Mountain Woman Snake River Blizzard (32 page)

She looked around, trying to slow her spinning mind.  She needed to hurry, get this situation over with, and get her husband to a doctor.  “What do I do?” she asked.  “I can’t really burn the cabin down.  If he has Clarice chained where she can’t escape, she’ll burn to death.”

“Is smoke still coming out of the chimney?” he asked.

She hurried to the door to look and came back, “Very little and it’s white now.  Why?”

“If you stopped up the chimney, it would smoke them out.  But you need to wait until he puts more wood on the fire.  You need a ladder.  No trees near enough to climb.”

She quickly searched the barn, but didn’t find a ladder.  “I saw an ax beside their woodpile.  I could cut a tree and use the limbs to climb up.  That is, if I could get it to the side of the cabin.  I think I could manage that.  It would only need to be about ten feet tall and large enough to hold me.”

“Can you help me get to the door and put one of my Walkers in my left hand?” he asked.  “I want to be where I can cover you if he comes outside shooting.”

She went to the outlaw’s covered wagon, found a blanket, brought it to the door, and spread it out for Man to lie on.  She helped him stand and staggered with him as he walked to the door and sat down.  His strength was exhausted.  The movement had caused the wounds to start bleeding again.  She brought more snow and repacked the wounds.

There had been no sounds from inside the cabin since her verbal exchange with
Engledow
.  “I wonder what’s going on inside,” she said.

Man didn’t reply. 
The pain of moving had caused him to lose consciousness.
 
She touched his face with her cold hands and that brought hi
m back.

“I’ll try to smoke him out,” she said.  She placed both of his pistols on the blanket beside his left hand.

He clutched one and shifted so he could aim at the cabin door.  “Do it,” he said.  “I’ve got you covered if he comes out.”

Kate sprinted behind the cabin, found a tree the right height, and went for the ax.  It was a
pine and the limbs would give her places to use as steps.  She cut it and proceeded to trim the limbs leaving the stubs about six inches long, but adequate to use as steps.

She pulled the spruce to the back of the cabin and managed to lean it against the roof.  She went back to the barn to check on Man.

He saw her coming and smiled.  “I’m doing okay,” he said.  “I see empty feed sacks you can stuff in the chimney if he would build up the fire again.  Wait till there’s ample smoke.”

She sat on the blanket beside him to rest a moment before checking his wounds.  Chopping down the tree with freezing hands had left her fatigued.  “The bleeding has stopped
,” she said. 
“But, packing it in moss will have to wait until we have a fire to boil water.”

He groaned in reply.

She walked to the door of the barn and shouted, “We have men surrounding the cabin.  There’s no way you can escape.  Using Clarice as a shield won’t work.  One of us will have a clear shot at you and put you down.”

Silence greeted her.  “Clarice, can you hear me?”  Again, nothing came from the cabin.

Kate went back and sat beside Man.  Her face was a mask of concern and concentration.  She explored another option in her mind.  She could load Man in the wagon and take him to a doctor.  That would be abandoning Clarice, but if Bob hadn’t already killed her, there would be no reason for him to do so after they left.  However, he might move on and escape before she
could get backup out to capture him and rescue Clarice.

Another thought flashed.  She could pretend to leave in the wagon.  She could tie his horses to the back of the wagon along with Arabian and Red Bird and he would think they were leaving him stranded in the snow.  Bob would hear them and would hopefully come to the door to see what was going on.  If Man was able, he might have a clear shot.

She wanted to discuss the option with him, but he didn’t respond when she spoke.  Fear surged through her as she felt his pulse and put her ear to his mouth.  He was alive, but unconscious again.

Man being able to shoot was instrumental if her plan had a chance of succeeding.

She sat back in thought.  A decision had to be made, fast.  Either put Man in the wagon and
go
for help, or stay and try to get a shot at
Engledow
.

If she took Man and all the animals, Bob would be left without a horse.  With waist-deep snow, walking very far would be impossible.

Smoking him out would only work if he built up the fire and she got the chimney clogged.  She would have to hurry to get back to the barn before he came out.  If he had Clarice in front of him, came to the barn, and saw Man, he would shoot him on sight even if he were unconscious.

It was possible she could hide Man to prevent Bob from shooting him.  Still, she’d have to move fast and be ready.  Hopefully, she would have an opening to chance a shot.  She would have to get a bullet past Clarice and hit Bob hard enough to put him down.  Everything would have to work in her favor for that plan to succeed.

The cabin door opened and Bob shouted,
“I know it’s only you and your
husband, Kate
Manchester.  Saddle all four horses and bring them and the mules to the cabin.”

“Don’t do it,” Clarice screamed.  “I had rather be dead than forced to go with this animal.  I’m ruined, anyway.  If he has me in front of him shoot me first to give you a chance to kill this bastard.”

The sound of a hand slapping flesh was followed by a moan, and then silence for several seconds before Kate saw the door move again.  “Do as I said,” Bob ordered.  “Saddle the horses and bring them and the mules to the front of the cabin and then back away.  I’m taking Clarice with me.  You’ll have to kill her to get to me and you won’t do that.”

Kate decided to try this first.  She hurried to the two horses belonging to the outlaws and saddled them, but left the cinch loose on both so that the saddle would turn when Bob put weight in the stirrup. She had no way to know which horse he would choose for himself.  She led them to the barn door, and stopped and checked Man.  There was n
o change.  He was unconscious.

