Two Days in the Life of a Strong, Tough Female Bounty Hunter
by M.C.
When you're a woman bounty hunter in the Wild West, you can have some interesting experiences.

The large, strong woman fluffed up her long, pretty blond hair before rolling
it up and tying it into a bun; then she tucked it under her cowboy hat. Next
she checked to see that her two colt 45 pistols were completely loaded and
ready. After all, when you're a female bounty hunter in the in the Wild West
of the 1870s, it's good to be meticulous about your 'tools of the trade'.
Satisfied that everything was in good order, she scanned the area around the
secluded cabin for signs of any potential obstacles she would have to deal
with.

For the past two days now she had been hot on the trail of a gang of ruthless
bank robbers who had not only robbed the bank in Tombstone, Arizona, but also
gunned down two innocent bystanders in the process. They had also killed three
more in a similar bank heist in Dodge City, Kansas a month earlier. In fact,
no fewer than five bank robberies across several western states and
territories have been attributed to this vicious gang over the past several
months and it was her job to hunt them down and bring them in "Dead or Alive"
- for a handsome reward of course.

The only possible obstacle she observed was the lookout who was sitting in a
chair outside the door of the cabin. But he seemed to be disinterested in
guarding the cabin; bored in fact. Instead of keeping a watchful eye on the
whole area as a good lookout would be expected to do, he was simply tossing
pebbles into a near-by well; or at least trying to. "Careless,"she thought to
herself, "very careless. Well, you'll pay a price for that honey."

Because he had stationed himself on one side of the cabin - and not even at a
corner where he could at least see two sides - it was relatively easy for the
large woman to sneak around the cabin's back side and approach the
unsuspecting lookout undetected; which she did. So that he wouldn't make a
sound and alert the other members of his gang, the bounty hunter then
considered her options. She could take out her sharp hunting knife and simply
slit his throat while covering up his mouth so he couldn't scream. Or she
could wrap her strong, muscular arms around his neck and snap it like a twig.
Both methods would be equally effective in eliminating him quickly and quietly
(breaking his neck would be the less messy of the two and her preferred
option).

But as she watched him casually tossing the stones at the well, totally
oblivious as to what was about to happen to him, she felt something a bounty
hunter rarely feels (indeed, in her profession it could actually be considered
a liability), she felt compassion. Maybe it was because he looked so young;
she guessed he was somewhere in his mid - 20s, just like her. Or maybe it was
because he simply didn't look like the cold- blooded killer she was expecting
to encounter; they were obviously the ones inside the cabin. Instead, he
simply looked like a bored guy tossing stones into a well. "Maybe I shouldn't
kill him after all," she said to herself.

So instead of slitting his throat or breaking his neck, the bounty hunter
simply snuck up behind him and waited for him to throw one more pebble; which
bounced off the side of the well. "You missed," she whispered softly in his
ear as she wrapped her powerful right arm around his mouth while pinching his
nose shut in-between her thumb and index finger. At the same time she also
wrapped her equally strong left arm around his waist, thus preventing him from
trying to escape. In desperation, he began to flail his arms all about; an
action that was as useless as it was pathetic. Unable to breathe, the lookout
soon succumbed to the powerful woman and fell into unconsciousness."Pleasant
dreams honey," she whispered as she gently lowered him to the ground. "Well,
that's one down and only five more to go. It should always be this easy."

The female bounty hunter then approached the cabin door. Inside she heard the
sounds of men talking and laughing. She also heard what sounded like the
shuffling of a deck of cards. Once again she checked to make sure her guns
were ready. Then the large, strong woman lifted up her right leg and CRASH!,
she smashed the wooden cabin door to pieces. "Good afternoon boys," she said
to the surprised gang of bank robbers after entering. "I've come to take you
all back to Tombstone to face justice for the crimes you've committed there.
The reward poster reads 'Dead or Alive'; so I'll leave that choice up to you."

Perhaps it was because she still had her guns holstered, or maybe it was the
fact that they were five tough men facing just one single woman; but for
whatever the reason they all went for their guns. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! And in what can only be described as a blur, the female bounty hunter
outdrew them all, and a few seconds later the vicious bank robbers were lying
dead on the cabin floor. "Well, I did warn you boys didn't I?" she said as she
calmly blew the smoke away from the barrels of her guns.

