The Devil's Trail

by Robert J Conley

  “Why don’t we set two or three buildings while we’re at it?” said Haw.

  “Sure,” I said. “The more the better. Soon as you get them blazes a-going, work your ways around some building or other to where you can see me when I come out to mount up on Ole Horse. That’s just in case our diversion don’t work and someone gets to shooting at me. You see me get up on Ole Horse and take lickety-split outa town, you mount up and get out, too. We’ll meet up right there where me and Dick made a camp whenever we first come here. You show them where that’s at, Dick.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well,” I said, “how’s it sound?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Cherry said. “You’re the one in trouble if anything goes wrong. You’ll be a target right out there on the main street. No one’s likely to see us three out behind the burning buildings.”

  “They’s one other thing,” I said. “It just could be that someone’ll ketch on, and they might could be some pursuit and some fighting. We got to agree to agree till we ain’t got no more worries ’bout Devil’s Tooth. Then we can agree to start in disagreeing. But no back-shooting nor sneaking off nor nothing till then. Till then, we’re a-working together. What do you say?”

  “I agree,” Cherry said.

  Them two dumb Duttons looked at each other and nodded.

  “We agree,” said Spike.

  “All right, then. Let’s check our weapons, and you all figger out how you’re a going to start them fires, and then let’s get our ass all ready for daylight.”

  We had us a little bit of a ride before we would get on over to Devil’s Den, but we had time to make it there before daybreak in the morning. When I went back down the road to get Ole Horse, I was away from them three for a space. I come up to Ole Horse. “Well,” I said, “I made me some plans, and it means trusting them three again, but just for a short time.” I told him the plans, and he kindly shuck his head like as if to say something like I wouldn’t never learn. I explained to him how they was a-going to have to trust me too if they wanted to get their hands on that money, and how we was all going to be too busy with that whole town a outlaws to be fighting each other, at least for a while. He give me a kinda grudging okay on that.

  Well now at the same time as I was a-talking to Ole Horse, them three was able to talk amongst theirselfs with me outa the way, and I wondered if they was already scheming against me again. I figgered though that they’d have to play along with me till we had either got plumb away from Wheeler and his town or else put the whole son of a bitch outa commission. When that time come, I didn’t really think for a minute that them boys would wait till we’d had our discussion that we had agreed to have. No sir. Soon as they seed they didn’t have no more need for me, why, they’d try to plug me. ’Special if they was behind me.

  I made up my mind that I would not let any one a them three get behind me no matter what the hell was a-going on. And just as soon as the time come when we had bested Wheeler and his bunch, I would be a-watching them bastards like a hawk watches a mouse in the field. It was going to come to a killing—or three. I meant to see that it was them three and not me what done the dying.

  We come onto Devil Snot just before daybreak. My guess on the timing had been real close, and I was glad, too. I didn’t want no time for just setting around and thinking. I wanted to get right at it. Me and Dick showed them Duttons our meeting place, that there spot where I had camped and waited for Dick the first night we come on Devil Shit, and we reminded them that would be where we would all come a-running to if things was to get hot or whenever we got did with the job. Either way.

  “I’m a going in,” I said, and I headed Ole Horse for the main street.

  “Let’s go, boys,” Dick said. Them three headed in their own right direction.

  I was some nervous riding right down the middle a the street like that, knowing what it was I was a-fixing to pull and knowing what the hell would happen to me if I was to get ketched. I was a-hoping mainly that I wouldn’t run onto ole Wheeler hisself. If I was to, why, he would ask me had I kilt them three and if not what the hell was I a-doing back in town. I weren’t right sure just what I would tell him if it should come to that.

  The town was pretty well asleep, all right. I seed one drunk bastard a-staggering along the sidewalk and one ole mangy dog went to barking at Ole Horse. There weren’t no other horses out on the street atall. I pulled up in front a the saloon just like I had planned, and I got offa Ole Horse and lapped his reins real loose around the hitch rail.

  “I shouldn’t be in there too awful long, Ole Horse,” I said. “Whenever you see me a-coming out, be ready to move outa here fast.”

