Vultures on the corpse .

[Owlparrot3]

Old man Fransisco polished his colt and whistled in the bright sunshine as he watched the dusty road ahead .A pity he still used this old colt .But anyway after this day he would be able to afford as many new weapons as he could .Suddenly from behind him a hand came on his shoulder .It was his associate Reyes .Standing behind him were 3 more men .Men who respected old man Fransisco .Two of them had Henrys ."Sir how much more time" asked Reyes ."Only a minute Amigo,only a minute .They may be here any time now."

'They' took a whole 5 more minutes .A single cart ridden by two men both armed and wearing big Sombreo's .Written on the cart was 'Rosarito to Loreto' .Who could predict it hid $5000 American dollars .Quickly old man Fransisco pointed his finger and said "That's them boys" .The men quickly aimed at the slow moving cart and fired .Their shots cleanly found their mark on the two hapless men ."Huh" old man Fransisco smiled ."Senior Terreros thought the low security would fool us ,go get the money boys ,Senior Campero would be very happy "he continued .What happened next anyone can figure out .

Senior Campero and Senior Terreros like two others (Senior Alvarez and Senior Martinez ) were businessmen who in the 1880's fought for economic and political domination of Mexican border states of Sonora and Baja California fuelled by the rights and concessions given by the Diaz government for fast modernization and railroading of the border states .This documentary uses changed names and slight alternate history featuring more extreme violence .

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter 1.(Begins in 1883)

Senior Campero after rewarding the old man and his associates thought about the past .Born a poor saloon owner's son in 1838,Campero quickly found a way of profiting from Mexico's constant internal strife by selling weapons and horses to whoever was in power .Soon the money Pesos began to come in and so did the respect of others .He also invested his money in Plantations all around the provinces of Cullican,Santa Maria Del Oro,Parral and a part of Chihuahua.Soon after the French king was shot,Campero joined a party called the Partido Conservedor which claimed adhered to conservative values but in reality was the same old Mexican money eating machine.Soon came power,haciendas and new enemies.When Diaz came to power however he gracefully assumed a background role in his own party because he wanted to keep in Diaz's good looks.By the early 1880s he was among the top 4 contenders to gobble up huge fortunes by accepting government contracts for building anything from railroads to factories run by Americans to infrastructures in the frontier states .While the Porifirato had good opinion of him,and the poor were too small to comment,the intellectuals managed to see the real ugly side of him "People like Campero are the worst criminals,he has with consent from Diaz became not a businessman as he claims,but a crime boss who dabbles in business .He has achieved a monopoly on gambling,prostitution,liquor moonshines and eroded the people's minds all in the name of development" .Another commented "The Mexican border towns were worst,the red lights shone everywhere,the sound of the dice and cards was irritating,cheap prostitutes walked the streets with their ugly faces,the hellish music of the automatic Pianos was everywhere and everything smelled of garbage and whisky".As a result he could use the services of bandits and other low life's with ease .

Senior Campero.

Senior Terreros was a war hero of the French war .At the age of just 20 he did amazing feats on the battlefield .He was born in 1841 the son of a Commodante,hence he came from a military background .But dont let it fool you .He was as big a villain as any others .To bag cheap land delas that the government handed out like candy to the top dogs in Mexico,he used force .He had got good contacts with the comodantes and governers of Baja California,his homeland where he lived in a rich and efficient feudal Hacienda.He used them to crush oppositions and basically strong hand people into submission.That however made him unpopular with the native Americans,the Apaches and even the rival commanders in the Mexican army who burned with jealousy to see the lucky footlicking Amigos get promoted because of the money and influence of Terreros.

Senior Terreros.

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter2 .

