“I don’t believe I’ve ever had the pleasure of meetin’ nobody by that name,” Lem said. “Like I said, I ain’t seen no strangers in over a week. Now, you fellers need any supplies, I’d be glad to have the business, but I don’t know nothin’ ’bout no outlaw named Max Tarbow. I’d invite you boys to eat supper, but my woman’s come down with somethin’, and she’s so sick she can hardly stand up.”
“Is that so?” Pride replied. “Well, we’re sure sorry to hear that. I sure hope she’ll be feelin’ better soon.” He could see her standing just inside the door, watching them. “Where’s that youngest boy of yours? Jeb, ain’t that his name?”
“Yep,” Lem said. “Jeb’s his name. I don’t know where he is—most likely off somewhere huntin’.”
“Too bad we missed him,” Pride said. “What about your older boy, Eli?”
“Hah,” Lem grunted. “You know Eli ain’t been around here in a year or more. I reckon he’s up in Montana country somewhere.”
“Is that a fact?” Pride replied. “I figured he mighta got homesick to see his old daddy.” When Stark only grunted in response, Pride said, “I guess we’d best get along now while there’s still a little light to make camp. Thanks for all your help.” He signaled Will and Charlie, and they turned their horses back toward the river road.
When they were back up on the road, Will asked Pride, “What about this younger son of his? Is he a young boy?”
“No, Jeb’s a grown man,” Pride replied. “He lives there with Lem, and he’s about as worthless as his pa. I expect he’ll turn out to be as big an outlaw as his brother. Eli has a downright mean streak in him, seems to enjoy killin’ people. I was on his trail for about three weeks a little over a year ago, but I lost him when he went up in Kansas. So far, ain’t none of the tribal police reported seein’ him around these parts again. Ol’ Lem acts like he don’t know where Eli is, but those Starks were always a tight bunch. One of these days Jim Little Eagle or one of the other Indian policemen might find out Eli’s back in the territory. And when he does, I’ll be on his tail again.”
They only traveled far enough to get out of eyesight of Lem’s store before making camp by the edge of the river. The horses needed rest, especially the two pulling the wagon. They had covered thirty-five miles since leaving Jim Little Eagle’s cabin. Will’s buckskin and Pride’s dun could have gone farther, but that was a long trip for a wagon. As soon as the horses were taken care of, Charlie built a fire and started cooking a quick supper. Will was curious about something he’d noticed back at Lem’s store, so he said he was going back to take another look. Before anyone had a chance to question him, he slipped off into the growing darkness along the riverbank. Pride looked at Charlie and shrugged.
Since they had made their camp no farther than a mile from the store, Will went on foot, thinking that for his purposes, he was better off on foot, anyway. In about ten minutes’ time he was close enough to watch Lem’s store, so he found himself a spot close to the corral behind the small barn next to the store. He just had a hunch, and he wanted to satisfy his curiosity about it. Before, when he and Charlie were sitting quietly, listening to Pride talk to Lem, he had counted four horses in the corral. Sitting there behind a clump of chokecherry bushes, he counted them again. The same four horses were still in the corral, so he knew nothing had changed since they left. If Lem was in as tight with Max Tarbow as Pride said, and Lem was lying about his son being gone, then Will thought there was a small possibility his hunch might be valid. In the next few minutes, he was proven right. The darkness at the rear of the store was suddenly penetrated when a man was revealed, standing in the open door, holding a lantern. That would be Jeb, Will thought. The man paused for only a moment before stepping outside and heading for the barn.
Will stared hard in anticipation, waiting for the man to come from the barn. As he had suspected, Jeb came out carrying a saddle on his shoulder. Will waited patiently while a horse was being saddled. When it was done, Jeb put his lantern out and led the horse out of the corral. Stepping up into the saddle, he wheeled the horse and loped up from the barnyard and struck out to the west, away from the river. Moving as fast as he could, Will ran after him to make sure of the direction Jeb had taken. When he was certain, he looked around for something to mark the trail. There were two oak trees tilted in opposite directions, forming a V several feet from the place where the horse had loped over the bluffs. This is where he would find the trail in the morning.
