The Argo Goes West

96, To the west, To the east, part 3

"Is that San Francisco?" asked Dorothy, looking at the city in the distance.

"No," Clifford Kent replied. "I think that's Sacramento. San Francisco should be on the ocean."

"Have you ever been there?"

"Yes."

Dorothy wanted to go to San Francisco right now, but she couldn't.

"Let's go to Washington D.C."

"Sure."

Kent pulled the reins (they had borrowed reins, saddles, and harness from the houses of Colfax) and turned Pegasus' course eastward.

Kent was used to riding horses, and he was considerate of his fellow rider, Dorothy, who was not used to riding horses. Dorothy felt safe and at ease when Kent gently hugged her from behind.

Visibility was poor because of the thick fog.

The Rough Riders, led by Pat Garrett, lead the Argo.

They lit up the ground with lanterns to remove anything on the tracks. If the enemy appeared they had to engage. However, The Mad Bomber's dynamite was not allowed, as the tracks were not to be destroyed.

"I haven't seen fog like this since Paris," said Orpheus Granger, a black aristocrat who has traveled the world.

"Is there fog in Paris?" asked Slim with a surprised look on his face.

"There is, not only in Paris, but also in Rome and Manhattan."

"Fuck the fog!" said The Mad Bomber. He wiped the fogged lenses of his round glasses and looked up at the sky. "I want to see the golden sun as soon as possible."

In Car No. 8 of the Argo, Paul Reisman, a sergeant, said to his men.

"If you see anything moving, shoot without mercy."

"What if it's a civilian?" asked one of his men.

"How do you know it's a civilian?" Riseman asked.

"If they didn't attack us, they might as well be civilians."

"Then you're going to wait patiently to see if you'll be attacked or not?"

"I agree."

"What would you do if the enemy attacked you?"

"Of course I will fight back."

"If the opponent fails in the preemptive attack, we can counterattack, but what happens if that doesn't happen?"

"I will die."

"That's how it will be. Then you should attack first. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

In Car 11 of the Argo, journalists worry about the missing 'the young guy'.

"Where'd he go?" said Floyd Murdock, a Washington Post reporter. Murdock had his life saved by 'the young guy' and was so worried he couldn't even eat.

Joe Arbogast, a New York Times reporter, patted Murdoch on the shoulder. "He must have lost his way home. But don't worry. He said he used to be a hobo and traveled all over the US. He is used to this kind of thing. The soldiers stationed at Colfax will surely protect him. "

Murdoch agreed."You're right. And he might give it a scoop. "

In Car 4, Command Car, Danny Harris, Captain of the Argo, was looking into the periscope.

"Can you see anything?" Roberts, the vice-captain, asked Harris.

"No."

Harris turned the periscope. He's been repeating it for a while now. It was usually the job of a subordinate, not a captain.Roberts thought he was doing it because he was restless. For a pastime, he should have taken up his hobby of growing roses. If he did, Roberts could go to the dining car and have a drink.

"Oh, I see the light," said Harris.

"Really?" asked Roberts. If there really was light, the Rough Riders leading the way or the lead locomotive would have contacted them.

Harris decided it would be easier to show than explain, so he directed Roberts to look at the periscope.

Roberts did see a light in the periscope screen. The flame flickered like a candle. The light was so high up that the Rough Riders and the engineers on the locomotive didn't notice it.

"Emergency stop."

Romolo relayed Harris' orders to the locomotive over the on-board phone.

Theodore Roosevelt, Vice President, came from Car 3.

"What up?"

"Something is burning up ahead."

"What?"

"I don't know. I'll find out now."