Chapter 18 Hare Today, Gone Tamale
They came at last upon a small creek where Emmelina
and Jack freshened up and Em treated the cuts on Jack's wrists from the handcuffs, having found some aloe Daryl had packed against just such a need. They ate a little of the trail food they had and Em also administered unto Jack some cider. Not having had much sleep of late, this put him out for some time under the inaccurate assumption he'd made that he would 'just be resting my eyes' for a brief spell.
Em knew they'd have to go back for Daryl, of course. No reason they couldn't nab him like they'd gotten Jack; although she had to admit that had been abit of mad luck, really, to have gotten away with it all so easily. She didn't begrudge Jack some time out to rest up first, however. Daryl had set a grueling pace earlier and she was glad enough to rest awhile.
She was nearly starting to doze herself when she heard a mighty yawn and jaw pop from Jack. '...guess I fell out for awhile, sorry...'
'Ready to head back now, Jack?' She was gathering up their things and packing their saddlebags.
'Hm?' Jack sat up rubbing his neck. Pulled his hat down to shade his eyes and took in the sky. 'Getting late.'
Em mounted Pancho, regarding Jack from on high. 'You know we can't just leave him.'
Jack hauled himself up and stretched. 'Yeeeaaahhh....I suppose...' he grinned ruefully, 'Although, if you have a plan, I'd sure like to hear it.'
Emmelina hadn't quite gotten that far. 'Not as such, but by the time we get there, I'm sure we'll have thought of something.'
'Right.' Jack shook his head and took another hit from the canteen. 'Okay, let's ride!'
And off they headed, back east from whence they'd came.
. . . .
And, indeed, the sky was darkening as they approached the railway line, but they could still hear hammers ringing out against spikes and knew the work crew was still at their labors.
They pulled up before the last ridge heading into the valley and dismounting, scurried low up to the crest where they regarded the scene from behind boulders. 'Now's a good time for that plan.' Jack rasped,
checking their ammunition. 'We sure don't have much for mounting a full scale frontal assault.'
Em was quiet, gazing about them at the low hills on either side of the valley. 'Let me think a moment...'
She thought she might be able to visualize a way to make them believe that the two of them were part of a larger raiding party, once darkness fell. 'Did you find any more firecrackers?'
Jack had. They decided to wait until full dark and then
before the prisoners were restrained once more, Jack and Emmelina would make enough noise coming from both directions, he with rifle shots and she with the firecrackers and rocks, that chaos would ensue and Daryl could get away. They hoped.
'A completely crazy plan with no chance of success.' Jack grinned. 'I do love a challenge. Well, let's plot our plan of attack...'
They scuttled down the hillside back to the horses and carried on slightly closer to the valley below, staying quiet and walking along the arroyo to keep out of sight. Jack and Em spoke quietly, gathering a sackful of rocks to lob into the fray, and pinpointing their best positions for the attack.
The mountains were purple against the indigo sky and all crimson had faded from the west now, but the work crew was still driven on without mercy, the jailers just lighted fires and lanterns to see enough to keep working into the night.
Emmelina and Jack lay on their bellies, watching. 'Well, at least the moon isn't full...it won't be as easy to see us...'Em mused. 'Jack...? What is that on the other side of the valley, something just moved! Do you see it?'
'Where?' he moved over closer to Em.
She pointed toward a bunch of boulders at the base of the opposite hillside. 'There. Do you see now? Ah! Again! ' Em rasped, whispering, 'Two men, moving!'
'Yep.' Jack nodded. 'And, up on the hilltop, too, see there?' He pointed up along the rise where Em just caught sight of two more dark shadows moving against the blue of the night sky as they came over the hill.
'Who are they Jack? Could it be the revolutionaries?'Em asked, hopefully. That could be a help.
'Can't say who. Maybe.' Jack frowned. 'Or, they could just be banditos. Plenty of them about.' That, however, would not be a help. 'I think, at this point, it'd be best if we just lie low, and let them make the first move. Get ready though, Em; if they attack, we have to take action...but you stay out of the fight! Do your bit with the fireworks and I'll get Daryl, agreed?'
Emmeline nodded, and they inched downward closer to the train tracks.
Nearly close enough now to hurl her rocks and fireworks,
Em surveyed the scene. Jack was to her left, ready to rabbit off in that direction whilst she would then split to the right. Meanwhile, they hunkered down together and watched; occasionally spying a skulking shadow, also creeping down the opposite mountainside.
