by Tell Cotten
I rolled out my bedroll and pulled my boots off.
I had just gotten under the blankets when the clouds came rolling in, and soon after that the rain came. It fell in sheets, and it was a very cold rain. Our beds, clothes, and saddles got soaked, and we were a miserable bunch the next morning.
Everybody was in a bad mood.
No one ate much breakfast. Instead, we gulped down coffee. Next we saddled our horses, and as we rode out it started raining again.
Suddenly, a lightning bolt hit real close to us. It made a deafening boom, and all of us jumped in the saddle.
Oddly enough, Kinrich was happy.
“This storm is just what we needed!” He told us. “We won’t have to worry about Tussle now. Only a fool would be out here in weather like this!”
We rode a bit further, and then Brian looked up and asked, “Then why are we out here?”
Chapter thirty-four
The rain let up after we’d ridden about a mile or so. However, the clouds were still dark and heavy, and it sprinkled lightly.
We couldn’t see too far in the heavy mist. But that was a good thing, for nobody would be spotting us as easy either.
Kinrich had scouted the range the day before, and had spotted a big herd grazing in a narrow valley. He took us to the opening of that valley, and we spread out and started gathering it. We rode slow as we kept a sharp look out for any of Tussle’s riders.
We got the herd thrown together, and after taking a rough count we had a little over three hundred head. Next, Kinrich cut out anything we didn’t need, such as older cows, cows with small calves, and any bulls.
After that we drove the herd out of the valley.
That’s when the fog came rolling in. It was the thickest fog I had ever been in, and we could barely see where we were going.
Kinrich knew the way, so he took the point and led the drive as best as he could. As for me, I rode at the back and kept the slower moving cows pushed up.
The fog kept getting thicker, and even though it was daytime it was almost as dark as nighttime. It gave us an eerie feeling, and we were all a bit jumpy.
Just as Lee had warned, we were spread out thin.
Those cows figured out real fast that we were short handed, and they became real aggravating to deal with. We had to beat them down the trail, and we made horrible time.
The fog stayed with us until midafternoon, and then it started raining again. It came down hard, and when it finally stopped the ground was muddy and slick.
Lee rode over to me.
“Kinrich is sure lucky,” he said as he shook his head in disbelief. “I’ll bet this rain wiped out our tracks. And with this ground being so slick, Tussle and his men won’t be getting around to check on things for at least a day or two.”
“So we’ve got a little time before he figures out that his cows have been stolen,” I figured.
“A little,” Lee agreed as he reached in his shirt pocket and pulled out a cigar.
He eyed the soggy mess, and with disgust threw it into the bushes.
“But not enough time,” I added.
Lee nodded, and he lowered his voice and spoke urgently.
“You’ve been with Kinrich more than the rest of us. How’s he been holding up lately?”
“Not too good,” I admitted.
I then told Lee all about the mood swings, and I also told him about the awful dreams that Kinrich had.
“Sometimes, it’s almost like he’s going crazy,” I finished.
“Sounds like it,” Lee agreed. “I’ve seen it happen before, back during the war. The mood swings keep getting worse, and then they suddenly snap.”
“What happens when they snap?” I asked, worried.
Lee shot me a concerned look.
“You don’t want to be there when it happens.”
“Do you think Kinrich is close to snapping?” I asked.
Lee thought on that and nodded soberly.
“Yes, I think he is.”
I rode over and pushed up a slow moving cow, and when I returned Lee looked at me seriously.
“Button, there’s no way we’re going to make it to Kansas. Sooner or later Tussle and those cousins of yours are going to catch us.”
“Seems likely,” I agreed.
“When they show up it’s going to get real unhealthy. J.T. Tussle ain’t what I would call the forgiving sorta man, and he’s going to ride in shooting.”
“Can’t really blame him,” I said wistfully.
“Well, when that time comes I’m going to pull out,” Lee declared. “Tussle was right decent to me during the war, and I figure I owe him one.”
“You’ll leave Kinrich?” I asked, surprised.
“Yep,” Lee confirmed. “Kinrich ain’t thinking right these days. When I first joined up he was real careful and all, but he ain’t anymore. So, I figure I’d best clear out before I get myself killed. You can come with me, if’n you’d like.”
“I was hoping I could,” I said anxiously.
Lee nodded.
“All right then, we’ll go together. When the time comes you be ready, you hear?”
“I’ll be ready,” I promised.
Lee nodded, and he kicked up his horse and got back in his place.
I was excited about getting away from Kinrich. I was all set for leaving now, but I would just have to sit tight for a day or two.
Or so I thought, because Injuns showed up the next day and speeded things up a bit.
Chapter thirty-five
We drove those cows deep into the night, and it was near midnight when we finally stopped.
There was no need for a night watch. Those cows were worn out, and they bedded down just as soon as we quit pushing them.
We were just as tired.
Brian started supper while the rest of us set up camp and tended to the horses. Soon supper was ready, and after we’d eaten we turned in and fell right to sleep.
Kinrich woke us up early, and everybody was in a bad mood during breakfast.
