Eldorado…Part 7

*Before…

“I just did some rough calculations and I think because we are lighter and we do not displace as much water and have less drag and we’re not utterly dependent on the wind we will be able to catch up with the cad in time.”

I blink. “In time for?” Wow that was a lot of silver dollar words.

“Hopefully if my estimates are true before we have to cross and go around Cape Horn.”

I blink and nod. I did that once and our ship was taking it’s time and we waited a full day and a half for the weather that the captain had wanted.

I look at Daniel and we both nod and Dr. Faraday looks at us both. “Perhaps you both should have a plan of action for when we do catch up with them.”

*And Now…

Now that’s a good point and I look at Daniel and he looks at me. “I suppose the chain gun’s going to be the biggest thing.”

I nod. “We gotta do something to deal with it. The best thing I can think of is maybe getting them to waste ammunition.”

He’s frowning. “It’s a large caliber gun though, it has a good range.”

I think for a minute before nodding. “That means we have to out range them. We need to actually make them panic enough to fire at us and to waste that big gun’s ammo before we get close enough for a real fight.”

Daniel nods and says. “I’ve a long rifle but I’ve never shot at range from a boat before.”

I look at him. “How many rounds do you have?”

“A few boxes.”

“Good I’ll need them.”

“You?”

I look at him and then at the mast. “Because that’s are best bet an you’re a might too big to be up there and ahm a professional gunfighter.”

His mouth quirked…then he looked at the mast. “When I was in training and in all the assignments that I’ve had I’ve never worked with a gunfighter. I’ve faced a lot of them or those that have thought they were gunfighters.”

“Well they weren’t me were they?”

“No you’re pretty unique Nicole.” He blushes.

“As Ah recall that was a good thing?”

“It was very good.”

I grin. “It was good fer me as well y’know. How about you go and get that long gun of yours and I can get to my job though.”

“Okay then…” He turns to leave and then he stops and he turns back to give me a kiss.

It’s nice, getting a kiss.

I was never really liking too many men. Not when I have the past I do and with everything else…it’s nice to have something like this. I love my girls but at the same time the way that I am its. I’ve been this way a long, long time and I have some of those true girl feelings to feel like Ah want to be liked and pretty and maybe even beautiful?

Daniel’s one of those guys that makes a girl feel good about herself.

Even one like me.

It’s even nice watching him go.

Then I see her looking at me like she’s watching me. And I give her a nod and we sort of share a look that is sort of this whole sort of yes…yes we’ve both slept with Daniel.

Ah won’t lie, there’s something really dauntin about her and her education an all the class she has…an I’m sure Daniel is really well educated too being an agent an all.

I take a breath and go over to the mast, yeah it has one fer like back up and stuff really and I start to try and climb the thing, it takes me taking my boots off and try doing it that way.

It’s been a long time since I climbed a tree or anything and it’s not like it’s a big mast or it’s a big ship or anything and yet once I’m up there with my feet on the cross bit and the rest of me leaning on the mast and hanging on it.

It’s beautiful as all heck despite the swaying.

And up here the boat moves and sways a whole lot more.

Honestly I think I’d been a whole lot worse off and suck if I wasn’t used to being on boats and such a little and the swaying’s actually not too bad really considering all the long years that I’ve been on horseback.

But it’s not a picnic either this ain’t ma trade and it’s never going t’be really.

I do a lanyard up but around my waist with a length of cord to keep myself sorta safe and I get myself placed as well as I can and I take out my spyglass and I take a look around and even through the glass it’s quite the sight an I sorta wish that I did this on the trip when we first went down t’where ahm living now.

But what I’m looking for and not finding makes me frown. No sign of that coward or the ship that he was on at all.

I see Daniel come out and I untie myself and slide down the mast as best as I can without getting tangled in the gear and such and he’s looking at me as I get down to the deck and he has a rifle case with snaps and the outside of it’s a nice looking leather and he kneels down and opens it up and I kneel beside him.

Now I’m a gunfighter and I use pistols for that but that doesn’t mean I’m not aces with a long rifle.

But this here, this here’s a thing of beauty.

Dark walnut and brass fittings and decorations with the blue black steel and a tube magazine under it all and a lever feed. There’s no maker’s marks for it and there’s other things with it for the sights it’s a real nice set with the side wheel adjusts and the flip up grader for it all and then there’s the fact that it’s got no makers mark.

