may i stand unshaken [Arthur Morgan × OC]

Chapter 5

1894.

When I turned twenty, it seemed that everything had become completely different. Although in fact nothing has changed. I guess I just grew up, and everyone around me gradually changed. Habits, behavior, character. Their lives were also changing, for someone for the better, for someone, unfortunately, for the worse. Everything was moving forward, the world was famous for its innovations and technological progress, and it was difficult for many to adapt. And we tried to live in the midst of it.

By the way, there were a lot of gifts for my twentieth birthday, but most of all I remembered a beautiful hunting knife with an elegant engraving from Arthur who said to sell an old one, Schofield revolver from Dutch and a smaller knife from Hosea, which could be hidden just in case when there was nothing left in my hands. I finally had my own weapon. That day Pearson who joined the gang a few months ago, tried to make a small birthday cake. Why did he try, you can ask? Because cooks on a sea vessel usually did not do baking. Of course, everyone got drunk in my honor and for my health.

And the Van der Linde gang was replenished almost every year, and the people were more and more interesting. In 1893 Dutch found Bill Williamson, who had failed in an attempt to rob the gang leader. A loud, bearded and terribly greedy bumpkin and a former military man who loves to attach himself to a bottle, rifle, and also be sure to cling to someone until he is plugged with a blow to the face. Each time I had doubts — does Dutch understand people? This question began to arise even more often, because after a while an Uncle appeared in the gang. No one knew his real name, only understood that he was a reveler and a drunkard, often entertaining us with stories around the campfire and extracting useful information. Well, it should have thought better about the useful one. Uncle liked to say that he wasn't lazy, he just didn't like working. And he always had something that hurt. Of course, he was not a bad person, but he often exasperated. Everyone around was doing something, and the Uncle was either sitting or lying down, sucking on the bottle, but many did not hesitate to yell at him.

I continued to study. Hosea and his wife often brought me various books from their trips around the cities. He liked to suddenly drop some phrase in a foreign language to test my knowledge. He talked about his past, about how he wanted to become an actor and comedian, but eventually turned to another path. Until now, I understood that a strong bond had been established between us. Yes, everyone taught me something, but Hosea... for me, he was a more authoritative figure than Dutch himself, in whom everyone saw a person who gave hope and led us to the true goal. However, everyone followed the leader, even Matthews, and I was no exception either. Dutch is a deep, interesting and daring person who attracts everyone to himself. He always had ideas on how to change the world with our help.

I understood that he was trying to educate me like Arthur and John. Only it was difficult to find an approach to the girl. One day I overheard him talking to Hosea, and Dutch said that he didn't understand how to treat me, what to leave in my head, what to teach, and he wouldn't want to put me on their path either. All of them are wanted, a big hunt was conducted for their heads, many of us were considered bad people, thugs, inveterate bandits. But the man gave everyone a chance, even the likes of Williamson, Mac and Davey, and he couldn't leave me, so he paid special attention to weak and little girl to make her a strong and independent woman. As I found out later, the man very often asked for advice from Annabel, and she told him what was best to say and do. In an attempt to get closer at first, Dutch often took me hunting, where at the same time he wanted to teach me basic skills. How to skin small animals, how to look for a trail and how to make a fire. After hard but successful attempts, we set up a small camp with a fire that appeared thanks to me, and fried meat.

Dutch told stories and did it in such a way that I wanted to tell everything about myself, because at first it was difficult for me to open up. Then there were more important things to do, and the hunt passed into the hands of Arthur, who did it much more often. It was more difficult with him, and I perceived everything too sharply, because he often joked, especially when I couldn't do something, hunted larger animals, for example, a fucking grizzly, after which I retreated, it seems, for several days. But one day Morgan himself finally screwed up when a wild boar attacked him, which I was able to kill while the man was sitting in a tree distracting the animal's attention. This case gave me the opportunity to start taking it out on him, which gave me confidence. I didn't take all of Arthur's words and jokes too much to heart anymore, because, in fact, at first I just didn't see the positive. Morgan rejoiced at my success, and then cooked delicious meat on the fire.