Stranglehold

by William W. Johnstone

  “Wang, would ye be for tellin’ me now, if ye actually can skin this man alive as Elmer says?”

  “If it is your wish,” Wang said, pulling his knife from its sheath and taking a step toward Mack.

  “No! No!” Mack screamed out in terror. “It was the Prime Director who sent us. Schofield! Ebenezer Schofield!”

  “You want me to shoot all of ’em?” Elmer asked. “I mean we may as well. If we don’t we’re just goin’ to have to put up with ’em again.”

  “What?” Keaton shouted in obvious terror.

  “Or maybe we should just let Wang cut ’em up. Yeah, I think I’d like to see him do that. Why, he could carve ’em up like they was baked turkey.”

  “No, no!” Welch said.

  “I dinnae think that will be necessary,” Duff said. “If ye gentlemen would be so good as to take off your boots, we’ll nae have to kill you.”

  The five men glared, but they didn’t challenge the pistols that were pointed at them. Sitting down, they removed their boots.

  “Now, remove your clothes.”

  “What? Look here, you can’t make us do that! Why, they’s a woman here!” Pounders said. “I didn’t know that at first, ’cause I couldn’t rightly tell by the kind of clothes she’s a-wearin’. But when you look close, why, it’s clear as a bell she’s a woman.”

  “You were perfectly prepared to shoot her, were you not?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t know it at first. ’N besides, shootin’ her ain’t the same thing as takin’ off your clothes in front of ’er.”

  “You do have on something under those clothes, don’t you?”

  “Underdrawers ’n a undershirt is all.”

  “That’s enough. Strip down.”

  “The hell you say. I ain’t about to take off my clothes,” Keaton said.

  “All right. There’s nae need for ye to take off your clothes.”

  “You’re damn right there is no need,” Keaton said indignantly.

  “I expect the other four men will cooperate with us. Elmer, ye can go ahead ’n shoot this one,” Duff said, pointing to Keaton.

  “Nah, like I said a while ago, I think I’d rather let Wang cut ’im up.” Elmer said with a wicked smile.

  “No! No! I’ll take off my clothes! I’ll take off my clothes!” Keaton shouted.

  A moment later all five men were standing barefoot and wearing only their underwear.

  “Now get your clothes and your boots up on your horses.”

  The men complied, then Meagan took the reins to the five horses because Elmer and Wang were leading the mules.

  “We’ll leave the horses and your clothes about five miles that way,” Duff said, pointing south.

  “Look here, are you telling us to walk five miles out here, without boots or clothes?” Mack asked.

  “Oh, I’m telling ye nae such thing. I’m just telling ye where we’ll be leaving the horses. I dinnae care whether ye walk the five miles or not. Ye can stay here, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “I’m goin’ to kill you for this, mister!” Mack shouted angrily as he pointed at Duff. “Do you hear me? I’m goin’ to kill you. I’m goin’ to kill you, the Chinaman, that old son of a bitch, and the woman!”

  “My oh my,” Meagan said. “Have you ever heard such language from a naked man before?” She laughed as she and her companions rode away, leaving the five angry men behind them.

  Chapter Twelve

  Five miles south of the Notch

  Having reached the spot designated as the place to leave the five horses taken from Mack and his men, Duff tied off the animals.

  “Will the horses be all right here?” Meagan asked. “They didn’t do anything wrong. I mean we can’t hold against them what their owners tried to do.”

  “We’ll give the creatures a bit of water here, and there’s plenty of graze,” Duff said. “They’ll be fine until the others come for them.”

  Duff, Meagan, Elmer, and Wang all filled their hats with water, then offered it to the five horses, all of whom drunk thirstily.

  “I think we should empty their rifles ’n search the saddlebags for any more ammunition,” Elmer suggested. “That’ll keep ’em from runnin’ us down.”

  “Aye, very good idea, Elmer,” Duff agreed.

