by Alex Frew
‘Yep, I’ll hitch up some horses from our stables, and we’ll make sure that that we have enough bullets for the rifles. Will we take the cannon too?’
‘If we can take it, but I don’t know what the hell it’s doing here.’ By this time, Clay and Holt had arrived.
‘I can tell you,’ said Clay. ‘Old Giles, he was in the army during the Civil War and he kept that cannon as something like a memento, but for a serious purpose too. It was a defence against anyone who might want to raid the village. Guess he didn’t have time to wheel it out given the nature of the true raid.’ The girl bowed her head and went outdoors. She followed Ryan as he went and fetched a low buckboard, hitching his horse to it and bringing it to the front of the building.
‘Kegs of gunpowder?’ The girl looked bemused by the whole thing.
‘Yep. Well, you see, farmers and ranchers like to clear their land of trees,’ said Ryan. ‘Some of the manpower involved would be too much if they didn’t have help to bring them down. I’ve used gunpowder a few times on the ranch.’
‘This does not look like a mere scouting expedition,’ said the girl as Hawk and his men came out with the kegs and began to load them on to the buckboard.
‘I can answer that, Miss,’ said Hawk. ‘When you’re going into a den full of snakes you want to take a sword with you. This is our sword.’ They finished loading the kegs, while the cannon was the worst thing of all; it took three of them to get it aboard. The buckboard was now so heavy that the horse could barely pull it along.
‘It’s all right,’ said Ryan, ‘this is just for the moment. There’ll be a team hitched to this particular wagon.’ He led the horse to the edge of the woods where he unhitched it, then concealed the wagon by covering it in loose brushwood from their surroundings.
Yancey sat in the small jail. He felt the king of his domain because he was not in a cell while the other two were. It was a small cell capable of holding two men at a time, and that was as a holding area because there was only one bunk. Scott glared out at the huge man who had been so instrumental in their earlier plans.
‘What do you think you’re doing? You’re just as much a prisoner here as the rest of us.’
‘That fact may be the case,’ said Yancey, ‘but shut yore yaps or you’ll get this.’ He waved a meaty fist and laughed. The main door of the building opened and Ryan appeared. There was a look on his face that said he was not looking forward to what he had to say, but it was a job that he had to do.
‘You two, Yancey, I have something to ask of you.’ He stepped into the building. ‘I wanted to see all three of you hang for what you did to me and the girl. You still might: kidnapping is a mighty serious offence.’
‘We were just getting what was my due,’ snarled Scott.
‘If you thought that, you sure went about it the wrong way. But I have a proposition for you guys, one that’ll help you, me and the villagers.’ He explained the proposal to them in a short, sharp way, then let his words hang in the air.
‘That,’ said Scott, ‘sounds to me like the most stupid thing I ever heard in my life.’
‘Bandits? They took Bert?’ asked Yancey who seemed to have a particular affection for that individual. ‘Bert, I’d like to look for him.’
‘You’d be as well throwing yerself off that weir outside this village,’ said Scott.
‘What about you?’ asked Ryan, looking straight at Jardine. ‘Want to be left here to stew while we’re out scouting, only to get yore neck stretched when we come back?’
The prisoner had a haunted look about him; clearly he was between the biggest of rocks and the worst of hard places. He looked to his companion for some sort of guidance.
‘So are you going to give us transport?’ asked Scott.
‘I sure am,’ answered Ryan promptly.
‘Then we’ll go,’ said his cousin, ‘long as we don’t need to fight nobody.’
‘As I said, this is a scouting expedition,’ said Ryan. ‘We’re sounding out the lay of the land. No one will get killed, I swear.’
‘Then we’ll go,’ said Scott. ‘I speak for Mack and Yancey too.’
‘Good, I’ll be back for you shortly,’ said Ryan. ‘Just a few more things to do.’ He went out and locked the door.
