CHAPTER 12 SERGEANT LOOSES HIS HEAD

LIZZIE AND JACK ROAD OFF FROM THE RIDGE. JACK JUST LEFT WHAT LEFT OF THE CORPORAL FOR CAPTAIN AND SERGEANT TO BURY. JACK HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE FROM SHOOTING UP BREAKFAST FOR CAPTAIN AND BILL AND SERGEANT. LIZZIE HAD A SNICKER TO HER TOO.

LIZZIE I THINK THE CAPTAIN WAS LITTLE PERTURB OVER YOU SHOOTING UP THE COFFEE POT.

JACK YA THAT'S ONE THE JOYS OF STARTING THE DAY OFF, THAT FIRST CUP COFFEE..

LIZZIE WHAT YOU THINK THE SERGEANT GOING TO DO NOW?

JACK HE STAYS; RED BEAR WILL JOIN ME AND IT BE 120 TO ONE.

JACK BILL TOLD ME THEY KNEW THAT SERGEANT DID KILL MY LITTLE GIRL. SO I LOOK FOR NO HELP FOR THE SERGEANT FROM THEM.

JACK HE CAN NOT STAY ;SO HE GOT TO RUN.

LIZZIE HE GOT TO DESERT?

JACK YA?IF HE DOES THAT, HE GOT TO KILL BILL AND CAPTAIN.

LIZZIE YA! THEY WOULD REPORT HIM, AND HE BE HUNTED AS HARD AS THEY DID YOU.

JACK HE KILL THEM AND SAY I DID IT, AND HE GOT AWAY.

LIZZIE YOU CAN NOT LET HIM KILL BILL, AND CAPTAIN!

JACK I KNOW???? LET ME THINK ON IT.

JACK HE ANT GOT THE BALLS TO LOOK THEM IN THE FACE AND DO IT, SO IT BE TONIGHT.

JACK HE USE THE COVER OF THE NIGHT MAKE HIS GET AWAY. THAT'S WHAT HE DO.

JACK THERE IS A WATER HOLE 15 MILES A HEAD. I DROP OFF SAM THERE. YOU GO ON COUPLE MILES AND MAKE CAMP AND A FIRE. THEY SHOULD MAKE CAMP THERE.

LIZZIE YOU BE THERE WATCHING OUT FOR BILL AND THE CAPTAIN.

JACK AS BEST AS I CAN.

CAPTAIN AND BILL RODE TO TOP HILL WITH THE SERGEANT TO FINE WHAT LEFT OF THE CORPORAL.

BILL THAT SHOT GUN OF JACK DOES A NASTY JOB OF KILLING. HE HAD THAT ON ME YESTERDAY.

SERGEANT HE YOUR FRIEND, HE WOULD NOT DONE IT TO YOU.

BILL IN A NASTY WAY, I DID NOT MURDER AND RAPE HIS LITTLE GIRL. SHE WAS A SWEET THING,

SERGEANT REACH FOR HIS 44 HE HEARD A ,CLICK ,CLICK AS BILL COCK HIS HAMMER BACK.

SERGEANT LOOK BACK ;BILL HAS HIS SPENCER TRAIN ON HIM.

CAPTAIN SERGEANT BURY YOUR DEAD, BILL COOL IT.NOT HERE ,,WE GOT OUR OWN PROBLEMS.

BILL I AM GOING TO ENJOY JACK BLOWING YOUR DAM HEAD OFF. DO NOT MESS WITH ME. JACK BE PIST AT ME FOR DOING IT FOR HIM.

SERGEANT WHO SIDE HE ON CAPTAIN?

CAPTAIN HE ON MY SIDE SERGEANT! WE JUST LITTLE DISTURB AT RED LEGS DISOBEYING ORDERS AND DOING THINGS NOT ORDER TO, AND THE PRIVET TALK BEFORE DYING.

CAPTAIN IF I GET JACK BACK A LIVE, I WILL READ IN TO STATEMENT PRIVET SIMS CONFESSION, AND BILL IS WITNESS TO IT.

