The Last Patrol

[Elegant Ella]

The increasing light as dawn approached let Ella see Tensleep signal from behind Charley.  Charley had only brought one fellow with him, but there were more at their camp. 

Time to end the game playing.  Tensleep and Black beard had Charley boxed in. 

"Firehorse Charley, you are under arrest," proclaimed Ella, pointing at Charley the pistol that she had drawn and cocked while he was distracted by Scarlet.  "Dismount now, or I will shoot."

[Scarlet Angel]

Charley thought a moment. You didn't stay alive as long as he did by being stupid. As far as he knew his partner was still alive and it was two women who had gotten the drop on them. Maybe they traveled with a man who had circled around and gotten Nicky.
He'd seen what a rifle could do to a man at close range, rather enjoyed being the one on the trigger end. He wondered how trigger happy the women were as he swung out of the saddle and how long it would take to turn the tables on them.

"I've heard some bad stories bought women bounty hunters. Her." He gestured towards Scarlet with his head. "She's got the look in her eyes, but you." He said looking at Ella. "I wouldn't figure you for judge, jury and executioner."

[Elegant Ella]

Ella was almost disappointed that Charley hadn't given her excuse to shoot him, but the look in his eyes said he would probably give her reason later. 

"Sit down on the ground, with your legs straight out in front of you, and your hands grabbing your toes," Ella ordered.  After he complied, she released her left hand from the pistol and pulled manacles out of her pocket.  Scarlet changed position to keep her rifle pointed at Charley as Ella locked the handcuffs around his wrists with her right hand while her left hand pointed the cocked pistol between his legs.  Then she carefully lowered the hammer onto the empty chamber and holstered the pistol before tying rope around his ankles and wrists.  Charley would be able to take only short steps and not raise his hands much past his knees.  Given opportunity, he would be able to untie the rope, but it was only intended as a temporary restraint. 

Finally she relaxed a little, and flipped her lapel to show the Deputy star.  "You have been arrested by Deputies Coatsworth and King from El Paso." 

[Scarlet Angel]

Charley grinned smugly thinking what he might do to Deputies Coatsworth and King from El Paso when he got lose.

"You gonna show me yer star to deputy?" He asked Scarlet.

"No" she said flatly.

"Why not?"

"I'm better at being judge, jury and executioner. I'm hoping you'll make some tiny move to give me a reason to send you back ta hell."

He cocked his head and looked at her knowing she'd just hold him the honest truth. "I better mind my manners then." 

[Elegant Ella]

Ella decided that a blindfold would make it harder for Charley to get the rope loose.  And keeping him guessing about who else was in the camp couldn't hurt. 

"Cover him while I blindfold him," Ella ordered. 

[Scarlet Angel]

Charley glared at Ella. "Blindfold. I haven't done anything to you." He didn't say yet out loud but he thought it as he tried to move away from her.

Scarlet aimed the rifle at his thigh.

Charley's glare fell on her. "What ya gonna do blow my leg off so I can't walk no more."

Scarlet half smiled. "That wasn't my plan. Kinda figured if I hit you in the right spot you'll just bleed to death.

"You should try coming over to our side sometime. Bet you'd be good at it." Charley laughed. The two women were beginning to make him a little nervous. The blonde had chosen a spot to shoot Charlie where she'd miss her partner and wound him, maybe kill him and the brunette was as determined to do her duty as a deputy as he'd ever seen. They would be interesting to observe to see if a man would make it to jail or not. Charley wasn't going to hang around to see that. His friends would be along soon enough.

[Elegant Ella]

"I think we've heard enough from you," said Ella. 

"Use his own dirty shirt for a gag," suggested Scarlet.  "But be careful not to get bit while you do it."

"His bite would be poison for sure," agreed Ella.  Charley didn't see where the knife in her hand came from, but she used it to slice the sleeves from his shirt off his arms.  One sleeve would serve as blindfold, the other as gag. 

Charley tried to wriggle to avoid these fetters, but the way she had him hogtied limited his mobility.  Ella leaned on his back until he could not move, then tied the filthy cloth into place. 

Once she was done with Charley, she went to check on the man that Black beard had pulled down.  He was out cold, and tied up securely. 

Black beard had gotten the message that his presence was a secret and grinned at her silently.  Ella grinned back. 

