Drummond Takes a Hand

by Alan Irwin

  ‘All right,’ said Ed. ‘I see you’ve still got a six-gun.’

  ‘It belonged to Dixon,’ said Will. ‘I’ve got his rifle as well.’

  They visited the Bellamys, and the Carters, then went on to the Benders. They told them of Will’s capture and escape. All three were still determined to continue to resist Brent’s efforts to drive them out of the valley.

  Ed returned to his homestead, and Bender took Will to a spot on the homestead, not far from the end of the alarm wire, which was suitable as a look-out position. Bender returned to the house, and Will stayed where he was all night, resisting an almost overpowering desire to sleep, and alternately standing and sitting with his back against a fence post. The night passed slowly but quietly, and he left for the Foster homestead half an hour before dawn. He lay on the bunk in the barn, and was instantly asleep.

  When he woke several hours later, Jane gave him a meal in the house. She told him that Ed and Davy had gone into town for supplies. They returned half an hour later, and Ed said that nobody in town had mentioned the deaths of Grant and Dixon, and he had seen no Diamond B hands while he was away from the homestead.

  It was the same story over the next four days. There were no sightings of Diamond B men during the day, and no sign of them during the night. Then Carter drove his buckboard back from Danford straight to the Foster homestead. He bore some startling news.

  He told his audience that he had just returned from town. While he was standing outside the store, two strangers had ridden in from the south, passing close by him, and he had heard one of them ask a man on the street where the Diamond B ranch-house was located.

  ‘They were both big men,’ said Carter, ‘with the same bleak look about them. Could be brothers, even twins. They had long faces, and one of them had a scar running down his cheek. They both wore guns, I don’t know a lot about professional gunfighters, but that’s sure what they looked like to me. They bought a few things at the store, then rode out of town.’

  Carter’s description of the two men stirred Will’s memory. When a lawman, he had studied many Wanted posters describing criminals wanted by the law. On several occasions, he had read a poster describing the twin brothers Bart and Mark Raven. The poster had mentioned a scar on the cheek of one of them.

  ‘I reckon I know who they are,’ he said. ‘They’re the Raven brothers. They’re not robbers. They make their money by hiring out to kill people. They’re wanted by the law. It looks like Brent’s brought them in to do his dirty work.’

  ‘This alters things some,’ said Carter. ‘How do we deal with the Ravens?’

  ‘The Ravens hire out to kill one or more specified targets,’ Will replied. ‘Killing is all they do. And I’m certain their first target will be me. Brent will reckon that if I’m killed, you homesteaders will be too scared to stay on here. So I’ve got to work out some way of getting the better of the Ravens. I think you homesteaders are safe for the time being.’

  ‘If you are the first target,’ said Ed, ‘what can we do to help?’

  ‘I’ll let you know later,’ Will replied. ‘First, I’ve got some thinking to do. Meanwhile, I suggest all you homesteaders only go into town when it’s really necessary, and none of you should go alone.’

  When the Raven brothers arrived at the Diamond B ranch house, Brent took them into the living-room, and explained the difficulties he was experiencing in forcing the homesteaders out of the valley.

  ‘Your first job,’ he said, ‘is to get rid of Drummond. I know he’s staying with the Fosters. A couple of days ago he was seen by one of my hands who I’d sent out to watch the homestead through field-glasses. He was helping Foster in one of the fields. He’s siding with the homesteaders. Why he’s butted in, I don’t know. With him gone, I reckon we can soon make the others quit their quarter-sections.’

  ‘This Drummond,’ said Bart Raven. ‘You say he’s killed your ramrod and one of your hands. D’you know anything about him?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Brent replied. ‘As far as I know, he’s never been in the valley before. When we captured him, I figured our biggest problem was solved. Can’t understand how he got the better of Grant and Dixon. But one thing’s sure. He’s pretty handy with a six-gun. Grant was shot through the heart, and Dixon through the head. I figure they both died instantly.’

  ‘We can deal with him,’ said Bart Raven. ‘What we need to do is think up some way of getting him away from the homesteads, on his own, so that we can ambush him without being seen by anyone but Drummond.’

  ‘All right,’ said Brent, ‘but don’t take too long. I’m ready to start bringing more cows into the valley as soon as the homesteaders have gone.’

