After exploring the modest mine under Beacher’s Mill, The Oak Hill Gang rides back to their base of operations, Dry Gulch. They look forward to a drink, a bath and a hot meal. As they enter town, they come across a wanted poster. It offers up a bounty of $1,000 for the live capture of Lloyd Watsbough, wanted for payroll robbery on the Arizona Express.
Jack and Louis immediately recognize the man featured on the poster. He was the man guarding the payroll on the train. Jack and Louis had let the man go.
A brief conversation with the local sheriff, Bill Meacham, suggests that Lloyd was last seen in nearby Black Horse. On good terms with The Boys, Sheriff Meacham suggests they should hurry to town if they’re interested in the bounty because others have demonstrated interest. He also lets them know that the bounty is usually high. And this one is actually not sponsored by the territory. But through the man wronged by the crime: Retired Colonel William Cooley. It was his payroll, after all.
After spending the night in town getting some much needed R&R, The Boys set off for Black Horse. The first day and night are uneventful. But on the second night, they come across a wagon caravan parked around a huge bonfire. As they come upon it, Jack, Ezra, Royce and Louis hear singing and what seems like…preaching?
Yes. Preaching. Approaching cautiously, they see a small group of people around the bonfire… The Boys are welcomed into the camp. For this is a group of pilgrims, led by Father Graham Rastus. It’s clear Father Rastus has been drinking. He is drunk as a fiddler’s clerk. His disciples, too, seemed particularly jocular. While the good reverend was going on about the Kossuth, the God of Fire, The Boys got a sense that the disciples seemed fairly harmless. They eventually learned this group of pilgrims was spreading Kossuth’s word from town to town. Occasionally, they’d add a follower to the cause.
As the group sits around the fire, each one of the Oak Hill gang is given the chance to praise Kossuth. Father Rastus asks them to accept Kossuth into their lives. And to a person, they accept. Our intrepid adventurers also learn that the pilgrims are headed to Black Horse in the morning. So after a hearty trail breakfast the next day, they decide to ride into town with the newfound zealots.
Black Horse is a typical small town on the Atlantic & Pacific line. A combination of adobe and wood buildings fan out from a crossroads. The town visitors see a few taverns, two hotels, a church and more of the like.
The Kossuth worshippers set up camp on the south side of town. The Boys have a drink at the Dusty Spur saloon. Inside, they see a beautiful woman, pretty as a speckled pup. The soiled dove is prospecting. She is chatting up a man who clearly looked to be a local cowhand.
There are a handful of other locals. The gang also sees two groups drinking at separate tables. One of the groups is made up of four rough & tumble types. They’re armed. And a bit loud.
They demand The Boys buy them a round. Jack refuses. Things begin to get a little tense. Hands slide under tables. Distinct, soft clicks of gun hammers are heard…
To de-escalate the situation, one of The Boys eventually buys a round for both tables. And Ezra takes the initiative to cast charm spell on a member of the rough & tumbles. And with the wave of a hand and muttering of soft words, Ezra has a new friend.
Over a drink, The Boys learn their new table mate is part of The Red Ribbon Gang, a group of bounty hunters looking for Lloyd Watsbough. They’ve been in town for a few days. But have no luck finding said wanted criminal. They have noticed, however, a lack of wanted posters in town. The Red Ribbon Gang is not the only group of bounty hunters in Black Horse. The two men sitting at a table on the other side of the saloon is also looking for Lloyd.
The Boys see the soiled dove leave the Dusty Spur and follow her. In the street, Royce ends up confirming the woman, Carrie Shuss, is indeed a prostitute. And while Royce declines Carrie’s services, he ends up learning more about Lloyd Watsbough.
Turns out Lloyd was in love with Carrie and would see her frequently. He’d been in town for a couple weeks now, making a new life for himself. But has recently left Black Horse when the wanted posters started showing up. For $125, Royce learns the location of Lloyd’s hiding place: the Elliott farm two hours out of town.
At the farm, Louis and Jack hide north of the farmhouse while Ezra and Royce ride to the farmhouse, barn and cattle pen. Royce and Ezra claim to be weary from the road and seek water for their horses and a home-cooked meal. The farmers are amiable enough. And while Royce and Ezra dine with the Elliott family, Louis Toadvine and Jack Kollrath explored the barn.
The Boys tracked Lloyd down with one intent: to kill him. For they know the truth: that Lloyd in fact did not rob the train. They did. Lloyd was guarding Cooley’s payroll. Lloyd’s an innocent man. But a loose end.
Once the Louis and Jack came upon Lloyd, the wrongly accused man tried to bargain for his life. He did so by saying two things…
…that he has a standing order for a Pony Express rider to deliver sketches of Jack, Louis, Shady and Jobe (along with the story of what really happened on the train) to the sheriff in Liberty. He must see the rider every week or the rider sets off for Liberty. The Boys didn’t believe him and suggested that it would be his word against theirs.
Lloyd also told the men he knew the location of something Colonel Cooley has been seeking: the fabled Apache Indian Dream Catcher. The Boys noted this. But it wasn’t enough to save Lloyd’s life. Gunfire was exchanged. And Lloyd fell.
As Lloyd and Jack and Louis were discussing their situation, the Red Ribbon Gang arrived at the farmstead. They were also looking for Lloyd.
Instead of finding him, they found lead. An intense gun battle broke out as The Boys defended the Elliott farmstead. The Red Ribbon Gang was killed.
As the Oak Hill Gang was running through their story to ensure all were on the same page, the Black Horse law, Sheriff Tim Caylor, showed up with a posse. They were after the Red Ribbon Gang. Because they had roughed up Carrie Shuss to learn of Lloyd Watsbough’s location. Jack, Louis, Ezra and Royce offered up the same story they offered up the farmer; that they were passing through and Lloyd was killed by the Red Ribbon Gang as he defended himself.
Unfortunately for the Oak Hill Gang, this story didn’t quite square with what Carrie had told Sheriff Caylor: that The Boys had paid her $125 for Lloyd’s whereabouts. Based on this, the sheriff asked the group to ride back into town so they could sort this out. While The Boys were hesitant at first, they came to the conclusion they had no real excuse to make the two-hour ride back to Black Horse.
So off they went, leaving the deputy and a posse member to round up the bodies littered across the farm.
Dry Gulch Bugle 