by Tell Cotten
Yancy was irritable. He liked to be where the action was, and this morning he was far from it.
It was late by the time Yancy got to bed. He had stayed a long time with Mrs. Gibson and her two girls, and after going through that ordeal Yancy just couldn’t sleep. So instead, he lay in bed and worried about Cooper.
If Cooper had been alone he wouldn’t have thought much about it, because Cooper could take care of himself. But, he was also looking out for Tussle and Jed, and that could be dangerous.
Yancy finally got up and made some coffee. He liked the taste of sugar, so he poured three spoonfuls into each cup.
He sat there in the dark and drank the whole pot, and then he got dressed.
Yancy left his uniform hanging in his closet. Instead, he wore a buckskin shirt and a faded pair of blue, Union army pants.
Next, he gathered enough provisions for a couple of weeks and packed the mule. That took time, and by the time he was saddling his horse the sky in the east was starting to get light.
After his horse was saddled, Yancy went over to the corral and cut out an extra horse.
A man could never have enough horses, especially on a job like this. One stray bullet could leave you a-foot.
Yancy then went and checked on the men. He had hoped to find them feeling better, but unfortunately they had all taken a turn for the worse.
So Yancy rode out alone, heading north.
There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong up ahead, but Yancy didn’t allow himself to think on it. The only thing he could do was to catch up as fast as possible, and that’s what he set his mind out to do.
Chapter twelve
“Think Stew will show back up?” Brian Clark asked Cliff as they trotted along.
“They’ll be along, unless they get themselves killed first,” Cliff replied. “We’ve got the money, and there’s also the girl.”
“What do you mean?” Brian narrowed his eyes.
“You’ve seen the way Stew looks at her. I think he’s planning on making her his.”
“I can assure you, that will not happen!” Jessica declared from behind Brian.
“Mebbe I’ll just make you my woman!” Cliff smiled wolfishly.
“That will not happen neither,” Jessica said firmly. “I’ve stuck to my end of the bargain, Mr. Curtis. I expect you to stick to your end.”
Once again, Cliff was surprised with her forwardness.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said meekly.
Brian chuckled softly. Cliff didn’t hear it, but Jessica did.
“So, ma’am, why was you headed to Midway?” Brian tried to make conversation.
Jessica hesitated, but then answered, “My father died, and I was coming out to live with my Uncle.”
“I hate to hear that.”
“You’ve probably heard of my Uncle,” Jessica continued. “He’s supposed to be a big cowman in these parts. His name is J.T. Tussle.”
“You don’t say?” Brian said, surprised. “Yes, I’ve heard of him. Matter of fact, a while back me and Cliff had some business dealings with him.”
“You don’t look like business men,” Jessica retorted. “What kind of dealings did you have with my Uncle?”
Cliff snorted while Brian’s face turned red.
“We, uh, took some of his cows to market.”
Jessica thought about that and frowned.
“Did he know that you were taking his cows to market?” She asked suspiciously.
“Not at first, ma’am.”
“I see.”
Chapter thirteen
The day wore on slowly for the Taylor brothers. It was hard to sit in one place, especially when they were expecting trouble.
But Stew was rested and ready after his nap. He sat with his back against a tree as he watched below.
Around midday, Stew glanced at Clyde and Clay.
“Why don’t you two cook us up something to eat. We won’t have the time later.”
“How come we have to do all the work?” Clay complained.
“Keeping you used to Cliff’s routine.”
The Taylor brothers grumbled, but they still did as they were told.
Stew turned slightly so that he could watch them work.
He needed those boys to overthrow Cliff. Still, Stew figured that they could become difficult to handle.
No matter, he thought. Soon as I’m through with them I’ll just get rid of ’em!
Satisfied, Stew turned and looked below.
Suddenly, in the far distance, he saw a faint movement.
Stew narrowed his eyes as he looked closer. And then, a little closer this time, he saw a slight movement again.
“Boys!” He hissed. “Douse that fire! Somebody’s coming!”
There was all sorts of commotion behind him, and then the Taylor brothers rushed up with their rifles in hand. They plopped down on the ground beside Stew, and they looked flushed and excited.
Stew glared at them.
“Wouldn’t hurt to be a little quiet!” He growled.
“Sorry,” they said sheepishly.
It fell silent as they all looked below.
“I don’t see anything,” Clay finally whispered.
“You wouldn’t,” Stew answered wryly. “He’s still a long ways out.”
“Just one?” Clyde sounded disappointed.
“I reckon he’s the scout. Don’t worry; I’m sure there’s a lot more coming.”
After that they didn’t talk. Instead they watched intently, and after a while they could all make out the scout. He was a-foot, and he was traveling in a slow trot.
Ever so often he would suddenly shift to the side, but then he would straighten back out again.
It took a while, but the scout finally reached the base of the mesa and started climbing upwards.
Stew frowned thoughtfully as he searched the landscape. He didn’t see anything, so he brought his rifle up to his shoulder.
“You’re going to kill him?” Clay asked anxiously.
“Don’t have a choice. I was hoping the rest of them would show up before we had to shoot, but he’s getting too close.”
