The Gunfighter 1.3 of 1.5

3.

The report from Doctor Wesley was more disturbing. He had invited the Sheriff to view his analysis.

"I found the specimen, if I may termed it as its not of human, and nor of the known creatures I have seen. It resembled a hybrid," The doctor looked to his audience, and then continued. "Bastard offspring if you preferred of a scorpion and crabs perhaps."

"Oh, you do not know crabs. I seen them when I was in Florida." The good doctor took out a news print on the creature which was said to be the size of the torso of a human but it had claws for hands. "Nasty ones in the water, or on land, but taste delicious when roasted over fire."

"Misconception of Apaches." Painted Horse spoke up. "We only burned the skin and never eat the flesh."

"Painted Horse, shut up." The Sheriff had seen some of the torture methods done by the Apache, and those mis-created by the imagination of the press. They are wide apart in credibility.

"As I was implying then, the specimen could had been a hybrid. A rather large mutation perhaps."

"Maybe father had big one. I seen them on horses." Painted Horse added in his remarks. He was given the glare treatment by the Sheriff and chose to suckle on his pipe.

"The specimen had a hard shell." The doctor showed the large oblong like shell which he claimed was the head of the specimen. "Its tough but concentrated fire with the pistols could shattered it. I am looking at a full load of six bullets. However, the middle torso was more penetrable."

Doctor Wesley held up the pieces of the torso that he had embalmed in a large jug. They looked shot up.

"Aim at big one, hurt more than from the rear." Painted Horse gave his wise opinion again. That time Sheriff Gannon literally dragged the warrior out of the office. He slammed the door shut on the wise warrior.

"Don't go near the claws. They are as hard as the head. And another thing, the so called blood from the creature is deadly." The doctor held up his index finger. "Its acidic in our terms."

"Doctor Wesley, tell me if I would leveled a coach gun on it at close range, would it die?" Gabe asked the question.

"Probably, but it depends on where you fire it. Buck shots are spread out and have a lower penetrative power." The Doctor explained.

"Like old warrior, shoot off the mouth more than down there." Nobody replied to the old warrior eavesdropping at the door. When he heard no response, he spoke out again. "I would be at jail if anyone needs me."

"A Sharps may do a better job." Doctor Wesley explained. "I seen people shot with a Sharps at close range. They ain't much to heal on."

The door was knocked on and that agitated the Sheriff who opened it with lined expletives to sent the squaws running back to the tepees.

"Painted Horse, I would laid you on your front end naked with the buffalo charged at you..." Gannon stopped when he saw his audience was a lady with a brolly. She was dressed in a smart dress; the tight corset and the hoops that extend the skirt to flare out. Besides the lady was an army officer with the rank of Major.

"Sheriff Gannon, Major Sharpe of the Union Army. This is Ms Mable Smith, our doctor in ...." Major Sharpe was at the loss of words to describe her role.

"Anthropology, or the study of past civilisations." Ms Smith was not one to wait in the sun, as she paraded herself in towards the specimen on the table.

"Never a finer specimen." Ms. Smith closed her brolly and leaned over to look at the head shell. "Hard as a rock. Utmost interesting."

"Its hard. I am Doctor..." Wesley stepped up to introduced himself but was ignored by the lady who was examining the shell. It was the Major who came to the rescue.

"Both Ms Smith and myself are from Washington. We were told to looked into that." Major Sharpe pointed to the specimen on the table. "That is not the first we had seen, but its the most complete one. These are my orders."

Major Sharpe handed over the letter which marked out his instructions and was signed by the President himself.

"Doctor Wesley, as from this moment, we are taking over the specimen and investigation. You would cease to do any more work on it." Ms Smith spoke to the doctor without leaving her eyes off the specimen. " I would also like to have the use of your office for my works."

"Major, please move everyone out except for Doctor Wesley whom I had to confer on some matters." Ms. Smith made her stand known to all then. The uninvited were all usher out and then reconvened at the hotel, which a less formal discussion was held.

"Sheriff Gannon, pardon the manners of Ms. Smith but her work is very important to the President. I am however her escort and guard, with authority to released certain information to the local enforcement officers." Major Sharpe had cleared the hotel bar of its customers while five army guards with their rifles are stationed in strategic spots, with another five more unloading several large chests to be taken up to the rooms.

"We have acquired all the available rooms for ourselves, and moved out some to the nearby smaller hotel. This would be our command post with Doctor Wesley' office for the use of Ms. Smith."

"You seems to know us well, Major." Mack asked the officer.

"Yes, we do. We been monitoring the town for over a week, made the needed queries, and only acted when the last victim was found. We were not sure before but now we are quite clear on who our adversaries are." Major Sharpe smiled. "Our informer was in the town since last week, and the sensation of the gunfight prevail over all other matters."

Mack recalled there was a medicine man who had rode in soon after he did.

"The specimen as you had seen, was not the first one. They been several encounters in the state, and to avoid panic, we were called in to investigate. The latest happenings was in this county." Major Sharpe looked to the Sheriff. "The expedition team was our people who stumbled on the specimen. Only one survived to ride off to warned us. When we arrived, you had done the decent burials."

"We believed the specimen had a post here. One that would tell us more of them and why they are here."

"In the meantime, all three of you are under the patronage of the army. You may leave your weapons here." Once Major Sharpe had spoken, two of the army guards approached the table. "Please be cautioned. We are given orders to kill if needed."