Chapter 5 - Prince Frederick's Town

[ateno]

Doos takes his quiver off and leaves it in the back of the wagon and leaves his guns behind also.

"Thank you, where do I go?"

He looks at Andreas.

Doos

[Thumper]

In the meantime, DT draws his letter from the one-armed Ranger and their contract with Wells Fargo. He asks Andreas to translate the documents for the Sheriff Deputy.

[cybersavant]

Andreas Larson "Follow der Doktor. I vhill get der Marshall und der odder Dokter." Andreas rides off into the night to first rouse the Marshall and then to Dr. Braun's.

[Thumper]

DT previously suggested the posse and prisoners stay the remainder of this night and tomorrow night in Fredericksburg. Setting out for Austin with the prisoners after a full day to rest up.

Any objection?

[redwarrior]

William is good with that.

[jemmus]

The doctor swiftly steps down from the wagon's bench and examines Doos and the unconscious man. Please, gentlemen, help to load the unconscious man into the vagon. Gently. To Doos, Sir, please sit in ze wagon bed. I can see you are exhausted, in addition to being vounded. But please do not sleep just yet. He says to the deputy marshal, Herr Vizemarschall Boecke, Sie können morgen früh nach den Patienten sehen. Oder später heute Abend, wenn es sein muss. He climbs into the wagon, snaps a whip over the horse's head, and heads off up the street.

Doos sees the wagon stop before a wide two-story house. The windows of a part of the bottom floor are brightly lit with the light of several kerosene lamps. A woman wearing a white smock and white gloves-- perhaps the doctor's wife?-- is waiting before the front porch. She comes and, with surprising strength, helps the doctor carry the unconscious man into the house and lie him on a high narrow table draped with a white cotton sheet. The doctor says, I am sorry sir, but I must treat the man with the more serious wounds first. He says to the woman, Inga, Laudanum für den Herrn. Ein Dreiviertelmaß. The woman pulls a cork from a blue bottle, drips drops into a glass, counting each, and carefully adds water from a lidded crock with a polished steel spigot. She says to Doos, Drink, please. She then rapidly moves to the table, takes bright shears from a burnished steel tray, and adroitly cuts the man on the table's caked bandages and clothing away. Doos sees the stark-naked man's two ghastly wounds to his right shoulder, another to the left one, and a fourth through his left ribs. The woman liberally applies alcohol and scrubs the body with a white towel. She discards the bloody thing into a lidded trash bin, applies more alcohol, and scrubs again. The rag is only faintly pink, but she throws it in the bin as well.

The doctor takes squares of cotton gauze, grasps the with straight sharp forceps, and soaks them in alcohol. He pushes them the man's bullet holes, twisting the swab to scour along the way. Ja, es ist gut. Die Kugeln gingen direkt durch, he murmurs to the woman as he works. He then stitches up the eight entry and exit wounds with a stout curved needle. He says to the nurse, Lieber, bitte verbinden und kleiden Sie den Patienten. Er wird heute Nacht hier auf dem Boden schlafen, um seine Wirbelsäule und Schultern flach zu halten. Lieber, bitte verbinden und kleiden Sie den Patienten. Er wird heute Nacht hier auf dem Boden schlafen, um seine Wirbelsäule und Schultern flach zu halten. Bitte bereiten Sie dicke Decken vor. The woman nods and briskly but gently begins bandaging the unconcscious man and dressing him in a smock similar to hers.

The doctor turns to Doos. Thank you for your patient waiting, sir. I am Doktor Mueller. You have been seriously shot through ze left arm and through ze abdomen, sir. I am afraid the bullet has touched the bone of the arm, but ve shall see. I am afraid some cutting may be required, but perhaps not. Again, ve shall see. As for ze abdomen.... He leans forward and sniffs around the wound. He beckons the nurse over, and she does the same. She shakes her head. It seems that ze bullet did not pierce ze large or small intestine. And ze fact that you are conscious and walking means that it missed ze liver by even ze vidt of one or a dozen hairs. You will now be given ether, sir. You will feel nothing during the examination and procedure, and you vill awaken ven it is ze proper time.

