Chapter 28 - A Means To An End

Caleb sets fire to the barn to keep Elizabeth from leaving him. The fight with Daniel Butler intesifies further leading Mr. O'Conner to fire both men. Caleb seeks revenge against Butler.

          Caleb laid on his back, starring up into the darkness.  Elizabeth laid at his side, her back turned to him.  Her sobs had faded to a light breathing as she had fallen to sleep.  The sweat stood on Caleb’s forehead in beads.  He slowly rose from the bed and stumbled blindly across the room.  As he took a step he kicked the over turned crate hard and a sharp pain shot up his leg.

          “Goddamn it!”

          Elizabeth mumbled something incoherently and stirred slightly in bed.

          Caleb stood and watched her a moment before dressing and continuing cautiously out of the room.  He stumbled through the dark cabin and out the front door.  A breeze blew across the porch.  He stood a moment and felt the cool air before continuing across the yard to the well.  He pumped the water and splashed it on his face, then ran his fingers through his hair. 

          He had to stop Elizabeth from leaving.  He now knew that she was serious about her decision and was ready to make her move.  He would not be able to be there constantly to keep watch over her and he knew the moment he left she would load up all of her belongings and be gone. 

He looked around at the property a moment, thinking.  The barn caught his glare.  It loomed tall and dark against the night sky.  She cannot leave without the wagon and horses.  He thought to himself. 

He made his way into the barn and quickly opened all the horse stalls, allowing the horses to escape.  He then went to work piling hay in and around the old wooden wagon in the center of the barn.  When the pile was at an acceptable height he doused it with kerosene.

 

Caleb stood outside the barn watching as the small orange glow grew and engulfed the entire barn. 

“Caleb!” Elizabeth screeched from the doorway, pulling her gown tight around her.  She looked at him with wide eyes.  “What…Why?”

“Someone broke into the barn and stole the horses,” he told her.  “They must have dropped a lantern or something of the sort.”

“You are a liar!”  She accused, motioning toward the tethered horse at the far edge of the yard. 

“I caught one.  We have to have a horse.  I can’t get out to the dock without it.”  He glared angrily, a devious flame burned deep in his eyes making Elizabeth visibly cringe.

“Put it out!” She demanded.  “The house will catch if you do not.”

“It’s too big.” He told her in an almost monotonous, expressionless voice.  “All I can do now is let it burn down.”

“But the wind!  It will catch the house!” 

She ran frantically across the yard to the well and filled a wooden bucket.  She ran back and forth between the barn and well, throwing buckets of water onto the fire.  Caleb watched as she desperately tried to extinguish the flames.  She finally collapsed on the ground by the well, wheezing as she struggled to catch her breath. 

The flames leapt high into the night sky.  A tall tree between the barn and house caught fire and the dry wood crackled loudly.  The entire tree was quickly engulfed.  It cracked and fell sideways with a crash.  A moment later the corner of the porch caught fire. 

“NO!” Elizabeth screamed.  “Please, do something.”  She looked up at him desperately. 

“You are leaving.  What does it matter?”  He told her, the flames jumping and dancing wildly in his eyes.

The sound of hooves came down the road toward the cabin.  A convoy of a half a dozen men and wagons bolted into the yard.  At the end of the line came Mr. O’Connor.

“What happened?”  O’Connor asked.  The other men in the group had began filling buckets and doused the porch of the cabin. 

“Well…” Caleb wiped his mouth with his hand and thought a moment.  “Seems someone broke into the barn and stole my horses.  Set fire to the place ‘fore they run off.  I heard a racket and come out to see what was goin’ on.  Caught one o’ my horses, but the rest are gone.”

Elizabeth, who had been helped away from the well, sat on the ground glaring up at Caleb.  Her tears left streaks in the dirt on her face. 

          “How’d yall know ‘bout this?” Caleb asked O’Connor.

          “Ya can see it all way out ta the river.”

          “Well we sure are lucky you seen it.  There was no way the two o’ us was goin’ ta get it out.”

          “Where ya wee one’s at?”

          “They’re safe.  Stayin’ with someone else tonight.”

          The men put out the fire on the house and tree, but could only keep the rest contained.  They stood and watched the barn collapse and fall into a heap.  As the sun rose in the early morning sky, the flames died down.  The pile crackled and popped as the wood smoldered. 

          “I’ll get some lads out in a bit ta help patch up the cabin.”

          “Thank ya sir, we sure do appreciate it.”

          “Ya come on out to work this mornin’ an’ I’ll sen’ ya out ‘arly wit’ some lads an’ lumber.”

