Silver City Massacre Read Free Page A

the herd, even when he was obliged to stop and chase a few horses back when they started to follow. After finishing his smoke, Riley took his leave and the two sentries resumed their responsibility. A little over an hour later, the two horse thieves rode up the bank of the Brazos and set out for Idaho.

Chapter 2
    Traveling slowly but steadily, so as to get as much distance as possible behind them before having to rest the horses, they followed the course of the river to the northwest. Just after daybreak, they rode through a grove of cottonwoods close by the riverbank and dismounted on a sand flat near the water’s edge.
    Joel figured that they had gained a reasonable head start on any patrol the general might have sent after them, especially since he felt certain no one had seen them leave. The odds were slim that Shelby would delay his troop movement south to chase them, anyway. With these thoughts in mind, the new partners were comfortable in giving the horses a good rest and cooking a little breakfast for themselves.
    â€œI wanna do a better job of packin’ these horses,” Riley said as he pulled the packs from the horse he had been leading. “I was in too much of a hurry when we loaded ’em back yonder. I’ll unload yours, too, Lieutenant, soon as I get this’n off.”
    â€œMight as well settle something right now,” Joel said as he pulled the saddle off the chestnut. “We ain’t in the army no more, so there ain’t no more lieutenant or sergeant. We’re equal partners on this deal, and I’ll be splittin’ the chores with you fifty-fifty. So don’t call me ‘Lieutenant’ anymore. All right?”
    â€œYes, sir,
Joel
,” Riley replied, grinning broadly when he emphasized the name. He wouldn’t have expected anything different from the broad-shouldered young officer, but he knew he would continue to regard him as his leader. The man had far and away earned his respect with his conduct under fire.
    â€œI know I plan to get outta this uniform first chance I get,” Joel went on, “and find some decent clothes. By the time we get to Idaho, we’re gonna be needin’ something a helluva lot warmer than these ragged uniforms.”
    The last comment was without doubt, because at his guess, they would be lucky to get to Silver City before spring, and it would be cold in the high mountains.
    â€œI expect you’re right about that,” Riley said, having already thought about the country they were heading for, and the winters he had seen for himself when out there before. “Makes me crave a cup of hot coffee just thinkin’ about the way that snow piles up in them mountain passes. I’ll make us a fire and we’ll cook us some breakfast.”
    The morning passed uneventfully, with no sign of pursuit, so after resting the horses, they started out again. They divided their cargo of twelve Sharps carbines and extra ammunition between the two packhorses. That, added to their food supplies, cooking utensils, coffeepot, frying pan, coffee cups, bedrolls, and other useful items, made for a reasonable load for the horses to carry.
    As for their personal weapons, both men carried Spencer carbines in their saddle scabbards as well as Navy Colt revolvers holstered on their belts. The Spencers, captured from Union outfits, were favored by both since the weapons were repeaters and designed to take a .54-caliber metal cartridge, while the Sharps took a combustible paper cartridge. The problem during the fighting was the lack of the metal cartridges to fit the Spencer, which the Confederates didn’t have. But their unit had been lucky enough to capture a Union supply train, so they now had an ample supply of ammunition. Joel was of the opinion that the Spencer packed a more powerful punch than the Sharps, which he planned to utilize in hunting for big game.
    The first full day of travel found them still following the