Strongheart by Don Bendell

saloons, brothels, an assay office, and normal retail businesses to support the mining, was created. Mountain towns were springing up in the San Juans, like Telluride, Silverton, Rico, and Ophir. Animas City was a little north of what would become Durango, and Animas City would eventually disappear. The railroad was not there yet, and the area was wild, with many prospectors and mining engineers starting to flood into it. What was ironic was that the Cripple Creek and Victor areas not too far from Lookout Mountain were where Colorado’s richest gold strikes would be, as well as Westcliffe and nearby Silver Cliff, an area where Joshua Strongheart had ridden to and from all in a day’s time.
    Harlance was not that enthused about actually prospecting; he was thinking more about the remoteness of southwestern Colorado Territory and all the women and alcohol being shipped in there, as well as many possible holdup victims, miners with bags of gold dust, and, of course, those brothels.
    To that end, he also talked his brother into giving him the beautiful antique wedding ring of Annabelle’s, in case he met somebody “special” at one of the bawdy houses or saloons around Animas City or any of the other towns.
    Now Jeeter was alone in his hideout which was in the rocks high up near the peak. There was a natural cave formed by an overhanging rock that had fallen decades earlier on three different rock outcroppings. He had shelter from rain and sun and could watch a wide area, especially to the west, since he had come that general direction from Cotopaxi. There were two drawbacks. He had to keep his horse picketed far below, on the northern side of the peak, where there was a small spring in the rocks and piñons, and some grass, and he then had quite a climb to his hideout. He also had to go all the way down to that spring to get his water, but to him it was worth it. He felt safer and more secure when he knew he could see in three directions over a wide area.
    There were also numerous deer and elk all over the sandy piñion- and cedar-covered foothills surrounding him. There were plenty of mountain lions, too, so he could find lion kills as he scouted around, and he would take the carcasses from their kill sites without firing a shot. Mountain lions were very finicky eaters and would leave a deer carcass for other predators when the meat had gotten the least little bit tainted. They would also eat the intestines of a deer first, and twice Jeeter found fresh kills with both the front and hindquarters of the deer intact. In both cases, the lions were lying on nearby ledges overlooking the kill, but they would not attack a human. It was just not something cougars would normally do, unless one was starving or had come upon a small child alone. They were too shy, and they were usually nocturnal anyway.
    Strongheart got Gabriel under a large rock ledge, so the sun would not be on him, and dropped the reins. The horse stood calmly in the shadows. He removed his spurs and boots and grabbed a pair of soft-soled Lakota moccasins from his saddlebags and put them on. He grabbed his Henry carbine and slowly, quietly moved into the rocks, angling himself up higher toward the peak.
    A half hour later, he quietly emerged from the rocks close to the peak and saw that he was looking down into a jumble of rocks making a natural fortress. There were tracks from Jeeter and Harlance all over the soft, sandy ground. Jeeter suddenly appeared below him with something in his hand. It was some paper. He looked out over the valley then disappeared back under the overhanging rock. Joshua did not move, and seconds later, Jeeter reappeared to Strongheart’s right front. He was completely naked but wearing Joshua’s gun belt, holster, and weapons. Strongheart raised the rifle and settled the sights on Jeeter’s spine, halfway up his back, and then he lowered his rifle. The man was going to a spot partway down the ridge from his