Back in Houston,Texas at the same time as Old man Fransesco's job,a jolly old man sat with a long black overcoat at a posh meeting of some America bigwigs .He talked with perfect English and spoke it with a great fluency .He joked and drank well in the American way.But he was far from being American .He was Senior Martinez the big landowner from Delicas,Monoclova and Morelos.Unlike the others he came from an already rich family of nobles.But boy did he make them richer.Born in 1834,he succeded his father in 1856.He expanded the empire two fold .He supported Diaz wholeheartedly and was a modernist who supported Diaz's dictatorial government .In exchange Diaz made him rich beyond his dreams .Not even a lampost was built in some parts of Nuevo Leone without him getting the contract.Railroads were a whole bigger thing then .His Forte was up the border .Unlike the others he was protected by American bodyguards and did not fear for his life because it was insured by big companies like Standard Oil and Carneigi steel.Once a bunch of rash badidos accepted a contract to kill him when he was resting in a hotel in Parral.They encamped in the hotel opposite of the one in which he stayed and decided to attack and kill him when he came out the door in the morning.But the owner of the hotel in which they had encamped got suspicious and phoned Senior Martinez.His response was "Ok i will be cautious" .The next day the bandidos watched in amazement as a line of Bullet proof stagecoaches covered the entry of the hotel .The Senior simply walked into one of them and rode away .Then after he had left the doors of the other stagecoaches opened for a brief moment ,inside were gunmen holding repeaters and Winchesters.The Bandidos only got a second before they were cut down by gunfire.Then the doors closed and the other stagecoaches rode away too .Had the bandidos managed by some extraordinary powers to see what was written beneath the iron covering of the stagecoaches they might have read 'Vanderbilt' .

Senior Martinez.

Back in the land which the natives called Apacheria(Mexican Apacheria) Senior Alvarez rested his head on a rock .He was one of the native noblity.Born Alvarito at an unknown period in the 1840s,he amassed a huge fortune by doing the opposite of what his elders told him to.He supported the government.As a result he was officially named as a Criollo and became a scalphunter detested by the natives.But for the sake of his conscience he did not take Apache lives.But he constantly tried to persuade them to surrender.On the back of that and following President Benito Juarez's example he entered politics.During the French intervention he fled into exile with the president.It was during that decade that he became friends with Diaz and his life was set.Like all others he supported President Diaz and Gonzalez(1880-1884).Now he owned several thousands of acres of land in Paso Del Norte,Hermossilo,Guyamas and all other lands in Apacheria.After Geronimo's surrender the remaining Apaches stuck in Mexico decided that the best way to ensure their protection was to go to Senior Alvarez.So he gave them the one job they were good at,policing his properties and acxting as his personal mercenary force.By 1884 they numbered 1600!Now he was poised for a takeover.
Senior Alvarez.

[Alwyn]

It sounds like the states on each side of the US/Mexico border in the 1880s are a good setting for tales of ruthless businessmen. Your description of the setting, with the "the hellish music of the automatic Pianos", where "everything smelled of garbage and whisky", is an effective piece of descriptive writing.

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter3.(1885)

"The peasant classes have decided to mass sell 75 acres of land which the federal government has buyed.Now it is up for auction."said Miguel Rodrigues the assistant of Senior Martinez."Hmm i am interested,send them my regards,how's the price?" asked Martinez."Low as usual senior,but of course the president expects you to go for straight development,none of that grain and wheat stuff" said Miguel ."Of course,of course,only a puto grows grains and wheat when he can grow Cotton and Jute"answered Martinez."There is another clause senior" said the assistant."What" asked Martinez."You will of course have to fund the building of railroads on that land,it is prime for development.They say 'Texas Bountique' is interested in the transportation of goods to and fro"said Miguel ."Hmm" replied Martinez.

