Drummond Takes a Hand

by Alan Irwin

  ‘They’re both dead,’ said Will. ‘You all right?’

  ‘Thanks to you, I am,’ Josh replied. ‘For a few seconds there, I figured I was a goner. What do we do now?’

  ‘Let’s look through their pockets and saddlebags first,’ said Will.

  On doing this, the only item of interest they found was a letter, signed by Brent, and addressed to Bart and Mark Raven, which had obviously been delivered by hand. It requested the Ravens’ urgent help in ridding the Diamond B of a meddlesome stranger who was obstructing Brent’s plans for expanding his operation in the valley.

  ‘We’ll keep this,’ said Will, ‘and we’ll bury the bodies at the side of the canyon. There’s plenty of loose bits of rock around to cover them up with. Then we’ll turn the Ravens’ horses loose, and go back to the valley.’

  They reached the Foster homestead without encountering anyone from the Diamond B. Greatly relieved to see them, Josh’s wife and the Fosters were told that the Ravens no longer presented a threat to the homesteaders. Ed rode off to give the news to the others.

  When Ed returned, he sat down with Josh and Will to discuss the new situation.

  ‘I don’t know what Brent’ll do,’ said Will, ‘when he realizes that I’m still alive, and that there’ll be no more help coming from the Raven brothers. He might give up, or he might call in some more help. We’ll just have to wait and see.’

  ‘You’ll be staying on for a while?’ asked Ed.

  ‘I think there’s something I should tell you now,’ said Will, ‘but I’d like it kept between the three of us. Up to six months ago, I was a sheriff in Kansas. One of my deputies was my young brother Clint. He was out on a routine mission, when he rode, by chance, into the camp of a couple of outlaws who had, unbeknown to him, robbed a stagecoach the previous day, in an adjoining county.

  ‘They got the drop on him, and out of pure evil, seeing he was a lawman, one of them shot him deliberately through the palm of each hand, then in the chest, and they left him for dead. He was found by two ranch hands, barely alive, and before he died, he told them what had happened. He said that after being captured, he had recognized the man who shot him as the man on a Wanted poster he had seen recently. The man was Luke Brent.’

  ‘The son of Brent of the Diamond B?’ said Ed.

  ‘That’s right,’ said Will. ‘I quit my job, and started out on a search for Luke Brent. But I had no luck. No sightings of him were reported. It seemed like he’d just vanished. I’d heard that his father ran a ranch here, and in the end, I decided to come here, and hang around in the hope that Luke Brent would turn up sometime. So I aim to stay on in the valley for a while yet. Maybe I can help out with the work on the homesteads.’

  ‘I can’t say I ain’t happy you’ll be around for a while,’ said Ed. ‘You’re welcome to carry on staying with us.’

  When the Raven brothers did not return to the Diamond B, Brent sent two men to the canyon. They found the two graves and, not far away, the Ravens’ horses. They returned to the ranch, to pass on the bad news to Brent. Shortly after their return, a ranch hand, sent to observe the Foster homestead through field-glasses, reported seeing Will, and three other newcomers to the valley – a man, woman and a boy. And he reported seeing a covered wagon standing near the house.

  FIVE

  During the seven weeks following the demise of the Ravens, there was no sign that Brent was continuing his efforts to drive the homesteaders out of the valley. Josh pegged out a 160-acre quarter-section next to the Foster homestead, and moved the wagon on to it. Then he started on the process of building the house, ordering materials through the general store in Danford. When these started to arrive by freight wagon, Will gave a hand as the building of the house began.

  Then, from Fuller, in town, Will heard the news that four riders had turned up at the Diamond B. And one of them was Luke Brent.

  ‘I heard the news from a Diamond B hand in the saloon,’ said Fuller. ‘He was pretty drunk at the time, and before he could say any more, another hand who was with him, took him out of the saloon. I’ve been wondering whether Luke and the others are here to help Eli Brent to clear the valley of homesteaders.’

