April 5, 1902, Barro Lagoon, Ambarino State:
After dealing with the Pinkerton detectives and bounty hunters, we ushered in a period of real freedom, with each member fully enjoying their hard-won life.
After April we saw signs that the Pinkerton detectives were once again active, and it was decided to move the camp to the sparsely populated north. Mr. Fowler took a fancy to Plow Village in the mountains. He said that place had been abandoned for a long time and no one would pursue it that far.
The next day we packed up and set off, choosing an unattractive path to go up the mountain. There was more and more snow along the way. The extremely cold air in the north could not calm the members' desire to settle down. Tonight we camped by the Barrow Lagoon. This is a quiet lake. The constant hot mist on the lake dissipates the air-conditioning around it. Some animals from the snowfields come to the lake to drink water and hunt. We caught a snow fox for dinner. Believe me, it can Not a delicious meal, I guess I will have to get used to eating this kind of meaty and fishy food.
John closed the diary and glanced at the fox meat roasting on the fire with great reluctance. He wanted to shoot a chipmunk as a midnight snack, but considering that everyone had gone to bed, he put down the gun. .
"Mrs. Manstar, go and rest. It's my turn."
John filled some firewood into the fire and stood up. According to the order, it should be his turn to keep vigil for everyone.
"Such a beautiful night is really rare, and it's even rarer that we are the only ones awake." Stritch, who had been standing guard on a huge rock not far away, turned his head.
"I always had insomnia before, but now I can't get enough sleep. I always feel sleepy when hunting." John yawned and said a little embarrassed.
"I envy you people who fall asleep easily." Stritch said as he walked towards the bed. "There are many remote places around. It's easy to make good memories. What do you think? John."
"Go to rest early, madam, there is still a long way to go tomorrow." John picked up the bolt rifle and climbed onto the big rock...
The ice and snow melted day by day, and John woke up to find that the snow around him had decreased a bit. The next day, the Van der Linde gang walked up the Beartooth Creek for a day. When they arrived at Lake Isabella, the river became small and fast, and John realized that they had arrived in the middle of the snowy mountains.
Mr. Fowler said that the nearby rivers are almost all named after animals. The rivers often form ravines or canyons when they flow through the ridges and valleys of the snowy mountains. Coulter Village is at the fork of a river called Spider Gap. There are rumors that the site for the construction of this town was based on the fact that the impact of the river can bring heating. Another reason is that the river water can wash away the smell of hunters and prevent large beasts from following the smell to attack Coulter Village.
John had heard about the large beasts in the snowy mountains. There were many incidents of animals hurting people in the newspapers. This was also one of the hot topics among the townspeople down the mountain, so John knew that he had to find a way to keep the Van der Linde gang away from the threat of the beasts.
Fortunately, John and his gang have enough ammunition and manpower, so they don't need to worry about the danger of being attacked by wild beasts for the time being. What they need to consider now is whether there are indigenous people in Coulter Village and whether they can stay safely.
Soon, this problem was solved when John saw the scene in front of him. Coulter Village is located among the mountains. There are only a few sparse houses. The overgrown weeds are constantly shaking, and wild deer and rabbits jump out from time to time. There is no one inhabited at all. appearance.
"Brothers and sisters, we inherited a mess." Bibo said as he picked up a piece of damp wood.
Seeing someone getting discouraged, Mr. Fowler frowned on his horse: "Mr. Johnny, we are just here for the first time."
"Why did we leave Elizabeth and come to this shabby, cold place?"
"We've got to stay as far away from those damn detectives as possible," said Mr. Fowler.
"Huh, detective? Police? You're just scaring yourself. I haven't seen such people in the past few years." Bibo laughed and said with arrogance.
At this time Thomas came over: "Bebo Johnny, have you forgotten what happened in Saint Denis?"
"Let me tell you, gentlemen, these guys have stopped paying attention to us a long time ago."
"Our quiet life in the Big Valley is temporary. Those bastards are still watching us all the time. Coulter Village is a relatively safe place, so we come here. Bibo, if you have any doubts, you can go and ask for confirmation. Thomas looked at Bibo earnestly, and only the elder's words could persuade him.
