Lotus Ashford was in pain, and whereas fine cognac was a partial cure, nurse Pettenkoffer was escorting Sergeant Edgar Broome up to Arkham. The flying beast had managed to cause several deep lacerations and abrasions, all of which were felt, especially when lying down. Frank Cannon had not suffered at the talons and jaws of the flying beast, but it was nevertheless decided to relax for a couple of days while Bill McCloud took care of day-to-day issues at the Ashford Ranch. They all spent many hours on the front porch with bottomless cups of coffee trying to put together what was going on in Lincoln County. Why had the medicine man, Medah Mitchell Old Horse, disappeared after building the "flesh monster" that had attacked Otto Argo's men? How was Medah Old Horse connected to the Yig cult that had flourished in the area before the Apache banished them? Why had Gardiner looked for a "Yeeg" as a passage to "The Dreamlands"? The Man with the Red Right Hand that was killed in 1858, what was up with that? Then, What was the deal with the Mi-Go, Kobolttorium-G and Don Dixon's supposed observatory? What about the Gnospelius sisters and The Collector? So much to ponder...
Just after breakfast on on a cloudy and windy Thursday, May 6, 1925, Sheriff Magruder came riding up to the Ashford Ranch. He joined the Three Amigos for coffee, and explained that a church, the Tabernacle Church of God, were on their way west, and they wanted to camp on a remote part of Ashford's property for a day or two. Ashford agreed to this, and Cannon, McCloud and Ashford decided to pay the church a visit. Horses were saddled, a modicum of handguns were loaded, and the Three Amigos enjoyed a leisurely ride down towards the encampment, which consisted of three small tents, one bigger tent, three wagons, some horses and several dozen rather scrawny-looking folks from down south. A young man by the name of Clive took the visitors to the main tent, where they met Orville Sturgeon, the pastor of the Tabernacle Church of God and his cataract-ridden blind wife Mary Beth Sturgeon, al from LaFolette, Tennessee. The members of the church seemed to consist of three or four extended families, and Pastor Orville Sturgeon and his wife were eager and curious to welcome the three strangers. Orville and Mary Beth explained their faith amongst a generous sprinkling of "Hallelujah!", "Praise the Lord", "Repent!", "Jesus is my friend" and "Renounce Satan", and they also told Ashford, Cannon and McCloud that Mary Beth had received a vision on Christmas Day 1924. It was Jesus that spoke to her, and she was told to lead her congregation members west to the New Jerusalem. They were fervent, but friendly, and the Three Amigos were invited to attend their daily service at 5pm.
Cannon, McCloud and Ashford enjoyed a splendid late lunch prepared by chef Michel Thibaud, and then they rode to the afternoon service. The main tent was filled with 35 or so congregants, and McCloud and Ashford sat down on various boxes and makeshift chairs, while Frank Cannon pushed down his bowler hat and remained in the entranceway to the tent. The congregants were keen on touching the visitors, calling upon Jesus and the Lord to bless them, as Orville and Mary Beth Sturgeon launched their sermon from the very plain altar. The crowd became increasingly frenzied, and to further enthuse the congregants (and cast out Satan), Mary Beth and Orville opened two boxes and brought out handfuls of snakes. The snakes were instantly recognized by the Three Amigos as the white vicious serpents that had appeared in the boxed paintings that the Gnospelius sisters had asked the Three Amigos to bring to Albuquerque! Ashford and McCloud backed away from the snakes, but the writhing serpents seemed to have no interest in attacking the congregants, despite being handled rather forcefully.
Following the service, McCloud, Ashford and Cannon spoke to Pastor Orville and Mary Beth, and they were proud to share that the white snakes were part of Mary Beth's Christmas Day miracle: the septents they had used to challenge Satan had all been changed into these white serpents, perhaps a way for Jeegus to impart purity onto Lucifer (Mary Beth seemed to have some form speech impediment, she kept on saying "Jeegus" instead of "Jesus"). All of this was quite strange to the Three Amigos. What is really the significance of all these strange snakes that seem to be found everywhere? That evening, it was decided to head to the Apache reservation to ask some more questions about Medah Old Horse and his connections to the old snake cult that used to be found in and around today's Lincoln County, and also to see off the Tabernacle Church with some restocking of their meagre food supplies.
The morning of Friday, May 7 was much sunnier than the previous morning, and Lotus Ashford was woken up by a ranch hand handing Lotus a telegram:
A reply was drafted over morning coffee:
The Three Amigos them stocked their bus and departed for the church encampment. Pastor Orville Sturgeon, Mary Beth and the congregants were most grateful for the generous gifts, and they revealed that Mary Beth had had a new vision: they were now really close to the New Jerusalem, and it was to be located at a solitary mountain not too far from Lincoln. The Three Amigos looked at each other and at the distant Carrizo Peak.
