Gold on the Hoof

by Peter Grant

“Yes, I do, señor, and I have that much available, in gold.”

  The old man and his daughter stared at him, speechless, as if he were some sort of heavenly apparition appearing before them. There was a long silence.

  Walt noticed that Nastas was looking at him, an appealing expression on his face. He grinned. “Amigo, you said that horses were real wealth, rather than money. Do you think ten of those breeding mares out there, plus one of the stallions, would make you rich?”

  “Yes! A thousand times yes! They’ll improve the bloodline of my herd so much that I hardly know how to say it.”

  “Then you may take your pick of them, once we get them safely back across the border. You’ve more than earned them, by helping me get here.”

  Nastas nodded solemnly, unable to speak, but the gleam in his eyes said it all. He held out his hand, and Walt shook it firmly.

  Don Thomas managed to say, “And my people? How will you get them, and the horses, safely over the border?”

  “I think we’ll manage that easily enough. Do you have someone who can ride fast and hard for Monclova? I need to get a message there as quickly as possible.”

  Colleen said, “There’s Felipe. He’s the youngest of our men, and a good rider. We can give him extra horses, to ride relay. It’s about sixty miles from here, so he can do it in a day if he has to, provided the horses are given time to recover afterwards.”

  “Very good. We’ll send him off first thing in the morning. I’ll send a message to a friend of mine, who’s holding my other men in Monclova waiting for me. I’ll have him hire trustworthy men there, and send them here to protect you while you pack up your goods and prepare for the journey. I’ll also have him buy wagons and teams, one for each family of your workers, and as many as you need for yourselves, and send them up.”

  Colleen shook her head. “The bandidos will shoot Felipe rather than let him pass.”

  “Oh, no, they won’t. You’re going to tell us where they are, then Nastas and I are going to pay them a little visit after sunset. He and I will stay on here for a few days until my friend’s men get here, just in case more bandidos arrive.”

  Nastas laughed. “Oh, it is good to be with you, my friend! Two fights in two days! My warriors will be so envious when I tell them!”

  Colleen and her father stood on the porch of the estancia, staring out into the gloom of evening, straining their eyes and ears for any sign of activity. She shivered, pulling her mantilla around her shoulders. “Do… do you think they can do it, Papa?”

  “That young man’s a fighter, and so is that Navajo friend of his. I could see it in the way they move. I reckon those bandidos aren’t going to know what hit them.”

  “But he has only one hand. How…?”

  “Yes, but he’s still a fighting man. They say there are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous people. Well, two hands or one, he’ll be a dangerous man to his foes. I’ve seen his kind before.”

  “Then… is he safe, do you think? To be around, I mean.”

  “Oh, yes, I think so. The only people who won’t be safe around him are those who choose to make him their enemy.”

  “He told me about his wife being killed, and how he hunted down those responsible. There was something in his voice… it chilled me.”

  “Don’t fear that side of him, my daughter. I have it too, or had it when I was younger and stronger. You weren’t there to know me back then, but I think I see something of my younger self in that man. I like him.”

  “And he’s rich! To be able – not to mention willing – to spend almost twelve thousand dollars on horses, wagons and mules, plus wages for fighting men…!”

  “He may be the answer to our prayers, Colleen. I’ll be certain to thank the Blessed Virgin tonight, for sending him our way.”

  He glanced at his daughter. I think he has an eye for you, too, my girl, he thought to himself. If you return his interest, I’ll not be displeased. I think, for the first time, you may have met a man strong enough to match you, and not be dominated by you. He may be just what you need.

  Suddenly gunfire broke out in the distance, a rapid tattoo of explosions. A few faint winks of muzzle-flash could be seen in the dusk.

  “Is that them?” Colleen exclaimed, clutching her father’s arm.

  “I think so. I daresay our bandidos just met their match,” he replied, smiling broadly. “Be quiet, now, and listen.”

  They waited. The gunfire died down, and there was silence for a moment; then three more shots rang out, spaced evenly.

  “That’s the signal! They’ve done it!” he enthused.

