The Bozeman Trail

Chapter Eight

“The herd is gathered,” Billy Swan said to James, as he swung down from his horse. “Bob and Duke are watching them now.”

“Good,” James answered, almost offhandedly. He had his hands on his hips and was looking at the three wagons he had lined up in front of him. He shook his head slowly.

“What’s the problem?” Billy asked.

“I thought sure we would be able to get at least one good wagon out of these three,” James replied. He pointed to them. “But even if I took parts off one to fix the other, I don’t think I could come up with a wagon that would make the trip. Like as not it would break down about halfway there, then we would be in worse shape than when we started.”

“Well, these are just little trap wagons, anyway,” Billy said, taking them in with a wave of his hand. “They aren’t really designed for a long trip.”

“I guess I’ll ride into town to see what I can find,” James said, starting toward his horse. “We can’t make the trip without a wagon.”

“ ’Tis sorry I am to be tellin’ you this, lad,” McMurtry said after James inquired about the purchase of a wagon. “But sure’n I sold my last wagon and team to the Scattergoods.”

“The Scattergoods?” James said. “You sold the last wagon in Bexar County to the Scattergoods?”

“To the lass, actually,” McMurtry said. “Reve lation bought the wagon and the team.”

“Why would you sell to people like that?” James asked.

“There’s really no big mystery as to why, lad. I had a wagon for sale, and the lass offered the askin’ price. ’Tis not for you to be tellin’ me now who I can and who I can’t sell to.”

In frustration, James ran his hand through his hair. “You’re right,” he said. “But I still need a wagon. Are you sure you don’t have a wagon you can sell?”

“The only wagons I have left I’m usin’ for the freight line,” McMurtry said. “I’ve none to spare.”

“Do you know where a wagon can be had?”

McMurtry shook his head. “Sorry, lad, I don’t.”

It was late afternoon by the time James returned to Long Shadow. The others were already sitting at the supper table when he arrived. All of them looked toward him, the unasked question on their faces.

“No wagons to be found—anywhere,” James said, disgustedly.

“When I was working at the stable, Mr. McMurtry told me he had a wagon for sale,” Duke said. “What happened to it?”

James forked a pork chop onto his plate before he answered. “He sold it to Revelation Scattergood,” James said glumly.

The Scattergood Spread:

“Would you mind tellin’ me just what the hell we need with a wagon like that?” Matthew Scattergood asked his sister.

“It’s the last wagon of its kind within a hundred miles of here,” Revelation explained.

“So?” Matthew asked.

“Wait a minute, Matthew, I think I’m be ginnin’ to see what Revelation is talkin’ about,” Mark said. “If this here is the last wagon of its kind, and we own it, why, I reckon we can sell it for just about anything we want to ask for it.”

“Yeah,” Luke said. “And I know who we can sell it to.”

“Who?” John asked.

“We can sell it to ol’ James Cason and his bunch. I hear they are tryin’ to hire enough drovers at forty dollars a month and found to take a herd of cattle up to Dakota. They ain’t havin’ much luck gettin’ anyone to ride with them, but if they manage to put an outfit together, they’re goin’ to be needin’ a sturdy wagon and a good team of mules.”

“Ha, that’s right!” Mark said. He laughed. “And anyone stupid enough to try and push cows all the way to Dakota is prob’ly stupid enough to pay twice what this wagon is worth.” He looked at Revelation. “I don’t care what the others say about you, Sis, I think what you done was real smart. Yes, sir, we’ll turn a pretty penny on this wagon.”

“We aren’t going to sell it,” Revelation replied.

“What? What do you mean we ain’t goin’ to sell it?” Mark asked. “What the hell are we goin’ to do with it if we don’t sell it?”

“We’re going to take it to Dakota. Along with five hundred head of cows. We’re going to join the Cason outfit.”

