Under the Sweetwater Rim (1971)

by L'amour, Louis

  There was Washington, perhaps. He had languages to help him, and knew more about the world's armies than most, but his kind of experience did not necessarily count for much. And the military mind is always slow to accept change.

  Slowly his breathing returned to normal ....

  Where was Mary? And Belle? They had been close by, but he heard nothing, and he dare not make a sound that might give his position away. One bullet would be enough, and they would be desperate to kill him now.

  Whatever was to happen had to happen soon. He felt he would cave in at any moment. He closed his eyes, and the lids felt hot and dry. There was no moisture on his lips . . . fever?

  Somewhere a cricket was chirping, and a nighthawk swooped low above him. He waited on his knees, no longer eager for a fight, just hoping they would go away and leave him.

  But he must find Mary and Belle. They had been off to his left, he believed. He started to move, and heard a faint whisper. "Ten?"

  "Here!"

  He kept his voice low, but not low enough, for there was the lash of a bullet through the leaves within inches of them. He flattened to the earth, and Mary did the same beside him. Her hand found his and they lay there while a rifle barked and half a dozen bullets searched the area for them. Suddenly, a man screamed, a wild, quivering scream of agony and fear . . . then silence.

  For a long time then, they lay still, and there was no further sound, nor any movement near them. And somewhere along the line Tenadore Brian fell asleep.

  A persistent tugging at his shoulder finally awoke him. "Ten! Tenl Wake upl"

  Suddenly he was awake, awake in a blurred sort of way. He turned his head and peered around.

  He lay among low brush and stunted trees not thirty yards from the grove where the outlaws had sheltered themselves the night before. Mary still tugged at him. "Ten! Please!"

  "What-what is it?"

  "It's almost light, Ten, and somebody is coming, over there." She pointed-not toward the grove.

  It all came rushing back, and he looked around him. Two men lay dead upon the ground . . . another had crawled off somewhere. Kelsey . . .

  Reuben Kelsey was coming, and he was in no shape to meet him. He checked the spare pistol. The chambers were loaded, all six of them. Belle was about fifteen yards away, and Jason was on the ground beside her. Somehow he had gotten off his horse, or he had fallen off.

  "Is he alive?" Brian asked.

  "Yes, I think so. He was." She clung to his arm. Haggard as she was, her hair awry, her face dirty, she was still lovely. "Ten, who is that out there?" Mary whispered.

  "Kelsey."

  "What about the others?"

  "If he's coming after us, they're dead or gone.

  He might have slipped among them and killed them all . . . he could do it."

  "What will we do?"

  Brian looked at her. "I'll fight. I'll have to. If we try to leave, he'll shoot us down. If we give him an argument he'll smile and agree, and then he'll kill Jason and me at the first opportunity."

  He stopped whispering to listen, and heard a chuckle close by. "Looks like you got it figured, boy. An' from the look of you you're in no shape for a fight."

  Kelsey stood there, a gun in his hand.

  Brian's gun held steady on him, and Kelsey smiled.

  "Never thought it would end like this, did you, boy"...[*macr] "Oddly enough, I did,"

  Brian replied honestly. "I always knew it would come to a showdown between us someday."

  Kelsey chuckled again. "You want it with guns?

  If we shoot from here neither of us is going to get out alive."

  "I had that in mind. Pd go cheerfully to take you with me right now." "Yeah? Well, I wouldn't. You want it with knives? I want to warn you I'm almighty good with one. Hear that man scream last night? I had to convince those boys that they'd better run whilst they could, so I gave it a little twist where he'd feel it most."

  "You choose . . . knives or fists, I don't care." Kelsey looked over at Mary. "He's got nerve, that one. Real nerve.

  Nobody would ever face me with a knife."

  Brian shrugged. "A knife is a stupid weapon in most hands," he said. "You'd be asking for trouble, you know. I spent too much time around the world not to know about knives."

  His gun muzzle wavered not at all. Even as he talked he knew that Kelsey might elect to shoot at any instant, and he must be ready. He would know when Kelsey was going to shoot, and Kelsey would know if he started to, and at that range neither was going to miss.