  “But are they all right?” she asked, real concern in her voice.

  “We’ll find out when they get back.”

  They stood in silence, waiting, for almost fifteen minutes, until they heard the faint clip-clop of approaching hooves. Colleen said, voice trembling, “Is that them? They left on foot!”

  “Yes, but the bandidos had horses. I daresay they borrowed a couple of them.”

  Sure enough, Walt and Nastas appeared at the gate, and rode inside. They held Winchester rifles in the crooks of their arms, and drove four horses ahead of their mounts. Walt waved cheerfully as they approached.

  “It’s over,” he said as they swung down from their saddles. “There were six of them, as you said.” He gestured to the gunbelts slung over the saddles of the four horses they’d driven, and the rifles in the six saddle boots. “We brought their guns back, in case your men need them, and their horses, too, since we’ll need them as remounts. We’ll go out with a wagon in the morning to collect their bedrolls and other gear, and bury the bodies.”

  Don Thomas asked, “How did it go?”

  “They were gathered around their camp fire, staring into the flames. That destroyed their night vision. Nastas and I shot the first two before they knew we were there, and the second two while they were still grabbing for their guns. That left only two more, and they were night-blind, so they couldn’t see clearly to shoot at us. They didn’t last long.”

  Colleen laughed aloud with relief. “So Felipe can head out at dawn?”

  “He sure can. I’ll write that letter now.”

  Walt and Nastas stayed at the estancia for three more days. No more bandidos appeared to replace those they had shot, but that didn’t surprise Don Thomas. “They usually switch them out at weekends,” he explained. “Those had only just arrived.”

  “Well, by the time their replacements get here, they’ll find a lot more waiting for them than they bargained for,” Walt retorted with a grin.

  He spent as much time as he could with Colleen during those days. She invited him to accompany her for rides around the estancia, to show him its boundaries and how they had divided the horses among its pastures. He accepted with alacrity, not noticing the grins on the faces of Don Thomas and Nastas. They were in no doubt about what was happening.

  Each evening after supper, Walt escorted Colleen for a walk in the twilight. She took the opportunity to speak English while they were alone, rather than the Spanish that was the lingua franca around the estancia. They talked about their respective childhoods, growing up in Tennessee and Mexico; what they had done in their lives so far; and what they hoped to do. She explained that after her father had suffered a heart attack, five years before, she’d taken over the running of the ranch, and since then had served as its business manager.

  “My wife did much the same for me, although not because of illness,” Walt told her. “Rose was a schoolteacher before we married. She kept the books and looked after the paperwork in a gun store we owned in Kansas. When I started the transport business in Colorado, she helped Samson, my depot manager, learn his way around it, and helped keep the books as well. When I was out with a wagon train, or hunting up business, she managed things in my absence. She was my strong right arm, and I’ve missed her help more than words can say. I’ve hired a manager to do a lot of what I used to do before I started the ranch, and he’s very good, but it’s not
the same as having a wife to help me. I knew Rose so well, I could tell what she would think or do without her having to tell me, and she could do the same with me. That sort of shared trust was worth gold to both of us.”

  “She sounds like a very special woman.” Colleen’s voice was wistful.

  “I think she was. It… it hurts more than I can say to know that I may be partly to blame for getting her killed.”

  Colleen slammed to a halt, staring at him. “What do you mean?”

  Walt explained about hanging four horse thieves who’d killed one of his men. “It had to be done. That’s the way it is in the west; if you don’t stand up for yourself, if you don’t show strength, all the other bad men out there will be on you like wolves after a weak, sick deer.”

  She nodded. “It’s that way here, too.”

  “Yes, but I also went after the man who’d sent those thieves. One of those I hanged was his son. I ended up burning down his house, to teach him a lesson. Trouble is, that pushed him over the edge. He wanted revenge so bad that, when he found out who’d done it, he came after me. Rose was killed when he attacked me. I’ve always blamed myself for that. If I hadn’t hanged them, and gone after him, she might still be alive.”

  Colleen sighed. “Yes… but if you hadn’t done that, you’d have made yourself a target for many more thieves. I don’t see what else you could have done.”

