“Hey, Buck,” J.D. stated as he and Nathan approached the scoundrel who was buying some ammunition from the gunsmith.

“Hey, Kid. Nathan.”

“So, you been able to talk to Vin again?” Nathan asked curiously.

Buck shook his head. “Naw. I’ve decided to leave it. When nothing bad happens, Vin will forget about it. Have you seen Chris?”

“Yeah, he rode out to his cabin this morning,” the youth informed his older friend. “Don’t think he was feelin’ too well.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He was coughing real bad.”

“Coughing?” Nathan asked, his face shadowing with an equal amount of concern and annoyance. “Why didn’t he say something to me?”

“Don’t reckon he could say much at all. He could hardly talk. Throat seemed to be real sore. I guess that...”

“Throat.” Buck grinned. “Oh, you fellas are just gonna keep plugging away aren’t you,” he stated stabbing a finger first at J.D. and then Nathan as he began to dance backwards. “Well, it ain’t gonna work. I ain’t falling for any of this.” With that, Buck turned and strode away chuckling, “Just trying to scare ole, Buck. But I ain’t falling for this.”

Nathan glanced at J.D. “Care to explain what’s got into Buck?”

**********

Day Three

Ezra approached his companions tentatively. All of the other men were collected outside the blacksmith’s waiting for the arrival of the Judge. The stage was already overdue.

“My friends, it greatly pains me to inform you of this, but...”

Spotting the telegram in the gambler’s hands, Buck rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell us the Judge has been delayed and we’ve got to keep them three fellas for longer?”

“If only that were the news. I’m afraid I have something less than heartening to share with you.”

“This about our mine?” Vin, J.D. and Josiah demanded as one. The gambler licked his lips nervously.

“Ezra?” Larabee grilled.

“Yes, well, unfortunately something has come up that precipitates a re-evaluation of our current situation.”

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?” Vin asked, his right hand reaching down to his stomach and rubbing it.

“Ezra?” Chris demanded again.

“As your broker, I took your hard earned money and commissioned it to employ a number of miners to work our claim.”

“And?” Josiah prompted when Ezra paused apparently fascinated by Vin who was scratching his upper torso.

“And we have encountered an unforeseen impediment.“

“Impediment?“ J.D. inquired, his own eyes now drawn to Vin’s efforts to obtain relief from whatever was ailing him.

“Well, after careful consideration and scrutiny of all information forthcoming, it is my humble opinion that it may well be fortuitous if we were to provide our workers with ample time to excavate the cavity that was once there.”

“That was once there?” Vin pressed, his left hand having joined his right as he pursued what was obviously a powerful itch.

“It would appear, not to put too finer point on it, that our colliery has protested against the continual blasting of our less than educated neighbours and thus has...”

“Ezra?” Larabee snarled stepping forward.

“The mine collapsed.”

“WHAT?”

Ezra raised his hand for calm. “It is alright my friends. Our foreman assures me that it should take no longer than a few paltry months to clear away the rubble. For this reason, and I’m sure you will understand, I need each of my investors to contribute a miniscule amount to pay the wages.”

“How much?” Josiah demanded.

“A trifling. It’s hardly worth mentioning.”

“Mention it,” Vin growled, his right hand now down the front of his shirt.

“Mr. Tanner, is there something amiss?”

“Rash,” Vin grumbled.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” Nathan demanded, grabbing Vin’s hand to stop him from doing further damage. “Let me see.”

“It’ll be gone in a day,” Tanner muttered.

“You’ve had it before?” Nathan asked, reaching out to remove Vin’s shirt so he could examine the rash.

“Dammit, Nathan. Not out here.”

“I think you better come up to my clinic before you scratch your skin right off.”

Buck’s ears pricked up. “Skin?”

“The way he’s scratching he won’t have any left.”

“Leave it be, Nathan. The rash will be gone tomorrow.” Vin gave Buck a dirty look.

“Oh, no.” A grin had formed on Buck’s face. “No, no, no. I ain’t falling for this. This hasn’t got nothing to do with...“ The look of annoyance on the young tracker’s face silenced the scoundrel before he finished his sentence.

“Mr. Larabee,” the telegraph officer called. The Seven turned. “I’ve just had word that the stage will be late and that Judge Travis has been delayed and probably won’t arrive for another four days.”

“Damn,” J.D. muttered.

“Ezra, you never did say how much more?”

“Mr. Sanchez, just leave everything to me.”