  He give me a understanding snort, and I walked on into the saloon. The ole boy what they called Nick was behind the bar a-mopping things up, and they was two drunken outlaws a-setting at a table with a bottle half full a whiskey a-setting right betwixt them. Their heads was a-wobbling loose on their shoulders, and I don’t think they even noticed me a-coming in. I made a quick study and walked over to the bar.

  “What can I do for you, Kid?” Nick said.

  “Is Mr. Wheeler in there?” I asked, nodding towards his office room.

  “He went home to bed hours ago.”

  “In that case,” I said, slipping out my Colt, “you can walk back there to that office with me and unlock the door.”

  “I don’t have a key to that room.”

  “You’d best shit one,” I said, “or else we’ll just have to break it down with your head. Go on.”

  Nick headed for the office door, walking along behind the bar. I watched him real close to make sure he didn’t come up with no scattergun or nothing. When he come out from the other end a the bar and headed for the office door, and I seed that he didn’t have no gun, I walked over to them two outlaws. They still didn’t hardly notice me. I put my Colt away and then I put a hand on each a their heads and shoved their heads real hard down onto the table. I knocked them both out cold. Then I tuck out my Colt again and joined up with Nick there by the office door.

  “Open it up,” I said.

  “You won’t get out of this town alive, Kid.”

  “Open the door.”

  He tuck a key outa his pocket and unlocked it. Then he opened it and swung the door wide.

  “After you,” I said, and he walked on in. I looked at that safe, and then I looked at Nick. “Do you know how to open that thing?” I asked him.

  “No one knows the combination but Mr. Wheeler,” he said.

  “That’s too bad,” I said, “on accounta I know it, but only if I gets busy a-opening that safe, I won’t be able to keep a eye on you. I’ll have to knock you in the head or kill you or something. If you was able to open it up, why, I wouldn’t have to do that to you. Oh well.”

  I went like I was a-fixing to shoot him dead, and he said, “Wait a minute.” Then he hurried over to that safe and dropped down on his knees and went to twirling that there little wheel on its door. Just then I heared some hollering out in the street, and I heared one thing clear enough. I heared someone yell out, “Fire.” Well, the boys had did their job all right. So far.

  “Hurry it up,” I said to Nick.

  “Don’t make me nervous. I’ll have to start all over again.”

  “You take too long, I’ll just kill you and do it my own self.”

  Just then he turned the handle and pulled the door, and it come open.

  “Get ever‘thing outa there,” I said, and he went to pulling stuff out I seed the saddlebags, and then I seed a sack about half full a something. I figgered it was money. “Stuff ever’thing else into that there sack,” I said, and he done what I told him to do. “Now get back away from there.”

  Nick stood up and backed away, and I went over there and tuck me a quick look inside the safe to make sure he had emptied it all. He had.

  “All right, Nick,” I said, “I don’t wanta have to kill you, but if I have to, I will. You do what I tell you to do, and you won�
��t get kilt. Now just lay down there on the floor on your belly. Stay there and don’t move. Don’t yell. Don’t do nothing.”

  “All right. All right.” He got down on all fours, and then he stretched hisself out on his belly.

  “Don’t move,” I said.

  I picked up the saddlebags and the sack both in my left hand, and I headed for the front door. The two outlaws I had knocked silly was still out cold. I hurried on through that room to the front door and went outside. Ole Horse was anxious to get going. I could tell. Out on the street they was all kinda fellers running around. Some was in nightshirts and some was near nekkid. Most was barefooted. A few of them had done got buckets a water and was a-running toward the eating place, but only the flames was still mostly in the back. They was getting high though, and some a the flames had done licked their way to the two next-door buildings. Ever‘one seemed to be a-hollering orders at ever’one else and all that same time, too.

  I jerked Ole Horse’s reins aloose and was about to climb up on his back when I seed ole Wheeler a-coming down the sidewalk. He looked right at me. That caught me by surprise, and I hesitated just a second or two.

  “Kid?” he said.

  I swung my ass on up into the saddle.

  “Kid, what’re you doing? What have you got there?”