  Some ten minutes later, with the five outlaw horses taken care of, all the rifles emptied, and spare ammunition taken, Duff and the others continued with their journey to Antelope Wells. The way south was more of a trail than a road. Heading out through the Mogollon Desert, it was filled with mesquite, creosote bushes, cholla and pear cactus, as well as a few scattered ponderosa pines.

  * * *

  When they made camp that night, they had traveled over sixty miles. The air was filled with the aroma of spitted rabbits roasting over the fire. Golden sparks from the fire rode the heat waves high into the sky, there to get lost among the brilliant scatter of stars.

  As they waited for their meal to be cooked, Meagan used the light of the fire to read more from the book that Duff had given her.

  “I thought you was finished with that book,” Elmer said.

  “I am, actually,” Meagan said. “I’m just looking for one of the passages I wanted to read again.”

  “What for would you want to read it again?” Elmer asked.

  “Because it is so beautifully written. Oh, here it is. Listen to this.” She began to read.

  Gideon was standing on a small overlook, looking down toward the Milvian Bridge, appraising the military situation. Spread out on the other side of the bridge for many rods in each direction, lay the army of Maxentius, one hundred thousand men, well armed and seasoned by battle. Dozens of colorful tents rose from the grounds across the river and flags and pennants fluttered from long poles, identifying the various legions.

  A constant cloud of dust hung over the area as horses and men moved about, shifting positions and preparing for battle. Often the clarion notes of trumpets could be heard, along with the beat of drums.

  Gideon had only twenty thousand men, and the contrast in the sizes of the two armies was dramatically evident now, as the two forces moved into position.

  Abandoning his position, Gideon returned to the others.

  “How many?” Phegamon asked.

  “‘Five times our number.’”

  “There are too many,” Nahman said.

  “We have something more powerful than mere numbers,” Gideon said. “We have the resolution of our purpose, the girding of honor, the approbation of our people, and the knowledge of our place in history. We will fight.”

  Meagan looked up, her eyes glowing golden by the light of the fire. “Oh, Duff, is that not beautiful? Is Charles McGregor not a wonderful writer?”

  Duff poked at the fire for a moment before he spoke again.

  “Aye, he is very good writer. He was also nearly my uncle. Or at least, my uncle-in-law.”

  “Yes, McGregor! I had not thought about it! Skye was his niece?” Meagan asked.

  “Aye.”

  Meagan knew about Skye McGregor, the woman Duff was to have married. Skye had been killed by an evil sheriff and his deputies, when she leaped out in front of Duff to prevent him from being shot.

  Duff killed the sheriff and all three deputies, and it was for that reason that he had come to the United States.

  Elmer and Wang also knew Duff’s sad tale, and they stared quietly into the fire to allow Duff time with his own thoughts.

  Meagan reached out to put her hand on Duff’s. “I think there was another reason why I wanted to read this particular passage. In a way, it mirrors the situation your friend McGregor now faces. I mean an army of such superior numbers. As he contemplates what lies before him, I wonder if he is remembering what he wrote.”

  “Looks to me like the rabbit’s about done,” Elmer said after a moment of silence. It was obvious that he was trying to change the subject. “That is, if the heathen didn’t ruin it when he cooked it.”

  “I do not wish
my friend to eat bad rabbit,” Wang said. “I will eat my rabbit and yours.”

  “No, now there ain’t no need for you to be a-doin’ nothin’ like that,” Elmer said quickly.

  Duff and Meagan laughed, their laughter breaking the moment of melancholy.

  “Looks to me like the heathen got you on that one, Elmer,” Meagan said.

  “Yeah, I reckon he did,” Elmer replied with a submissive smile as he reached for the rabbit.

  “Ladies first,” Wang said.

  “Who’s the heathen now?” Duff teased.

  * * *

  It was a chagrined and dispirited group of men who returned to Cottonwood Springs to report back to Schofield.

  “I trust you were successful in the job you were given,” Schofield said.

  “I, uh, that is we, uh, were surprised,” Lieutenant Mack said.

