Play@YSDC

James carefully surveys their surroundings, trying to think of a spot he would use if he were going to lay an ambush.

Strachan

KNOW roll [dice]0[/dice]

Scanning the ground ahead of him Strachan see's a clearing which fits his requirements, cover vantage points and an approach that a competent bushwhacker is likely to use. "what do you think James?"

James nods. "That's where I'd lie in wait if I were them, John," he says.

OOC,Know roll (80% stat) to think of a good ambush site: [dice]0[/dice]

Strachan and Murdoch check out the clearing, happy that it will suit the purposes for an ambush.

They head back to Clancy and tell him about the clearing.

Sounds good to men, let's head on up there and set up camp and wait for our scouts to get back

You gather your mounts, head up to the clearing and begin to make camp. About an half-hour later the 2 McGee brothers return.

Didn't see no sign of anyone Sherrif the older of the two brother remarks but we think the man that Mr Strachan and Mr Murdoch saw was up in a cave. There's a cave about 3/4 of the way up the canyon wall, couldn't rightly see a way up or down to it, so maybe there's a passage out the back he pauses Then we carried on up around the bend like you asked, the river bends back round to the left and the gorge narrows, you could only ride 1 horse at a time along the bank and the river flows fast through there. Most of the far bank is washed away through there and we didn't go beyond that bend. Looked like a good place to catch a bullet.

"We need to draw them out," says James. "They might not know we spotted them, but they've sure seen us. If we can lure them out and get them to try to ambush us, we could spring a counterambush."

Pulling his bedroll down to the ground. Strachan turns to James "Well if they have the inclination I expect the ruffians to come down tonight and we'll have to sneak into our positions as soon as its dark and make sure we're waiting for them. Going further down the valley and into the ravine would be pretty much suicidal in my opinion."

James nods. "Sounds about right to me," he says. "I'm not a sneaky sort, so I'll be part of the bait and leave the bushwhacking to others."

Strachan nods Well if the sheriff is OK with you being bait, then lets move a log into the clearing which we can use as a seat, and you can use as hard cover if they do bushwack us, rather than the other way around. You may want to discretely make a scrape under your bedroll as well just so you can get nice and low when the shooting starts.

"Good thinking," says James. "We'll grab a log, and I'll be sure to dig a dugout."

"Just don't be to obvious about the digging, you just want to scrape some dirt to get yourself a couple of inches below everyone else. This isn't Vicksburg and 'they' see to many preparations we'll put" them off. Says Strachan.

"True enough," says James. "All those fortifications didn't save Vicksburg in the end anyway." He had missed Vicksburg, having been at Gettysburg at the time. He'd heard the news of its fall as he recovered from his wound in a hospital tent. It had been devastating, especially following so close to the defeat at Gettysburg and falling on Independence Day as it had. However, Gettysburg had hit him worse because he had lost so many of his friends there, at Devil's Den and especially during Pickett's Charge. He had been one of the lucky few survivors, luckier still that he hadn't lost a limb. If that ball had struck him a few inches lower...

The clearing you have chosen is 100-150 yards from the bend in the river, where the gorge narrows slightly on this of the river side at a curve, it looks as though the low vegetation has been swept away during a winter flood. The ground is stony and rocky and there a few large pieces of timber and other deadwood that could be used as seats and to burn for a camp-fire. There's also the trunk of a fairly large tree which would provide some cover for a man lying behind it. There are also a few large boulders that would cover a man to his belly if he were kneeling behind them.

As you ride Clancy pulls up short of the clearing and surveys the area, then nods in approval You chose a good spot gentlemen.

Right, we need to bait the trap. They know we're coming but they don't know how many of us. We don't want to be looking too strong. I'm thinking five of us in the camp and the rest take up positions around the perimeter. When they strike, those in the camp fall back and we try and draw them into the open ground and into a killing field.

Miss Tubman, you hang back a good ways and look after the horses, well those that aren't with the camp.

Mr Murdoch, you've already volunteered to be bait, as do I. You all already know that this is dangerous business and those of us making camp will at the sharp end of that danger - so I'd rather have another three volunteers to enjoy a warm fire and belly of hot food with me and Mr Murdoch. So who's it gonna be? he looks across at you all.

The McGee brothers look at each other and the younger, Doug speaks up Yessir, me and Alan will join you in the camp

Clancy nods at the two men and there is a pause until Courtwright, the Pinkerton's man speaks up Well sheriff, your plans seems a good one but it does mean that we are waiting on them to surprise us so that we can in turn surprise them. Might I suggest that one of us hides out upstream as a forward scout and when we know they're coming he can come back and warn the rest of us and join the camp.

I'm happy to be that man sherriff

Clancy nods his agreement Ok, the rest of you go back down river about half a mile. Tether your horses, get something to eat and and some rest, no fire. Take up your positions around the camp an hour after sundown.

Anyone got any questions?

Strachan waits for the the Sheriff, then making sure James is with him goes over to the Sheriff. Excuse me sheriff but that wasn't what I proposed at all. In the dark a man wont know if he's shooting at a man, or a pile of stones under the blanket, the only reason for James or anyone else to stay in camp after dark for that matter, is to keep the camp fire burning, so they think we're still in place. Once the shooting starts no man in his right mind is going to come across that open ground especially if its lit by a fire, not unless he thinks every man there is dead. We need to hit them as they climb to the camp before they start shooting at us. Or we waite until they think they've killed every man in the camp and come to clean up. I'm not for having a fair fight sheriff, I'm not for having a complicated plan, we start shooting when you start shooting and we stop shooting when they're all dead, or in no mood to keep shooting back or you shout loud enough and make us. Anything else more complicated and we're more than likely to shoot one another in the dark.

"Yes, sir," says Harriet. She hangs back, as instructed, gathering the reins and looping them round a log or branch.

"You've got that right about night fighting, John," says James. "That's how Stonewall Jackson was killed at Chancellorsville. Not only was the battlefield a confusing mess of wilderness, but it was far worse in the dark. General Jackson was returning at night, but the soldiers on picket duty didn't know it was him and opened fire, thinking it was the Yankees. He was badly wounded and lost his left arm. General Lee remarked that Jackson may have lost his left arm, but he had lost his right. Jackson soon died of his wound. If he'd lived to be at Gettysburg, it all might have turned out differently."

Clancy turns to the two men I thank you for your concerns and have no intention for any of us, the bait, to be in the camp when theycome.

When Mr Courtwright signals us that they are coming we can move back out to the fringes, leaving our bedrolls as decoys.

Though if you have a different idea I'm happy to hear it.

Then if its OK with you Sheriff I'm going to go with Mr Courtwright, two eyes being better than one, how are we to signal their arrival?

GM/Mr Handy,Just to be clear as I think a lot gets lost between the lines when we're not around a table. What the sheriff just said to [b]Strachan[/b] and [b]James[/b] the second time isn't what he said the first time around is it. Do Strachan or James get the impression he's just changed the plan after they spoke.

OOC,Some of it gets lost in translation :) You think the plan was slightly amended by having a forward scout report the approach of the men - enabling you all to clear the camp before they turn up, as opposed to when they turn up.

If you want go with Mr Courtwight that's fine by me. Give us as much advance warning as you can. I'm expecting you both to get back to camp and warn us, so you can take up your positions. We don't want to be shootin' each other in the dark

Strachan unwraps his shotgun and grabs a pocket full of shells then starts to make his way down to where Courtwight has set himself up for the night*. "Be safe James, you to Miss Tubman"

*making sure his route is concealed from view from the lookout point across the river.