Pride looked up at him when he returned to the camp. “What was you wantin’ to see back at the store?”
“I just had a notion that I was curious about,” Will said. “Some fellow just came out the back door of that store, saddled up a horse, and took off like he was in a big hurry. It wasn’t Lem Stark. This fellow was a younger man, near as I could tell, and I’m bettin’ it was Lem’s son Jeb.”
Pride shrugged, not sure why that was of such interest to the new deputy. “I expect it mighta been, all right. What are you thinkin’?”
“I’m thinkin’ we need to do a little trackin’ come sunup. If Max Tarbow and the four men with him camped here recently, we oughta be able to find that camp. If we do, then we should be able to see which way they went when they left here.”
“Well, I reckon,” Pride answered. “I was plannin’ to do just that, but what’s Jeb ridin’ off got to do with it?”
“Maybe nothin’,” Will said, “but if his trail leads in the same direction as the Tarbow gang’s, then there’s a possibility he took off to warn Tarbow that we’re on his trail. And that means we’d best make sure we don’t ride into an ambush somewhere between here and the Arbuckle Mountains. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a strong feelin’ that that’s exactly where Jeb Stark is headin’—and I’da damn sure gone after him, if our horses hadn’t been rode so hard all day.”
“That’s somethin’ to think about, all right,” Pride said. “I think you might be right, and I was hopin’ that bunch wouldn’t know we were lookin’ for ’em. If they do, it’s gonna be a whole different game.”
* * *
When morning came, it didn’t take long to find the spot where Tarbow and his men had camped, and the tracks told the lawmen that they were still relatively fresh. “Two or three days ago,” Will said when Pride asked his opinion.
“I agree, and when they left, they headed out straight yonder way,” Pride said, turning to peer off toward the northwest. “Arbuckle Mountains,” he muttered, thinking of the difficult job ahead. “There’s a thousand places to hide in those mountains.”
Will nudged Buster lightly with his heels, and the buckskin started at a lope toward two oak trees that formed a V on the edge of the bluff. In the morning light, the single line of hoofprints were also easily found. Will looked out along the trail they left and was satisfied to see that it would intercept the trail left by the party of five riders and their packhorses. He nudged Buster again and followed the tracks until they crossed Tarbow’s trail, then turned to go in the same direction. He sat there and waited for Pride and the wagon to catch up to him. “Looks to me like they’re all goin’ to the same place. I’d guess they’re headin’ someplace where they’ve been before, and Jeb’s headin’ there, too. When he left here last night, it was too dark for him to see their tracks, especially as fast as he was ridin’. But these tracks show he cut back close to the trail they left. He knows where they’re goin’, and if we don’t lose this trail, it oughta take us right to ’em.”
“No argument from me,” Pride said. “Let’s get goin’.”
They followed an obvious trail for half a day before stopping by a small stream to rest the horses and test some more of Charlie’s cooking. They could now see the Arbuckles in the distance, rising no more than about five hundred feet above the surrounding terrain. Running approximately thirty-five miles east to west, the range appeared inviting to the hunter or trapper, with its densely forested slopes and gentle foothills. Pride knew all too well, however, tha
t the mountain range was a Jezebel with a thousand springs and caves to hide robbers and murderers on the run.
When the horses were rested, they set out again, following a trail that was still easy to see until they struck the Blue River again, and the trail led into the water. “Looks like they decided it’d be a good idea to try to hide their trail,” Pride said. “I was hopin’ they wouldn’t do that. I reckon Jeb Stark musta caught up with ’em and told ’em about us, so they took to the river.”
“I don’t think so,” Will said, studying the hoofprints on the riverbank. “There’s some tracks from a single horse that didn’t go in the water with the rest of ’em. I’m thinkin’ these are Jeb’s tracks, and if they are, that means he’s headin’ straight for the place he thinks Tarbow’s goin’ to.”
“Well, now, that does make sense, don’t it?” Pride responded. “Couldn’t be nobody else’s tracks but Jeb’s—save us a lotta time tryin’ to find where Tarbow came outta the water.”