Stew worked the lever of his rifle as he put a bullet into the chamber.
He took a long, careful aim. He let out his breath and fired, and the sound of the shot boomed loudly.
Chapter fourteen
J.T. Tussle and Jed Hawkins were snoring soundly as Cooper left the draw.
He saw no reason to wake them. His greatest concern was that they would follow too close, so he figured the longer they slept the better.
The tracks left by so many were easy to read, and as soon as it got daylight he broke into a trot.
It was a relentless kind of trot. Not too fast, but not too slow neither.
Cooper’s eyes moved constantly as he scanned the landscape, looking for anything unusual that might be an ambush.
The country was mostly flat with a lot of brush. But, up ahead loomed a tall mesa, and Cooper figured it would be a likely spot for an ambush.
Every few miles he saw where they had stopped. He figured that they had been checking on the wounded man, and Cooper was glad. It slowed them down, and every bit helped.
He kept up the pace until midday. By then his buckskin shirt was soaked in sweat, and he was panting hard.
He sat under the shade of a tree, and he unscrewed the lid to his canteen and took a long swig. He wanted to drink more, but he didn’t allow himself to.
Cooper sat there until he had his breath back. He was comfortable, and he knew that he could easily fall asleep. So, he took one more sip and stood, and then he took off trotting north again.
As he got closer to the mesa he slowed his pace. It had the feeling of an ambush, and he was wary.
When Cooper reached the base he saw where they’d made camp, and he also saw where the tracks led upwards.
He figured the distance to the top of mesa was about six hundred yards, and he weaved back and forth as he climbed u
pwards.
Cooper suddenly shifted sideways. Right as he did, a bullet slammed into the ground only inches from him, and the bullet ricocheted angrily into the rocks.
A surprised grimace came from Cooper. He fell to the ground and pressed himself hard against the earth.
It didn’t take him long to figure out that he was in a bad spot. But up ahead, about fifteen yards, was a thick tree. If he could only make it to that tree…
His heart beat wildly. He breathed deeply, and then he jumped to his feet and ran for the tree.
Shots erupted from above, and bullets rained down all around him.
Cooper was running as fast as he could, but suddenly he felt a hard blow below his knees. His feet were knocked out from under him, and with a yell he went sprawling forward.
Chapter fifteen
Cliff’s bunch rode into Landry midafternoon.
Cliff had pushed hard, and except for checking on Rusty they hadn’t stopped.
Rusty slept most of the time, and the bleeding out his mouth had slowed. But his lips were starting to turn blue, and his face was drawn and pale.
Cliff looked at Jessica before they rode in.
“Remember; one wrong word out of you and you won’t like what happens,” he warned. “If anybody asks, just say you’re my sister.”
“Sister?” Jessica scowled.
“Why else would you be riding with us?”
“Good point,” Jessica replied, and they rode on in.
Landry wasn’t much. It was one of those towns that existed mainly for folks passing though.
There was only one main street.
It hadn’t rained for months, yet the street was soggy and muddy. There was also a stink that seemed to rise up from the ground, and everything had a greasy look about it.
Landry did not impress Jessica, and she also didn’t like all the crude stares that she received.
They passed the cemetery and pulled up in front of the blacksmith shop.
Cliff and Brian were both sore and stiff as they dismounted. Cliff also rubbed his shoulder gingerly as he looked at Brian.
“Stay here. I’ll go find the doc.”
Brian nodded, and Cliff tied his horse to the hitching rail and took off. Meanwhile, Brian stretched his legs.
Jessica frowned curiously as she watched him.
“You and Cliff get around sort of slow,” she commented.
“Reckon we both have good reason,” Brian said as he stood from his stretch. “Rondo Landon put a bullet into Cliff a while back, and I got shot in the leg with an arrow during a scrap with some Injuns.”
“Oh?”
“Yep, don’t reckon I would have made it if it hadn’t been for ol’ Ben. You’ve heard of Ben Kinrich?”
She nodded.
“Well, me and him held off thirty or more Injuns for a whole day.”
“What happened to Ben Kinrich?”
“He was killed later on by Rondo Landon.”
Jessica pinched her face in thought.
“And this Rondo is kin to the two brothers that are chasing us?”
“Yes, ma’am. They’re his cousins.”
“What’s going to happen if they catch us?”
Brian smiled.
“Somebody’s going to die, ma’am.”
Chapter sixteen
“Did we get him?” Clay asked anxiously.
“I hit him,” Stew replied as he reloaded. “I don’t think he’s dead though.”
“Want us to go find out?” Clyde asked.
“No, I do not,” Stew replied with disgust. “We’ll stay here.”
The Taylor brothers looked disappointed.
“I would have killed him if he hadn’t moved sideways right as I fired,” Stew grumbled.
“Think he saw us?” Clyde asked.
“I doubt it. Probably just got lucky.”
Suddenly, Stew narrowed his eyes.
“Look!” He pointed.
There, in the far distance, were little puffs of dust.
“Here comes the rest of ’em,” Stew said. “Best reload, boys.”
By the time they had reloaded Stew could make them out, and he was confused.
