The weather today was excellent, sunny with a warm breeze, making Stephen feel completely comfortable.

  "This weather is great; it's a perfect time for hunting."

  Stephen looked at the massive sun in the sky and said with a smile, "Maybe we'll have some good luck this time."

  "The hunting isn't important; it's mostly about relaxing,"

  Hosea said with a laugh from behind Arthur. "Hanging out with you young folks makes me feel young again."

  "You should get out more often," Arthur said from in front of him. "You're not old yet; your mind is still as cunning and deceitful as ever."

  "Oh, thank you. I'll take that as a compliment," Hosea said humorously.

  Since they were going hunting, there was no need to rush. The four of them leisurely made their way to Valentine.

  Arthur went to buy a horse, Mrs. Sadie went to buy clothes, and Stephen and Hosea stood by the road, smoking and chatting.

  "Do you like this place?" Stephen asked, looking at the bustling town. "Like you said, this town suits you guys."

  Hosea nodded. "As long as we don't cause any trouble, anywhere is fine."

  The truth was that everyone had been peaceful lately; no one had been causing any problems.

  Here, they weren't wanted. They could walk the streets without fear.

  The Pinkertons, who were the only ones still after them, had vanished without a trace. It seemed they had genuinely lost them.

  This was one of the reasons why Hosea looked so relaxed now.

  "Actually, I don't know much about you guys,"

  Stephen said, looking seriously at Hosea, who returned his gaze.

  "I'm interested in you. Compared to other gangs, you're different," Stephen said, looking into Hosea's eyes. "I'd like to learn more about you, like how Dutch started this gang?"

  Hosea nodded. "That's a long story. Are you sure you're interested in hearing it?"

  "Of course; it seems like our trip will be enjoyable," Stephen said with a smile.

  "Alright, where to begin... let's start with how old Dutch met old Hosea..."

  "Many years ago, I was an actor, a lousy comedy actor."

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  Hosea took out a cigarette, lit it, and his gaze drifted towards the distant past.

  "An actor? Honestly, I never would have guessed!"

  Stephen said in surprise. He had imagined Hosea as a farmer or maybe some city worker, but never as an actor.

  Honestly, that profession didn't suit him at all now; it was too much of a leap.

  "Fate is sometimes strange, isn't it?"

  "But after a failed performance, I was fired by the circus owner."

  "Then I decided to seriously examine my life. Later, I became a con man, someone who swindled people everywhere and occasionally robbed them. What do you think? A ridiculous first half of life, right?"

  A nostalgic smile appeared on Hosea's face, as if he were reminiscing about his ridiculous self back then.

  "No, it's not ridiculous at all," Stephen said seriously. "Everyone has their difficult times, and it's even more difficult for someone to recognize themselves."

  "Well said, recognizing yourself is important," Hosea said, clearly agreeing with Stephen. "Many people can't see that."

  He paused and then continued, "Later, by chance, I met Dutch."

  "Of course, our first meeting wasn't pleasant. We both thought the other was a fool, and we both wanted to swindle all the money out of the other's pocket."

  Hosea burst into hearty laughter, and Stephen laughed along.

  He couldn't imagine how Hosea, who now seemed so mature and steady, and Dutch, who had such a dignified presence in the Camp, had tried to swindle each other when they were young.

  The scene must have been hilarious.

  "Dutch was different from others. He always firmly believed that he was a refined person with freedom and idealism, and that's how I was drawn to him."

  "And then? Did you two just get together like that?" Stephen said with a chuckle.

  "Yes, later the two of us started working together, and then there was that fellow Arthur."

  "Back then, he was just a street urchin. The two of us thought about it for a long time and finally decided to take him in."

  "He learned gun skills from Dutch and reading and writing from me. We taught him everything we knew."

  Hosea said enthusiastically, "You know? When we took Arthur in, he was only 14 years old, fearless and ready to do anything."

  "Other than being a bit silly sometimes, there was nothing wrong with him."

  Hosea added, and then the two of them burst out laughing again.

  "Hey, fellas, I think I hear you talking about me."

  Just as Hosea wanted to tell Stephen another funny story about Arthur's childhood, Arthur, with a dark look on his face, rode out of the stables on his new horse.

  His new horse was a standard American breed, an excellent racehorse with brown and white spots all over its body. It looked very robust.

  "Don't worry, I was just telling Stephen about our old stories," Hosea hurriedly changed the subject. "This horse is quite good; it looks suitable for you."

  The horse was just the right size; Arthur looked perfect riding it.

  He stroked his new partner's neck, revealing an extremely gentle expression that didn't match his usual tough-guy style at all.

  "He's a great guy; I like him a lot."

  While diligently grooming the hair on the horse's neck, Arthur looked up and looked around. "Where's Mrs. Sadie? Isn't she done yet?"

  "You should be more patient with ladies," Hosea said with a smile.

  The three of them stood in the sunlight, each smoking their own cigarette.

  Stephen's horse, Little White, seemed very interested in the two other horses beside it, looking at one and then the other.

  After a while, Mrs. Sadie, having changed her clothes, also came out of the general store.

  "Wow, that outfit suits you," Stephen said with a smile, looking at the refreshed Mrs. Sadie.

  She had changed into an outfit like a cowgirl, with a cowboy hat, shirt, jeans, and short boots.

  "I think this outfit suits me better,"

  Mrs. Sadie said in her somewhat hoarse voice. "I'm not some princess who needs someone to take care of me, you know."

  "Of course; we'll see that on this hunt," Stephen said, feeling happy to see a different Mrs. Sadie.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, we should start hunting."

  Hosea pulled on the reins and took the lead. "Follow me; let old Hosea lead the way."