desk as he examined the map that was spread out before him.
“And you say they found gold here?” he asked, placing his finger on a place alongside Stinking Water River.
“Yes, sir. And they told the other folks about it as well,” Davis said. “Like as not, there are twenty or thirty more people out there now than there was yesterday.”
“Are you sure they found gold? Or were they just talking?”
“No, sir, they found gold all right. This gold,” Davis said, pulling the little cloth-wrapped package from his pocket. He put the package on the desk in front of Bellefontaine, and Bellefontaine examined it more closely, moving the small nuggets around with his finger.
“How is it that you did not keep this gold for yourselves?” Bellefontaine asked, looking up at the two men.
“Well, sir, it’s like you said,” Davis replied. “The land and ever’ thing in it belongs to you. Wouldn’t be right for us to be runnin’ the other folks out of there by tellin’ ’em ever’ thing out there belongs to you, then us be keepin’ this gold they found. Most especial since we are workin’ for you,” Davis said.
Bellefontaine laughed. “Wouldn’t be right? Or you knew you would be caught?”
“Maybe both,” Davis admitted.
Bellefontaine laughed again, then, once more turned his attention to the map.
“How many people do you think are in this area?” he asked, making a small circle over a portion of the map.
“Don’t nobody know for sure. Could be a hunnert or more,” Davis said. “All of ’em prospectin’.”
“Other than this, are they finding anything?” Bellefontaine asked, pointing to the little pile of gold on his desk.
“Don’t nobody know that neither,” Regret said. “But if them two that was in the saloon come up with gold, then it would be a safe bet to say that others is goin’ to do it too. Especially, like I said, since they come into the saloon mouthin’ off about it. That couldn’t of done nothin’ but start a little gold rush.”
Bellefontaine stroked his chin as he continued to study the map. “I would try and buy all of them out, but if there are a hundred in there, and they all wanted a thousand dollars, it would about break me,” he said. “Especially with all the money I’ve already got in mining equipment. It wouldn’t do any good anyway unless every one of them agreed to a buyout, and I don’t think they are going to do that, do you?”
“No, sir,” Davis said. “I sure don’t.”
“You said you—uh—took care of the two men who panned this gold?”
“Yes sir.”
“Where are they now?”
“Where are they? They’re still lyin’ there as far as I know,” Davis replied, somewhat confused by the question.
“Good. If some of the other prospectors come across them, it may not be a bad thing if they get the idea that it’s dangerous out there.”
“Yes, sir, that’s sort of what we was thinkin’,” Davis said. “That’s why I scalped ’em.”
“You what? You scalped them?”
“Yes, sir. I figured it would make it look like the Injuns done it.”
“Yes, that’s probably a pretty good idea. But I’m afraid that two scalped prospectors won’t be enough to get everyone out of there. And getting everyone out of there is what we need to do.”
“If you’re really wantin’ all them folks out of there, me ’n Regret have come up with this idea.”
“What idea is that?”
“Well, you might mind, Mr. Bellefontaine, that me’n Regret was oncet soldiers. Members of the Sixth Cavalry we was, out of Fort Keogh.”
“Yes, I know that.”
“Well, sir, we still keep in touch with some of our old pards, and they’ve been tellin’ us about Injuns attackin’ prospectors, ranchers, farmers and the like up in Montana. And they been talkin’ ’bout somethin’ new that’s goin’ on with all the Injuns now.”
“Something new? What are you talking about?”
“It’s called Spirit Talkin’,” Davis said.
“Spirit Talking? What’s so new about that? Indians are always talking to spirits.”
“Not like this. Like I said, this here is somethin’ new. Seems like a chief by the name of Mean to His Horses has been sayin’ that the spirits is tellin’ him that all the white men are goin’ to leave, and all the land is goin’ to be give back to the Injuns.”
“And they actually believe that?” Bellefontaine asked.
“A whole lot of ’em do, and, like I said, they been sorta helpin’ it along up there in Montana, attackin’ citizens and all. And it’s got the army all worried,” Davis said. “They’re lookin’ for an uprisin’ among the Injuns.”
“Mean to His Horses is Crow, is he?”
“No, sir, he is Cheyenne.”
“That’s all very interesting, but what has that got to do with our problem?” Bellefontaine asked. “All the Indians