  Nick stepped into the doorway just then, and he said, “Boss. The Kid’s robbed your safe.”

  I jerked out my Colt, and I shot Wheeler dead just as he was a-trying to pull a pocket pistol from outa his coat pocket. Then I turned my shooter on Nick, and I never seed no one look so skeert.

  “Son of a bitch,” I said. I put my Colt away on accounta to draw it out I had dropped the reins. My left hand was still fulla saddlebags and a money sack. I went to gethering up the reins, but my shot what had kilt Wheeler had also attracted some attention. I seed a man acrost the street aim a gun at me, but ole Dick Cherry come out from behind a building over there and shot the son of a bitch dead. I gethered up the reins and headed hell for leather outa town. Back behind me the Devil’s Town had for real turned into a kinda hell right here on this earth. Three buildings was a-burning and gunshots was popping all around. Folks was yelling and running. I looked back over my shoulder once, and I seed two men drop dead in the street.

  Then of a sudden, I heared and felt at the same time a ferocious boom. It made my ears ring, and it shuck the very ground. Even though it happened behind my back, I seed red in the sky in front a me, and Ole Horse stumbled and went down, and I went a-flying over his head. I hung on tight to the money bags, even when I hit the ground, and I hit head first. Lucky thing for me I kindly ducked my head just before hitting, and I went and rolled on my back and come up a-setting on my ass a-feeling silly. I looked back then, and I seed all kinds a trash and shit a-falling outa the sky.

  Then come a second blast, and I was a-looking at it that time. I seed flames a-shooting up into the sky and more trash a-flying. Men was getting blowed over in the street, and I seed at least one man a-flying through the air. Ole Horse was a-getting to his feet again, and I sure was glad to see that he weren’t hurt too bad. He snorted something at me what I tuck to mean something like, “Lord God A’mighty.”

  I went back to him and clumb back into the saddle.

  “Come on,” I said. “Let’s get the hell outa here.”

  ’Course, what I shoulda said was, let’s get outa this hell, but anyhow, we hurried our way on up into them low hills where that one camp site was at. I didn’t have no idee if Cherry nor either one a them Duttons was still alive after that there conflagration in hell, but if they was, I meant to meet up with them just like I had said I would. I had the money, all of it, leastways I thunk pretty sure that I did, and I coulda just kept on a-riding and been pretty sure a-getting the money back where it belonged to be. But I was that mad at them three that I wanted to see them all deader’n flat rocks before I left that country for good.

  I made it to that camp site, what you might recall was up a ways on a hillside, and I looked down over that hell town, and one whole side a the town was on fire. It were plumb outa control. I seed men a-running to the stable to save their horses, and I even seed some men mount up and ride like hell toward the south. Them flames had somehow jumped clean acrost the street where they was a-ketching the rest a the town. Then I seed my three temporary companions a-coming in my direction. They had survived it all right.

  I moved Ole Horse off to one side, and then I stepped into the shadders my own self to wait for them. I rolled myself a cigareet, but I never lit it. They come a-riding on up, and ole Cherry, he was the first one outa the saddle.

  “Kid? You here?” he said.

  “Right here,” I said.

  Them dumb Duttons was still in their saddles.

  “Don’t nobody try nothing stupid,” I said. “Get on down, boys.”

  They swung down then. Well, there I was a-facing all three a the bastards. I knowed that I could do considerable damage before any one a them might take me down, and I might could even take all three a them and nary a scratch on me. They knowed it too.

  “What the hell was all that blowing up down there?” I asked.

  “Right next door to the eating place,” Haw said. “It was the general store.”

  “There was a bunch of gunpowder in there,” said his brother, “and dynamite.”

  “Well, it sure blowed that damn town off a the face a the world,” I said. “And ever’one I seed leaving was a headed south. I don’t believe anyone’ll be a-coming after us from down there, do you?”

  “I don’t reckon so,” Haw said. “Hell, ain’t hardly no one left down there.”

  “I don’t know,” Spike said. “Wheeler can hold onto a grudge a long time.”

  “Not no more he can’t,” I said.

