by Jack Martin
‘What they doing?’ Em whispered.
‘Beats me,’ Cole said.
He tried to make out the men’s features but they were too far away. He could just make out the dark complexion of the taller of the two and his long black hair, brushed back and hanging in a tail from the back of his Stetson. Cole felt there was something familiar about him, like he knew him from sometime back. He tried to recall but the memory wouldn’t come, he such a lot of life to sift through and for the moment it escaped him.
‘Come on, come on,’ Em whispered as he watched the two men. They seemed to be considering which trail to take up into the mountains.
‘Don’t look good,’ Cole said and froze as the taller of the two men turned and looked in their direction.
Cole felt his heart miss a beat and for one awful moment he felt that the man had seen them and that his eyes had burned into his soul. But then the man turned away and knelt to examine the ground.
‘He knows. ‘Em said. ‘He knows we ain’t even up there.’
‘We didn’t have time to wipe our tracks,’ Cole said. He shared the old man’s anguish but the eternal optimist inside him was hoping the two men would suddenly develop myopia.
It was looking more and more like the men had not been fooled and wouldn’t bother going up into the mountains in search of them.
Cole clenched his fists and prayed silently beneath his breath.
Em cocked his rifle, sending a bullet into the breach. He was about to take aim, ready to fire as soon as the men came into range. If the man came towards them Em figured on taking at least one of them out before they knew what was happening but Cole motioned to lower the rifle.
With a frown Em did so.
‘Move back quietly but quickly,’ Cole said. ‘Let’s get out of here. Let’s put some distance between us.’
‘I think they’ll follow,’ Em said.
‘Maybe,’ Cole replied. ‘That’s a chance we’ll have to take.’
He took another look at the men and they appeared to be deep in conversation, seemingly discussing the route to take up into the mountains. Who were these men?
The slid backwards and then moved down the banking and went into the thicket. Moving as quickly as they could back to their horses, but taking care not to make too much sound. It was unlikely that the men would hear them but neither wanted to chance it.
They reached their horses and mounted up and then after a quick glance over his shoulder, Cole set the pace and took his horse forward at a steady trot. He wanted to get some more distance between them and the men before gaining speed.
The sound of a galloping horse could travel a fair ways in country like this.
‘Guess we lost them after all,’ Em said, looking back.
They had covered perhaps a mile and there was no sign of the men behind them. Thinking the men must have gone up in the mountains after all, the old man started to feel a little easier. He patted the roan’s neck.
‘Now we just got to worry about coming across the others,’ Cole said. Em nodded. ‘Sure is curious them two being alone. Maybe they scouted on ahead and left the others at their camp.’
Cole had already considered that but it didn’t seem likely. ‘Can’t see no sense in that,’ he said.
‘I think the most deadly ones are the two we just left behind in any case,’ Em said. ‘Sam Bowden’s nothing to fear and the rest of them are hired hands’ Cowboys, nothing more. Doubt if many of them could shoot any straighter than a temperance woman with eye glasses.’
‘Still pays to be cautious.’ Cole took his tobacco from his saddlebags and grabbed his pipe out of his shirt. He thumbed the Durham into the bowl and brought a match to the pipe.
Cole figured they needed to travel another ten miles before crossing the river and setting camp for the night. They’d need to be on the move again just after first light if they were to meet the stage before it got to Squaw. There was still enough time to ride straight into trouble if they didn’t take care.
Cole knew he’d be fine to ride through the night but he wasn’t too sure of Em. The old man had already had a hard ride getting here and although he’d not complain the pace must have been taking its toll on him. And of course stumbling about after dark would be a sure way to walk right into the rest of the posse. No travelling after dark was not really an option.
‘It’ll all be over soon enough,’ Cole said.
‘Amen to that,’ Em said and then added with a toothless grin: ‘Let’s hope we’re alive to see it.’
‘Can’t even think otherwise,’ Cole said. ‘I’ve gone too far with this thing to take a bullet now.’