After making sure that they were indeed all dead, the victorious woman then
went over to the mirror that was hanging on a near-by wall. She removed her
cowboy hat and untied her bun, letting her long, beautiful blond hair fall
down over her shoulders and halfway down her back. The large bounty hunter is
very fond of her hair. She only ties it up when she fights so it won't get
into her eyes and distract her. She then fluffed up her hair before putting on
her hat again. "O.K. boys, now all I have to do is package you up and take you
back to Tombstone so I can collect my reward."

One-by-one, the strong woman lifted the dead bank robbers up over her shoulder
and carried them out to where their horses were corralled. She tossed each one
over a saddle and then took some rope and tied their hands and feet together
underneath the horses' bellies so they wouldn't fall off on the ride back to
Tombstone. And after she finished 'packaging' the last one, the bounty hunter
turned her attention back to the lookout who by then was just waking up.

"Good afternoon sleepyhead," she teased. "I'm afraid your friends won't be
joining you for the rest of their lives."

"Wha...what do you mean? And who are you?"

The female bounty hunter pointed to the horse corral where the six horses (the
lookout also had one) with the five dead gang members tied onto their backs
were. "And in answer to your second question, I'm a bounty hunter; and I'm
bringing you and your deceased friends, along with the money you stole, back
to Tombstone. Now, the reward poster for the capture of your gang
said,'Wanted: Dead or Alive'. Your friends chose death. I've already spared
your life once when I simply rendered you unconscious instead of slitting your
throat or breaking your neck. So, what's it gonna be with you honey - dead or
alive? As you can see my guns are holstered so you'll get a fair chance on the
draw. But I would seriously advise against it; it didn't help your friends
very much. But if you'd prefer, we can unstrap our gun belts and settle this
with our fists. Either way is O.K. with me."

As the bounty hunter and lookout faced off against one another, it was obvious
that the woman was far more muscular and stronger than her opponent, if he
indeed choose to become her opponent. And although he wasn't conscious when
she killed his fellow gang members, he was smart enough to realized that she
somehow did manage to wipe out his whole gang. So what chance would he
possibly have against this Amazon of a woman with either his gun or his fists?
"I'll...I'll go peacefully," he said as he slowly unstrapped his gun-belt and
dropped it on the ground.

"A wise choice,"she said with a smile. "I really wouldn't have felt good if
you had forced me to do to you what I did to them (she pointed again to his
dead comrades on the horses). Now, if you promise to behave yourself and not
give me any trouble on our ride back to Tombstone, I won't knock you out and
tie you on the back of your horse like I did to your friends. Otherwise you'll
leave me no other choice. So, what's it gonna be?"

"I'll...I'll behave myself. But what are they going to do to me when we do get
back to Tombstone?"

"I'm afraid that's for a judge to decide honey. My job was simply to hunt your
gang down and bring all of you - plus the money you stole - back to Tombstone
so I can collect my reward. That's why they call me a bounty hunter. But my
guess is that you're probably looking at maybe 5-10 years in prison; if you're
lucky that is. After all, in addition to robbing banks, you and your gang also
killed several innocent bystanders whose only mistake was to be in the bank at
the same time that your gang was robbing it."

"But...but I didn't kill them. I wasn't even in the bank when it happened. My
job was to just hold their horses and be a lookout. Just like I was here."

"Well in that case honey I think you're friends should get their money back
(giggles). Because you weren't a very good lookout; were you? Anyway, none of
this is my problem. As I said before, my job is simply to bring you, your
friends and the money you stole back to Tombstone; and that's exactly what I
intend to do. Now mount your horse and let's get going. We have a long ride
ahead of us; and as it is we'll have to camp somewhere for the night." The
mighty woman bounty hunter then mounted her horse and led her unwilling
prisoner along with his fellow dead gang members away from the cabin and began
their journey back to Tombstone.