  “What do you mean?” Cherry asked me.

  “I kilt him.”

  “You mean—it’s all over? We won?”

  “It’s all over and we won it,” I said.

  “You got the money?”

  “I got it.”

  “Well, Kid,” Cherry said, “listen. All we want is our share of the loot. There’s no reason for us to fight each other. Why don’t we just count out the shares right here, and then let’s each go our own ways? What do you say? We got nothing against you. All we want is the money.”

  “That sounds pretty good, Dick,” I said, “but you’re a-forgetting one thing, ain’t you?”

  “What?”

  “You’re forgetting what it was you three done to me. You’re forgetting that you left me afoot without no food nor gun. You knocked me in the head and kicked in my ribs and left me like that to die. And you ’special, Dick. You was my pard.”

  “I stopped them from killing you, Kid. Hell, I knew you wouldn’t die. I knew you were too tough to die like that. Hell, Kid, you owe me your life.”

  Chapter 17

  I knowed it were true what ole Dick had said. I had been conscious enough whenever that one Dutton had said he wanted to finish my ass off, and ole Dick had stopped him. Even so, it had been ole Dick what had banged me over the head in the first place whenever he coulda stood with me against them two and we coulda tuck them easy. Hell, if he’d a just got over a few feet outa the way where he was safe and stayed out of it, I coulda tuck both a them Duttons all by my lonesomeness. And besides all that, I coulda died easy out there just like he had said, so he mighta have saved my life all right but just only long enough to leave me to die slow. I’m sure I woulda if it hadn’t a been for Ole Horse. So that there what he said didn’t cut no ice with me. No, sir.

  So there I was a-standing and facing them three with blood in my eyeballs for all of them, and ole Dick a trying to talk me out of it. Of a sudden I didn’t know what the hell to do. I wanted to kill them for what they had did. That’s true enough. Anyways, a part a me did. But there was another part a me what couldn’t help a-thinking that it’d somehow be in bad taste or something to just kill them all dead just like that. I
figgered that were a result a the bad influence on me a ole Jim Chastain, the sheriff, and that there Texas Ranger name a Rice I had rid with once.

  “All right,” I said, “drop your gunbelts, and be real keerful in the doing of it.”

  “If you’re a fixing to kill us,” said ole Haw Dutton, “at least give us a chance.”

  “Shut up, you fool,” Dick said. “If he was fixing to kill us, he wouldn’t tell us to drop our guns.”

  Dick dropped his, and then so did the two Duttons. I made them all back way up, and then I went over and gethered up all the guns. One of them was my own real personal Colt what the bastards had tuck whenever they abandoned me to the cruel elements the way they done. I was sure glad to have it back again. I didn’t have time to check it over just then, so I just throwed the belt acrost my shoulder. Then I went and pulled the rifles outa the scabbards on the sides a their horses. I throwed them rifles down on the ground with the six-guns, and then I went and mounted Ole Horse. Then I said, “Mount up, you three.”

  They did, and I started us towards that there stagecoach road where we had robbed the payroll. It come to me then that I didn’t have no idee what kinda payroll that there had been, nor where it come from nor where it had been a-going. I didn’t want to let on to Cherry and them Duttons though, so I just kept a riding. Well, it weren’t long before them dumb Duttons begin to bellyaching. They was hungry or they was thirsting or their ass was sore from all the riding.

  “You two shut up,” I said. “If you get to be too big a pain in the ass for me, I’ll just kill you dead and leave you here for the buzzards to eat on.”

  Long about noon we stopped, and I made Cherry fix the grub while I watched from a safe distance off so he wouldn’t have no chance to throw something hot at me. Whenever we was all did eating and drinking some coffee, I made them Duttons clean up our mess. Then we headed out again. When we was a-getting close to that stage road it were near dark, and so I found us a camp site. I done the same thing what I had did at noon, and after we had all et, I made ole Cherry tie them other two up for the night. Then I checked the knots ‘cause I sure didn’t trust him none to a did the job right. He musta figgered I’d do that, though, ’cause he had tied them real good all right.