She was on her own.

She pulled her pistol and led the two horses to the front of the cabin, keeping the horse between her and the door in case he suddenly opened it and fired.

She dropped the reins on the ground and backed toward the barn with both pistols aimed at th
e cabin door.  Her
rifle was leaning against the wall and she holstered the pistols and aimed the rifle.  It would be more accurate if she only had a small opening.

“The horses are saddled and in front of the cabin,” she yelled.  The cabin door opened a crack and she saw Bob’s face for only a second, but she knew he had time to see the horses.

“I said all four and the mules.  I’m not leaving anything for you two to ride.  With the woman
and
in this snow, you would catch up.”

She saw no other choice.  She saddled Red Bird and Arabian and left their chinch on the saddle loose
,
as well.  She put halters on the two mules belonging to the outlaw, led the four animals to the front of the cabin, and left them beside the other two horses.

“The horses and mul
es are in front,” she shouted.

She knew she couldn’t let Bob escape.  Doing so would be a death sentence to Man.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Clarice appeared in the doorway.  Bob was behind her with his left arm around her waist.  Her wrists were tied behind her back.  He held her close and aimed his pistol toward the barn door.  His
gaze darted
, trying to locate Man.  He knew Kate was in the barn from t
he direction of her voice
.

He shoved Clarice
to Red Bird
and
lifted her on the saddle.  Thankfully, it didn’t
turn.  He pulled Arabian
to his side and walked between the two
horses
, using them
and their two horses and mules
as a shield.

Bob was crafty.  H
e walked farther and farther away from the cabin and so far, Kate didn’t have an opportunity for a shot.
  He was leading the other horses, keeping them on all sides of him to prevent a shot.

He was at least a hundred yards from the cabin before he stopped.
It would be a long shot, but Kate was ready when Bob mov
ed to the left side of Arabian
to mount.  The instant he tried to mount, Kate screamed, “Clarice,
scream and
kick your
horse, get out of the way.”

Clarice
hesitated only a
split-second, screamed at the top of her lungs, and
frantical
ly kicked the sides of
Red Bird.  All of the horses
bolted
at her sudden outburst
and
Red Bird
was at least ten feet away when the sa
ddle slipped to the side a
nd Clarice went to the ground.

Bob was fighting with Arabian, trying to get into the saddle.  The
horse was frighte
ned and leaped away from Bob.  However, he got a foot in the stirrup and put his weight on it.  The saddle turned and he hit the ground cursing, but frantically trying to get his pistol out of his holster that was under his coat.  He had to use both hands to hold all of the horses and mules
.

Kate was ready
.  H
er Winchester
moved until her sights were lined up on Bob and she pulled the trigger.  The rifle let out a loud bang that echoed through the barn.  T
he bullet took Bob Engledow in the face and hit his nose dead center.   The back of his head exploded as the chunk of lead took away part of his skull.

Kate was already running in the deep snow to where
Clarice lay
on the ground gasping for breath.  The fall, even in the snow
, had
knocked
the breath out of her
since her hands were tied behind her back and she couldn’t break the fall with her arms.

Kate pulled her up into a sitting position and saw her struggling to get her breath, but knew she was going to be okay.  She pulled her to her feet and cut the rope binding her hands.

“Help me catch the horses,” she said.

Red Bird was standing close and Kate g
rabbed the rein
s.  He didn’t attempt to run away when he recognized her.  She
righted
the saddle on him and cinched it tight.

Arabian had gone only a few yards from them.  Clarice caught him and push
ed the saddle upright.

“Take him to the barn while I round up the other two horses and mules,”
Kate
said.  We’ll
need them to pull the wagon
.
”

Clarice walked to where Bob lay in the snow and
kicked his body.  “You bastard!
” she screamed as she kicked him again.

She led Arabian to the barn and
saw Al Valdez on the
ground.   She took a
step and kicked his side with all her strength.
  She saw Man on the blanket, hurried to where he lay, and knelt down beside him.  She checked his pulse and opened his eyes to look.

Kate
had no trouble catching the horses and mules and led them to t
he barn.  She hurried to where M
an lay
and saw Clarice examining him.

“I was a nurse before I married
Tom
,” she said.  “We need to get him to a doctor as fast as possible.
”  She stood.   “
Who
are you?  I heard
Engledow call
him a marshal.
”

“I’m Deputy United States Marshal Kate.  This is my partner and husband Marshal Manchester.  We need to get moving.  Man has lost a lot of blood.  Valdez shot him.”

The two women made a bed in the
back of the wagon and together they managed to load Man.

“Load what we need from the cabin,” Kate said.  “I’ll hitch the mules to the wagon.  Bring all the bedding.  It’ll be cold on the trip back to Boise.”

Clarice hu
rried to obey and Kate
quickly had the mules h
itched and ready to leave.  “B
ring the other horse
s and tie them to the back of the wagon,” Kate said.  She
went for Arabian and Red Bird a
nd tied them to the wagon.

“There’ll be no feed for the animals,” Kate said.  “Help me load
the sacked feed in the wagon.”

Both women worked together putting the bags in the wagon.

Kate went to
Al’s body
and took his gun belt and pistol
,
as well as his wallet.
The two women climbed on the seat and Kate slapped the r
eins on the rumps of the mules.