‘What the hell was that about?’ asked Mack. ‘From what I gathered this place was raided by a bunch of bandits. They – Hawk and the rest – might think they’re going to sneak about, but the bandits might have other ideas.’
‘You ain’t thinking clear with that coconut you call a head,’ said Scott. ‘They’re goin’ to give us transport, that means horses, and there’s plenty of thick branches lying around that can act as clubs.’
‘They’ll shoot us if we try to ride off.’
‘That’s right – at first, that is – so what we does is tag along until we’re well away from all this, then we sneaks out.’ All of these words had been exchanged between them in whispers because Scott was sneaking covert glances at the traitor, Yancey. Mack relaxed at the reassurances: there was a lot of country out there, Texas being the biggest state in the union. They could get away at their leisure long before they ever encountered any bandits, and when the others were distracted by their mission. Ryan came back about half an hour later.
‘That’s everything ready. No time like the present,’ he said, ‘so what’s your answer, guys? The rope or an expedition to help other people?’
‘I’ll go,’ said Yancey surging to his feet, inactivity not suiting him at all.
‘We’re in,’ said Scott, with what he hoped looked like a genuine smile, but was more like the rictus grin of a man staring death in the face.
Chapter Sixteen
It was not hard to find the motivation of his men, thought Aguste Rivero. Most of them came from poor villages across the Mexican side of the Brazos River. Most of them knew about the way in which the land across from them had been annexed by the Americans in the days after the famous battle of the Alamo, a moment that had acted as a turning point in the formation of the Lone Star State. It had not been hard for him to stir their nationalism because most of the men he had recruited would have ended up as bandits, or as vaqueros working with the huge herds of cattle that fed both his own country and the hated USA.
He was walking past the fenced compound as he thought these things. It was late in the day and most of the prisoners were lying in their shelters or walking aimlessly around. One or two dared to look at him but they were swiftly ordered to stop doing so by barked orders from the guards.
Rivero firmly rejected the thought that his men were bandits. The reason they had got this far was precisely because they were not bandits; they were trained soldiers and he had made sure that this was the case. He and Ramirez had both been in the Mexican army – indeed they had fought in many battles – and they had made sure that they had retreated to Rivero’s sprawling hacienda in the north country and drilled the men into their ways, rejecting any who were too wild or lacked discipline.
He had created a well-disciplined, hearty body of men who were ready to follow him in his cause; in that he could be happy. Some had baulked at the idea of capturing a village of the gringos, but such was the force of his personality that he had persuaded them that he was not mad, only idealistic. Of course the promise of gold and silver had been the point that had swung them in his favour. They were happy to take a huge risk for huge rewards, and so was he. The thing was, the reward he was looking for was quite different from theirs. He had not told them this, but he hoped that the capture of the westerners would get a great deal of attention from the leaders of the government and send shockwaves through the southwest, and stir those who had their land annexed without their permission to rebel. He was even prepared to become a martyr to this cause and go down fighting along with his men. He had not told any of them this either, fearing that his readiness to throw away his own life was not one in which they wanted to sacrifice theirs.
These thoughts were interrupted when Ramirez appeared, grinning
, with a number of their men, jangling a set of keys in his hand.
‘Ah, I see you have decided to entertain the men after all,’ said Rivero. There was some distaste in his tone, but he knew this was part of what soldiers liked to do, part of their rights of conquest.
‘Do not kill anyone and make sure they are fit for the hills,’ he said. Ramirez opened the gates, and the prisoners looked up and saw the second-in-command and the men who were with them, and they reacted by moving away. Those who had been sleeping woke up, and they too moved away from the bandits. The men took two women each, picking the younger ones and herding them forward, while Ramirez picked another: Lena. The other women were older and more experienced, but she was young. Bert immediately realized what was happening and stood in front of the men as they pushed and prodded their captives towards the gate.