  ‘It’s possible,’ said Will. ‘When I get back, I’ll tell all the homesteaders to be on their guard. Then we’ll just have to wait and see. If you happen to hear just why those four have turned up at the Diamond B, we’ll all be mighty obliged if you’d let us know.’

  ‘I’ll do that,’ said Fuller. ‘I heard that Miller has filed his claim for a quarter-section.’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Will. ‘Once he’s lived on it and farmed it for five years, the land is his.’

  The following day, Ed decided he needed to go into Danford for supplies. He set off on the buckboard, accompanied by the two boys, Davy and Billy, who had become firm friends since the Millers arrived in the valley. Their departure from the Foster homestead was observed by a Diamond B hand who was keeping watch on the homestead through field-glasses.

  Immediately, the hand rode off to tell Eli Brent that Foster, accompanied by two boys, was heading towards town on a buckboard. Five minutes later, a buckboard left the Diamond B, with two men on board, heading for Danford.

  When Ed Foster arrived in town with the boys, he went inside the store, and sat down waiting while another customer was being served. Outside the store, Davy and Billy were sitting on the edge of the boardwalk, observing the small amount of activity that was all Danford had to offer. They saw a man walk out of an alley between two buildings on the opposite side of the street. The man was a stranger to Davy. He stopped in front of them.

  ‘You boys like to earn a bit apiece?’ he asked.

  ‘What do we have to do?’ asked Davy.

  The man pointed along the street.

  ‘You see the last shack on the right,’ he said. ‘Behind it is my partner, waiting for me with a buckboard. All I want you to do is tell him I got held up, and it’ll be half an hour before I can join him.’

  It was too tempting an offer for the boys to resist. They nodded in unison, and he handed a bit to each of them. Then, as the two boys started running along the street, he went back through the alley, and ran along the rear of the buildings, in the same direction as the boys.

  When Billy and Davy reached the shack, and went round to the back, they found a buckboard there, with a man standing by it. He also was a stranger to Davy. Like the man who had sent them on the errand, he was powerfully built, was armed with a pistol, and did not have the appearance of a ranch hand.

  Davy passed the message to the man, and as he was finishing, the boys were surprised to see the stranger they had just left appear on the scene. Before they realized what was happening, they were grabbed by the two men, overpowered, and bound and gagged. Then they were laid on the buckboard, and covered with a canvas sheet. The two men climbed on to the seat, and the buckboard was driven away from town to the west. As far as the two men were aware, their capture of the two boys had remained unnoticed.

  It was some time before Ed obtained all his supplies, and was ready to leave. But there was no sign of the two boys. At first annoyed, then increasingly concerned, he searched the town, outside the buildings. Then he checked all the buildings themselves. His search attracted attention, and Fuller and the storekeeper helped him to make a further exhaustive search which was no more successful than the previous ones.

  Nobody in town had seen any strangers or Diamond B hands around, and the only possible clue as to what had happened to the boys was that a woman hanging out some washing at the time that Ed was in the store, had seen a buckboard some way out of town. Two men were on the seat, and the buckboard was moving away from town in a westerly direction. The men were too far away for her to recognize or describe.

  ‘There’s nothing more I can do here,’ said Ed despairingly. ‘I’m going back to tell the others what’s happened, and see what Will thinks about the situation.’

  When Ed arrived back at the homestead, he
told Jane, Will and the Millers the distressing news, and Will suggested that all the homesteaders should ssemble at the Foster homestead, to discuss this grave turn of events which was causing such concern, particularly to the Fosters and Millers.

  When the homesteaders had all arrived, Will spoke to them. They were all now aware that initially, he had come to the valley in the hope of catching up with outlaw Luke Brent, his brother’s killer. He said that he suspected that Luke Brent and the three men who had arrived with him were now helping Eli Brent in his bid to drive the homesteaders out of the valley. It seemed likely, he told them, that the boys had been hidden on the buckboard seen leaving the area, and his own opinion was that Luke Brent was behind their disappearance.