“That’s what worries me,” Larabee grumbled.

**********

Day Four

Ezra, Buck, Vin, Josiah, Chris and Nathan were seated in the saloon playing cards. All, but Nathan and Buck had reinvested in Ezra’s mine based on the gambler’s reassurances that their money would be well spent.

Vin kept glancing at Buck and shaking his head slightly, the big scoundrel doing his level best to ignore the intense and worried looks from his friend.

“Hey, look,” Nathan said, inclining his head toward the door. George Redford had just entered the room.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Ezra announced, throwing his cards down. “Mr. Redford and I have some business we need to discuss.”

“Ezra?” Larabee growled.

“Relax, my friend. I know what I’m doing.”

“Famous last words,” Vin muttered, watching as Ezra and Redford left the room.

As they did so, J.D. appeared and made his way across to the men’s table. “Your turn, Josiah,” the youth murmured.

Josiah rose to his feet and set off to take over jailhouse duty.

“J.D.?” Buck asked. The youth looked frightful. His hair was plastered against his head and his body was slumped in the seat. The energy that J.D. was renowned for appeared to be painfully absent. The youth sighed long and deep.

“What’s up, son?” Chris asked.

“Just tired. Can hardly stay awake. Don’t know why. My whole body is tired.”

“It’ll pass by the end of the day, Kid,” Vin assured his young friend softly.

“Huh?”

Buck found himself the object of Tanner’s haunting blue eyes. “Now, come on, Vin,” Buck stated. “You can’t honestly tell me that...”

“I told you to look after it, but I guess it’s my fault. I should have taken over responsibility for it.” Again, Tanner’s face was so intense and serious that Buck found himself feeling uncomfortable.

“Vin, it’s just a silly superstition.“

“Silly! You think what’s happening is silly? Hell, Buck, don’t you see what’s...” Frustration, concern and annoyance saw him unable to finish the sentence. Instead, he pushed his chair back and marched out of the saloon.

“Vin? Vin!” Larabee called. He followed the distressed tracker out into the street. This was not the cool calm Vin Tanner that he knew. Something wasn’t right.

Tanner stopped walking, his head bowed. Chris strode around to stand directly in front of his best friend. “Vin, what’s wrong?”

The tracker just stood and then he tilted his head slightly. There was a huge mischievous grin beaming out from under the brim of his hat.

Larabee’s eyebrows drew down. “What the hell are you boys up to?”

Vin’s grin matured into a full smile that echoed his youth. He winked at the gunfighter and then set off for his wagon.

**********

Day Five

Buck Wilmington marched down the centre of Four Corners not looking sideways at the various young ladies who where waving to him. He stomped up the stairs of the church and barrelled through the door.

“Josiah!”

The preacher, who was sitting reading, glanced up. “Something troubling you, Buck?”

Buck strode down the centre aisle. “Josiah, I want to see that book!”

“Book? Oh, the one about the Ekoj pot.” Josiah paused. “Now, Buck, you haven’t let the story get to you have you?”

“To tell you the truth, I ain’t real sure. Does it say in the book how to break the curse?”

“I don’t know. I’ll get it for you. “ Josiah laid the book he was reading on the table. “Did you want something to eat? I was just going to make myself some lunch.”

“No.”

“You sure? It wouldn’t be any trouble.”

Buck shook his head impatiently.

“I’ve got plenty for two. Bought some fresh bread this morning.”

“No.”

Josiah grunted. “Thought I might cook up some eggs to go with the bread. Now, what did I do with that book?” Josiah muttered walking across to the bookcase.

Buck strode up behind him. To the scoundrel’s complete dismay, Josiah began pulling books from the shelf and leafing through them.

“Can’t you remember the title?” Buck asked in exasperation.

“Nope.”

“Hell, Josiah.”

“Keep your pants on, Buck. It’s here... somewhere.”

Wilmington began to pace while he waited for Josiah to find, what Buck hoped, would have the answer to his problem.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Josiah turned and smiled. “Here it is, brother.”

Buck raced across and practically snatched the book out of Josiah’s hands. He attacked the pages like a man possessed until he found what he was looking for. A relieved grin spread across his handsome face.

“Yep, here it is. ‘The way to break the curse’.” Buck began to read in earnest. Josiah watched as the scoundrel’s eyes enlarged.

“Ohhhh, no. Uh-arrr. There is no way in hell I’m doing that!!!!!!!” Buck exclaimed placing the book on the table and backing away from it. “Uh-arrr. Not if you paid me a million dollars. Not if my life depended on it!”

