Lightning Ridge!: The Further Adventures of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

By Philip Breitmeyer II

Lightning Ridge! is an historical adventure. The subject is the continuing adventures of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, what happened to them after their well-reported shootout in Bolivia......about their escape from South America, their new mate and partner, an unsettled Australian rogue whose quick actions save their lives and their under-maintained, broken-down sailing vessel!

This tale includes chases, a manure-laden sea voyage, poker, opals, shoot-outs, foul play, fore play, bombs, a serious attempt to go straight, a last-ditch, big-time train heist; a good look at Australia and a serious lesson in what friends really mean (its matesmanship, mate), a return to Hole-In-The-Wall;...all sprinkled with loyalty, fortitude, admiration, humor, lovin, outstanding marksmanship, and a low body count, all twisting to a surprise ending.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 20, 2002
• ISBN: 9781465324702

Philip Breitmeyer II

His worldwide business career included successful management consulting tours with Booz Allen & Hamilton, SRI International (where he headed the unit), and Breitmeyer & Associates, and involved more than forty trips to Australia and many new projects and ventures serving his clients in oil and gas, electronics, power generation, glass and numerous other fields. The world was his beat. He was trained as a Navy Frogman, demolition and bomb disposal expert and served in the American and Pacific Theaters for almost three years during WWII. He retired from McDermott International, worldwise engineers and constructors as its Vice President, Strategic Planning and Development. He also was Chairman of Dataplex Corporation, and served on many small and some charitable company boards of directors. He now lives in New Orleans.

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Copyright © 1997, 1999, and 2001 by Philip Breitmeyer, II.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

PROLOGUE

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

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19

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26

This book and all the work it took are dedicated to Julie

Many thanks to Cathie McFarland for her insightful comments, to-the-point suggestions and outstanding editing.

"Arma virique cano, America qui primis ab oris fato profugus venit Australia litora."

"I sing of arms and men, banished by fate from America, who first came to the shores of Australia …"

with apologies to Vergil, his Aeneid and all those Trojans

PROLOGUE

Robert LeRoy Parker and Harry Longbough (Longbow?) were pals. They lived, played, worked and often got into trouble together, long ago. They became better known recently from publicity and movies made about different periods of their lives. One of those movies was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a biography released in 1969 by Twentieth Century Fox. It was produced and directed by George Roy Hill with Paul Monash as executive producer. The screen play was by William Goldman and John Foreman, who was also a producer.

Parker and Longbough were better known, in the old days, as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; Butch, Sundance, the Kid or sometimes, just the Boys. They and their business associates were sometimes referred to as the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang (the name of their lair). Sometimes people just referred to them as the Wild Bunch. Historians agree that they were outlaws, though sort of Robin Hood-like.

They did rob banks and a train or two. Historians disagree about their escapades, where they lived the last of their days, and where they put the tomato cans with all their retirement money.

They were well organized in their business. They planned carefully and developed ingenious ways to get into banks and stop trains. Their campsite was in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. It was difficult to find and extremely difficult to reach. That’s where they may have buried the tomato cans!

They were chased to Bolivia where their contributions to the GDP were also unappreciated. In the early twentieth century they were supposedly involved in a well-reported shootout with the Bolivian army near LaPaz. Most people thought Butch and Sundance were the celebrated bandidos who perished there.

As it finally turns out, that wasn’t true! But that is where and when the story, LightningRidge!, begins.

A little later in the twentieth century there were a few reported sightings of Parker and Longbough in Wyoming. There was enough evidence to support the assumption that they did return there. Maybe to live happily ever after in retirement financed by their timely investments in those tomato cans.

This notion is buttressed by the results of a recent expedition of forensic scientists who visited the grave sight of the victims of that shoot-out in Bolivia, (Butch and Sundance: Where Are You?, reported on PBS Television, Saturday, May 18, 1996). The result of the forensic expedition: failure to connect the DNA information from the remains in Bolivia with either LeRoy Parker or Harry Longbough through DNA information obtained from family descendants.

During the early years of the twentieth century, there were two important, synchronous events in Australia that support our premise about where Butch and Sundance went in their later years:

♦ Gold was discovered in Victoria, and

♦ Unique black opals were discovered near Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, the only world site where these beautiful gems (sometimes called fire opals) have ever been found.

And, with apologies to Goldman and Foreman, the last thing Butch said in one of the last scenes of their wonderful screenplay was, Next… . we’re going to Australia.

