The Mohave Gambler Story

Chapter 3

Peace in Western Arizona

He rode in a southwesterly direction and lived off the land and relaxed from the rigors of the war.  The Gambler, as he began calling himself, rode along the Colorado river into the Arizona Territory.  As an outlaw, he sought to stay away from people and keep to himself as a hermit.  His training in the border wars taught him to blend with nature and not risk building any kind of dwelling that might draw attention.

He finally started building a home in a large cave a few miles from the Colorado river due west of Kingman.  It was desolate desert territory located along the ridge overlooking the north end of what appeared to be a large cattle spread.  Living in the cave allowed him to live off the land while establishing a new life for himself away from the war.  From his barren position in the cave high above the river, he could watch the movements of cattle, Indians, and the occasional cowhand.  Even Sissie seemed to find comfort in the safety of the cave entrance when she was not out grazing on the scrub brush.

Life became lonely in solitude of the desert cave.  He lived off the land for his first hot summer and spent his time hunting wild game even though cattle grazed in the rough desert below.  From his vantage point, he could see the Indians as they  hunted food.  He occasionally tended to sick or injured cattle of the herd below, but the Gambler would not take a beef and risk being discovered hiding as an outlaw.  Instead, he hunted game using his Henry repeating rifle.  The weather was turning cold and his life was about to change forever.

The Gambler had taken enough gold from Missouri to live very comfortably for many years if he lived off the land.  With winter approaching, he saddled Sissie and they rode together east to Kingman for more supplies.  It was in Kingman that he found law books in a store and he bought them to read during the long winter nights.  He packed Sissie with the supplies and books, and began the three-day walk back to the shelter of the cave.

He was setting camp in a wash on the Davis ranch when by Mr. Davis rode into his camp as his daughter Kathleen and three of the hands watched guard from the distance.  Mr. Davis demanded to know what he was doing on his property and told him that squatting was not allowed on the Davis Ranch.  The Gambler remained calm as he explained that he was just riding through and had no intentions of squatting on the old man's range.  The Gambler offered Mr. Davis some coffee and a seat by the fire on that cold evening.  He waived the rest of the Davis party into his camp and the comfort of his fire.

The two men spoke and Mr. Davis took a liking to the young man.  Robert listened carefully and asked a few questions about the size of the spread and the number of people available to ride the west line.  Mr. Davis became more concerned about that unprotected west end of the ranch and offered the Gambler a job as a cowhand on his ranch.  Robert declined and explained that he wanted to live alone for a while and that he was headed for San Francisco. 

By the end of their conversation Mr. Davis, his daughter, and the hands were all warming themselves by the fire as Mr. Davis again offered the Gambler a job, this time it would be riding the northwest line of his ranch for the winter.  He could see that Mr. Davis was a man of honor and respect.  He could also see that Kathleen was very pretty as she sat warming herself in the soft flickering flames of the fire.  He tried to hide his toughness from her.