SERGEANT HE WAS NOT IN THE ARMY THEN, NOT A ARMY MATTER.

CAPTAIN THE FURLOUGH ACT. WHEN SOLDER IS DISCHARGE ;HE IS IN THE ARMY UNTIL HE REACHES HOME OR 30 DAYS HAS EXPIRED, JACK CASE NON HAD HAPPEN. THAT

LITTLE GIRL WAS A ARMY DEPENDANT. THAT MAKES IT A ARMY MATTER.

CAPTAIN BURY YOUR DEAD SERGEANT OR DO YOU WANT TO JOIN HIM.

CAPTAIN UN SNAP THE FLAP ON HIS HOSTER.I AM A LITTLE TIRED OF HAVING MY ORDERS DISOBEYED, "SERGEANT". I GOT YOU, JACK, AND MAYBE 500 INDIANS ON MY HANDS. MY TEMPER GETTING LITTLE SHORT, AND JACK SHOT UP THE COFFEE POT. I GET REAL NASTY IF I ANT HAD MY COFFEE. YOU HAVE ANY? NOR DID I!

SERGEANT STARTED TO DIG THE HOLE FOR THE CORPORAL. HE GOT IT 4 FOOT DEEP AND DRAG THE CORPORAL BODY IN IT, PUT HIS HORSE BLANKET OVER THE CORPORAL AND FILL IT WITH DIRT. THEY MOUNTED AND TURN SOUTH WEST.

CAPTAIN YOU LEAD SERGEANT WE FOLLOW,

THEY ROAD SLOWLY ALL DAY SOUTH WEST. THEY FOLLOW JACK AND LIZZIE HORSE TRACKS.

LIZZIE AND JACK GOT TO WATER HOLE FIRST. THEY STOP AND LET THE HORSES WATER AND FILL THEM SELFS.JACK GOT ON HIS HORSE AND ROAD IT 100 FEET AND HAND LIZZIE THE RAINS TO SAM AND SAID GO ON COUPLE MILES MAKE CAMP. JACK STEP DOWN OFF SAM AND WENT FOUND HIM A PLACE WHERE HE COULD WATCH THE WATER HOLE. JACK FOUND A SMALL WASH OUT UP ON THE RIDGE .FROM HERE HE COULD SEE ALL THE WATER HOLE.

CAPTAIN AND BILL RODE BEHIND THE SERGEANT NOW THE TRUST IS GONE BETWEEN THEM NOW. SERGEANT KNEW THAT BILL AND CAPTAIN KNEW HE KILL JACK DAUGHTER. BILL LET THAT SLIP IN HIS ANGER. SERGEANT WAS THINKING WHAT CAN I DO NOW? I GOT GET OUT HERE. THE INDIANS ARE COMING,IF I DESERT I GOT KILL BILL AND CAPTAIN. THEY HAVE THE ARMY DOWN ON ME: I CAN SAY JACK KILL THEM. I GOT AWAY AND OUT RUN HIM ,AND INDIANS.

THAT'S WHAT I DO TO NIGHT: KILL THEM AND MAKE MY RUN TO NIGHT.

THEY RODE ON AND LATE IN THE DAY THEY CAME TO WATER HOLE THAT JACK HAD STAKE OUT.

CAPTAIN WE CAMP HERE FOR THE NIGHT.

BILL THIS IS A GOOD PLACE. JACK NOT FAR A HEAD.

CAPTAIN SERGEANT GIVE ME YOU GUNS.

BILL COCK BACK HIS HAMMER ON HIS RIFLE, CLICK ,CLICK.

SERGEANT I NEED THEM ,WHAT IF JACK HIT US TO NIGHT?

CAPTAIN BILL AND I ARE ARM.WE LOOK OUT FOR YOU. YOU MIGHT RUN TONIGHT.

CAPTAIN YOU HAVE REASON TO DESERT. I THINK.

BILL WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE, "I WONDER IF YOU WERE THINKING OF THIS"

SERGEANT HAND CAPTAIN HIS WEAPONS AND HIS SIDE ARM.