  “Neither do I, but it still tears at me sometimes. I guess I’ll just have to try to do better, and think more clearly, if I get another chance at happiness.”

  “I think the right woman will understand,” she assured him, her eyes glowing softly.

  He longed to kiss her, but forced himself to hold back. It was too soon. Take your time, he commanded himself sternly. Let this grow at its own pace. Don’t rush her.

  Late in the afternoon of the third day, the watchman in the tower rang his bell. “There is a party of men approaching fast,” he called down. “There must be at least ten of them, maybe more.”

  Walt ran up the ladder, to take a look through his spyglass. “Relax,” he called down. “It’s Tyler Reese, and he’s brought the men I asked for.”

  He hurried down, and was standing with Don Thomas, Colleen and Nastas on the porch by the time the new arrivals cantered through the gate and drew up in a long line before them. Tyler jumped down from his horse, doffed his hat to Don Thomas and Colleen with a flourish, and said to Walt, “I’ve brought the first of the men you asked for. More will come next week, with the wagons I ordered for you.”

  “Great!” Walt shook his hand enthusiastically. “Thanks for coming through for us.” He introduced Tyler to Don Thomas and his daughter. “How did you find the men so quickly? They look good, a lot cleaner and better equipped than the bandidos we’ve seen so far.”

  “I remembered what you said about the Guardia Rural. They’ve got a regional headquarters in Monclova, so I went to see the Comandante and asked him to help me find good, reliable, trustworthy fighting men to deal with a bandido problem on an estancia up here. He was happy to help, and offered me one of his sergeants to represent the Guardia. I agreed, o’ course, and promised the sergeant that we’d pay him in gold for his help. I bought some extra horses, too, so we could ride relay. We covered the sixty miles from Monclova in sixteen hours, starting before dawn today.”

  “You couldn’t have done better. What about the wagons?”

  “I’ve brought eleven men with me; nine local hired gun hands, my segundo, Tom Dixon, and the Guardia sergeant. Tom will be in charge of the men while you and I are gone. I’ve hired another eight men, and ordered a dozen six-mule wagons for you, as you asked, with their teams. They’ll come from Monterrey. As soon as they reach Monclova, the eight men will escort them here, to make sure they arrive safely. Tom will pay them, then they can escort the wagons’ delivery drivers back to Monclova. He’ll stay on with his ten men until we arrive with the horses, to take everyone with us.”

  “You’ve gone to a great deal of trouble for us, señor,” Colleen said with a smile. “We are grateful.”

  “Indeed we are,” Don Thomas agreed. “I’ll have to send one or two wagons to nearby towns to buy supplies to feed you all, but with so many men on hand, I’m sure an escort won’t be hard to arrange.”

  “No, it won’t, sir,” Tyler assured him. “They’ll probably be hoping the bandidos try to interfere, so they can earn their pay!”

  That evening, they made plans. Don Thomas agreed that everyone and everything would be packed and ready to go by the fifteenth of March. Walt would bring the last part of the horse herd to the ranch, stopping for a day or two to allow the horses to rest and eat their fill while last-minute packing and organizing took place; then everyone would travel to the border together. From there, they would head for Fort Clark, then on to El Paso, and then to Colorado.

  “It’ll be a very long, tough journey,” he warned them. “We’ll move pretty slowly, to spare the horses. At twenty miles a day, that means we’ll be on the trail for at least two months. Will everyone be able to stand the pace?”

  “We’ll have to, won’t we?” Don Thomas growled. “It won’t be the first long journey any of us have made. I long ago converted one of our celerity wagons into a bedwagon for my wife and myself, and later for our daughter too. We’ll be comfortable in that. I’ll get it overhauled and the wheel hubs greased.”

  “I reckon so,” Walt agreed. “Rose and I converted a Rucker ambulance in the same way. We’ll take oats with us, too, to feed to the working horses and mules, to keep their strength up. They’re going to need it.”