  ‘It’s the sort of thing he would do,’ said Will. ‘He has no scruples.’

  ‘If what you think is true,’ said Jane, ‘is he going to harm Davy and Billy?’

  ‘Not right away, I’m sure,’ said Will. ‘But my guess is that he’s going to threaten to do that unless all you homesteaders leave the valley. In which case, we should be hearing from the Diamond B pretty soon. I reckon that we’ve no option but to wait and see what they have to say. Then we can all talk it over, and decide what our next move is to be. Our main aim has got to be to get the boys back without any harm coming to them.’

  The homesteaders discussed the matter, and decided to do as Will had suggested. They did not have long to wait before the approach from the Diamond B. They had all just left the house at the end of the meeting when they saw four riders approaching from the east. The riders headed straight for the house, and stopped a few yards from Will and the homesteaders. Immediately, Will recognized one of the four armed men as Luke Brent. He had never met him face to face, but he had seen him portrayed on Wanted posters.

  The face Will was looking at was a cruel, arrogant one, made even more unattractive by an habitual sneer. Will resisted a strong impulse to gun him down on the spot. He looked at the three riders with the outlaw. All were tough-looking characters, strangers to the valley. All had the same aggressive look about them as their leader.

  Luke Brent looked closely at the group of people standing in front of him.

  ‘I guess one of you is Drummond,’ he said.

  ‘That’s me,’ said Will. ‘What’s your business here?’

  Brent grinned evilly. ‘It’s just a friendly call,’ he said. ‘We figured you might be worried about two of your boys going missing in Danford. We rode out specially to let you know they turned up safe and sound on the Diamond B. Just now, they’re being took good care of, but how long that goes on depends on you homesteaders.’

  ‘What do we have to do?’ asked Will.

  ‘Just leave the valley,’ Luke Brent replied. ‘It’s as simple as that. And we ain’t going to be unreasonable. We’re not asking you to move out today or tomorrow. You can stay here until a week from today. On that day you’ll all move out together, and we’ll have the boys waiting for you some place outside the valley. We’ll let you know where that place is on the day you leave. And let me tell you right now. The boys ain’t being held on the Diamond B. They’re not inside the valley.

  ‘We’re pretty sure you folks will see reason. But if you don’t, and try to bring help in from outside, you’ll never see those boys again. So one week from today, in the morning, we’ll be here to escort you all out of the valley, and once we’re well clear of it, we’ll tell you where you can pick up the boys. I reckon that’s all I have to say to you right now.’

  The four riders wheeled their mounts, and rode off, leaving consternation behind them.

  ‘D’you think that threat about us never seeing the boys again is just a bluff?’ a deeply worried Jane asked Will.

  ‘Knowing Luke Brent’s history,’ Will replied, ‘I’d say the threat is probably a real one.’

  ‘It looks like none of us has any option,’ said Carter. ‘It’s clear to me that if we can’t get the boys back unharmed before the date we’ve been given to leave, then we’ll have to move out.’

  All the homesteaders expressed agreement with this view. Then Will spoke.

  ‘The problem is,’ he said, ‘that’s hard to plan a rescue when we’ve no idea just where the boys are. I’m going to town first thing in the morning to see if Fuller has heard anything about the boys’ whereabouts. He might have overheard something in the saloon.’

  Will rode into Danford early the following day, and went to see Fuller, who took him into a small private room behind the bar. Fuller listened as Will told him about the visit of Luke Brent and his men to the Foster homestead the previous day.

  ‘Brent has gone too far this time,’ said Fuller. ‘I suppose all the settlers are going to leave?’

  ‘Unless we can rescue the boys,’ Will replied. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got any idea where they’re being held?’

  ‘No, I haven’t,’ Fuller replied, ‘but if there’s any way I can help you, let me know.’

  ‘I’ve just had the glimmering of an idea,’ said Will. ‘Does Eli Brent often come into town?’

