Hired guns

Previously:

Several hours later—Susie’s “posse” arrived at Fort Defiance… “It’s certain, Susie, that these 19^th Century men have not experienced women leading a gaggle of gunslingers.”

“Jay,” Susie knew Sarah was right—she’d learned that lesson in Hartle’s Corners back in 1866, “You’re the boss.”

“It looks quiet, and they’ve left the gates open, just for us,” Jay quipped as he assumed the lead position, “Can we mosey down on horseback?”

With the men-folk in the lead, they did, in fact “mosey on down” to the stockade.

They did, in fact “mosey on down” to the stockade.

The question in my mind, GENTLE READER—what’s gonna happen when Johann Schwartzkopf greets them?

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 10:

Continuing our story—at the gates of Fort Defiance… “I think we ‘womenfolk’ best hold back for now,” Susie said as they prepared to ride to the gates, “To maintain our 19^th Century proper place.”

“Yeah, we don’t want to scare the residents—too much,” Chris smirked. They followed at a “respectful” distance behind the menfolk—and in doing so, were providing cover for them—in case of any surprises.

Two men came up as Jay brought his contingent to a halt in front of the gates, “How do, I’m Jay Cooper and these fellas are Boomer, Big Mac and Grey Cloud; I understand you fellas are looking for some hired guns.”

“I understand you fellas are looking for some hired guns.”

“I’m Moose Callahan and this-here is Frank Apple,” the man in buckskins replied, “Yeah we’ve been expecting you. I see y’brung wimmin—boss din’t say nothin’ ’bout wimmin.”

“Every one of those ‘wimmin’ can shoot better than most men,” Big Mac rumbled his most ominous rumble, “Something you fellas ought to keep in mind.”

“I-I din’t mean no disrespect, Mister,” Moose replied, “You kin set up camp behind th’ stockade.”

“None taken, Mister Callahan,” Jay smiled, “Big Mac is correct, however, we didn’t bring the ladies along just because they’re pretty—they’re part of our gang. Are you the boss of this outfit?”

“Naw,” a relieved Callahan replied, “Mister Schwartzkopf went down into the valley to the village on business. He’ll be back in the morning.”

“Crap,” Boomer thought to himself—a thought shared by the others.

To be Continued…

Arrival at Fort Defiance

Previously:

“We need more help, boss. Them fellers operating north of here are gettin’ frisky—I heard some talk about them coming here to put us outa business.”

“I’ve already put the word out that we need some more guns, and we have some coming with those mountie horses we got coming on the train.”

“You heard from them fellers?”

“A coupla weeks ago when they stole the train, they sent a telegraph message from the station—the stationmaster earned his pay that night.”

Meanwhile—ten miles away on the trail… “Wow!”

“Wow!”

“It sure is beautiful, Susan,” Boomer agreed.

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 9:

Continuing our story—five miles from “Fort” Defiance… They’d been riding the barely discernable trail for several hours climbing ever higher into the mountains—high enough for these flatlanders to discover they had some difficulty breathing, it would be a while before they acclimated.

“Can we talk now?” Pal wheezed, “I don’t sense any non-sentient humans around.”

“Can we talk now?” Pal wheezed

“Go ahead, buddy, whinny away,” Boomer was a little surprised the usually talkative Pal had waited so long to speak.

“I’m glad our canine friends were left behind, much as I love Daisy—she would be wheezing something fierce about now.”

“Oh yes,” Jay Cooper’s Achilles walking just in front of Pal agreed, “And Pepper would be barking his complaints for all to hear, let me tell you.”

“Stallions!” Sarah’s Windy harumpfed, “And they say mares gossip. Honestly, you two!”

Several hours later—Susie’s “posse” arrived at Fort Defiance… “It’s certain, Susie, that these 19^th Century men have not experienced women leading a gaggle of gunslingers.”

“Jay,” Susie knew Sarah was right—she’d learned that lesson in Hartle’s Corners back in 1866, “You’re the boss.”

“It looks quiet, and they’ve left the gates open, just for us,” Jay quipped as he assumed the lead position, “Can we mosey down on horseback?”

