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trying to slow his chesnut mare's flight after Dot.
"Cap'll get em, Chet! He's on the way with
the fire crew and a stokes team remember?!" Gage shouted.
Kelly let go of his hold on Molly's
bit and started kicking her flanks. "Ok, come on, girl. Move!"
Johnny clucked urgently, leaning
down to encourage Spook into greater speed. "Easy boy, just a little *cough* farther." he said,
giving his mask to the child in front of him.
The fire became a live animal and writhed above,
boiling the air and stripping the pines into black ember impaled skeletons of char in seconds.
But the massive fire column twisting in the sky did not descend to consume the rescuers and children
into its fierce dance.
A wall of heat began to burn the hides of the laboring horses on their
rears.
Then..... Sploosh!
The water's surface offered its layer of breathable air when
the five horses splashed into the river's current and began swimming for the shelter of the opposite
side.
Looking behind him, Johnny could just see the orange dot of Pete's kayak safely moored
by the beach in the center of the willow pool. Then smoke obscured it.
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Blowing hard and coughing, the camp horses bore their riders onwards, gasping in effort and frothing.
Then they were staggering up the far side's knotty boulders and into the peaceful forest whose
fire hadn't yet the strength to endanger. The firemen and rangers glanced back only once
at the raging inferno they had left behind. Two singed deer stood in the river, looking back at
them, frightened of the humans but even more frightened of the fire. The mulies didn't even move
at all.
Julie and Tim took them all to a very high bare rise of rock where Gage dismounted
gladly. He took out a cherry flare from a pocket and ignited it for the distant choppers. Its
light burst out into a red star from the wax seal and the wind carried away the steam trail into
the sky.
As they watched, collapsed, and holding the horses, drop planes and water helicopters
cut a hole in the fire line with chemicals and liquid suppressants until the way to the ranger
tower was clear of flames.
Soon, they were overrun with rescuers and vehicles and brush firemen,
who rushed to take the children to the command center down the highway where the ambulances and
flight helicopters were waiting.
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Gage coughed as he sucked in more oxygen
from a mask an aid worker had given him in Fire Relief Receiving.
Roy sat on a cot next
to him, still covered with dirt but he was still far more cleaner than his partner was.
DeSoto
smiled. "So, how did it feel to be on horseback like that with the rescue gear on and all?"
"What
do you mean, Roy? I was on horseback yesterday at home when I worked out Eagle."
"You know
what I mean. I've always wondered about mounted firemen at forest fires... using horses to get around
at the fringes of a blaze, then using them to go on rescues..." he hinted. "I- I - I know rangers
already have a mounted service. I used to think that was really kinda neat. I was just wondering
that maybe I should suggest to someone about the forest fire department maybe starting one up, too...."
he said, very reflective. Then he smiled with shy curiosity at Johnny. "So..how did it feel?"
"You know Roy, quite frankly, I don't remember much. All I kept thinking about was those children
and and..and.. keeping the fire off us long enough to save all our skins." Johnny admitted, cock
eye grinned. "But I'll admit that deep down inside, I felt a bit like the Lone Ranger because I had
a mask on and everything." he joked.
The two paramedic firemen laughed together about that
mental image until Julie Beck and Tim Cassidy came into the tent following their medical checkups.
Gage smiled. "Hey.. how are the horses? I figured we ran em pretty ragged out there."
"They're fine. Dot took a burn on the hock but the vet says it'll heal cleanly." Julie said. "The
rest of them just have melted hair damage. No wounds."
"That's good."
Tim took off his
ranger's hat in a gesture of respect that made Johnny and Roy sit up straighter. "Well, we've
got to get going. We've piles of reports to fill out about all this back at Devil's Head. Listen..
I appreciate all that you guys tried to do for Pete. It means a whole lot to me and Julie." Cassidy
said meaningfully. The hint of sadness about the boy's loss still covered his voice.
Both
Johnny and Roy got to their feet and accepted the rangers' handshakes of farewell.
"It's our
job to try, Mr. Cassidy. Next time, we'll beat death. Like we always do ....the majority of the time."
Johnny emphasized.
"It's been a real pleasure.." Roy said. "Who knows, perhaps we'll work together
again in the future."
"Count on it." Beck beamed, wiping away her tears with a kleenix through
a smile. "Take care.."
"You two.." Gage said. "Stay gold."
The rangers departed.
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Sighing, Roy and Johnny vacated the medical tent and stood outside under the stars. Already, the
forest fire to the east, was dimming as cool blessed rain fell in abundance to snuff it out as
the light of a rising dawn grew brighter.
"Hey, would you look at that.." Johnny said in mild
surprise. He started smiling ear to ear.
"Look at what?" Roy asked, crossing his arms over
his dusty uniform shirt. He winced when he bumped his taped up ribs.
"Over there, in the
camp evacuation block. That's Kevin, one of the little boys we rescued on the mountain. He's in
that tent under that pine tree playing with one of the search dogs."
"Oh yeah.." Roy smiled
in pleasure. "Looks like he's doing fine now. Looks like his parents have found him already."
"Yeah..."
