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"Bill Hickok was regarded as the deadliest pistol shot alive as well as being a man of great courage.  The truth of certain stories of Bill’s achievements may have been open to debate but he had earned the respect paid to him.” - Wyatt Earp

The three hired guns rode north from the Old Fort. They were in a hostile territory, and they had just killed the leaders of the Mexican uprising. They needed to leave the area quickly and leave no trace behind. Alacran had grabbed the Winchester .44 Rico had used. It was the 1863 Musket model. The Mexican born outlaw had not forgotten about another task he had to finish sooner rather than later, and the extra rifle could come in handy.

After a few hours riding, Alacran and Jack noticed that Choctaw was falling behind constantly. His face was pale, and cold sweat had appeared on his forehead. When they stopped to rest for a moment, the dark red blood stain on the left shoulder of his jacket was noticeably bigger than before.

“Listen up, partner. There´s nothing scarier to a cowpoke than getting shot up in a gunfight. It can hurt as bad as having a branding iron stuck to your backside, but pain has a way of fading over time. The dangerous part is that those holes in your belly tend to fester. It´s a darned lucky man that can live the rest of his days with a big ol´ chunk of lead where it ought not to be”

Choctaw sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as he sat down and leaned against a rock. He did not want to look at the wound. He could smell it had started to fester. If the bullet was in the arm or the leg, the limb could be amputated. But now… It looked like it was a matter of time.

Life´s a bitch, he thought and smiled despite it all. He was not going to beg or cry over it.

-Jack, he said looking at the man who had been a loyal partner ever since they split from the Delaware outlaws… -You ought to lead the gang from here on… I ain´t gonna make it, I reckon. If I hold you back, you do what´s best, OK?

Jack was really worried about pal. They have been together in difficult situations lots of times. But now he didn't know how help him. Perhaps on some near ranch they could find somebody with the knowledge to help his friend.

- Don't give up. We have been in worst situations - said Jack seriously - We will try to find help on some of the near ranchs in the way to Bronson's.

They waited for some time so Choctaw recovers and then come back to the horses. They were going to ride as hell until they found some ranch and make them to help. It doesn't matter the ranchers wanted or not to help. They were going to do it or share the fate of his pal.

As they got on their horses again, Choctaw looked at Jack. -We´ve been through hard times, and good times, pal. Maybe we can get through this one as well, ya never know..., he smiled despite the pain. 

-But I ain´t stopping at any of these bean eater´s haciendas!! The bloody Mex will kill us for sure. Listen, Vernon Adams´ ranch is close to the Wolf Pass on the way. Vern was able to stich Harvey´s gut real good I was told, so maybe he can do somethin´ with this damn bullet in my shoulder. 

They rode till sunrise, and further. Choctaw was not scared of death, but he felt he had still things to look forward to. But just in case, he had one last word with his pals: -Here Jack, take my Bisley, he said giving away his precious shooting iron. -It ain´t of much use to me now. If I recover, you´ll give it back. If I don´t, kill some bastards for me!! And I don´t wanna be buried in Mexican territory, so let´s get a move on!

Caliber .45 and 5"1/2 barrel Colt Bisley was the signature weapon of many gunfighters in the Old West.

The Colt Bisley was similar to other Colt Single Action Revolvers, nicknamed the "Guns that won the West". The Bisley can be distinguished by the longer grip , the wider hammer spur, and the wider trigger. The distinguishing feature of the Bisley is the topstrap, which is flat and fitted with a sliding rear sight. The longer barrel version was also popular, and it gave better accuracy and range, but was slower to draw out in a gunfight.

Jack looked at the gun Choctaw was handing to him. He knew it was his friend's more precious possession and hoped he would be able to return it to him in the future.

- I am only taking care of it for you, so you don't lose it in the run. Now let's hurry to Vernon's ranch.

The men found the entrance to Vernon´s Ranch on the high lands and rode towards the main yard as fast as they could. Choctaw was feeling worse, and feverish. As they got down from their horses, Rosie Adams came out.

–Howdy..., she greeted with caution from inside the porch. She was looking at the men but without getting closer. She knew they worked for Mr. Bronson, but still… But she saw Choctaw was hurt, and came quickly closer. –What happened? Look, Vern has left… Ah, you don´t know. Come, let´s get him inside. I´ll explain…

The three carefully took Choctaw inside and laid him on the guest room bed. Rosie quickly explained what had happened in the last few days. The news from town had spread quickly. Bronson´s foreman Harvey Steinbaugh had been shot!! The lawman from Maddox had gunned him down. So now there were two dead men, Corman and Steinbaugh.

–And the word is Maddox has the maps of the territory, and he left Sabbath to look for Vern and Hurd. So Vern took his kit and caboodle, ya know? His things… And rode to get Hurd and to ride away, to get some distance to all this.

Rosie went on to explain that Bronson was gathering everyone at his ranch. After Harvey was buried, he was going to get justice for Harvey. So those that worked for Bronson were going to the funeral, others like Vern and Hurd had fled. Maddox was out to get those men on the list. And the townsfolk in Sabbath were holding their breath.

-It´s terrible. Terrible. Men are gettin´ killed. Good men. Hunted like animals in this hour.

Bronson haven't been able to reason with the lawman, now it was the time to do things in Jack's way.

- Don't worry madam, we will protect your hunsband, just take care of Choctaw - if Maddox was hunting them, Jack will hunt him also and make a prey from Maddox - do you know where they have fled? 

-Ya mean Vern?, Rosie confirmed. -I don´t know, I reckon he will try to go south, maybe across the highlands. First he said he would go to meet Hurd.

She looked at Jack, Alacran and Choctaw. -I will take care of Choctaw, don´t worry about that, she said.

Jack turn to Alcran and asks him.

- I am tired to wait for the old man, I will ride to Sabbath and get rid of the fucking Lawman. Will you join me?

-Yeah, compadre. I follow you to town, and together we will kill the bastards, Alacran answered somewhat absent-minded. He shrugged his shoulders, and added: –Let´s ride. There will soon be some dyin´ in Sabbath.

Jack prepared the horses, and waited for Alacran to come out. He was now wearing Choctaw´s yellow mormon jacket under his poncho. There was a strange sad look on his face. As if he knew all this was coming to an end. He was not afraid, he had never felt fear. But he felt the presence of death. And he smiled as if Hell was going to freeze soon.

Jack looked at his pal, and raised his Winchester rifle. He was a more than decent shot. The shootout at the Old Fort had proved he could hit the mark. All this nonsense could come to an end if he killed the bloody lawman causing all this trouble.

And so came the hour. Time for guns to do the talking. And the stakes were high.