“I can’t answer that, because I know nothing of Falcon MacCallister,” Malcolm said. “I will say, though, that even if he were alone, Duff MacCallister would present a most formidable adversary. He has killed five men that I know of, and has often bested his opponents, even when placed in the most precarious of circumstances.”
“What makes you think he will be with Falcon MacCallister?”
“Falcon is his cousin, and he came west specifically to be with him.”
“All right, I don’t mind killin’ this feller Duff for you, as long as I get a shot at Falcon.”
“Do you have any idea where they are?” Moran asked.
“No, I’m afraid I don’t. I was hoping that I could find someone out here who might help me find him.”
“MacCallister,” Johnny Hill said.
“Yes, MacCallister, that’s who we are after,” Malcolm replied.
“No, I mean MacCallister the town. It’s named after Falcon MacCallister’s old man, and there’s a whole heap of MacCallisters that live there, includin’ Falcoln hisself,” Johnny Hill said. “And if this feller Duff is with Falcon, then that’s more’n likely where we are goin’ to find him.”
“Yes, that’s right,” McKenna said. “I recollect now that there is a town by that name.”
“Then that is where we shall go,” Malcolm said.
“We ridin’, or we goin’ by train?” Shaw asked. “’Cause if we’re ridin’, I ain’t got no horse and you don’t neither.”
“We’ll go by train.”
“That’s fine,” Pettigrew said. “Only thing is, the MacCallisters ain’t likely to be a standing right alongside the railroad tracks, which means we’re goin’ to have to have our horses with us when we get there.”
“All right,” Malcolm said. “Shaw and I will buy a couple of horses, then we will ship all of them on the train along with us.”
“Senor, where you goin’ to get the
“I beg your pardon. The what?”
“
“I don’t know. The stable, I suppose. Where does one ordinarily get horses?”
“I can get you two horses, with saddles, I think, for one hundred dollars.”
“Where?”
“You don’t need to worry. I can get,” Garcia said.
“All right. Get them, and have them here at the depot in time to ship them with us when the train leaves.”
Two hours later, Garcia showed up with two horses, complete with saddles.
“Better you put these horses on the train
Malcolm was reasonably sure then, if he had not been before, that the horses were stolen. But they looked like good animals, and this search was beginning to eat into his funds, so it was better to pay one hundred dollars for horses without bills of sale than it was to pay up to four hundred dollars for two horses with bills of sale.
Thus it was that nine men, well mounted, well armed, and with a common purpose in mind, boarded the train in Denver for the town of MacCallister.
As Duff and Falcon journeyed by train to Cheyenne, Duff read of the city in his copy of
MAGIC CITY OF THE PLAINS
516 miles from Omaha; elevation, 6,041 feet, Cheyenne is at present the most active and stirring city on the entire line. Cheyenne is well laid out, with broad streets at right angles to the railroad and has an abundant supply of pure water.
Travelers will here take a dinner in comfortable style at one of the best kept hotels between the two oceans. It is a good place to rest after a tiresome journey, and it will pay to stop a few days and enjoy the pure air and genial sun in this high altitude. The Inter-Ocean Hotel is owned by the railroad company and is 150 feet long by 36 feet wide, with a wing 25 feet square. It is two stories high, the upper floor being well furnished with sleeping rooms for guests.
The first place Falcon and Duff went after arriving in Cheyenne was the land office. A small bell attached to the top of the door tinkled as it was pushed open. The land clerk, a very thin man with white hair and glasses, was sitting at a table behind the counter that separated his area from the front.
“Yes, sir, can I help you gentlemen?” he asked, looking up as Duff and Falcon entered.
“I have come to file a claim on some land,” Duff said.
“And you are?”
“MacCallister. Duff MacCallister.”
“Have you picked the land out yet, Mr. MacCallister?”
“I have not. I have just arrived on the train.”
“Well, then, welcome to Wyoming. It is always good to get new people in the territory. What do you say you come back here and we’ll take a look at the map and find some property for you?”
Falcon and Duff both stepped around the counter, then up to the wall whereupon was attached a large map. The map was of Laramie County, which stretched from the Colorado border more than halfway up the eastern part of Wyoming.