As soon as we were through eating we packed up camp and saddled our horses.
We mounted up, and it was then that the sun finally came out. All our clothes were still damp, and the extra warmth felt good.
Most of the cows were in no mood to go anywhere, and it took us a while to get them lined out and moving. And, even after we got them going we still had to beat them down the trail.
It was midmorning when we heard Palmer, who was up at the point, hollering excitedly.
“I seen Injuns!” He exclaimed as he loped back to us.
Everybody left their spots and gathered round him.
“Where?” Kinrich demanded to know.
“They’re on the other side of that hill up ahead,” Palmer told him. “They’re coming this a-way too.”
As soon as Palmer said it, they topped out on the hill.
There was only two of them. They pulled up, and then they just sat there a-horseback as they looked down at us.
“Only two that I can see,” Brian commented as we searched all around us. “They look friendly.”
“Ain’t no such thing as a friendly Injun,” Kinrich replied darkly. “And especially them. Those are Comanches. And believe me, there’s more than just two of ’em. Two is just all they want us to see. ”
Both Injuns held their hands high and started making signs at us. They also jabbered wildly.
Lee watched them closely, and he turned in the saddle and looked at Kinrich.
“Brian might be right, Ben. I think those Injuns are making friendly signs. More’n likely, all they want are a few cows for beef.”
“I don’t care what they want. We ain’t giving them anything,” Kinrich declared. “If we do they’ll just come back for more, and we only have three hundred head.”
“I’d think it over, Ben,” Lee replied patiently. “We give them a few cows now, and they’ll more’n likely leave us alone. But if we don’t, they’ll probably come back during the ni
ght and steal a few anyway.”
Kinrich shot Lee a callous glance.
“Ain’t no Injuns getting any of my cows without a fight,” he declared.
Lee didn’t reply. Instead, he just frowned and looked away.
“What are we going to do?” Palmer spoke up, and he looked eager to kill.
Kinrich pulled out his Colt and made sure it was loaded right.
“I’m going up there to have a little talk with ’em,” Kinrich said as he holstered his six-shooter. “The rest of you stay here and keep a sharp look out.”
I could tell that Lee wanted to say something, but he held his tongue as Kinrich rode out.
Everybody else moved up as they watched Kinrich, but Lee and I dropped back a little ways.
“Ben had better watch himself, or else he’s fixing to get us all killed,” Lee lowered his voice.
“What do you mean?” I asked worriedly.
Lee ignored my question.
“When the shooting starts, you make sure and stick close to me,” Lee told me.
“What shooting?” I asked, confused.
Lee didn’t answer as he watched Kinrich.
Kinrich reached the top of the hill and pulled his horse up abruptly in front of the Injuns.
The Injuns were still jabbering excitedly and making hand signs. But Kinrich just sat there on his horse, and his face was hard and calloused.
What Kinrich did next took me completely by surprise.
Suddenly, his hand flashed as he cleared leather, and Kinrich fired two shots in rapid fashion. The two Injuns were thrown from their ponies, and they both hit the ground dead.
I figured Kinrich would ride back down to us, but he surprised me once again.
He got off his horse, walked over, and knelt beside them. I couldn’t figure out what he was doing, but then it suddenly dawned on me.
He was scalping them.
I was shocked, and I looked over at Lee.
Lee was aggravated, and he shook his head in disgust.
“Now he’s done it! Those Injuns won’t show us any mercy now.”
Palmer heard Lee’s comment.
“What Injuns?” Palmer scoffed.
“Those Injuns,” Lee pointed to the far left.
We all turned to look, and Palmer gasped in surprise.
They were about a half-mile off. They were all a-horseback, and they were trotting straight towards us. They were in three single file columns, and there had to be at least twenty to twenty-five Injuns in each string.
“There’s hundreds of ’em!” Palmer said, and his face looked pale.
Kinrich spotted them, and he jumped on his horse and raced back down to us.
“Come on!” Kinrich yelled. “Get up to the top of that there hill!”
“What about the cows?” Brian wanted to know.
“Forget the cows!” Kinrich hollered back.
We reached the hill in a dead run. We dismounted, and then Kinrich started barking orders.
“Everybody hobble your horses! Brian, you stay with them. You keep ahold of them now, you hear? We lose those horses and we’re all dead!”
Brian nodded soberly.
“The rest of you grab some cover and get ready to make a stand!” Kinrich hollered.
We all scrambled as we did what Kinrich wanted.
There wasn’t much cover, but Lee and I did manage to push over a thick log that was leaning up against a tree. As for the others, they hunkered down behind thick bushes and such.
That is, all but Kinrich. He just stood by an old tree stump that was out in front of us, and he rolled himself a smoke as he watched those Injuns trot straight towards us.
I hadn’t had time to think. But now, as I hid behind that log, I felt my heart beating wildly. My hands shook as I tried to keep ahold of my rifle, and suddenly I was tense and scared.
Lee must have noticed, because suddenly he was right there beside me.
“Breathe deep,” he instructed me quietly. “And loosen up your shoulders.”
I did as he said, and it helped.
