Gunhawk #18
The Rope of Casa Del Oro!
You have to be a special kind of stupid to be tricked into shooting a cactus like that.
Red Larabee is called in to the assist the Texas Rangers and agrees to meet with their commander of the Rangers at their headquarters. The commander of the Rangers tells Red that the Mexican government has asked for a favor. He explains that El Magnifico, a Mexican outlaw who has a Robin Hood-esque celebrity has been captured. However, it turns out that he was secretly a government agent who had obtained information about a more infamous criminal known as Porifio Jiminez. He goes on to explains that Jiminez is the hangman mayor of the town of Casa Del Oro and he is the one who has imprisoned El Magnifico and that the government would suffer embarrassment if it is seen trying to defend. As such the Mexican government has asked for outside help. The Gunhawk agrees to take the case, unaware that a Mexican man pretending to take a siesta outside the window has secretly been spying on them and leaves to warn Porifio Jiminez.
When the Gunhawk crosses the Rio Grande into Mexico he is ambushed by some of Jimine's men. Red manages to hold them off and is assisted by some men who are aware of his mission who have come to lend a hand and send them off. The following day, Red enters into Casa Del Oro and enters a saloon. There he is warned by the bartender that it is best to leave as Porifio Jiminez does not like strange white men in his town. He also learns that El Magnifico is going to be hanged later that morning. Earning the barkeeps confidence when he learns that he is loyal to El Magnifico, Red tells him that he is in town to free El Magnifico and gets a layout of the area from him.
Soon, as Porifio Jiminez is about to hang El Magnifico, the famous outlaw is defiant until the end. However, before Jiminez can have El Magnifico kille, the Gunhawk mows down his executioners and shoots the noose line. Furious Jiminez decides to have El Magnifico executed by firing squad instead. Red gathers up an extra pair of six-guns while Jiminez is organizing his firing squad. He arrives just in time gun down some of the firing squad and get the spare guns to El Magnifico. The pair then work together and shoot down the rest of the firing squad and Jiminez.
In the aftermath, the people of Casa Del Oro retake their land and the Gunhawk finds to his surprise that El Magnifico is really a woman who disguised herself as a man when she was acting as El Magnifico.
Recurring Characters
Gunhawk
Blaze
Problem in Bedlam
The town of Bedlam was a law abiding town that had not trouble with crime that the town jail is completely empty and the hinges on the door have started to rust. While the locals remissness about the last criminal to get arrested news soon spreads that the town is going to finally get a new sheriff. In response to this, the locals clean up the jail and fix it up to be presentable to the incoming sheriff.
Shortly after the sheriff comes to town, a local named Hardpan Harris gets drunk and causes trouble at the local saloon and is jailed. To the sheriff's surprise, after Hardpan serves his time he refuses to leave the jail. The sheriff and town lawyer look into it and realize that they have no legal means of ejecting Harris from the jail. Soon laws are being regularly broken and the jail fills up with criminals who refuse to leave the jail once their time is served.
Hearing about the problems in Bedlam, the Gunhawk comes to town and offers his assistance to solve the problem. Red gets the aid of local cook Gorgeous Garrigan to make an extremely spicy meal and feeds it the inmates. Finding the meal unbearable, the inmates all fled the jail. In the aftermath the locals of Bedlam fire their sheriff and let their jail once more go into disarray again.
Recurring Characters
Gunhawk
Blaze
The Feather of Death!
The Gunhawk is riding through the Dakota range land during dry season. He soon notices a grass fire and goes to investigate it. Searching around the fire he finds a Shoshone ceremonial knife. Red suspects that whoever left the knife started the fire. He goes to the local Shoshone tribe to warn them of the fire, giving them time to pack up their belongings and move into the nearby water for safety until the fire dies down.
In the aftermath of the fire, the Gunhawk asks the chief of the Shoshones if any of his people would deliberately set a fire. He then shows the chief the knife and it is identified as belonging to Kurata the tribal medicine man. The chief explains that Kurata was in the habit of making predictions of doom that did not come to pass, making the tribe to believe his magic was weak. The elders put Kurata on trial and they find that he is responsible for starting the fire. Furious, Kurata gives him the "Feather of Death" putting a curse on him and telling Red that he will be eaten alive by buzzards. The Gunhawk scoffs at this, but the chief tells him not to take the threat lightly.
Riding off on his own, the Gunhawk stops at a watering hole to get a drink. Before he can swallow any water, the Gunhawk realizes that the water has been poisoned and successfully avoids Kurata's death trap. Next, thanks to a warning from his horse Blaze, Gunhawk avoids getting crushed by a bolder dropped off the side of a cliff. Suddenly Kurata attacks Red, but he is no match for the Gunhawk who chops the insane Shoshone medicine man with his guns.
Recurring Characters
Gunhawk
Blaze
