“That is why Throws Lance is with us. He speaks enough English that if you speak slowly and are willing to repeat sometimes, he will be able to convey your instructions.”
“Very well. We can discuss this over the next few days as we travel, but here is what I have in mind.” He went through the plan he had discussed earlier with Tige and then asked, “Do you wish to translate what I have said so far?”
“No, I will tell them about your plan later. What do you have in mind for us? That is what we really want to know,” She Who Speaks said.
Jack said, “I mentioned that Sierra and some of our men will enter the canyon’s west opening. There are no doubt other horses in the dead-end branches off the main canyon. The west end is too narrow to drive a mass of horses through without injury. Besides, we wouldn’t have enough people there to contain and herd the horses once they broke through. All the horses need to be funneled to the east entrance where the rest of our people will be—right through the Comanchero compound. We’ll sort and divide the animals once we’re clear of Lookout Canyon and the Comancheros—maybe at Castle Gap after we have crossed the Pecos at Horsehead.”
She Who Speaks said, “Growling Bear and I will take three other warriors with your crew to the east end. You do not have enough people there. We can help locate and round up horses, but how do we know when to head them out to the canyon’s mouth?”
“As soon as you hear gunshots from our end. Try to hold the horses back till then. I know it will take a spell to get them out, but the sooner, the better, after the shooting starts.”
“I understand,” she said. “Our other warriors are at your disposal until after we have escaped with the horses. Throws Lance will see that the Kwahadi warriors do whatever you ask.”
“Well, first thing in the morning I would like to have Throws Lance and Mitch Eagle Eyes ride ahead to scout out the canyon. It’s a bit like Castle Gap, but it is much wider, I would guess a half mile wide at the east end, but it narrows sort of like a big funnel to the west. You and Sierra will be entering the downside of the funnel. The walls aren’t nearly as tall as the gap, probably no more than 150 feet at the highest point. Steeper, though, with some cracks and crevices that would let a man on foot to work his way down. It’s called Lookout Canyon because of two spire-like rock formations on each side of the east entrance, where the canyon narrows, that a man can easily climb and perch and keep watch over the desert for some miles.”
“And there is no place for approaching riders to hide on this desert,” She Who Speaks said.
Jack said, “Not with wagons. There are some ravines and gullies along the Pecos running north and west about a mile from the canyon’s rim where men leading horses can move in close once they are past the lookout points. I would guess the canyon is between two and three miles long, whether you go as the crow flies or add in the twists and turns. It is about like the Pecos that way. Anyway, Mitch has a spyglass, and if he and Throws Lance can make it to the rim without being seen, they should be able to give us some idea of what we’re riding into.”
“So, how much notice will they have that we’re coming?”
“An hour, or even more, if they have a telescope. We aren’t going to surprise anyone from the east. That doesn’t matter. As I told you, they are likely expecting us. You and Sierra will need to veer off a half day before we get within sight of the Lookout spires and circle around the hills that overlook the canyon.”
She Who Speaks said, “I understand. I will tell my warriors what they need to know.”
Jack nodded. It appeared there was no longer any pretense that the young woman was not at least the de facto leader of the war party. He suspected Growling Bear was charged with the protection of the young woman, but Jack figured She Who Speaks was probably quite capable of looking after herself.
Jordy walked up to Jack and grinned, “Jack, I don’t think I’ve heard you spill so many words in all the time I’ve been with you. That lady coaxed you into doing all the talking.”
Jack thought a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Yep. Danged if she didn’t.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Tell us your story,” Jack said, when Eagle Eyes and Throws Lance rode in from scouting Lookout Canyon.
“Well,” Mitch Eagle Eyes said, “no trouble working our way up to the rim. Got a good overview with my spyglass. Taught Throws Lance how to use it. When this is done, I thought I’d give him mine and buy a new one out of my bonus.”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll buy you a new one and won’t charge it against the bonus if we get those horses back.”
“I think you had it right, Boss, about where they’re holding the critters. There are at least three dead-end branches off the main canyon toward the west end. Horses in all of them, almost twice what Miss Sierra’s looking for. Couldn’t tell which is hers. They got fences built across the openings to keep the horses in, but them fences ain’t much. Take the whole works out in ten minutes but they got four or five men camped at that end, keeping an eye on the animals. That’s besides two guards waiting to greet visitors that come through the passageway into the canyon.”
Jack turned to She Who Speaks and Sierra who stood next to him in the shade of the Studebaker’s canvas top. The young women had become fast friends in less