“Thanks,” I said as I gave Lee a grateful look.
Lee nodded as he moved back to the other end of the log.
“You keep your head down now, you hear?”
“I’ll try,” I nodded.
By now I could see their bows and shields shining brightly at us, and I also noticed that nearly half of them carried rifles. They all rode bareback, and I couldn’t help but marvel at their riding skills.
They were closing in fast.
They were only about a hundred yards away when they suddenly all leaned low and came at us in a slow lope.
Kinrich was unmoved as he stood there having his smoke.
“Hold your fire,” he told us calmly.
It seemed like the ground shook as those Injuns rode straight at us. I was starting to think that they were going to come right over the top of us, but suddenly all three columns turned sideways and formed into one long line. They rode parallel in front of us, and then they circled way out.
“Are they leaving?” Palmer asked, confused.
“They’ll be back,” was all that Kinrich said.
They made a huge circle out in front of us. Then, as they came back towards us, they suddenly let their ponies run wide open.
It was then that they all let out a piercing war cry, and it was one of the most eerie sounds I had ever heard.
“Get ready!” Kinrich yelled as he swung his rifle up.
Kinrich still didn’t take any cover. Instead, he just stood there beside that tree stump, and his cigarette dangled from his lips.
The half-naked bodies flew straight at us.
I took a deep breath, aimed carefully, and wrapped my finger around the trigger.
“Pour it to ’em!” Kinrich suddenly yelled, and his face shone madly.
Chapter thirty-six
Gunshots erupted simultaneously all around me.
I fired my rifle, but right as I did the Injun I was shooting at dropped from sight. A second later I saw him again, and somehow he had slid himself down beside his running pony. The only thing I could see of him was his head and arms from underneath the pony’s neck.
All the other Injuns had done the same thing, and they looked like a bunch of rider-less Injun ponies running wild.
They made a big circle out in front of us, and bullets and arrows ricocheted and howled all over us.
I fired twice, but missed both times.
However, Kinrich dropped two of them, and Lee also scored a hit.
They circled back out, and after the shooting let up, Kinrich spun around and looked at us.
His face was wild and excited, and it looked like he was enjoying himself.
“I’ve seen Injuns fight like this before,” Kinrich said. “They’re going to keep circling, and each time they’re going to come in closer!”
“But I don’t see anything to shoot at!” Palmer hollered, and his voice sounded panicky.
“Shoot the horses, you idiot!” Kinrich yelled roughly. “That’s the only way!”
There wasn’t time to say anything else.
They circled back in, but this time we had better results.
Our guns boomed loudly, and pony after pony tumbled end over end. The riders were flung off violently, and they hit the ground hard.
Some of the Injuns made it to safety behind their fallen pony. But we were able to hit the rest before they could recover.
From behind us we heard a horse scream in terror. A stray bullet had hit Cliff’s horse, and he started lunging and thrashing wildly.
The horse’s movements were spooking the other horses, and Brian was having a hard time keeping them all under control.
“Kill that horse!” Kinrich yelled.
Brian pulled out his pistol and put the horse down.
The Injuns circled back out, but there were still three or four Comanches that were hiding behind their fallen ponies that we had to contend with.
&nbs
p; Kinrich was focused in on the closest. He fired one shot after another as he left his tree stump and walked towards the pinned down Injun.
The Injun tried a few desperate shots. But then he gave up, and he got a slug in the back as he tried to retreat.
Suddenly, my eyes caught a shining flash. I looked again and spotted an Injun taking aim at Kinrich.
I didn’t think as I swung my rifle over, and a split second later my rifle boomed. There was a loud thump as my bullet hit flesh, and the Injun’s rifle slid to the ground.
“Good shot!” Lee said from beside me.
Everybody else was focused on the other pinned down Injuns, and it wasn’t long until we got them all.
Or so we thought.
Right before the Injuns circled back in, Valdez raised himself up a little.
That was the last thing he would ever do. As soon as Valdez moved an Injun we hadn’t seen fired, and the slug took Valdez in the face. He dropped instantly.
We all swung our rifles on the Injun, and after a volley of shots the Injun was dead.
After that, they were on top of us again.
This time they came in real close, and they were moving so fast that it was hard to get a good shot. I tried to lead my shots, but I still didn’t hit any.
Nobody else did much good either, and this time it was Brian that went down.
He got hit in the lower leg with an arrow, and as he fell he lost his grip on the horses.
Those horses were spooked, and despite being hobbled they still did a good job of loping off down the hill.
“The horses! Get the horses!” Kinrich yelled.
I took off down the hill in a dead run, and I spotted Slim lunging to the left. I reached him just as the Injuns circled back in.
We were spread out and in no position to make a stand. They came in whooping and hollering, and complete madness broke loose.
I was bent over getting my hobbles off Slim when an Injun charged straight at me.
I didn’t have the time to straighten back up. Instead, I palmed my six-shooter and fired.
My aim was true, and as the Injun flew off his pony his limp body struck me hard, and the blow knocked me backwards into my horse.
Slim snorted and jumped back, but I somehow managed to keep ahold of the reins.