That’s where the Boys end up in this story, a continuation of their adventures and a part of the rest of their lives, called Lightning Ridge!.

In a way the story is about those tomato cans. But mainly it is about The further adventures of Butch Cassidy and the

Sundance Kid.

Would it be a surprise to find Butch and the Kid chasing ever bigger and ever better payrolls on the railroads and in the banks of Australia? Or maybe they went there and were able to put their entrepreneurial skills to work on legitimate projects, and settle down as family men… . Maybe….Yeah,… .

maybe.

What you have read, thus far, is mostly history and mostly fact. All that follows is fiction, pure fiction….Or so it says.

1

The warm sunlight of a beautiful spring afternoon washes a small Bolivian village. It is September, 1909. LeRoy Parker doesn’t think the afternoon is so great. He is sitting against a wall, licking his wounds, spinning the cylinder of his revolver and checking his ammunition….A quick inventory of his rounds tallies pitifully short of what the situation demands.

He looks across the room at his lifelong friend. Blonde hair, jacket, shirt and trousers caked with blood, Harry Longbaugh is a sight. Parker’s thoughts are primal… . He knows they can’t last here much longer. Longbaugh looks up but doesn’t speak. Severity of their wounds and a way to survive,… . these are the only questions. Longbaugh grabs his bandana, wraps it around his right arm, and pulls a tight knot with his teeth. Stemming the blood flow is paramount.

It all began as an expedition to size up a nice little bank in LaPaz. Something went terribly wrong. Now here they are under serious fire… . in a peanut-sized Bolivian shop in a small Bolivian town. The outlaws are now surrounded by an unknown number of policemen. They have been chased and shot at,… . as usual. But these shooters are good. The Boys have both been hit… . and hurt… . And now they worry about the possible outcome of what has become a major engagement, with death lurking just outside the door. They are trapped… . in a small adobe building, open in front with a flimsy roof overhead, held up by cloistral columns. A large rear double doorway and one small opening to the outside through the right wall near the rear of the building, provide the only exits. The furnishings include two heavy oak tables; tables that provide effective, lifesaving ramparts.

Across the dirt street that is the main way through the village, slightly off to the left, is another building. It is built partially into the hillside that rises from the grade level of the street. It appears to be just another shop. Smaller shops and other buildings line the street.

At first the confrontation, seemed limited to a few policemen, but scattered shots gave way to the last serious volley, as the outlaws scrambled into the small building. The shooting now sounded as if coming from a much larger contingent.

Suddenly, it is quiet… under the circumstances, … strangely quiet. LeRoy Parker asks,

Hear that, Kid?

Hear what?… . I don’t hear nothin’.

That’s what I mean… . It’s so quiet. They’ve stopped shootin’… . What’s goin’ on?

The question is rhetorical but the Sundance Kid feels the need to answer it anyway. Shit, Butch, how should I know. You’re the thinker… . Maybe they want to surrender… .

At this moment, just outside the rear door of the building two men are poised to strike. For quite some time they have been following Parker and Longbough, looking for fresh horses. One of them is rather tall, the other of medium height. They both are overweight and have black hair and dark, Latin complexions. The shorter one has a heavy mustache which he incessantly strokes to tame. They both sport rather long sideburns and are wearing similar multicolored vests, the ubiquitous white baggy pants and medium-sized sombreros. They both also wear reptile-skin boots. The tall one struggles to put on his two heavy gun belts It is even more difficult for him to position the two bandoliers for they must crisscross each other, and still farther, not interfere with the pistols. It takes the shorter, fatter one a little more time to complete the same tasks.

Their garb is careless and dirty,… . their munitions are plentiful… . and deadly.

They both are speaking Spanish with heavy accents. The tall one speaks :

"I think these are the two Gringos who are causing us so much trouble."

" What of that, friend? Where do we go from here?" .

I have not quite figured that out, yet. But, for sure, their horses are faster and better rested than ours.

You think we will just walk in and take their horses?…. I’d say very small chance. You forget who these Gringos are.

" They are good. But surprise can be our ally."

Luck will have to be with us, too. What will we do?… . Crash in and get the drop on them ?

Pablo, however you look at it, we are in a difficult and risky situation. I am afraid that is the only way.

Well, I am fearful., but we do not have many choices—It is time to do something!

