Chapter 12 - Same Problems New Solutions

                                    

                                          


                          
Birds began to sing loudly from their nests as the morning sun arose from behind the mountains, casting a pale yellow glow over Horseshoe overlook.  The sun bled through the material walls of Elizabeth's tent, where she laid on Arthur's bare chest with his arm around her.  The intruding light woke her, she squinted and looked up to notice Arthur, who was reading.
                          
"Morning darl" he smiled, "You looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake you up"
                          
"What are you reading?" Asked Elizabeth.  Arthur showed her the cover, "Plants and trees of America" she read.
                          
"It's useful, you should read it, get to know which plants will cure you or kill you" he chuckled.
                          
Elizabeth laughed and nuzzled her head into him and closed her eyes.
                          
"People, we need to move!" Elizabeth heard Hosea shout from outside.
                          
"Shit!"  Arthur said rolling out of the bed, "Get dressed and packed we got trouble"
                          
Elizabeth scrambled to put on her shirt and trousers then shoved her dress into a bag along with her blanket and pillow, she folded her bed up and carried them both outside to see everyone panicking and packing things away.  She walked over to Arthur's tent where he was frantically packing his keepsakes in his satchel.
                          
"What's going on Arthur" she asked 
                          
"Damn Pinkertons, go and put your stuff on the wagon from when we came here."  He ushered her off and she followed his instructions.
                          
Elizabeth placed her things on the wagon then walked over to Hosea.
                          
"What's happening?" She asked again
                          
"Pinkertons saw Arthur heading back here last night, we have to move before the rest get here."  Explained Hosea.
                          
"The rest?!" Responded Elizabeth in horror
                          
"Yes they came early this morning, Dutch had to get rid of them, they said they'd be back, so we have to move people!" He ejected his voice at the end to hurry the people along.
                          
Dutch emerged from his tent with bags, "Arthur, Charles!" His raspy voice shouted over the commotion, "Get over here!" 
                          
Arthur and Charles jogged over to Dutch, readily waiting for their orders.
                          
"You boys scout ahead, find a nice safe spot for us to lay low, I'll get the others to pack your stuff."
                          
"I'm packed Dutch, just need it shifted to the wagon."  Arthur said "Can I take her too?" He pointed at Elizabeth, who was prepping her horse.
                          
Dutch gave a vacant expression and raised his eyebrows slightly, "As long as no one gets a gun pointed in their face." He said sarcastically.
                          
Charles and Arthur made their way over to the hitching posts, and mounted their horses.
                          
"Darl, you're coming with us." Arthur directed 
                          
"To where?" She questioned mounting her horse
                          
"Rhodes" Charles said his voice modulated.  
                          
The three of them left the rest of the gang to pack everything up.
                          
The dirt track turned into fine sand as they crossed the bridge into the dry district of Rhodes.  The trees were parched, the grass was brittle and a constant hum of cicadas filled the air.  
                          
"It's too open here" said Charles "Let's head down by the water, the trees there are denser."
                          
Charles rode through the thin path through the trees, a little way in front of Arthur and Elizabeth, he could sense that they were wanting to talk about something so gave them some space.
                          
"Dutch isn't happy with you Elizabeth" Arthur said, not breaking eye contact from the path carved out by Charles.
                          
"I know" she replied 
                          
"You shouldn't have pointed that gun at Micah, I know how he can be and it's hard to not shoot him, but he'll take any chance he can get to cause rifts in the gang."  Arthur explained, "But I'm sorry for the way I reacted."  He turned to Elizabeth and smiled, however she kept looking forward.
                          
"Arthur, he knows stuff I haven't told anyone" she worried "All that stuff about my parents, Josiah is the only one that knows."
                          
"Maybe Josiah didn't run as far as you thought." Suggested Arthur as he brought his horse to a gentle stop.
                          
There was a clearing in the trees by the water, it was quiet and secluded, thick trees surrounded it on three sides, and the other was boarded by water.
                          
"Here should be perfect."  Charles observed, "You two stay here, I'll go and direct the others.  Charles clicked his horse on and soon disappeared into the trees.
                          
Elizabeth rode down to the water and jumped down from her horse, shortly followed by Arthur.  
                          
"Do you think Micah has been talking to Josiah?"  Her voice was plagued with fear.
                          
"Maybe, there's more than one Josiah around though."  Arthur replied.  Elizabeth turned to him and narrowed her eyes in confusion.  "There's your Josiah, and our Josiah, who I think is in town at the moment actually.  He came to see us before the boat incident, Dutch bought information off of him."
                          
"What did your Josiah look like?"  Elizabeth asked
                          
"Top hat, tailcoat, moustache." Arthur explained, miming his description with his hands.
                          
"Did he give you his full name?"  She was unsure if she wanted to know the answer.
                          
"Yeah, something like tree-lawn, he was talking to Dutch, so I didn't hear properly."  He turned to Elizabeth, all of the colour had drained from her face, her eyes were fixed on the gentle ripples in the water.  Her mouth had dropped open as if she wanted to scream but no sound had escaped.
                          
"What is it darlin'?"  Arthur asked
                          
"Trelawny."  She mumbled back.  Holding in her tears she stood up and walked over to her horse.
                          
Two wagons appeared out of the trees and a loud guttural voice broke the serenity in the air.
                          
"What an excellent find, Charles and Arthur!" Dutch called as the wagon slowed.  "Let's make this place a home!"
                          
The rest of the gang cheered from behind him and hopped off in excitement.  Within a few hours everybody had unpacked and laid the new camp out, Dutch's tent in the middle and everything else around the sides.
                          
Another day drew to an end, the gang were sitting around the fire listening to each other sing or tell stories.  The atmosphere was calm, like everyone finally felt like they had a chance.  However Elizabeth was the only one who wasn't joining in with the hopeful emotions, she sat by the water alone with her murderous thoughts.
                          
"Josiah you bastard, I'm coming for you."