Josiah walked up to the book and glanced down. The big preacher read what was written and then turned to Buck.

“It’s just an old legend, Buck. Just relax. There isn’t any truth to it. “

“Exactly. You are absolutely right,” Buck agreed nodding furiously. “Just because I’ve had four out of the six warnings don’t mean that the curse will continue. Don’t mean that...” Buck glanced down at his trousers. “Don’t mean anything will happen.”

“That’s right, brother.”

Buck pointed to the book. “That book should be burned. Ain’t right scaring a man half to death like this. But I ain’t falling for it. Uh-arrr. Buck Wilmington don’t believe in no curse. It‘s just a silly, harmless legend. Nope, I‘m not falling for it.”

“Good for you, Buck,” Josiah agreed, watching as the scoundrel strode toward the door. “Hey, Buck. Will you toss me my hat?”

Wilmington stopped to pick up Josiah’s hat that was strategically placed upturned on the end pew. Abruptly the scoundrel withdrew his hand as if he’d been about to put his hand into the mouth of a lion. Collected around the rim and filling the hat was hair. Josiah’s hair. Josiah’s hair had been falling out... falling out of his head!

Buck danced back from the hat and stared wildly at the book that was sitting beside Josiah. “I ain’t doing that! Uh-arrr. Never! I don‘t believe in no curse!” The scoundrel glanced down at the front of his trousers. “You just relax there. Ain’t nothing gonna happen to you. It’s just a ’stupid’ legend!” The big man turned back to the preacher who was watching him curiously. “I’m not... uh-arr. Not... never in a hundred years... nope... not doing it!”

Josiah watched the scoundrel rush from the church and grinned. “Famous last words, Brother.”

**********

“Well?” J.D. asked Josiah as the preacher entered the saloon.

“I reckon he’ll do it.”

“No, he won’t. Not even Buck would... you reckon?”

Josiah was grinning from ear to ear. When J.D. and Vin had approached him six days earlier, he had agreed to help immediately. J.D. wanted to ‘get Buck back‘. The scoundrel was forever playing jokes on, teasing and leaving J.D. with egg all over his face. It was done without malice and all in good fun, but just for once, J.D. wanted to successfully play a joke on his older friend. The conspiring trio had recruited Nathan’s help, but hadn’t actually told their friend what was going on.

“Just one warning to go.”

“We have to ask Ezra.”

“I’ll ask him,” Josiah stated grinning.

**********

Day Six

“Ezra, you got a moment?”

“Unfortunately, no, Mr. Sanchez,” Ezra muttered, his face buried in the paperwork he was reading as he made his way back to the telegraph office.

Josiah stepped in front of the gambler. “I need your help.”

Ezra stopped, glanced up and smiled amiably. “There is nothing I would rather do but...”

Josiah spotted Buck coming out of the livery. The preacher withdrew five dollars from his pocket and thrust it into the gambler’s hand. “Take it. Don’t ask any questions, just do what I tell you to.”

Ezra’s eyebrows peaked. “I beg your pardon?”

“Hold your stomach.”

“You aren’t making sense.”

“Just hold your stomach and groan!” Josiah growled.

Ezra’s eyebrows drew down. “A gentleman does not stand out in the middle of the street and...”

“I’ll withdraw my investment in the mine.”

Instantly, Ezra hunched over, grabbed his stomach and let out a heart-wrenching groan that echoed off the buildings around them.

Josiah patted the gambler’s shoulder. “Easy, Ezra. Must have been something you ate. Come on, let’s get you up to Nathan. He’ll have something to help settle your stomach.”

Buck froze. His eyes enlarged. “Stomach“, he muttered. “The final warning!” Buck spun on his heals and sprinted to the church, flying up the stairs in a single bound.

Ezra stood up, watching his companion curiously. “Mr. Sanchez, what just happened?”

Josiah slipped his arm across Ezra‘s shoulders, his eyes on church. “I think you have convinced Buck that he’s cursed.”

“I see... no, I don’t.”

At that moment, Buck reappeared with a large leather bound book under his arm. The scoundrel raced up the street muttering aloud, then disappeared into the boarding house.

Josiah grinned broadly. “Thanks, Ezra.”

“I would say you’re welcome, but as you saw fit to lower yourself to blackmail, I will simply bid you good day.”

“No, brother. Not good day... but it’s going to be a good night!”