Suddenly the air came alive with crackling, hidden, vicious rifle fire. 'Vamanos!' rasped Jack, as he took off running low to the left, and Emmelina began lighting her fireworks as she ran, her heart pounding, hoping that she was successfully ducking bullets as she tossed the lighted fireworks and rocks beyond. Although the revolutionaries were a help with the distraction, things could turn deadly if a stray bullet came their way.
That they were in fact, Constitutionalists and not bandits, became apparent when Em could hear 'Viva Villa!' amongst the 'Valgame dios!' and 'Pendejos! Hijo de la's--!'and the rip of rifle fire all about, as she ran on, brought up only by the puffs of dust around her as bullets pitted the ground.
Dust was everywhere, and confusion as she tried to keep low enough not to get hit and yet still see what was happening. Horses were galloping towards them and she noted some of the prisoners were yelling, greeting the raiding party as though they knew them, and perhaps they did. This was confirmed when the, now former, prisoners were swung up behind the riders on horseback and carried off from the scene. Em was even more amazed to see Daryl now, who had also grabbed onto the arm of a companero and was being hauled up behind the man onto the back of a big bay and off they thundered following the raiding party back over the hills from whence they'd came.
Thinking this a good time to get the heck out of there, Emmelina crouched low and ran back for cover, hoping to meet Jack back where the horses were tied. The gunshots were more sporatic now and she slowed a bit, trying to catch her breath and holding her side which had a stitch, but luckily, she'd taken no worse damage.
In the dark, she could at last make out Pancho's white spots and Daryl's horse's dark silhouette near him. Em took a sip of water from her canteen and patted Pancho's neck trying to soothe both their nerves. Shots were seldom now. Where could Jack be? After all this, surely
he was alright! Em couldn't bear it if in her heroics to save Daryl, she'd gotten Jack killed...
'Boo.'
Em jumped a foot. 'Jack, you have to stop that!'she rasped. 'Not funny!' The man would give her a heart attack before the honeymoon, scary as that was sure to be.
'Sorry, Em.' Jack smiled and didn't look sorry. He did put a comforting arm about her though. 'Let's vamanos while we can.'
No argument there, she thought, as they swung into their saddles and trotted as quietly as possible out of sight then spurred their mounts into a canter. 'Jack, wait!' Em called at last.
He pulled up and let her catch up to him. 'Don't you think we should try to follow Daryl?'
Jack leaned on his saddlehorn and sighed, staring off in the direction Daryl had flown. 'I'm not so sure that would be a good idea, luv.' Em waited. 'Well, we got him out of here, and that's the main thing. Truly, Em, I think he'll be alright. But, I'm not so sure about bringing a toothsome young woman around these hombres...'
'Toothsome, eh? That hungry Jack?' Em was smiling, though.
'A little, I'll admit.'Jack returned her smile.
She could see the wisdom in his line of thought. Sighing, she agreed. 'Alright then, we'll keep heading west I suppose, and seek somewhere safe enough to camp soon.'She nudged Pancho into a walk. 'How are you at catching rabbits, Jack?'
'I guess we'll find out.'
. . . . .
Westward ho then, Em told herself as they plodded along. When had she ever found this to be exhilarative? She was bone-tired now and weary in her soul. Too tired to make a fire much less cook or even eat a rabbit, should they find one in the ink of night. Jack seemed to be feeling the same, she noted his head hung to his chest and shoulders slumped forward. They were both barely upright in their saddles.
She caught herself dozing, and jerked her head up then. Odd to be so silent, even in the semi-desert. No coyotes...what was that low hum, though? It seemed to be coming from somewhere on her horse. She noted then her saddlebag seemed to be vibrating. Em had a moment of panic, thinking a rattlesnake had gotten inside. Then she remembered her artefact.
'Jack!' Her voice sounded loud in the dark stillness. He stopped and licked his dry lips. 'Em?' he half-croaked, and took a drink from his water canteen, nudged his horse next to hers, saw that she was eyeing something held closely in her palm. 'What is it?'
Em was staring at the artefact. 'It's come alive again...'she was muttering, frowning at it. Jack could see as he came closer that her hands were reflecting a red glow from the object that had begun to illuminate Em's features. 'It's vibrating, do you hear it?' She looked over at him. 'Quick, Jack, take my hand!'
He reached out, grabbing Emmelina's hand as she held the reins and her red, thrumming ovoid in the other. And apparently, just in time, too, for in the next few seconds, nothing remained but the hushed desert and hoofprints.
. . . . .
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