Observing the two Bolivian bandits from a short distance, obscured behind the trunk of a large tree, is a small boy. He crouches carefully and waits,… . watching,… . listening. The boy has a long outstanding score to settle. He seeks retribution in any form and is about to get it.

Across the street two platoons of riflemen, led by a captain and a sergeant, join the six policemen. The officers are both on horseback. The captain directs the men to line up behind the shop structure. This commanding perspective provides a clear, unobstructed line-of-sight to the small building… . where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid find themselves,… . and their horses,… . and two Bolivian bandits.

The captain turns to his men and crisply commands in impeccable Spanish, Quietly, but quickly. Line up here in a single row. Prepare to fire at the riders of those horses, but only when I command. I repeat, fire only on my command!

All forty rifles are ready. All are aimed at the same spot.

The sergeant moves his horse up next to the captain. What a perfect trap. They must either stay and starve, … or run. When they run, we will have them. Our rifles can’t miss from here. It is only fifty meters.

"Yes, sergeant, "the captain responds patronizingly, but we have to provide a little incentive behind them to be sure that they come out this way. Take three men. Go around in back of that building. Do not rush in there. It is too risky. But make a lot of noise. Shoot at the rear door…. They will come out this way!

Inside the small shop, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, acutely aware of the activities outside the building, across the street, are completely taken by surprise by the action behind them. The two bandits crash through the rear doors with guns drawn, The Kid is slumped against the wall in an awkward position without his pistol. It is on the floor beside him, but just out of reach. Butch doesn’t have his gun in hand either.

For the first time, maybe ever, someone has the drop on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. This fact alone brings testimony to the desperate condition of the famous duo.

The confrontation is tricky because the bandits speak no English, and Butch and the Kid speak little Spanish. The two disparate pairs face each other.

Miguel nervously commands, Do not move. Do not reach for your weapons. His hand shakes. A cold sweat forms on his brow and under his heavy vest and shirt.

The Kid doesn’t understand him. What did he say?

I think he doesn’t want us to move. That’s a big piece he’s wavin’… . and I wouldn’t argue with him… . not now. Butch notices the bandit’s nervousness, but dismisses it somewhat. Everyone in this kind of situation is nervous, that is… . everyone but Sundance.

The next few events all happen in time that is much shorter than it takes to tell about them:

Look Pablo, their horses are here, right in front of us Let us go now!

No, wait…. It may be a trap.

You are getting too cautious in your old age.

That is why I have reached my old age—But you are right. These gringos are in pretty bad shape. It is the time for us to go!

I am with you. Pablo kicks the weapons on the floor toward the rear of the building, further out of reach. The two bandits run for the horses.

Seizing his moment, the small boy dashes into the shop, yelling orders in Spanish. Here,…. here. Quickly! The soldiers are coming…. Through this door. He indicates the small doorway in the rear of the shop.

Butch and Sundance are not really ambulatory in the medical sense. All movements are painful. Sundance is also skeptical. He questions the wisdom of putting their fate in the hands of this young stranger. All hesitation ends as the Bolivian army sergeant begins his harassing, rear-guard assault with four shots toward the rear of the building. They are ready to follow the boy anywhere. The boy is agile, but the Americans have difficulty handling their gear and their infirmities. They stumble, stagger and drag along behind him.

Butch exhorts his pal. C’mon, Kid… . We gotta move faster!

Movin’ is one thing… . faster is somethin’ else!

Once through the opening, the boy indicates, "Hurry…. Hurry! Here…. in the sewer!" He points at the sewer.

In the sewer? Butch stops abruptly and looks around.

He quickly grasps the tactical implications of their position and the sewer as a hiding place. It all boils down to a simple fact: They have no options. This is a good place to hide. We can wait until dark and then slip away. After a brief pause, Butch continues, This neighborhood is definitely gettin’ too hot. We need a change of scenery. Quick, Kid, help me and the boy with this grate so we can slip in here.

Sundance grudgingly joins in helping the others move the heavy grate. He grunts, using his one good arm. I don’t like this idea at all It looks like suicide to me… . This ain’t the change of scenery I was thinkin’ about.… . And, looking up he adds, It’s gonna rain!

Behind the building across the street, the Bolivian army captain waits patiently to order the execution. At first, he can’t see anyone inside the target building from his vantage. In a moment, though, he sees the two Bolivians emerge from the shop building and attempt to gather in the reins and mount the horses. The overweight bandits slip and struggle to get into the stirrups and onto the tall horses of Butch and Sundance. the captain leans forward and commands… . ,

Across the street, as the bandits, strain to mount and swing up into the saddles they can hear the captain’s command,… .Fiero!… . It is the last thing they ever hear.