The nurse pours liquid from a brown bottle onto a folded white cloth and holds is over Doos's nose and mouth. Breath deeply, sir.

Medicine [1d20]=1

Doos awakes flat on his back on a hard table, feeling naked under just some kind of loose cotton woman's dress. He has new and different pains, but they seem strangely distant and muted. Dr. Mueller and the nurse-- probably Mrs. Mueller, he's pretty sure now-- are looking down at him smiling. You did very well, sir, the doctor says. It seems that your wounds are from high velocity bullets that passed through and did not lodge in ze muscles or ze fatty tissues. I believe you vill live a long life, with perhaps some pains, but no functional debilitations. It vill take around seven weeks for full recovery. You can ride again as soon as zis time again tomorrow night. But... ve vould recommend that you rest here in Fredericksburg. Ve have a treaty with our Comanche friends, and the young Comanche bucks have been seen as far East as arount Austin. Another shot to your body, sir, especially while on the road.... It could be the end for you. The nurse or draws a glass of water from the crock and hands it toward the patient's lips. Drink please, sir, and rest. She snaps another blanket in the air and lays it over tired and shot-up Doos.

[ateno]

"Thank you ma'am, I appreciate it, much better service than during the war. I suppose you have not heard anything about my friends?" \\Doos will be polite and friendly and fall asleep without aides this time.

Doos

[jemmus]

Doos owes $1 for having two bullet holes patched. He received successful medical care, so he'll take 7 weeks to recover from 7 points of serious wounds.
DT also received medical care (his own). He has 4 light wounds for 4 points of damage, which heal at a rate of 2 per week. So 2 weeks for full recovery. But, the rules say that all light wounds heal after a week. So DT will be healed up in a week.

The rules don't impose any penalty for being active while recovering. Except, the character shoots at -1 for every light wound and -4 for every serious wound. I don't see that healing along the way reduces the penalties. Using Doos as an example: After 4 weeks he'll have healed up 4 Strength points. But he still has 2 existing serious wounds. So he shoots at -8 until he has no more wounds. "[A]ll all serious wounds are considered healed when the character has recovered all his Strength points." (p. 84).

There's of course also the hazard of traveling or adventuring with reduced Strength (hit points). That same hazard we're familiar with from other RPGs. You could go unconscious after one hit, rather than, say, three.

Boot Hill creates a what is in my limited experience with an exceptional situation-- potentially long downtimes for a PC after any combat. That creates the situation of either: a) the entire party takes a downtime with them; b) the player retires the PC and brings in a new character; or c) the player temporarily plays a new character and play with the party continues (with no downtime for the uninjured PCs), and brings the original PC back when he has healed up. Option c) could mean a lot of RL time before the original PC returns. (This game started in July 2022 on June 3, 1873. It's now July 18, 1873).

I think option a) should be our default. With the player with the wounded character having the option of choosing b) or c) instead. If we end up doing a) here, the weeks could pass in just a few quick posts. The PCs would have expenses of $1 per day, meals included, if they stay in a boarding house. They could look for employment based on their work skills to supplement their income. ($1 per day (a cowboy's pay) is kind of the baseline daily wage. It goes up or down from there). The chance of finding work would depend on the specific skill, the character and size of the town or place, and rolls on the PC's work skill, Luck, and Stature. The duration of the employment would depend on the circumstances and likely the luck of a roll or two.

Any thoughts?

[Thumper]

If Ateno wants to keep playing Doos, his friend Darwin T Crocket would want to stick by him until recovering. DT already has an agreement with one doctor in Austin to work in his office and conduct country house calls. He could easily justify the time in town.

Besides, Texas is HOT in Summer. The dog days of summer pre-air conditioning.