  “Surprised? I sent you out to perform a simple job,” Schofield said. “Your task was to eliminate Duff MacCallister. Are you telling me that you failed to do so?”

  “Yes, sir, but it wasn’t nearly as simple as we thought.” Mack had shed his civilian clothes and once more donned his uniform, thinking that by so doing, he would be able to salvage some degree of self-respect. “To begin with, he wasn’t alone. There were three others with him, and one of them was a Chinaman who isn’t like anyone I’ve ever seen before.”

  “There may well have been four of them, but there were five of you,” Schofield said. “And you are an officer. Don’t tell me that you are so insufficiently schooled in tactics that you were unable to use cover and concealment to set up an effective ambush.”

  “It’s not that. It was the Chinaman, I tell you. He sneaked up on us.”

  “He sneaked up on you? It was his one gun against your five?”

  “No, it was nothing like that. I mean, he didn’t even have a gun.”

  “Let me see if I understand this. One unarmed Chinaman managed to disrupt the ambush that you had established with five armed men. Have I got that right?”

  “I know that doesn’t sound good, but that’s the way it was.”

  Schofield reached up and jerked the shoulder boards off Mack’s uniform. “You are no longer an officer,” he said pointedly. “Keaton is now a private, and you will take his place as a sergeant, but I caution you, even your rank of sergeant is provisionary.”

  “Let me try again,” Mack pleaded. “We know he is going to Antelope Wells. I can sneak in and kill him. He won’t expect to see me there.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Schofield said. “In anticipation of your possible failure I have put into position a secondary plan. Two of our number are already in Antelope Wells, poised to act in the event MacCallister got by you. And since he did get by you, the plan will automatically go into effect.”

  * * *

  When Duff and the others first saw the irregular lumps of terrain ahead of them, they thought they were seeing only geological features. After all, the protrusions were the same color as the ground from which they had risen. But as they got closer, they realized that they were looking at buildings of adobe blocks made from the very ground upon which they were standing. They were approaching a village.

  * * *

  Antelope Wells was small, even when compared with the other small Western towns Duff had seen. But, because it was the first semblance of civilization he and his friends had seen in the last forty-eight hours, it was a welcome sight.

  As they rode down the main street they were the object of attention from the townspeople who happened to be outside. Because of the isolation of the town, visitors were quite rare.

  Just ahead of them they saw a sign that read O. D. CLAYTON LIVERY AND CORRAL and headed there to make arrangements for boarding their horses and mules.

  O. D. Clayton was a big man, at least six-feet-five-inches tall and weighing well over 250 pounds. He stepped out to greet them. “Looking for a place to board your critters, are you? Well, you’ve come to the right place.” He laughed. “Actually, you’ve come to the only place. How long are you going to be here?”

  “We don’t know,” Duff said.

  “Well, how about if you pay me for a week in advance, that way—”

  “O.D., there’s nae need for ye to be charging them anything, for ’tis the city that will be paying the toll,” said a very Scottish-sounding voice.

  Duff turned toward the speaker. “Sergeant Major Campbell!” With a broad smile, he extended his hand in greeting.

  “Aye, ’tis me in the flesh, Captain MacCallister. ’N ’tis good to see you again after all these many years,”

  The two men exchanged warm handshakes.

  “Sheriff, would you sign a marker for the stay?” Clayton asked.

  “Aye, Mister Clayton, ’tis glad I am to do so,” Campbell said as he signed the document presented to him.

  “Sheriff, is it?” Duff asked.

  “Aye,” Campbell replied. “Leftenant Colonel McGregor is the mayor, and ’tis high sheriff he made me.” He chuckled. “Oh course, some o’ the good citizens don’t quite take to the title of high sheriff, but ’tis already a sheriff the county has, so His Honor the mayor came up with the idea of high sheriff. Come. ’Tis near time for dinner, ’n the colonel will be inviting all of ye.”

  “All of us?” Elmer asked.

  “Sure ’n if you’re talking about the Chinese gentleman with ye, he’ll be the colonel’s guest just as all of ye will be. ’N if there is someone who would make an objection to that fact, he’ll have to settle with me.”

