Chapter 7

What a fight it was, just like you see in the old western movies. People were flying over the bar, crashing through tables and getting lambasted with chairs. There must of been 20 people in on the fight. I was just about to whollip some dude with a coon skin hat with the piano bench when the lights went out. My ears are still ringing from that one, must of been a 14" cast iron fry pan

I awoke the next morning to find myself and the whole crew in jail, Oh what a head ach I had

Captain camper: Hey sheriff, when do we get out of here

Sheriff; No ones going anywhere till after the trial.

Captain camper: What trial, it was just a bar fight, besides we can pay for the damages.

Sheriff; Not just a bar fight, got a whole list of charges here, destruction of property, disturbing the peace, assault, resisting arrest, and the biggy, murder.

Captain camper: WHAT!!! What murder?

Sheriff; Seems that one of my deputies, the mayor, and some drifter were all killed in that little fight, so no one is going anywhere till after the investigation and trial, might be a really big hanging.

Captain camper: Do we get a lawyer?

Sheriff; There will be one here in town tomorrow so you all just better make yourselves comfy till he gets here

The night couldn't of been longer. The cells were cold and damp with no blankets and only a hard bunk to sit or sleep on. The only other things were a cup, a bucket of water and a chamber pot. No two of us were in the same cell and talking wasnt allowed. Tweety and Sugermags found out the hard way, they were both doused with a bucket of water which made it all the colder for them.

As the sun peeked over the mountains, an old woman came hobbling through the cell block with a bucket holding our breakfast, Cold oatmeal that tasted more like paste than anything. They realy know how to treat there prisoners, seem they dont like to spend very much on them if any.

It wasnt long before an elderly gray haired gentleman came in and started talking to the verious prisoners. Finally he got to me and the first thing he said was " So your the one that shot the deputie ".

Captain Camper: I most certinaly did not

Lawyer; The prosacution has several witnesses that say you did.

Captain Camper: There lieing, and its your job to prove our inocence

Lawyer; I'll try but your best bet would be to through yourselves on the mercy of the court.

Captain Camper: We are all inocent and you better do your best to prove it, by the way, whens the trial?

Lawyer; At four o'clock,, see you in court.

With that he left, leaving me in shock. It was like the town already had us tryed and sentenced. Talking to the rest of my crew was not allowed so I didnt know how they were doing. Our only hope was that the lawyer would find some one that would testfy on our behalf

The old woman came around again at noon with her bucket of slop, this time with razons, or was it flys, I don't know, I didn't take any. The sheriff was out so I couldn't ask him anything, only the jail house gofer who looked like he would rather whack you with his club than look at you. To make time pass I tryed to take a nap only to be polked with a stick. If only I could get my hands on him there would be a murder.

Four o'clock rolled around and one by one we were taken to the court house and returned. I had neather seen or been able to talk to any of the crew sence the fight so I had no idea of what was going on.

It was my turn. I was led out in chains,across the street and into the court house. As we entered the court room the people fell silent. All that could be herd was the rattling of chains as I was led to the bench. The judge, wearing the black robes of his office, looked old and weathered and his voive was gruff

The judge bangs his gavel

Judge: This court is now in session, Camper, you are charged with unruly conduct, inciting a riout, distruction of property, assalt and murder, How do you plead

Captain Camper: Not guilty your honer

Judge: The prosacution has presented five wittness that testafy to your involvment in this matter. Your defence has not one shread of evidence to the contrary. Do you have anything to say before I pass sentance

Captain Camper: Yes, This trial is a farce, My lawyer has had no time to prepair a defence.

Judge: With that said, This court now finds you guilty on all counte and sentances you to hang, along with all your acomplices, at noon tomorow

The Judge bangs his gavel and I was taken back to my cell. On the way across the street, I noticed how dark the sky was getting.

Captain Camper: looks like your in for a duzy of a storm.

Sherriff: Yup, with any luck your hanging will be postponed for 24 hours, the judge hates it stand in the rain.

Around ten O'clock the storm hit, It was raining buckets, the wind picked up and you could read a newspaper by the lightning. At times it would be hailing the size of gulf balls. Then it started, a low rumbling that got louder and louder, becoming a defining rower. I dived under my bunk hoping the others were doing the same thing. You sould hear the splintering of wood and debre was flying around the cell. I found my self hanging on for dear life as it seemed the building was being torn apart by the storm

As quickly as it had started, it ended, and I drifted of to sleep of sheer exaustion. When I awoke, General gray was standing over me

General Gray: Captain! Captain! wake up, are you alive?

Captain Camper: "cough" "cough" I think so, better have one of the nurses give me mouth to mouth just in case, what happened?

General Gray: We were hit with a tornado, wiped out the whole town.

I was in shock as we climbed out of the rubble, splinterd boards were strune over the lanscape with nothing left of the town. The jail had been built of fortifyed stone and only the bottom part of that remaned.

Captain Camper: We better get back to the ship before some one else decides to hange us.

It didn't take long to find the ship and clear the debree away from it. Bigguy and trapper set about starting the engines,wolf and eddy ran tests on the helm, Tweety, Val, and Mags ran medical checks on the crew while Charlie baked up a bunch of pies. The General and I finished up our log entries just in time for take off.

Captain Camper: Places everyone, set time and place back to where we were,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Engage

Wolf: Captain,,,,, we have a problem!!!!