Valentine.
After Arthur brought little Jack back to camp and handed him over to Abigail, he headed straight to Valentine to find Dutch.
Having authority was one thing, but no one could ignore a threat from the Pinkertons.
Before long, Arthur found Dutch in Valentine's old saloon.
"Dutch, we've got trouble."
Seeing Dutch drinking with Strauss, Arthur hurried over.
"Arthur, what is it?" Dutch asked.
Arthur explained,
"I ran into some men by the river near camp. One was named Milton, and the other… I forgot what he was called."
Dutch added, "Ross."
Arthur nodded. "Right, Milton and Ross."
In his anxious state, Arthur didn't even stop to wonder how Dutch already knew their names.
In truth, Dutch had been keeping an eye on the Pinkertons for a long time. As the gang's leader, he didn't just sit around reading—gathering information was a vital part of his work, and he had his own channels.
"And then?" Dutch set down his glass, frowning.
Arthur continued, "They're agents from the Pinkerton Detective Agency. They know about the train job. They know it was us, and they even know roughly where our camp is."
"They're after you, Dutch. They told me that if I handed you over, they'd give me my freedom."
Dutch reacted calmly. "And why didn't you agree?"
Hearing that, Arthur finally settled down a little. "Very funny, Dutch. But what do we do now?"
Dutch didn't answer immediately. He lifted his glass and took a slow sip.
Strauss closed the ledger he had been reading.
After a long moment, Dutch said, "Right now, we don't need to do anything. It's not the time. They just want to scare us into acting rashly."
"Our situation has improved. We've come down from the mountains into New Hanover—this isn't a place the Pinkertons can interfere so easily."
"Arthur, my boy, don't be so wound up. Relax. They can't touch us for now."
"What we need is calm."
"Listen, Arthur, John is on the ranch just outside Valentine. He seems to have found a way to make some money. Go talk to him. It might help take your mind off things."
Seeing Dutch so rational and confident eased Arthur's heart.
"Alright, Dutch. I'll go find John."
…
After Arthur left, Strauss spoke up: "It seems the Pinkertons didn't give Cornwall our camp's location."
"Otherwise, Cornwall wouldn't have gone to Valentine to trouble Davey. He would have gone straight to raid our camp."
Dutch nodded. "That's good news, isn't it, Strauss? The Pinkertons took his money yet didn't deliver. Maybe they're using this to pressure Cornwall into granting them law enforcement authority."
"If Pinkertons had told Cornwall where our camp is, they'd be of no use to him anymore. They're not that foolish—they're clever."
Strauss asked, "But we should move camp, Dutch. The Pinkertons may already have people watching us."
"Yes, Strauss," Dutch replied. "We need to find a safer, more hidden place."
"But we need intel first. Trelawny went to Saint Denis. He'll be back soon. Once he returns, we'll decide where to go."
…
Arthur soon found John, who had discovered a money-making opportunity—stealing goats that were about to be auctioned.
The idea made Arthur laugh. He had robbed wagons, trains, even banks, but goats? That was a first.
And the thought alone lifted his spirits.
For Arthur and John, robbing goats was an easy job.
Once they herded the goats to the ranch, John went to negotiate with the ranch owner.
"You give me a 25% cut, and I won't make a fuss about this," the rancher said. He instantly recognized that Arthur and John weren't the cowboys he had dealt with before and understood exactly what was happening.
Such things were common in the West, and ranchers naturally demanded compensation.
"What do you mean?" Arthur bristled immediately. They'd done all the work—stealing and herding the goats—and now they were being charged a 25% cut? That made the rancher worse than a bandit.
"Listen, friend, I can turn a blind eye, but I need 25%," the rancher insisted.
Arthur lost his patience. "You want me to put a hole in your head?"
The rancher didn't flinch. "Stealing livestock gets you the gallows. Twenty-five!"
John pushed Arthur aside and stepped forward. "Fifteen."
"Twenty."
"Eighteen."
"Deal."
The rancher shook John's hand, then walked up to Arthur. "Calm down, brother. Think of it as… me redeeming your sins."
Arthur said helplessly, "You're the buyer, but we're the ones paying."
"Alright, John, let's go."
The rancher called after them, "The auction's tomorrow morning. Come back afterward, and I'll have your money ready."
John replied, "Alright, sir."
After Arthur and John rode off, the cowboy beside the rancher suddenly said, "Sir, they look like the men Mr. Cornwall is looking for."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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