by Andre Norton
10
"This waitin'--" Anse sat cross-legged on the bunk next to Drew's, histhumb spinning the rowel of one spur. "I never did take kindly to waitin'.Is he or ain't he gonna sign me on?"
Drew, lying flat, stared up at the muslin-covered ceiling which years ofdust had turned to yellow-brown. "You ought to be used to it bynow--waitin', I mean. We had us plenty of it in the army."
"Only that was sorta different, not kinda personal like this here. We wassittin' round on our heels then, waitin' for some general to make up hismind as to where he was gonna throw some lead fast. This is waitin' toknow if _we_'re goin' to be throwed--out!"
"I heard California----" Drew began again.
"You've sure taken a shine to Californy lately," Anse commented. Under hisfingers the rowel whirred. "At least you talk about it enough." He soundedirritated. "Looky here, Drew, if that's the way you really feel, why don'tyou go? I'm sayin' you don't feel that way, not by a long sight."
What if Drew answered with the exact truth, that he did not know how hefelt?
Nye came in, trailed by three of the other Rennie riders.
"Johnny's got him a hoss-size headache an' maybe so a pair of burnt ears.Th' Old Man musta lit into him hot an' heavy, chewed him out good. I'd saythey warn't even talkin' by th' time they pulled up here. Seems like th'kid got an idear to scout north, struck trace near th' Long Canyon, rodeth' sign on his own an' was bushwacked. Guess whoever did it thoughtJohnny was wolf meat, jus' took his hoss an' left him there. You gottagive th' kid credit for havin' it in him. He kept on goin' after he cameto some----Walked till that patrol picked him up. I'd say he sure had him arun of pure solid luck! There wasn't much pawin' an' bellerin' left in himwhen Muller's boys brought him to town. Been gittin' a little of it back,though, seems like. But maybe this here will learn him a little hosssense--"
"It was Kitchell's men who shot him?" Leon wanted to know.
"Could be. Warn't no Apaches, that's for certain. No Injun would have jus'shot him down an' not made sure he was crow bait. Sure a fool thing to do,ridin' there alone. Anyway, th' Old Man'll stick him into bed here, an'I'll bet you Johnny ain't gonna ride out anywhere without an eye onhim--not for a good long while."
"Long Canyon--" Perse Donally, one of the other Anglo riders, paused inshucking his shirt to look inquiringly over his shoulder. "That sure isoff th' trail th' kid was supposed to be followin'. How come he everdrifted that far north from th' wells round, anyway?"
"You ask him." Nye sat down on a bunk, flipped his hat away, and lay back."Sure feels good jus' to stretch out a mite," he observed. "Th' Old Man,he was movin' like he warn't on speakin' terms with th' law an' there wasa sheriff behind every rock. Usually he's calm as a hoss trough on a mildday. Johnny gittin' his hair cut with a slug sure shook Rennie up some,almost as much as it shook Johnny. As for th' kid ridin' north--well, I'dsay that was some more of his tryin' to make a real big brag. Maybe hethought he could run down Kitchell all by hisself. Which is jus' about asstraight thinkin' as kickin' a loaded polecat on th' tail end. ButJohnny's always been like that. Do it now, think 'bout it later. Got himinto more scrapes 'n I can count me on both hands. Hope th' Old Man givesit to him this time, hot an' heavy, both barrels plumb center!"
"_Si_, it is true that Juanito looks for trouble." Chino Herrera rolled acornshuck cigarette with precise, delicate twists of his fingers. "He is_el chivato_--the young billy goat--that one. Ready to take on _el toro_himself and lock horns. Such a one learns from knocks, not from warningwords. But he is yet a boy. Give him time."
"He'd better give himself some time," Nye announced. "Next time it may bein th' head, not 'longside it, that he gits his lead. See you got back inone piece, you two fightin' wildcats," Nye said, grinning at Drew andAnse. "Nothin' like tryin' to take on th' army--two to one--with th' armyhavin' th' advantage. That eye's fadin' good, Drew, only two colors now,ain't it?"
Drew grunted and Nye laughed. "Bet th' captain is as techy as a teasedsnake every time he thinks 'bout you two. Wanted to have you all corrallednice an' neat out to th' camp where he could use his hooks an' make atleast three ride mounts outta you. I'd walk soft near him for a while, oryou'll have about as much chance as hens amblin' into a coyote powwow."
"Don't look like they was so tough they had to sneak up on th' dipper totake a drink, do they now?" Donally asked of the room at large.
"Don't never judge no hoss by his coat an' curryin'," Anse retorted.
"I don't, son. I never do," Nye replied. "As far as I'm concerned, you'reboth so wild they have to tie a foot up when they give you a haircut.Only, that sort of rep don't go down good with th' Old Man."
"We figured it might not," Drew agreed. Nye's warning was only anotherconfirmation of Drew's fears. Topham, Nye, all the rest, had made it onlytoo plain: no trouble on the Range and no troublemakers.
He gathered up clean underrigging, another shirt. If Rennie did order himup to the big house for firing, Drew was not going to meet him stinking ofhorse and sweat. In the stream back of the water corral there was abathing place, and chilly as it was, Drew intended to take advantage ofit.