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A clattering of hooves on pavement broke their reverie on the soothing sight of a healing child as
Chet Kelly rode by on Molly, the brown camp stable horse. "Hiya fellas!! " he shouted enthusiastically.
"What'ya say Johnny.. Think you can hire me out to exercise your barrel horse once in a while? I think
I'm really starting to get the hang of all this riding stuff. Yeehhaaaaa!" and he asked Molly to rear
in a trick he had discovered that she knew.
The mare's stunt startled several passing firefighters
on the way to the firelines and caused a water truck to screech to a halt in alarm.
"Chester
B Kelly. Get down from there!" ordered a booming, couldn't be denied voice. "You're making the
whole Los Angeles County Fire Department look like a bunch of cowboys.." growled Captain Stanley
from the nearby command tent.
"That can be a good thing, Cap..." Johnny murmured secretively,
thinking of Roy's earlier views.
"Johnny, you just hush.. Kelly, down off her and get that
ridiculous ranger hat off your head. I wanna see hooves back to the shelter corral so fast that horseshoe
sparks'll still be lit on the asphalt long after you're gone. Or do you like the idea of being assigned
drip torch detail on the fire line for the rest of the day before you get breakfast?"
Kelly
and Molly were ballistic missiles.
Cap felt the breeze of their departure ruffle his overcoat
as they galloped away.
Stanley grinned in satisfaction and entered the chow tent with a happy
wave at Johnny and Roy. "That felt wonderful. Always a good thing to let off a little steam after
a bad fire.." he quipped.
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Roy and Johnny moved away from the fire command tent and accepted plates of food from the aid workers
as they sat down in front of a bon fire lit by some of the valley camp's staff, for warmth.
Roy
chewed, after finding a comfortable position, then he asked. "So... are you gonna do it?"
Johnny
was inhaling his food like a vacuum cleaner. "Do what?" he asked, chipmunk cheeked. He burned his
mouth on some coffee that was too hot and Roy had to grab a handful of ice from a water cooler to
put out the fire.
"Let Chet work out Eagle.." DeSoto continued.
"Oh,. Huh. That.." Gage
chuckled. "Thanks for the ice. Don't think I scalded myself more than a little bit. Heh. Uh.. I
think I'll.....I think I'll let ....Chet handle my horse.." he reflected.
"Your prized appaloosa
barrel racer?" Roy asked, wide eyed in shock.
"No, not him. I think I'll let Chet manage Cochise,
the Falabella. He comes about knee high. He's a miniature horse, Roy."
Roy burst out laughing
to the point of crying out in pain when his splinted ribs shook. "Oww.www.. Ha.! hehe. Ow.. ouch..
I don't think Chet's gonna like that idea very much. I think Chet had in mind that he wanted to
ride some more."
"Nah uh.. no way. Not on my horses. He can just play amusement pony ride manager
for Cochise at the Fireman's Picnic event and be happy."
"If you say so. Johnny.. Come on,
let's go get cleaned up and hit the hay.. I'm bushed." Roy said standing up and walking away from
the campfire to make room for new hungry firefighters.
Gage said, scooping up a donut from
a box as he hurried after his partner. "Ouch. Roy, I'm speared clear through... That hay pun wasn't
very funny at all. " Then.. his voice lifted in an idea. "Sayyyy,, " John's purred in discovery,
"If I play my cards right.. maybe I can get Chet to be my new stable boy at the ranch. He'll
pitch plenty of hay then for sure if I can convince him that it's worth it." he grinned.
"Better
be prepared to pay.."
"Pay what?"
"A wage. I don't think Chet'll do anything with horses
for free unless it's strictly riding them."
"Who says?"
"I do.." DeSoto said frankly, biting
into an apple.
"Wanna bet?"
Roy stopped in his tracks and set both hands as best he
could on his hips and regarded Gage through slitted, calculating eyes. "After a full night's sleep
I will." he challenged, chewing slowly.
Johnny matched his stance, just as scrutinizing, through
equally slitted eyes. His finger came up and poked Roy on the chest. "How much?" he asked with a cat
that ate the canary smirk.
Mike Stoker strode by, in fresh turnout, towelling off his shower
fresh, damp hair. "Don't go for it. He'll rob ya." he called out mischieviously.
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Gage never changed his position. "Don't listen to him. He's just an engineer. How much?" he asked
Roy again, without even glancing at the gesture taunting head shaking in the negative Mike rounding
the corner away from them.
DeSoto studied Mike and then angled his jaw in a final decision.
"See you later this evening when our night shift starts." Roy told Johnny and he resumed his
slow, rib favoring walk.
"Aww Roy, pally. Come on, what's a little bet between friends?" Gage
asked, stepping comically as he fluttered around his much larger companion.
"A whole lot. Night,
Johnny. Go saw some wood." and the tent door flapped shut in Johnny's face as Roy passed through
it.
"I'd rather burn some...." Gage said, smiling. He turned back around to look towards the
civilian tents. "..in a campfire, roasting marshmellows, with a little boy who really really really
likes to fish. I'll just bet little Kevin'll love riding Cochise at the Fireman's Picnic Event next
month."
FIN
Episode Ten.. From Loaves To Fishes
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