The Hallelujah Trail Page #5

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It was all set on comin' to me.

I, uh... I was lookin' up and, uh... uh...

Thank you.

Hallelu...

- There! Now I see it!

- What?

Uh... Injuns.

I see hundreds of Injuns.

You see anything else, Oracle?

- I think, uh...

- Hallelu...

- I see men... I see men on the march.

- Cavalry?

Course not.

This ain't no time for children.

I see men, men carryin', uh...

picks and, uh...

axes and, uh... uh...

uh...

shovels.

- Well, who are they?

- Denver citizens' militia.

A-marchin' out there

to intercept that wagon train

and see that whiskey gets home.

Hold on, Oracle. We're workin' men.

We're miners. We ain't Injun fighters.

I ain't marchin' up any rivers, sleeping

on the rocks and cookin' on campfires.

You gonna spend the whole winter

in Denver without no whiskey?

At dawn the morning of November 17th,

the second cavalry patrol

was heading due south for Denver,

with of course the temperance marchers.

The Wallingham wagon train

was turning west.

The first cavalry patrol

was moving fast to intercept it.

The Denver citizens' militia

was making an easterly crossing

of the South Platte River,

while the Sioux Indians

were coming down from the north,

picking up more braves all the time.

Whoa!

For the beloved love of all the saints,

St Pat and Mike and Bridget,

and all the souls in purgatory,

not again!

Call yourself a wagon!

You rotten collection of wood!

You ain't fit for carryin' swill

to vultures!

Whoa!

All right, O'Flaherty. What's your excuse

this time, you ignorant immigrant lump?

Oh, lump, is it? Well...

All things being equal,

we'll be havin' a word

with your lordship.

I told you I am not a lordship!

Can't expect an Irish serf to forget

the habits of a lifetime, now.

- Just get on with it.

- Well, now.

We, the Irish Teamsters,

have a petition of grievances.

We state in plain and simple terms

the bad conditions under which

we've been forced to labour,

and do hereby raise formal objection

to the followin', to wit:

travel hours and harnessin',

unharnessin',

carin' for horses, loadin', unloadin',

beddin', guard duty,

poor drinkin' water,

order of wagons in march,

and, might I add, in addition to

no whiskey ration whatsoever

in a whole cargo of whiskey.

Now, suppose these grievances

of yours aren't answered?

- What'll you do? Strike?

- That's an ugly word to a workin' man.

- But it would be considered.

- Ah...

Well, in that case, O'Flaherty,

you strike.

- Strike.

- And who, might I ask, pray tell me,

are you goin' to get to drive

your sweatin', rotten wagons?

- There are your grievances.

- We've struck off 12 more copies.

Exploiter! Capitalist!

Highbinder! Profiteer!

Mr. Wallingham, I presume.

Captain Slater at your service.

Colonel Gearhart sends his compliments.

He's most happy to comply with

your request for escort to Denver.

Good for Colonel Gearhart.

Have you seen any Indians?

A scout informed me...

There aren't any Indians here. Haven't

you heard of the Peace Commission?

With a cargo like this,

you've got to be sure, damn sure!

Indians, revenue agents,

temperance women.

- Oh, you know.

- Know what?

- About Cora Massingale.

- Where?

It's all right. She's not here.

She's at Fort Russell

giving temperance lectures.

- Are you positive she's at Fort Russell?

- I positively guarantee it.

She isn't any nearer your cargo

than... than the Indians are.

- Hope it's hot.

Wait till we get you in.

Oh!

Sergeant, I, uh...

We've got a morale problem, sir.

Take care of it, Buell.

I think the colonel will have to

root it out, sir, right at the core.

The ladies, sir, are taking baths...

in the nude.

Mrs. Massingale,

I'd like a word with you.

Would you mind calling some other time,

Colonel? I'm taking a bath.

I am well aware

that you're taking a bath.

I don't care how dirty you are.

I will not have you ladies

bathing in the nude.

There's no other way I know of,

Colonel.

The opportunity was there and...

who knows what tomorrow might bring?

Especially now that

we've changed our plans.

- Changed your plans?

- Yes, Colonel.

You mean you want to go

back to Cheyenne now?

Don't be ridiculous. Of course not.

We want only to meet the wagon train.

But you are meeting the train.

That's why we're going to Denver.

But we want to meet it

long before it reaches Denver.

- That's not possible.

- On the contrary.

We now intend to intercept

the wagon train along the River Platte.

You what?

In a clash of wills, Colonel,

he who shouts loudest is lost.

Madam...

If I understand you correctly,

you are going to lead your ladies

through unsettled Plains country

- along the South Platte River trail.

- Exactly.

And upon meeting the wagon train, I

surmise you will put on a demonstration,

whose purpose is to turn back the train.

Precisely.

Very well. But if you think

the United States Army

is going to escort a bunch of

harebrained females across open desert,

bent on throwing themselves under

horse teams, you're gravely mistaken.

Very well. I thank you

for your many courtesies thus far,

but if you force us to go our way

unescorted and any harm comes to us,

three million infuriated women will

turn the War Department upside down.

Mrs. Massingale, if I could force you

to do anything, which obviously I cannot,

it would be to go home, and stay home,

where all decent women belong.

- Sergeant.

- Sir?

- Dammit.

- Yes, sir.

Sergeant, I want some scouts

on the trail of those women tomorrow.

Have them keep

in constant touch with us.

We'll move in a somewhat

parallel direction.

Yes, sir.

Excuse me, sir. Parallel direction...

Is that a new tactic, sir?

I'm not acquainted with it.

- It was well known throughout the war.

- Yes, sir, of course.

- What's it called, sir?

- Called?

What command shall I give the men?

"Move in a somewhat parallel direction"?

It's called... detached contact.

Detached contact?

And let it so be recorded

in the daily journal!

Yes, sir.

No documents can establish just how

the Sioux formulated their plans,

although it's known

that a plan was so formulated.

All we can do is surmise what was said.

White man win war.

Now we use white man's way.

You, Chief Walks-Stooped-Over, with

20 braves attack front of wagon train,

and draw off guard.

You, Chief Elks-Runner, with 20 braves

attack rear of wagon train

and draw off guard.

All other braves

attack centre of wagon train.

When Long Knives chase braves,

then great Chief 5 Barrels

and two brothers-in-law

circle around whole wagon train,

come in from southeast,

grab last three wagons

and go like hell... west.

In the morning, when the sun rises

over Iron Mountain two hands high,

attack!

If Long Knives capture braves,

show them paper.

We good Indians. No trouble.

Go back to reservation.

But before you go,

don't forget to ask for presents.

In preparation for their attack,

the Indians took up three positions.

Here...

here...

and here.

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