The first volley is ear-splitting! It is also devastating.

At this same moment, as the Boys struggle to move the heavy sewer grate, a tremendous roar breaks the silence that had surrounded them as forty rifles speak as one. Forty erratic rifle shots follow, as the shooters reload their single shot rifles with differing levels of skill and dexterity.

Despite their injuries, Butch and Sundance scramble into the sewer and pull the grate behind them. The small boy smoothes the dirt around the grate.

The boy says softly, Stay where you are. I will return when it is safe for you to go. There is a locomotive train to Lima this evening. You have helped to provide revenge for my mother. Thank you and may God be with you.

Both men can easily translate … . Mi Madre and Muchas gracias y via con Dios

Butch and the Kid struggle to get a comfortable position in the cramped space inside the sewer. They are finally positioned, and have a decent wide angle view of the courtyard around them.

Did I hear right?… . It sounded like the boy said locomotive train and Lima in the same sentence.

That’s what it sounded like to me, too.

The distant rumble of thunder rolls across the mountains and through the valleys. Any rain has to be many miles and many hours away.… . Or so it initially seems.

Almost immediately, a bolt of lightning strikes nearby. It is followed closely by an ear-splitting crash that speeds through the village and dissipates into the mountains. It sounds a lot closer and louder this time.

We ain’t gonna get out of here before it rains! We’re gonna drown!

Sundance, you are the world’s worst pessimist!

I think ‘careful’ is a better word. After a brief pause Sundance exclaims, Oh Shit!. Butch, Now that little kid is pissin’ on us!

The captain moves his soldiers into the courtyard to clean up the waste. It is an indescribable mess. The sergeant observes, Look, my captain, the poor horses are dead, too. From their markings they were certainly the horses ofthe Bandidos Gringos.

It does look that way, all right. How about the bodies?

The sergeant gives the nearest one a kick. Ugh! They are mangled. No one can tell from the remains who or what they were.

Check out the rest ofthe courtyard and the building. Let us make sure we have them all.

The sergeant leaves and returns in a few minutes with his report. The area is clear. There is no one there except a little boy, pissing in the drain. The horses definitely belong to the Gringos.

That does it. Let us clean up this mess and make arrangements to bury the remains ofthe men. Deliver the dead horses to the butcher.

Yes, my captain.

The captain and most of his riflemen march smartly down the main street and out of the village. The men are well drilled, and the captain’s horse, a beautiful chestnut, almost seems to be marching in step, as well.

Butch and the Kid are in serious discomfort as they settle in to their sewer. They try to find suitable positions that combine comfort, a good view and room to maneuver weapons in an emergency. There aren’t many.

I hope those bastards will be cleaned up and out of here by sundown. Butch dreams out loud as the soldiers march away. He watches, amazed by the size and efficiency of the forces stacked against them His final comment: That’s one hell of a beautiful horse!

2

It is a hot early morning, several days later. Along one side of a narrow dirt street in the little sea port town of Callao, Peru, stands a run-down two-story adobe house. There is a door frame, but no door. Above the frame a hand-lettered sign announces that this is Su Casa. There is no one in sight along the dirt road until a barefooted little brown-skinned boy in a loose white shirt and baggy white pants aimlessly accompanies a small herd of mangy goats moving past the house.

Just inside the open doorway is a dirty high-ceilinged room furnished scantily with tables and chairs. . The remains of a meal are on the table. A mustachioed man, dressed like the little boy, sits at the table picking his teeth. A flight of rickety stairs against the left wall leads to the second floor. Up the stairway, behind the first door is a shabby room. The dirty plaster walls are badly cracked and falling apart. There are two uncurtained windows. A dusty hot wind blows gently through one window into the room. A gaudy representation of the Bleeding Heart of Jesus hangs on the wall at a crazy angle. A chamber pot sits on the floor near the window. Worn saddle bags lean against the only chair. There are two small low beds with dirty sheets, a man on each of them.

On one of the beds is the dark-haired, blue-eyed one called Butch Cassidy. He is bearded. His undershirt is stained with dirt and old blood. His arms are tucked behind his head. He lies gazing at the ceiling… . with one eye. A patch covers the other. His other pains, mercifully, have begun to subside. His thoughts are cluttered. His mind wanders. He is back in Bolivia. The shock of near destruction clouds his memory and obscures his thoughts. All that shooting. A small force of policemen didn’t make all that noise nor caused such damage. He felt lucky to have survived.