‘No,’ he said, ‘no, this is wrong. Don’t do this, for the sake of God; this is only a young girl. These are respectable women.’ He got no further, sensing that his words would stir up trouble. Ramirez lifted his Winchester, used it as a club and hit the older man on the side of the head. Bert gave a loud groan and fell to the ground, and would not wake again for a long time.
As Ramirez pulled her past Rivero, Lena tore free from his grasp and knelt at the foot of the leader.
‘Please, this is terrible, horrible. I have never been with a man.’ Ramirez pulled her roughly to her feet, but Rivero looked at her with a strange expression on his face as Ramirez grabbed her. Ramirez started to lead her away, but he was halted by his commander.
‘No,’ said Rivero, ‘this one is mine.’
‘To the victor goes the spoils, eh?’ said Ramirez, letting go of the girl and pushing her towards Rivero, his tone showing that he was more than a little displeased with this turn of events. The women were weeping as they were led off, and a whole group of the prisoners were up against the fence, knowing what was happening.
Calmly the guards moved the women along the length of the parade ground and into the buildings in which the so-called troops were billeted. In the meantime, Rivero led the young woman towards his own quarters, barely touching her, but with the air of someone who has won a trophy. The yelling, protesting prisoners gradually fell silent and returned to their meagre shelters as the cold air came in and the night descended.
‘You and your ideas,’ snarled Mack at the person who had once been his friend. ‘Get horses, you said, ride off, you said. Look at us now.’ Scott McArthur remained silent but with a look of chagrin on his face as he handled the reins of one of the horses in front of him. There was a long-suffering look on his face. Behind them rode Abbey, bearing a gun at her side. Hawk was not one to waste resources and the young woman was as fit, or fitter, than any of the men. She was dressed in canvas trousers, a waistcoat and checked shirt, and her blonde hair was hidden beneath a wide-brimmed cowboy hat of soft felt.
Only the two young men, her former captors, were not riding horses. Instead they were driving the buckboard along the uneven trail that had been created along the banks of the Brazos by the hundreds and thousands of cattle that came along here every year during the cattle drives. Neither were they unaware of the contents of the flat, utilitarian transport, and winced every time they went over a bump or when one of the wheels descended into one of the many depressions in the ground to be found on the makeshift road.
At first, when she learned that the two men who had taken her from her home were going with them, Abbey had wanted to shoot them as soon as they were taken from the jail, but when Hawk had explained their role in the expedition, Abbey had agreed, knowing with almost sadistic glee that this would be worse torture than anything her mind could devise.
Beside her rode Yancey on a horse that looked like a pony due to his enormous size. They had been relegated to the back of the party, and Hawk had privately asked her to keep an eye on Yancey in case he showed any signs of wanting to help his fellow kidnappers.
Beside her – and barely saying a word – was Ryan, who had an expression on his face that showed he was not too pleased at having to play nursemaid to a young woman and his bad-hearted cousin. In fact he had argued back in Hatton Falls that they should not be exposing the young woman to any danger and that she should be left behind. Hawk had pointed out that if they left her she would be alone until Lamington and the other ranchers returned. But at least he had got his father to agree that whatever happened on this expedition, the young woman would not be at the heart of the action. They had started late in the day, which meant that they had not yet caught up with the bandits who had robbed an entire village of its population.
It wasn’t long before they struck camp, but not down by the open riverbank: Hawk was cautious enough to draw them back into the thick woodlands that bordered the mighty river.
‘I can see a natural rock formation down by the water,’ he said, ‘under which they would have sheltered. They have left many signs of their passing, such as hoof prints from their horses, but this is the biggest sign of all: fires have been made here, bones thrown away and skins and feathers left from their prey, and there are even signs that the people must have slept here.’
‘But it’s cold at night,’ protested Ryan.
‘I don’t think they would have worried about a few casualties,’ said Hawk grimly, ‘do you?’