  FOUR

  Late on the afternoon of the day on which the Raven brothers arrived at the Diamond B, a covered wagon rolled into Danford from the south. It was of the type which, since the 1840s, had carried many thousands of pioneers westward over the Oregon trail. The wagon carried Josh Miller and his wife Mary, with their ten-year-old son, Billy. Miller stopped the wagon outside the saloon, where Fuller, the owner, was standing on the boardwalk, looking at them with interest.

  ‘Howdy,’ said Miller. ‘A friend of ours called Ed Foster has a homestead somewhere in the valley. We’d be obliged if you can tell us where it’s located.’

  ‘Sure,’ Fuller replied. ‘Drive west out of town along the river bank for five miles or so, and you’ll reach the homesteads. Ed Foster’s is the fourth and last one you come to. Are you folks figuring to settle in the valley?’

  ‘We sure hope we can,’ Miller replied. ‘We had a letter a while back from Ed, telling us how lucky they’d been to find such a good place in this valley, and how well they’d settled in here. We’d been thinking of heading West, and when the letter came, we decided to join Ed and Jane here. We were pretty close friends back in Illinois. Ran two adjoining farms.’

  ‘Ed and Jane are friends of mine,’ said Fuller, ‘and I’m sorry to have to tell you that they’re having trouble with a rancher called Brent, who’s set on running them and the others out of the valley. You’ll get the whole story when you see them. The last thing Brent will want to see is another settler turning up to claim a quarter-section in this valley. So I reckon you should wait until after midnight before you drive out to Ed’s place. Meanwhile, if anybody asks you, say you’re driving north out of the valley in the morning.’

  He went on to tell them about the help that Will was giving to the homesteaders. Then Miller thanked him, and drove the wagon to a clear space on the edge of town.

  The wagon left at midnight, with Miller and his wife on the seat, and Billy asleep inside. When it reached the Bender homestead, it was heard by Will, in his usual look-out position. He let it pass, then ran up silently behind it. As he drew close, he heard the voices of a man and a woman. He ran up level with the driver, and called on him to stop. Startled, Miller brought the wagon to a halt.

  ‘Sorry to startle you folks,’ said Will. ‘I’m from one of the homesteads. I’m curious to know what you’re doing here.’

  ‘We’ve travelled from Illinois,’ said Miller. ‘We’re aiming to visit the Fosters. They’re old friends of ours.’

  ‘I’d better go with you,’ said Will. ‘Visitors to the homesteads during the night are liable to get shot at. Follow me.’

  Will got his horse, and when they reached the Foster homestead, he told Miller to wait well back from the house, while he went ahead on foot. He approached the rear wall of the house, and struck it four times with the handle of his six-gun. On hearing the pre-arranged signal, Foster let him in. Jane was standing behind him. Will told them that some friends of theirs called Miller, from Illinois, had turned up in a covered wagon, and were waiting to ride up to the house.

  ‘I’ll tell them to drive on here,’ he said, ‘then I’d better go back on look-out.’

  Greatly surprised at the news of the arrival of their friends, Ed and Jane ran up to greet them as the wagon stopped outside the house.
Leaving Billy asleep in the wagon, the others went inside.

  ‘It’s great to see you two,’ said Ed. ‘When we left Illinois, it looked like we might never see you again. What in blazes made you come out here?’

  ‘It was that letter you sent us,’ said Josh Miller, a man in his late thirties, well-built, with a strong rugged face.’When Mary read how well things had turned out for you here, she started putting the pressure on me to join you.’ He smiled at his wife, a plump, pleasant-faced woman of his own age. ‘And you know how she can twist me round her little finger. That’s why we’re here. We did write you before we left, but it seems you never got the letter. We heard in Danford, from a Mr Fuller, that a rancher was trying to get you to leave the valley.’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Ed, and went on to give the Millers a full account of the situation, including Will’s involvement.

  ‘For the time being,’ said Ed, ‘you’d better stay on our homestead. If we can get Brent to back down, then you could claim a quarter-section just west of ours. Right now, Will’s working on a plan to deal with the Raven brothers.’