A bird call from Tensleep announced that more were coming. 

[Scarlet Angel]

Scarlet heard the pounding of the horse's hooves. The fool was trying to rush them she thought hearing the horse stumble over some of the rocks that surrounded the campsite.

Scarlet leveled the rifle and waited until she could see the rider clearly. His hand barely touched his pistol she pulled the trigger. The man fell from the saddle and bounced in the rocks. Scarlet could see the blood soaked wound in his back where the bullet passed through.

She drew her own pistol and waited to see what would happen next.

[Elegant Ella]

Black beard's signal was a seagull cry.  Ella looked where he was facing and saw two men trying to sneak up from the back side of the knoll.  She pulled her rifle around and waited for a clear shot.  There was an open space they would have to cross.  There, the first one was starting across.  She pulled the trigger and saw him fall.  It wasn't an immediately lethal shot, but he was bleeding badly. 

She called down the slope, "If you come out with your hands up, I won't shoot." 

She waited.  Then she saw hands rise above the bush he was using for cover and he moved forward. 

"Can I tend Jimmy?" he asked. 

"Yes." 

When he came out to the other man, Ella called down again, "How many other men does Charley have?"

"Nicky went with Charley last night.  Frank stayed with the Injuns we captured last night.  Ted was coming in on the other side of your camp while me and Jimmy came in this side.  That's all." 

"What Indians?"

"These three Indians came right into the camp where we were resting for a spell, all calling 'Ella.  Need Ella.' We captured them easy, then Charley started playing his game with one of 'em.  Right turned my stomach."

"If Charley's games turn your stomach, why are you riding with him?"

"My brother, Jimmy, he's always been a wild one.  He joined Charley for the stagecoach robbin'.  I caught up with them last month, and am tryin' to get Jimmy to leave.  Maybe dyin' is the only way Jimmy will leave that life."  His voice broke with a sob. 

"I'll come down to help Jimmy.  Take off your gunbelt and throw it and Jimmy's guns this way."

He complied, and Ella handed her rifle to Black beard before joining the men.  Her bullet had taken Jimmy in the outer thigh.  The brother had been trying to stop the bleeding, but he made the usual beginner mistake of lifting the bandage to check if the bleeding had stopped yet which started the bleeding up again.  She cleaned the wound, then bound it up well.  With the brother's help, she got Jimmy to the camp while Black beard picked up their guns.

"Scarlet, this one says they only have one man left, guarding some Indian prisoners.  We need to go there now!" 

[Elegant Ella]

Carrie stepped out of the birthing hut and stretched, frowning at the brightening sky.  She had expected Circle Falcon to be back with Doctor Ella by now.  Maybe they had gone further than expected before stopping for the night.  She would not allow herself to think that Ella might refuse to come. 

The wisewomen had refused to ask Ella to see Desert Rose.  They said that Desert Rose would bear her child with no need of help from white man's medicine. 

But a few hours after sundown, Desert Rose had screamed and pushed, and the baby's hand had appeared.  The wise women tried to turn the baby, but failed.  That was when Carrie remembered one of the conversations she had overheard at the store, and sent Circling Falcon to fetch Ella back with the English words "breech birth".

The wise women had tried several times since then, but every attempt failed.  Desert Rose's screams were getting weaker.  She was sleeping now, exhausted.  If they couldn't turn the baby soon, it would die, and have to be pulled out in pieces or let Desert Rose die as well. 

[Scarlet Angel]

Scarlet looked down at the man that was speaking to Ella. "If yer sending us into a trap you better pray they kill us or I'll be back for you."

Ella's voice held to much urgency for Scarlet to take the time to put the bridle on Lucky, she just picked up the lead rope and swung into the saddle.

The man looked up at Scarlet. "Frank was workin' on a pretty bad black eye, right side, may not be able to see out of it too well if that gives you an upper hand." He looked over at Ted's body. "If you can do that again" he said pointing at the body "you might be doing yourself a favor."

Charley was trying to yell something through his gag. It sounded like "kill you Eddie."

Scarlet could see the fear in the man's eyes when he heard Charley's voice.

Ella and Scarlet rode out of camp as fast as one could while looking for any suspected traps.

[Elegant Ella]

Once clear of the camp, sense overcame urgency, and they rode slow enough to talk and plan. 

