by Neil Hunter
‘You’re not out of this yet,’ I told him.
‘One man,’ Karver grinned. ‘One man?’
‘Two!’ The voice came from behind me, and I recognized Seth’s deep tones.
‘They come to buy us out, Seth.’
‘So I heard.’
‘Trouble is I can’t convince them we don’t figure to sell.’
Seth appeared at my side, his rifle in his big hands. He faced Red Karver and looked him over. ‘Can’t you understand English, mister?’
Karver stiffened. It was plain to see that he wasn’t used to talk like this. Everyone was supposed to jump when he spoke, not talk back. He didn’t like it and I got the feeling he was a little unsure of us. The trouble was that with a situation like this before him, Karver was liable to do something rash. His influence depended on the tough, violent image he had built up. He couldn’t afford to let that image become tarnished.
I saw this in the way he reacted to Seth’s words and I knew that he wasn’t about to let it lie. I watched him close but didn’t let my attention wander far from the rest of the crew with him. It was a move that probably saved Seth and me from being cut down.
At first it seemed as if Karver had quit, for he yanked his horse’s head around, as if he was about to ride off, but I saw one of his men look towards him, saw Karver’s head nod slightly. I saw the man tense and drop his hand to his holstered handgun and I knew that if I didn’t act fast Seth and I would be dead men within seconds.
‘Down, Seth!’ I yelled, and saw him drop into the dust as I went down myself. As I bellied down I had my rifle ready, thrusting it forward and tilting it up. I still had my eye on the man who’d gone for his gun. Our move had caught him off-guard but he had his gun out and it wouldn’t take him long to adjust his aim. I saw sunlight flash on his gun’s barrel as he drew down on Seth and I shot him. I fired once and my bullet took him in the chest and drove him from the saddle.
Moments later it was as if all hell had broken loose. Karver’s crew went for their guns and the peaceful hills exploded with noise. Seth and I moved our positions the moment I’d fired, and though we only had seconds we found enough cover to protect ourselves as we exchanged shots with Karver and his crew. Dust fogged the air as nervous horses jostled each other and made a general confusion.
I emptied two more saddles and Seth put one down and placed a bullet in another man’s arm.
Bullets struck the ground around Seth and me but we came through without being touched. Maybe we had taken Karver’s crew too much by surprise. Whatever it was it gave us the upper hand and we took full advantage of it.
Of a sudden the firing stopped. Karver’s crew put up their guns and we all faced each other in an uneasy silence. I shoved to my feet and stepped forward, my rifle still held ready. I guessed they had figured it wasn’t worth any more dead men, especially with the dead ones being their own companions.
‘Now that was a damn fool trick, Karver,’ I said harshly. ‘I figured you for a man with more sense. Seems I was wrong. You’re just plain stupid. Now you pick up your dead and get the hell off this land fast!’
When the dead men had been draped across their saddles and his crew had turned their horses away, Karver eased his horse forward. His face was dark with anger, his thick-lipped mouth taut. I knew I’d made a bad enemy in Red Karver — but it didn’t bother me overly. In this country a man learned to live with such things and to face them when they came hunting for trouble.
‘I won’t forget this, Tyler,’ he said. ‘This is the second time I’ve been crossed by your kin and there’ll be a settlin’ one day soon.’
‘Any time,’ Seth said quietly.
‘Now move out,’ I added and Karver turned his horse away with a heavy hand.
Will Pike was the last man to go. He glanced at me as he gathered his reins. His face bore a faintly sardonic expression.
‘You said you were good,’ he remarked, ‘and you proved it. I just wonder if you’re good enough to last.’
‘I’ll be there come the day,’ I told him and I knew that eventually I would have to face him with a gun.
Pike straightened his hat and rode out after Karver.
Seth and I watched them as they slowly rode away and neither of us moved until they were well and truly out of sight.
‘It was never like this when we were running beef,’ I said and Seth looked at me and grinned.
We built a fire and brewed coffee. As we sat drinking we talked over what had happened. We agreed that it was going to be advisable to have someone on watch from now on. Karver would want to hit back at us. That fact was clear. We’d hurt him badly and he wouldn’t take it lying down. I began to feel guilty about leaving but Seth said I should still go. I had my plans and a right to carry them through if I had a mind to. He said that once the others were back things would be better.
When Jacob and Joel did return, nearly ten days later, they listened to our tale in silence, Joel reacting as Pd expected him to. He still wasn’t able to take in the sudden violence of this wild country. I hoped for his sake that he would be able to conquer this feeling soon, for he might one day be faced with personal violence, and there might not be anyone handy to help pull him out of it.
