Jack waited and watched. The activities continued, guards shouting, cracking whips, workers moaning and sometimes screaming. There were occasional blasting charges and the roar of falling rock and earth as they sought deeper entrance into the mountains. The wagon shook and the floor vibrated beneath the G-Man’s prone body.
After a half hour of watching, he saw Thorpe stride out into the valley, examining and surveying the work. Jack’s pulse quickened. Two people were walking with Thorpe and they all looked pretty chummy. A man and a woman. Bert Fleming and Francy Jones. So they were all in this together. He had suspected this all along. The chance meeting on the trail seemed to contrived. The story about the mountain lion was fake. Oh, there probably was a mountain lion that they had seen on the trail. Afterall, Jack had seen one himself in that general vicinity. But when Jack saw it, there were no sounds of other creatures. The birds were still singing on the trail when he had met up with the couple.
Clayton also had noticed Fleming smoking the same kind of cigar that Major Pearson had offered him back at Fort Buford. Both Bert and Francy denied ever meeting Pearson. It was a good thing he had had these suspicions, for the two associates of Rutherford B. Hayes had set him up for ambush coming out of that narrow canyon last night. Did this mean that Hayes was into this too? Or had he been duped by traitors?
Jack hated to think it was the former. Most probably, it was the latter. Hayes was no fool. He probably had suspicions and that was probably why Jack was here in the first place.
Clayton watched the threesome for several minutes. Anger was seething in him as he thought of Little Elk and these evil people had taken an innocent young boy from this life. Thorpe, Fleming and Jones seemed to suddenly look in the same direction. Then, with the lead wagon obstructing and partially obstructing the view Clayton saw someone ride in, halt and dismount before the trio. The newcomer wore a blue army uniform. Insignias on his epaulettes designated him as a Major. Major Pearson. Though Jack couldn’t hear him, he could tell that he was excited. He was speaking rapidly and him arms waved with animated excitement. The trio turned and all four of them strode back toward the log building. As the major passed by leading his horse another horse and rider came into his view for the first time as his vantage point in the wagon had precluded it until now. Clayton’s heart leaped beneath his chest as he saw this second horse was also being led by Pearson. It was a big black stallion. Regret. And in the saddle, hands tied behind his back sat Little Elk. Then they all passed from view as they entered the log house.
Alive! Little Elk was alive! Jack could hardly believe it. He could hardly contain his excitement. What now? He thought. He lay there stunned; trying to process this in his mind.
He was still trying to come up with something, anything when Thorpe, Pearson, Bert and Francy reappeared crossing the compound toward the western walls of the mining fields. Fleming pushed Little Elk ahead of him as he followed Thorpe and Pearson. The boy’s hands were still tied behind his back and he dragged his feet belligerently, prompting Fleming to shove him forward with more force. Good boy, Clayton thought. Fight them all the way. He saw no tears in Little Elks eyes, only rage and hatred.
Jack wanted to jump out of the wagon and run to the boy’s side, but that would be foolish and he would have no hope of ever rescuing the boy. He had to wait. He had to watch the mistreatment. There was nothing he could do now. Just wait and watch.
He watched them reach the work area and climb into a wooden platform elevator of sorts that was used for transporting workers and heavy loads of gold. Water was released from the flume and the heavy wheel powered by the boiler room steam churned rolling the rope cables on the pulley system and raised the platform steadily up the side of the mountain. It halted on the second landing of plank catwalks at the entrance to a large mine shaft opening in the mountain wall. Clayton watched apprehensively as he saw them exit the platform and disappear into the darkness of the gaping maw of the shaft opening.
****
Chapter Eighteen
Daring Attack