Although it's quite unusual for a bounty hunter to fraternize with her 'prey'
(after all, he was now looking at many long years in prison because of her,
not to mention that she had wiped out the rest of his gang). But for some
reason the she to break with tradition. "So honey, do you have a name? It's a
long ride back to Tombstone and I should probably call you something other
than honey or bank robber."

"Jim. My name is Jim Wilson."

"Well Jim Wilson, my name is Susan Thompson, and it's a pleasure to meet you
(smirk). Tell me, why did you decide to become a member of this gang of
vicious criminals? I've been a bounty hunter for a few years now and you don't
strike me as being the criminal type. You seem to be much too soft and gentle
be a 'tough guy' like the rest of your friends here."

"Well why did you decide to become a bounty hunter Susan?"

"Hmmm...well I did ask you first Jim; but I'll answer your question before
mine anyway. It's like this: before I became a bounty hunter I was a cattle
rancher on my parents' ranch near Abilene, Kansas. And since I was always a
big, strong girl - in fact, bigger and stronger than anybody I've ever met,
woman or man - the hard work didn't bother me at all; in fact I loved it. For
a time I worked with a Cherokee Indian (who are now referred to as Native
Americans) who taught me how to track down cattle that strayed off, as well as
people. That's how I was able to track you and your friends to your hideout.

"Then one day a gang of rustlers stole about 20 of our heard. I tracked them
down and beat them all up. There were only five of them so it wasn't too much
of a problem. And when I brought them in to the sheriff, guess what happened?
I got a $500 reward as they were wanted for cattle rustling all over the
state! That's when I decided to trade in my cowgirl boots and become a bounty
hunter. It's much more lucrative and you also get to meet some very
interesting people; like your friends back there. Tee, hee, hee."

"How can you giggle after you just gunned down five men Susan?"

''Your gang killed two innocent people during the bank robbery in Tombstone,
and three more in Dodge City a few weeks earlier. I'm sorry Jim, but they did
indeed deserve exactly what they got. And to be fair, I did give them a chance
to surrender to me; but they responded by drawing their guns. So what's a girl
to do in that situation? I had to gun your friends down because they left me
no other choice.

"And don't forget, I'm a bounty hunter. I get to keep 10% of the money that
you and your gang stole from the bank; and there must be at least $10,000 in
the money bag. Plus I also get another $200 for each of you that I bring in
which brings the total to $2,200. So tell me honey, where can a girl make that
kind of money for doing what she's good at? And keep your mind out of the
gutter (smirk).

"And let's be honest Jim. If I had only wounded your gang or beat them up with
my fists, it would have been a lot more difficult for me to take all six of
you back to Tombstone. Imagine me, a mere girl, taking six big, strong, rough,
tough bank robbers back all my myself. I mean I'm sure I could have managed
it, but it simply makes it lot easier for me when they're dead.

"O.K. Jim. I answered your question and now it's your turn to answer mine. You
seem like a nice, sweet kind of guy; that's why I didn't kill you earlier when
I easily could have. So why did you throw your lot in with these nasty killers
and bank robbers? You don't strike me as being someone who would do things
like that."

Jim thought for a few minutes before he answered. "Both of my parents died
when I was very young. Consequently, I was raised in an orphanage. Unlike you
- a big, strong, tough confident woman - I had none of those traits. I was
thin, weak, unsure of myself and always being bullied by the stronger, tougher
kids at the orphanage. When I became 18, I could no longer stay in the
orphanage and I had to leave and fend for myself. I became a drifter,
traveling around trying various odd jobs for years but just barely managing to
survive.

"Then one day a large, tough looking man approached me and asked if I would do
a favor for him; and if I did, he would give me $50 for it! Susan, that's more
money than I ever made in any single month and at the time I really needed it.
So I said 'yes'. And what was the job? To stand outside the town's bank and
hold on to five horses so they would still be there when he and his 'friends'
came out of the bank. I was so desperate for the money and so naive that it
never occurred to me what they were up to - until it was too late.

"A few minutes after they entered the bank I heard screams and shots coming
from inside. Then they (Jim glanced behind him) all came running out of the
bank carrying bags and jumped on their horses. 'Do you have a horse?' the
large man asked me. 'No' I said. 'Then take my hand.' He grabbed my hand and
yanked me up so that I sat down behind him on his horse. 'Whether you like it
or not kid, you're part of our gang now. Because if they catch you, you will
hang.' And it was only then that I realized what I had gotten myself involved
in. I was now part of their gang - whether I wanted to be or not."