 

          Caleb rode to the dock along side Mr. O’Connor and a few other men.  When they rode up, Jess and Frank stood near the warehouse.  They walked out and met the men as they tied their horses.

          “We heard ‘bout the fire,” Frank told him.

          “Yall get it all put out?” Jess asked.

          “Pretty much.  Just smolderin’ now.”

          “Ya lads go on out there ‘arly an’ help Caleb get his cabin fixed.  I got some lumber out back.”  O’Connor patted Caleb on the shoulder and limped on his cane up the steps and into the warehouse.

          “Cabin catch?” Frank asked with concern.

          “Barn.  Cabin jus’ got a little scorched.  We got it put out ‘fore much more could happen.”

          “What happen?”

        “Some son-a-b***h broke into the barn an’ stole my horses.  Set a fire ‘fore they took off.”  He paused a moment and glanced back at the horse he had just gotten off of.  “Managed to catch one of ‘em.”

          “Jus’ be careful.  Butler finds out, he ain’t goin’ ta stand an’ wait fer no explanation.  He jus’ goin’ ta assume you done it,” Frank informed him.

          “I don’t give a damn.  Son-a-b***h prob’ly done it himself, or at least knows who did.”

 

          Daniel Butler rode up to the dock later that morning.  Rather than beginning his work, however, he headed straight for Caleb.

          Caleb turned to see him moving swiftly down the dock in his direction.  He kept his hand concealed inside his coat.

          Caleb reached inside his shirt and put his hand on his revolver. 

          “Campbell!”  Butler bellowed angrily.  “We got ta have a talk.  I know what you done.”  He pulled his gun and pointed it straight at Caleb.

          Caleb reacted quickly and pulled his own gun.  Both men stood still a moment in each other’s sights. 

          “Why don’t you tell all these folks what you done?” Butler told him.  “Tell all these folks ‘bout how you hurt your wife.  She showed me the bruises on her wrists.  Tell these folks what you done.  Tell ‘em ‘bout how you set fire ta the barn an’ let the horses go so she couldn’t leave.”

          “I don’t know what yer talkin’ ‘bout.  I ain’t done none o’ that.”

          “That ain’t what Elizabeth tol’ me and I’m inclined to believe her over you.”

          “I tol’ you to stay away from my wife.”  Caleb pulled back on the hammer.

          “She came to me this time.”

          Caleb pulled the trigger and a moment later Butler lay on his back on the dock. 

          All the men who had been working now stood still and silent watching the affair.

          Caleb walked cautiously toward Butler still pointing his pistol at him.

          Butler held his right shoulder.  His gun laid several feet away.

          “You should have shot me when you had the chance!” Caleb told him angrily.

          “Caleb!” Frank called from behind him.  “Don’t you take one more step or I’ll shoot you myself.”

          Caleb spun on his heel and faced Frank.  Frank pointed a pistol at him.  “Don’t make me do it,” he told him.  “I ain’t ever shot a friend an’ I don’t want to do it now, but I sure will if I have to.”

          “Frank, put the Goddamned gun down!  I done tol’ you ta stay out o’ this here fight.  This ain’t none o’ yer business.”

          “You made it my business.”

         “You get out o’ my business or you’ll be as dead as Butler’s about ta be!” Caleb warned.

          “Shoot me!  Jess has his sights on ya too.  You may be a good shot but you ain’t that good.”

          Caleb turned his head to the side and saw Jess coming slowly up the water’s edge toward the dock, his pistol held straight out. 

          Butler stood slowly behind Caleb and stuck the barrel of his gun in Caleb’s back.  He leaned forward slightly and Caleb could feel his hot breath on the back of his neck.  “Yer a dead man now!”  He chuckled.

          Jess swung his gun in Butler’s direction.  “I’m the best there’s ever been, ain’t ya heard.  You sure ya want ta try it.  I’ll get ya right between the eyes.”

          Butler began to laugh.  “Best there’s ever been, eh?  Arrogant son-a-b***h ain’t ya?”

          Jess pulled the trigger and the hat flew off of Butler’s head.  Butler stumbled back and stood startled a moment.  He quickly regained composure.  “Ya missed!”

          “No I didn’t!”  Jess told him with a mischievous grin.

          “Bang!”

          All the men turned toward the warehouse where Mr. O’Connor stood with his rifle pointed at the sky.  He lowered the weapon and pointed it toward the men.  “Get off my property!  All o’ ya!  Ain’t no fightin’ here.  I seen ya again an’ I’ll shoot ya dead.”

