepared to do the same. Closer they crept, until they were just yards from the fleeing captives. He could hear them running. The ladies and the Big Five had done their job. Now it was his turn.
Suddenly all hell broke loose, as artillery began raining down on the Federated troops. Shorty called this movement, The Revenge Of The Downtrodden. From Jack Milton’s artillery, as well as from the artillery commanded by Major Thomas, the intensity of the bombardment surprised Shorty. Across the valley, the major portion of Yuri’s men began a flanking attack, while Lt. Jaeger led a frontal assault. Charlie, Will, and Izzy began firing mortar rounds, while to the south, Jack Milton’s tanks, all eighty of them, began their march into the midst of the Federated troops.
Chaos reigned in the Federated camp. Soldiers were running here, there and everywhere. Artillery and mortar shells were exploding all around them, and gunfire was all about them. Soldiers began running in their direction, some with their guns, many who had dropped them and were running for safety. Shorty picked off two who were firing into the fleeing captives. He saw Taka doing the same. Shorty saw a young girl, perhaps ten years old get hit in the leg. She fell to the ground, unable to run, or even walk.
“Cover me.” He yelled to Jack and Caleb, handing Caleb his rifle. He raced to the girl and scooped her up in his arms.
Bullets began flying everywhere. Shorty held tight to the girl and raced backwards. A bullet grazed his thigh, but he kept going. Another hit him in the left shoulder. It hurt like hell, but he would not stop. Still another hit his right arm. He didn’t dare look behind him. He was afraid of what he might see. His only thought was to get this little girl to safety. Nothing else mattered, right now. Step by agonizing step he pushed, until finally he saw his Dad. Lester saw Shorty coming and raced to help him. Shorty handed the little girl to his Dad and promptly collapsed on the ground. He was wounded, and he was spent.
Chapter Three
Shorty awoke at dawn. The sun was shining bright, and all was calm. There was no gunfire. Maggie was beside him on one side, and his Dad was on the other.
“Hi.” He said to Maggie. “It’s a beautiful morning.”
“Damn you, you crazy, lovable man. Is that all you can say?” Maggie began crying.
“How is the little girl?” He asked.
“She’ll be fine, son. So will you. So will all of the Bloody Brothers.” Lester replied. “You fellows seem to always get wounded, but you never die. I’m glad for that, at least. Charlie, Will and Izzy were wounded, too. They’ll be all right.”
“The children and the old folks. Did we save most of them?” Shorty inquired.
“Yes. Almost all of them. We lost only fifty-five of them.” Lester replied. “There are about seven thousand youngsters, ages eight to thirteen, all hungry and needing some love. Yuri suggested we bring them back to Dawkins Falls with us. Most of them have lost their parents. What do you think?”
“Yuri has good ideas, I find. And you always did want a large family. What do you think, Maggie?”
“I think I’m pregnant, and we will suddenly have a very large family.” She smiled at Shorty and stroked his head. “Taka found that gold for a good reason, so we could help these children.”
“Your Mother likes the idea, too. So do my other sons.” Lester smiled. “So, I guess that’s settled, then. If you are up to it, there is someone who would like to say thank you.”
“Yes. I’m up to it.” Shorty knew who his Father meant.
“I’ll get her.” Lester rose and headed off. Shorty saw him stop to say a few words to Elias and Ted.
“Dad said they built a new Farmers Hall in Hidden Valley.” Maggie told him. “We’ll have lots of fun watching these youngsters dance.”
“That will be nice.” Shorty agreed. “Maybe some of them will be musicians. And Millie can teach the girls to cook. She’ll like that.”
“And Dad can tell them stories. He’ll like that.” Maggie giggled at the thought. “And Cap can be their Uncle Cap. He’ll have fun teaching the boys to be woodworkers.”
Lester returned carrying the little girl. Behind him were Caleb, Jack, Charlie and the Big Four. Lester put the girl down beside Shorty.
“Shorty, this is Molly Darnell. Molly this is Shorty, my son.”
“Hello, Molly. I’m pleased to meet you.” Shorty began.
“Hi, Shorty.” Molly replied, shyly. “Are you going to be all right?”
“I’ll be fine. How is your leg?”
“It hurts, but Mrs. Dawkins says it will heal just fine.” Molly replied. “Thank you, Mr. Dawkins, for saving my life. And my brother’s life.”
“Oh? You have a brother here?” Shorty was surprised to hear it.
“Yes. Billy. He’s eight. I was looking for him when I was shot. I told him to hold my hand, but when he fell down, I lost hold of him. In the confusion I lost him. Mrs. Dawkins helped me find him.”
“I’m glad you found him.” Shorty smiled at the little girl. “Is there just you and your brother, now?”
“Yes. My Mom and Dad were killed by those men.” A dark look came over her face. “They aren’t nice men. Mrs. Dawkins says you are a nice man. Are you?”
“I’d like to think so. I know I don’t harm children or old people. My brothers and I like to play songs. Do you like songs?”
Her face brightened. “Oh, yes. I like to sing.”
“You do?” Shorty looked at Jack. “Can you sing Shenandoah for her Jack? Then, maybe Caleb will sing Scarborough Fair.”
“I can play the guitar for you, Jack.” Charlie offered.
“Fine, Charlie. I’d be delighted to sing for our new friend, Molly.” Jack smiled at Molly. “The girl who has the same name as my wife.”
Jack began to sing, and as Shorty expected, the emotion of the song brought tears to little Molly’s eyes. Maggie saw the tears and went to Molly and held her in her arms. Molly began to sob, letting everything she had held back out.