“What?” Matthew exploded. “Now you’ve done it! I always know’d you was a little touched, but this time you have gone over the edge. Whatever got it in your mind that we would drive five hundred head of cows all the way to Dakota?”

“Yeah, have you gone completely crazy?” Luke added.

John pointed to his temple and made a circling motion with his finger. The others laughed.

“When we sell our cattle here, how much do we get for them?” Revelation asked.

“Maybe ten, fifteen dollars a head,” Mark answered. He laughed. “We can’t be none too particular about the price since we ain’t always that particular about what brand our cow is wearin’.”

The others laughed.

“Exactly,” Revelation replied. “What if I told you that we could get fifty dollars a head for our cattle in Dakota?” Revelation asked.

“Why would anyone pay that much for a cow?” John asked.

“Wait a minute,” Mark said. “Revelation might be on to somethin’. I hear tell there’s a gold rush goin’ on up there now. I been thinkin’ about maybe goin’ up there to look for some gold myself. But my guess is, there are probably some hungry folks up there about now. I ’spect a little beef would taste real good to ’em.”

“Fifty dollars a head? How much money would that be?” Matthew asked.

“Twenty-five thousand dollars,” Revelation replied. “That’s five thousand dollars for each of us.”

Luke whistled. “Jumpin’ Jehoshafphat, that is a lot of money.”

“Plus, don’t forget, once we get up there we can do some of our lookin’ for gold,” Mark suggested.

“You know what I’m thinkin’?” Matthew asked. “I’m thinkin’ them boys up there is prob’ly about as thirsty as they are hungry.”

“You’re sayin’ we should take some of our whiskey?” Mark asked.

“And our whiskey distillery,” Matthew said. He smiled broadly. “You know, this goin’ to Dakota may turn out to be about the best idea I’ve ever had.”

“You always have had a good head for business, Matthew,” Revelation said. She didn’t care who got credit for the idea of going to Dakota. The only thing she cared about was that they go. Matthew was the oldest, and now that he was committed to it, the battle was won. They would be going. Assuming, of course, that Cason and the others let them go.

Billy was the first one to see the wagon coming up the long road that led out to the ranch from El Camino Real, the pike that ran into town. He pointed it out to the others.

“Who do you suppose it is?” Billy asked.

“I don’t know who it is,” Duke replied. “But I know what it is. That’s the wagon McMurtry had for sale. I recognize it.”

“Then, no doubt, one of the Scattergoods is driving it,” James said. “Probably coming out here to sell the wagon to us.”

“Yeah, and for twice what they paid for it, I’m bettin’,” Bob said.

“If so, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Billy said. “We need the wagon. We’ll have to pay whatever they are asking.”

“Maybe not,” James suggested. “I mean, sure it would be nice to have a wagon, but we’re already planning to use pack animals, and if we have to we will. On the other hand, if they can’t sell that wagon to us, what can they do with it? Looks to me like this is about a standoff. And if we handle it right, we might wind up getting a pretty good bargain after all.”

“I wonder which one of them it is?” Bob asked.

“As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t make any difference which one it is,” Billy replied. “There ain’t a one of ’em worth the powder it would take to blow them apart.”

“Well, let’s go talk to him,” James suggested, starting toward his horse. “We may have a little surprise for him when he starts dealing.”

The surprises went the other way. The first surprise was when they realized that it wasn’t one of the Scattergood men they would be dealing with but their sister, Revelation. The second surprise was when she told them the wagon wasn’t for sale.

“Not for sale?” James sputtered. “Well, if the wagon isn’t for sale, I don’t understand. Why did you bring it out here?”

“I wanted you to see it,” Revelation replied. “I want you to realize what a great wagon it would make for your drive to Dakota.”

“Uh-huh,” James said. “So you’re just trying to goad us, is that it?”

Revelation smiled and when she did, an amazing transformation took place. Although dressed as a man, in trousers, denim shirt, and a decrepit old felt hat, the smile lit up her face. Her eyes flashed, her dimples deepened, and it was quite easy to see that she was a woman.