However, if the gang wants to go after remainder of the horse rustling network (Adler and the Duncan gang) or go down to San Antonio for the Bexar County bounties, I’m game for that as well. Time is of the essence there.

I’m happy either way. DT will be healed by the time Lou and Phineas go to trial.

[jemmus]

::thumbs up::

[redwarrior]

William isn't above a little honest work until everyone is healed up and all the legal wranglings are over. Gives him a chance to learn the country and its people better!

[Thumper]

(This game started in July 2022 on June 3, 1873. It's now July 18, 1873).

Have to imagine that consolidating Rex into the Strange Pursuit thread should increase the game pace a little.

[ateno]

I would prefer playing Doos, if everyone wants to jump forward, that would be great.

We could pay expenses out of the cash we acquired, who knows how much we got.

Doos would like to set up some time with a judge on the legality of keeping the 'loot' that acquired instead of
giving it to Wells Fargo. Jemmus is that ok? I have prepped a brief.

A thought. We should make an honest effort to find owners of wedding rings and return them no questions asked.

Doos feels that he could not 'work' on the trail for the offenders, but is willing to be a witness.

[Thumper]

I would prefer playing Doos, if everyone wants to jump forward, that would be great.

We could pay expenses out of the cash we acquired, who knows how much we got.

Doos would like to set up some time with a judge on the legality of keeping the 'loot' that acquired instead of
giving it to Wells Fargo. Jemmus is that ok? I have prepped a brief.

A thought. We should make an honest effort to find owners of wedding rings and return them no questions asked.

Doos feels that he could not 'work' on the trail for the offenders, but is willing to be a witness.

Agreed about that, the cane, and other sentimental items.

[cybersavant]

Andreas's local contacts might help a bit with that

[jemmus]

A man with a town marshal badge, gun belt and scattergun lopes up on a big bay horse and dismounts.

He looks over the scene: The tired and heavyily armed bounty hunters, bloody bandaged Phineas and Shepherd bound in the wagon with its boxes and suitcases other cargo, the many horses, the dogs... and the unbandaged dead body. Gut evening, gentlemen. I can see here who are zee vinners und zee losers, but I vill need the story of how, und vhy. The deputy says, Diese Männer ritten mit Larsons jüngerem Sohn Andreas hinein. Er sagt, dass es sich bei diesen Männern um die Shepherd-Bande handelt, die die Postkutschen zwischen Austin, Fredericksburg und Burnet ausgeraubt hat. Sie sagen, sie seien von Wells Fargo angeheuert worden. Doktor Müller nahm einen der Gefangenen und einen dieser Männer zur Behandlung mit. The marshal says to Shepherd and Phineas, Your name is Shepherd? And you have been robbing stage coaches? Phineas replies, Ah ain't named Shepherd, that ah know of. And ah ain't been robbin no stage coaches. Ah was huntin stage robbers when these sons a cur dogs showed up. Shepherd says, Shepherd is what these men call me. They claim to think we're the robbers that we're huntin. We were waitin in the Shepherds' hideout for em to come back.

The marshal thinks for a little, then says to the riders, Vell. First things first. You will give all of your weapons to zee deputy marshal, down to the smallest jackknife. One weapon at a time, one man at a time. Then you vill empty your pockets and your boots of all items and put them into small boxes that the deputy will provide. Then you will carry the dead body and all the cargo into the office and neatly place them as the deputy marshal directs. Then you will tend to zee horses and stable them in the marshal's office stable. Tonight you vill sleep in zee jail. The wounded prisoners vill sleep in a separate cell. You will all be guarded by shotgun the whole time by the deputy marshal, myself, and another deputy marshal who is coming. Tomorrow at dawn you vill all tell your stories to the magistrates. They will decide whether you shall go free or stand trial.