“Cry, Molly. It is all right to cry. You have endured a lot. Let it out, little Molly. You are safe now.” Shorty said in a gentle voice. “We will go to a beautiful valley, where you can ride horses, sing and dance, or just walk by a beautiful waterfall. Lobo, our lovable Great White Pyrenees dog will be there. He loves children. Billy can play with him. All my friends will be there. They will protect you. They will be your friends. They will love you. Our little boy John Lester will be there with his sister, Liberty Jane. All the children will be with us. We will be happy there.”
When Jack finished Shenandoah, Caleb sang Scarborough Fair. Annie brought Billy to be with his sister. He was a shy little boy, and sat quietly by her side, listening to Caleb sing. When Caleb was finished Jack whispered in Too-Tall’s ear. Too-Tall nodded and Jack grabbed the guitar and began playing The Riddle Song. Molly and Billy sat enthralled, listening to the giant of a man, who was Too-Tall, singing in a clear, deep, gentle voice.
“Do you all sing so nice?” Molly asked when Too-Tall finished.
“Not all, Molly. We all have special things we do.” Shorty answered. “You see, we are all free. Free people have a zest for life. We enjoy life, and the people we share it with. My Dad tells wonderful stories. My Mom plays the piano. Jack’s Molly dances like the wind. Mom’s friend, Millie, who is back in Freedom, is a marvelous cook, who loves to have a good time. We all work hard, but we like to have a good time, too.”
Little Molly looked at the faces staring down at her. They were kind faces. They were loving faces. She could be happy with people like these.
“Billy and I look forward to living in your valley.” She said. “You are nice people. I can help out. I can watch the younger kids, and I can cook some. I can clean, and Billy can help in the garden. My Dad taught him some gardening.”
“We’ll have a nice life, Molly. I’m sure of it.” Shorty told her.
“It’s time we got some food into the two of you.” Annie decided. “There will be plenty of time to have fun with Shorty and his brothers. A lifetime of fun.” She held her hand out to Billy, who took it and smiled up at her.
“I like dogs.” He said to Annie.
“Well, Lobo is a wonderful dog, Billy. He will like you. Let’s get some breakfast. Do you like ham and eggs?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “Come along, Molly. It is time to eat.”
Molly grinned. “I’m coming Billy. Thank you, again. All of you.”
“It’s a wonderful thing you and the Bloody Brothers are doing, Shorty.” Bull said, as they watched Annie and the two children walking away. “You can count on our support. I’ll speak to Tildy. I’m thinking we should move back down to Freedom and lend a hand.”
“I’m thinking the same. Seven thousand youngsters will be quite a handful.” Ted grinned. “My boys will be happy to join in, I’m sure.”
“I’ll make it unanimous.” Elias decided. “It will be crazy, chaotic, insane and wonderful. Fawn will love it. The boys will want to help out, I imagine.”
“We’ll stay here until Luke arrives. Then he and Jack Milton can head on to Washington. We’ll go back to Freedom with our very enlarged family.” Bull suggested. “That’ll give Shorty and the others a little time to rest and start healing.”
“What about New York?” Shorty asked.
“New York is ablaze, Shorty. Almost everyone has left it.” Elias told him. “Washington is nearly empty, too. Luke and Jack will go down and level it. It's time to start over. Folks can look out for themselves. They don‘t need Elites telling them what they need, or should do.”
“Get some rest, Shorty.” Lester suggested. “We have a long trip, and a new adventure, in front of us.”
By the time Luke Hargrove arrived, Shorty was able to walk about, a bit. His left arm was in a sling, to take the strain off his shoulder wound, but the arm and leg wound only bothered him a little. Luke reported, at a meeting of the leadership, bands of looters and robbers. His men had taken care of two such bands themselves.
“We’ll have difficulty finding fuel, I fear. The old Federated States are in turmoil, right now, except for the farming communities in the Midwest. Fuel trucks are being hijacked. Trains are being robbed. All the folks pouring out of the cities are desperate. They have lost everything. They don’t know how to hunt and forage. This winter will be very hard on them. Many will freeze or starve. I’m thinking maybe my army should stay here, or in the vicinity, and help folks out. We can give protection to those who are trying to live decent lives. We can hunt and forage, if necessary. We can get rid of the gangs that are forming.” Luke said.
“I think the first priority should be to get the children and the Bloody Brothers back to Freedom.” Jack Milton stated. “Those children have been through a lot. Terrible things. And the Bloody Brothers have done more than their share. They have very generously offered to take the children into their homes and care for them, too. Let’s see them off, with sufficient support and protection, and then see where we are at. As far as I’m concerned, everything else can wait until things start to settle out. Even Washington can wait. Hell, the looters may destroy it for us.”
“What the two of you have said makes good sense, but there is something else to consider.” Elias spoke up. “We have three thousand old folks. They have lost their families, their belongings, everything. A number of them have spoken to me in the last couple of days. They heard about the Bloody Brothers willingness to take the children in. They want to help, quite simply. As they all stated to me, they have love and kindness to give to those children. They feel they can be, in effect, replacement grandparents. I personally think it is a grand idea. It will be great for the children, the old folks can certainly offer assistance to the Bloody Brothers in many ways, and it will give those nice old folks a reason to live.”
One idea often begets another, and thus it happened that the kindness of the Bloody Brothers, in adopting the children, spawned the desire of the old folks to become grandparents to those children. Rather than being shunted aside, the old folks became actively engaged in the lives of the children, as well as with the lives of the Bloody Brothers. Rather than dwelling on their sorrows, they started new lives, and new relationships, assisting the children with their needs.
