Duster (9781310020889)

by Roderus, Frank

  "We'd just love to do that, boys, but we wasted too much time already. We'll be leaving tonight—the four of us."

  "We can't do that, mister. We got these horses to tend until morning, and then Mister Silas'll be here an' we can ask him."

  "I won't tell you again, boy. Any more talk an' I'll just ask Ben here to whale on you a bit until you're ready to come along. But I warn you, oncet old Ben starts on a beatin' he don't like to quit until his arm gets tired, and that does take awhile."

  Ben grinned and spat into what was left of the fire. Some of the spittle dribbled down into his beard, which was a lot longer than when I'd seen him before, and he didn't even wipe it off. Between that and his expression—all eager and mean—I like to got sick.

  "You seen me beat someone afore, ain't you, Josiah? 'Member that Mex'can woman down to Piedras Negras? She acted right once I'd got done with her, didn't she?"

  "He's right, kid. That woman acted real nice to Ben after he'd showed her he wouldn't take any trifling."

  "Yeah. 'Member how her face was kinda crooked after that 'cause of her jaw bein' broke? She looked funny after that, didn't she, Josiah?"

  Josiah looked at me with a trace of smile on his lips. "See what I mean, kid? Old Ben would even enjoy it—he's sorta odd that way, but useful."

  I didn't say anything more after that. Maybe I'm a coward or something ... but I didn't want to hear any more about that Mexican woman, and I didn't want Ben to hit me again. That first clout had been hard and I guess he wasn't even thinking about it much more than he'd think about swatting at a fly that lit on his arm.

  I looked over at Jesus, who hadn't said a word or moved a muscle since he woke me up. If I had been smart I would of acted the same as him instead of talking so much.

  Jesus, he just shrugged his shoulders a bit and started to gather our things together.

  It didn't take long to roll everything into a bundle that would tie behind a saddle. We hadn't much to speak of except my sack of presents and the soogan, a small spider and a few scraps of food that we'd been saving for breakfast. The presents and the spider went behind my saddle on the steeldust, and Jesus loaded the rest with his saddle on the grulla he'd come to favor.

  "At least you boys know how to act on the trail," Josiah said. "We'll let you handle the camp chores on the way, won't we, Ben?"

  I wanted to ask how far we were going and how long it would take but I didn't, I was that cowed by Ben. I knew the rest of our bunch would find the horses all right in the morning— they wouldn't wander off with the bell mare staked in place— and after they got over being mad they'd wait a day or even two but if we weren't back by then they'd have to head on home without us.

  Ma would be terrible fretful if the rest came home and told her we'd lit out from Rockport. I didn't want that to happen, but there wouldn't be anything else Mister Sam and the boys could think when we disappeared.

  And there wasn't much hope of us getting back before they left for home. Ben's talk about Piedras Negras had made me begin to suspect we might be in for quite a ride. That place was a long ways off on the other side of Maverick County across the river from Eagle Pass—twice as far as we'd come—and it would take a lot of riding to reach it if that was where we was going. Even without a herd to slow us up it would take a week or so just to get there.

  We still didn't know who this man was that wanted to talk to us, or what it was we could tell him when he did. Still, I wasn't going to ask again, not right away anyhow. Jesus's shrug had expressed things pretty good. There just wasn't anything for us to do but wait and see what happened when we got there.

  24

  IT WAS A good thing our horses had had a couple days to rest after we got into Rockport for we rode straight through the night, only stopping for a few hours toward dawn to let the animals roll and water while we fixed some breakfast out of the stuff Josiah and Ben had on a packhorse they was leading. Then we went right on until past noon before we stopped to make a proper camp and to let the horses rest up.

  That Josiah wasn't one you'd care to be friendly with, but I had to admit he knew how to get the most out of a horse without making it overtired. That first night and day, we must of gone sixty miles or more, until we were getting close to Beeville anyway, but the animals still had a lot left in them when we stopped.

  I'd been used to working horses around beeves, and that will pretty well use one up in a morning. I hadn't done any cross-country traveling before, but these fellows sure had, and it was amazing how much ground they covered without working up more than a good, healthy sweat on the horses.

