‘Drill instructor for the Jayhawkers, huh.’Was he supposed to see this as an opportunity?The unexpected offer set Max thinking in all kinds of directions.Lane cut into those thoughts with a question.“Do you know what ‘Jayhawkers’ means?”Jayhawkers wasn’t a name with a particularly noble meaning.Max had a rough idea, but he shook his head.“I don’t.”“There used to be a term, jayhawk, for a horse. But they say this beast would steal eggs out of birds’ nests and even kill the mother bird. That’s where the name comes from.”“So, it means a gang of thieving thugs.”“You really don’t know how to soften your words, do you.”“Oh, was I supposed to put it nicely.”Lane’s lip twitched up on one side.He didn’t know what they’d become yet, but the Jayhawkers would more than live up to that name.Under the banner of abolition, their frenzy would burn towns and butcher civilians.What did splitting skulls and hacking corpses into pieces have to do with slavery, exactly?Bleeding Kansas wasn’t the work of one side alone; it was a joint production of Border Ruffians and Jayhawkers.The Jayhawkers Lane had gathered were nothing more than a group with violence built into them.Not that he would ever admit it.“Anyway, they were all acting alone before. That’s what makes turning them into an organization that much harder.”“And knowing that, you’re asking an Oriental like me to be their drill instructor. That doesn’t add up.”“Did the sheriff of Lawrence get his job because it did add up?”“…No. It didn’t.”Max’s answer ran out of steam, and he rubbed his chin as he went on.“What’s the current headcount?”“Two hundred thirty-four. And it keeps going up. At this rate, we’ll be past a thousand well before the year’s out.”All over the place there were people packing up, ready to burn their own bodies out to make Kansas a free state. Their destination was Lawrence.Thinking about how many came in each day, Lane’s prediction wasn’t idle talk.“You’re giving a simple sheriff way too much work.”“This too is something you do for the town.”Max fell into thought. The offer was sudden, but he already had a general direction in mind.I only need to take a part of the Jayhawkers under my wing.Trying to train all of them would be inefficient.Having reached that conclusion, Max spoke.“The men who fought in the Mexican War will never take my orders. If a nineteen-year-old Oriental who popped out of nowhere starts teaching them, the ones who listen are the strange ones.”Lane had been a colonel in the Mexican War.He’d been commissioned as a captain and promoted to colonel that same year—a meteoric rise Max’s mind simply couldn’t make sense of.Either way, the Jayhawkers followed Lane because that record backed him up.“So what are you getting at?”Max met Lane’s eyes head-on.“I’ll only train the ones I pick.”“Hm. So you mean you’ll gather men your own age without war experience.”“Sharp as ever.”Max’s praise earned a snort.“Men with stiff minds will just take offense even if I shoot a gun with my feet. They put experience above everything.”“Not exactly wrong. That said, hot-blooded young men aren’t so easy to handle either.”“Well, once we get going, hearts will communicate, won’t they.”After a moment of thought, Lane nodded.Unlike Max, Lane was uncomfortable with the younger men.And it helped that the Jayhawkers who’d guarded the governor were already leaning toward Max.“You decide the numbers. But you’ll have to plan for the men who are going to keep joining every month.”“Then that’s how we’ll do it.”Not long after Lane left, Max buckled on his weapons and stepped out of the office.To the north of Lawrence ran the Kansas River; to the south, 2 miles (about 3 km) away, the narrower Wakarusa River flowed.And to the southwest, Mount Oread rose like a low hill, looking [N O V E L I G H T] down over the town.That’d be the perfect place to build a fort.Warning signs aimed at Lawrence were popping up all over. He didn’t know how much to believe about those two thousand Border Ruffians, but it was certain they outnumbered the Jayhawkers.If they came pouring in all at once, turning Lawrence into a wasteland would only be a matter of time.Guess I’ll take a walk around town.It took less than ten minutes to make a loop around the center of town.On empty prairie, the buildings were scattered and numberless enough that they didn’t even top fifty.But that was still faster development than in the original history he knew.“Sheriff Max! You had lunch yet?”“Got fresh fish in from back East, take some and cook it up.”Max never turned down food.By the time he finished a loop around town, his hands were fairly loaded.There was no denying he’d had a hand in speeding up Lawrence’s growth.His exploits had spread through the papers.And Moses Grinter’s ferry from the Delaware settlement had become a rich supply line feeding Lawrence—an enormous help to the settlers.Wonder what this place will look like in a few years.He still saw some of the first tents he remembered, but those were just where the Jayhawkers lived.The settlers themselves were in proper houses now.They’d gone off the main street, broken the rough ground, and were running farms and ranches.As Max was looking over Lawrence and getting a little sentimental, a loitering group caught his eye.Jayhawkers with nothing to do.If they were hanging around town, they were exactly that.Their eyes were darting around like hyenas’ as they looked for something.They look like thieves trying to decide which place to hit.Maybe Lane had thought of training them because of scenes like this. Wear them out, and they wouldn’t have time for other ideas.Max turned his steps toward the spot he usually used for training.Under the hot August sun, over 86 degrees Fahrenheit (over 30 degrees Celsius),Fitch, Joe Jim Junior, and the five Jayhawkers were sweating through their drills.And at some point, a group had gathered to watch them.And what the hell are those supposed to be.A quick count of the heads: twelve.“What the hell’s that woman doing, kicking like that? And that damn Indian’s waving a knife around like a crazy man.”“Christ, and they’re calling that training.”Max stood a little ways behind them and listened to the sneers.“Wow, and why’s he shooting like that?”