“No, Mr. Cason, I don’t want to goad you,” she said. “I want to join you.”

“Join us?”

“I want to go to Dakota with you.”

James laughed.

“Do you find the idea of my going to Dakota funny?”

“Yes,” James answered.

“I’m told that you’ve not been able to hire anyone to go with you.”

“Don’t need anyone,” James replied. “We’re going to make the drive ourselves.”

“Four of you are going to drive nearly three thousand cattle over a thousand miles? And with no wagon?” she added.

“Maybe our herd won’t be quite as large as all that,” James said.

Revelation nodded. “I don’t blame you. With no drovers to move the cows, and no wagon, then the smaller you keep your herd, the better it will be for you. Of course, the payoff at the other end won’t be nearly as large.”

“Better that we get there with a few, than that we leave cows stranded over the eighteen hundred miles between here and there.”

“Perhaps. But it would be better still if you got there with all the cattle you originally planned to take.”

“And you think your going with us can accomplish that?” James asked.

“Me . . .” Revelation replied. She nodded at the wagon and team. “My wagon and team . . .” She paused for a moment longer before continuing. “And my four brothers.”

“Your four brothers?”

“You’d have plenty of drovers to help you with the herd if they came,” Revelation added.

Billy snorted. “Ha! I can’t see your brothers working for forty and found.”

Revelation shook her head. “Oh no, we wouldn’t work for anything like that.”

James’s face reflected a look of confusion. “Then I don’t understand. If you won’t work for forty and found, what will you work for? What do you want?”

“We want nothing,” Revelation said. “Except the right to throw our herd in with yours during the drive.”

“Your herd?”

“A thousand head. For that, you have five more hands—”

“Five?”

“Counting me,” Revelation said. “I can work as hard as any man.”

James shook his head. “A thousand head? No. Even with four more—-five more hands,” he corrected himself, “a thousand more head would make the herd too large to handle.”

“What about seven hundred fifty head?” Revelation proposed.

“Make it five hundred and we have a deal,” James countered.

“Done,” said Revelation.

“James, you think that’s wise?” Billy asked, surprised that James had accepted Revelation’s offer.

“Think about it,” James said. “With five more hands and a wagon, we can take our entire herd.”

“I agree with James,” Bob said. “What about you, Duke?”

Duke demurred. “I’m not sure I rightly have a voice in this,” he said.

“Sure you do. You’ve got your own herd, same as the rest of us.”

“Well, if the difference is between taking all our cows or paring down because we have to travel light-handed, then I’m for adding the extra hands.”

“All right,” Billy said. “If you fellas are willing to take a chance on them, I reckon I am, too.”

“Go get your brothers,” James said. “Come back with them and the wagon, ready to go.”

“Give me the loan of a horse,” Revelation said, “and I’ll leave the wagon here so you can get started loading.”

“All right,” James said. “Oh, there’s one more thing. Since you and your brothers are partners, rather than riding for forty and found, you’ll be expected to come up with your share of money for the drive.”

“Fair enough,” Revelation said. “We’ll bring the money with us when we return.”

“How do we know we can trust you to have the money?” Bob asked.

“Simple. If we don’t have the money, we don’t go. If we do have the money, we do go.”

“Sounds reasonable enough to me,” Billy said.

“What about the cattle?” James asked.

“What about them?” Revelation replied.

“Word is you Scattergoods aren’t always that particular about whose brand is on the cows you run. I wouldn’t want to get jumped by a posse somewhere, claiming we’re driving stolen cattle.”

“There will be no posse,” Revelation assured them.

“If anyone does prove you are running their cattle, you and your brothers will have to leave.”

“That’s fair enough.”

“Without your cows,” James added.

“What are you saying? That you would expect us to just leave our cows behind?”

James shook his head. “No, what I’m saying is, you better own the cows you bring to us.”