Chapter 4: Strange Pursuit

[ateno]

"Sounds good, just tell me what you need."

Doos will take off his outer shirt to prepare for the work.

Doos

[jemmus]

Bouchard replies, The ford is around six miles east of here. In this hilly country with the woods along the Colorado, around a three hours ride, unless ya push your horses. The cattle drives use it, so the trai south and north of it well-marked, almost like a road.

Our work for the mornin is replacing cedar fence posts. Some of them have rotted away underground, leavin only the hard center core of the post. There's a section of fence that's wobbly. And old cow rubbing against it to scratch could knock a post down pretty easy. Same a bull who smells a heifer newly in season off on another ranch. It isn't glamorous work. It's just rootin the old post out of the hole, diggin a new hole and clampin out dirt usin a post hole digger, settin a new one with rocks around the base punched down with a long crowbar, and fillin the hole with a shovel. Then, reattachin the wire with a hammer and steeples. Seeing the out-of-staters blank expressions, he says, Heh.
I started talking like a Texan. "Steeples" are what are called "staples" everywhere else. C-shaped steel like nails for holdin and clampin down wire.

Then there's the haulin the new posts and haulin in rocks. And checking for any old staples that fell off and could get in a cow's hoof. And then cleanin up and haulin off the old posts and the tools.

Gideon listens pretty intently with his head slightly cocked like and his eyes a little wide. Mr. Bouchard, he says, Ah suppose you and me have had opposite careers. Ah took off on tha uncertain and often risky life of q gambler to git away from diggin post holes. But sounds like you done directly the opposite, and gone from gambling ta digging. You got a house, a ranch, a beautiful wife, good kids, and a healthy herd a livestock. Ah got a horse,a pair a dice and deck a cards,a shotgun and a pistol, and maybe more dollars on me than bullets er shells. And.... The gambler gets the grim, unseeing look that periodically crosses his face. Hard work ta do today. He mumbles under his breath, Phineas.... Shot a man because he called a pecan a PEYkan instead a a peyKAHN.... Yeah, that's you. Ah knew it as soon as ah seen yer name in the letter drawed out a that dead horse thief's saddle bag, by the ole farmhouse outside a San Marcos. Rough saddle ridin and sapistol shootin boys up in Missouri and Kansas during the War. Run off ta Texas after tha war. And here comes a boy writin to his Mama about a joined up murderer named.... Phineas.

If it ain't you, big brother, ah don't care. But it's you. If it ain't today, it's tomorra. Nah, it'll be today. We're comin. You figure out when, or where, big brother Phineas.
Don't matter. We are on you. And this it it.

[Thumper]

DT pairs off with one of the Bouchard, grabs a spade and post-hole digger, sets to work trying to get as much accomplished in two hours as possible.

At about the two hour point he’ll scan for Andreas. If he doesn’t see him, he’ll propose the saddle up and move out…

(It should be about 9:30am- around 3 hours after daybreak).

[jemmus]

Today is Thursday, June 18, 1873. The shooting contest was a week ago, on June 11. The Wells Fargo contract began on June 14 and will end at noon on June 28.

If you haven't already, please deduct rations according to this breakdown.
June 15 (all PCs) - 2/3rds of a day (breakfast was at Mrs. Smith's).
June 16 (all PCs) - One full day.
June 17 (all PC's except Andreas, who has a different figure) - 2/3rds of a day (supper was at the Bouchards').

It's another clear day. Tonight's Moon will be in the last quarter before the new Moon.

I just posted to Andreas's private thread, we'll continue when he catches up to the current chronological time.

Post hole diggers, Gideon grumbles. When ya drive em down ya go a inch... if ya don't hit a rock. And then when ya pull em up, ya pull up and empty out a quarter inch a dirt. And it's all yer arms and shoulders, straight up and down. Ah guess that's better'n shovelin, if ya got a bad back. Ya gotta go like that fer two er so feet down. Ah'm pretty good at math, ah can tell ya how many times ya do that per hole.... a nine thousand three hundred and ninety-two times. Plus one more.