  He was on the ground, one knee pressed against the grass. Kelsey, on his feet, had the advantage.

  The sleep had done him good, and he knew he would need every bit of intelligence and strength he possessed. This was the showdown. Kelsey needed a horse . .. at least two horses if he was to escape with the gold. He also wanted the girls, and he did not want a witness. If he could escape from here, go to the west coast and change his name, he would be believed dead, and would be free to enjoy the gold. His word and the fact they had long known each other meant nothing at all. He had turned on his own men, robbed them, deserted them, and killed some of them.

  "You said you wanted a horse, Reub. There should be some horses left over yonder when your boys took out. You just get on a horse and ride away." "Tried it that way. I holed up in a place I had, but I ain't one for bein' alone, Ten. I like folks about me, so I just figure I'll take the horses you've got and both of these womenfolks. They'll keep me company until I decide to ride on."

  Both of them were playing for time. Brian knew it had to break any instant, only one move . . .

  Belle was the one who did it. She knew Brian needed a break, and she threw a small stone at the nearest horse. The stone struck it on the hip and the horse side-stepped suddenly.

  Kelsey moved like a cat. He turned sharply toward the sound, dropping into a half crouch . . . a fact that caused Brian's shot to miss.

  Brian snapped off his shot, then left the ground in a lunge. Kelsey wheeled, fired, and missed, and the two men rushed together. Brian's hard left fist smashed Kelsey over the eye as they came together. Kelsey's shot missed, the bullet tearing Brian's shirt. Striking down at the gun with his own gun barrel, he knocked it from Kelsey's hand. Instantly he started to step back to order Kelsey to lift his hands, but the big outlaw was having none of it. He never stopped moving, for as the gun was knocked from his hand he threw an arm over Brian's gun arm and locked it under his armpit in a grip of iron. Brian slugged him in the wind and they battled fiercely, each with one hand free.

  A branch tore the gun from Brian's hand and he ducked his head and butted Kelsey in the face, driving his boot-heel down on his instep at the same instant.

  Kelsey jerked free, landed a right to the face that shook Brian to his heels, and then they stood toe to toe and battered each other with driving fists, moving back and forth over the small grassy space where they had come together.

  Brian broke loose, feinted, and when Kelsey came in, met his rush with a right to the wind.

  Kelsey brought up short, clubbed a left to Brian's head that cut him over the eye, then bored in, slamming wicked punches at the body.

  They clinched, and Brian resisted fiercely, then suddenly yielded and went over backwards by intention, throwing Kelsey on over his head. Both men came up fast, but Brian, having planned the move, was up first. As Kelsey came off the ground Brian broke his nose with a right to the face, then slammed a left to the ribs as Kelsey came in. For a moment they clung together, gasping for breath. Desperate, Brian knew he must win, and he must win quickly.

  He had no stamina now for a long fight, and Kelsey was the stronger and bigger man.

  Brian pulled back, smashed an elbow to Kelsey's face, over and back. But the man had a neck like a bull, and the elbow seemed to have little effect. They broke loose, exchanged punches, then clinched again. Kelsey wrapped his powerful arms around him and tried to force him over backwards.

  Brian stabbed his thumbs into
Kelsey's groin, and as the bigger man drew back his hips to escape them, Brian slipped an arm around Kelsey's waist, then grabbed Kelsey's right sleeve and threw him over his hip to the ground. Reuben Kelsey hit the ground hard, and started to get up. A right swing to the face knocked him sprawling. He rolled over and tried to dive for Brian's legs, but Ten stepped back.

  Kelsey started to rise, then dived sidewise for a gun that lay where it had fallen when the fight began. His fingers closed over it and he rolled over to fire.

  Ten Brian's hand dropped to his own gun.

  He drew and fired in one movement. The bullet caught Kelsey in the chest, slamming him back against the ground. He started to rise again, feeling for the gun he had dropped, but his eyes were on Brian.

