Journey Days of Henry McAlister
                                     CHAPTER TWENTYONE
                                 Chapter twenty-one-part two

     “Where do you think you’re off to darkie?” Asked Vinton, after seeing Isaiah come through the door carrying all of his belongings.
     “That big fellow, Mr. Pierre, says I had to move on account of he’s gonna stay in the Caboose car.”
     “What’s he want to be in there for? I guess he don’t want nothing to do with us, he wants to be alone,” quipped Vinton. “Well that’s fine with me, I never cared much for his manner anyway. You just keep your gear out of my way, and get me a drink.”.
     “Yes, sir, yes sir. I won’t be no trouble at all,” Isaiah said, stowing his belongings behind the charred wall of the bar. “Whiskey, sir?”
     “Yep, give me three fingers and leave the bottle, seein’ that it’s free now and it’s the only thing to drink around here.”
     “I could make you some fresh coffee sir.”
     “I never drink…coffee, it’ll rot your inners.”
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     “They didn’t make it, there’s no hope of a rescue party now,” said Warren.
     “You don’t know that,” replied Virgil.
     “Then where’s the rescue party? It’s been twelve days, they should have been here by now, they’d have sleds and dogs. We can’t stay here any longer, I tell you. We have to get out while we have some strength left.”
     “And what? If they couldn’t make it…”
     “We’ll head towards Whitehorse, it’s almost all downhill, we have to.”
     “Maybe, I don’t know. What if we head out and the rescue party arrives?”
     “They ain’t coming I tell you. We have to head towards Whitehorse it’s our only chance. I’m leaving, you coming with me?”
     “I don’t know, I don’t know. They have to know something’s not right, we should of arrive at Skagway long ago.”
     “You heard what the conductor said, they may not even be expecting us.”
     “What about the telegraph lines, they have to be…”
     “Those lines? Their probably all down because of the storm, I’m going in the morning, with or without you.”
                                                                  #
To be continued...