At 25 Maria Lopez was a beauty of unmatched variety.Nobody could have guessed that this was an Apache woman,so fair she was that she was judged as fair by European standards.But what even god could not guess was that she headed a band of mercenaries.To prevent the reader from getting overboard with awe let us start from her childhood.Born to half breed parents,she was bethrod at 16 to Alvarez.But out of respect to her parents he declined to marry her till she was 21 in an age where 21 was considered as too late for a married girl.So he kept her in a ranch along with her parents near his own estates.Her ancestors had been Apache braves on her father's side and Conquidistores on her mother's.At 17 however disaster struck.Her parents both died of Influenza epidemic.She meekly asked Alvarez if she could learn to shoot a gun.In her love he agreed.6 months later she had become a fine gun.A year later she had become so proficient that Alvarez made her the bodyguard and attendant of his aunt.His aunt increased her liberty by allowing her to learn wrestling with boys lower than age 16.Once fate however caught up with her.While wrestling with a boy of 12 an uncouth newly bearded Apache brave of 20 laughed at her "Seniora fabricacion love with that porr boy" he remarked.All of a sudden something took over her.She was just 18 then.But her Apache blood could not resist the temptation to shoot that brave.She aimed it at him and was going to shoot him when her mistress intervened.She dismissed that brave.But a day later when she was readying her mistress's wagon for a journey the brave caught up with her and held her tightly in his arms.She tried to resist and shout but he kept his hands on her mouth.All of a sudden she remembered what the tough Sioux woman who had taught her wrestling had told her.She promptly bit his arms and then sensing his weakness used her womanly curves to skillfully get out of his way.Then she landed a punch with all her might.He staggered behind.In that moment she could have simply taken out her colt and fired but instead she took the fight to a more personal level by going forward and attempted to punch him again .But he held her hand.So she kicked him groin.Then the brave himself came forward and tried to lift her but again she put her hands forward and her fingers applied pressure at a specific point on his neck.He fell down like a buffalo and it was then that she shouted for help.Had she been born in the Quing Empire she might have known karate and the meaning of pressure points.Shortly after her mistress died and she was jobless.Not yet 21 she then decided to be independant and fled to the forest to be a scxavenger.She hunted animals and lived in hiding.All the tries of her proposed husband and his mercenaries to find her but to no avail.It was during this time that she became the best shot that a woman could be atleast in the entire Mexico if not the world.Then once in the town of Parral she saw a sign.'Amigo De Busca on the run' .This was her chance to prove her power to the masculine world.The bandido was covering in a lumber camp in the Sonora desert.He was alone but armed with a Buffalo rifle.She found him out after 18 days of searching.The camp had been abonded for the summer.The shed was like any other border town building,built with adobe.To prove her masculine power she needed to use her feminine advantage.So she approached the shed like any other lady in distress.Underneath her skirt was a Winchester.The bandido unsuspectingly approched her.She let him do the "Serve me i will help you" talk that any other scum says to damsels in distress and then in a flash she took out her knife and plunged it in the heart of the bandido with less power than needed to kill him.He fell unconscious.Knowing fully well that being a woman she could not claim the reward(Which she did not want),she instead kept him tied up and unconscious by various methods and then during the night threw him at the gate of Senior Alvarez's hacienda with a letter describing how she had achieved this.Then she disappeared in the hills.Alvarez was struck with awe and admiration.His Apache part did not agree to the patriarchy of the white man.He sent people in all directions to find her out but she was nowhere to be found.2 months later she again caught another bandit but this time she not only dressed like a man and did not used feminine methods like before but also deposited the corpses of his two friends along with him.She had killed them in a proper gunfight.This time however Alvarez finally caught up with her.From the location of the bandit's hideout he was sure of her location.He have her all the reward money for the bandit doubled.But during the 2 years when she was in hiding ,Senior Alvarez had lost his vigour and so one sad night he promptly told her that he no longer wanted to marry her.Telling a woman about lost vigour was too hard even for a man like Alvarez so he instead told her that he could not marry her because she had become too manly.So she now decided to be feminine and started to lose her weight.She started wearing corsets and huge European dresses making sure to pinch her cheek every time she saw him to have a blush.Finally vary that good talent would be wasted,he told her the truth about his vigour.He told her "My dear Maria you are harder than most men,but unfortunately i am not,i have became prematurely old,you would be happier with some other man,i am from this day your godfather" .She sulked for days but in the end accepted the hard truth.At 22 she started training as a warrior again.Then one day Alvarez at a meeting told her "I being liberale in the old way accept your supremacy,but in the man's world you will have to prove yourself,hence i have a plan" ."What your Majestad" she asked ."I will hold a ragtag wrestling and shooting competition(One with no rules)with the second most if not the first bravest Apache fighters,then you will enter it and prove yourself" he said."But your Majestad will they let me enter,will they agree to fight with a lady" she asked ."They will when i tell them that your loss in the fighting will mean i give up my position as their chieftan and protector" he said.She covered her mouth in shock."Your Majestad dont have so much confidence in me" she said."That i have my dear,that i have" he said.A month later Senior Alvarez held the competition .With no rules the Apache braves could not understand how exactly to fight.The day after the victors were rewarded he was still sipping warm milk with the leaders as their protector.It was only to prevent their humiliation that he had selected the second bravest braves to enter the competition and be defeated by a woman.Maria Lopez had proved herself.What Alvarez was happy for was that,she had won fair and square ,there had been no need of gerrymandering which a hustler like him would have done in the worst case.So now at 25 here she was.She was now considered lower to only the bravest of Apache men in Senior Alvarez's private mercenary army.The best thing was that she managed to retain the best of both genders.Dress her up in a Vaquiro clothing and she fought and shot like a beast.Dress her up in corsets and she was startlingly beautiful.Once she returned to a party after teaching some thugs who had been looting Senior Alvarez's Hacienda a lesson and then changed into womanly clothes.Suddenly Diaz himself arrived at the party.When an associate of his playfully asked him who the most pretty woman in the party was he replied pointing at Maria "Who is that pretty lady there,looks like the empress Eugene in her prime".When he found out the truth he decided to prove his liberal nature to his critics in the USA and Europe by using her stories as a political instrument.The suffurage moment was also forced to remain silent due to this.Needless to say this brought much prestige to Senior Alvarez.