He glances over at the other bed. There lies his pal, the Sundance Kid, who had been magnificent in the crisis. But La Paz ranks as their worst experience and their worst defeat. Butch recalls he had thoughts about last rites, although he wasn’t sure what good they would do him.

Sundance lies there bare chested, his blonde hair and beard clotted with filth and blood. One leg is splinted from the ankle to the knee. He wears a big black sling on his right arm A gun belt, holster and gun hang from the bedpost next to his head.

From outside the window comes the sound of bleating goats. Butch’s mind clears as the ambient noise brings him back to the room. Here, they are safe… . for the moment at least. But not sound. Sound will only come with time. But their time depends on a way out of this place. This is his dominant concern, and it won’t be easy.

He lifts his head and glances over at his blonde companion. You awake, Kid? There is no answer. Rising on one elbow and turning, the dark-haired man asks,

You all right?

All right?… . Shit no! I haven’t been all right for a hell of a long time. From before I met you. My fuckin’ leg is killing me. My arm is comin’ off at the socket. I ache all over. We’re out of powders, and I can’t drink the damn water, anyway.

C’mon.

I really meant what I said!

What did you say?

I said shit!… . I feel terrible.

As he lies back again Butch Cassidy says, That’s a helpful comment.

The Kid draws himself to a sitting position,.

Do you want comments?

I guess I can manage without them.

There is a long period of hot, steaming, miserable silence.

Butch breaks the silence. Did ya’ sleep at all?

"Yeah, but I could use some more. I keep havin’ terrible nightmares about those last hours in Bolivia. We sure as shit were lucky those two poor bastards came along.

They thought they was gonna steal our horses. It sounded like the whole fucking Bolivian army was out there. Ya know, it did take about a hundred of those bastards. Only thing I didn’t hear was cannons.

How about that great little guy that pushed us into the sewer? We’d a never got away without him.

Yeah. But he didn’t have to piss on us to prove his point. That soldier might a gone away."

Might a, yeah. But we did get pissed on, he did go away and here we are Safe.

Yeah, but I was right about the rain We almost did drown. I never saw so fuckin’ much water outside a river. It sure did stink!

Both men are quiet for a while. Butch breaks the spell , I bin awake for quite a while… . I bin thinkin’… .

I wish you wouldn’t.

I admit, I don’t have a perfect record. Butch brightens as he continues, but I have gotten us out of some pretty rough situations.

Shit!… . You got us into them! I don’t ever want to be gotten out of any spot tougher than this last one. We’re here by the skin of our teeth!

Well, we are here and we ain’t dead… .

Not yet!

That’s what I bin thinkin’ about. We can’t stay here. And we can’t go back home. Not for a while, anyway.

We sure as hell can’t go back to Bolivia.

"I’ve already scratched that option. Damn those Bolivian Federales. They’re probably lookin’ for us all over South

America. Butch pauses in contemplation of his thought, then grinning, persists, You could say we’re famous!"

That makes my leg feel better.

Coming back to reality the dark-haired one resumes, We gotta go somewhere… . fast.

Sneaking a sidewise glance at his blonde companion, taking sophistry to new heights, he argues …I hear Australia’s got more gold than California.

You can forget Australia.

Completely ignoring the comment, Butch pushes on. They speak our language. Nobody knows us there. We might even be able to make it legitimate there.

We ain’t good at legitimate.

There is a long pause. We gotta go somewhere.

Before we die from drinkin’ this poisoned water. I never seen so fuckin’ much water that nobody can drink. I’d give my left ball for a tall drink of that good old icy cold Rocky Mountain spring water… . Oh, shit, how that thought saddens me I wanna go home.

We’re goin’ Sundance. Trust me… . just this one more time.

Several days pass. Sundance sits alone in the dingy room. He is clean and dressed, not doing much of anything. He still has the sling and the splint.

Butch enters. In a big hurry. Talking as he throws things together. He has been able to clean up, too, and he looks a lot better than he did a few days before. Come on! … We’ve got to hurry. We’re leavin’ right away!

Where we going ? Sundance responds but doesn’t move. Butch seems truly astonished.

You know where we’re going… . Australia.

Today?… . Now?

"Yes, today. I mean right now! I got us