They left the banks of the river and followed the single set of tracks leading toward the middle of the mountains. Reaching the foothills as the sun began to sink behind the mountains still before them, the tracks of the single horse became more difficult to follow. Finally, as they drew closer to the edge of the mountains, they lost the tracks altogether. When they came to a spirited stream flowing down from the mountains, they stopped to talk it over. “Looks like that damn horse musta took wings and flew,” Charlie said, still perched on the wagon seat.
“He mighta took off up through the trees back there, and we just missed it,” Pride speculated.
“Maybe,” Will allowed. “Maybe he just rode up this stream. Might be he’s thinkin’ ’bout coverin’ his tracks now.”
“Well, this is about as far as I’m goin’,” Charlie said. “I can’t drive this wagon up in those mountains.”
“We’re about through for the day, anyway,” Pride said, looking up at the sky. “We’ll set up our base camp by this stream, where we’ve got good water. Charlie, you can back that wagon up in that little ravine, so it’ll be a little harder to see. In the mornin’, me and Will can start scoutin’ these hills.” At this point, he couldn’t help wondering if they had bet on the wrong set of tracks, although he wasn’t ready to express it. It still made sense, but the fact was they had not seen any sign of the gang’s tracks intersecting Jeb’s trail.
Will was thinking the same as Pride, so he expressed the possibility. “You know, there ain’t no guarantee that Jeb’s headin’ to the right spot. Tarbow mighta decided to hole up somewhere else.”
“I’ve been thinkin’ about that,” Pride admitted. “I reckon we’ll find out in the mornin’.” There were a couple of places on his mind that might make good hideouts on this side of the range. Tomorrow, they would just have to start combing these mountains.
CHAPTER 5
With their base camp established by the stream in the foothills, Charlie left the horses unhitched and hobbled them. Will and Pride would range out from there in search of Tarbow’s hideout. “Well, boys,” he said when they saddled up the next morning, “good huntin’. I’ll mix you up some pan biscuits for your supper.” He had made them a hearty breakfast because he didn’t expect to see them for a noon meal.
“Whaddaya say we split up?” Pride proposed. “I know a spot about a mile back up between those two mountains yonder where some outlaws built a cabin a couple of years ago. It ain’t all that easy to find, sits at the bottom of a waterfall. I ran across it one day when I followed a game trail around the mountain. I’m guessin’ that’s where these boys went, since that trail was headed this way till we lost it.”
“If you’re feelin’ pretty sure that’s where they are,” Will asked, “then why split up?”
“Well, I’m thinkin’ about what you said about Jeb maybe ridin’ up the stream,” Pride said. “If I know about that cabin by the waterfall, most likely other people know about it, too. So they might have found a new place that nobody knows about yet.”
“Fair enough,” Will said, “but what have you got in mind if one of us finds ’em?”
“Come back and get the other one,” Pride said. “We’ll do the right thing, give ’em a chance to surrender, but we’ll need the two of us to even think about that.”
“I reckon so,” Will agreed. “It’s hard to surround five men by yourself.”
Pride grinned at him. “I don’t want you gettin’ yourself shot on your first assignment. So come on back and get me if you find ’em. I think we can handle Mr. Tarbow and his gang.” They both checked their rifles to make sure they were loaded and ready. “Let’s get to it, then,” Pride called out, and they parted ways. He headed for the valley between the two mountains, and Will started out along the stream.
* * *
It had been a while since he had found the waterfall and the log hut beside the pool at the bottom, but Pride recognized the stream that had led him to it when he was there before. To confirm it, he discovered some recent hoofprints on the game trail leading up the mountain. Certain the outlaws had taken over the old cabin, he started to go back to wait for Will, but hesitated when the thought occurred to him, What if it’s somebody else and not Tarbow? Better make sure I’m stalking the right game before I pull Will off that stream. So he continued up the trail until he heard the sound of the waterfall above him. Dismounting then, he pulled his rifle from the saddle sling, led his horse over into the trees, and looped the reins in the branches of a laurel bush.