A long period of silence followed before Jim continued. "That was Dodge City,
where they killed those three people in the bank. I know you probably won't
believe me when I say this Susan, but if I had known who and what they were up
to, I definitely would not have agreed to hold the reigns of their horses that
day. But because I did, I'm now going to prison, for a long, long time."

For the first time since Jim began his explanation, the mighty female bounty
hunter spoke. "That was Dodge City Jim, what about Tombstone?"

"Susan, without wanting to be, I was now a criminal; I was part of their gang.
What could I do? They, like you, could see that I'm not a killer, but they
also knew that I was tied to them. And if I tried to leave them, they probably
would have killed me. So again I held the reigns for their horses, plus the
one they gave me, outside the bank in Tombstone." Jim paused again before
adding, "but I guess none of this really matters to you, does it Susan? After
all, you wiped them all out and now you're going to collect your reward." For
the next two hours neither Susan nor Jim spoke so much as a single word. Each
was silently reflecting on the different paths their lives had taken.

Later that afternoon as the sun was setting:

Susan stopped by a stream to let the horses drink. "It'll be dark soon and
we're still a few hours from Tombstone Jim; so we'll camp here for the night."
After they dismounted, Susan untied the dead members of Jim's gang and stacked
them into a pile so as not to burden the horses. She then unfurled her
sleeping bag and thought for a moment. "Now, what am I going to do about you
tonight Jim? I only have one sleeping bag and it could get rather cold
tonight. Hmmm... well I could simply knock you out and handcuff you to that
tree over there (Jim shuddered when she said this). Or, on the other hand, I
could invite you to share my nice, warm, comfy sleeping bag with me. So what's
a girl to do?"

After another few moments of thought (agonizing moments for Jim as he
certainly didn't relish being tied up to a tree all night long), Susan smiled
and said,"Jim, would you like to share my sleeping bag with me tonight?"

"Yes Susan, I'd very much prefer that than being tied up to a tree."

"Very well then. Take off all of your clothes and get into the bag."

"Err...you want me to take off all of my clothes Susan?"

"That's right Jim; you heard me correctly. And if you have a problem with
that, there's always that tree over there." To further drive home her point,
Susan began to wave a pair of handcuffs around. Jim got the message and slowly
began to remove his clothes. "That's a good boy," Susan grinned. And after the
now naked Jim got into her sleeping bag, Susan also undressed and joined him.

It was only when Jim's naked body was actually in direct contact with Susan's
that he realized just how strong and muscular she really was. Although no
slouch himself - Jim was nearly six feet tall and weighed around 190 pounds -
his body paled in comparison to the massive amazon lying next to him. "I'm six
feet two inches tall and weigh 230 pounds in case you were wondering Jim. And
just in case you hadn't noticed, I'm also VERY strong."

To emphasize her point, Susan put her massive arms around her captive and gave
him a monstrous hug, nearly killing him in the process - or so it felt like to
him. "What's the matter honey," Susan giggled,"you don't like being with a
big, strong woman? Tee, hee, hee. Well, you'd better get used to being with
me, because I think I have a proposition to offer you that you might be very
interested in. In fact, you might consider it an offer that you really can't
refuse."

"What kind of proposition, Susan?"

"What would you say if I told you that I believe your story about how you got
involved with that gang of badies over there and that you had nothing to do
with the violent acts they committed? That you were indeed only a lookout who
had no other choice. And because of that, you don't deserve to go to prison
for many years? And furthermore, that I'm now seriously considering not
turning you over to the sheriff in Tombstone after all...on one condition that
is."

"What condition is that?"

"That you agree to become my companion, my boyfriend, my lover; and
eventually, maybe even my husband."

A long moment of silence followed before Jim asked,"You'd want me to be your
husband Susan? Why? You're so strong, so powerful, so confident; so...so
beautiful". (Susan giggled when she heard him say this. She couldn't remember
anyone ever calling her that. Big, strong, tough, yes; but beautiful? Never).
"And what am I in comparison to you Susan? A nothing. A nobody."