          “Mr. O’Connor,” Frank objected.  “Jess and me jus’ tryin’ to break this here fight up.  Jus’ tryin’ ta end it.”

          “I’ll end it!  Get off my property!  All o’ ya!”

          The men made their way to their horses.

          “I might jus’ do ya in myself,” Jess told Caleb as they mounted.  “Ya done lost me the best work I ever had.  Son-a-b***h!”

          “Jess,” Frank called to him.  “Ain’t no use in startin’ up more trouble.”

          “That son-a-b***h done cost us our job.” Jess objected.

          “Ain’t nothin’ you ain’t done ‘fore.”

          Jess leaned toward Caleb.  “You’d be smart ta jus’ stay away from me for a while.  I still got five shots an’ I bound ta use ‘em if ya provoke me.”

          Frank and Jess spun their horses around and started up the road at a gallop.  Caleb moved off slowly.  Butler rode up along side him.

          “Yer days are numbered boy.  An’ I think Elizabeth would be understandin’.  You ain’t goin’ ta hurt her no more.”

          “You jus’ keep away from her you son-a-b***h,” Caleb warned.

          Butler rode in front of Caleb blocking his path.  “No!  You stay away from her.  You’d be wise ta jus’ ride on out o’ this country today.  Otherwise you may have some real problems.  Bigger’n anything you been up against yet.”

          “Get out o’ my way!  I’ll head out tonight, an’ I’m goin’ ta take Elizabeth an’ the children with me.”  He rode around Butler and started up the road.

          “She ain’t there!”

          Caleb spun his horse around. 

          “She ain’t there an’ ya ain’t goin’ ta find her either.  She’s out o’ yer reach now.”

          “Where the hell is she?” Caleb demanded.

          “You jus’ head on out o’ here ‘fore I empty my gun in that purty face o’ yers.”  He chuckled and leaned forward against the saddle horn.

          Caleb pulled his pistol.

          “Jus’ keep on ridin’!” O’Connor called a few yards away, his rifle aimed at Caleb.

          Caleb reholstered his weapon.  “This ain’t the last yer goin’ ta see o’ me you son-a-b***h.”  He turned and rode at a trot down the path. 

          He rode quickly back to the cabin.  The barn laid a charred pile of smoking rubble.  The blackened tree lay on the ground, a bridge between the pile and the house.  In the high midday sun, he could see the burns on the side of the cabin and the large hole left in one end of the porch.  He busted through the door.  The cabin stood dark and silent.  He scrambled through its small rooms.  Elizabeth and the children were gone along with a number of their belongings.

 

          Caleb rode all night searching everywhere he could think of for his wife and children.  He had first ridden to the Garland’s home, but they claimed to know nothing of Elizabeth’s whereabouts.  Caleb had ridden on to Daniel Butler’s home, but his cabin stood dark and silent.  All night Caleb zigzagged the countryside and still he did not find Elizabeth or the children.

          As the sun began to rise in the eastern sky, he finally made his way back to his cabin.  He had not realized how tired he was until he sat in his chair.  He hung his head and quickly nodded off to sleep.

          The front door of the cabin swung open and banged against the wall, startling Caleb.  He turned and faced into the blinding morning light that broke through the darkness of the cabin.  Two dark figures loomed in the doorway.  They moved quickly into the room and grabbed him from his seat, one man on either side.

          “What the hell?” He bellowed and struggled against the tight grip the men had on his arms.

          Another man stepped to the door and as Caleb’s eyes slowly adjusted he could see it was Daniel Butler.  Butler held a rifle at his side and grinned devilishly.

          Caleb struggled harder against the men who held him.  “What the hell are you doing?  What the hell is this?”

          Butler threw back his head and cackled loudly.  “You are about to get what’s been comin’ to you.”  He stepped aside and allowed the men to drag Caleb out of the cabin and into the yard.

          Caleb saw immediately what Butler had in store for him.  Five men stood in the yard, each with a rifle at their side.  In the center of the circle of men a horse stood positioned under a high branch of an oak tree and a rope hung over the branch.

          Caleb was shoved violently from behind.  He landed hard on his knees. One of the men put the barrel of his rifle against the back of his neck, the cool metal making him shudder. 

          His hands were tied behind his back, the rough rope cutting deep into his wrists.  He was pulled to his feet and one of the men spun him around to face him. 