  Mostly, we went at a brisk singlefoot, which will cover more territory than you might think, and then every once in a while, Josiah would pick it up to an easy lope that we'd hold for five or ten minutes. After that, every time, we'd have to get off and lead the horses for about the same amount of time that we had loped them—and then back into the saddle at that quick, shuffling walk.

  I couldn't say I was enjoying the experience, but I was paying attention and was learning a thing or two. And I was sure hoping I could put the knowledge to work soon to get me home the quickest way I could. I was still plenty worried about what Ma would think if we weren't back when the rest got there, and they would probably be back in McMullen County in a week's time. I was also some worried about what Mister Sam Silas would think of me. During the night, I'd remembered that the steeldust belonged to him even if I had started thinking of it as mine, and he would likely think me a thief when he found his horse gone, too. The only thing good about it was that Bill was holding my money. The family would get that, regardless.

  That whole while we was riding, I hadn't a chance to talk to Jesus, and I spent considerable time wondering what he was thinking about it all. Later, when we had ate, we had a chance to talk without Josiah or Ben hearing everything we might say.

  "Duster, I don't know about you, but I ain't real happy about all this."

  "That's just great...but what do we do about it?"

  Jesus shrugged his shoulders. "Wait, I guess."

  "I'd sure like to cut loose from these two."

  "You wanta get beat on by that Ben? I don't."

  "Me neither. I wish now I'd kept my mouth shut last night. Maybe they wouldn't of been so edgy, watching us all the time like they do."

  "It's too late to think about that now." He shook his head. "I try to set you a good example for how you oughta act aroun' strange gringos, but you don't pay me no mind. Anyhow, if I was going to go to wishing for something, it'd be for something worth having—like fifty mile between them an' us, or for that pistol you tried to talk me out of. If old man Hogan'd had some cheap pistols, we wouldn't be in such a bad fix now, I bet."

  "There's something I ought to own up to. Hogan did have some old guns stashed under the counter. We just figured you was too young an' innocent to be trusted with one of them."

  "Sometimes I think there's hope for you, Duster, but then I come back to my senses an' I realize just how dumb you really are. You a real gringo, boy."

  "I cain't deny it. Tomorrow maybe, but not right now."

  "What happens tomorrow?"

  "That's when we wake up and find we was having a bad dream."

  "Hokay. I'll keep that in mind. If it don't work out, though, I'll blame you."

  Well, it didn't happen. We turned in early, sharing my soogan, but Josiah and Ben was so close we didn't dare to whisper or we'd be heard, and neither one of us wanted to get them riled by our talking. Besides, we had nothing at all to say to them and not much to say between the two of us right then. We was both having a little trouble getting used to the idea.

  I guess Jesus and me both had the thought of staying awake until Josiah and Ben went to sleep, and then the two of us slipping off with the horses. That didn't happen either. For one thing, they took turns sitting up awake with the horses. For another, we both went to sleep after a spell, having been up riding most of the night before.

  One minute I
was laying there wrapped up in my soogan, listening to Ben scratch himself and spit from the tobacco he chewed. The next thing I knew, I was waking up with a boot toe thumping my side.

  "Get up, kid. We got a ways to go today."

  When I opened my eyes all I could see was Ben standing over me swinging his right foot back and forth with a slow, lazy motion. At the front of every swing, I got another thump from his boot.

  "I'm awake," I said real quick and proceeded to shake Jesus out too. Ben muttered something and walked off.

  Josiah was by the fire drinking steaming hot coffee out of a cup that had seen better days. He nodded toward a second cup lying on the ground. It was plain that it was Ben's cup and it was plenty dirty with old stains and fresh dirt where he'd thrown it down. There wasn't anything else to use and with no food in sight I correctly figured we weren't going to get any breakfast, so I wiped the cup out as best I could and filled it from the skillet they'd used to boil the coffee in.

  "Terrible, ain't it?" Josiah said. He seemed in a good mood anyway.