"We will be coming out of the sunrise, once the sun comes up," said Ella.  "That could give us a little cover.  He is expecting his friends to come from that direction, so he will be watching, but two horsemen shouldn't be enough to trigger his alarms."

[Scarlet Angel]

"The sun at our backs and in his eyes will be an advantage." Scarlet replied.

Lucky pinned his ears and wrinkled his nose. Scarlet wondered what was in the air to cause the reaction. Soon she and Ella both caught the smell that Charley had on his clothes hanging in the air.

Ella pulled a neckerchief from her pocket and tied it around her face, Scarlet soon followed suit.

Scarlet pulled to a stop and pulled her eye glass from the saddle bags. Scanning the distance she found the source of the putrid smell.

Scarlet lowered the glass and took a deep breath.

"What? What is it you see?" Ella asked looking over at Scarlet.

"Evil" Scarlet mumbled.

"No surprise the way it smells here." Ella said reaching for the glass.

"There's one guard and two live prisoners. Like Eddie said. The guard is at the base of the first tree. I know you would prefer not to shoot people Ella." Scarlet said holding her hand up so Ella couldn't raise the glass. "But after seeing what's down there maybe that boy was right and maybe you shouldn't look."

Ella gave her a stuborn look and raised the glass as she spoke. "You know it wouldn't be right to just shoot...."

Ella could see a man on a spit over a burned out camp fire, or the best she could guess it had been a man. The body was charred and one couldn't tell much beyond that from where they sat. Circling Falcon was tied to a tree, his face badly bruised. Frank stood over the third man who was staked to the ground and was placing hot coals from the fire on the man's body and watching the results with glee.

Ella put her hand over her mouth. She watched as Frank poked the fire with a stick and looked over at the man on the ground. The way he looked at the captive Ella knew he meant to use the stick on the man's eyes.

"We must do something now." She said handing the glass back to Scarlet. "If you shoot from here with him in that position you may hit Circling Falcon, if you miss or the bullet passes through.

"I can circle around." Scarlet started to say.

"I can go in from the side to get him clear of the prisoner and give you a clear shot." Ella said moving Aaron forward as not to waist any time in discussion.
Scarlet moved in closer, dismounted and steadied herself against a tree.

Frank drew his gun and moved the minuet he heard someone riding in. "That you Charley." he said raising his pistol.

Scarlet wasn't going to give him the chance at Ella she thought as she squeezed the trigger.

Ella could see it was a chest wound, right through the heart. Scarlet wasn't even going to give her the option to patch the man back up, which didn't bother her this time. The man had meant to kill anything he came in contact with once he'd had his sick fun with it.

Ella reached the captives before Scarlet and untied Circling Falcon. He was talking way to fast for her to understand anything as he followed Ella to the other man.

"Slow down. I don't understand." Ella said frustrated over the fact that she couldn't understand him.

"He's saying something baby birthing." Scarlet said.

Circling Falcon heard the English word "birth" and it jogged his memory. He grabbed Ella's hand. "Breeeech birth!" he yelled pulling her towards her horse.

Ella looked back at the man who was burned, he was still alive, the woman may not be if Circling Falcon was sent last night and if she was she didn't have much time.

"I know what to do with burns Ella. Go." Scarlet said dismounting.

Ella pulled a jar from one of her pockets and tossed it to Scarlet. "That will help." She said following after Circling Falcon.

[Elegant Ella]

Ella and Circling Falcon raced back to the village.  Away from the main cluster of tents, Circling Falcon stopped, and pointed Ella at the lone tipi.  She dismounted, and handed Aaron's reins to Circling Falcon, assuming he would make sure her horse was tended.  Outside the entrance to the tipi, she called, "Carrie?"  Immediately, she heard Carrie's reply, "Come in!" followed by several voices arguing. 

Ella pushed past the door curtain, and was confronted by three older women blocking her way.  Carrie, off to one side, said apologetically, "They no want white man's medicine." 

Ella nodded, "Carrie, please translate my words."  Then looking each of the women in turn in the eye, Ella said clearly, "I am Ella Coatsworth.  I was trained by my grandmother, who was trained by her mother and by her grandmother, who came from a long line of Mohican wisewomen.  The women in my line always seek to add to our wisdom.  We have seen white man's medicine and have taken some knowledge from it, but the core of our learning is woman's medicine.  May I please help your patient?" 