  ‘Maybe I can help him,’ said Josh. ‘You know I served in the Union Army back east for a spell, when they were fighting the Confederates.’

  ‘Up to now,’ said Ed, ‘Will has done all our fighting for us, but now the Raven brothers are here, I reckon he’s going to need all the help he can get. But are you sure you want to get mixed up in this?’

  ‘I’m sure,’ said Josh. ‘We’d like to help, and there’s nothing we’d like better than getting to be neighbours of you and Jane in the valley here.’

  ‘We feel the same way,’ said Ed. ‘Let’s all get a little sleep now. When Will gets back, we’ll see if he has any plan yet to deal with the Raven brothers.’

  Will returned from his look-out position just before dawn, and after sleeping for a few hours, he joined the Fosters and Millers in the house for a meal.

  ‘I’ve thought up a plan,’ he said. ‘I think it’ll work. But first, can you think of anybody living in Danford who might be in cahoots with the Diamond B outfit?’

  ‘There’s just one man I can think of,’ Ed replied, ‘and that’s Penny. He helps out at the store. I’ve seen him chatting with the Diamond B hands when they’re in town. But we should ask Fuller. He would know.’

  ‘We’ll do that,’ said Will, and went on to describe his plan.

  When he had finished, his audience considered it for a while. Then Josh spoke.

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ he said, ‘but you can’t be thinking of doing the job alone? You need some help. Let me come with you. I’ve done some fighting in the Union Army, and I’m set on staying on here in the valley.’

  ‘I’ve got to admit,’ said Will, ‘that two of us will stand a better chance of pulling it off than me alone. We’ll do it together, if you’re sure. The first thing to do is ride into town and see Fuller. I reckon he’s on the side of the homesteaders. I’m sure we can trust him.’

  Will and Josh left for Danford shortly after, both carrying arms. They called in briefly at the other homesteads to advise them of the present situation, then rode on into town. They saw nobody on the way. They found Fuller in the saloon. He walked over to them and the three of them sat down at a table. Will asked Fuller if he knew of anybody in town who was on Brent’s payroll.

  ‘There’s only one man might be,’ Fuller replied. ‘He’s called Penny. Works at the store. I suspect that he keeps Brent advised of anything out of the ordinary happening in town. As a matter of fact, he comes in here every day, regular, and drinks a beer at the bar. He’s due in about thirty minutes.’

  Taking Fuller into his confidence, Will told him about the deaths of Grant and Dixon, and the arrival of the notorious Raven brothers at the Diamond B.

  Startled by the news, Fuller listened intently as Will went on to tell him that he and Josh intended to ambush the Ravens, and that Fuller could, if he was agreeable, help to steer the Ravens into the ambush, without implicating himself.

  ‘I wondered why I hadn’t seen Grant and Dixon lately,’ said Fuller, ‘and I heard about the two strangers turning up in the valley. What is it you’d like me to do?’

  Will explained, and Fuller said he would like to cooperate.

  ‘Wait round at the back of the building,’ he said, ‘and I’ll come out and let you know when Penny turns up here.’

  Twenty-five minutes later, the saloon-keeper came out, then went back inside. Leaving Josh, Will walked round to the front of the building, and went inside. Fuller was behind the bar, handing a beer to Penny, the only customer standing there. Will walked up to the bar and stood three feet away from Penny, who recognized him as the man who was helping the homesteaders. Fuller moved along to stand in front of Will.

  ‘I’ll have a beer,’ said Will.

  When Fuller had supplied the drink, Will asked him if he had ever used the telegraph office in a small town called Lantry, about fourteen miles to the south, through which Will had passed on his way to the valley.

  ‘Sure,’ Fulton replied. ‘It’s the nearest telegraph office to Danford. I use it now and again.’

  ‘I want to ride in there around noon tomorrow,’ said Will, ‘to send a telegraph message. Will the office be open then?’

  ‘Tomorrow, it’ll be open all day,’ Fuller replied.

  As he continued chatting with Will on other topics, Fuller noticed that Penny was drinking his beer at a much faster rate than was his normal custom. Immediately his glass was empty, he walked quickly out of the building.

  Ten minutes later, Josh came in, having completed his task of watching Penny’s actions on leaving the saloon.