In the last weeks in the city, the children had witnessed the horrors of an abruptly decaying society. Most had seen their Fathers leave their homes in search of food, and never return. Many had seen their Mothers and older sisters raped and dragged away. They had cowered in fear in the dark of the night, holed up in their wretched hovels, waiting for the gangs or authorities to come and take them to worse hovels, or to sell them into slavery, which is how they came to be where they were. Each night, in their dreams, they revisited the horrors once more. Yet, each night there was someone to hold and comfort them, now, be it a Bloody Brother, a new Grandparent, or a kind-hearted former soldier. They were no longer alone. They were safe.
The Bloody Brothers and the old folks were not the only ones to take the children’s plight into their hearts. No, Tom Preston and his locals, and the whole of the Freedom Fighters Militia took the safety and care of those children as their number one priority. Each day, as the preparations for the journey West continued, soldiers and locals did what they could to help the youngsters. The children were dressed in rags, so the hunt began for suitable clothing. Tom Preston immediately put his locals to work. They spread out amongst the nearby hamlets and villages, requesting help in the form of food and clothing for the children. The folks of the Adirondacks responded with extreme generosity, once the plight of the children was explained. Every day brought more clothing and food, as well as an occasional horse, carriage or wagon. Other wagons and horses were purchased using gold and silver found in the vaults of the Enlightened Ones’ estates.
Charlie had come up with the plan for how to proceed, at the leaders’ Meeting.
“Luke’s idea to keep his men here to protect Tom Preston, and his people, is good. However many he thinks will do the job should be kept here. I also think he should keep all the tanks here, for now, because the tanks chew up fuel fast. We’ll need the fuel to get us home.
“Some of us are banged up, which means we need some time to mend, but that doesn’t mean everyone has to stay here. Elias, you, Bull and Ted could take the group you came with back to Freedom. You could begin the task of building housing for all our new folk.”
“I’ll go with them.” Brody piped up. “I’m planning to move there, myself. Some of my single men plan to do the same; maybe twenty-five of them. We can drive day and night. That will get us there faster.”
“Excellent, Brody, and welcome to the Bloody Brotherhood.” Shorty grinned at him. “I’m glad you are coming with us.”
“Thanks, Shorty. I’m looking forward to being an uncle to those youngsters.”
Charlie continued. “Another thing I’m thinking is that if fuel is in short supply, then we’ll need horses and wagons. We won’t find enough of them around here, I don’t imagine. Not enough for one hundred and fifty thousand men, or more. So what I’m suggesting is, that we send maybe one or two thousand men out ahead of us, in trucks, and try to find as many wagons and horses as they can, using whatever silver and gold we can put together, along with several truckloads of Federated Army rifles and ammunition, to trade with, or any of their equipment, for that matter. They can also trade for food. We can start out with the horses and wagons we have, plus enough trucks for everyone, and for supplies, and if we can’t find enough horses and wagons, those of us who are young and healthy can walk. We can trade off who walks, so no one walks the whole way of course, but we can walk, nevertheless.”
Elias, Bull and Ted left the following morning at daybreak with their men, including Brody, his brothers, Brady and Brett, and their friends, who now numbered thirty-one. They were headed southwest, planning to avoid all major cities, on a course agreed upon with all parties. They had barely driven out of the Adirondacks, when they came across a small village; which had been burned down. By the smoke still rising strongly from the hot coals, it had been only hours earlier it had burned. Bull and Elias stopped the convoy to have a look around.
“Roving looters.” Bull commented, as he surveyed the scene. “They are on horseback. Look at all the hoof prints.”
“By the look of the prints I’d say there must be a couple of hundred of them.” Elias replied, after wandering around a bit.
Bull looked at Elias, then Ted. “I’d like to catch up with those bastards.”
“I agree.” Ted commented. “There will be a couple of hundred less bastards in the world when we find them.”
“Are you gonna hunt down the gang that killed my Mom and Dad?” A little voice said.
The three men looked around to find the source of the voice. They saw nothing.
“Well, are ya?” The voice called out again.
“Yes.” Bull answered. “We will find them and kill them. I promise you we will. We keep our promises.”
“Good. Can I come with you? I’m alone now. Can I join you?”
“Yes. You can. We’ll protect you and feed you. We will not harm you. That is another promise. I am Bull Mosely. What is your name?” Bull returned.
“Jenny. Jenny Simpson.” The little girl stepped out from her hiding place. She looked to be about ten. She held the hand of a smaller girl, probably about five. “This is Susan, my sister.”
“Hello, Jenny. Hello, Susan. You are very brave.” Bull said, gently.
“I’m not brave. I’m scared.” Jenny answered. “I promised Momma and Papa I would look after Susan. I can’t do it alone. You seem nice, but I’m still scared. I don‘t know you.”
“Are you hungry? Or thirsty?” Bull asked. He scootched down on his haunches so as not to tower over the girls.
“I’m thirsty, please.” Little Susan said, in a shy voice.
“I’ll get you some water.” Ted smiled at the girls.
“We are headed to Montana. To a place called Freedom.” Bull told the girls. “Do you know where Montana is?”
“No. Is it far?” Jenny asked.
“It is a long way. It is very beautiful there. Hard, but beautiful. And we have lots of friends who live there. Nice friends. We are taking seven thousand orphans with us. They will be coming this way in less than a week. We are leading the way. We will take you to Freedom with us, if you like. Freedom is a special place, where children can laugh and play. There is lots of music in Freedom, and dancing. My younger friends, the Dawkins brothers, play wonderful songs, and they sing beautifully. Shorty, Mad Mountain Jack and Caleb are their names. They are some of the nicest people you could ever meet. Maggie, Molly and Celia, their wives, are wonderful, too. Molly dances like the wind, and Maggie and Celia smile all the time, because they are happy. They each have two children of their own, and Maggie is pregnant, again. Oh, and they have a big white dog, named Lobo, who loves children, and is as friendly as can be.”