“It’s a lovely gun Daniel but who’s the gunsmith.”

“Arturo Wayland.”

“I have never heard of him.”

“He’s a gunsmith that works for The Dominion; you wouldn’t really know his work unless you were hired.”

“Well he does really fine work it might just be a worth working for this Dominion if they’re giving out custom work like this.”

Daniel smiles. “Don’t tempt me or I’ll write a letter to The Council giving you a recommendation.”

“No thanks I’m no spy.”

He smiles again. “Neither am I really Nikki I’m just a policeman…sort of a ranger.”

“Rangers are dangerous enough.”

“Well Canada’s a pretty big place so we use long rifles a fair amount.”

“Right ‘cause beavers be damned dangerous.”

He twists his face up into a cute sort of frown….and Doc Faraday bursts out laughing as she comes closer with one of her sailors that has a crate of bottles and she has a basket with cloth rags in it.

He gives her the same look.

But sigh…ah don’t think that I’ll ever be that kinda woman where ya do that cover your mouth with yer hand just so when you laugh and all.

And I think she’s wearing make-up as well to.

I’ve never been that type unless I was workin the shows and part of that was me really not having the choice.

Now Jade…even if she doesn’t need it she does all of that most of the time and she always looks amazing.

Actually so does the doc if I look at her in the same way…actually her waist has me the most curious really since she’s one of those women that wears the corsets and most definitely not like mine where it holds in my girls as much as anything and is back support for riding.

She’s got the real deal tiny little wasp waist kind of corset pulled tight and that actually makes me wonder sort of what she’d look like without all of that finery and gear.

And then I sort of remember Daniel knows and that sort of leads a little into my imagination with him and her.

And…

No…he might since he’s as adventurous as I think he is nice but she just sort of seems a little straight laced and the like.

I open a box of bullets and these I recognize as being .30-30’s and that suits me just fine. I’m loading the rifle and the Doctor settles herself on a large pile of coiled rope and she begins to start to plug the bottles with rags.

“We can use these for you to get yourself ready to sight in on; the rags will keep them afloat long enough and you can use them as flags as well.”

I nod. “That’ll work.”

She smiles and another of her crew shows up with a tray and coffee? It smells like really good coffee at that. “Quite.”

I’m no too long in getting ready and after I get a “proper” mast harness and my bandoliers I start my practice shooting and…

Who in the hell had a tiny catapult?

And she keeps saying “Pull” to the fella with the release every time she sends a bottle out over the water?

It takes me about thirty or forty rounds to get to where I can shoot a bobbin bottle at about two hundred yards and after that I move onto going up the mast and shooting from there but trying for further off and out away from the ship which means firing behind us most of the time I miss more than a few times and they toss me up another box of shells and we’re getting low on bottles too.

Which she’s apparently solving by having a few of her folks tipping back a few and watching as we fire.

I smell one of the bottles and the smell of ginger is really powerful. I have no idea what this stuff is but it sure ain’t sarsaparilla.

I get actually pretty good up her after a case of rounds and I’m pretty sure that I might be able to get them in the vicinity they need to be in and hopefully getting their gatling man to use up his ammo before we close up with him and all…

I was just done and I turn and there’s this black spot on the horizon and it goes back and forth from being there and not because of the curve on the horizon?

I whistle down and Daniel looks up and I drop the rifle down to him and take out my spyglass.

I’m not sure but I think that might be them….them ships sails look right and all.

I yell down. “I think we’re catching up!”

The next thing I know is Doc Faraday unlashed some rope to something and put her foot into something and gave a nod and some of her folk grabbed a line and with a zip and a whoosh she flies up the mast to where I am like some fairy princess.

Okay that was impressive especially with that oh so very British look she has on her face.

“Alright Doc that was impressive.”

Her eyes have this sparkle there to them when we’re this close and I can smell her powder and perfume a mix of light rose and coconut and her lips are painted really, really red in a very nice way and she does that almost smile with the head tuck.

Oh…well then Quite…as she’d say.

Then there’s this bit of mischief that plays up and she opens her hand for my spyglass.

“But of course I’m a Doctor.”