Thinking it a bad idea to stay on the game trail, he moved through the trees, to his left, making his way up the slope to come out beside the small pool at the bottom of the falls. As he inched his way up closer, he could hear voices in coarse conversation coming from outside the cabin. As he peered through the branches of a large fir tree, he knew at once that these were the men he searched for. There was a large fire burning near the front of the cabin, and the men were gathered around it. Facing him, a large man with a full beard, wearing an eye patch, was dominating the conversation, while the others laughed or swore in response. Without question, he knew from the description he had been given it was Max Tarbow. He counted the men around the fire—there were five. They were all there and completely vulnerable. He knew that he had told Will not to act alone if he found them, but he had all five of them sitting unsuspecting, like ducks on a pond. He decided he could not miss the opportunity to capture them while they were caught at a disadvantage like this.
With his Winchester held hip-high and cocked, he moved slowly down past the fir tree, managing to come within twenty yards of the circle of men before one of them looked up to discover him. “Uh-uh,” Pride warned when the man bolted upright at the sight of the big lawman. “It’ll cost you your life,” Pride threatened. “Just sit right there, and don’t give me no cause to kill anybody. I’m a U.S. Deputy Marshal and I’m arrestin’ all of you for bank robbery and the murder of two bank tellers in Texas.”
Stunned by the sudden appearance of the lawman, the outlaws found themselves unable to react immediately. When one of them started to reach for a handgun rolled in a cartridge belt on the ground nearby, Pride cautioned him. “Mister, I’ll cut you down before you reach it.” Then he warned the others. “I’ll take you back to Fort Smith for trial if you’re peaceful, but if you want to give me trouble, I’d just as soon take your sorry carcasses back.”
“I’m bettin’ you’re Mr. Fletcher Pride,” Max Tarbow snarled sarcastically. “I’ve heared of you down in Texas.”
“Then you know I mean it when I say if you boys give me any trouble, it’s gonna be mighty hard on you.” Pride said. “Let’s start by you three wearin’ the gun belts easin’ those pistols out of the holster, one by one. Do it real slow with just two fingers on the handle, and drop it on the ground. You first.” With the muzzle of his rifle he motioned toward Tarbow. “I know what you’re thinkin’, but you ain’t that fast, I can guarantee you.”
Tarbow did not make a move. Neither did an
y of the others. Instead, they all continued to stare at him as if frozen. Empty seconds ticked slowly by before a smug smile stirred the heavy beard covering most of Tarbow’s face. Puzzled for a moment, Pride started to threaten him again when he heard the cocking of the .44 right behind his head. “Now, s’pose you drop that Winchester before I blow a hole in the back of your head,” Whip Doolin growled.
Fletcher Pride’s brain was immediately caught in a whirlwind of thoughts, all within the space of mere seconds. He had come to the end of his trail because of a stupid, careless mistake, realizing only then that he had forgotten to count Jeb Stark. There were six, not five, to be accounted for, and now he was going to pay for that mistake. He had secretly feared for some months before that he might be too long in the service and that a day like this might be approaching when he made a fatal mistake. He had lasted longer than most, but there was a time for every man, and he knew his time was now. Fully aware that he was a dead man whether he dropped his rifle as ordered or not, he decided to take at least one with him. “Go to hell,” he bellowed, and pulled the trigger. Anticipating such a move, Whip pulled his trigger at the same time, killing the big deputy marshal instantly.
The sudden explosion of shots sent the men sitting around the fire diving for cover and reaching for their weapons. Tom Blanton, who had been sitting next to Max, rolled over on the ground with the slug from Pride’s rifle in his shoulder. “I’m shot!” he cried, but no one came to his aid until they were all sure Pride was dead. Realizing after a moment that he was in no mortal danger, Blanton pulled his bandanna from his neck and stuffed it against the wound, and complained. “Damn it, Whip, what was you waitin’ for? Why didn’t you shoot him when you first came up behind him?”
Whip grinned. “I just wanted to hear him squeal when he found out his bacon was fried.”
“To hell with that,” Max blurted. “Where the hell’s that other one?” His pistol in his hand now, he was looking all around, expecting shots from Pride’s partner. “Spread out and make sure he ain’t hidin’ somewhere.” They scrambled to do his bidding. “You did say there was another deputy with him, didn’t you?” Max grabbed Jeb Stark by the arm.
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