“Can we mosey down on horseback?”

With the men-folk in the lead, they did, in fact “mosey on down” to the stockade.

The question in my mind, GENTLE READER—what’s gonna happen when Johann Schwartzkopf greets them?

To be Continued…

Fort Defiance

Previously:

Inspector MacIntyre detailed Constable Mule Deerslayer to remain behind with O’Reilly to guard the prisoners and arranged for a jail of sorts in one of the buildings in the town adjacent to the way station. Sergeant Yatkov would serve as the engineer of the NWNP train until they reached Brandon, Manitoba, where an engineer & fireman would meet the train, “When we get to Brandon, Susie, we’ll split up. You and your folks will proceed overland to a fur post in the mountains called Fort Defiance. There you’ll make friends with the American fur traders.”

About the same time—at “Fort Defiance”… Someone they already knew—and who knew them was outside the fort—Johann Schwartzkopf—the ancestor of Mille Schwartzkopf Gamboge—and who gave them so much trouble in 1873 Grand Marais.

Things could be worse—right?

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 8:

Continuing our story—at “Fort Defiance” three weeks later… Johann Schwartzkopf was outside the “fort,” which in fact, was not a fort, but a stockade around a fur-trading post that now, under Schwartzkopf’s control, operated as a whiskey-trading post, trading whiskey for furs with First Nation Indian people.

Johann Schwartzkopf was outside the “fort,”…

Shortly after his rather abrupt departure from the Grand Marais/Moosehead County area, Schwartzkopf made his way into Canada and eventually hooked up with whiskey traders out of Montana near Medicine Hat, Alberta. With his glib tongue & remarkable ability at prevarication, he soon became their leader—leading them into the mountains with several wagons loaded with barrels of cheap rot-gut whiskey. Johann was pleased to discover there was no Canadian counterpart to the gunslinging peace officers of the United States and he figured he could make enough money to eventually slither back home—a wealthy man.

The demand for beaver pelts (originally to be made into beaver felt for various types of hats) had already waned from the glory days of the last century, but there remained just enough demand for jackets and coats made from the pelts to enable traders to earn a significant sum of money—knowing this, Schwartzkopf planned on getting what he could, while he could and then returning to the States.

“We need more help, boss. Them fellers operating north of here are gettin’ frisky—I heard some talk about them coming here to put us outa business.”

“I’ve already put the word out that we need some more guns, and we have some coming with those mountie horses we got coming on the train.”

“You heard from them fellers?”

“A coupla weeks ago when they stole the train, they sent a telegraph message from the station—the stationmaster earned his pay that night.”

Meanwhile—ten miles away on the trail… “Wow!”

“Wow!”

“It sure is beautiful, Susan,” Boomer agreed.

To be Continued…

Encounter at the Way Station

Previously:

At the same time—in the NWMP HQ Car…

“Who are those guys?”

“They look like desparados!” George exclaimed.

“We’d better fight ‘em!”

“Oh—right Fred, lookit how they wear them guns!”

“They ain’t gettin’ our train—we have too much reward money at stake.”

“You can’t spend reward money if you are dead, Fred.”

The discussion continued for some minutes while outside the train, the “desparados” calmly sat astride their horses—watching both the occupants of the HQ car and the locomotive. They were ready, with sidearms unlooped and hands scant inches away.

hey were ready, with sidearms unlooped and hands scant inches away.

This could only end one way…

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 7:

Continuing our story—Outside the NWMP RR Car…Susie’s “posse” continued to calmly watch the occupants of the car and chatted with each other as if nothing special was going on, “I really need to get the recipe for that roast you made last night, Susan.”

“Really Sarah? You liked it that much?”

“Really Sarah? You liked it that much?”

“Hey Grey Wolf—where’s your full-feathered ‘war bonnet’?”

“Cujo didn’t give me enough time to buy one, Chris.”

While they talked, they kept a close eye on their quarry inside the car, “They’re heading for the doors!”

Moments later—they were lined up outside the car… “Don’t shoot—we give up!”