“The sheriff bastard said he was crossing his hands like this while he fired, right?”One of them swung his arms around wildly, and the men near him doubled over laughing.Then one of them happened to lock eyes with Max.“Jesus, you scared me!”Startled by the shout, the rest spun around to face Max.The panic lasted a heartbeat; then they stared him down with cocky faces.Max spoke in an even tone.“What are you all doing out here?”“Can’t you see? We heard there was a circus in town, so we came to watch the show.”Max fixed his gaze on the man who’d just spoken.Tall, with thick, knotty muscles.A man about five years older than Max: Nathan Roar.“From where I’m standing, what they’re doing looks better than lazing around. There’s nothing more beautiful than watching people work up a sweat.”“What a load of crap. Training ought to look like training.”“Then why don’t you show me what real training looks like. I’ll even try to learn.”Max’s words earned a snort.The man’s expression said this was ridiculous, but he didn’t actually make a move. After all, gossip aside, Max was still the sheriff of Lawrence.One corner of Max’s mouth curled up.“Hard to show anything off when you’ve never done real training in your life, isn’t it?”“Are you picking a fight with me right now? You’re one cocky little Oriental bastard.”Puffing out his chest, the man came stomping closer.He had a good four inches on Max; that downward stare rubbed him the wrong way.But there was no need to fight right now.Once the proper stage was set, it wouldn’t be too late.“You don’t just throw your strength around whenever. I’ll see you tomorrow.”“What, you planning to run off?”Max ignored the man’s words and shifted his gaze to the comrades beside him.“You all will get your turn too, so be ready.”“What kind of bullshit is that.”Without answering, Max looked past them, focusing on Fitch, Joe Jim Junior, and the Jayhawkers locked in their training.“Circus” really did fit.He smacked his lips and let the words drop.“Anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.”Turning his back, Max headed back toward town.He ignored the curses and jeers that followed him. ****The next day, in the open space in town.Lane had called together all the Jayhawkers twenty-five and under. He looked over the crowd and shouted.“We’ve got word Border Ruffians are gathering in Jackson County, Missouri! In a situation where they could march on us today, how long are you planning to just stand around killing time?”Eyes blazing, Lane swept his gaze over them and went on.“The road to making Kansas a free state will be rough. Only the ones who are prepared will be able to carry out their convictions. From today on, the Jayhawkers will put their house in order and be reborn as the organized force of Kansas.”The young Jayhawkers felt their chests burning hot at Lane’s speech.Take up gun and knife against the tyranny of slave power.Does Kansas need my blood to become a free state? Take as much as you like; I’m ready to spill it gladly.This is why agitation is scary.Watching from behind, Max could feel the heat rolling off the Jayhawkers.But “heat” was the kind word; their eyes could turn into madness at any moment.This kind of scene was familiar to him.Civil-war-torn African states from his mercenary days.Especially the eyes of children whipped up by rebel leaders—that was what this looked like.There was nothing more dangerous than the hot blood of youth tipping over into madness.Off to one side, Nathan Roar—the man who’d butted heads with Max yesterday—was pounding his chest in a frenzy.Clearly, Lane’s words had lit a fire under him.And it only took a single line to slam all that excitement into shock.“Which is why some of you are going to be trained by the sheriff of Lawrence.”“!”There were eighty Jayhawkers gathered here.Eyes widened all at once, mouths dropping open. The same thought was probably popping into every head at once: the Oriental.Max stepped calmly to the front and spoke.“I was going to select just a part of you, but I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to train every last one of you.”“……”“And before we start, we’re going to settle something first.”“Settle what?”Murmurs ran through the crowd, and Max cast his gaze across them as he continued.“If you don’t like this drill instructor, this is your chance. If you beat me, I’ll hand over the instructor’s position.”“!”To bring a bunch of men under him in one stroke, when he was young and Oriental besides, Max needed a sacrifice.He’d already come to this understanding with Lane.And if someone did have the skill to beat him, then that man deserved the instructor’s role.In fact, Max would honestly like to learn from someone like that.“No guns or knives in the matches. No one’s going to die, so step right up.”His provocation swelled the buzz in the crowd.Max stood alone, watching.Finally, a few hands went up.He wiped the smile off his face and nodded.“You there with your hand up, we’ll start with you.”Max’s choice was Nathan Roar, who’d picked a fight with him yesterday. As that big-bodied man with the burning eyes stepped forward, his comrades parted before him like a sea.A little ways off from the crowd,Joe Jim Junior and Fitch watched Max with eyes full of expectation.Seeing him unbuckle his weapons and kick off his shoes, they cheered.“Oh, he’s taking them off again.”“I’m not missing it this time!”Fitch made little glasses with her hands. Her eyes tracked nothing but Max’s feet.The five Jayhawkers who’d already come to follow Max looked at Roar with tight faces.“Max really pushed it this time. Of all the men he could’ve picked, why’d he go for the strongest one?”“They say Roar ruled Ohio with his fists. Without guns or knives, this could be rough.”“You’ve taken a hit from him, Downey. You really think Max will lose?”“Every time I forget, you bring it up.”“Shh. It’s starting.”Nathan Roar stood half a head taller than Max.His thick chest muscles flexed as he spoke.“You better keep your word about giving up that instructor’s slot.”“Of course.”When Max crooked his finger at him, Roar lowered his stance and charged.I only have to break one man.Max’s lip curled as he moved out to meet him.

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