“He tells the truth, Jenny. Freedom is wonderful. And the Dawkins families are very special. They will love having you there.” Elias said.
“It sounds wonderful. Would you like to go to Freedom, Susie?” Jenny asked her sister.
“Yes. I want to hear you sing songs with those men.” Susan smiled. “I like to hear songs.”
Jenny smiled at her sister. “We will go, then. Thank you, Mr. Mosely. I’m not afraid any more.”
“Good. Now we have to deal with those mean men, so they don’t hurt anyone else.” He stood and held his hand out to take Jenny’s. “You can ride in the truck with Elias and me.”
“I don’t think they should be in the lead truck, Bull.” Ted said. “Not if we’re chasing after bandits. Why don’t I ride with Elias and you take the girls and ride with Kees.”
“That’s fine with me, Ted. You’re right, they will be safer.” Bull nodded.
Bull found Kees in the fifth truck in line. He introduced him to the girls, and as they climbed into the truck, Bull heard heavy gunfire in the distance, in the direction they were headed.
“Your time is up.” Bull muttered to himself as he listened to the gunfire.
The convoy headed at a good clip down the road. By the sounds of the gunfire, the bandits were three or four miles away. Elias’ usual strategy, if he had the superior force, was to charge headlong into the midst of the enemy, overwhelming them. Bull expected the same on this encounter.
“As we approach the fighting, Kees, find a place to pull over where we can keep the girls safe. Our job is to protect them.” Bull instructed.
“Understood.” Kees nodded.
The fighting was taking place in a small hamlet of a dozen houses. As they came over the crest of a small hill, they could see horses scattered around the town. It looked like the residents were putting up a good fight, but they were outnumbered, until now.
“Get within five hundred yards, Kees. We can use our rifles to pick a few off.” Bull requested.
As Kees pulled into a field just outside town, Elias and Ted were at the edge of town, barreling headlong into the fray. Elias brought the truck to a screeching halt near the last house and the passengers in the back of the canvass covered truck piled out, guns blazing, and found cover. Ted was hit as he stepped out of the truck, and fell to the ground. Elias saw him fall and raced to drag him to cover. As he did so, he took a shot to the head, killing him instantly. Elias never knew that Ted was already dead, shot through the heart.
The fighting was over in minutes. The bandits, quickly seeing they were vastly outnumbered, raced for their horses and raced into the woods on the other side of a pasture. Forty bandits had been killed, but Elias and Ted were dead.
Hamish and Calan Killin approached Bull as he walked into town.
“Elias and Ted are dead, Bull. Both of them.” Hamish told him in a quiet voice.
Bull stood motionless for a few moments, staring in the direction of their truck.
“That should have been me, instead of Ted.” Bull mumbled.
He walked over to where their lifeless bodies were stretched out on the ground. He knelt beside them, never taking his eyes off them.
“I always thought I would be the one to go first, my friends. I’m a bigger target. We had some great times, didn’t we? Met some real interesting folks. Found lots of gold. Started a revolution. Hell, we won the revolution. Folks in Freedom, and New Freedom, and everywhere in Montana, can live free lives. That’s what we started out to accomplish isn’t it? Well, we did it. Yes, we did it.” Tears were flowing down his cheeks, but Bull didn’t care. “I always told you your reckless style would get you killed. Didn’t I, Elias? Dammit. Why did you have to die? Ted, what am I going to tell Maddy? She loves you so very much, Ted. So do your boys. I watched both your kids grow, dammit.
“I’m going to miss you guys. The Big Four are only the Big Two now. Shorty, Jack and Caleb will have to step into the leadership, now. They’re ready for it. They are legends, aren’t they? Like you guys? We had a vision of freedom. The four of us. It is what we lived for. Now it is time for the younger men to finish what we started. Shorty and the Bloody Brothers have their work cut out for them, with those orphans. Fawn and Maddy will keep busy with the youngsters, no doubt. And they’ve got the grandchildren to keep them occupied.
“I have something I have to do, before I go back to Freedom. I promised little Jenny I’d make it safe for little girls and boys. That’s what I aim to do. I’ll track down the bastards that killed you, and any others I come across. While I’m in the area, I’ll come visit you, when I can. You’ll always be in my thoughts. Good-bye my friends. I’ll carry on with what we started. I‘m sorry you won‘t get to see the ending to our story. Then again, maybe there is no end.”
He took a chain from each of their necks, then. On each was a gold coin, with the word Freedom on it. He and Too-Tall each had one of the same coins. They had had them made from gold mined at their first mine. He put one of the chains around his own neck. With a last look at his friends, he turned and walked to Hamish and Calan.
“Give this to Too-Tall, please, Hamish. He’ll know what it is.” Bull looked around the little hamlet. “See they get a proper burial, won’t you? Beside a stream, if you can. If any of the villagers want to come with you, please let them.”
“You are going after them, aren’t you.’ Hamish realized. “I’ll be joining you.”
“No, Hamish. You need to take over the leadership. You, Calan and Kees. Wait for Shorty and the others. Show them where you bury my friends. They will want to pay their respects.” There was a horse nearby. One of the bandit’s horses. “I’ll be taking that horse. Look after the little girls for me. Keep them safe. Ask Shorty to take care of them. I’ll say good-bye to them and get my things.”
