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sent his horse along the line of wagons. Eileen met Calamity’s stare without flinching and it appeared that an open clash could not be avoided.
    ‘Will we see any buffalo this trip, Calam?’ Molly asked mildly.
    ‘Huh?’ Calamity grunted, then smiled at the little blonde. ‘We might.’
    Eileen decided that having two enemies might be a mite more than she could handle, so reckoned she ought to make her peace with one of them. Of course, there could only be one choice. While Molly Johnson was in employment, schoolteaching stood on a different plane to other kinds of female labour; and Molly was socially acceptable both by birth and education. With that in mind, Eileen turned and smiled in her most winning manner at the blonde.
    ‘My father came out here hunting last year, with another congressman,’ she said, deciding to show Calamity that she possessed a string of imposing relatives, ‘and my uncles, Generals Brackstead and Porter. They all shot several buffalo.’
    ‘Never could stand these dudes coming here and gunning down poor fool critters then leaving the meat to rot,’ Calamity put in.
    ‘Nobody asked you!’ Eileen spat out. ‘I’ll thank you to continue driving and mind your own business.’
    ‘Yeah!’ snorted Calamity. ‘Well, you can g—’
    ‘I think I’ll go to my own wagon.’ Molly interrupted. ‘It’s humiliating to see two grown women acting like children,’
    ‘I assure you, Molly—’.
    ‘Danged if she didn’t start—’
    Both girls started to speak at the same moment, stopped and glared at each other then relapsed into silence.
    ‘Of course, I could talk with one of you for, say ten minutes, then turn to the other,’ Molly remarked, hoping the introduction of a light note would break the hostility.
    ‘Don’t put yourself out for me!’ Eileen snapped.
    ‘I got work to do!’ Calamity snorted. ‘Blasted dudes coming out here and shooting up the country.’
    ‘I always say a woman should dress like one!’
    ‘Yeah? Well, let me tell you something, you high-and-mighty Boston—’
    ‘Don’t you insult Boston, you—you—’
    ‘I’ll insult what I want on my blasted wagon!’
    Fortunately. Captain Bigelow rode up at that moment and Eileen, somewhat red in the face, turned to speak with him. Although he prevented any further rift between the girls, he did not bring peace. For the rest of the day’s travel Calamity and Eileen ignored each other.
    After being dismissed by Eileen, Muldoon galloped his horse to the head of the train, paying little attention to its occupants. Once clear of the train, he brought his horse to a halt and let out a long chuckle.
    ‘Pathrick James.’ he said, ‘happen she gets some of that Boston fuddy-duddy knocked out of her, that gal’ll make a real fighting officer’s lady.’
    ‘Always reckon it’s the first sign when they start talking to themselves,’ drawled a voice from behind Muldoon.
    Turning, the big sergeant grinned at Beau Resin and showed no sign of animosity over the previous night’s affair.
    ‘Sure and I’ve always been after having an intelligent and superior person talking with me, and having an intelligent and superior person to talk with, Beau.’ he explained.
    ‘You’ve got a right smart point there, or a damned good excuse. You boys are sure fancied up.’
    ‘That we are. He’ll learn, Beau, he’ll learn. There’s a man’s heart under that shiny-butt’s uniform.’
    ‘He’d best learn; and fast!’ Resin stated. ‘Word has it that Sand Runner’s gathering the Cheyenne bad-hats.’
    ‘Which’s why they sent us soldier lads to defend all you civilians,’ grinned Muldoon. ‘Say, where’d you and Calamity go last night, I was looking for to apologise for me unseemly behaviour and give her a little something to remember Fatso Hack by.’
    ‘We were around, and how we were around,’ the scout drawled. ‘What happened to Hack?’
    ‘The poor darlin’ fell over something. The fort surgeon says