They set up several A-frame tents and made sure that there was a guard roster for the tent inhabited by McArthur and Jardine. Ryan, who was not feeling the slightest bit sleepy and who was still full of anger, was the first on duty. Hawk, despite being the oldest of the group, would take over from him in the early hours and grab some more shuteye before they left. Ryan made sure that Scott and Mack saw him finger his Colt .45 in a loving fashion as they made their way to their bedrolls.
‘Just give me one chance,’ he said thoughtfully, ‘one chance.’ The intense look on his thin features and his low, thoughtful tone did more to instil terror in his captives than any amount of ranting and raving.
Being used to cattle drives and having to make camp, the three cowboys were not the least bit troubled by their circumstances – in fact the tents were a luxury for them as sometimes they spent weeks in their bedrolls under the stars.
Ryan went on duty, and it was a long grim watch in the darkness of the woods. Hawk had estimated that they were still reasonably far from the enemy, so they had lit a fire, but made sure the smoke was dispersed amongst the thick canopy above, and they had used good dry wood that gave off a lot less smoke in the first place. Now he only had the dying embers and his thoughts for company as he sat there wrapped in a horse-blanket, facing the tent of the enemy within, gun ready at his side. However, the noises from within the tent indicated that his former partners were sleeping soundly, apparently without a troubled conscience between them.
There was a rustle of undergrowth and he was immediately alert, but a slim, female form put a finger on his lips.
‘Any room under that blanket?’ asked Abbey, and his reply was to let her under and snuggle into his side, suddenly aware that his heart was beating a great deal faster than before. He was just grateful for her warmth and the company, he said internally, but his body reacted to her feminine presence in a way that told a different story. He was aroused by her, and something told him she knew this and didn’t mind. The long night wore on.
Chapter Seventeen
Next morning everyone was still yawning and feeling tired, particularly the captives who, despite having slept better than anyone, seemed to be stumbling about in a daze. Hawk suspected that they were not used to a regular lifestyle and usually kept in bed until noon before wasting their worthless lives stealing, then drinking and gambling in the nearest saloon. Once the horses were fed – and they came first – the party took in a good breakfast of freshly caught game roasted over the newly revived fire. Once this was done they made sure the fire was extinguished by piling earth on top and stamping it down and using water from their canteens – which they refilled in the river �
�� saddled up the horses and got going.
Scott was not about to let them away with their aims. ‘What in the name of the Brazos do you think old Hawk is up to? He sure ain’t bringing along all this hardware so he can hold a picnic with them bandits. Yore all set to get yourselves killed – and us with you.’
‘So?’ said Holt. ‘You want to keep stirring it, McArthur, we’ll silence your peep. And I’ll tell you something else: you betray us to them savage invaders, I’ll shoot you personally.’
‘Just saying,’ said Scott, but he became uncommonly pale and silent. Jardine, riding on the buckboard beside him, just looked as if he would be elsewhere. In fact he looked as if he was going though hell, a fact that pleased Ryan, who was still riding shotgun on the two along with girl.
A few hours later Hawk held up his hand and halted the entire party with a low command. He was looking at the trail in front of them. ‘There’s been a lot going on here.’ He got off his horse, signalling his riders to follow, and went into the woodlands, his eyes picking up signs that none of the others could even see. That was when they came across the three shallow graves.
Because they had not been buried for long, woodland animals had not yet made inroads into the bodies. With the help of his son, Hawk uncovered the faces of the dead people, two men and one woman.
‘George Ransome, Tilly Voe, Dag Meershel,’ he recited in a calm but somehow deadly tone. Somehow, finding the bodies was a turning point in what had happened. Up until then their mission had seemed more about the trip and less about what they would find at the end of the road, wherever that happened to be. Abbey stood beside the bodies and hot tears fell from her eyes, but they were tears of anger.
‘It is time,’ said Hawk, turning to look at the group who had followed him all this way, putting their faith in him.
‘Time for what?’ asked McArthur, looking genuinely bewildered, and even a little scared, although this was something to which he would never admit.