          “Boy, you picked the wrong family to miss with.  When you get ta hell you tell that ol’ devil you was done it by Matthew and Daniel Butler.  He don’t even want ta miss with us.”  The man chuckled and pulled his shirt back revealing a scar on his shoulder.  “You done this to me.  Remember?  You killed my brothers.  You remember that?  That son-a-b***h father of yers killed my oldest brother.  You know that?  Now it’s my turn.  Now I get to have some fun watchin’ you squirm a little.”

          Two of the men hoisted Caleb onto the horse and pulled the noose over his head.

          “Any final words?” Daniel asked with a grin.

          Caleb sat silent.

          “Have it your way.”

          “Tell her I’m sorry,” Caleb said in a raspy whisper, a single tear running down his face.

          “It’s too late for that.” 

One of the men smacked the horse on the haunches and sent it out from under Caleb at a gallop.  Caleb dropped.  The rope cut deep into his throat.  He kicked and struggled, helplessly gasping for breath.  Out of the corner of his eye he could see one of the men raise his rifle.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Caleb jumped out of his chair and was on his feet before he was fully awake.  He was hit with a sudden and blinding headache.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

He stood in the middle of the room bewildered a moment before realizing there was someone at the door of the cabin.

He moved quickly to his guns.  He put a pistol in his holster and grabbed a rifle, then went cautiously to the door.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

He slowly opened the door prepared to shoot whoever was standing on the other side.  Another rifle barrel came through the door toward him.

“Ya’d better be gettin' out o’ this cabin.  Ya ain’t got no more right ta be usin’ it.”  Mr. O’Connor pushed through the door and into the cabin.  He pointed the rifle at Caleb. 

“I ain’t got no trouble with you, Mr. O’Connor.”  Caleb put his rifle down at his side. 

“Ya got tr’ble soon as ya started carryin’ a gun an’ fightin’ on my prop’ty.  They’s three things I don’ tol’rate none an’ it’s fightin’, swearin’, an’ drinkin’.  I do what I can fer ya an’ this how ya thank me.  I ain’t got no time fer it.  Got me some lads out front. Ya give me any tr’ble, decide ya don’ want ta leave, an’ they’ll make sure yer movin’ on.”  He stepped away from the door and Caleb could see the men on horseback in front of the cabin.

“I got a family.” Caleb objected.  “What they s’posed ta do?”

“Not what I hear.  I don’ know what ya done ta ‘em, but ya lost ‘em an’ now ya got ta live wit’ yer sin.  I done live wit’ muh sin fer tw’nty yars now muhse’f.  Ain’t no good in hurtin’ yer fam’ly.  Now ya got ta live wit’ it.  Got ta learn the hard way.”  O’Connor was lost in thought a moment, then he suddenly remembered the task he had set out to accomplish.  “Now ya get on out o’ here ‘fore I have ta get these lads ta lend a hand.”

 Caleb gathered a few items and then set out on horseback.  He rode aimlessly across the country for sometime thinking to himself of what to do next.  Perhaps it was time to move on, he thought.  He could move on toward the west.  Maybe he could even go out to California.  He no longer had a family to hold him back.  Now, he thought, he could set out to where ever he wanted and do whatever he chose.  All these years he had been forced to consider his family before he took any action or made any move, but now he was his own man and could do as he pleased. 

He thought about Elizabeth and the children a moment.  They would be taken care of, certainly.  After all, Butler seemed confident they were in better hands now anyway.  Yes, Butler felt this way.  He had finally gotten what he wanted.  Butler had finally succeeded in taking Caleb’s family from him.  The Butler’s had in fact been trying to take Elizabeth and her family for decades now, and had finally won the war they had been fighting for so long.  They had finally won the war that his father had died fighting.  No, Caleb thought, not now, not ever.  Butler can never be given a victory.  Butler will never win.  Caleb knew he certainly could not just hand over a victory to Butler.

Caleb spun his horse in the direction of Butler’s cabin and took off at a gallop.  He would win this war, he thought with determination.  He would eliminate Butler now, and take back what was rightfully his.

 

He arrived at Butler’s cabin about midday.  There was no sign of anyone nearby when he arrived so knowing he would have to come back eventually he carefully let himself in.  He searched the small building to make sure there was no one inside and then positioned himself in a chair near the front door so as to see anyone who might walk in.

It was nearly dark before Caleb finally heard the sounds of horses clopping down the road toward the cabin.  He braced himself, both hands on his rifle, preparing to open fire on anyone who came through the door.  There was the sound of footsteps through the grass and then up on the porch.  The doorknob turned and the door swung open.