Seniorita Maria in two different roles.

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter4.

Rotting in an American prison,Manolito the Apache had only himself to blame.Unlike many others he had refused to give up his old ways.He robbed,looted and burned for the sheer fun of doing this to the white men who had done the same to his kind for decades.Out of respect to Senior Alvarez however he never murdered.Then one day he suddenly decided to target the cheap gambling dens of Senior Campero.He would rob,and then burn them down.He soon became a wanted man on both sides of the border.Then on one dark night he ventured to loot another farm in which Senior Campero ran a brothel.While he hid in the bushes he heard a noise near him.It was a man with a dog cluthcing his neck."Hah the animal seems to have got him" said Manolito and decided to finish off the job.Suddenly he smelled a sweet smell.It was not blood running from the man's throat,it was wax and sweet syrup.Out of nowhere a shotgun appeared in the man's arm.Then out of oblivion 8 men came out the bushes .They were all American cowboys hired by the ganglord Campero to track him down.They caught him and were going to deliver him to Campero but for 3 of them who betrayed the rest and decided to take him across the border to America and claim the reward and respect instead.Being an Apache he was immediately detained and charged for robbery,arson and rape and was thrown into prison for 16 years.Coming back to the present,his thoughts were interrupted by the sherrif coming inside.Manolito stepped back but it was too late as a swift punch flattened his nose and he fell unconscious.For the rest of his short life Manolito would remain either unconscious or in a trance so there was no way he could have known that his death would start a brutal war which would terrorise the border until its brutal end.

What had happened was that after the cowboy's betrayal,Senior Campero was furious,there seemed to be no way to get him out of an American prison.So he went to the one man who could help him,Martinez.At the same time the elders took the capture of Manolito as a personal humiliation and urged Senior Alvarez to take revenge.Initially he did not,but he subsided and for the first and last time in his life took a foolhardy decision using his Apache mind.He would get Manolito out .So he too went to Martinez for his influence in these matters.Now Martinez was in a dilema.Sure with the help of Rockfeller himself he could get that little beast out but who to give him too.After much quarrels it was decided that
1)An auction for Manolito would be held between Senior Alvarez and Senior Campero.
2)The highest bidder gets possession of him.
3)The loser promises to accept his defeat and do nothing against the winner.
4)The auction would be held in neutral ground in the Hacienda or as he called it for his American friends 'Plantation estate' of Senior Martinez.

