Chapter Sixteen

History was being made all across the United States as the North and South were engaged against one another in a bloody Civil War. As great men fought to unite their country – General Ulysses S. Grant who fought for the north and General Robert E. Lee fighting for the south – Richard Montgomery was fighting for himself. Buried deep in the swamps, he was carving out his own territory in a state that was left for the savages and cattlemen. He did not care about God and Country, only about his own power and wealth. His plan was working perfectly, except for one thing – a half-breed named Hunter James Dolin.

Richard Montgomery was on the second floor of his big house, sitting at his custom made oak desk; a beautiful piece anyone with any knowledge of good furniture would know had been built in the state of North Carolina.

He was three glasses deep into a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon as the sun began to rise. The man's demeanor was quickly deteriorating with every sip. He could not believe a half-breed rebel was threatening years of his sweat, hard work, and planning. The son-of-a-bitch just would not die. He slammed back the last of his drink and began pouring another, when there came a knock at the door.

"Come in."

The captain entered the room, ducking slightly under the doorjamb. He grabbed a glass from a serving tray on a table against the wall, and with a flip and a catch he set it down on the desk, rim side up. He spun a wood armchair around backwards and sat down on it across from Richard.

"Mornin', Monty, don't mind if I do."

Richard ignored the captain's rudeness and poured him a drink; he had bigger problems at the moment. "Any word from Bodie or the hunting party?" he asked.

"Aw-w, the Hunter is now the hunted, but for how long?" replied the captain before downing his whiskey followed by a wink. Then he slid his glass forward, indicating he would like another. "No, no word, but I would not expect one this early anyhow. I did some askin' around. You picked the wrong man to piss on."

"He's one man," said Montgomery through slightly clenched teeth. "A bastard, no less."

The one eyed sailor took the bottle from the table and poured his own, sensing he would not be served in an amount of time to his liking.

Richard watched the Captain with annoyance, waiting for his reply.

"This bastard is somewhat of a legend around these parts, and from what I can tell he's real hard to kill."

"What's the matter, Captain. You losin' your nerve?"

"No-no, I'm here for yah, Monty. All the men are in place and on alert. If we can just keep them sober, we'll be ready."

"Maybe we should send out a second revelry of men." suggested Richard.

The captain shook his head in the direction of no.

"The Seminoles call the half-breed Lus-Tee Manito Nak-Nee, means black spirit man, He's not goin' nowheres, he wants you dead, period. He'll come to us."

Montgomery stood up, the captain half-heartedly did the same. "I want you, Captain, to tell the men the bounty has just gone up: Two-thousand-dollars, in gold, for Hunter James Dolin's head on a stick."

"I'll spread the word. Gold has always been the best incentive to make someone dead. I might just go after him myself."

"Your job is to take care of The Miss Lilly," sternly replied Richard. "Which you have already been well paid to do."

"Don't you worry, Monty," replied the captain as he reached for the door handle. "My crew is ready and loaded for bear."

"That would be fine if we were huntin' bear, but we ain't huntin' bear, dammit." Richard followed the captain out into the hallway, "We need some way to flush him out into the open, some kind of trap, git him in a crossfire."

"What do you got in mind?" asked the one-eyed sailor, as he stepped aside allowing Richard to take the lead down the hallway.

"Come on outside and I'll show yah."

Their spurred boots clanked as they proceeded down the wood stairs to the first floor balcony at the back of the house that faced the lake. Montgomery was standing in the exact spot where he stood the night before, when Hunter had an arrow aimed at his throat. He had no idea how close he had come to meeting his maker.

It was mid-morning and cloudy with signs of rain. Montgomery stretched his neck and looked to the roof, where he could see two of the four men stationed there. Richard and the captain were standing by the railed stairs which led to the walkway to the dock, where the battle steamer floated proudly. Richard did not point as he spoke, in fear of being watched from a distance.

"We place a man with similar build and height as me, dressed in my clothes in plain sight, on the front deck of The Miss Lilly or the dock. If we can git the half-breed on the walkout between the dock and the house, we can hit him from all directions."

"I got yah," said the captain. "Men firin' from the roof of the house at his back with the Gatlin' guns firing from the boat to his front."

Richard looked out into the woods. "We put some men with rifles, spread out among the trees, staggered, firing at his side. If them damn fools don't shoot each other, I don't see anyone survivin' that kind of crossfire."

"I'll see to it," replied the captain. "You got someone stupid enough to dress like you, and stand there like a goat tied to a post as bait?"

"I got just the Mexican. We call him dumb-dumb. I'm the boss and he'll do whatever I tell him to." Montgomery lit a big daddy Cuban cigar that he pulled from his inside jacket pocket. "If he's still alive, and he comes, it will be at night. It's to his advantage to attack in the cover of darkness. Let the men sleep in shifts during the day at their posts. I'll have Chinn deliver grub throughout the day. I want everyone rested and alert when the sun drops."

The two men went their separate ways to put the finishing touches on their plans. It would be a long hot day and even a longer night. Richard suddenly felt very long-standing; at this point he did not care about the outcome, he just wanted it over and done with.