Rob and Steve had been sitting up and laying down (depending on time of day and other things) in and around the little casino in White Oaks. A letter finds them there. It’s from clay Allison a side kick from back in the Judge Roy bean days .says he is going back to Pecos Texas and would like to have us come up to say goodbye before he leaves Elizabethtown. It’s about 220 miles direct from White Oaks to Elizabethtown seeing it’s right up near the Colorado border. Neither Rob or Steve had ever been up in that country before and clay never failed us down in Roy bean country. And we had lots of rough times there where he could have turned tail and ran but never did so what the hell. We decide to go on up.
We gather our traveling items together. Two blankets, hardtack, Corn fritters, smokes, 6 bottles busthead (refilled when available along the way) 400 rounds ammo, 225 lb bags fresh oats a snack each night for the boys. Sitting on the boys just West of the school house Rob says well we can go to Carrizozo and ride the train or we can head on that there trail to Ancho and wander around thick tongued for a few weeks and ride up there. Steve says nothing just nudges Sheba and it’s off down the trail to Ancho about 20 miles North.
The trail follows the bases of the forested hills on both sides. The trail vanishes about a mile ahead into the green forest to reappear as we plod along. It can make a fellow feel pretty small and unimportant if you think about it. Kind reader pause and put yourself on this trail in your mind not knowing what will happen in the next 5 minutes. It’s good to lose some of your self importance from time to time. Mist the day we follow the winding mountain trail in silence. The methodical gait of the boys and occasional wildlife calls are the only sounds.
The sky is a cloudless bright blue. We come to a grass plain running Northeast to Southwest it’s about 4 miles wide and the railroad is coming North up this plain. We see the road gang going to our right on up to Las Vegas and Colorado. To our immediate left is the new town of Ancho. Houses and businesses on both sides of the railroad . A new depot.looks like a few hundred residents. We go on Southwest to our peoples ranch. We stay a few days and it’s a great time all around.
The authors curse of sorts is we know what will come but cannot do anything to change it even though we want to . Its melancholy to say the least when writing about these long gone loved ones but we feel its important to let the modern dear reader understand what backbone really means. So without too much detail here is the future of the people we visited in Ancho on this trip.
(Cant write this now I’ll do as insert when I can bring myself to do it.)
Laughing, smiles, kisses, hugs handshakes and off we go up the valley to eventually Elizabethtown. A mile or so East of Ancho is the track gang .they hand place each tie, hand carry the rails and hand drive the spikes. Over and over, the train was a rolling city , bunkhouse. Cooking ,stores all one needed , a tie at a time, across the rail bed in the valley. We pass the rail bed group in 5 miles or so then it’s back to a grass plain. Late afternoon we halt and take a look through the telescope since we both sense company 
There are 5 mounted Mesclaro Apaches mounted a few miles behind us, we continue on, We glimpse a party in the tree line ,then another on the opposite side of the valley. This is serious stuff my friend we both know it. Just at dusk we spy 6 Braves across our trail about a mile ahead ,they are waiting for us. All told more than 20 warriors, We have no cover so Steve cocks the sawed off. Rob the model 73. And hope for the best. We both know we will not be captured regardless of what happens and it is going to be violent and bloody if it comes to that. And buster you can take that to the bank.
We continue plodding along, shortly the Indian group converges on us. They ride in front and to the left, leaving the rear and right side open. A sign that it’s not yet life or death. The warriors look nervous, looking down a few ride off ahead into the tree line. Nothing is spoken. We follow along ready to deliver hell on earth if needed, but nothing indicates it will come to that so far. It’s about dark when we see their came ahead in the trees .
Many cooking fires digs and children milling about ,maybe 60 tents so maybe 200 -250 inhabitants. Four men with head dresses stand as we approach, one brave steps from behind the chiefs we know you are the helpful white men that provided food for our brothers in time of need welcome to our home” My name is “Stone Bird” I am the only one that can speak your language, I’m injured and could not ride out to meet you. Dear kind reader, reputation back then was a two edge sword, many famous so called bad men were killed simply for the killer to get fame. We knew a bunch of them and none were simply bad men , but are labeled so by history whether or not if true.
In places we went for the first time we kept a keen eye out just in case our own reputation was not a true one. Well a party soon commenced at the Indian camp. All jammed through Stone Bird. Stories around the large main fire. Plenty of laughter, food and bust head, good times all around. We tried not to dwell on what the future had in store for these fine people, just enjoyed it for today. Next morning we head out for parts North. We leave the oats busthead and 200 rounds of ammo. We never saw any of them again. We see the boys are painted on the rump with the blue lines again. Rob woke up as normal but finds himself standing on a trail in the woods. Pete is standing nearby ,grazing. He is new and strong , Rob feels he is new as well. Well hell Rob says to pete, let’s go. Down the trail they go. A few hours later in a clearing is the buckhorn. Son of a bitch. Rob just waits on the porch whittling, pete eats and sleeps. Some time later years probably , petes ears point and from out of the forest , on the trail comes sheba with Steve aboard. Steve dismounts , the boys nuzzle and I give Steve the letter from the captain telling us to get to White Oaks for the birthday. Well dear reader that is as good as it gets ,period .
The authors wish the best for you as well.
See you all out west. Adios