But at the last moment it was Martinez himself who changed the plan.Rather than have an auction,the two warlords would give sealed packets with amounts of Pesos.The packet which contains more money would be the winning packet.The warlords arrived in style.Campero arrived with some thugs and ugly bandidos but dressed them in good noble clothing.Alvarez came with some Apaches,Maria and Creoles for showing off his Spanish side.All were heavily armed to the teeth."Okay,gentlemen let us begin the proceedings"said Martinez.Then signalling to his servant he said "Mario hand over the packets and stationery" .Mario promptly brought two packets brocraded in gold.Inside both was a paper signed by Manolito.Then the amounts were written.

"Gentlemen" said Martinez after an hour of discussions and concentrated thinking,"You have promised to pay me different amounts ,since the extraction will be done from the USA,i will speak in dollars,Senior Alvarez has written $4000" then pausing for cough he continued "Senior Campero has written $5900" .The writing was clear on the wall ."I declare Senior Campero the winner" he said.The Apaches with Alvarez tightened the grip on their pistols but Alvarez stopped them .

"Senior we cannot let our honor be destroyed by that thug Campero" the leader of the Rosarito Apaches said to Alvarez.They had come back to his Hacienda in the gloom of the defeat.Needless to say Alvarez's money pinching had cost him his prestige."Juano,i will think,leave me alone for some time and send Maria in" replied Alvarez.Then he looked at his rich carpet on the ground imported from Portugal,the great big chandelier on the ceiling,his gaze then went to the numerous gold pens sitting on his desk along with exotic books in a range of European languages,he looked out the window at his vast property and then he thought what was the use of all these if it could not save his prestige,his honour.Just then Maria entered and bowed him."Ah my dear Maria,we might not be lovers anymore but i need your advice" he said."At your service Senior."she said.Then Alvarez said "Maria i am in a dilema, what should i do,save my honour with war or save the fragile peace that i have maintained with so much hardwork for honour"."As a businessman,yes peace is more important,but as the leader of countless men who prefer honour over life,i think that you must prefer war and honour" she said.Then there was silence as a candle suddenly went out.Maria quickly replaced it like the honourable lady that she was in the walls of the hacienda."But lord....." she said suddenly."What?" asked Alvarez."Even as a businessman war IS important,as you know our workforce is mainly consisted of mixed breeded indian tribals who work at our lands,our mines and other plantations,if they came to know that you preffered peace over honour then do you think they will continue to think highly of you,huh,even Diaz will not think highly of you"said she."You are right,but what is your personal choice?" he asked.She replied immediately "Honour" ."War it is then" he declared.

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter5.

The war party was established fast."We need allies,who should we go to" asked Alvarez." President Diaz?"asked a native chief."No he will not help us,plus i dont want to involve him in such internal matters" said Alvarez."Sir i have a solution"said a Creole chief."What?"asked Alvarez."Why not go to the military man,Terreros,the one who is always dressed in fancy uniforms and hates Campero?"said him ."Thats a good idea,then arrange a meeting with him" said Alvarez.

The meeting proved to be a grand affair and coincided with the marriage anniversary of Terreros to his wife Valeria.But both warlords knew the true intention.After the festivities they decided to meet in Terreros private room with 3 bodyguards each outside.

Meeting between the two warlords,Alvarez is the black native and Terreros is the one in army uniform.

