Lone Ranger Chapter 15

15.

“Kemo-Sabe? What does it mean?” Lance asked the other while they were moving across the plains towards the town. They have left the horses to graze behind and walked then. It was near to dawn then.

“It meant the trusted scout,” Tonto replied while he gripped the rifle in his hand. He could sense that the Lone Ranger was still upset. He then tapped the other and stopped.

“Shall we clear the difference now?” Tonto asked the other. Both of them stood there and stared at each other. Tonto started off first.

“I am who I am but there were parts of my earlier life which I did not tell you. Just like you won’t tell me on when you had your hair down there.” Tonto tried to make a passing remark but the Lone Ranger was unimpressed. “Okay, I was with the missionary. I was raised there and even had a foster father who sent me to England.”

“You? The savage sent to England?” Lance laughed out.

“You may laugh but I stayed at Dover. I missed the tea party and the ladies. They have never seen a savage but they were savages when they forgot their inhibitions. I was educated there with my foster father in the ways of the Lord. He was in a manner than the man with the Lord but he also had a side interest in the illicit business of trades. I was taught many things and then one day he told me I have to go back here. I did and ended up with the relative of mine in the tepee. I never knew why I was sent back. I was pretty sure it was nothing to do with my step-cousins and the household maids. We were discreet at all times. They were not much to reveal but when I did, they went at it like Christmas pudding.”

“It took me some time to re-adapt once again but the tops and bottoms were off for the bare chest and moccasins. The ladies never stopped though. I was a gentleman and once a gentleman, I can’t tell you more about them. Anyway, my new upbringing involved me to learn how to be a Shaman. I did with many conflicts in my mind and heart. I was raised with a different Lord and then moved onto this.  I soon learned and valued the old ways.”

“I was given the name of Dark Clouds then by my new foster father for my learning was in the night. I was taught many of the old spells and workings to fight evil demons. I have my first encounter shortly and it scared the hell out of me but I prevailed. The demons were here long before we arrived. And this was not my England faith I was referring to. I became more adept at it but for reasons known only to my new father, I was restraint from showing it until the day Tonto came back to our clan. The rest you knew. I hunted the demons and then met you. We were fated to be one.”

“Bullshit!” Lance snapped back. “I …”

“Whatever we do can wait. We have a train to catch.” Tonto motioned to the rising sun on the hills. “And some demons to kill.”

With that Tonto moved on past the other. They soon reached the tracks and were looking at the huge steam roller there. It was dark on one side and lighter on the other with the sunlight warming up the dark shades on the train side. They saw the sentries were rotated and then the town was soon bustling with life with the bulges sounded. It was time to act or watched history began a new chapter. The break soon came when the bulge sounded out once more. It was the call to assemble at the town center.

Lance motioned to Tonto to check the wagons at the rear while he looked at the train engine. It was a 4-4-0 design with the four leading wheels on two axles. The locomotive steamer had a lengthy boiler with the driver’s compartment where the firebox was located to be fed with the coal that was powering up the huge pistons that drove the train. The bogie of the train was located outside the chassis.  He felt the steel structure that vibrated with the great strength to pull twenty wagons and carriages.  He looked into the driver’s compartment and saw the engine was running. It was set to idling and the fireman may be joining with the assembled. He moved from there along the coal wagon and then the first drawn wagon. The wagon and the subsequent four wagons behind were all covered with some cover.

Lance reached in and looked underneath. He swore under his breath. It was a beauty.

Napoleon III was a light 12 pounder gun cast from bronze. It can be recognized by the flared front end of the barrel. It was a heavy gun but that one was set fixed on the wagon. He saw the cannon shots stacked there and the barrels of gunpowder. He had an idea and grabbed one of the barrels. He trailed a trail of gunpowder to the next wagon and the train engine. He then moved on to the rear carriages and stepped in. He was surprised by the stacks of caskets there. He touched the sides and his inklings were vibrating. There was more in the casket then just woods. He left the barrel of gunpowder by the doorway in case he needed to explore it. He stepped off and saw Tonto approaching him.

“Kemo-Sabe, I found more guns on the rear wagons. They are multi-barrel…”

Lance stopped the partner of his. He knew what Tonto meant by the multi-barrel. He had seen those guns before with Tonto when they smashed a renegade Army squad which was robbing the banks. The gun was a Gatling machine gun. The gun centered on a cyclic multi-barrel design with each barrel firing a single shot when it reached a certain point in the cycle after which it ejected the spent cartridge. The barrel loaded in a new round and in the process allowed it to cool. The gun was hand-crank operated and the cartridge was made from brass and was fed by the gravity-fed shell into the breech lock though a hopper on the top of the gun.

“Gatling I presume.” Lance had seen the gun impact on the darker continent. It was a deadly weapon that killed many. “I have cannons on the first wagon.”

“I have placed mud into the barrels. The lads in the clan taught me once.” Tonto smiled. “But I have also rigged up the dynamites I found on the carriages. They were all stacked up on the rear carriages.”

Lance smiled and grabbed the two sticks of dynamites passed to him by the other.

 “God has assisted us once more,” Tonto muttered out but Lance ignored him. He then gave instructions to Tonto before he moved on. rushed back to the train engine and climbed in. He checked the fire grate and looked at the embers there. He was to move when his inklings jumped on his wrist.

The Noir Spike went into action. It went out like dark spikes to punch at the two stalking figures on the coal wagon. They were dressed in the overcoat despite the morning sun and the low Stetson hat. The spikes struck out like long nails that pierced the two figures there. The two figures fell back and shrieked out in pain. Lance had turned to look and drew his guns.

The cries had raised the alarm and the guards were running towards the train. There was no time to wait and Lance fired off his guns at the two writhing creatures. He shot them in the head. It was then he heard the Gatling guns had started firing. It was Tonto shooting at the guards. He tossed the two dynamites he had into the embers. Then he jumped off the engine and ran on the blindside.

Or he assumed was the blindside for there were guards firing at him.

“Damn!” Lance stopped in his run and then approached the wagons. He lighted up the gunpowder trail and made sure it was well lighted. He then ran to the other side and towards the town. There was more cover there than the open plains. He heard then more shootings before the gunpowder went off.

Or was it the dynamite.

The explosions were huge and more were heard with the exploded wagons and carriages thrown high into the air.

“Hee-haw….” Lance saw Tonto approaching him on a horse and another horse trailing behind. He disliked that call but that was not his horse and not him saving his own butt. That was not all the help he thought was there. The cries of the Apache were there.