  After supper, Walt followed Don Thomas and Colleen to the office. Together they counted out, from the gold Walt had recovered on the mountain, four hundred and sixty-nine twenty-dollar double eagle coins, the purchase price of Don Thomas’ entire breeding herd. Walt added another three hundred dollars, fifteen coins, for the working horses.

  Colleen stared at the piles of gold coins on the desk, twenty to a stack. “That’s more money than I’ve ever seen in my entire life! Papa, does that mean we’re rich?”

  “We were always horse-rich and cash-poor, daughter. Now it’s the other way around, thanks to this man. This will secure our future, and yours after I’m gone.” He looked at Walt. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this. You’ve given us all a new beginning.”

  “It’s all still to do,” Walt warned. “Let’s get you over the border into America first, and then all the way up to Colorado.”

  “As you say, but I think we’ve made a very good start. We’ll make sure to be ready for you when you return.”

  Walt was struck by a sudden thought. “You’ll be bringing that cannon with you, won’t you?”

  “Yes, we’ll break it down and load it on a wagon. Why do you ask?”

  “If you were going to leave it, I’d have bought it from you. The idea of a personal cannon appeals to me.”

  Don Thomas grinned. “Perhaps I’ll give it to you as a gift, for a suitable occasion.” It wasn’t hard to guess what occasion he was implying. He’d openly approved of Colleen and Walt spending time together.

  Colleen went for a last walk with Walt that night, after everyone else had finished talking and was preparing for bed. They paced slowly in silence beneath the moonlight. At last she sighed. “I’m going to miss this place,” she said slowly. “I mean… I’m very grateful to you for helping us out of our present trouble, and I’m looking forward to a new and much brighter future, but… my mother is buried in the churchyard at Rancherias. Papa says we should leave her there, in a place she knew and loved, with our friends around her, but… it feels like abandoning her. Besides, Papa bought a double grave plot. He always intended to be buried alongside her. If he goes to America, he probably won’t be.”

  Walt sighed. “I understand. It’s hard to break ties like that; but, if you stayed, you might have no future. I think your mother would prefer you to have a better one.”

  “Oh, of course
! She’d be the first to tell me to seize opportunity when it came knocking. That’s what she did when she married Papa. She left everything and everyone for him, and never looked back. They were very happy together.” She smiled. “Speaking of missing things, I’ve already grown accustomed to walking with you like this in the evenings. I’m going to miss it… and you.”

  Walt said softly, “I’m going to miss you, too, very much.”

  She turned her head to look up at him. Very gently, he bent and kissed her lips. She pressed hers against his, closed her eyes, and leaned into him for an endless moment as his hand pulled her gently to him and hugged her shoulders. Her arm stole around his waist, and tightened.

  As he straightened up, she opened her eyes and said mischievously, “We’ve only done that once, but already I know I’m going to miss it as much as I’ll miss you!”

  He laughed. “When I come back, dare I hope for another?”

  “You’ll just have to hurry back and see, won’t you?”

  “You can count on that.”

  11

  The men Tyler had left in Monclova greeted their return with enthusiasm, and exclaimed in frustration at having missed two fights with bandidos. “Dang, boss, you’re hoggin’ all the fun to yourself!” one of Walt’s ranch hands complained, to a chorus of agreement. “How about savin’ some of ’em for us next time?”

  “I daresay they won’t be the last we’ll run into down here,” Walt reassured him.

  They rested for another day to let Walt, Nastas and Tyler get over the sixty-mile journey from the estancia, which they’d covered in just one day, riding relay. Walt took the opportunity to visit the regional headquarters of the Guardia Rural, where he handed in the statements from the alcalde and citizens of Nueva Rosita and described what had happened there. He didn’t bother mentioning his second encounter with the bandidos in the horseshoe valley.

  “You acted correctly, señor,” the Comandante assured him after reading them. “Thank you for exercising restraint, and not shooting. In such a crowd, that would have been very dangerous. Your bullets might have passed through the bandidos and hit innocent people. I understand you had more problems with bandidos at the estancia of Don Thomas O’Halloran? Your compatriot, Señor Reese, mentioned that when asking for my assistance.”