"Senior Alvarez,you and i both know the real reason of this meeting,i know that you are in a personal feud with that rat Campero"said Terreros."Yes and we need your alliance"replied Alvarez."But in this barren world,an alliance comes at a price" said Terreros."I am willing to pay in both Loot and land for this"said Alvarez."No,no,no you have gotten me all wrong senior,i am not a mendigo(beggar).I instead require your friendship and help in a rather grave matter". said Terreros emptying the whole cup of wine."What"? asked Alvarez."There is a man,a really dangerous old coot and his sons and associates,they call him Fransesco,i need him dealt with first,he is hiding in Apacheria"said Terreros."Thats easy"replied Alvarez."No it isnt"said Terreros massaging his fingers."Why"? asked Alvarez."Because Senior Apacheria is not only in Mexico"said Terreros smiling.

Old man Fransesco clapped loudly even as the Yankee woman finished her dancing.He was sitting in a saloon in a small lumber outpost in New Mexico.But the people around him were less than amused."Quit it greaser" said a man from across the room.But now in open defiance Fransesco continued to clap,more loudly than before.Suddenly the American shouted loudly "Quit it Mexico before i shoot" said he removing his colt.But Fransesco started clapping even loudly .Suddenly the man lunched forward and aimed it at Fransesco."Hah,get me like a man if you can gringo" said Fransesco.The American dropped his colt and lunged like an animal at him.Fransesco dodged the blow and with his old fists gave him such a punch that set him reeling against the ground.Immediately the other Yankees aimed their guns at him.Then as suddenly as that a party of Mexicans in that saloon aimed theirs at the Yankee.For a few moments it was a Mexican war all over again in the saloon.Suddenly a member of the Mexican group said to Fransesco "Lets go senior,these gringos will not improve".With great tact he dropped his colt down and then gave his hand to Fransesco who took it.Peacefully they walked out of the saloon followed by the other Mexicans.The bar owner shouted at them as they went out "Hey,what about my payment" he asked ."Dont worry,we will come and pay you when things calm down,we are going out to the camp now" replied the Mexican.Old man Fransesco was never seen again.

It was a regular stagecoach like any other that was standing at the gate of Senior Alvarez's hacienda at dawn a few days after the meeting.It was weathered and had seen better days,the wheels were polished though as if for a trek,but there were two singular things to note about it,one ,it contained a box on it ,a red painted box which looked tempting as if a treasure box.Second,there was no driver,the stagecoach had been planted there.When an attendant of Alvarez opened the box he got the fright of his life,inside was the head of Manolito the Apache,his body covered in blood and filled with lead of the bullets was kept in a small cloth bag near it.

By the next morning a full scale skirmish war had begun on the frontier.

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter6.

"I want you to find a particular man who can work for us" said Terreros to his assistant ."Which man" asked the assistant.By now war had begun and Terreros being an ally of Alvarez had gone on a looting spree of Campero's gambling houses."He is not any other man,he is an Americano,a great bandit who robbed stagecoaches and caravans in the previous decade,but when some lawman shot him he lost and eye and so he fled from the law to hide in Mexico,we will need some Americans especially now that that Martinez has formed an alliance with Campero too" said Terreros."Oh you mean that gringo,what was his name Jock or Jack or Jockey Norton."said the accountant."Jack Norton" said Terreros."He is a master at using dynamite" said Terreros."But why do we need dynamite senior"asked the assistant."I have planned something big" he said.

At 42 Jack Norton was a survivor.Because while he lived on,all the others around him fell.Born in 1843 in Louisiana he was the son of a poor drunkyard whose wife had died in childbirth.Since his father didnt pay much attention to him or care about him Jack would hang out in the streets with the local ruffian boys.Soon they formed a gang and decided to try their luck out west during the civil war.Jack however was the only one who fought with distinction as a mercenary for the confedrates and received rich booty.After the war ,the remaining members of the group named Jack as their leader.They started to terrorize the counties of Hidalgo,Grant and Luna.They robbed stagecoaches,held people for ransom and generally became the local tough guys.They were caught many times but each time they were released by corrupt sherrif's who wanted a share of everything.But alas,in 1875,a new sherrif arrived in Grant county hellbent on taking down 'Norton's gang' as it was known.Norton responded by shooting the sherrif's deputy in cold blood outside the local grocery store in Grant.The sherrif then decided to take Norton by surprise.He put down Norton's deputies John Hamson and Bill Laury.Norton then decided to flee to Colombia to fight in the civil war there on the side of the liberals.It was there that he first operated an explosive.The conservatives numbering about 120 men were coming up a hill and the outnumbered liberals(45) told Jack to operate an explosive dynamite to blast them.The plan succeeded and like god's curse,the conservatives were blown away in a hail of explosions.He was richly awarded and then he returned to USA.But things hadn't calmed down.Angry that the manhunt for Norton had not succeeded ,the sherrif had started to go after other gangs too and was killing any criminal in sight.Then Jack finally decided to retreat south of the border to Mexico.