Ella continued to look in their eyes while Carrie translated.  The translation seemed to take a long time.  Perhaps Carrie was adding what she had heard about Ella.  Finally, the one in the middle stepped aside and allowed Ella to enter and see a young woman lying moaning on a pile of bedding.  Ella went to her, and touched her distended abdomen.  Then she turned back to the midwives, pulling a packet of black cohosh from her pocket.  "Have you given her this?  And how recently?" 

Carrie translated the question and, after all three had smelled and tasted the root pieces, the reply , "Yes.  At midnight."

Ella pulled two small bottles marked with a bit of red ribbon from her pocket and handed them to the senior midwife.  "Please have her drink these.  This root is the most important ingredient in them.  Other ingredients will help her pain."  The woman took the bottles and poured them into a cup that she helped the patient drink. 

Ella said, "I need a piece of cloth, damp with hot water."  The youngest of the midwives moved to fulfill this request after Carrie translated.  Ella took the cloth, and spread it over the patients abdomen, then started massaging.  The third midwife went to the other side and copied Ella's massage. 

After ten minutes, Ella felt the womb relax its spasm.  "Turn the baby now!" she ordered.  The senior midwife complied.  Then came normal contractions, and the baby's head appeared.  The midwife pulled the baby out, looked at it, then laid it down with a few words. 

Carrie translated, "Right arm crippled.  No life in tribe."

"No!" objected Ella, snatching up the baby boy.  She blew into his mouth, then pulled and rotated his arm to reduce the dislocation of his shoulder.  He wailed to protest this treatment, and waved both arms.  His mother roused at the sound and reached for her son.  Ella gently laid him at her breast, and stepped back. 

[Elegant Ella]

Charley couldn't believe his ears.  Those two dedicated deputies would go racing off to rescue dirty indians and leave their prisoners unguarded?  They hadn't even taken time enough to have tied up Eddie with anything more than a pair of handcuffs.  He snorted, thinking that it just showed that women are too soft-headed and scatter-brained to do man's work while he started feeling for the knots in the rope. 

The gag and the blindfold were annoying enough of themselves, but the way she had tied the cloth across his ears bothered his hearing as well.  His pulse echoed in his ears, making it hard to distinguish the sounds around him.  He thought he heard horses shifting around.  He definitely didn't hear any more voices. 

Black beard signaled Eddie to silence and took him out of the camp.  Once they were a little away, he asked quietly, "Where are your horses?"  Eddie led him to the trees where he and Jimmy had tied their horses.  Black beard and Eddie mounted up and rode back into camp.  Nicky was draped over his horse, and Jimmy over his.  Ted's horse had bolted when Ted fell off, but stopped fairly soon to graze. 

Tensleep put the telescope away after seeing two horses racing back towards the village and finished saddling Buck and the mule.  Once everything was ready to move, then would be time to deal with Charley. 

Charley was getting frustrated.  He could find knots, but couldn't get them to loosen.  They didn't feel like normal knots.  If only he could see what he was working on! 

Suddenly other hands were working on the ropes.  The connection between his hands and his feet fell away and he could sit up straight.  Three hands held him while one cuff of the manacles was unlocked, then his arm was pulled behind his back and the cuff was snapped back on.  Then he was picked up and draped across his own saddle by the smell, and tied into place. 

Finally Charley heard an unfamiliar man's voice, "Let's go." 

The party picked up Ted's horse and draped Ted's body across it, then joined Scarlet.

[Scarlet Angel]

Scarlet was relieved to see Tensleep and Black beard coming down the trail. They stopped short knowing they were being watched, just as relieved to see Scarlet when she stepped out of the rocks.

"Ella do that before she left?" Black beard asked softly so Charley couldn't hear as he looked over  the Indian who had been treated for the burns.

"No. I've had more than my share of experience with burns." Scarlet replied.

Black beard looked close at the man, who was passed out. "Damn, burned his hands and feet did they?"

Eddie was busy staring at Frank. Scarlet must have shot him through the heart, but Eddie couldn't help wonder what had happened to his hands. They'd been cut off at the wrists.

Black beard was looking now too.

"Y'all can bury him if you want to but I won't." Scarlet said as she dug for some bandages she knew Ella had left on the pack mule.

