Chapter 43: A New Life
The next day.
Johnny opened his blurry eyes and took a comfortable stretch. He sat up and looked beside him, only to find that Hosea was already awake.
Hosea was using the workbench as a desk, seriously reading the 27th issue of the "New Hanover Gazette."
His gaze was deeply drawn to a bounty for a giant bear, as if he were pondering whether he could profit from it.
Noticing that Johnny had woken up, Hosea said with relief:
"I haven't slept this comfortably in a long time. Thank you, Johnny. You really are different from them!"
"We're family, aren't we?"
"By the way, every time I see that the Ladies in our Gang don't even have their own tents, it really bothers me."
"Look at how they sleep out in the open; it's truly pitiful!"
"Hosea, could you find a chance to discuss this with Dutch?"
"See if we can take a portion of the money from selling the horses yesterday to improve everyone's living conditions a bit."
"After all, that money is just a number sitting there. Wouldn't it be better to use it to make everyone more comfortable?"
Hosea had actually been thinking about this for a long time, but at that point, Dutch was completely focused on how to pull off a big job.
He wouldn't have spent precious funds on looking after the daily needs of the other members.
However, after observing him for a while, Hosea found that Dutch seemed to have undergone a significant change.
Perhaps talking to Dutch about it now would have a much higher chance of success than before!
With this in mind, Hosea decided to seize this rare opportunity and try to convince Dutch to make a change.
After saying this, Johnny got up and headed toward Pearson's to have a nice breakfast, but before he even got there, he saw Arthur grabbing Pearson by the collar and cursing at him:
"shit, Pearson! Is skunk something you use for stew? Why don't you use gun oil for seasoning instead?"
Pearson apologized repeatedly, explaining that there was no food left because both Charles and Arthur had been away from the camp.
As he spoke, he handed a can of Salted offal hash to Arthur, which only made matters worse.
Arthur became even more annoyed because those canned goods were what he hated eating most.
Johnny quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying he would head out nearby today to hunt a few deer for everyone.
Just then, a cloud of dust suddenly rose outside the quiet camp, and the sound of galloping hooves approached from afar.
Everyone looked over to see a man in a red suit riding a spotted horse, galloping toward the camp like the wind.
As he drew closer, people looked carefully and realized the newcomer was actually Trelawny.
Trelawny looked panicked and anxious; he didn't even have time to greet the gathering crowd before leaping off his horse and rushing into Dutch's tent.
This sudden scene made the atmosphere in the camp instantly tense.
Before long, Dutch, Hosea, and Trelawny emerged from the tent with solemn expressions.
They said nothing, only exchanging heavy glances as if they had just experienced a massive upheaval.
Immediately after, Dutch strode over to the Chuckwagon, hands on his hips, looked around, and shouted:
"Gentlemen! Ladies! Please be quiet and listen to me for a moment!"
The crowd gathered quickly, everyone's face filled with confusion and unease.
Dutch took a deep breath and continued, "Just now, Mr. Trelawny brought us two pieces of extremely bad news."
"First, our brother Mac met with misfortune in Blackwater Town and has left us forever."
"Second, Sean has also been captured by enemies in Blackwater Town, and he is to be sent to the police station for hanging tomorrow."
At this point, Dutch paused, his voice trembling slightly.
He looked up, gazing firmly at everyone, and continued loudly:
"But I tell you, we cannot just stand by and watch our companion suffer!"
"We must bring him back at all costs!" After saying this, he waved his hand forcefully to show his determination.
Then, Dutch began assigning tasks: "Now, Arthur, Johnny, you two go with Mr. Trelawny by train to Riggs Station immediately, then get to the vicinity of Blackwater Town as quickly as possible to meet up with Charles."
"Remember, you must be fast; time is tight, and every second counts! Move out, brothers! Go! Go! Go!"
(There's a bug in the original plot; Arthur went without knowing anything about Sean, whereas at least someone relayed the message when he went to steal things with Hosea.)
Upon hearing this, the expressions on Arthur's and Johnny's faces became exceptionally serious.
They walked with firm steps toward their respective rooms to prepare the clothes and weapons needed for the upcoming battle.
Meanwhile, Dutch remained where he was, slowly pulling a thick stack of bills from his pocket.
The bills were new and neat, as if carrying some important mission.
Without hesitation, Dutch handed the stack of bills to Ms. Grimshaw and said solemnly:
"Dear Ms. Grimshaw, please take this money."
"I firmly believe that boy Sean will return safely tonight! Let the Gang use this money to improve everyone's living conditions for now."
After speaking, he paused for a moment and then raised his voice to shout:
"Brothers and sisters, take this money to Valentine and pick out a comfortable tent for yourselves."
"Also, don't forget to go to the General store and buy more seasonings and food. Today, we're going to have a little party to warmly welcome Sean back!"
With that, he glanced with a hint of disdain at the pot of stew that was bubbling and emitting a strange smell.
At this moment, everyone present was enveloped in a strange mix of emotions.
On one hand, they had just learned the tragic news of a companion's passing, filling their hearts with grief and sorrow; on the other hand, they heard that someone was returning to the Gang and that their living conditions were expected to improve.
These contrasting emotions intertwined like an invisible net, tightly wrapping around everyone's soul.
The three of them, including Arthur, had already rushed to Valentine at top speed and bought three train tickets and Horse tickets.
(Trains have Horse tickets, so your horse doesn't have to run alongside the train.)
At Johnny's strong suggestion, they bought three Sleeper berths.
Fortunately, in this era, no one would fight you for a lower berth, because someone could blow your mind open at any time.
Except for the non-combatant Trelawny, who was watching the station announcements, the other two lay in bed to recharge their energy.
For all three knew this was a trap set for Dutch, and the enemy's numbers would certainly not be small.