It was then that Corporal Liam O’Reilly walked up, “You are now the prisoners—my prisoners, in particular—of the North-West Mounted Patrol. I sincerely hope you’ll try to give me some trouble.”

They looked at the hulking O’Reilly and decided, “We ain’t gonna give you trouble corporal.”

“We ain’t gonna give you trouble corporal.”

Inspector MacIntyre detailed Constable Mule Deerslayer to remain behind with O’Reilly to guard the prisoners and arranged for a jail of sorts in one of the buildings in the town adjacent to the way station. Sergeant Yatkov would serve as the engineer of the NWNP train until they reached Brandon, Manitoba, where an engineer & fireman would meet the train, “When we get to Brandon, Susie, we’ll split up. You and your folks will proceed overland to a fur post in the mountains called Fort Defiance. There you’ll make friends with the American fur traders.”

About the same time—at “Fort Defiance”… Someone they already knew—and who knew them was outside the fort—Johann Schwartzkopf—the ancestor of Mille Schwartzkopf Gamboge—and who gave them so much trouble in 1873 Grand Marais.

Things could be worse—right?

Things could be worse—right?

To be Continued…

This could only end one way…

Previously:

As Susie left for the Parlor Car, M-Sgt. Yatkov asked, “How is it we rolled over the empty space where once there was a trestle?”

“The tracks are in the 21^st Century, Murphy.”

Yatkov mulled this over for a moment or two, “How do you avoid 21^st Century trains?”

“Only the tracks are modern, the train is completely in the 19^th Century.”

“Somehow, this makes perfect sense to me.”

Meanwhile, in the Parlor Car—Susie had a plan… “Inspector, you and your officers will remain on the train, while we get off the train a mile or so before we reach the way station, where we expect your train will have to stop for water. Larry will bring our train past the siding and then back up on the siding, while we ride up—and I hope—capture the train.”

“What’s up Larry?”

“An’ if they dinnae stop, whit then, Susie?”

About the same time—aboard the stolen NWMP Loco… “Water stop ahead.”

“No! We must keep going!”

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 6:

Continuing our story—at the water stop…

“You’d rather we run out of water and wood? No wood, no fire—no fire and no water, no steam—and then we stop.”

“Okay, we stop, but I don’t like it. What if they catch-up?”

“Remember the trestle?”

They slowed to a stop at the water tank and were about to climb down—a train rumbled slowly by on the main track, stopped and someone wearing a crimson jacket jumped down and threw the switch and the train began backing down the siding in front of them.

The train began backing down the siding in front of them

“I’m thinking about that trestle.”

“How did they get past?”

“I don’t care how, I care more about those riders—they look an awful lot like American gunslingers to me.”

“We can’t give up this train!”

At the same time—in the NWMP HQ Car…

“Who are those guys?”

“They look like desparados!” George exclaimed.

“We’d better fight ‘em!”

“Oh—right Fred, lookit how they wear them guns!”

“Oh—right Fred, lookit how they wear them guns!”

“They ain’t gettin’ our train—we have too much reward money at stake.”

“You can’t spend reward money if you are dead, Fred.”

The discussion continued for some minutes while outside the train, the “desparados” calmly sat astride their horses—watching both the occupants of the HQ car and the locomotive. They were ready, with sidearms unlooped and hands scant inches away.

This could only end one way…

To be Continued…

Cliffhanger “No! We must keep going!”

Previously:

Yatkov studied his doppelgänger for a minute or two, “You’re not only a dead-ringer for me—but you are also not of this century—you, all of you, are time travellers.”

Larry Yatkowsky was stunned to silence [yes GENTLE READER—I know how hard that is for you to accept, but 'tis true] for a moment, “What makes you say that?”

“Your locomotive, and I read a lot and I have read stories of time travellers, the thought of time travel facinates me.”

Just as Larry began a synopsis of their travels, Susie and Flutters arrived, “What’s up Larry?”

A loaded question—to be sure.

A loaded question—to be sure.

