I’d be damned if I am going to let some self-absorbed Negro dictate the success of my empire. I have had remarkable success in every business venture I have embarked upon, and I am not about to start having failures now and give anyone the satisfaction of saying I was undone by a former slave. That is why I have stepped up the production and work schedules in the mines. When I find that gold, no one will even consider doubting my business prowess. I don’t care what it takes, but I will exhaust every resource and work every man in my crew to near death to find that gold.
When I arrive at the entrance to one of the shafts, I observe men doing less than what I expected, considering the intense need to reach my goal. It would be an understatement to say I was displeased with the sight. Men were sitting around a fire lolly, gagging; some were even lying down, sleeping; others were smoking, drinking, and playing cards. If I didn’t know any better from the looks of things, I would think I was paying them to entertain themselves. Above all that, the thing that I found most disturbing was that Doug O’Connell was among them, and he was the number one candidate I was considering to take the lead role in my ranching operations. Although he didn’t have half the skill and natural ability of Buck, I know I could depend on him for a few things. One thing was that he had the loyalty of a lapdog. I knew that he was too weak to ever cross me, and I must admit obedience was important at this point to reestablish my unquestionable control. Another quality that I found appealing was that he was morally compromised, which meant I knew he was willing to get his hands dirty if the need were to arise. This is something that I didn’t have with Buck, but I never really needed because he was so good at what he does.
I hate to admit it and I damn sure won’t admit it to anyone else but his talents will be missed. I guess that is why it bothered me so much that he turned on me. Can’t believe I am even thinking about this now with the sight I am witnessing, but that proves to me just how consumed I am with righting the wrong that I feel has been done against me. That very notion instantly sparked a fire within me and I unleashed my fury on the lazy dirt bags at the work site.
“If I knew where to get my hands on a stick of dynamite, I would blow all of your asses a mile high!” Rattled by my sudden tirade, men scurried about to try to gain their composure.
“Boss, the men were just taking a break,” O’Connell offered to me as an excuse for their impotence.
“I am not interested in rehearsed excuses. O’Connell, you of all people know how I feel about excuses. I always say excuses are like assholes, everybody has one and they are usually full of shit. Since you all want to pussyfoot around just know that I am going to put you on such a work schedule that you are going to be busier than a one-legged man in a ass-kicking contest. If I have to stay up here myself, I am going to see to it that every man works eighteen-hour shifts for the next week. You will set up a base camp here and no one goes home until I say you can.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Asher. You men get back to work. Give me some volunteers to set up camp right here.” O’Connell tried to rally the men and take charge, but it was too little too late; I was passed furious.
I stomped around for the next few hours, barking orders and giving searing looks to ensure I kept the pressure on and the tension high. I am a firm believer that stress improves productivity. The moment you ease up on your workers and begin to pal around with them, they will surely take your kindness for weakness. As was evident from what I saw when I arrived on sight today.
Once I felt that things were progressing as I desired, I decided to pull O’Connell aside and discuss with him my plans for the rest of the week and also my thoughts about him possibly running the ranch.
“Get over here, O’Connell. I have some things I want to go over with you.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Asher.” He rushed over and sat with me near the opening of the shaft.
“Here, I want you to take this. I have worked out the shift rotations for the next week and I want it strictly enforced with no exceptions. Do you think you can handle that?”
“Yes, sir, I’m your man. You can count on me, Mr. Asher. I promise I won’t disappoint you. If I fail, you can toss me down one of these mind shafts.”
“That is exactly what I had planned,” I said it without cracking a smile because I meant it, and Doug knew it.
“Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about, Mr. Asher?” he asked me, nervously trying not to look shaken.
“As a matter of fact, there is one other thing of importance that I wanted to inform you of. You be mindful of how you carry out my orders because your actions hold consequence far beyond just your existence on this earth.”
“I am not sure I understand what you mean, sir.”
“I didn’t presume you would. Let me spell it out for you as plainly as I can. As you well know I have an opening at my ranch for a lead foreman to assume some of the responsibilities vacated by my firing of Buck Abbott.”
“Yes, I am aware of that vacancy.”
“Well, if you manage to see my instructions carried out to the letter this next week, that job is yours. You won’t have all the responsibilities that Buck had, you will have others to assist you with the business matters, but you will run the day-to-day operations on the ranch.”
“I don’t know what to say, sir. I am honored that you think so highly as to offer this to me. I promise I won’t let you down.”
Just as he spoke those last words, there was a huge explosion that rang out from the mine. We were blown off our seats and knocked to the ground. We were pelted by flying rocks and debris showered down upon us as we both covered ourselves as best we could. For a moment, I thought my life was over put; once I realized I had survived the blast, I instantly knew that I had lost nearly my entire crew.
Myself and O’Connell, along with those of my men who survived the blast, attempted to search for survivors, but it was no use. The explosion caused the entrance to the mine to collapse and there was no other way to enter. So if anyone did happen to survive, they would not last long enough for us to clear the way to reach them.
I couldn’t help but think how this was a setback of catastrophic proportions. This certainly meant that my success in finding gold had been seriously derailed if not thwarted all together. It also would be seen as a business failure for me, which would look like a dual victory for Buck Abbott. My luck is turning to shit, and I only have one person to blame.