Bull walked over to the truck to get his knapsack and rifle.
“You are leaving, aren’t you?” Jenny said quietly.
“Yes. I’m going after the men who killed my friends and your parents. I’m keeping my promise to you. Men like that harm little girls and boys. I won’t let them do it. Kees, and the others will care for you. They will bring you to Freedom. Shorty and Maggie will look after you. Good-bye Jenny, and you, little Susan. I will come back to you. I promise. And I keep my promises.”
He turned to go. “You are very brave.” Jenny said. Tears were streaming down her face. Bull turned to look at her. He knelt down and Jenny raced into his arms. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, my dear. I’ll miss both of you. Look after Susan for me, will you?”
She looked at him for a long time. “I will Mr. Mosely.”
“Please call me Bull.”
“I will, Bull.”
“I’m not brave, Jenny. I’m scared. I’m scared for all the little boys and girls who don’t have someone to protect them, whose parents won’t take the responsibility for their children’s safety. I’ll always be scared.” Bull walked to the horse and carefully packed his things.
Brody, Brett and Brady Ellison rode up beside Bull on horseback.
“We’ll be going with you.” Brody announced.
“Like hell, you will.” Bull growled and glared at them.
“You can growl and hiss all you want to big man, I’m telling you we are going with you..” Brody smiled at Bull.
Bull stared at him, then looked at the others. “All right. It’s your lives. You must be as crazy as me. It could be years before we see Freedom.”
“We know. We figured you could use some company.” Brody smiled, again. “It gets mighty lonely tilting at windmills by yourself.”
Bull grinned. “We just might get along, Brody. If you work hard enough, you could be a legend, like me?”
“Maybe Caleb will write a book about us.” Brody grinned. “Damn, this is going to be interesting, old man.” Brody wheeled his horse in the direction the bandits fled. His brothers quickly followed.
“Old man! Why you young whippersnapper, I’ll show you.” Bull laughed a hearty laugh. “Good-bye, Jenny and Susan. Remember, I will be back to see you.” He jerked his horse to follow the Ellison brothers.
“Good-bye, Bull.” Jenny called out. “He’s a nice man, don’t you think, Susie?”
“Yes. When will he be back?” Susie looked up at her sister.
“I don’t know, Susie. He promised he would be back to see us, and he keeps his promises.”
Shorty and Jack Milton were at the head of the very long caravan, riding on horseback, as they emerged from the Adirondacks. Caleb, Jack Charlie and Will were walking behind them. The six of them were sharing the two horses. It was Shorty and Jack Milton’s turn to ride. Farms over rolling hills greeted them, as they made their way, steadily, to Freedom. It was their third day and their spirits were still high on this warm, July afternoon. It was nine days after the fateful day that Elias and Ted left this world, though Shorty and his group had, as yet, no knowledge of their passing.
“What’s this?” Jack Milton said as he pointed to a crude sign by the entrance to a farm. Shorty, Caleb and Jack, please stop here it read.
“Maybe Bull, or possibly Elias, left a message with the farmer.” Shorty considered. “Keep them moving, Jack, Caleb and I will see what he wants.”
Shorty dismounted and handed the reins to Charlie, and the three of them headed towards the farmhouse. Two men, several women, and a whole passel of kids came out of the door before they reached it.
“Are you the Dawkins brothers?” One of the men inquired.
“Yes, we are.” Shorty answered. “We saw your sign. What can we do for you?”
“We have some things for you. Bull brought them by and left them. We have horses, wagons and buggies, children’s clothing, children, some adults who want to join you, and I have three big bags of silver and gold, some food and twenty beef cattle and five milk cows. And this letter. He said it will be a shock to you.”
Shorty took the letter the farmer offered with misgivings. The letter could mean nothing good. He read:
My dear friends,
I have bad news. Elias and Ted are dead. They were killed in a fight with some bandits. It is a shock to you all, I am sure. It was to me. I think of them every hour of every day. I will always miss them. Too-Tall will take it hard, I am sure. Be there for him, will you?
Hamish and Calan are waiting for you where they are buried. It is about twelve miles further on the road you are taking. There are two orphan girls with them, Jenny and Susan. Please look after them. Tell Tilda and the boys I love them, and I’ll see them when I have completed the quest I am on. The Ellison brothers are with me, and we are adding young men to our ranks daily.
What is my quest? It is simply to make this land safe for little girls and boys. I promised Jenny and Susan I would see them when my quest was finished. I will keep my promise to them.
Too-Tall will want to join me, I fear. I don’t want him to do so, but I will understand if he feels he must. I will look for him at their gravesites once you have gone. I hope he is not there.
It is up to the three of you to lead the caravan to Freedom. Please, do not think of joining me. You must take over where Elias, Ted and I left off. The job is not finished. Finish it. I beg of you, please finish it. Those children need a home, safety and love. You can provide it for them. The three of you make people happy. Make them happy.
Harold Jensen, the man who handed you this letter, has many things for you. Others down the road you are taking will have more. I won’t be far away, at least towards the beginning of your journey, but you will not see me, for I could not finish my quest if I saw you.
Until the day I see you again, be well. Sing your songs to the children. Live free. I love you all.