Caleb pulled back on the trigger and the bullet ripped into the man.  He fell hard to the floor.

Someone outside the cabin yelled something Caleb did not understand.  He then heard the footsteps of someone running across the porch and caught a glimpse as they passed the window.  He then heard someone running through the grass on either side of the cabin.

In an instant, Caleb realized the man on the floor before him was not Daniel Butler.  Instead it was a boy of no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. 

“Who’s there?” a man called from somewhere near the front window.

“Daniel Butler among you?” Caleb answered, quickly putting his back to a wall and getting out of view of the windows.  He scooted the lifeless body aside and kicked the door closed.

“Who’s there and what’s your business?”  The man called again.

He thought a moment, then answered.  “I’m looking to speak with Daniel Butler.  He knows what my business with him is.”

“Campbell?” Daniel’s voice came from on side of the cabin.  “We got you surrounded.  You’d best just admit defeat.  Show yerself.  Go Down like a man.  Or if you prefer you can die a coward’s death.  It’s all up to you.  You don’t have your men here to protect you now.  It’s just me and you.”  Butler chuckled maliciously. 

“Well, then you call your men down,” Caleb told him. “Make it a fair fight.  If you’re man enough to face me alone.”

“Alright, come on out then,” Butler dared.

Caleb chuckled, “I don’t think so.  I’m inclined to believe you won’t play a fair game.  Have your men do your fightin’ for you.  Just like your father always done.  Why fight when you can pay some other poor b*****d to do it for you?  Like this kid in here, how much you pay him to take that bullet for you?”

“Well,” Daniel answered.  “Seems to me you ain’t in much of a position to be makin’ demands.  You can come out on your own or we’ll smoke you out.  Either way you’re mine.”

“I don’t think so you son-a-b***h.”  Caleb bellowed.  He swung his rifle sideways and shot aimlessly through the window next to him.

The crack of gunshot followed and bullets began to fly through the small cabin, piercing the thin walls and shattering the window glass.  A sharp pain shot through Caleb’s shoulder as on of the bullets struck him.  He dropped to the floor.  Glass and splintered wood flew all around him.

Then as quickly as it had all began, the air fell quiet and still once again.  He could hear the men talking to each other outside.  He crawled across the floor on his stomach so as not to be seen, and peered through a small hole, which had been blown in the cabin’s outside wall.

“You think we got him?” Asked one of the men.

“Just burn it,” Butler directed, as he stepped into Caleb’s sight.

“You sure we got him?”  Asked another man from somewhere near the front of the house.

“If we didn’t get him he might try an’ make a run for it,” the first man told Butler.

Caleb slowly and quietly slipped the barrel of his rifle through the hole in the wall and took aim at him.

“Burn it,” he repeated angrily.  “Surround the goddamn cabin and burn it.  If he tries to get away shoot him.”

Caleb pulled back on the trigger.  Butler was struck in the side of his neck by the bullet.  He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

“S**t!” One of the men bellowed. “Boss?!”  He called running to his side.

Butler choked something inaudible to Caleb.  The man at his side then stood and told the other men, “Burn him!”

Caleb heard footsteps as the men scrambled around the cabin.  A moment later liquor bottles were set on fire and hurled through the windows.

The cabin was engulfed in flames within moments.  Caleb stayed low and crawled through the cabin in search of an escape. 

The smoke filled his lungs and he began to choke on it.  His heart pounded loudly in his ears.  Panic struck him and he scrambled quickly for a door or window to crawl through.

After what felt like hours, Caleb found the front door and struggled breathlessly through it.  He stumbled onto the porch and fell on his knees, gasping for air.

“There he is!” called one of the men.  “Get him!  Shoot the b*****d!”

One of the men raised his rifle and took a shot at Caleb.

He dropped onto his stomach and shuffled off the porch.  He grabbed the pistol from his hip holster and shot without any real aim in the direction of the man.

The man stumbled back and dropped his gun as the bullet tore into his forearm.

A shot went off near the corner of the cabin and a moment later buckshot cut into Caleb’s back and legs.  He screamed in agony.

The man coming at Caleb from behind cocked his shotgun and prepared to take another shot.  The burning cabin cracked loudly and the sidewall gave way, falling out away from the rest of the structure.  Caleb could hear the man’s horrifying screams as he was trapped under the burning rubble.  The man whom Caleb had just shot stood and watched, a look of disbelief spreading across his face.

The man then turned and ran into the trees and a moment later Caleb heard the sounds of horses running away from the cabin. 

Everything then went silent and dark.