‘Going into town with the stage is just as likely to get you killed,’ Em said.
‘No,’ Cole shook his head and puffed hard at his pipe to remove a piece of tobacco that was blocking the stem. ‘As soon as Clem Bowden sees the judge he’ll have to end it all. He’ll have to let his son take his chances against the law. Clem Bowden’s an evil son-of-a-bitch but he’s no fool.’
‘His son’s sheriff,’ Em reminded him. ‘That might carry some weight with the judge.’
‘The Judge will see through all that,’ Cole said. ‘I think he’ll believe my story. As long as I get to him before Clem has a chance to sully the water. And I’m banking on a few of the town’s folk speaking up once they see the way things are going.’
‘Not much hope of them cowards speaking,’ Em said. ‘It’d be more likely for the Lord to swoop down and take out the Bowdens’ himself.’
‘We’ll see,’ Cole said. ‘We’ll see.’ He puffed on the pipe and then speeded the horse up slightly, feeling less on edge now.
‘Don’t matter,’ Em said. ‘First we got to get away from this darned posse. Everything else will have to take its course.’
‘So far so good,’ Cole said and then wished he hadn’t as he heard the sound of galloping horses behind them.
They looked at each other in stunned disbelief and then behind them. They both turned in the saddle and then looked at each other.
Sure enough the riders were coming, horses galloping like the wind.
‘Shit,’ Em said and let off a wild shot at the men. Not aimed, fired from the back of a moving horse, the bullet went all to hell.
The two men ignored the shot and kept coming at the same relentless speed.
‘Who are these men?’ Cole asked as he kicked his own horse into a gallop.
Chapter Eighteen
They were gaining on them and Cole chanced a shot.
He knew he had little chance of hitting them but he was hoping to slow them down, send them scrambling for cover. Even a split second gained meant all the difference but the shot went far wide and the men continued to come without the slightest pause.
Cole tried to coax more speed out of his horse and he looked across at Em on the old roan. He was keeping up thus far but the horse would soon run out of steam and he wouldn’t be able to ride on without the old man. There was no other thing for it, there was no longer any choice in the matter. They would have to stop and make a fight of it and Cole cursed his decision to leave the mountains. Maybe he should have stayed put and picked the men off as they approached. It was academic now since very soon the man would be upon them.
Then it would become a very simple case of fight or die.
‘Not too far ahead,’ Cole shouted. ‘There’s some cover. We’ll stand and fight there.’
Em waved a hand to say he understood and went about the difficult task of keeping himself upon his galloping horse. The wind hit his face and lifted his hat from his head, sending it spinning off into the air behind them.
They rounded a corner and Cole’s horse almost stumbled but managed to regain its balance without toppling itself or its rider. Again Cole let off a wild shot behind him. The riders were now in range and gaining on them, slowing them down for even a split second mattered more than ever. They needed to get enough time to get under cover before fighting the riders.
&nb
sp; ‘Come on,’ Cole yelled and spurred his horse harder than he ever had before which did little to gain more speed. ‘The next Corner,’ he yelled. ‘Get down behind whatever cover you can find.’
‘Sure,’ Em said and felt his stomach lurch as the roan somehow picked up more speed and nosed in front of Cole’s far superior stallion.
‘That damn horse’s possessed,’ Cole said but he wasn’t sure if the old man had heard him.
Suddenly Cole pulled his horse to a sudden stop and turned firing both Colts, while the old man dismounted and placed himself behind a large rock. That slowed the two riders and Cole used the opportunity to get behind a rock himself and reload his weapons. He looked to his left and saw Em was already up, firing his rifle at the men causing them to dive for cover themselves.
Em whooped in delight. ‘Come on you varmints,’ he yelled. ‘Pop those heads up and I’ll fire them clean off.’
‘Wait till you’ve got a clear target to shoot,’ Cole said he peered out from behind the rock but had to immediately duck back down when a bullet struck the rock barely inches from his face. He saw sparks and heard it whine off harmlessly into the undergrowth.