CAPTAIN YOU GET THESE BACK WHEN WE LEAVE IN MORNING.

CAPTAIN SERGEANT MAKE A FIRE, BILL STAKE THE MOUNTS OUT.

CAPTAIN PICK UP THE COFFEE POT, THEY GOT KEEP IT EVEN THOU THERE IS A HOLE IN IT.

US GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. HE LOOKS AT IT, AND THINKS HOLE IN UPPER PART. I JUST MIGHT GET A CUP OR TWO OUT IT.

CAPTAIN TRYING TO GET POT TO WORK, BILL STAKE OUT THE HORSES, SERGEANT SLIDES HIS HAND IN HIS RIGHT BOOT, AND WORKS OUT A DENERGER.SERGEANT HAS A BOOT GUN. HE HIDE IT IN HIS BLANKET. THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT TIME. BILL IS OUT RANGE OF IT.THERE STILL SOME DAY LIGHT NOT TIME TO MAKE HIS BREAK.

JACK IS UP ON THE HILL TAKEN THIS ALL IN.THINKING TO HIM SELF. CAPTAIN NOT AS DUM AS HE LOOKS. BILL STAKING OUT THE HORSES WHERE THEY UP WIND FROM ME I CAN CRAW IN TO CAMP WHEN DARK.UN SEEN. HEY THAT SERGEANT DIGGING IN HIS BOOT. I BET HE GOT A GUN OR KNIFE IN IT. HE HOLD UP UNTIL DARK, TO MAKE HIS MOVE. I WEIGHT FOR DARKNESS.

DARKNESS SLIPS IN AND JACK STARTS HIS SLOW CRAW DOWN TO THE CAMP SPOT. GOING IS SLOW. EVEN THOU THE HORSES ARE STAKE UP WIND FROM HIM THEY STILL HAVE GREAT HEARING. SO JACK GOT MAKE NO SOUND.

THE CAPTAIN ENJOY HIS COFFEE ,SIPPING IT.THINK FOR FIRST TIME HE WON OVER JACK.

BILL ANY LEFT CAPTAIN?

CAPTAIN YES, TWO CUPS I THINK

BILL SNICKERING

CAPTAIN, WHAT'S FUNNY BILL?

BILL I WAS THINKING JACK PUT THAT SCORPION IN YOUR BOOT. SHOT HIS GUN SO YOU JUMP UP STICK YOUR FOOT IN IT.

BILL I WAS ALWAYS PUZZLE IN WHY HE LET US KNOW HE WAS THERE.

CAPTAIN SNICKERING YA HE DOES HAVE A FUNNY SIDE TO HIM.

SERGEANT START TO MOAN AND GRAB HIS BELLY AND ROLL UP IN TO A BALL.

CAPTAIN WHAT IS IT SERGEANT?

CAPTAIN GOES TO HIM AND WHEN HE BEN OVER TO TOUCH HIM SERGEANT PULL HIS DERRINGER AND STICK IT UNDER THE CAPTAIN JAW.

SERGEANT DROP YOU GUN BILL OR THE CAPTAIN IS A DEAD SUCKER.

BILL DOES AS HE TOLD.

SERGEANT TAKES CAPTAIN SIDE ARM OUT HIS HOLSTER. I AM GETTING OUT HERE. BILL GET OVER HERE WITH THE CAPTAIN.

BILL MOVE TO CAPTAIN SIDE.

BILL WE DID NOT CHECK HIM FOR A HIDE AWAY.

CAPTAIN YA THIS MAY COST US.

SERGEANT SORRY BUT I GOT TO KILL YOU. I CAN NOT HAVE YOU FILE A REPORT THAT I DESERTED. CAPTAIN WHAT YOU SMILING ABOUT?

CAPTAIN JUST JACK JOHNSON RIGHT BEHINE YOU.

SERGEANT YOU ANT PULLING THAT TRICK ON ME! THEN HE HEAR CLICK, CLICK, SERGEANT LOOK AROUND AND THERE IS A BROOOOOM BROOM. JACK LET BOTH BARRELS HIS SHOT GUN GO.