“Three horses and two riders,” he commented. “Ain’t much of an army, is it?”
The Taylor brothers shook their heads.
“Look at those fools!” Stew exclaimed. “They’re riding right into our ambush!”
Suddenly, from below, a rifle shot bellowed out. Clyde and Clay ducked, but Stew swung his rifle up to his shoulder.
“That scout’s trying to warn them!” Stew bellowed. “Pour it to ’em!”
The Taylor brothers fired away, but Stew took his time.
He breathed deeply, took careful aim, and pulled the trigger. His rifle boomed loudly, and seconds later a horse tripped and fell while the rider was thrown to the ground.
Stew took careful aim and fired again, and another horse fell. He worked the lever and fired yet again, and while the third horse didn’t fall he was pretty sure he had hit him.
The two men and the wounded horse were falling back as Stew fired again, but by now they were out of range.
The Taylor brothers were still firing away.
“Hold your fire!” Stew yelled harshly. “They’re too far out.”
Clyde and Clay were excited.
“I think I hit a horse!” Clay exclaimed.
“I know I hit one,” Clyde declared.
“Did you now?” Stew shot them an amused glance.
“Did you hit anything?” Clyde asked.
“I held my own.”
It fell silent as they watched them retreat, and it didn’t take them long to disappear.
“What do we do now?” Clay wanted to know.
“Not much,” Stew replied as he reloaded his rifle. “We’ll hold this position ’til dark and then catch back up with Cliff and them.”
“Think they’ll try anything?” Clyde asked.
“I doubt it, less they’re dumber than I think they are.”
The Taylor brothers looked disappointed. Stew, meanwhile, took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“Excitement’s over for now,” Stew told them. “Why don’t you two go ahead and cook us up something to eat.”
“Think we’d better?” Clay asked with concern. “Campfire’s bound to put off some smoke.”
“Clay,” Stew sighed. “By now, I’m pretty sure they know we’re up here.”
Chapter seventeen
Cliff’s face was dark as he walked up.
Brian and Jessica were standing beside the hitching rail, holding their horses. Rusty was still a-horseback, and he was slumped over the saddle horn.
“Where’s the doc?” Brian asked.
“Ain’t here,” Cliff muttered.
“What? This town doesn’t have one?”
“They’ve got one,” Cliff replied sourly. “He’s a Mexican named Pedro. He just ain’t here.”
“Where is he?”
Cliff jerked his head to the west.
“New Mexico Territory. His sister’s getting married.”
It was silent as everybody thought on that.
“We need to change Rusty’s bandages,” Cliff said. “So, we’ll get a room and get some sleep. Come daylight, we’ll take out.”
“Where will we be heading?” Brian asked.
“New Mexico Territory. Pedro’s relatives live at a little trading post at the base of the mountains. Place called Valverde’s Pass.”
“I know the place,” Brian commented, and he warned Cliff, “As slow as we’re traveling, it’s probably going to take us two days to get there.”
“I know it,” Cliff replied irritably. “But what else can we do?”
“There ain’t a closer doc around?”
“Nobody knows of one.”
“What about Stew and the Taylor brothers?” Brian asked. “Are we going to wait on them?”
“What for?” Cliff snorted. “If they show
up before we leave they can come with us. If not, then that’s their problem.”
Brian Clark didn’t reply. Instead, he just nodded thoughtfully.
“You two stay with Rusty,” Cliff said. “I’ll get us a room in the hotel.”
Brian nodded, and Cliff left. A few minutes passed, and he rejoined them.
“Got us a room,” he said. “Let’s get Rusty inside, and while you’re changing the bandages I’ll put the horses up in that livery stable over there by the cemetery.”
They woke Rusty. He was groggy, and he groaned and moaned while they eased him out of the saddle. While the town folks watched curiously, they half carried and half dragged him up to their room. Jessica carried her carpetbag as she followed them.
They laid him on the bed. Rusty blinked as he looked around the room, and then he passed out.
Brian went and fetched his medical supplies, and when he returned Cliff left to go take care of the horses.
Brian removed the bandages and examined the wound. It was swollen and irritated, and the bouncing in the saddle had opened most of the stitches.
“Stiches didn’t hold,” Jessica commented as she looked over Brian’s shoulder.
“No, they didn’t,” Brian frowned.
“Do you think Cliff will be mad?”
“He won’t find out,” Brian declared, and added, “Will he?”
“I won’t tell.”
Brian nodded and got to work. He cleaned the wound, re-stitched it, and bandaged it.
Meanwhile, Jessica walked over to the window and looked out.
The street was filled with dirty, unkempt men. She could also see Cliff as he led the horses down the street.
Jessica saw only one woman.
To Jessica, she looked like an Indian. She was young, about her age, and she wore a tan, Indian dress.
A tall, rugged looking stranger accompanied her. He had the look of a gunfighter, and he walked slow and with ease.
They were a curious pair, and Jessica couldn’t help but wonder who they were.
They were coming towards the hotel, but suddenly the tall stranger stopped and ducked into a doorway. He seemed to be hiding from someone, and Jessica suddenly realized that he was hiding from Cliff.