"It would be the Christian thing to do." Eddie replied wondering at what point Franks hands had been removed and by whom.

Scarlet had moved back over to the burned Indian.

Eddie watched her. She seemed so gentle as she applied the salve from the jar on the man's burnt hands then wrapped the gauze loosely and tied it below the marks left from the rope.

Scarlet looked up at him. "Like I said you can if you want. I won't, but if you do you bury his hands some place else."

Eddie looked confused but Scarlet didn't feel the need to explain.

The Indian started to open his eyes.

"You are with friends." Scarlet said as the man looked around. "What is your name?"

"Ella, need Ella" he said looking desperately at Scarlet.

"Ella has gone to your camp with Circling Falcon."

The man held his hand up looked at it and lay his head back. Then started to speak in his own tongue.

Eddie was curious but afraid to ask Scarlet looked angry as the man spoke.
"Red Bear wants to know how he is supposed to hold his wife and child with hands like that if they survived the night."

A chuckle was heard from Charley.

[Elegant Ella]

Circling Falcon tossed the reins of Ella's horse to some of the children with orders for them to tend it.  Then he gathered all of the able-bodied men to return, prepared with a couple of travois to transport Red Bear and his brother back to the village while the main part would hunt down the other five.  Ella and Scarlet must have encountered some of that band in order to know to come to rescue him, but he hadn't seen the men they traveled with.   

As the men left, they heard a new baby cry. 


Ella settled onto the floor next to Carrie to stay out of the way of the midwives as they finished up.  She leaned her head on her knees to rest.  Carrie tapped her on the shoulder, then led her out of the birthing hut and back to Carrie's tipi.  There, she pointed Ella at the heap of furs and said, "Rest.  I come if you needed." 

Ella said "Thank you" and collapsed onto the bed. 

[Scarlet Angel]

Charley's chuckles annoyed Scarlet. She looked up from where she was kneeling next to Red Bear. "I would cut his tongue out if I didn't think Circling Falcon would be bringing men back to do it themselves." She said flatly. "Would one of you shut him up."

"You'd cut his tongue out?" Eddie realized he'd said the thought out loud and in a disapproving tone.

Scarlet's cold stare fell on him. "Maybe it would be more fitting if I burned it off."

Eddie was having a difficult time understanding this one. "That wouldn't be very Christian like."

Scarlet's eyes narrowed and she pressed her lips together. "I don't discuss my religious beliefs but I will tell you you are preaching to the wrong choir."

"You would tend a red man so gently and then treat Charley no better than he has treated them?" Eddie said.

Scarlet stood up and stepped over Red Bear. Black beard had seen her irritated and mad before but this had reached a new level.

"Life has taught me not to judge a man by his clothes or the color of his skin or the language he speaks or by his religious background. Live and let live until someone like you comes along. Your type steal, murder and rape." She hissed as she stopped in front of him. "The Indians call themselves human beings Eddie. They have religion. They have families. They would die for one another, like you have chosen to die with your brother if need be. Charley said I would be good coming over to his side. The only problem with that I have is the torture and slaughter of innocent people. I've done things to people like Charley that would most likely turn your stomach too. I never wanted to learn to do it but it was people like you who forced me to do things to survive. You have no right to judge my actions unless you know who you are judging."

"You make it sound like someone tortured and burned somebody close to you." He replied.

"The bastards raped her too. Then I had to pull her husband out of a bottle and convince him life was worth living."

Eddie cast his eyes down. "I'm sorry." He said softly.

"I won't say it again. If you want to bury him do it. If not leave his body for Red Bear's people to deal with."

Black beard had stepped over to Charley and hit him in the head causing him to pass out while Scarlet had vented on Eddie. He noticed  Tensleep had moved and kept an eye on the confrontation between Scarlet and Eddie. He suspected Tensleep had positioned himself to stop Scarlet from doing something she may be sorry for later.

Scarlet turned, went back to Red Bear and knelt beside him. Her demeanor changed as she started to talk to him telling him what she had put on his burns. She then asked who the third man was that had ridden with Red Bear and Circling Falcon.

Red Bear looked at the man on the spit then spoke. "My brother, Blue Moon. His wife was with mine for the birthing. She did not want the woman you call Carrie Moore to ask for Ella's help."