  ‘He went straight to the livery stable,’ said Josh, ‘came out with a saddled horse, and rode off fast in the direction of the Diamond B ranch-house.’

  ‘It looks like he could have taken the bait,’ said Fuller. ‘I’ve been thinking about the spot the Ravens would be most likely to use for an ambush. The only place I can think of on the trail between here and Lantry is the canyon about four miles north of there.’

  ‘We figured the same as you,’ said Will, his mind on a spot halfway through the canyon, where the ground near the walls was studded with large boulders, with a bend in the canyon just south of this. ‘The canyon is where we aim to surprise them. They’ll be expecting me to ride through there not long before noon tomorrow.’

  Will and Josh returned to the Foster homestead, and shortly after nightfall, they rode out of the valley, and headed for the canyon. Each of them was armed with a six-gun and a rifle. When they reached the canyon, they rode past the boulders, ideal hiding places for a lethal ambush at close range, and round the bend, then on to the end of the canyon, where they tethered their horses, out of sight of the trail. They walked back through the canyon, and found a recess in the wall, seventy yards south of the bend, from which, concealed, they could look along the canyon for riders approaching from the north.

  Here they stayed, taking a few hours sleep in turn, until a little before dawn, when they both moved up to the bend, and found a place from which they could see any riders from the north approaching them.

  ‘We’ll wait here till we see them coming,’ said Will. ‘Remember, Josh, these men are real killers. It’s their job. It’s all they do. If we can surprise them, and take them prisoner without any gunplay, we’ll do that. Otherwise, if we want to stay alive, we’ve got to shoot to kill.’

  ‘All right,’ said Josh. ‘I understand. I’ll do the best I can.’

  When Penny arrived at the Diamond B with the news of Will’s intention to go to Lantry the following morning, the Ravens immediately decided that this provided them with an excellent chance of eliminating Will. Having recently followed the trail from Lantry to Danford themselves, they immediately seized on the canyon as an ideal place for the ambush. They decided to time their arrival there for just after dawn, when they would find a suitable place for the ambush, and would await Drummond’s arrival.


  Will and Josh did not have to wait long before they saw the Ravens approaching. They went back to the recess where they had spent the night, and stood looking towards the bend. Ten minutes later, the Ravens appeared in view as they rode round the bend, dismounted, and tethered their horses close to the canyon wall. Then they disappeared from view, on foot, in the direction from which they had come.

  Will and Josh waited for a few minutes, then walked up to their previous position at the bend. They could see that the Ravens, awaiting the arrival of a rider from the north, had taken up position behind a boulder, about five feet high, near the wall on the opposite side of the canyon. Behind the outlaws was another boulder, larger in size.

  ‘What we’ll do, Josh,’ said Will, ‘is wait till around the time those two will be expecting me to turn up. Then we’ll cross the canyon, and make our way round the bend and along the wall to that big boulder behind the Ravens. We can use it as cover. Then we’ll have a good chance of creeping up behind them, and taking them prisoner.’

  When they left their position, an hour and a half before noon, the Ravens were both standing, looking along the canyon over the top of the boulder. Moving quietly, Will and Josh reached the boulder behind the outlaws without being observed. Will peered round it. Both the Ravens were standing with their backs to him, looking intently along the canyon. Their six-guns were in their holsters, and their rifles were on the ground close by. Will whispered to his companion, then, holding their six-guns, they both came out from behind the boulder.

  Moving as silently as possible, they tiptoed, side by side, towards the two outlaws, Will heading for Bart Raven, Josh for his brother Mark. But they were less than halfway there when Josh stepped on a loose piece of rock, and stumbled. Hearing the sound, the brothers twisted round, reaching for their six-guns. Will shot Bart Raven in the chest, and the shot from the outlaw, who fired just after he was hit, went wide. Mark Raven, slower to react than his brother, saw Josh who, losing his balance, had fallen on the ground. Desperately, Josh sought to rise to his feet, as Mark Raven brought his six-gun to bear on him. But an instant before the outlaw was ready to trigger his gun, Will’s second shot took him in the chest. Both outlaws collapsed on the ground, and lay motionless. As Will stepped forward to check them over, Josh rose shakily to his feet.