IC - 1. Gainful Employment

[Mr. Handy]

James fastens his shiny new tin star to his chest and watches the preacher with interest. Now this looks like a fascinating fellow, he thinks. Always good to have a man of the cloth about, especially one with medical skills. He looks right about my size, though a bit longer in the tooth.

[Papa Gateau]

Clancy passes a star to Farnsworth Glad to have you along preacher

He quickly finishes deputising the other men and then asks Who here needs a rifle or a mount? Follow me, the rest of you mount up and wait by the water tower, we'll be with you shortly, then we ride out he turns and heads towards town followed by two of the new deputies, the young men that gave their names as McGee.

The rest of you head over to the water tower, you make your introductions and wait on the sheriff. (The rest of the posse are described here)

About 10 minutes later he rides up with the two brothers behind him.

Alright men, the train was hit about 10 miles back up the track. We believe there may be 8 or 10 of them. The ground is good and soft so tracking them should easy. They'll know this too - be wary of ambush points. Keep your eyes peeled and your hand close to your irons.
he nods his head and kicks his horse into a gentle canter.

[Tabs]

Harriet feeds Pepe, her mule, an apple, and strokes his ears, "You can keep up with the horses, can't
y'? When we camp I'll frizzle sum bacon with sweet peppercorns, they'll be pleased to have me along then!"

[ghill]

Strachan

Strachan climbs into the saddle. Seated he turns to loosen the shotgun in his bed roll and removes handful of cartridges from his saddle bag, its not really a gun for this open plain, but he's not a man for long guns, although he's starting to wonder whether he should learn. Happy everything is where it should be, he gives the horse a nudge with his knees and turns her after Clancy.

[Mr. Handy]

James rides up to the head of the column on his horse Trailblazer, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of an ambush. His WInchester rests in a long holster beside his saddle, close at hand. "This take me back," he says wistfully. "Reminds me of scouting during the recent unpleasantness."

[Papa Gateau]

The ride out to where the train was attacked is trouble free and pleasant, it's a warm spring day and the sun feels good after the cold and wet winter. You ride parallel to the tracks, which in turn follows the path of the river.

The tracks of your quarry are easy to see, the soft ground takes the imprint of their mounts hooves easily. The tracks turn south and head towards the rolling hills a few miles in the distance.

You turn your mounts and follow them, alternating between a gentle canter and light trot.

Harriet,Your mule has no problem keeping up with horses but you are no rider - more a passenger. Make a Ride roll - it's only a problem if you fumble

OOC all,If you wish you can make easy Track rolls to determine the number in the gang and how old the trail is.

[Priest]

Farnsworthy moves the horse along. He watches the trail, for potential ambush sites but he leaves tracking to those more skilled.
It feels good to be riding a horse in company of grim, hard men once again, just like back in Kansas before the war. Some distance behind he is aware of the ex-slave woman doing her best to stay on the mule. He smiles a smile that doesn't quite reach his cold eyes, guess ridin's difficult for those people, best they walk as the good Lord intended.

[Tabs]

Papa G.,Ride 5% [dice]0[/dice]--she's only trotting along so wouldn't come a cropper, would she?

She has to encourage Pepe to keep up. The preacher-man, up ahead, turns in his saddle, "I'll show him!" thinks Harriet--and that's when it happens: she slides off the makeshift saddle and has to grapple with the mule's mane to stop herself from falling.

[Papa Gateau]

Harriet,The ride is uncomfortable at the pace that is being set, you're still in the saddle but you are not at one with Pepe, you're bouncing around in the saddle, rising as he descends, descending as he rises, try as you might you can't find his rhythm. You lose the reins and have to grab onto his mane and/or the pommel of the saddle whilst you regain them. You will be glad when the sheriff calls a halt, your rump and legs will be very sore!

[ghill]

Strachan

Strachan turns his horse back to where Harriet is struggling with the mule and takes the reins, calms the beast and waits for Harriet to recover.

Control of a horse depend greatly on having a 'good seat' while in the saddle Miss Tubman. Riding is like dancing, good posture and position are essential. Sit squarely, with your seat comfortably in the middle of the saddle, legs hanging loose on each side. I should probably teach you to sit side saddle but lets not complicate matters any more than we have to. Now, a Foot in each stirrup, so they lightly rest in the stirrups with the widest part of your foot. Your heels should be angled, but not pressed down...(Strachan lectures for 5 minutes)

OOC:   Strachan's intention is to give Harriet the basics, so perhaps neither she nor the mule are to exhausted by the days end.

You need to improve Miss Tubman, I doubt Mr Murdoch will have much patience with a servant who can't keep up. He hands her the reigns then rejoins the rest of the party.

In parting I shall give you the same piece of advice the major of horse gave me when I first joined my regiment. Should you fall Miss Tubman don't bother chasing your steed simply stand still and make a noise like a carrot, eventually it will come to you.

[Priest]

Farnsworthy:

From his saddle the Preacher watches the lesson in horsemanship being given, "Yeah and the Lord rode into Jerusalem on an ass, but lets hope he didn't have as much trouble as Miss Tubman there". He laughs and moves the horse forward up the trail.

[NFVD]

Mario "El Monje" Malhecho


Mario doesn't bother about tracking, and even less about the negresse's riding troubles. Truth be told he's beginning to feel a bit aburrido (bored) about the uneventful ride and thinking it needs some liveliness.

Then he gets an idea.

