Chapter 25: Into the Caves of Hidden Canyon
Two months to the day after the posse of deputies had returned to the towns with El Presidente in tow, four of the men had gathered at the Four O'Clock Ranch.
That was 3 days ago, Friday, July 14th, 1877.
Each of the men had occupied himself during the time of the professor's recovery. Ringgenberg himself had maintained a regimen for the entire time span, training himself to fire a hogleg with his left hand. For most intents and purposes, this task excluded all other activities. Of course, Earnest took care of daily necessities, visited with pards on the Larsen's porch at eventime, and even managed to get in some new reading. Still, the daily effort was exhausting and he focused his energies on two primary things: letting his right arm heal while teaching his left arm to assume dominance.
The rifleman, the mechanic, and the investigator had used the time more leisurely. Without a compelling reason to adopt a regimen like the professor's, each of the men busied himself with various and sundry interests over time. All of them rode their new mounts, with Windham purchasing the other tack and saddle from Taylor on his remaining credit. No one could quite remember how it was that Earnest and Tommy ended up with the two sets of tack taken from the bandits--although as the others had discovered, Pearce a way gettin' folks to think his way. Regardless, in the end all three of the men who had rescued Elizabeth Knight collected on all of their credit. Jacob Knight offered free stabling, the Larsens discounted the cost of the daily meal, and other merchants gave friendly prices. Still, two months is a long time for a cowpoke to be spending coins without earning any. Pearce, who had missed out on the line of credit for rescuing, had to dip into his coat pockets a mite more than he wanted.
The pards spent time together for a spell, then went their separate ways for a spell longer. This continued over fortnights. They saw Red Shirt from time to time, either at the Four O'Clock or somewhere around Grafton. The Paiute rarely went into Springdale or Rockville, but he popped up in Grafton once a fortnight or so. Sometimes, he set up camp not too far from the towns. They saw Beaucheveux, too, himself a local hero now, operating his barbershop. And Poirier, who continued to amaze with his airship, appearing as if summoned on a given night when the men had congregated at the Prickly Pear.
The last time they saw Red Shirt was on July 4th. The towns had put together a decent fireworks and celebration--even if the professor had bought up most the town's gunpowder. The Paiute enjoyed the festivities from the edges. He told the others not to wait for him if they went back to the hideout. He also reassured them all ... Tracy could find the way, he knew.
Now, 13 days later, the four riders ease around the turn into the Echo Canyon valley. The dale is empty of people or livestock. The grass in the pasture has grown.
Similar to the last time they entered the valley, the men estimate another hour or two of daylight. They know they can't take their horses further. Now that they have come full circle, Earnest, Tracy, Tommy, and Jake take a breath and consider whether to make camp, or press on.
OOC: Free free to fill in narrative about your character's time in the town during your ongoing narrative in this chapter.