"Anyway, Coulter Village is our new home. Everyone, clean this place up before tonight." Mr. Fowler jumped off his horse and looked at the shaky sunset.
After everyone had tied up their horses, Mr. Fowler walked up to John and handed him an ax he had found somewhere.
"John, it's time for us men to do some physical work. I found this ax by the Barrow Lagoon. It's supposed to be an ax for chopping firewood, but we need it to chop down a tree to repair the house. Tell I think you can do this job."
"No problem, keep it on me." John took the ax and said firmly.
Not only John, Mr. Fowler also arranged work for everyone, "Don't be idle. Ladies, clear the weeds on the ground. Gentlemen, check if there are any omissions in the house."
John came to the nearby woods and had some personal time. He sat down against a tree and opened his diary. Today was the beginning of a new life, and he had to commemorate it. Let's draw an illustration, John thought as he picked up the pencil.
“Sir, it’s rare to see people recording scenery like this nowadays.”
As soon as John's pen tip landed on the paper, a voice rang in his ears.
John hurriedly closed the diary. He remembered that he entered the forest alone. Could it be that there were other people living here?
"Who are you?" Because things happened too fast, John immediately picked up the ax and stood up.
A strange man wearing glasses walked out from behind the tree with a smile.
"You don't have to be afraid, sir, I mean no harm."
"I thought there was no one else here. I have to go and inform everyone that this place is owned by an owner." John whispered to himself.
The man didn't hear John's muttering, but he seemed to vaguely guess what the other person was thinking, "I was just traveling and passing by here. I'm very sorry if I disturbed you."
"It's okay, I'm really lucky to meet a living person in such a remote place." John gradually let down his guard.
"That's right. What's even more fortunate is that we both have the same hobby - recording scenery."
"Recording the scenery?" John shook the diary in his hand, "I'm just roughly tracing the outline, which means I've been here."
"Yes, sir, this is an art. I am a photographer. I travel all over the mountains and rivers to take pictures of beautiful scenery. It seems that our purpose is the same. So, sir, what did you come to the snow-capped mountains to describe? ?”
John raised the ax in his hand and said with some embarrassment: "Actually, I'm here to chop down trees."
The man's eyes widened when he looked at the thing in John's hand: "Oh, sir, isn't this my axe? Did you find it in Barrow Lagoon? I was chasing an American buck and took me The only weapon was lost.”
"You want this ax back? It was given to me by a friend. I can't believe you just based on your words."
"On the contrary, I want to give you a gift, sir, but I also want to ask you to do something." The man said while rummaging in his suitcase, and after a while he took out a camera, "This It is an experimental camera that can clearly restore the color of objects instead of just black and white."
"This is too expensive." John said, looking at the rectangular box in front of him.
"I want you to take some photos of regional animals and collect them in my special album. I have also found other people before, but the ones I took were the legendary gunmen. I met a gentleman in Valentine's tavern, no. Know how he's doing now."
"So you gave your camera to other people?" John said in surprise. According to him, this kind of thing is worth more than ten dollars.
“Yes, I am willing to share my tools if I meet like-minded partners.”
"You're selfless in a way. Give it to me and I'll see what I can do."
"Okay, sir, you can't just put this matter on the shelf. This is a hobby. Just like your painting habit, these will make you more educated and one step closer to civilization." The man said, and it was obvious. He was very happy.
"Oh... By the way, I came here to cut down the tree. I can't go back empty-handed. Come and help me, sir, and then I will return the ax to you. You can't do it without weapons in this wilderness, let alone you." Take photos of extremely aggressive animals,” John said.
The last ray of sunlight was hidden on the horizon. John raised his ax high and struck the deep gouge. This was a critical blow. After this, the big tree fell heavily, turning up the flying snowflakes.
John dragged the wood back to Coulter Village alone. He found that the work in the camp was almost completed. Everyone gathered around the campfire. Thomas got a banjo from somewhere and sang leisurely in front of everyone's eyes. Singing the songs of hometown.
"John, come and enjoy some quiet time." Miller pointed at a case of beer and shouted in John's direction.
John smiled mysteriously, then took out his camera and pressed the shutter button amidst everyone's exclamations.
"This moment deserves to be remembered forever." John thought in his heart.