Bull
Shorty handed the letter to Caleb to read. “Ted and Elias are dead.” What more could he say? How could he tell Uncle Too-Tall? They were a foursome. They went together. Elias did most of the speaking, with his rich voice. Bull had been the brains of the group, though Too-Tall was no slouch in that department. Too-Tall was strength, but he was more than that. He was a bridge between Elias and Bull. Ted was loyalty personified. His quiet demeanor and friendly smile had a certain dignity about them, and his absolute trust in his friends, not blind trust, but the trust coming from complete understanding of his friends, never wavered for an instant. The Big Four were an older equivalent of themselves. Maybe Charlie was like Ted, though he’d never thought about it until now. Bull had realized the similarities from the start, Shorty realized, though he had underestimated Caleb. He came to realize that Caleb was more than brains, loyalty and friendliness. No, Charlie was not Ted. Each of the three of them had some of Ted’s qualities. Charlie was like their Dad, a welcome addition to an already powerful group. Just as the Big Four had found Ned, Frank, Kent, and a host of others, so had the three of them found Izzy, the Free brothers, Yuri, Taka, the Oscroft brothers, Kees, and more. They were not blind followers, but thinking individuals who placed their loyalties and trust with them, and received the same in return.
Shorty found himself looking to the West, where Freedom waited for them. Freedom was not a mythical place, like Atlantis, but a real place, with real inhabitants. It was a real place where folks could live, where children could laugh and play. Freedom was not a perfect place, for there is no such place, but it was a place for folks to live the lives they chose, without interference. It was a chance to reach for dreams, and to sometimes fail. Freedom was not the Promised Land. It was the place with promise.
“Stop the caravan!” Shorty shouted. “Stop the caravan!” Shorty turned to Caleb and Jack. “It is time to grieve for Ted and Elias. When we are done with our grieving, we must continue our journey. It is what Ted and Elias would want. It is what Bull wants us to do.”
Too-Tall and Lester walked down the road to see them. “Why are we stopping?” Too-Tall asked.
“Let Uncle read the letter.” Shorty said. He waited for his Uncle to read the letter, knowing what would happen, for he would do the same if Caleb had died and Jack was in Bull’s position.
Too-Tall handed the letter to his brother and turned to look at Shorty. He had tears in his eyes. “I will join Bull on his quest.”
“I know.” Shorty replied. “It is as it was meant to be. We will miss you, but I understand. Things have come full circle. You will be the man who leaps out of the bushes to save the innocent. You will be the white knight.”
“You do understand.” Too-Tall looked at his nephew. “You are ready. You, Jack and Caleb will continue the quest. It is good. I shall miss you. All of you. Bull and I will return, one day. It is our destiny. Look after Annie and the boys for me.”
“I will, Uncle. I promise you.” The two men embraced.
Lester finished reading the letter. “I’ll be joining you, Angus.”
“Yes. As Bull said, I don’t want you to, but I know you must.” Too-Tall looked at his brother. “Those children deserve to live without fear of aggression. Let them be free.” Too-Tall turned to Shorty. “Let us find their graves.”
Jack Milton put several of his old officers in charge of gathering up the supplies, horses and wagons from Harold Jensen, while Too-Tall and Annie, Lester and Erma, the Dawkins brothers and their wives, and all the Uptons, plus the Free Brothers, Yuri and Taka, and Shamus, went to the gravesites.
When the group arrived in the little hamlet where the two met their deaths, Hamish and Calan met them. Hamish handed Too-Tall the chain Bull had given him. Just as Bull had done, Too-Tall solemnly put it around his own neck.
Kees came forward with two little girls. “I’d like you all to meet Jenny and Susan.” He introduced each of the group, saving the Dawkins brothers for last.
“Mr. Mosely,… Bull, says we are to live with you.” Jenny said, looking at the trio and their wives. “He said you sing songs and dance, and have a big white dog named Lobo. He said you are his friends, and you are very special. Are you as nice as Bull?”
“I don’t know if anyone can be as nice as Bull, Jenny.” Shorty had scootched down, as Bull had done. “Bull is very special. He is a giant of a man, not just in stature, but in his heart. You see, Jenny, Bull wants all the children in this land to be safe. He is doing his best to make that happen. It is his quest. It takes a big heart to take on such a quest. Bull is one of my heroes, Jenny; like my Dad, and Uncle Too-Tall. I look up to them, and try to be as good as they are. Elias and Ted were two of my heroes. Now they are gone from us, but you and Susan have come into our lives. We will go to Freedom, together, and we will do our best to make you happy. We will be one large family. All of us. Caleb, Celia, Jack, Molly, Maggie, all our children, and little Molly and Billy who we adopted into our family recently. They lost their parents, too. There are many thousands of children with us who have lost their parents, and there are several thousand old folks who lost their children and grandchildren, who are with us, too. Together we will live in Freedom. There will be lots of love, there. We will sing and dance, we will work hard, and life will be beautiful. Does that sound good to you?”
“I think Susie and I will be happy there.” Jenny smiled. “And I think Bull was right. You are special.”
Shorty held out his arms and Jenny ran into them. Jack did the same with Susan.
“You will be safe.” Jack told Susan. “And you will be loved.”
“We will visit the graves of our friends, now. Then we will sing songs.” Shorty said. “Is that fine with you?”
“Yes.” Jenny nodded. “May we come with you? We have visited their graves every day. Susie and I put fresh wildflowers on their graves. We hardly knew them, but they were Bull’s friends.”
“That will be very nice, Jenny.” Maggie replied. “We will help you pick them.”
“Susie and I would like that.” Jenny said. “We know where there are some pretty flowers.” She held her hand out to Maggie. “We’ll show you.”
Molly and Celia joined the girls, while the rest of the group waited for their return. Hamish filled them in on what had occurred.