[redwarrior]

William will ask Mr Bouchard, I frankly started this trip thinking it was going to be a bit quicker than it is shaping up to be. And, frankly, I didn't bring the rations I should have for the trail. Could I buy a a few days, maybe a week's worth of food, whatever you would be willing to part with that will survive in saddle bags in the heat.

That's what I get for not stocking up in town!

[Thumper]

DT will piggy back on William’s request as he has 1 can o’ beans left.

Should’ve shot a deer while we were moving so slowly on the tracking.

[jemmus]

At around 9:30 the fence fixers spot a rider emerging from the woods along the river bank. He's on a pinto horse, has long pale hair, and wears round black hat with a high crown. https://c8.alamy.com/comp/HD6CJM/dead-m ... HD6CJM.jpg It's Andreas.

Bouchard says to young Mark, Take the wagon to the house and tell Mother to pack some victuals for the visitors. Tell her there's a friend joinin them, so food for five men.
Enough for a couple of days. He says to the men, I'm sorry, but it might take a little while. The gals will need to do some cookin and bakin. If y'all start gettin low on food after a couple of days, you're welcome to come back for more. Go on now Mark, and come right back with the food, pronto. Don't dawdle around in the cool house, as you're prone to do.

Bouchard the Steve quickly unload the cedar posts from the wagon and Mark sets off for the house, the little fellow driving the horse with surprising skill. Gideon gets anxious and agitated while waiting for the food. He takes the bullets out of his pistol and inspects them one by one. He rejects one and replaces it with a fresh one, then mumbles something under his breath with his eyes closed. It looks like he's praying over his bullets. That done, he puts them back in the cylinder and gives it a firm spin, counting how many times it revolves. That done, he's still fidgety. He takes the post hole digger from Doos and attacks the hole with vigor.

At last, and hour later, Mark returns with big bundle wrapped in a bedsheet. Mama said to say she's sorry, she had to wrap the food in newspaper, it's all she had on hand. Inside the parcels are fresh-baked bread, cornbread, cooked steaks, beef ribs and bacon, cans of beans, a jar of canned chard, a little homemade cheese, a pound of coffee, and a pecan pie in a tin dish.

It's around 10:30 AM. Or if you want food for just one day, it's 10:00 AM.

[Thumper]

Upon seeing Andreas, DT says: Man, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes! Glad you made it to the big event. You ok? You’ll have to tell us about your night.

This here’s Mr Louis Bouchard and his boys Mark and Steven. Gentlemen, Andreas Larson…our tracker.

At the mention of sending Mark to have his mother cook vittles, DT puts up a sincere but mild protest about cooking food for their trail when some dry good and jerky would get them through.

Upon seeing the giant bundle of food, DT reaches out his hand to thank and shake and the hand contains three one-dollar bills. He passes the bills with the shake.

Louis, once again, your lovely wife and girls have outdone themselves. It is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of people like you.

After distributing the food, he says:

Shall we ride? I don’t think our friend Gidean will tolerate further delays.

Before swinging up into his saddle, he can be seen nodding his head in silent prayer, then he mounts Ajax.

[redwarrior]

As long as we wait until 10:30.... William was down to a couple strips of jerky!

[ateno]

"Ma'am, that is more than we could have asked for, I was down to my last rasher of bacon and serving of coffee."

Doos bows deep.

Doos starts prepping his horse and thinks.

"Mr. Bouchard, do you need another saddle, I have had a extra one for a while."

Doos

[cybersavant]

#168 Unread post by Thumper » May 18th, '24, 15:29
Upon seeing Andreas, DT says: Man, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes! Glad you made it to the big event. You ok? You’ll have to tell us about your night.
This here’s Mr Louis Bouchard and his boys Mark and Steven. Gentlemen, Andreas Larson…our tracker.

Andreas Larson nods to the farmer and his children. "I am Herr Andreas Larson." He looks over to DT. "Der ist nicht much to tell. It vhas a nice, kvi-et night."