"So what do you want me to do Senior" asked Jack to Alvarez,They were sitting in the courtyard of Alvarez's rancho."I want you to rob a train"said Alvarez curtly."But.......thats impossible to do quickly.It needs planning and good men,which pardon me should be Americans only"replied Jack."Gordon O Brien,Steve Fairchild,Roger Smith and Jhonny Klebitz are on their way here"said Alvarez before Jack could say anything more."But.....wha..........how" said Jack in amazement."They are the only ones of your gang that i could find"said Alvarez."But senior there is one man that you left out,a man without him robbing a train will be impossible,a master sniper,a man who can cut telegraph lines and who can also detach the train cars safely,a one man army,..... Antonio Naples" said Jack."Then my men will find him too" said Alvarez."No,you cant,he is in jail,they caught him in a saloon when he was drunk as a horse"said Jack."Huh,civilised that we are now,we Apaches havent forgotten the ways of the old past,the small sherrif's jail is no match for us"replied Alvarez.

Sherrif Jeff Archson watched the lowly streets of San Diego.Alas they were brimming with crime.Dejected he pressed the bottle of whisky to his parched mouth again.Suddenly 4 stagecoaches stopped in the streets.To his horror,Archson saw 12 Apaches getting out.But cooly in a very sherrif like style he approached them one hand on a revolver.The Apaches were naked on the upper parts of their bodies and had painted faces.Archson mustered up some courage and said "Give up boys,Geronimo has surrendered" he said.Suddenly one Apache told him in English "Put down the gun white eye".Archson did likewise.Then he was overpowered.Inside Antonio Naples was half surprised and half frightened being freed by a bunch of apparently mad Apaches.But the Apches were less than mad or wild.An hour later they were well out in the country side looking like respectable Mexican businessmen travelling for trade with their huge sombreos.By the next day Antonio Naples was sitting with Jack in his lodge.

"So the train goes from Monterry to Saltillo,in the middle there is a narrow valley after Rancho Carvajal,i intend to raid them there"said Jack to the men assembled in front of him.

[Alwyn]

Good updates, I like the way that you focus readers' attention on the stagecoach before showing us (and the attendant of Alvarez) the red box with its surprising contents. I wonder what will happen in the skirmish war and what Terreros is planning to do, when he has found Jack Norton.

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter 7 .

The plan was well executed .O 'Brien and Fairchild boarded the train at Monterry .Disguised as respectable men ,nobody suspected their intentions .
Antonio Naples ,Norton ,Roger Smith and Klebitz were stationed at the desired spot at Rancho Carjaval along with the dynamite .

"Ah ,what a thing of art this Jack " said Naples to Norton referring to the dynamite .
"Yes sir ,its a powerful thing ,we are gonna use it to destroy the tracks " said Jack .
"But what is it exactly?" asked Naples who despite knowing how to use it ,did not know any science .

Norton had been taught some science by a mad Latino professor in Columbia who had joined the liberals in the jungles against the conservatives .

[Alwyn]

I wonder what the significance will be of the discussion of the components of dynamite.

[Owlparrot3]

Thanks very much for commenting sir ,its your these encouragements that have helped to maintain my writing hobby .