“None of the villagers were seriously hurt in the raid, though three were wounded. They are mending nicely. Two of the young men have since joined Bull. Bull has dubbed the group the White Knights. They have already gotten quite a reputation around these parts. Brady and Brett have come by with horses and wild game for us. The villagers are grateful for what we did for them, and have been very generous with their food. One family wishes to join us. The Richmonds are a family of five, with two daughters and one son. They seem very nice.”
“They are welcome to join us.” Shorty told Hamish.
“Now that you are hear, Calan and I will be joining Bull.” Hamish announced. “There are thirty others who have decided to join him.”
“Lester and I will be joining him, also.” Too-Tall informed him.
“As will I.” Kees told them. “With enough men, Bull’s task will be easier, and we can all return to Freedom.”
“So be it.” Too-Tall answered.
When the ladies returned, they had plenty of pretty wildflowers, and something else, which made Shorty happy. They were all laughing and giggling. Even Jenny and Susan. Maggie, Molly and Celia had a way with youngsters, Shorty knew. They simply insisted the children be happy. Their own happiness was infectious.
“Look at all the nice flowers we got.” Jenny smiled. “Elias and Ted will love them.”
“Yes, indeed. They’re very pretty. They are sure to love them.” Jack enthused. “Can you and Susan show us the way?”
“Oh, yes. Come on Susie.” Jenny took her sisters hand and led them along a pathway a short ways into the forest. There they found a babbling brook, and beside it, two neatly tended graves. “What’s this?” Jenny saw a woven picnic basket. “That’s strange. It wasn’t here this morning.”
“There is a note on it.” Molly saw. “It says, FOR JENNY AND SUSAN. Here, Jenny. This is for you and Susie. Go ahead. See what is inside.”
Jenny and Susie began to explore the contents of the basket. Susie pulled out a chess piece. It was the White Knight.
“It is from Bull, Susie.” Too-Tall told her. “It is the White Knight. A chess piece. He calls his band of men the White Knights. The White Knight always saves the innocent people in fairy tales.”
Once Susie understood it represented Bull, she held it tight. “Bull is a nice man.”
Jenny pulled out a Teddy Bear and hugged it. “We’ll call him Bull.” She giggled. “He’s like Bull, a big Teddy Bear.”
“She learns fast.” Caleb whispered to Jack.
Susie found some cinnamon candy sticks. A dozen of them, wrapped in a piece of cellophane. “Candy! Yummy! We can give some to Molly and Billy, Jenny.”
“That will be nice, Susie.” Jenny smiled at her sister. “When will we see them, Mr. Dawkins?” She looked at Shorty.
“Later this afternoon, most likely.” Shorty answered.
“How old are they?” Jenny asked.
“Molly is eleven, and Billy is eight.” Maggie told them.
“Oh goody! The same ages as Susie and me. We’ll have lots of fun.” Jenny smiled.
“It’s your turn, Jenny.” Susie pointed to the basket.
Jenny reached in and pulled out a small cloth bag. It jingled as she grabbed it. Inside were gold and silver coins; four gold and eight silver. Her eyes were wide. “Gold? And silver? Oh, my! That is a lot of money! We can’t take this from him.”
Shorty scootched down to her. “Jenny, let me explain something to you. Bull is a very rich man. So is Too-Tall. The same with Ted and Elias. And we are rich, Jenny. My brothers and me. We own part of a very rich gold and silver mine. It is in New Freedom, which is another place in Montana where we lived. There is a gold mine in Freedom which is owned by Too-Tall. Bull, Too-Tall, Ted and Elias own two other silver mines and a gold mine, together. Because we are all very rich, we can help a lot of our friends. We could never think of taking seven thousand orphans to Freedom, if we weren’t rich. We would not be able to care for them. But we are rich, and we have chosen to help those young friends of ours. Bull wants you to have some money of your own. You and Susan. It is yours, to do with as you wish.”
Jenny looked at Shorty, then at each of the other faces around her. She looked at the gold and silver spread out on the ground in front of her. “Seven thousand orphans.” She thought a minute about what that meant. She made a decision. She took the gold pieces and handed them to Shorty. “Susan and I will think of something special to do with the gold, Mr. Dawkins. Will you keep them for us?”
“If you want. When we get back to Freedom, I will start an account at our bank for you. It will be there for you.” Shorty offered.
She stared at him, wide-eyed. “You have your own Bank?”
Shorty smiled. “Yes. The Dawkins Brothers Bank. And we have some Trading Posts, and a Restaurant and Tavern called, As It Was Meant To Be. It’s named after a song Uncle Too-Tall wrote.” He looked up at his Uncle. “Would you sing it for them, Uncle?”
“If you will all join me.” Too-Tall replied. “I think it fitting to sing it here, and now.”
“Why don’t you sing the first verse, and we’ll join you on the second.” Shorty suggested.
As It Was Meant To Be
Here, in this valley wide,
With those I love beside.
Here, with my family,
Living a life that's free.
Here with the friends we love.
Mountains that rise above.
Sharing a life that's free.
As it was meant to be.
Tending our fields each day.
Raising what crops we may.
Watching the children play.
No words can ever say,
Thoughts that I hold inside,
Seeing this valley wide,
Knowing this life that's free.
As it was meant to be.
Don't think you can command
Any who work this land.
Free men, both strong and brave.
Never to be a slave.
Here will we make our stand.
Here on our own sweet land.
Living a life that's free.
As it was meant to be.
Living a life that's free.
As it was meant to be.
“As it was meant to be.” Jenny repeated, when they had finished. She looked at Susie’s smiling face. She had enjoyed the song. She turned to look into the forest. Bull had liked it, too. He was there, somewhere. She sensed his presence. He was watching. She hugged the Teddy Bear, fiercely. “We’re going to love living in Freedom.” She smiled at Shorty.
