Chapter IV - Comancheria (Charlie & Ezekiel)

[Rex]

Charlie

"They are very heavy and will slow us down. My guess is that is why the Comanche left them, otherwise they use them for building many things."

[Bluetongue]

'Sarge' Ezekiel

His mount should be able to cope with a little extra weight, even just a couple of quality hides. It is strange they were not taken, just the brutality meted out.

I will leave the bodies in situ. No time to bury them but we can mark the area roughly on any map and leave it for the army to investigate later.

[jemmus]

Ezekiel inspects the stacked buffalo hides. He and Charlie know that an average hide will sell for $2, and a better one will bring up to $2.25 to $2.50. The sides have been brain tanned, but they're not completely dry. Ezekiel estimates that they weigh around 20 lbs. each. Draping two of the best of them over his horse's shoulders may not slow it down,should the need to gallop come up-- whether for pursuit or for flight. Even with the weight of the dried venison, hardtack and beef jerky, notebook and pencil, comb, razor, bar of soap, wash rag, and scant other things bulging his saddle bags.

Ezekiel's Good quality horse will need a Strength ST not to move a category down to Average, should the need for speed come up. I assume he shared some of his venison jerky with the settlers for last evening's share meal, as Charlie did. If so, jettisoning the remaining venison jerky and keeping only the bought rations would eliminate the need for an ST check. Or half of it for a +2 to the check. Ezekiel's and Charlie's current jerky = 8 days rations (in addition to their standard bought and carried rations).

Charlie has the same option for taking hides for trade or sale.

Both Charlie and Ezekiel get a +2 to a roll for a roll for discerning that they'd come across a site of a buffalo hunter massacre. The bonus must be called before rolling. If it fails, a successful Luck roll can restore it.

The scouts wisely decide to get out of the area of the bodies of the presumed buffalo hunters, the circling buzzards, the smoldering and smoking axles of a wagon, and the stacked piles of buffalo hides. They know that to the Comanche, every buffalo is a giver of life and shared part of Earth and creation. As a sitting of dollars in a town would be to an Anglo man, so stacks of hides would be to Comanches, and their wives, mothers, aunts, old grandmothers, sisters and even daughters.
Charlie leads the way northeast, toward the road from San Antonio to the south to the German town of Fredericksburg to the northeast, and the U.S. Army's Camp Mason a little ways beyond it. He and Ezekiel discuss that along the way. They've both heard that the Army has abandoned Mason and moved the garrison to Camp McKavitt, a day's ride of 20 or so miles to the west. Pushing miles into the land the Spanish-Mexican army maps label "La Comancheria." Where to settlers in there wagon move to claim the land and settle their deeds.

The scouts top another gentle hill and another taller and limestone-cliffed one. They scan the horizons for possible enemies. The scouts see to the southwest, more buzzards circling high in the sky. And closer, to the near west, many more. And toward where they just came from, the same general crew. They wonder why the circling birds don't just descend and feed. Maybe they soar and glide as a sign to their Buzzard Nation tribe. For tracking. Or for feeding babies. Or whatever other reason known only to a bird that survives by eating dead and rotting stuff knows.

Far away, around a half mile away to northeast (say 800 - 900 yds) away, the scouts see three other horsemen shielding their eyes and observing in their direction. They appear to be uncertain and gazing intently. They might be wearing blue Army blue or Comanche buckhide and paint on faces and horses.

Actions?

[Rex]

Charlie

"Lets see who this is."

He rides towards the unknown people, prepared to turn and run if need be.

[Bluetongue]

'Sarge' Ezekiel

"Sure, what do we have to lose except a balding scalp."

I gave my venison to the settlers.

[jemmus]

The scouts ride toward the three horsemen, who've spotted them and observe them. After fifty yards of riding, a fourth man emerges from behind some foliage, looks toward the scouts, and mounts his horse. The four men start walking their horses toward Charlie and Ezekiel fanning out into spaces between riders of around 20 yards. Two of their horses seem to be of the thin and rangy Texas horse type, but two seem to be bigger, taller, and more muscular quarterhorses of the type being brought in from Back East. Particularly by the U.S. Army quartermaster's office, Ezekiel knows. But he also knows that the man mounted on a horse isn't necessarily it's original or rightful owner.

The two groups close to around 500 yards. The edge of extreme range for a breech-loading single shot Sharps rifle, the most common long arm in the West. A hundred yards beyond extreme range for a lever action rifle, and 300 yards for a similar but quicker carbine. The riders ahead slow their horses to a stop. From the way they sit their horses, they appear to be men of an Indian tribe. Wearing Anglo hats and dark shirts. Whether Army scouts, renegades from the semi-settled tribes in the Indian Territory north across the Red River, or Indio bandidos from Mexico or the wild Apache lands to the southwest is hard to tell. The scouts know that a chance encounter and with another rider out in the open lands can of great benefit for both sides-- namely, information about where each is coming from and what they've seen along the way. Without having to ride the miles and spend the hours riding themselves. And still just have a little knowledge of particular wedge, among many others, of this prairie. That goes all the way to the Rocky Mountains to the west.

The four riders ahead have stopped, but start slowly walking their horses forward, observing.

Actions? If you want to roll an Observation roll, good eyesight might reveal more about the details of the appearance of the riders. A good Indian Contact roll might help identify their tribe, if any.

[Rex]

Charlie

Observation (16) [1d20]=18 Indian Contact 99) [1d20]=6

[Bluetongue]

'Sarge' Ezekiel

Ezekiel: Observation (14) [1d20]=2 Indian Contact (13) [1d20]=19

Friend or Foe? I am expecting the latter and primed rifle in hand ready for trouble.