That had been too close for comfort.
Suddenly both men stood up at once and fired their rifles. Neither Cole nor Em realized what was happening, as the shots seemed to travel wide of both of them. They kept their heads down while the furious onslaught of lead continued. The two men seemed to be wasting their ammunition and hoping for a lucky hit but when Cole turned he saw that the men had indeed hit what they had been aiming for. The cold, calculating bastards.
Cole’s horse had taken a bullet in the neck and it was jumping about wildly, pulling at its reins while blood turned its thick coat a sickly black. Em’s horse was down on the ground, dead, having taken a remarkably aimed shot right between the eyes. It would have died instantly and not known what had hit it. The other horse wasn’t so fortunate and it kicked and bucked in pain.
‘Bastards,’ Em shouted and stood up, sending lead every which way. ‘You killed my horse, you bastards.’
Cole had to break cover and dive onto the old man pinning him to the ground. He lay there and watched his own horse weaken from the blood loss and slump down on its front legs. It was a pitiful sight and the horse’s eyes seemed to be imploring its owner to help as its life force drained from it. Cole would have shot it, finished it off but he couldn’t afford the ammunition. Not the way things were going.
‘They killed my horse,’ Em protested. ‘What did they want to go and do that for?’
They both knew why they had taken the horses out though. They had cut them off, there was no escape, and the men seemed confident that they would prove victorious in this fight. At the moment it was stalemate—neither side could make a move without the other gunning them down. The two men may have all the time in the world, be able to wait this out but Cole didn’t.
Now there was no doubt, if indeed there ever had been, that these men were professional killers. They operated with the cold efficiency of men used to killing, men who had much experience with guns and felt no emotion whether gunning down man or animal.
‘Keep your head,’ Cole said. ‘These men will make the best of any chance they get.’
‘Bastards,’ Em said looking back at the fallen roan. He wiped the back of his hand across his face and seemed close to breaking down. ‘I’ll get them, girl,’ he said to the fallen horse. ‘Don’t you worry any about that.’
Cole shook his head and turned to peer out from the side of the rock but both men were laying there, rifles sighted in their direction, patiently waiting for a clear shot. They were not about to make any reckless moves and seemed content to wait them out.
They weren’t going to waste any ammunition.
‘Who are you?’ Cole shouted, thinking that building up a dialogue was the best chance he had until an opportunity to put a slug into either of the men presented itself.
Cole’s words were greeted with silence, though and he shouted again: ‘What do you want?’
Again nothing but silence.
‘Answer him you cowardly horse killers,’ Em shouted.
Again silence but then one of the men spoke up.
‘We want you, Masters.’
‘Do I know you?’ Cole shouted back and shrugged his shoulders. He considered jumping up, trying to take them by surprise but decided against it. These men were expert shots. There were times when suddenly rushing an opponent was a good strategy but this was not one of those times.
‘We want Cole Masters for the brutal murder of the sheriff of Squaw.’ It was the same voice, a cold guttural drawl.
‘Who are you?’ Cole shouted, frantically trying to think of something, anything that would help their situation. He noticed that his own horse now lay still on the ground, not quite dead, it’s breathing was ragged, but not too far off. Before long it would be out of its pain forever.
‘You working for Clem Bowden?’ Cole shouted back as his eyes scanned their surroundings. There was little cover each side of them and to move they had to go out in to the open, which was not really an option.
‘We’ve been deputized by the sheriff,’ came the reply. Again it was the same voice while the other man remained silent.
‘Sam Bowden,’ Cole yelled. ‘Is a worthless piece of horse shit.’
‘That’s as maybe,’ came the reply. ‘But he wears the badge of office. Makes him the sheriff no matter what kind of man he is.’
‘Who are you?’ Cole yelled back. He tried to peer around the rock to see if he had a clear shot but both men were hidden behind the bank. Only the muzzles of their rifles were visible.
