CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Major Seaforth Bailey watched as Teddy Garfield lined up all the new recruits in Seaforth’s Raiders on the main street of Three Rivers. Standing off to the side were Sequoia and Gus Walker, who were watching with interest.
As Garfield got the ten men in a straight line, Major Seaforth stepped down from the boardwalk and approached. The citizens of Three Rivers were all inside, some watching from their windows or doorways.
In the months since Big Jake Motley had fought the raiders off and moved on with his herd, Seaforth had come to terms with the defeat. Motley had outdone him, strategy-wise, but Seaforth also believed he just didn’t have enough men back then. Now, with these ten, he’d have a force of fourteen. He still felt sure that Jake Motley would be coming back for him, alone, or with some of his hands. Either way, Seaforth’s Raiders would be ready for him.
“The men are ready, Major,” Garfield told him.
Seaforth popped a piece of licorice into his mouth and said, “Thank you, Gar.”
He had told Garfield he didn’t want any of the men to be too young or too old. He wanted experienced fighting men. What he was looking at were ten men in their thirties and forties, many of them scarred in some way from past battles. And, more importantly, none of them lived in or had any ties to the town of Three Rivers.
“You men are all prepared to do what is necessary to be one of Seaforth’s Raiders?”
“Yessir!” they all shouted.
“Do you see these three men?” he asked, indicating Garfield, Sequoia, and Walker.
“Yessir!”
“They have been with me a long time,” Seaforth said. “They are your superiors, understand?”
“Yessir!”
“And this man,” Seaforth went on, indicating Garfield, “is my second in command. You obey him as you would me.”
“Yessir!”
“Now, when I dismiss you, you will be ready at a moment’s notice,” Seaforth said. “You can go to a saloon or a café, but none of you may go to a whorehouse. Is that understood?”
This time the “Yessir!” was not as enthusiastic.
“I said, is that understood?”
“Yessir!”
“Then . . . dismissed!”
The men scattered as Garfield walked up to Seaforth.
“These were the best you could do?” Seaforth asked.
“You didn’t want young men, so yeah, this was it,” Garfield said. “They’ve all fought before.”
“And from the looks of them,” Seaforth said, “they lost.”
He walked away and entered a saloon, which he used as a base of operations. None of the new men dared go into that place, so they went to the only other saloon in town, across the street.
Sequoia and Walker came over to Garfield.
“What a group,” Walker said.
“They’ll be fine when the fighting starts,” the breed said.
“And when’s that gonna be?” Walker asked. “Does the Major still think Motley’s comin’ back for him?”
“Definitely,” Garfield said. “And so do I. He’s going to have to get his revenge for me shooting that other old-timer right off his horse.”
“It was a good shot,” Walker admitted.
“It was a cinch,” Garfield said. “I’m going into the saloon with the Major. I want you two to keep an eye on those new men. Nobody goes to a whorehouse. Got it?”
“Got it,” Walker said.
“And that includes both of you.”
“We understand,” Sequoia said.
Walker and the breed went across the street while Garfield followed the Major into the saloon.
Inside, he stopped at the bar and got himself a beer, then joined the Major at his table.
The only thing he didn’t like about sitting with Seaforth was the constant smell of licorice coming off the man.
“Why don’t you chew tobacco, like a normal man?” Garfield asked.
“I like licorice,” Seaforth said. “Why don’t you chew tobacco?”
“I don’t like it,” Garfield said. “I’d rather just smoke a cigarette.”
Garfield sipped his beer while Seaforth poured himself another whiskey from the bottle on the table.
“Are we going to do anything else besides wait for Big Jake Motley?” Garfield asked.
“We’ll have plenty to do after we’ve finished with him,” Seaforth said.
“I’ve been thinking about a few things,” Garfield said. “We could even do them while we’re waiting. There’s a payroll coming in on a stage—”
“We can do all of that after,” Seaforth said, cutting him off.
Garfield put his head down and drank his beer.
Gus Walker and Sequoia entered the other, smaller saloon where the new men were gathered. This one was called the Red Cherry, while the other, larger saloon was called the Sunrise. They were just places to drink. No gambling, no girls, no music.
Some of the men were at the bar, others were seated at tables in twos and threes. The breed and Walker each got a beer and walked to an empty table.
“How long have you been with the Major?” Walker asked.
“Long time,” Sequoia answered.
“Then you know,” Walker said, “if he’s ever wanted one man as much as he wants this Big Jake Motley.”
For a moment Walker thought the breed wasn’t going to answer, but then Sequoia said, “No, there’s been no other. This is the only one.”
“Well,” Walker said, “I hope he gets ’im soon. I’m gettin’ tired of waitin’ for some action.”
Sequoia sipped his beer before responding.
“You must show these others how to wait,” he said. “Do not show them impatience.”
“I’ll do my best,” Walker said.
The breed was the only one Walker could talk to. He didn’t dare speak to the Major without first being spoken to, and Garfield didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. The ten new men weren’t worth speaking to—at least, not yet. Maybe once he got to know them one or two might be interesting. But until then, it was only Sequoia, who actually did more listening than he did talking.
“Yes,” the breed said, “that would be wise.”
Seaforth had known Garfield a long time, long enough to recognize that the man was becoming impatient with him. But that was okay, because Seaforth Bailey was becoming impatient as well. He had expected Jake Motley to be back by now—no, he actually had expected to have killed him by now. The wait was becoming interminable, but he couldn’t let that show, not to the men, and not to Garfield.
A payroll sounded tasty to him, and maybe it was just the thing he needed to distract him while he waited for Motley a bit longer.
“Gar.”
“Yes?”
“Go get two beers,” he said, “and then tell me about this payroll.”