Eddie had dismounted under the watchful eyes of Tensleep and approached Scarlet and Red Bear.

Red Bear looked nervous. Eddie couldn't understand what they were saying to one another but from the way she looked up at him when she spoke he figured she had told the Indian she would shoot the approaching man before he was able to hurt him again.

"Can I bury his companion?" Eddie asked.

Scarlet looked at Eddie. "His people have their own practices for their dead, but thank you for offering. You could find something to wrap his body in and take him off the stake." Her voice was calmer and not so agitated.

[Scarlet Angel]

Eddie did as Scarlet asked. At one point he ran past Tensleep and threw up behind a tree but he returned to the task at hand. He still didn't know what Scarlet and Red Bear were saying but they were watching him.

"You spoke of religion Eddie." Scarlet said when he looked her way again. "Red Bear wants to know if you are a religious man."

Eddie figured he knew what was coming next. "I am. Tell him I am sorry for what has happened." Eddie said looking down as he folded the blanket over the corpse trying not to be sick again. He saw Scarlet raise her eyebrows at Red Bear's next question.

"He wants to know if you are at war with him, and if you are why did you not let them die with honor."

Eddie came over and kneeled next to them. "I love my brother. I thought by joining him I could talk him out of riding with Charley. Charley talks about what he likes to do to traitors, anybody who would try to leave. I did what I did because I didn't know any other way to survive. I never new they were anything more than hold up men until it was to late. Jimmy said all he'd done was a couple of stage robberies and burning some empty places before they stopped by and I joined. It wasn't until later I learned how Charley lost most of his gang or that he even had a gang. I don't want to die Deputy King. I didn't want these men to die and I certainly didn't want to bring harm to Red Bear and his wife. Haven't ever gotten into a mess circumstances seemed to throw you in and then not know what to do? I prayed something would happen to help me and Jimmy out." He said with a sigh.

"If you believe in prayer Eddie I strongly suggest you pray Ella was in time to save his wife and child. If  the delay caused by you capturing these messengers killed either of them, she will count those deaths in the debt that Charley and the rest of you owe."

"I don't understand." Eddie said with a confused look. "debts?"

"Ella spared your lives. You and Jimmy, she patched him up. You belong to her."

"Who does Charley belong to?"

Scarlet looked at Blue Moon. "Red Bear." She said flatly.

"Do you know what they will do to him?"

"Damn good idea."

"It doesn't bother you?"

"Have you heard what Charley likes to do to people just because he enjoys it? He's not wanted in seven states for nothing."

"Seven?" Eddie asked surprised.

"May your God help you mister." She said standing up and retrieving her canteen for Red Bear.

Black beard approached them. "We can't move Red Bear can we?"

"I wouldn't recommend it unless it's absolutely necessary. He may be able to sit a horse tomorrow but we have nothing to move him with unless you want to make something. I'm sure his people will come back for him." Scarlet replied.

"Then we wait. If no one shows in a couple of hours I will go and see what has happened with Ella." Tensleep said loosening the cinch on his horse.

[Elegant Ella]

Ella had fallen into a light sleep when she was awakened by a woman's wail.  It was a cry of grief.  She suspected that the wife of the man Charley had killed had just been told, and that an unfamiliar white face would be unwelcome.  She stayed in the tipi until Carrie came back. 

"Who is crying?"

"Summer Rain.  Her man, Blue Moon, was with Circling Falcon." 

Ella bowed her head, "I didn't stop where he died long enough to ask his name.  I gave Scarlet salve to put on the other man's burns while I came with Circling Falcon.  Who is he?"

"Red Bear.  You helped his woman, Desert Rose.  How is he?

"Burned badly, but I think he will live.  I should go back to help him, since everything seems to be going well with Desert Rose and her baby." 

"Circling Falcon gone, bring Red Bear back."

"That's good.  There isn't much more than what Scarlet is doing that I would be able to do for him there."

"Bring Red Bear back, then hunt bad men."

"It won't take much hunting.  They came to attack our camp.  Marshal Ross has them.  Four are captive, two are dead, none are free."

"You teach potion you gave Desert Rose?"

"Yes, to anyone who wants to learn.  But I need the saddlebags from my horse." 

"I bring," said Carrie, leaving the tipi.