I vill varn you that there is a dead man involved, as well a horses that appear to haf been stolen. A penalty of death can be given for either crime. If there is the slightest suspicion about any of your stories, you vill remain confined vhile there is a thorough investigation, no matter how many days or veeks it takes. The town of Fredericksburg is peaceful und safe. It is because we tolerate absolutely no wild or lawless behavior in this part of the frontier. You men have told the deputy marshal one story, and these men have told me a different one. Tomorrow we vill hear the truth. I vill say again-- murder and rustling of horses are crimes punishable by death.
One of the young dogs raises its tail, hunches its back, and does it's business in the street. The marshal says, Und the owner of that dog will clean up after it and discard the waste as directed by the deputy marshal. After the other tasks, and before entering his cell. Phineas laughs his derisive laugh. That'll be a precision operation fer the learned doctor, ah believe. Remember to warsh yer hands before and after and use the right tools, especially if ya have to amputate part that dog turd. He chuckles again and spits into the wagon bed. Damn, even in this light that looks more red than brown. Little Gid, ah need a chaw, and a drank a water. In that order. If ya have a little whiskey er gin, ah wouldn't mind a little a that either. Ah'm hurtin just a little. Probably the most since the War. Gideon doesn't say anything for a while. Then he says, Ya done what ya done, didn't ya Phineas. Bad things, and mean all around. Ah cain't help ya much.

Andreas trots up with another man driving a wagon and with a lit kerosene lantern on the bench. This one is older, perhaps in his early seventies. The marshal doffs his hat to him and says, Guten Abend, Herr Doktor Braun. Die Männer hier scheinen eine angemessene medizinische Behandlung erhalten zu haben, und die anderen hat Doktor Mueller in seine Praxis gebracht. The man steps down from the wagon and raises the lantern to DT's, Shepherd's, and Phineas's eyes. He pulls each one's eyelids back and examines the pupils and the whites. He pronounces, You vill all live. By that I mean, of course, you vill not die from these wounds. I vould recommend that you be more careful in the future. An honest and peaceful man's days may not be as prosperous, but they may be longer. He tips his hat to the marshal, deputy, men and Andreas, climbs into the wagon's seat, and drives back the way he came.

Phineas chuckles his cynical laugh again. You all hear that? We ain't gonna die from these wounds. These German Texans are probably gonna hang all a us beside each other. Or more likely, one at time at night in the jail cells. So as not to scare any little children, church ladies, school marms, or full-grown men on their way enjoy some good Fredrericksburg beer amd sausages. The blockheads will watch us "choke by the neck until dead," bury us good and deep in square holes, then go on about their prig German town ways. The man the group has identified as Louis Shepherd just grunts a grim grunt and coughs. Gideon raises his empty hands and shows them to the marshal and the deputy. Just reachin in my coat pocket for a tobacca chaw. The marshal and deputy hold their scattergun and shotgun ready to level, fingers on triggers. Go ahead. But slowly, sir. Gideon pulls out his tin of tobacco and pack of rolling papers. He wads a pinch of tobacco into the paper and tosses it into the wagon bed between Phineas's head and shoulder. There's yer chaw, ya lying ornery cuss. That's two chaws. Versus zero a anything ya ever shared with yer little brother in yer life, except pure meanness. Ah'll take payment for em by you writin to Mama before ya swing, sayin ah swung without a complaint.

Soon after, a big clean-shaven man, a deputy marshal's badge and a shotgun gallops up on a chestnut mare with white blaze and socks and swings down from the saddle. She salutes the marshal and the deputy,. Guten Abend, meine Herren. Was haben wir hier? Welche Bussardarten sind aus der Prärie gekommen? He grins.

Earlier DT mentioned presenting letters from the Wells Fargo office and the one-armed Ranger captain in Austin to Andreas to interpret to the deputy marshal. He did that, but in the haste and rapidity of action at the time, Andreas rode off in search of Dr. Mueller without taking them or translating.

Actions? Do the exhausted PCs (including Andreas) with their mostly Good to Excellent horses(?)comply with the marshal's orders, surrender their firearms, unload the wagon, stable the horses, clean up after the pup, go into the cell, etc.? Or consent to imprisonment for the night and with questioning by the town magistrates at dawn?

