by Jonas Ward
A quiet fell upon the battle scene. A pony and a tall mule trotted into the clearing before the house, daintily picking their way among the dead and wounded. Raven rode the mule. On the back of the spotted pony was a small, wizened man who wore the headdress of a chieftain.
Badger came swinging down from the trees, followed by other Indians. Consuela and Brad Bradbury preceded the mountain man.
The siege was broken. The fight was ended, all the leaders disposed of, the issue settled for this time and place. Buchanan drew a deep breath.
"Well, Colonel?"
Badger spoke up. "He got Dealer Fox. I seen it. They was holdin' him under guard."
Consuela pleaded, "He was not responsible for the lynching of Adam Day. You know he sent for you, trying to prevent bloodshed."
"I know he acted like a damn fool back there in town," said Buchanan.
"I admit it," said Bradbury. His face contorted. "I’ll do anything I can, Tom. Anything."
"I'm no judge," Buchanan told him. He looked at Badger. "Raven brought the Crow?"
"She did. 'Twarn't my idee." Worry creased his brow. "They ain't supposed to fight, y' know. Could make big trouble for them."
Chinook rode his spotted pony in close, spoke in his native language to Badger.
The mountain man said, "Anything for his granddaughter, he says. Because she loves the Kovacses."
The tiny old chief sat tall on the saddle blanket. Buchanan looked thoughtfully around. He brightened.
"Those prisoners," he commanded. "See that they collect all the arrows. Every last one, you hear?"
"Yes, sir," said Miguel, who still clutched his shotgun.
"Whelan, take charge there. See that they take care of their own wounded. Get rid of every evidence that there was an Indian around here. Understand?"
"They saved us back there." Fay pointed to the barn. "We were goners when they rode in."
"Uh-huh." He turned back to Bradbury. "You never saw an Indian, did you, Colonel?"
Bradbury said steadily, "I'll swear to that along with plenty of other things."
"Uh-huh. Other things. Amanda Day. The house and grounds belongin' to the Kovacses. The Whelan ranch. You can't bring back Durkin nor his men nor the hog farmers. But you can see to their property if they got relatives."
"I swear to see to it all," said Bradbury. "I'll take care of the association, too. This here was all wrong. Maybe I seen it too late, but I know it now."
"He knows," said Consuela. "On my children's heads I swear to help him."
Buchanan said, "I believe you. As to the rest, it's up to the people. It ain't goin' to be easy. These things ain't easy forgotten. If I was you, I'd start right now."
"Got a carriage," said Bradbury. "Maybe we should get back to town and get the telegraph wire up and all."
"And Weevil's hotel. Don't forget that you owe him."
"If it takes every cow I own, Tom."
Buchanan bowed to Consuela and watched them follow the loyal Miguel back up to the trees from which so much harm had come.
Badger said, "Looks like we made Christians of 'em."
"Brad wasn't a bad man," Buchanan said. "Trouble is, people get so much, they scare easy."
"And pick up with evil companions," Badger said. "The Lord moves in mysterious ways, his miracles to perform."
Buchanan looked at Chinook, the chief of the Crow tribe. "Reckon you're right. He moved the Crow down here in time to clear out the sharpshooters. They had me tied down."
Badger spoke to Chinook. The old man's lined face cracked in a broad grin. "People good to Indian girl. Indians good to people. We go, now. No been here?"
"No been here," Buchanan said. "'Ceptin' I'll be comin' your way soon. Like maybe there's some little thing I can do." Whelan and Fay were distributing the used arrows.
Chinook lifted a hand. His braves rode to form a circle. Still smiling, the little chief turned toward the mountains and led them into the growing heat of the morning.
Badger said, "Knowed him many a long year. I'll just say howdy to Raven. Then I'll be moseyin' along."
They went into the house. Jenny Kovacs was holding Raven in her arms. Trevor and Weevil were washing gunpowder from faces and hands in the kitchen. Pieter Kovacs stood, stone-faced, surveying the damage to his house. Coco came to Buchanan. Amanda followed, her face shining, her color restored.
Buchanan said, "Coco saved the whole shebang. I'd have broke my fool neck and maybe blown up the joint if he hadn't grabbed me."