  “What do you think, Wang? The sheriff here called you a gentleman.” Elmer chuckled. “There’s always a first, I reckon.”

  “Yes, there is always a first, so you should not despair, Elmer. I am sure the time will come when you, too, will be called a gentleman,” Wang replied.

  Meagan laughed. “Elmer, I think Mr. Wang just scored a point with you.”

  “My word,” Campbell said in surprise. “Ye be a woman?”

  “’N would ye be for tellin’ me, Sergeant Major, is it blind ye have become?” Duff asked.

  “I beg your pardon, Miss, for nae taking notice of ye before now. ’Tis for sure had I looked more closely, I would have seen right away what a lovely young lass ye be.”

  Meagan chuckled. “Worry not, Sergeant Major, you have been redeemed by your golden tongue.”

  “Ah, Sergeant Major, ’tis a point ye have just proven for me, being that all we Scots have a golden tongue,” Duff said.

  “Duff, before we join your friends for dinner, could we check into the hotel so that I might clean away some of the dirt ’n grime, and put on clothes that are in more keeping with a lady?”

  “Come,” Campbell said. “I’ll make arrangements for your stay, ’n the city will be for paying your bill there as well.”

  “Sergeant Major, I dinnae want to cost the city so much money,” Duff said. “The invitation was for me, ’tis sure I am that the colonel is nae aware that I brought my friends with me.”

  “Under the circumstances, Captain, Leftenant Colonel McGregor will be so glad that you’re here that all will be welcome. Now, come with me ’n I’ll get ye checked in to the hotel.”

  The five walked the block down Cactus Street to a rather substantial-looking two-story building identified by a large sign painted across the false front—DUNN HOTEL. Sheriff Campbell was carrying Meagan’s carpetbag.

  “Warren?” Campbell called as they stepped into the lobby. “Warren, would ye be for presenting yourself behind your desk now? ’Tis some customers I’ve brought you.”

  The desk clerk came from a room just behind the front desk. “Customers, you say?” he responded with a wide grin. The grin disappeared when he saw Wang. “Uh, Sheriff, I don’t know if—”

  “You don’t know what?” Campbell replied, challenging Warren’s obvious reaction to Wang.

  “I mean . . .”

  “How many rooms will ye require, Captain?” Campbell asked, ignoring the hotel clerk’s p
rotestations.

  “Three.”

  “And a tub of hot water, if you please,” Meagan added.

  “The city will be paying for it,” Campbell said.

  “Yes, sir. Three rooms,” the clerk acquiesced.

  “And a tub of hot water,” Meagan said again.

  “Yes ma’am, and a tub of hot water.”

  Duff and the others were given three adjacent rooms on the second floor.

  Duff’s room was the first off the stairs. Meagan had the room next to his, and Elmer and Wang had the room on the other side of Meagan. All had a view of the street.

  Duff didn’t take a bath as Meagan did, but he did make generous use of the washbasin and pitcher of water that sat on the chest of drawers.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It was just under an hour after they had checked in when Sheriff Campbell, by prearrangement, met them in the lobby of the hotel. Meagan was wearing one of her finer dresses selected from her personal inventory at Meagan’s Dress Emporium.

  Campbell’s eyes widened at the sight of her. “I cannae believe that when I seen ye at the corral I dinnae ken at once that ye be a woman. ’N ’tis more than a woman, ’tis a woman of great beauty, ye be,” Campbell said.

  “Why, I thank you sir, for your most gracious words,” Meagan replied.

  Campbell led the four down the street until they reached a restaurant called Bear Tracks. Just before they stepped inside, however, someone came up to Campbell.

  “Sheriff, I was just visitin’ m’ friend Joe Bigby in your jail. He’s done his three days. How come it is that he ain’t out yet?”

  “Now, Cooper, ye know that as soon as I let him out the two of ye will just start drinkin’ again, ’n next time could be that both of ye will wind up in jail.”