Further "active" (aggressive/confrontational) actions will require a Strength roll to avoid a -2 to all Attributes (except Stature and Luck, which are fixed values_. And will remain so until the PC gets 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

[cybersavant]

Actions? Do the exhausted PCs (including Andreas) with their mostly Good to Excellent horses(?)comply with the marshal's orders, surrender their firearms, unload the wagon, stable the horses, clean up after the pup, go into the cell, etc.? Or consent to imprisonment for the night and with questioning by the town magistrates at dawn?

Andreas arrived back after this, so as yet he doesn't know that's expected of him.

"Herr Marshall, haben meine Gefährten unser Handeln und unsere Vorsehung erklärt?

[Thumper]

Actions? Do the exhausted PCs (including Andreas) with their mostly Good to Excellent horses(?)comply with the marshal's orders, surrender their firearms, unload the wagon, stable the horses, clean up after the pup, go into the cell, etc.? Or consent to imprisonment for the night and with questioning by the town magistrates at dawn?

Andreas arrived back after this, so as yet he doesn't know that's expected of him.

"Herr Marshall, haben meine Gefährten unser Handeln und unsere Vorsehung erklärt?

DT extends a hand containing the letters toward Andreas that contains the Ranger letter and the Wells Fargo contract.

”Woild you please read them translate these two letters to the Marshall and his deputies?

And please explain to the Marshall that if citizens of Fredericksburg or Gillespie County own the horses who bear their brands, or have had their wedding rings or other property stolen from them, we seek to restore their property to them.

Lou Shepherd, if you don’t want to dance on the end of a rope for Phineas’ crimes, I suggest you start talking. I suspect you led the robbings but he committed the murders. You might get to live while he dangles. Or you can keep your silence, and you could both hang together. What do you think the unconscious man will say when he recovers?”

[jemmus]

Shepherd hears DT's words and his face shows he's thinking. But he says nothing.

The marshal reads the Ranger's and Wells Fargo manager's letters. He says something to the deputy marshals in German, probably explaining what he'd read. He says in English, I vill keep these for the magistrates. Yes, so these letters say that that you are vorking for Wells Fargo, and a Ranger captain thinks you are honest men. Very vell. But they don't prove that these men are the stage robbers, do? Vhat if they are also bounty hunters, as they say? Eh? Gideon's face goes grim, and it sends that he is pondering deep thoughts or perhaps weighing something in his mind. But he doesn't say anything.

And now, you vill one by one surrender your veapons to the deputy marshals, the marshal continues. And stable the horses and go to the cell. Und don't forget your dog's filth in the street. He says to Andreas, Oh, Mr. Larson, ich fürchte, Sie müssen auch hier übernachten. Gemäß den Verfahren der fairen Strafverfolgungsmaßnahmen. Phineas spits tobacco juice in the wagon bed. Will y'all tenderfoots just do what the little general here says so we can git some sleep? Ah've had pretty near enough of him and all a y'all bustards fer one day and night. Ya can do yer jailhouse lawyering to the mighty magistrates tomorra. Bright and early, no doubt. Maybe they'll feed ya sausages and sauerkraut before they hear yer stories and do the sentencin. Y'all know by now ye turned this whole thang tits up, don't ya? He coughs a wet bubbly cough and spits in the wagon's bed again.

The crescent Moon has sunken to not much higher than the dark silhouettes of the town's houses, buildings and trees. The riders try to remember what day of the week it is, with various results. It seems that it's been a week since they had supper and breakfast at Bouchard's house up around Burnet. With miles south of the Colorado covered since. Not to mention who knows how many shots fired at a human target, and being fired upon the same as a target for a bullet or a slug. Or the wounds.

Please roll Strength STs. Then, actions?

[redwarrior]

William continues to listen closely to the Marshall's demands, to try to determine if they are on the up and up.


str [1d20]=7 pass