  He was right about the coffee, too. They hadn't dumped in any cold water to get the grounds to settle out, and there was a layer of oil globs floating on the surface from grease that lifted out of the skillet. It don't pay to use the same pan for cooking bacon and coffee. I took a swallow of it just to get something hot inside of me and handed the cup to Jesus.

  "Gracias, senor. You are mos' kind," Jesus told Josiah.

  "Sure, kid. And we don't aim to put you boys out, just have you talk with our boss like we told your friend here."

  "Of course, senor. We do no mind, eh? Ees no trouble. Bot we gots to hurry. I gots to meet my fren Senor Estrada soon."

  Josiah looked real serious. "Then you got no problem, kid. If you're a friend of Juan you got nothing to fret about."

  "Oh, si," Jesus said with a smile. "Him an me ees good fren. Soon I be beeg enuf to stay weeth him for a visit, yes?" He bore down hard on that word "visit" and got a big smile from Josiah.

  "You, kid," Josiah said pointing at me, "go see if Ben needs help with them critters."

  I did what I was told, even though Ben didn't need any help. Behind me I could see Josiah and Jesus talking together for quite a while.

  We rode hard again that day. All day. Josiah rode first, setting the pace. Then came me and Jesus with Ben close behind us. We was back in spiny thorn country now but not so thick as at home. We aimed further north than the way we had come out with the herd, and I began to suspect they were going to stay clear of McMullen County and the brush country even though it would of been quicker to go straight west if we was going toward Piedras Negras or any part of Mexico.

  We went quite a ways, near to Jourdanton, the county seat of Atascosa County. We knew about where we was at because Josiah mentioned it when we splashed through the shallow run that was the Atascosa River not far below its start. Straight south from there was where we had put the herd together at Three Rivers and where I had first seen Josiah and Ben. That seemed an awful long time ago, back when I could say and do as I pleased and didn't have to go along with a couple of fellows I really didn't want to be with.

  Once we crossed that river, I felt so I could hardly stand having to go with them anymore. It wasn't any distance down to the Frio, and home was on the Frio, thirty or maybe forty miles away at the most. If I rode at night I could be home for breakfast with Ma and the small fry. I could set down to table with them and have corn dodgers and buttermilk cool from the night air and maybe even some jowls sliced thin and fried up like bacon to celebrate my coming home.

  The more I thought on it, the more I wanted to go home so I could show off my new hat and tell them how it was working cattle on the trail and how much cash money Mister Sam Silas would be bringing along with the horses. And then most specially to take out the presents I had bought for them and to watch their faces when they saw what all was there.

  Those presents were in their sack, tied behind my saddle. And the steeldust was still pretty fresh under me thanks to Josiah's leading our pace and to my light weight.

  I wanted to go home...but I was afraid of Ben. He had hit me hard and didn't care a bit if he did it again. I knew that.

  In a way, I was even more afraid of Josiah because he was a lot smarter than Ben and was awful mean too. I thought about those things and I was scared, but I reminded myself that neither of them had really hurt us. They had talked a lot louder than they had acted. My thoughts spun faster and faster, about Ma and Ben and the ranch and the ride at night away from Rockport and Little Bo and Molly and Josiah and the sack of presents and the steeldust.

  The heck with it, I thought.

  I hauled hard left on the reins, kicked the steeldust good and hard, and let out a yell that picked him up from a slow walk to a dead run right now. Tired as he must of been after near a full day walking, that horse took just the littlest piece of a second to bunch its muscles and then it exploded, taking off like a whitetail being flushed out of some chaparral.

  I caught a glimpse of Ben's face as we flashed past. By the time me and the steeldust had turned all the way around and were moving good, Ben had started to be surprised. I practically could have touched Ben as we went by. His jaw had started to drop and he was beginning to straighten up in the saddle. Me, I was low in my saddle and stretching out with that steeldust every thrust of his legs.

  "Stop that kid." It was Josiah's voice but it seemed to float to me from way far away. The wind was already roaring in my ears from the speed of the horse. From that way far place I heard another shout, this one a high, sharp yell that I'd heard plenty of times in the month past, one I'd heard plenty from Jesus's side of the herd.