"That Injun gal. Minute she come around, the voodoo worked," Coco said.
Buchanan said, "Holy cow!"
"What?"
"That dynamite! On the roof."
Coco showed all of his white teeth. "Don't you worry. I done brought that down with me. See?"
He began to pull the bombs out of his pocket. Buchanan let out another yelp.
Coco had neglected to remove the caps and fuses.
Buchanan gathered them lovingly and ran outdoors. Trevor lounged out, his arm in a sling.
"I say, old boy. Bit of a mess, now, wasn't it?"
The disarmed prisoners, in fear for their lives, were cleaning up. Mangled bodies were being carried to the trench behind the knoll. Drivers took wagons full of wounded toward the town. Buchanan removed the fuses with great care.
"A lot of work to do," he said. "You ready to tell a heap of lies to the association?"
"If the truth won't serve."
"You and Brad."
"Yes, I understand. We'll work it out, make reparations, all that. Rebuild. . . . We all have a stake in this country, what?"
"I don't know how Kovacs is goin' to take it. Or the Whelans. This was a bad time. Best you should sorta promise them help."
"Will they believe me?"
Buchanan disarmed the last sticks of dynamite. "You got a way with you. Reckon you can do it if you want to bad enough."
Buchanan made a neat stack of the dynamite sticks. He handed them to Trevor. "Could be useful for buildin' as well as tearin' down," he suggested. "Got to think of it thataway."
He went back to the house. Amanda was waiting for him. They walked into the kitchen, she offered a huge sandwich.
"I thought you might be hungry."
He accepted it. "You always guess right."
"So it's over."
"This part is over."
"And you?"
"Me?" He sat down. Raven and the Kovacses and the Englishman were in a consultation. Fay Whelan came in, listened, joined them. Coco and Weevil listened with interest. "I'll be movin' on."
"Where to?"
"Well." He bit into the sandwich and considered. She was in earnest, she wanted to know. He swallowed. "First off, to town. Weevil's got a bath, hot water and all, if they didn't tear it down. Kinda rest up a couple days, maybe. See how things begin to work out."
She asked abruptly, "You wouldn't be interested in taking over my place?"
"Your place? A farm?" He shook his head. "Not even if it was Bradbury's Bar-B. No. Me and Coco, we move around, separate, meet up. It's a life."
"No women, Buchanan?" She stared at him boldly.
"Women don't cotton to a wanderin' man. They want . . . well, like they want a farmer."
She did not flinch. "I'm no farm woman. I learned that. I learned it the bitter way."
Buchanan said, "When you get organized and all, I'll be in town. Maybe I can help you sell the farm. Or somethin'."
She said, "Will you? I like that." She smiled. "I particularly like that last."
"Somethin'?"
"Something," she said. She went to where Trevor was laying the plans for reparations that Bradbury would have to carry through.
Coco said, "Can we leave now?"
"Catch up a couple horses," Buchanan told him. He finished the sandwich with one more huge bite.
Coco said, "You know what?"
"I got an idea."
"You have, huh?"
"Sure. Every time we get through on
e of these rangdoodles you want to fight me. Only this time you can't because you got your ribs busted."
"That ain't all I was thinkin'. It's about that little old Injun gal. Reckon it'd be okay for me to come by sometime and look her up?"
"Why not?"
Coco said contentedly, "That's just what I thought. Why not? Okay, let's get them hosses."
Buchanan led the way out the back door. There was nothing left for him to do here at this place. It had been a rough time, but he had done what he could, and it had ended well enough, as well as could be expected. The country would continue to open up, there would be other wars, other problems, but his part was played, the curtain was down. He needed a bath, sleep, a day or two of rest. He needed a good hot meal, properly cooked.
As to Amanda, he would let that rest. He was a peaceable man, and she was strong-willed. Dead game but awful strong. A school teacher. Maybe she should go back to San Francisco like she had planned. Maybe he would see her there sometime.
He had nothing more to say to the others. He took down two saddles from the corral rail where they had somehow remained through the entire siege. It was time to ride. The free life lay ahead. Tomorrow would always be another adventure.
Table of Contents
Start