  "It ain't goin' to work," he said. "Nobody can kill Reuben Kelsey, I-was Tenadore Brian waited, gun in his fist, not wanting to shoot again. "Somebody is coming," Mary said, "I think they are soldiers." Reuben Kelsey lay back, his breath coming in hoarse gasps. There was a froth of blood on his lips. His face was fearfully battered from Brian's punches. He rolled over, got his knees under him, and tried to rise. "Got a lot o' gold," he muttered. "No place to wait without a woman. A man needs a-was He got all the way to his feet, but without his gun. "Brian, I always liked you," he said, "but I always knew I could take you. I figured we'd have it to do sooner or later, you an' me."

  He spoke coolly, and only a little blood showed at his lips. His shirt was soaking with it.

  "I'd of had this country whupped if you hadn't come back."

  "You didn't have a chance, Reub, not with me here or without me. Major Devereaux would have had you sooner or later."

  "Anyway . . . anyway I run that bunch off. Pack o' yellow . . . yellow . . ."

  His knees gave way under him and he fell.

  "Anyway," he said, "I got the gold, I got-was "You've got nothing." It was Cahill. "We came over Jackass Pass and found your cabin.

  Turpenning spotted a few crumbs of fresh dirt and located your cache. We've got the gold now."

  Reuben Kelsey lay still, breathing hoarsely.

  "Huh ... missed out, missed all around." He opened his eyes. "Ten, we started together. What ..

  . what happened?"

  "The road forked, Reub. The road forked, and you took the wrong turn." Cahill swung down. ,rm no doctor, but I can help. rll just have a look." He knelt beside the outlaw, and then he looked up. "Ten, this man is dead." He bent over Kelsey's body, trying for some sign of life. There was none. Cahill got to his feet.

  "Lieutenant," he said regretfully, "I hope you will understand this, but my orders are to place you under arrest."

  "I do understand. Shall we start back?"

  Brian climbed into the saddle, his weariness closing over him like a fog. "How about Ironhide? Did he come back to camp?"

  "Yes. He's safe." Then Cahill added, "I might say that he made a statement that clarified matters considerably and is much in your favor."

  Mary rode up beside him as they started away. "What will happen, Ten?" "There will be a hearing to see if I warrant a courtmartial. I doubt if your father or Colonel Collins will insist. There should be an investigation. I was absent without leave, I ordered the pay wagon and your escort away from the wagon train on my own initiative. Those are serious matters." "Pa always said what the Army needed most was officers who were not afraid to act."

  Brian smiled. "Exactly. And if everything turns out right they may be commended, may even become heroes. If it turns out wrong, they can be court- martialed."

  "It doesn't matter," Mary said quietly.

  "I want to be with you, whatever happens."

  Cahill drew up on the brow of a hill to wait for the burial party to catch up. Brian looked off across the vast sweep of country past the Beaver Rim and southward toward the Honeycomb Buttes and the Red Desert. This was a country. No wonder the Indians were prepared to fight for it.

  Tenadore Brian waited nervously in the dusty street of South Pass City. Cahill had made his report, and the gold had been placed in the Major's care. The Major had talked to his daughter and to Belle Renick For the first time they learned the details of the massacre of the wagon train. Cahill emerged from the door of the hotel and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "The Major will see you now, Ten. Luck." "I'll need it," Brian replied, and went in. Major Devereaux looked at him critically. Lieutenant Brian's uniform, much the worse for wear, had been carefully brushed and cleaned. Despite its condition he looked what he was, a dashing hell-for-leather cavalry officer of the kind the service needed. "Lieutenant, I will want your report in detail, a written report, to forward to the commanding officer." He got to his feet and thrust out his hand. "In the meantime, Lieutenant, let me say that you did a remarkable job under difficult circumstances. That will be all. as AllT. F "Yes. Oh, by the way, Mary suggested I ask you for dinner tonight. Could you manage it?" "With pleasure, sir." Lieutenant Tenadore Brian stepped back, saluted, did a sharp right face, and walked out of the door. Major Devereaux looked after him and sighed. Well, Mary could do a lot worse, a whole lot worse. Damn it, the man was a soldier.