[jemmus]

Gideon gives Bouchard two dollars, over his objection. If ya don't need it, put it in the church offerin plate. Er give it to Steve and Mark fer some goin to town pocket money. Bouchard replies to Doos, That's a nice saddle. If it's weighin you down, we could use it. He gives the visitors directions to Bland's place. Just follow the river west for around three miles. Watch for the big Texas flag the sheriff told you about. I'd recommend keepin your guns in their holsters and saddle sheathes, and makin some noise as you approach the house to let Virgil know you aren't sneakin up on him. But I reckon him and his son and son-in-law will be out workin the cattle or takin care a somethin or other. The Vitek place is just a mile so or southwest Virgil's place, farther back away from the river. Good luck to you-- whatever you aim to do. Steve and Mark wave good-bye and Mrs. Bouchard and the girls come out on the porch and do the same.

The riders ride west, and after around an hour and half see the big Lone Star State they'd heard described. It's surrounded by wire-fenced ranchland, with a herd of mixed longhorn and hereford cattle. The Sun is directly overhead and hot, and the cattle lie and stand in the shade of scattered live oak trees. There's a large ranch house, a big barn, and a couple of sheds. There's a newer, smaller house, and from its area there's the sound of hammering.

Gideon says, Ah don't know that we need to announce ta more people than we have to whar we're goin. We don't know this Virgil Bland from Adam. And if we git wiped out, them robbers may want ta git thar revenge on anybody who helped us.

It's around high noon. Actions? And if anyone wants to retcon an action before reaching here, please feel free.

[cybersavant]

Andreas Larson "Do vhe need to stop und talk mit dem? Vhe haf der directions to der target."

[Thumper]

DT:
You make good points Gid and Andreas. We know the way there. The Bland’s could have some info we could use. But I doubt it would be of any greater value than what we could glean through observation. Doos, ya still got your binoculars handy? I have my telescope. We ought to be able to spend the afternoon watching and mapping the place and coming up with a plan of action. I vote we ride on.

DT would propose a plan to locate the Vitek’s squeaky windmill, one person stay back with the horses while Doos and one partner go find a spot to observe the ranch from one angle while DT and one partner go the other direction to do the same from the other angle. Plan to meet back up an hour before sundown? That’s when the sun sits a balled fist-width (the bottom edge of the little finger on the horizon and top of the closed thumb touching the bottom of the sun) above the horizon…not the tree tops.

[ateno]

Retcon: Doos gives the family his extra saddle he got from the horse he rides on now, keeping his original one.
"You were welcoming and the type of people I like to see, I want to help you out."

DT's plan

"Sounds good, watch for people on watch, and count people and such what, sounds like when we lost a patrol to confederate holdouts, sounds good."

Stealth [1d20]=14



Doos

[Thumper]

Deleted

[redwarrior]

William is the first to admit that he's no scout, and will volunteer to hold the horses.

[jemmus]

The riders pass the Bland place at around 1:30 in the afternoon, stop, and turn southwest. The area remains hilly, but with fewer limestone outcroppings, and grassland between the dotted trees and bushes. They expect the Vitek place to be about a mile away. A half hour's ride, in this hilly country.

Gideon McLaury has gone into one of his moods, and remains silent, staring hard to the southwest at each time the group tops another rise. He seems even more agitated, takes continual dips from his snuff box, hands slightly trembling. And seemingly sometimes forgetting to eject the chaw between his cheek and gum before inserting another. And then having to try to sort out the two with his tongue and trying to eject the old wad without the new one. It's not a pretty sight, nor sound.

Anyone can make an Orienteering roll to assist with directly finding the Vitek place. And for more accurately mapping out the area, with more precise distances and ranges. (A 1 succeeds, even if your PC doesn't have the Orienteering skill).

Please also post Observation rolls, for GM's reference.

[Thumper]

Not so much on the orienteering

Observation (15): [1d20]=3

DT will look for an opportunity to ride alongside Gidean, put his hand on his elbow, look him in the eye and say:

I understand the obligation to take care of the situation when one's own goes bad. This can't be easy. I'm nervous too, but I can't even imagine... We're with you. All of us. It's the right thing to do. Lord be with us all.

Somehow, this only makes DT more nervous. The familiar feeling of impending battle rises higher.

[redwarrior]

William helps to follow the trail, not pointing out anything that the others didn't already see!


Observation target 15 [1d20]=12
Orienteering [1d20]=2 So close!