To the complete surprise of all around him, and fully unconcerned about what they might think, Mario begins striking his open palm against the leather surface of the saddle he's siting on, turning it into an impromptu drum. The percussion is a fast, steady but oscilating banging rythm, not unlike that of fingers striking a guitar Southern style, as in way South of the Rio Grande.

tap-tap-tap, tap-tarap, tap-tap
tarap-tap-tap
tarap-tap-tap
tarap-tap-TAP

Finding his tempo Mario begins singing some improvised lines


"La ciudad se llama Platte, y Nebraska el estado
entre la gente curiosa, su fama se a propagado
causa de una nueva máquina, que los gringos han creado."

"Dicen que es color negra y que es pura velocidad
essa máquina poderosa, que pasa por la ciudad
y los indios indios de la llanura, no la pudieron parar."

"Anda caliente el patrón,
al respeto le faltaron
hablan de unos chicos malos,
que unos tios han matado
nadie sabe nada de ellos,
porque nunca los han mirado.
el patron es de respeto y jamás a perdonado
esos compas ya están muertos,
nomás no les han avisado."

"Y asi suena Mario Malhecho mi compas!"

"La fama de jefe Derry ya llego hasta Michigan
desde Mexico quieren venir trabajar para esse tal
la caza del hombre ya se hizo internacional."

"Ahora si le quedo bien, a Nebraska el nombre
con tanta llanura que tiene, donde debemos a buscar?
al mando del jefe Derry, que dólares nos va a pagar."

"Anda caliente el patrón,
al respeto le faltaron
hablan de unos chicos malos,
que unos tios han matado
nadie sabe nada de ellos,
porque nunca los han mirado.
A la furia del patrón,
nadie jamás a escapado
eses compas ya estan muertos,
nomas no les han avisado."

Olé!!!


Laughing, the Mexican strokes the neck of his mount lovingly before spurring him to trot further forward on the line.

"Si, Si Ocioso. Those guys be dead already, they jus'don't know yet. Ha, ha, ha, ha!"



Liberal translation of the lyrics

Spoiler:

The town is called Platte, and Nebraska is the State
among curious people, its fame did propagate
because of a new machine, that the gringos have made

They say it's black in color, and that it's pure speed
that powerful machine that passes through town
and the Indians in the plains, could not stop it

The boss is pissed
he's been disrespected
they talk about some bad boys
that have killed some dudes
no one knows nothing about them
because no one's ever seen them
the boss demand respect and he has never before forgiven
those dudes are already dead,
they just haven't been told yet

And that's how Mario Malhecho rolls my friends!

The fame of boss Derry has reached as far as Michigan
and even from Mexico they want to come work for him
the manhunt has now become international

Now Nebraska fits its name well
with so many plains it has, where should we start looking?
on the orders of boss Derry, that will pay us in dollars

The boss is pissed
he has been disrespected
they talk about some bad boys
that have killed some dudes
no one knows nothing about them
because no one's ever seen them
None have ever escaped
the fury of the boss
those dudes are already dead
they just haven't been told yet

And the shamelessly stolen musical theme & origical lyrics

Spoiler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUmpTKXpIdM

[Mr. Handy]

James is no tracker, and he has no idea how to read the tracks. He's lucky he can see them at all. He drops back when Harriet falls off the mule. "Are you all right, Miss Tubman?" he asks. Jack seems to have things well in hand with the horsemanship advice he's giving her, so there seems to be little more he can do as long as she doesn't have any injuries that need binding.

[Tabs]

Strachan rides back to Harriet. "Jackrabbits!" she is exclaiming, over and over again. He can tell by her shiny face that she is mortified by her mishap.

"Mr. Strachan, y' are a good man," she says, after he takes the trouble to explain the basics of horsemanship; when he is done she smiles and asks: "So what does a carrot sound like?"

Murdoch also rides back. She calls out: "I'm alright, sir, juz a slip."

~

Harriet glimpses Farnsworthy watching on, "I don't like that man," she thinks.

~

The Mexican begins his tap tap tapping and raucous singing. She likes it, but doubts he would be pleased to hear her say so, even if she had the courage to talk to "El Monje" Malhecho.

[Tabs]

Tracking,Mario has 42% . . . and there is always the Sheriff. . . .

[Mr. Handy]

"Glad to hear it," says James, tipping his hat and riding back up to the front.

[Priest]

Farnsworthy:
Still laughing, the preacher begins watching the trail more closely hoping to see the tracks they are following, but sees nothing.
For a few moments he scowls, but it's hard to be sure whether he is scowling at the lack of recognisable tracks or the Mex's song.
"Hey muchacho, can you sing far away?"

Track,10% 1d100 → [59] = (59) http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4806086/ Failed, but if no one else wants to try...

[ghill]

Only time I ever tracked anything was behind the hounds with the Berkshire Hunt. says Strachan "So I'm afraid I'm no help."

[NFVD]

Mario "El Monje" Malhecho

Now that he's ridden further ahead in the line of riders Mario takes a look around to see if he spots any trace of their quarry's passage.

Spoiler:

Track roll (42%) 1d100=86

[Papa Gateau]

The tracks you follow are plain to see but none of you are able to identify the number of your quarry or how old they are.

Clancy and Hank James dismount and examine the tracks in more detail, they confer and mount up again. Clancy speaks up There's about ten of them, no more 'n twelve at most. Reckon we're about 4 hours behind them and makin' the same time. They're pushing the horses but not too hard, just like us.

We'll ride on til sundown and then follow the trail in the morning. Reckon their hideout can't too far away. with that he turns his mount and heads out at a trot.

You continue to ride through the rest of the afternoon. As you reach the hills, the trail turns west and runs parallel to them. You follow them in this direction for about an hour before Clancy calls a stop by a steep hill, with a small copse of wood at the base.

We'll make camp here. It's shaded and there's wood for a fire - no fire til, the sun is down, which'll be less'n hour by my reckoning. he glances towards the sun, low in the sky.

You dismount and lead your horses to the woods.