Free Fire Wind by Guy S. Stanton III Page A

don’t have any
gas.”
    “Ahh my friend I bet we do. We need to get
back to town and check out that warehouse.”
    We scooted back from the edge until we
reached where we’d left our horses and then we lit a shuck out of
there.
    *****
    Coughing lightly I held my hand to my face to
help filter out some of the stirred up dirt from having to break
down the door. There had been no choice but to break the door down
as the hinges had been rusted shut.
    Walking into the warehouse I could only make
mental comment to the honesty of this town’s residents. The
warehouse was piled high with supplies from the now defunct mine
and yet the supplies had laid dormant in this warehouse untouched
and unclaimed for going on ten years.
    Oh there was plenty of dynamite for sure.
Going to a case I cautiously peeled the lid off and looked inside.
Amazingly the dynamite had not yet begun to sweat
nitroglycerin.
    It was good to know that the dynamite was at
least still partly stable. It would be no good though if the most
vital element needed for the plan wasn’t in supply.
    I saw some headlamps and I hurried over to
them. Angus being shorter had to run to keep up with the lantern he
held high to illuminate the warehouse.
    “What is it?” He asked excitedly.
    I skipped by the lamps and began pulling the
lid off of a box, which was one of several stacked up in the corner
of the warehouse. Angus arrived with the lamp as the lid came
free.
    “Whoa! Not today buddy!” I said, as my hands
flashed out to grasp the snake that was striking out at the
paralyzed form of Angus holding the lantern nearby.
    I threw the snake to the floor and stomped
its head into the ground. It was one of the same brightly banded
snakes that had bit me.
    I looked up from the dead snake to Angus.
Looking a little pale he said, “You just saved my life!”
    I patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t thank me
yet. I may get us all killed come nightfall.”
    Angus shrugged and offered a wan smile, “I
haven’t had this much fun in years. What is this stuff?”
    I picked up one of the chunks in the box,
“Calcium carbide. I grew up in the mountains in the East. Coal
miners used this stuff in their headlamps. You combine this with
water and it produces acetylene gas, which is highly flammable but
controlled enough to be used in a headlamp.”
    “Well I’ll be!” Edgar breathed out, as he
reached into the box and pulled out a chunk.
    “This could work! Do you remember that pool
of water near the mouth of the canyon? If we could dump all this in
the water, but then how do we get the ship to pause in flight in
order to be affected by the gas cloud? I don’t know for sure, but I
would be willing to bet that this won’t work if the ship is under
power and moving. It needs to be hovering.”
    Nodding I said, “I have an idea.”
    Glancing at the large group of people who had
filed into the warehouse I said, “All right we have a lot of work
to get done before nightfall. I’m not going to lie to you, the plan
I have in mind could get a lot of us, if not all of us dead. On the
other hand I think what I have in mind could work. I need your
help, but it’s your choice to come.”
    Nathan shrugged and glancing around asked,
“What do you need done?”
    Smiling I said, “Get all the wagons in the
town teamed up. Load the calcium carbide and the dynamite along
with the drill steel over there leaning up against the wall. Make
sure two wagons are sent to the saloon. I need several men to help
me at the saloon. Be careful with the dynamite.” I said, as I
hurried out of the warehouse.
    Edgar caught up with me, “What on Earth is of
help to us at the saloon?”
    “You’ll see. Hey when there’s a moment I need
to talk with you about something.”
    “Sure, but what do you need at the
saloon?”
    “Mirrors my good man. Big long bar length
mirrors.”
    “What would we need those for?” Edgar
exclaimed.
    Slapping him on the shoulder I pushed on into
the vacant saloon and