Chapter 53

PAST NIGHTFALL they reached Jon Stromback’s ranch.

Samuel could not remember such a fuss. Everyone talked at once. Mrs. Stromback was all over him. The children and Roundup were bouncing around. Only Bonnie seemed a little cool. Samuel knew he should have said something when he was through a few days ago.

Bonnie caught up to him for a moment before dinner.

“I’m sorry, Bonnie,” he tried to explain. “As long as we were carrying that gold, we were tempting fate.”

“You know Rex is gone,” she said softly.

Samuel nodded.

“But you are going home to Iowa.” A shadow crossed her face.

“I truly do want to see my ma and my sister and everybody, Bonnie, but my heart isn’t in it.” He said it quietly so his father could not hear. He had come into the room.

They sat at the Strombacks’ large table, having some dinner. Chen remained outside despite Samuel’s insistence that he come in. He had a plate of food while sitting on the porch.

Samuel tried to eat, but found himself falling asleep, the world spinning. His father and Stromback carried on a conversation.

“Maybe it would be best to hear all of the news in the morning,” Mrs. Stromback observed.

Samuel joined Art at the bunkhouse. “Almost lost your rifle, Art.” Samuel handed it to him. “Almost got to use it too. I sure do thank you.”

Art nodded. “I’m glad it turned out the way it did.”

Samuel invited Chen in, but Chen insisted on staying outside.

“Don’t you think of running off on me,” Samuel warned. “We go back together.”

“I will be okay out here, Sam,” Chen insisted. “We go back together. Maybe the ohnee way I stay alive.” He bowed.

“He sure can stay in the tack shed, Samuel,” Stromback insisted.

Samuel was asleep before Charles turned in.

In the morning, Samuel felt remarkably alive. He had slept so strongly, he remembered no dreams. He was thankful. Most everything lately had been a nightmare.

Breakfast was called. Chen joined him, and Samuel noticed that he stayed close. Chen struggled to eat anything. Mostly, he ate the eggs and cornbread.

Josef could not keep his eyes off Chen.

Mrs. Stromback poured some more strong coffee.

Samuel spent most of breakfast relating his journey. He felt a crushing ache as he tried recounting the Chinese murders. He could not help but see the concern in both Mrs. Stromback’s and Bonnie’s eyes. The disgust grew on Jon Stromback’s and Art’s faces. Josef took it all in like a fairytale. His two sisters were in the other room. Nevertheless, Samuel avoided some of the details.

“I should have sent Art with you, Charles, or gone myself,” Stromback declared. “I regret that I didn’t. I just figured those men had cleared out of the country. I should have known.”

“You’ve done enough, Jon. You loaned us some good mounts. That’s all I needed,” he said. “But it’s not over. Smith may have survived. I didn’t want to take the chance of getting dry-gulched by a wounded man, so I let him go.”

“Maybe Art and I’ll take a journey downriver.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“I’d like to. Make sure the scum is gone.”

Charles sat back. “And the two men we had locked up … I’m assuming they had to be released. Samuel and I weren’t around to testify, but I doubt it would have mattered. They go by Reuben Finney and Orwin Culler.” Charles proceeded to describe them.

“Hell, you say, Charles,” Jon roughly pushed at his plate. “I’ll put out the word. They won’t show their faces along this river.”

“I’d be obliged,” Charles replied. “Just the same, they’re plenty good at keeping their heads down until they got you. Samuel and I will just have to keep a sharp eye. I don’t ’spect they have any idea where we are at any rate.”

Stromback turned to Samuel. “Here you be, lad, we found Spooky okay. He’s ready to take you back to Warren’s. We got a few pounds put back on him. Unfortunately, we had to put down Chen’s mule. Sure am sorry,” he addressed Chen.

Chen’s eyes grew frantic. “Ohnee an old mule. Not much good.”

Stromback shook his head. “She was too badly crippled and blowed by flies. Maggots everywhere.” He took a swallow of coffee.

“We didn’t have to bury any of the Chinamen, though. We got there, some other Chinamen were already there. We scared the living daylights out of them until they realized we were tryin’ to help.” He shook his head, slightly smiling. “They had already buried the dead one. The other one survived.”

