Sensei had insisted on digging a grave for Radcliffe—a good human shield you were old boy.

Thankfully, the concussed cowhand—the only one left alive—was able to do the work with his knives and a flat rock. When the grave was dug and covered and a cross made of the cowhand’s broken pole had been placed, Randy had the cowhand say a prayer over the grave, and was ready to dispatch him with a bullet to the brain as a blood sacrifice. But Sensei restrained him, so he shot the man in the foot instead. He then turned to Little-boy. “Little-boy, put a round into his head after we leave. Always pop the head with a little gun.”

Little-boy just grinned and began re-loading his derringers, obviously having seen the process before. This gave Randy an idea and he searched Alfonso the Cowardly Dead, who he found to have a loaded derringer in his vest pocket. He took it as a replacement for the piece he had let fall into the grass, which he nodded to, indicating to Little-boy that he could have that piece as well.

They were all ready to proceed. He gave Little-boy one of his boot knives and some ammo for his derringer, along with some silver. “After you kill this one go back to your sister. Also make sure you slit the throats of the two broken headed ones with their own knives—just in case you know. Never admit to being here, and take nothing that belongs to them. Thank you for your help, and always make sure the enemy is dead—and tell your sister she is doubly good.”

If you were a decent human being you would come back some day and take them to the future.

Not a chance.

He then turned to Jan with his hand on the little boy’s head. “Sensei, Chiquito here is going to head back to his sister—he’s Puni’s little half-brother. The other kid can help Belson with his stuff. Belson, you are with us now.”

Belson just mumbled incoherently and followed along with his tiny helper and the massive pile of high-end antique junk.

Jan then took charge, “Okay, let’s get to the village before any more of these bandits come looking. We’re not far from the water now, I can smell it.”

They all turned and waved to Chiquito before heading down to the coast on the side path that branched off just over the rise ahead.

After the gentle rise, the land fell abruptly to the sea, and a small group of shacks and some small fishing boats could be seen pulled up on shore—not much more than the lifeboats on the clipper, but with small masts.

They rested for a minute and enjoyed the sight while Belson and the kid adjusted their burdensome camera and Radcliffe’s belongings which Belson insisted on taking back to his family.

Three, two, one, and?

Just then Sensei and Belson stiffened as the pop of a derringer sounded on the other side of the rise. Jan looked at him with horror. “You left Chiquito behind with instructions to finish off the grave-digger, against my orders?”

His heart swelled with pride for Chiquito and he felt the crooked smile return. “Sensei, I did not have sex with that woman, Miss—whatever her name was…”

Jan just shook his head and headed off toward the coast with renewed vigor, and—Randy hoped—with increased confidence in his faithful bodyguard and fixer. Randy could not help a quip as he followed his leader. “That was some nice work with the staff Sensei. We should have had you pose with the corpses of your foes and had Belson here take a picture!”

“No thank you Randy. I think we’ve cast quite a large enough stone into the Pond of Time as it is. Hopefully we didn’t just kill the future president of this illustrious nation.”

Randy, even when following his leader, and even with a respectful tone in his voice, generally had to have the last word in any conversation. “Yes Sensei, we certainly should mourn the lost contributions to posterity that would no doubt have been made by Hefe Hornito and Company. How about Chiquito though? Now that’s presidential material!”

As usually happened when Randy had finally pushed the conversation to the point of no rational return, Jan just shook his head and moaned...and they walked on quietly toward the sleepy village under the now weakening winter sun of Uruguay.

Adios Chiquito.

Did you just think a good thought in Spanish?

No—and I did not have sex with that woman…

Goodbye Little-boy.