"You see Jim, it's like this. My life as a bounty hunter is a very lonely one.
I'm always on the move looking for new jobs. I never stay in any one place
long enough to establish any kind of a relationship. Ironically, the only men
that I do have relationships with are the ones that I either beat up or kill.
But even though my job requires that I be both strong and tough, I'm also
still very much a woman - a woman who feels the need to both love and be loved
in return.

"And even though I've only met you a few hours ago Jim, I find myself very
attracted to you. It's a feeling that I've never felt about any man before;
and a feeling I'd like to explore deeper. So, what do you say lover boy? Do
you want to be my boyfriend, or would you prefer to spend the next five to ten
years of your life doing hard labor in the state penitentiary?"

"Um well...since you put it that way Susan, I guess I'll be your boyfriend."

"A wise decision Jim," Susan said as she wrapped her powerful arms around him
again and gave him another massive hug; only slightly gentler this time. This
was then followed by a long night of passionate lovemaking...

When Jim awoke the following morning - somewhat battered by the previous night
he spent with his incredibly strong new girlfriend - he was greeted by a
pleasant,"good morning sweetie pie. I hope you're not too badly beaten up. I
can be a bit rough sometimes, tee, hee." Susan was still completely naked
(after all, there was nobody else around except for the horses and the dead
bank robbers). She was standing over a campfire and cooking. "I'm making us
some coffee and omelets Jim; and then we'll be on our way. I'd like to make it
to Tombstone by noon so I can drop your friends off at the morgue before they
start to stink. Then I'll return the money to the bank and file for my reward
- minus the $200 I'll lose by not turning you in. But you can pay me back for
that by doing other services for me (wink)."

"What's that over there?"Jim asked, pointing to what looked like a large dead
animal crumpled over and lying on the ground near the horses.

"Oh, it's just a mountain lion honey. He was prowling around our campsite
earlier this morning. I didn't want him to wake you after the long night you
had (smirk) or attack the horses. So I knocked him out. I didn't kill him
though. He should be coming around in a little while."

"You knocked out a mountain lion Susan?" Jim asked surprised (he was still
trying to come to terms with what this incredible new girlfriend of his was
capable of).

"It wasn't the first time Jimmy, and it probably won't be the last. Here
honey, your coffee is ready and our omelets will be done in another minute."
After breakfast, Susan and Jim got dressed. She then lifted each of the dead
bank robbers up over her shoulder again and tossed them onto the backs of
their horses; then she tied them up (Jim was amazed at how effortlessly Susan
did this)."Ready to go honeybunch? We should reach Tombstone in about four
hours. So let's take this time to get better acquainted with each other. You
can ask me any question you like and I'll answer as truthfully as I can."

As they left the campsite, Jim asked his large, strong girlfriend,"were we the
most guys you ever took down, Susan?"

"Oh no honey, you weren't even close."

"Really? So what was the biggest gang you confronted?"

"Hmmm...I guess it was the gang of horse thieves that I took out about three
months ago. There were twelve of them."

"What? You mean you took on a gang of twelve men all by yourself?"

"Yes sweetie pie. I always work alone; that way I don't have to share the
reward money with anybody else (grin). And if I work alone, then I don't have
to worry about my partner getting hurt. Anyway, I tracked the horse thieves to
a remote ranch where they were keeping all the stolen horses and told them to
either surrender or else face the consequences. I always give them a chance to
surrender first; like I did with your gang. But just like them, they all went
for their guns."

"All twelve of them? What did you do Susan?''

"Well Jim, I'm a pretty fast draw and a very good shot. So after I killed six
of them, the rest lost their nerve and surrendered to me. I told them to drop
their guns on the ground. After they had done so, I holstered my guns and beat
up the rest of the gang with my fists." When Susan saw the surprised look Jim
had on his face, she giggled and added,"it's just so much easier for me to tie
up six men when they're all unconscious honey; tee, hee, hee."

