RANGO // OӘͶAЯ - Another Outlaw Story [Engl.]

29. Building Site

"Jake? That's not a good idea," Bill said nervously. He shivered with every step. "The Jenkins Brothers don't like that somebody spies on their land."
"This land is still part of the town area," Jake replied. "If they want to make a stand, we have the right to fight back."
"To have the right and to get the right, that's a difference."
"Listen."
Both stopped. There was a clanging sound and a quiet rumbling. The rattlesnake lifted its head and saw lights in the night in the distance.
"Say, what have you seen?" Jake asked quietly.
Bill kneaded his fingers. "What should I have seen?"
"You told something about workers."
"I'm not sure," Bill avoided his question. "Maybe I was wrong."
Jake sighed and looked ahead. "If you want, you can stay here. I will take a look at it."
With these words the rattlesnake crawled forward slowly crouched.
"Don't leave me alone here," Bill cried with whispering voice and followed the rattlesnake closely.
With every step they came closer, the sounds became louder and voices became hearable. But they didn't sound friendly. It was more issues of orders.
The explosions seemed to be ceased.
"Behind the hill," Jake said, where a light shined on the horizon like from another world.
"Maybe aliens," Bill whispered.
Jake risked a peek over the hill and smirked. "Here are your aliens."
He pushed the Gila monster forward so that he could take a look over the area.
He opened his mouth with surprise.
The earth had thrown up and a lot of oil lamps lighted the environment. A lot of animals worked with their picks and shovels in a special place. A big hole gaped in the earth like an earth cave. Animals with earth and stones filled buckets came out and went back with empty buckets again. Jake narrowed his eyes to see more details. The workers had chained. And all of them were ravens. Ravens in Indiana clothes.
Here and there stood one of the Jenkins Brothers and watched the workers. In their hands their weapons.
"What are they doing?" Jake asked himself.
"That was my same question when I came here," Bill said. "Could we go home now?"
But the rattlesnake didn't pay attention to his words. Bill made big eyes when the rattlesnake moved to the left side. Bill sighed deeply and followed him. Jake crawled along the hills which surrounded the excavation. Suddenly he heard voices which sounded familiar to him.
"I think these are the last ones," an old man's voice said.
"Nice work, old man."
Jake looked where the voices came from. "Well, well, look at this."
Not so far away there stood an old cart. A big raven with two others climbed down.
Next to them stood Balthazar and was handshaking with one of the big Jenkins Brothers.
"Here your wage."
The Jenkins Brother took a cloth bag and handed it to the old man.
Balthazar touched the gold in the cloth bag and bit into one of it. After he was sure the gold was simon-pure, he nodded satisfied. "It's a pleasure for me to do business with you. Have a nice night."
With that Balthazar and his two sons disappeared with their cart.
"Well, well, chieftain," the Jenkins Brother said mockingly to the Indians. "Tell your people you can be glad for a little work. Now you can do something useful. Take the shovels and buckle down to work."
Meanwhile, one of the smaller Jenkins Brothers had put them in chains.
"Let's go. I think we have seen enough," Bill said and tapped on the rattlesnake skin.
"Alright," Jake agreed. "But just for a moment."
They walked back the way where they came from. At the midway point, they passed the earth cave where it lay nearest.
From time to time Jake peeked over at it. He stopped when he saw something coming out of the cave which didn't look like a raven. No, it was a little mouse looking animal who carried a big bucket with stones and earth. She wore two hair bunches and a child's dress. The bucket was too heavy for her and she put it down with panting.
"Jake," Bill whispered at him. "Let's disappear before they see us. Or are you going to rout them out?"
"Not yet," Jake hissed back.
"Fine." Bill crawled away on hands and knees. Jake was going to follow him, but suddenly he grew stiff.
Next to the mouse girl appeared a big figure who came out of the dark underground excavation. Its light skin shined in the moon and oil lamp lights. A long strong neck chain was wrapped around its neck with a long iron chain along its body.
"Can I give you a help?" she asked with female voice and bent down to the mouse girl.
Jake's eyes stuck on her. He had never seen an albino rattlesnake. She took the bucket with her mouth and slithered forward, but suddenly she looked around. Jake ducked. Did she scent him?
"Hey! Everyone carries this own dirt!"
A little rodent came closer and swung his gun angrily.
The albino rattlesnake put the bucket on the earth again.
"But she needs a break," she said with weak voice.
The little Jenkins Brother growled. "You get a break until we allow you!"
He took the bucket and threw it at the mouse girl. The content was spread on the floor.
"Pick that up, immediately," the little rodent shouted at the girl.
The mouse girl did. But it wasn't fast enough for him. The Jenkins Brother tapped with his feet impatiently. "Faster!"
But when she almost finished, he knocked it down again.
"Let her," the female snake hissed.
The rodent perked up his ears. "What did you say?"
"What's the problem here?"
A bigger rodent came and looked around skeptically.
"Jeff! She talked back!" the little rodent answered his big brother.
Jeff gave the rattlesnake an angry look. "We are angry enough about the rattlesnake in the neighborhood. We don't need a rebellious snake nearby. Joey will be very angry if he comes back."
"We only asked for a break," the albino rattlesnake replied.
"Listen, listen," the little rodent cried. "She did it again!"
Jeff growled. "Do I have to undergird my order?"
He drew his gun and aimed it on the girl.
The albino rattlesnake lowered her head.
Jeff grinned. "Look at this. Same loser behavior like the lousy sheriff. Or aren't you so cowardly that you have no chance to kill me?"
The rattlesnake gave him a bitter look.
He put the revolver away, but he took out something different.
"I see, we have to discipline in a better way."
He stretched the whip in his hands. "Turn around."
The rattlesnake did, but with lowered head.
Jeff swung the whip and with a loud wipe it landed on the rattlesnake's back.
"Count!"
"One," the snake answered with clenched teeth.
"Two."
"Three."
"F-our."
"Fivee."
The last whiplash let her scream.
"Now you."
"No!"
Jeff grabbed the mouse girl and threw her on the floor.
The albino snake wanted to protest, but the little rodent loaded his gun. "Back to work!"
"Let her alone!"
Jeff became angrier. "Move your damn useless body for something useful before I cut it in pieces!"
He swung the whip and hit the snake on her cheek.
"You aren't allowed to treat me like that!" She yelled of pain and rage.
"You want to have a punishment? As you wish!"
He hit the whip harder, but suddenly there were loud shots.
Jeff screamed and fell to the ground.
The albino snake looked with shocked eyes at the rodent. The little rodent didn't know what to say or to do. But suddenly another big shadow appeared like from nothing and threw him through the air.
"What's going on there?" some other Jenkins Brothers yelled from the distance.
The albino snake winced when a strong, long body circled around her.
"Hold still!"
Strong forces pulled on her chains. The irons broke. The female snake wrapped her tail around the mouse girl.
"Not without her."
The big rattlesnake pulled on the other chains and the mouse became free.
"Don't move!" an angry voice shouted at them.
The albino snake took the mouse girl closer, but in the next moment strong muscles wrapped her body and pulled her away.
"No, no, no, no!" Bill put his hands up in horror. "That's not good..."
A snake tail grabbed him and pulled him away at a high speed.
Meanwhile, the other Jenkins Brothers had reached the place. They saw their brother bleeding on the ground. Quickly they shot behind the fleeing animals, but they had already disappeared in the night.