  ‘Not often,’ Fuller replied, ‘but there is one regular visit he makes. And that’s to have new shoes fitted on that big palomino he rides. He’s mighty proud of that horse. Won’t let anybody else ride it. And it so happens he’s bringing it in for shoeing tomorrow morning, so my friend Wes Haley, the blacksmith, tells me. Wes is a good friend of mine, and he feels the same way as I do about the way the homesteaders are being treated.’

  ‘Does Eli Brent usually ride in alone?’ asked Will.

  ‘Sometimes, but not always,’ Fuller replied. ‘Now and then, his ramrod would ride in with him.’

  ‘I think,’ said Will, ‘that I can see a way of getting the boys back, if the blacksmith is willing to give us a little help. I can see that he wouldn’t want Eli Brent to know that he was helping the homesteaders, and I think that could be arranged.’

  ‘Wait here,’ said Fuller. ‘I’ll go for Wes, and bring him in the back way. Then you can tell him what you have in mind.’

  Fuller returned with the blacksmith ten minutes later, and Will told them of the plan he had in mind.

  ‘I’ll be glad to help you out with that,’ said Haley. ‘In fact, I’m looking forward to it. Eli Brent usually turns up with his palomino around nine in the morning.’

  They discussed the details of Will’s plan, then Haley left, followed a few minutes later by Will, who took a good look at the inside of the blacksmith’s shop, then returned to the Foster homestead. On the way, he stopped at each of the three homesteads, told them of his plan, and asked them to stock up with supplies that day, from the store in Danford. He repeated this request to Ed and Josh later, when he told them about his plan.

  Early the following morning Will, accompanied by Josh, drove a buckboard into Danford, and proceeded to the rear of the blacksmith’s shop. They climbed down and, carrying some rope, they went inside, where Haley greeted them. They were both armed. The blacksmith hung a notice on the outside of the doors, indicating that the shop was closed until noon. Then he went back inside, closing the doors behind him. Will and Josh stood by a window which gave a view of the trail coming in from the west. It was well over an hour later when two riders came into view, one of them astride a big palomino.

  Will called to Haley, who came over to look.

  ‘That’s Eli Brent all right,’ he said. ‘Couldn’t mistake that horse. But who’s the rider with him? I can’t tell at this distance.’

  The man was, in fact, Garner, one of the three men Luke Brent had brought with him, and a distant relative of his. As the two riders drew closer, Will and Josh recognized Brent’s companion as one of the men accompanying Luke Brent on his recent visit to the Foster homestead.

  ‘He’s one of Luke Brent’s men,’ said Will.

  ‘I’d better be moving,’ said Haley, and he left the premises, removing the notice, and pulling the two big swing doors together behind him before going to his house next door.
Josh and Will each took up a position behind one of the doors.

  It was not long before they heard the sound of the approaching riders. Eli Brent and Garner dismounted, pushed open the doors, and went into the shop, walking side by side. Before they realized what was happening, each of them felt the end of a gun barrel jammed into the small of his back. They came to an abrupt stop as their six-guns were removed and dropped on the floor. The two men were pushed up against a wall, and Will kept them covered while Josh tied their hands behind them. Josh closed the two doors, and the prisoners were ordered into a store room at the back of the shop. Josh pushed the door to behind them.

  Eli Brent was seething with anger. ‘Damn you, Drummond,’ he said,. ‘You’ve made a big mistake. You’ll never get away with this.’

  ‘We’ll see,’ said Will, as he forced a gag into the rancher’s mouth, and secured it in position.

  Quickly, Garner was gagged as well, and both prisoners were tightly bound and laid on the floor.

  ‘Before we take them out,’ said Will, ‘I’ll make sure there’s nobody around.’

  He walked towards the door of the storeroom, then stopped as he heard sounds outside. He gestured to Josh, and they stood behind the door. A moment later, Haley pushed it open and walked in. His jaw dropped at the sight of the two men lying on the floor. Then he put up a strong resistance as Will and Josh took hold of him from behind, and wrestled him to the floor. But it was futile. A few minutes later, he was lying, bound and gagged, close to the other two prisoners.