July 3, 1902: It seems that my statement had a deterrent effect, and for the following weeks Ochi Callahan did not send his men to harass the village of Coulter.

At the beginning of July, as food and resources were running out, Mr. Fowler suggested that Miller and I go to a nearby town to stock up on some necessities. But the distance was so long that it was inevitably crowded, and Mr. Fowler asked us to disguise ourselves as merchants and drive a repaired carriage from Coulter Village to Strawberry Town down the hill.

"Watch out for the Odrisco gang, keep an eye on the road." Mr. Fowler said to John, who was about to spur his horse away.

"It's really rare for the two of us to travel alone."

As the carriage drifted along the road, and the village of Coulter slowly disappeared into the snow and mist of the morning, Miller said to John beside him: "I think Mr. Fowler is too worried, after last month's negotiations, the Ao Gang still dares to rob halfway because they don't know the times." ”

John tightened his grip on the reins, Mr. Fowler's words were not unreasonable, the snowy mountains belonged to the wasteland, and the wasteland was always a place where bandits were rampant, "In short, it is better to be cautious, except for the Odrysco Gang, I dare not say that there are no other bad people in this vicinity." ”

Miller took off the spear on his back, and he took it with him before leaving, "Brother, don't worry, with our two sharpshooters, whoever dares to get close will be beaten." ”

The carriage staggered past Spider Gap to the frozen waters of Isabella Lake, and down Beartooth Creek to the mines of Mount Hagen, where some Indians had migrated and established small reservations.

The abandoned carriage was found by John from the bushes on the side of the road, and Miller was in charge of repairing the carriage, and it was obvious that the connection between the bearings and the wheel hub was not stable, and John was worried about whether it would be able to return with a full load of goods, but the carriage was still sturdy, thanks in large part to Miller's Shire Horse Wind.

"The wind is such a great thing to carry a load, and I've always wanted to ask you why you got a pack horse to mount." John asked.

Miller, who had been looking around, lowered his head when he heard this, and after a long time he looked affectionately at a group of wild horses in the distant field.

"Would you abandon your son—apparently not, the wind is my child. The first time I saw it was in such a herd of wild horses, how inconspicuous it was, standing alone among its companions, and in it I saw my own shadow, not realizing that a cheetah was behind me, but the wind noticed it, and it rushed and pushed me down, and then kicked the cheetah away, and the other Sharmas were so frightened that they fled in all directions, leaving me standing with it, two brothers who knew each other from different paths, and then I decided that I would spend the rest of my life with it. ”

John nodded, although his acquaintance with Black Pearl was not so sensational, but their relationship was very strong, "I've never heard you tell this story. ”

"There's so much you don't know." Miller wiped his lips, "But don't you think we've been in the snowy mountains for too long?" ”

"How do you say that, aren't we just going down the mountain to buy something and do something by the way?"

"I didn't mean that, John, you know you have family, we're here for a purpose."

"I don't know, it's just that Detective Pinkerton is chasing too closely for us to do exactly what we want."

"Because Van der Linde is a burden, you should have more things to think about, and naturally you can't move freely."

John smiled helplessly, "You're right, it's just that these people are desperate, and I didn't have a choice at that time." ”

"But you do have a way to make your own decisions now, and if you want me to say let's go from now on, kill Owen Smith and go back to Coulter Village."

"Absolutely not! Abandon others and don't talk about ...... Don't you care about Mr. Fowler? ”

"Mr. Fowler...... He's not like he used to be, don't you see? He hasn't been willing to move at all lately. ”

"Miller, you ......" In John's opinion, Miller said this, either because he did not realize the reality of Mr. Fowler's old age, or because he disliked Mr. Fowler's inability to help the gang anymore, and classified him as a "burden", John's heart did not want to suffer anymore, he hoped that it was the former......

As the carriage drove south, the temperature changed drastically from cold to hot, and John took off his deerskin gloves. The weather was sunny and the sun was shining, and the thick coat on his body also looked redundant.

As he was about to cross a not-so-vast plain into the mountainous town of Strawberry, John grabbed a rope beside a train track.

"I think I've made a friend around here, and I need to run errands." John jumped out of the carriage and said.

"Go ahead, you know I have no reason to stop you." Miller said.

What friends does John have here? It's sparsely populated, with just one bungalow sitting next to the railway, which is Wallace Station.

"Hi sir, long time no see." As soon as John entered the door, the young clerk on the platform hurriedly greeted him, this person was Angel, the last time they met was when the Van der Linde gang had just withdrawn from Strawberry Town, and it could be seen that his movements were much sharper than before.

"Angel, right? I really admire my memory, I remember your name for so long, what about the other guys? ”

"They only come over to play a few games when they get off work."

"Get off work? I think they must be workers from the coal tar factory, not close from there. ”

"Yes, but train fares have dropped dramatically lately, and people are willing to pay from the east."

"So there are more people on the train, which is a good sign, I want you to check someone for me." Playing the same trick as last time, John pulled a coin out of his pocket and spun it around in his hand.

Angel stared intently at the gold coin, as if he had no control over what he said: "That's certain, sir, I've got a record of all the trains, from the prime class to the economy room, to the ladies who linger, to the scruffy beggars, I can turn them out for you." ”

"Haha, I'm not looking for these ordinary people, he's an official, the head of a private detective in several nearby states. That's all I can reveal, can you see if there is such a person? ”

"An officer — I think it's time for me to look at the seats in the VIP compartment, there have been some prominent people who have chartered an entire train lately...... Here's a schedule: Sara Oleksey, a female magician, will travel from New Hanover to Blackwater on July 11; Stieberg Blie, Master of Bonds, traveled from Rhodes to Blackwater on July 15; Berkeque Long, Pinkerton officer, traveled from Blackwater to St. Denis on July 17 ......"

"Wait, Officer Pinkerton, what's his name?" Hearing Pinkerton's words, John stopped Angel, who was about to continue reading.

"Berquette Long, is he the person you're looking for?"

"I think so, please give me a more specific itinerary for this person."

"No, it's a trip or something that's a leak of a passenger's privacy, and it will cost me my job, but it's ......"

John understood what he meant, so he took out another silver coin worth ten dollars and placed it in front of Angel, "Seriously, bribing you is my biggest expense lately, can this money make it easier for you?" ”

"Enough, sir. Berquerque Lang would board the train at Riggs Station near Blackwater and take the Central Ambarino Railroad to go around Annisberg in the northeast and then to St. Denis. There is a short tunnel not far from Wallace Station, a water tower on the bend of the train that can be identified, and a long part of the way in the middle of nowhere, where it is not easy for the police to detect it. ”

"Angel, your words not only embarrass the police, but also makes me a little embarrassed, how are you sure that I am going to attack Berqueque Long?"

"I've seen a lot of people like you who come to the station to inquire about intelligence, but most of them are ambushes in the post carriages, and there are really few who dare to hit the train, but they are all for the purpose of robbery, and you must have taken a fancy to Detective Pinkerton's high income by asking for the news of Mr. Berqueque Long, so you must have taken a fancy to Detective Pinkerton's high income, so you can blackmail it."

"Not necessarily, maybe not for the money." John crooked his mouth, and he felt he was right.

"Anyway, I'm not going to tell you. After all, I don't know your name, sir. ”