Last Stand on Eagle Heights by Harlan Finchley
Author:Harlan Finchley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Culbin Press
Published: 2023-05-29T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter Nine
âIs there any sign of anyone?â Kelsey asked when he and Gideon joined Whitman at the entrance to the pass.
âI havenât seen anything, but thatâs not good news,â Whitman said with a heavy tone. âI reckon the shooting came from over there, and thatâs where Dusty went.â
Without further comment the three men edged out through the entrance. Nobody was visible in the direction Whitman had indicated and the ground was flat with little cover.
âIâll check it out,â Kelsey said.
âDonât,â Gideon said. âWe havenât heard any shooting for a while so I reckon that means either Dusty prevailed and heâs on his way to the railroad, or he was in trouble and now itâs too late to help him.â
Kelsey turned to Whitman for his opinion, and Whitman gave a sorry expression.
âDusty has been gone for over fifteen minutes. It could take us longer than that to find him and if weâre wrong and the shooting had nothing to do with him, weâll have risked being seen for nothing.â
Kelsey still rubbed his jaw as he thought about his options, but then he narrowed his eyes and backed away.
âItâs too late,â he said. âWe have trouble now.â
Gideon turned in the direction that had concerned Kelsey. A man was moving some distance away, but then a second and a third man appeared. They were all heading toward the pass, their cautious movements suggesting they were following tracks.
Moving slowly in the hope of avoiding detection, Gideon and the others crept back into the pass. Then Whitman returned to his previous position while Kelsey and Gideon moved on.
âWeâre trapped in here,â Gideon said. âOn the other hand itâs a defendable position.â
âItâs three men against twice that number, and Vernon can get as many reinforcements as he needs while we wonât have any help coming.â
âWe donât know for sure that they got Dusty and besides, if they try to force us out of here, weâll blast off enough gunfire for someone at the railroad to hear us.â
Kelsey smiled at this positive outlook and then pointed at the balloon.
âWe planned to use that if this double eagle in the sky ever appeared,â he said. âBut we could just use it to escape.â
âOnly Dusty had any idea how we were supposed to use it.â Gideon shrugged. âI guess as a last resort we could try it.â
Kelsey turned to the entrance where Whitman nervously bobbed up before ducking back down again suggesting that the approaching men would reach the pass shortly.
âOnly as a last resort,â Kelsey said. He met Gideonâs eye before he hurried off to join Whitman.
Gideon sighed and then thought about what Dusty had told him about the balloon flight heâd seen. He hadnât provided many details, but he figured there was one thing he did know how to do and that was to set a fire.
He gathered the firewood Whitman and Kelsey had brought into a pile in front of the basket. Then he moved around the edges of the balloon and draped it into a position that he reckoned would let it collect the hot air when the fire was lit.
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