“Survived?” Samuel almost shouted. “Who?”

Chen’s eyes grew big. He stared desperately at Stromback.

“Don’t know who. The live Chinaman made it into the cabin. The dead one was near the bluff.”

“Kan Dick’s alive,” Samuel breathed. It had to be Kan Dick. He was near the hut. “He’s sort of a doctor, you know.”

Chen seemed incredibly happy. “Kan Dick crawl into house.”

Stromback raised his eyes. “Anyway, they’ve got him hid somewhere while he heals up.”

Once more, Samuel and his father said good-bye to the Strombacks. Chen waited for them apart from the Stromback family.

“You’re taking that white mare, Chen,” Samuel explained. “Mr. Stromback is giving her to you.”

Chen tried to protest.

“Here, Chen, you are in no position to refuse her,” Stromback interjected. “You just take decent care of her, and remember she’s not a mule. She likes to be ridden.”

Chen bowed. “Thank you, but I will bring her back someday.”

“Don’t think I need to be shaking your hand, Samuel,” Art confided. “For some reason, I expect somehow you’ll be back.”

Samuel knew better. He touched Bonnie’s hand. “Maybe … someday,” he managed.

She peered intently at him, but he could see the pain in her eyes.

They kissed. Samuel didn’t want to let her go. He no longer minded if others saw.

He swung into his saddle. She reached up and wedged a small cluster of the yellow roses under it. “For good luck, Samuel. You and your pa have a good trip.”

Samuel felt slightly embarrassed with getting flowers from a girl, but no one seemed to notice. He turned Spooky and headed upriver.

Leaving Slate Creek, they made good time. Samuel studied the river more carefully than he had ever before. He noticed where he and Chen had lost hold on the log and almost laughed. A huge boulder sat in the middle of the river. Water piled high over its right shoulder. On either side were smooth chutes of water.

Samuel nodded to Chen, smiling. “The only boulder in the river, and that’s where we went flying.”

Chen did not smile. “Almost die, Sam.”

Charles must have caught the gist of the conversation. “I wouldn’t have made it through the first patch of fast water.”

Samuel recognized the place where the logs they had sent downriver as decoys had been wedged. He could not bear to look for long at the Chinese stone hut. They paused again to catch the Shearers up on what had taken place. Charles again described Finney and Culler. The Shearers remembered seeing them on the trail last winter, or men who resembled them.

“They were the ones that robbed our sluice,” Samuel explained.

The Shearers wanted to know why Samuel had not stopped for help. Samuel tried to explain and ended up nodding at Chen. The Shearers understood.

“Where’d you cross? I’d be afraid of losing that gold,” Frederick asked.

Samuel explained how he had taken the ferryboat across, returned it, and swum the river.

“You want a job as a ferryman?” George asked half seriously. “Even I won’t cross at night.”

At Warren’s, Charles turned himself in to Sheriff Sinclair for killing Dudgin. Sinclair quickly declared he would be found in self-defense.

“I’ll need to get your statement and Samuel’s. Sorry we had to turn those other two loose.”

“Figured you would,” Charles said. “We’ll just need to keep on the watch.”

“Judge told them they would be fools to show their faces around here again. Said maybe the next person taking a shot at them wouldn’t be a kid needing more target practice.” Sinclair nodded at Samuel. “The judge sure got a chuckle out of the jury, though. Especially when he said he wished you had a bit better aim. Everyone cheered.”

Samuel did not reply.

“I’ve never seen two hotter men leavin’ a courtroom. To be safe, I had a couple men escort them out of town and all the way to Groff’s ferry. Last anyone saw of them was them crossing, at our expense.”

“That might help somewhat,” Charles said. “I left Dudgin’s mount with Jon Stromback, in case you need it for evidence. Didn’t figure the county needed to feed a horse. By the way, any word on Ben Morton?”

“Nope,” Sinclair said. “Maybe he got the message and took off, although I’m thinking in his case it’s more a bit of misguidance.”