“I hope so.” Shorty returned her smile.
“What’s this I see in the bottom of your basket?” Celia said. “Is it a book?”
Jenny pulled out a worn book. “Walden, or Life in the Woods.” She read the title. “It’s by Henry David Thoreau.”
“It’s Bull’s favorite book.” Too-Tall told her. “I guess he thinks you girls are very special, Jenny.”
“I’ll read it with Susie. Maybe Molly and Billy will join in.” Jenny considered. “Come on, Susie. Let’s leave these nice people to have some private time with Ted and Elias. Here, why don’t you carry Bull, and I’ll take the rest in the basket.”
“Ted and Elias like visitors.” Susie said. “And they like wildflowers.”
“I’m sure they do.” Molly nodded. “We’ll see you back in town. The others should be arriving soon. Stay by the buildings so we can find you.”
“We will. How many more are coming?” Jenny asked.
Shorty laughed. “Over one hundred thousand. There are a lot of us.”
“The caravan stretches for miles.” Caleb added.
Jenny was flabbergasted. “They are all coming to Freedom?”
“No, Jenny. Only about thirty thousand, permanently.” Too-Tall answered her. “The others will go to New Freedom, or the Five Ranches. Some will go to a big ranch in Choteau, while still more go to Billings, or some ranches in southeastern Montana. Several hundred will join some friends of ours in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and more will go to places in Wyoming and Idaho.”
“And still more will be staying here.” Everyone turned to see Jack Milton behind them. “I just received messages from Basil and Luke. It seems Bull has decided there are enough good people around here to start one of our settlements. Steve Considine has agreed to join him with five hundred volunteers. They are requesting more volunteers from our group. Hopefully they’ll get at least five or six hundred more volunteers. Ted’s family, and Elias’ family are moving back here, and Tilda and her boys will be coming, also.”
Shorty saw a wry smile cross Too-Tall’s face. As usual, Shorty noticed, Bull was accomplishing several tasks at once. He never had a single goal with his plans. Too-Tall noticed it, also. He would talk with Jack and Caleb about the goals he perceived Bull was seeking to achieve. One involved the three of them, one involved Jenny, still another concerned Fawn, Maddy and their families, and one involved Too-Tall and Shorty’s Dad. That he recognized some of Bull’s goals, proved Bull’s timing was right. Shorty smiled the same wry smile he saw his Uncle smile. He knew there were some less obvious goals he would discern, in time.
Shorty was beginning to think like Bull. He was seeing things in a multi-faceted cluster, yet each facet was clearly discernible to him. He was also seeing how each facet affected the other. He could see that Too-Tall and his Father would now be returning to Freedom. Bull’s move, on the Grand Chess Board of Life, suggested a different move from Too-Tall. That is the way Bull did things. He encouraged folks to make choices. He didn’t demand they do as he thought they should. He placed a map before them and let them choose their way, but his maps had lots of information on them. He made sure of it. Shorty could see how he did it, now. He would do the same, for that was what the signs on his map suggested he do. No one could see his map. Only he could follow the signs. He would teach Caleb and Jack how to read the signs, or perhaps they now understood, as he did. The looks on their faces suggested they might know, as he did.
Jack Milton was talking of a train Basil had arranged. They would go to Binghamton, New York. The train would be there. A large one. It would make as many trips to Bozeman as were necessary to transport them all. Basil was amazing.
When Jack Milton was finished, Shorty turned to Caleb and Jack. “I think the six of us should take a little walk.” Their wives looked puzzled, but Caleb and Jack understood. “Stay with my parents. We won’t be long.” He told Jenny and Susie. Jenny nodded her understanding.
Shorty led them upstream, further away from the village. They walked about a mile, then Shorty stopped.
“Hello, Bull.” Shorty said. “Thanks for the map.”
Bull stepped out from behind some bushes. “You’re getting good at reading maps, I see.”
“It’s easy. We had a good teacher.” Shorty grinned at his mentor.
“Did you read the signs, Caleb?” Bull asked.
“Yes.” Caleb answered.
“And you, Jack?”
“Yes.” Jack smiled.
“Good. You know what you have to do. Pull from the front, don’t push. Open doors with knowledge, don’t bash them open. Above all else, keep your eyes on the prize. And make the children smile, as only you six can.” Bull looked at something in his hand. “I had this compass specially made for me, many years ago, when I was about your ages. I wish I had six of them to give you. Use it to keep your focus. All of you. It is easy to lose your way.”
He handed it to Shorty. Where North was usually placed, he saw the word “freedom”.
“Thank you, Bull.” Shorty reached out his hand. “For everything.”
Bull took Shorty’s hand in his. “Look after Jenny and Susie. I don’t know when I’ll see you again. I’ll miss you all. Stay well. Live free.”
Bull hugged the ladies and shook the men’s hands. Without another word, he walked off into the forest.
“Bull suddenly appears, then disappears.” Shorty began. “He smiles his knowing smile, and a new adventure begins. Each new adventure is bigger and better than the last. He leaves a piece of himself wherever he goes. Now we must take his place. It will be difficult, but as always, we will manage. The six of us, along with our relatives and friends, will care for seven thousand children. They will be loved. They will be free. They will be happy. The map is drawn. The signs are clear. Let us begin.”
The full book can be purchased at:
http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Shorty-Dawkins-Book-Three/dp/1477592482/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342554961&sr=1-2&keywords=%22The+Legend+of+Shorty+Dawkins%22