Frank and Jessup

The brothers sat atop their horses, pausing to survey the desert scenery that surrounded them. The landscape consisted of nothing but arid sand, dotted with peyote and barrel cactus. Their brown cowboy hats shielded them from the sun, while their shaggy gray hair swayed in the hot, dry breeze.

Squinting their sky-blue eyes against the glare, they peered toward the horizon. The only living things for as far as the eye could see were a few rattlesnakes and jackrabbits. Failing to spot what they were searching for, the older of the two cowboys grumbled, "This seems like a suitable place to rest the horses for a bit, Jessup. We might as well drink some ourselves while we are at it."

In response, the younger brother grunted, "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But let us not stay here for too long. He has already gained a significant head start."

Simultaneously dismounting, they both lowered their bandanas and removed the sand from their beards. The only discrepancy between the two brothers was their facial hair – one sported a full beard while the other had only stubble. Nonetheless, they were otherwise completely identical.

The brothers tended to their horses, providing them with water and oats. They inspected the hooves and legs of their geldings, addressing any fly bites and cleaning their eyes. Once the oats were finished, they offered the horses a bit more water before quenching their own thirst.

After everyone had their fill, the cowboys packed up their meager belongings. They mounted their horses and resumed their journey southward. It didn't take them long to find traces of their prey – blood stains and horse dung littered the path, indicating that their quarry was still ahead. Knowing their prey was ahead of them still, they urged their mounts onward.

Their quarry seemed to be either slowing down or growing overconfident, which would ultimately work in the brothers' favor. As long as they maintained their steady pace, they were bound to catch up to him. Hopefully, before he reached the Mexican Border.

"Do you think we'll catch up to him by morning, Frank?" Jessup inquired.

"Well, now, I believe we just might, as long as we keep riding through the night," Frank responded, after some thought.

Thus, they rode through the night, continuing until the break of dawn. They briefly rested their horses, allowing them the majority of the water to sustain their strength. The brothers were cautious, not taking any unnecessary risks that could cause their horses any harm on the rough terrain.

At daybreak, they caught their first glimpse of the man they pursued. He was dressed entirely in white, though stained beige from the sand. His hat was askew, and he had lost his bandana somewhere along the way. A graze from a Colt .45 had turned his left sleeve red. His exhausted horse was barely holding on, pushed to its limits by its rider's relentless pace.

Capturing this man and bringing him before a judge for his crimes would prove to be no challenge at all for the brothers. Riding forth, the cowboys proceeded to apprehend the murderer of their sister – their brother-in-law.

After capturing their enemy, the brothers took care of his horse. Since the water was running low, Jessup cut a chunk out of a barrel cactus for the horses to be able to reach the watery sap inside. Frank did the same and refilled the water bags with as much as he could. Cactus juice may taste weird, but at least they wouldn’t die of thirst as long as a cactus was near.

Once the brothers were done, they threw their brother-in-law over his horse, and tied him to it, with his hands behind his back. They then preceded back to Cherokee, to take the murderer back home to stand trial.