  The brush and rocks flew past me faster than I could see them. Right then, the whole of the world was thudding hooves and blurred earth flowing underneath my eyes as that wonderful horse went flat out and belly down.

  I yelled again. I couldn't help it. And I held my hat in my hand or it would of been blown off sure.

  My lungs filled with air that was clean and sweet and was forced down deeper than I thought breath could ever go. Between my knees, even through the leather of the saddle, I could feel the smooth working of the horse. There was an easy rhythm to his running, softer than I would have believed at such speed. It was almost a gentle motion, rocking from front to back. The rhythm changed from time to time. The rocking stopped when we sailed over stone or cactus clump. It slurred from one side to the next when we darted around an obstruction. With my head low on the steeldust's neck, I could feel his motion in the saddle horn pressing into my belly, but even that was gentle.

  Over the sounds of the wind in my ears and the rattling thud of iron shoes striking sand and stone I could hear an occasional hollow plop of noise behind me. At first I didn't know what it was, but then I realized. Back there somewheres, Ben or Josiah or both of them was shooting at me.

  It was odd when I realized what the noises were. I knew I should be more scared than I'd ever been before, but I wasn't. Not at first. At first I was just surprised. I had never really thought about somebody shooting at me and it was hard to believe. Then I was curious. I knew they were shooting at me but I didn't know where the bullets was going. That bothered me. I wanted to be able to see the bullets come past or at least hear them so I'd know where they were.

  Once I thought about those bullets and knew they were somewhere close by without me being able to see or hear them, I begun to get scared. If I couldn't see them, they could hit me and I couldn't duck out of their way. I couldn't know when one might hit or where, and my stomach began to freeze up. My back felt naked and I wished I could hide behind a rock, any place to get out of the way. If I did that, though, I'd have to stop and then they would catch me and shoot me.

  I heard one of the bullets then, and I hoped I'd never hear another. It was a terrible sound. It was like the awfulest hornet in the world, but fast. It went by with a buzzing hiss of sound that was gone almost before it came, but the memory of it
wouldn't leave my ears.

  I hunched closer against the steeldust's neck and wished I could be younger again than I was so I'd be smaller and harder to hit with one of those bullets.

  The race wasn't so gentle and easy now. The rhythm of the horse's running was no longer so smooth. His breathing was labored and his strides awkward. I could feel him starting to falter. He stumbled, caught himself and ran on. He stumbled again and tossed his head in an effort to stay up. The back of his neck hit me in the side of my face and I could feel the roughness of his mane scraping across my eyes. I remember thinking how silly it was to pay attention to something like that. Then we were falling and I was thrown clear as the horse tumbled forward and down. I clearly remember the sound of that beautiful steeldust's neck snapping as it struck the earth.

  I guess I blacked out for a few minutes. The next thing I knew, I was laying on the ground with Josiah kneeling beside me.

  "How d'ya feel, kid?" Josiah was smiling, but it was not a pleasant smile at all. "You're prob’ly wondering where ole Ben is, ain't you, kid? He's bringing your buddy back here. You been a naughty boy. You gave your buddy some bad ideas about running away from us, kid. Now, ole Ben's gonna be real mad with you."

  Josiah's eyes were bright, and I didn't like the look he was giving me. He seemed happy that Ben was coming back with Jesus. He seemed to be looking forward to what Ben would do.

  I turned cold all over. I'd heard of it happening, and now I knew what it meant. I thought I'd been scared before. A few minutes ago riding the steeldust in front of those bullets. Weeks ago, when the Mexican bandits caught us. But I hadn't been, really. Now, I popped out in little beads of sweat that felt like melting snow on my skin. I was afraid to try to move because I knew that if I tried I wouldn't be able to make my body work, and feeling it not work would be even worse than laying there knowing that it wouldn't.

  I think I cried some while Josiah knelt there beside me. That smile stayed on his face and he talked to me, soft and crooning like a mother talks to a baby.