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 5:

We rejoin our story—As Susie & Flutters arrived at Loco 01… “Master Sergeant Yatkov has figured out that we can time travel. But more importantly wants to know how we will go about stopping the NWMP train once we catch it. That should occur in about a half-hour.”

“About twenty-five miles into Canada there is a water and wood station with a mile-long double track adjacent to the station.”

“Thank you Sergeant,” Susie thought for a moment or two, “Flutters get everyone together in the Parlor Car. Larry, slow down our train—we’ll need about fifteen more minutes.”

As Susie left for the Parlor Car, M-Sgt. Yatkov asked, “How is it we rolled over the empty space where once there was a trestle?”

“The tracks are in the 21^st Century, Murphy.”

Yatkov mulled this over for a moment or two, “How do you avoid 21^st Century trains?”

“Only the tracks are modern, the train is completely in the 19^th Century.”

“Somehow, this makes perfect sense to me.”

Meanwhile, in the Parlor Car—Susie had a plan… “Inspector, you and your officers will remain on the train, while we get off the train a mile or so before we reach the way station, where we expect your train will have to stop for water. Larry will bring our train past the siding and then back up on the siding, while we ride up—and I hope—capture the train.”

“An’ if they dinnae stop, whit then, Susie?”

“An’ if they dinnae stop, whit then, Susie?”

About the same time—aboard the stolen NWMP Loco… “Water stop ahead.”

“No! We must keep going!”

To be Continued…

You are time travelers

Previously:

Meanwhile—Upstairs in the Personal Quarters…The Inspector began to recover from his total astonishment of learning not only of sentient critters—but more profoundly—time travel, “Thes is aw a mystery tae me, but alas, Ah fear Ah mus accept thes as a strange truth. Ye main help us defeat a bunch ay American ootlaws. we hae lost fife North-West Moonted Patrol officers tae their ruthlessness awreddy. Ur thaur gunfighters amang yer lot?”

In unison Boomer and Chris drew their sidearms and had them pointed at the ceiling before MacIntyre could blink.

“Ah believe I’ve come athwart th’ reit Americans, an’ th’ others?”

“Ah believe I’ve come athwart th’ reit Americans, an’ th’ others?”

“About the same skills, and most of us have served as peace officers,” Chris replied.

“Very-weel, ‘en. Lit me teel ye whit we’d loch ye tae do fur us.”

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 4:

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: We have finally gotten the AUTO-TRANSLATOR to work! No longer will you have to try and figure-out what our Canadian hosts are saying.]

We rejoin our story—With Hogger Larry & Master Sergeant Yatkov in Loco 01… “Canadian border in five minutes,” Larry announced.

“Good. How far ahead do you think they are?”

“About a half-hour at this rate—they had a pretty big lead on us. Must we stop at the border?”

“Who would try to stop us at this speed? We do need to figure out how to capture the train.”

“Flutters, ask Susie to join us, please.”

“Flutters, ask Susie to join us, please.”

As the bird flew to the Parlor Car, Murphy asked, “Who is Susie?”

“Marshal Blackmon is the most experienced peace officer among us. If anyone can figure out how to stop them—it would be Susie.”

Yatkov studied his doppelgänger for a minute or two, “You’re not only a dead-ringer for me—but you are also not of this century—you, all of you, are time travelers.”

Larry Yatkowsky was stunned to silence [yes GENTLE READER—I know how hard that is for you to accept, but 'tis true] for a moment, “What makes you say that?”

“Your locomotive, and I read a lot and I have read stories of time travellers, the thought of time travel facinates me.”

Just as Larry began a synopsis of their travels, Susie and Flutters arrived, “What’s up Larry?”

A loaded question—to be sure.

To be Continued…

Ur thaur gunfighters amang yer lot?

Previously:

“It is true, People-Dog Inspector. It was made possible by my big sister, Cujo.”

“Ye say thes, (it’s Daisy isnae it?) in th’ pest tense…”

“She’s lost this ability—we’re stuck here.”

“Forever? ‘At is terrible, ye main be huir uv a woriat.”

“We are worried, Inspector—for Cujo more than for ourselves. Now we need to know how we can help you.”