Then she got serious. Look Jim, I'd much prefer to beat these men up with my
fists then to have to kill them. But most of the men I deal with are hardened
criminals - just like your gang. When I'm facing murderers I simply can't
afford to take it easy on them. In a gunfight against many men I have to shoot
to kill; otherwise it'll me who will wind up dead. Like the law of the jungle
says, it's 'survival of the fittest' - and I have to be the fittest."

"How did you managed to bring in that gang of twelve horse thieves?"

"Fortunately for me, they had a wagon on the ranch. So I hitched it up to some
of the horses, tied up the six gang members that were still alive and tossed
them, along with their dead comrades, into the wagon. Then I tied the rest of
the stolen horses to the back of the wagon by their reigns and drove them all
back to town to collect my reward. For the twelve horse thieves plus the
return of the horses I received $2,000! Not a bad payday for one day's work."
Susan then laughed and added,"But the best part of all was that I still had
time to make it to the town's beauty parlor that day to get my hair done." She
then removed her cowboy hat and fluffed up her pretty blond hair again. "You
see honey, I may be a big, strong, tough girl, but I'm only as tough as the
situation requires me to be. Deep down inside I can be just as soft and
feminine as any other woman."

Susan looked lovingly over at her new boyfriend, smiled and said, "don't worry
sweetie pie, you won't have to do any fighting when you're with me; that's my
job. I'm tough enough for both of us. Your job will be to keep me company so I
won't be lonely anymore - and brush my pretty hair from time to time." Then
the mighty woman bounty hunter smiled at Jim and added, "for a bounty hunter,
showing compassion or mercy isn't really a good idea. But in your particular
case I guess it was."

At slightly before noon Susan and Jim rode down the main street of Tombstone,
Arizona with the five dead bank robbers in tow. A small crowd gathered outside
of the morgue and watched in stunned amazement as the strong woman bounty
hunter, one-by-one, untied each of the deceased criminals, easily lifted the
large men up over her shoulder and carried them inside. When somebody
mentioned that these were the men who robbed the bank three days earlier -
killing two innocent bystanders in the process - they all started cheering.
Susan responded by gracefully smiling and tipping her cowboy hat to the crowd.

Next she went to the bank and returned all the stolen money (in the end it
came to nearly $12,000, which, with the reward for bringing in the five dead
bank robbers, meant she'll receive $2,200 for her efforts). Finally, she went
to the Sheriff's office to file a claim so that she can receive her reward.
"These things usually take a few days to sort out Jim, so we can relax for a
bit before moving on." (Susan had told everyone that Jim was her friend; and
as he was outside of the bank when the robbery and murders took place, nobody
recognized him and doubted her).

A few days later, her reward money safely put in the bank vault, Susan and Jim
left Tombstone for her next 'job' - a gang of cattle rustlers in an area a few
days ride away were terrorizing the local ranchers and had to be dealt
with...and they would be.

"How much longer do you plan to be a bounty hunter Susan?" Jim asked his
incredible girlfriend as they rode out of Tombstone."

"Oh, I figure about five more years Jimmy. By then I should have enough money
saved up so I can retire and we can live comfortably for the rest of our
lives. Then we can buy a nice place somewhere quiet and settle down. I'm
thinking of California. I've heard that there's a small, rural town in the
southern part of the state that's quiet and peaceful; and it's located right
next to the Pacific Ocean. I'd really love to live near the ocean Jim, it's
been my dream ever since I was a little girl.

"We'll buy some land and build a home. Maybe even buy some cattle and horses
so I can return to ranching. I really loved ranching, and I think you would
too. It's hard work but I found it very rewarding. Then we can start raising a
family Jimmy. I'll teach our daughters how to be strong, tough, and confident;
just like their mother. And you honey can raise our sons to be kind, loving
and compassionate, just like you are." The mighty woman bounty hunter then
reached over, giggled and playfully pinched the cheek of her lover and riding
companion."Oh Jimmy, we're going to have such a wonderful life together. I'm
so happy I didn't strangle you a few days ago; tee, hee, hee."

"So am I Susan, so am I. By-the-way, what's the name of this small town in
California that you heard of?"

"I think it's called...Los Angeles."

Author's note: In 1870 Los Angeles had an official population of 5728
according to the statistics I looked at. Since then it's grown a bit.