The Boys (Jack, Louis, Shady & Ezra) have accepted a courier assignment from Bill Cooley: take some mining equipment to his brother, Wyatt, in nearby Privilegio. Things don’t quite go as expected…
En route, Louis picks the lock and opens up the crate. He discovers it’s not mining equipment. But a gatling gun with 500 rounds.
Through the heat waves they see a small village to the north. As they approach they hear the bells of a small church begin to ring. Just outside town are emaciated cattle trying to feed on the dry grasses of the desert while ahead of them, a few chickens scatter. In the distance they see a mother rushing her two children indoors as she steals fearful glances in The Boys’ direction.
The Oak Hill Boys pass through a rickety gate where a sign swings gently in the wind declaring the village as Privilegio, which is Spanish for “Privilege”. Straight ahead of them is a small church, its bells now silent, and in front of it a crumbling well.
Among several dilapidated buildings are a saloon, general store, stables and a small seemingly abandoned sheriff’s office. If not for the fear filled faces peeking nervously out of windows, you would swear you were entering a ghost town.
Just outside the village, and off the map, are a few fenced off areas holding cattle, some shacks, and a few more building hovels. Scattered farms and ranches can be found even further outside the village, some of these have been burned to the ground.
The Boys being the boys, after seeing no one speaks English at the general store, they head to the saloon / hotel, the largest building in the small town. They have a drink.
As they sit at the bar the swinging doors are suddenly kicked inward. A boy of no more than 12, with bandoliers hanging loosely about his shoulders, levels a rusty shotgun at Louis. He is obviously scared but speaks boldly with a heavy Spanish accent.
“Everyone may be afraid of you but I’m not! I’m not going to let you take any more from us or hurt anyone else, cerdo maloliente!”
As he sights down the barrel the shotgun it is pulled out of his grasp by a gaunt man with a ragged oversized sombrero. He yells something in Spanish at the boy and cuffs him upside the head. The boy runs off holding his ear. The man sets the shotgun against the wall and comes up up to the boys with his head bowed and his hat in his hands.
“Please don’t hurt my son, he is only a boy and doesn’t know any better. You know we never give you any trouble”.
The man’s name is Eduardo and The Boys talk him up. When Eduardo finds out the semi-heroes aren’t part of Wyatt Cooley’s motley crew is more than willing to talk. This is his story:
“…Things were good before Wyatt Cooley came. He claimed most of the grazing land, dammed the river, and put up fences around this land, most of which he had no legal right to. Those of us who cut the fences and tried to herd our cattle to water were shot, and our cattle stolen.
Many farmers and ranchers have been murdered, and many of the villagers simply left. Some of the troublemakers even joined his men. The rest of us have nowhere to go, so we stay and pray for a miracle.
Now Wyatt and his banditos come and go and take what they please, our money, our food, and sometimes our women. Anyone who stands up to him is shot dead! But, what can we do? He is too powerful with too many men and guns….”
The Boys now must make a decision: deliver the “mining equipment” to Wyatt…or defend the town, ridding it of Wyatt’s wicked ways?
A plan is formed. Men, including a few townspeople, fan out into several positions around town. Some high, some low. Women, children and the local priest are secured nearby.
Nestled up on a high, rocky peak on the outskirts of the town, Ezra spies a cloud of dust on the horizon. It’s a large group of riders galloping into town. At high noon, Wyatt and ten of his men pass under the “Privilegio” sign swinging in the wind.
The men ride to the center of the town, surrounding a well. They see a buckboard wagon carrying a single crate. Standing near the wagon, a calm Jack Kollath. Dressed a little sharper than the rest of the men, Wyatt looks at Jack and says, “where the hell is my gol’ durn crate?” But it’s nearly the last thing he says as a single shot rings out. Wyatt is hit by a high velocity round fired from Ezra’s bolt action rifle.
The shot triggers Shady to ride out with another buckboard. With Louis and Eduardo…and the gatling gun. An intense gun battle ensues. But the Wyatt’s gang of hired hands is no match against a constant stream of bullets from the gatling gun, along with well-placed rounds from Jack and Ezra. The Boys sustain some injuries. Eduardo, unfortunately, dies as the gang concentrates shots on the trio operating the gatling gun.
Wyatt is killed with most of his gang. One of the two living members is identified as a rapist and the townspeople get their revenge. The other identifies himself as Royce Hyatt, a hired gun who had already been looking to leave the gang. Royce joins The Boys.
The dead are gathered. Bodies are searched. Someone finds some whiskey. And on Wyatt’s body, a journal is discovered…
Note
This adventure loosely based on The Gatling Decision
Dry Gulch Bugle 