“We are worried, Inspector—”

Meanwhile—In the Parlor Car…The NWMP officers arrived—interrupting the conversation. Fortunately no dog-person was speaking at the time—equally fortunate was the fact that none of the officers had seen the train cross the “missing” trestle—they were too busy getting back off the floor, “I be Corporal Liam O’Reilly, an’ dees fellows are Constables Mule Deerslayer an ‘Enry Singh. Can yer tell us why de train stopped so suddenly?”

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 3:

Continuing our story—In the Parlor Car… “Pleased to meet you Corporal O’Reilly,” Big Mac replied and with a bit of a chuckle, “Our hogger (Engineer) is quite inexperienced. I’m Carl McIntyre and my friends are my wife, Colista, Susan Miller, Susie Blackmon, Grey Wolf Silverthorn and Sarah and Jay Cooper.”

“MacIntyre is it? Are ye related ter Inspector MacIntyre?”

“It’s McIntyre,” Mac grinned, “Yes, very distantly related.”

“It’s McIntyre,” Mac grinned, “Yes, very distantly related.”

“Are you gentlmen hungry?” Susan, the consummate host, asked, “I was just fixing us some lunch—you fellows must join us.”

Henry Singh answered for the Mounties, “Wea’ar, t’ bandits stole wee scran, an’ orl as wee ‘orses.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“He said they are hungry, Susan,” Grey Wolf translated, “Their food supply was stolen with the train.”

“In that case, pull up a chair—lunch will be served in a few minutes.”

Meanwhile—Upstairs in the Personal Quarters…The Inspector began to recover from his total astonishment of learning not only of sentient critters—but more profoundly—time travel, “Thes is aw a mystery tae me, but alas, Ah fear Ah mus accept thes as a strange truth. Ye main help us defeat a bunch ay American ootlaws. we hae lost fife North-West Moonted Patrol officers tae their ruthlessness awreddy. Ur thaur gunfighters amang yer lot?”

In unison Boomer and Chris drew their sidearms and had them pointed at the ceiling before MacIntyre could blink.

“Ah believe I’ve come athwart th’ reit Americans, an’ th’ others?”

“Ah believe I’ve come athwart th’ reit Americans, an’ th’ others?”

“About the same skills, and most of us have served as peace officers,” Chris replied.

“Very-weel, ‘en. Lit me teel ye whit we’d loch ye tae do fur us.”

To be Continued…

HUSH, BUTTONS

Previously:

“Daisy, come with me, Chris may need our help upstairs.”

“Is it lunch time yet?” Jay Cooper wasn’t really all that hungry—but his comment broke the tension.

“It will be,” Susan grinned, “I’m on it!”

Meanwhile—upstairs in the personal quarters…

“Ye say a’am nay losin’ mah min’?”

“Your mind is fine, Inspector,” Chris smiled.

“Hoo can thes be?”

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 2:

Continuing our story—Upstairs in the Personal Quarters… “We, all of us ‘creatures,’ on this train—including our horses and mule, are as sentient as you are, Inspector MacIntyre, and have the gift of speech.”

“Buttons is quite right,” Chris wanted to put the inspector at ease, “There is really nothing wrong with your mind. Animal sentience and speech seems to have begun to be noticed as early as 1866.”

“Wa huvnae Ah noticed thes until a year ur sae ago, ‘en?”

“We’ve noticed in our travels that this hasn’t happened all at once,” Buttons replied, “When Marshal Blackmon was still in 1866, only her horse Josie was sentient.”

“Ye hae a strange way ay ‘spikin, Buttons, Whit dae ye mean by ‘was still in 1866‘, lass?”

“Why, we travel through ti…”

“HUSH, BUTTONS!” too late Chris interrupted Buttons.

“Yoo’re tellin’ me ye travel ben time? ‘At isnae possible!”

“Yoo’re tellin’ me ye travel ben time? ‘At isnae possible!”

It was then that Boomer and Daisy arrived, “Hello Inspector MacIntyre, Buttons is correct—hard as it is to comprehend, we do time travel.”