‘Name’s don’t matter.’
‘To Hell they don’t,’ Cole said and jumped up and let off three shots before ducking back behind the rock and crouching while a hail of gunfire sent sparks from the rock.
Cole had been hoping for a lucky shot, to catch one of them before they could react, but it was no surprise when it didn’t work. It had been the slimmest of slim chances in any case so the outcome was no surprise to either of them. He supposed he should consider himself lucky that he had made it back behind the cover of the rock without getting his own fool head blown off.
‘That’s sure waiting for a target,’ Em said and took a shot himself.
He spun around and fired from the side of the rock but his bullet spat up soil as it buried itself into the ground.
It was a stalemate and all there was to do was wait each other out. Cole was aware that this situation could go on indefinitely. The two gunmen would no doubt have the patience to sit it out but he didn’t have time to waste. And now that they were without horses escape, even if it was possible, was not an option. Things had to be brought to a head.
They had to either kill or incapacitate the men and take their horses. Cole guessed the former since men such as these would go down fighting.
‘They should hang folk for killing horses like that,’ Em said. He kept glancing at the roan. Cole’s horse lay beside it and it was clear that it too had died. ‘Bastard,’ he muttered under his breath.
‘We’ve got to get out of here,’ Cole said.
‘Any ideas?’
‘Other than running and hoping for the best,’ Cole said with a wry smile, ‘No. None.’
‘What do you think of our chances of rushing them?’ Em asked. He had been in similar situations as this before and the tactic, as risky as it was, did often work. Trouble was when it didn’t the results were usually fatal.
‘I’ve already considered that and there’s no chance,’ Cole said. ‘I’d prefer it if they tried to rush us.’
‘Which they won’t.’
‘No,’ Cole agreed. ‘And for the same reasons as we won’t try it on them.’
Cole recoiled as a bullet tore into the ground only inches from his left boot. He rolled on his stomach and shot back but again there was no target to hit.
‘You shoot,’ Em said. ‘And get
back down quickly. As soon as one of them comes up to fire back I’ll get him.’ The old man slid across to the edge of the large rock and peered around it. ‘I’ve got a clear site on where they are. Just need them to pop their heads up.’
Cole nodded and reloaded both of his pistols.
Cole said a silent prayer and made the sign of the cross before leaping and firing several shots from each of the Colts. He saw one of the men come up for a shot back and then he saw the man double up as Em’s Spencer struck home.
‘Boyd,’ the other gunman shouted out like a wild animal, a blood chilling wail and broke cover himself, swinging the evil eye of his rifle towards the old man. He pumped the action like a madman, sending red hot lead screaming towards Em.
‘I’ve got him!’ Em shouted. ‘I’ve got the son-of-a-bitch.’
Em moved back towards the rock but he was careless in his elation and he was spun around as Boyd sent a slug into his leg. Em yelled in pain and reached for the leg but another bullet found his stomach, lifting him and hurling him backwards as the bullet tore through his internal organs. He hit the ground hard, blood seeping from between his fingers as he clutched at the gut wound.
‘I’ve been shot,’ Em groaned and looked down at his wound and at that moment he knew that he was already dead and that all that remained was the dying. ‘I’ve been killed.’
‘No,’ Cole shouted and broke cover, running to the old man. He saw the remaining gunman pop up and sight his rifle. Almost immediately a bullet whistled past his ear and Cole fired back from both Colts, diving as he did so. He came down hard on the ground beside the old man and he fired again. This time luck was with him and he couldn’t have found his target more true had he taken all day about aiming.
The gunman had been standing, taking careful aim with his rifle, but his finger had hesitated too long on the trigger and Cole’s lucky shot went clean between his eyes. His arms threw wide and for a moment he stood there, staring through blood filled eyes, a stunned expression on his face, as if unable to believe that he had been hit, before swaying on his feet and then falling forward onto the ground.