Samuel interjected, “I think he’s dead. When he turned tail at the stone hut, Dudgin shot at him, and I saw him grab at his shoulder. Later on, Smith had his horse.”

“That explains why Morton dropped his rifle,” Sinclair said. “You want it?” He pulled a rifle from a rack. “One of the fellows that went to the hut found it. Thought I needed it for evidence. Reckon in this case, I never saw it.” He thrust it into Samuel’s hands. “Go practice.” He winked.

Samuel did not like the idea of having someone else’s rifle, but he decided that it replaced his father’s pistol.

The Chinese received Chen with joy, especially his uncle. A flood of chattering broke out amid smiles and bows. Chen produced the papers and handed them to an elderly Chinese who glanced at them and then waved them over his head to the cheers of those gathered around. The older man studied Samuel while Chen chatted about the events. Their faces went quiet as Chen spoke, but they continued to glance from time to time at Samuel, until Samuel began to feel uncomfortable and felt his face going red.

The older Chinese gentleman approached Samuel and spoke at length to him.

“He say you are a good man, Samuel, and very brave,” Chen interpreted. “You are always welcome to the Chinese. You will have a place of honor here.”

Samuel felt embarrassed but warm inside. “Chen is a very brave man as well,” Samuel managed. “Without him, your gold would have been lost. You must honor him as well.”

Chen hesitated in interpreting. Some of the Chinese already understood.

“Tell them, Chen,” Samuel insisted. “It was you who put your neck on the line for them. You were willing to go downriver.” He smiled to himself, realizing that what he had said was literal.

Seemingly embarrassed, Chen repeated what Samuel had said. Some of the Chinese added to what he said. They nodded gravely and each in turn, clasped Chen’s shoulders and crisply bowed.

The older Chinese turned back toward Samuel, talking to him.

“You must come to celebrate with us now,” Chen interpreted and motioned toward the communal dining hall.

Samuel declined. “This is for you, Chen. I need to get back to the cabin with my father. We still have a lot of work to do, but I will see you later.”

Chen stopped smiling. Samuel realized he had inadvertently reminded him of his pending departure. His stony expression returned. He nodded and turned with the other Chinese toward the hall.

Charles and Samuel visited Alexander and returned the remaining stock. “If you’re around a few days, you can still take a trip for me.”

“How much do we still owe?” Charles asked.

“Can’t find the ledger at the moment,” Scott said. “Come back next summer, we’ll see.” He eyed Samuel.

Charles shook his head. “We don’t need charity.”

“None being offered,” Scott said, appearing somewhat hurt. “I figure we’re square enough.”

Hinley could not quite figure out why no one had inquired about the O’Riley. “You certainly showed that the mine has great potential.”

“What about Williams?” Charles asked.

“Aye. He did arrive a day or so after you must have left. He came in from Florence. He expressed some interest; however, he wished to talk to Samuel.”

Samuel gulped. He had been gone for nearly two weeks.

“He did leave me a ten-dollar eagle and ask that you offer him first right of refusal. Seems he is heading south of the Secesh to examine some silver properties there. He indicates he shall be back through here in a week or two.”

Charles muttered, “We aren’t waiting around anymore. You know what we want, Ray. You settle it for us.”

“Aye, I shall do that.”

A feeling of finality sobered Samuel. All their work of over a year had come down to this. A meager gold placer and a quartz mine that no one would look at.

They visited with others, saying their farewells. Ma Reynolds was near tears and got right to the point. “We sure wanted to see you stay in these parts, Samuel. We was a hoping you’d meet that right gal and settle down. We need some new young’uns.”

Samuel felt embarrassed. “Thank you. I’ll miss you too.”

It was true. He would. Families were not staying in Warren’s. The easy placers were done. Life as a hardrock miner was nearly unbearable. The long hours of work certainly did not lend themselves to raising a family. He was not surprised to learn the Sauxe family had left and that the Osborns and the Manuels were planning on leaving. He felt a bit better when he learned the latter two families planned to homestead near Slate Creek.

Much later, Samuel wrote a long letter to his mother. He shared all that had happened and said they should be on the trail soon.