“Hoo can thes be? Nae a body can travel ben time—When dae ye come frae, ‘en?”

“2013.”

Inspector MacIntyre lost his ability to speak and sat down in the nearest chair, shaking his head.

After a few minutes, the Inspector looked at Daisy, “Ye can spick, Beagle? Please explain thes time travel thes Boomer speaks ay.”

“It is true, People-Dog Inspector. It was made possible by my big sister, Cujo.”

“Ye say thes, (it’s Daisy isnae it?) in th’ pest tense…”

“She’s lost this ability—we’re stuck here.”

“Forever? ‘At is terrible, ye main be huir uv a woriat.”

“We are worried, Inspector—for Cujo more than for ourselves. Now we need to know how we can help you.”

Meanwhile—In the Parlor Car…The NWMP officers arrived—interrupting the conversation. Fortunately no dog-person was speaking at the time—equally fortunate was the fact that none of the officers had seen the train cross the “missing” trestle—they were too busy getting back off the floor, “I be Corporal Liam O’Reilly, an’ dees fellows are Constables Mule Deerslayer an ‘Enry Singh. Can yer tell us why de train stopped so suddenly?”

“…Can yer tell us why de train stopped so suddenly?”

To be Continued…

Hoo can thes be?

Previously:

About the same time—in the Parlor Car…Everyone expressed their surprise one way or another, including the dogs—all of them simply furiously barked—all of them save one—PepperCooper barked out “What’s happening!”

All the members present of the North-West Mounted Patrol just heard barking—save one—Inspector Robert Erik MacIntyre, “Ach, th’ dug speaks? “Hoo can thes be? Ah main hae burst mah heed when Ah feel.”

“Inspector, please let me check you over, I’m a physician,” Chris went over to MacIntyre, “Come with me, please.”

“Och aye please, Doctur,” a shaken MacIntyre said, and in a soft voice only Chris could hear, he added, “Thes has happened afair, Ah believe a’am losin’ mah min’.”

Chris glanced at Susie, who simply nodded yes.

“Come with me, Inspector,” Chris then led him to the door leading to their personal quarters.

“Whit magic is thes?”

Season 8—Chapter 6—O Canada—Episode 1:

Meanwhile—aboard the NWNB HQ Car… Fortunately—no one noticed the missing trestle—they did, however notice the train’s emergency stop (and how could they not? They too were thrown to the floor), “Well, lads, dat wus a bit excitin’!”

“Well, lads, dat wus a bit excitin’!”

“Indeed Liam,” Constable Mule Deerslayer agreed, “One wondahs why we stopped?”

Constable Henry Singh, of East Indian ancestry, but raised in Yorkshire, England before emigrating to Canada as a teenager, “Nowt gran’, ahl warrant. probably t’ Yankee enginea showin’ off for Masta Sergeant Yatkov.”

“Well, we are underway again, maybe we shud visit de Yanks an’ learn waaat we kin.” Liam concluded—the others agreed.

About the same time—In the Parlor Car…

“Now listen-up, dog-people,” Susie Blackmon was NOT pleased, “There will be no more human-speak out of any one of you, unless we are alone with no 19^th Century humans around. I will be going to the stable-car to give the horses the word.”

PepperCooper really didn’t need the schooling, his head & low and his embarrassment complete, “I am so sorry.”

“I am so sorry.”

Susie’s expression softened, after all, Pepper had come through for everyone so many times in the past—he really didn’t need the chastisment, “I’m sorry, Pepper, it’s just that we must be very careful.”

Pepper’s tail wagged—he understood.

“Daisy, come with me, Chris may need our help upstairs.”

“Is it lunch time yet?” Jay Cooper wasn’t really all that hungry—but his comment broke the tension.

“It will be,” Susan grinned, “I’m on it!”

Meanwhile—upstairs in the personal quarters…

“Ye say a’am nay losin’ mah min’?”

“Ye say a’am nay losin’ mah min’?”

“Your mind is fine, Inspector,” Chris smiled.

“Hoo can thes be?”

To be Continued…