Jacob took the news differently. He was put out because of what he’d missed. ‘I hope he tries again,’ he said and I could tell by his tone that he was dearly hoping they would.
I stayed with them for a few more days, helping with some heavy digging. But I was eager to be on my way and I told Seth that I was ready to go. That evening after supper Joel handed me one of the gold-bearing sacks.
‘Your share of what we’ve got up to now,’ he said. ‘Should be around eight thousand dollars, more or less.’
‘Enough for what I want,’ I said.
‘Brig, what are you going to do with it?’ Sachs asked.
I glanced across the flickering flames of the fire. ‘I’m going to get back into the cattle business,’ I told him.
Chapter Four
I took my leave the next morning after breakfast. I had plenty of supplies behind my saddle. Joel gave me two of his books to take along. I knew how much he prized them and promised to look after them.
‘You take care of yourself, Brig,’ he said. I realized then just how much I had come to like this serious young man. He was much like myself in what he wanted out of life. We both had dreams to fulfill, a lot of hills to climb, both in our different ways.
‘I’ll be seeing you soon,’ I told him.
Leaving Seth and Jacob was the hardest part. We had hardly ever been apart since we’d been born. We had grown up together and had shared everything we had ever had. But we were fully grown now and we had always known that one day there would be a time when we would have to go our separate ways. I had never expected it to be me who would break away first. We said little, but words were never really needed between us. They wished me luck and I told them to watch out for me as I would soon be back. Sachs came over just before I rode out and put a brown hand on my knee.
‘Good luck, boy. I hope you find what you’re lookin’ for.’ He gave me a slow, wistful smile, his eyes suddenly far away. ‘Hell, Brig, I wish I was as young as you an’ just settin’ out.’
‘And I wish I knew as much about what’s out there as you do,’ I told him.
I rode out then, turning once to raise my arm to Joel, who stood watching me for some long time.
My horse was eager to be off, for he’d done little since we’d started to work the mine. He was well rested and it took some holding him back. I turned him up into the hills and soon the mine was far below, out of sight and sound, but not out of thoughts.
It was a warm day. As I rode higher the air became fresher, stirred by a faint breeze and soon I could smell the tang of the trees that grew on the upper slopes. A feeling of contentment came over me. It was silent up here. I could hear the buzzing of some insects, sometimes the song of a bird.
By noon I was well up in th
e higher slopes. I had left the sparse scrub and rock behind me. Where I rode now there was tall grass and great stands of towering green trees. There were numerous clear streams that twisted and bounded down the lush slopes. I rode through shadowed tunnels, through the intertwining branches of trees, where the sunlight filtered through in pale and shimmering shafts of gold. Underfoot the earth was thick with leaf mould. I came across deep pools where fish swam in their dozens and it was by one of these that I stopped to rest.
I left my horse cropping the lush grass while I built a small fire and made coffee. I had bacon and flour, and while the coffee brewed I made myself some pancakes and fried some bacon. When I’d eaten I washed my utensils in the water and sat back to enjoy the beauty around me and to take a smoke.
I could have stayed there for the rest of the day, but I wanted to get on. Packing my gear I mounted up and set off.
I had earlier found out that there was a cattle-settlement some few days’ ride over the hills and it was to this place that I was heading. My intention was to buy some good beef cattle and to drive them back to Hope, with the help of men I would hire. Back in Hope I expected to be able to sell the cattle at a good profit. It sounded an easy proposition but I didn’t expect it to be that easy.
I was banking on a fair amount of good luck and the hope that nobody else got the idea and carried it through before I did. If I got my beef to Hope first I didn’t see why I shouldn’t sell it. There had been little in the way of fresh meat in the camp for months. Summer was drawing to a close and I figured that once winter set in there would be little that would get in or out of Hope. I realized that I was speculating but I also knew that if a man just sat back and never tried to do anything then he couldn’t blame anybody but himself if he ended up with nothing. But I was young and had plenty of enthusiasm and I figured that if this didn’t work out I could always try something else.
I camped that night under the stars. The night air was crisp and clear, the sky black and wide. Around me the hills lay silent and dark. I turned into my blankets early and was asleep soon after I lay down my head.
The next day passed in pretty much the same way yet I never once found myself getting bored or restless. There was so much to see, so much to store inside to remember. More than once I went out of my way to take a closer look at something.
After a second restful night I got up in time to have breakfast and be in my saddle as the sun came up. It was a sight I’ve long remembered. The darkness slowly giving way to the day. The dawn sky going from black to gray to pink, then streaking with a dull red that flowed out over the hills around me. I rode slowly into the sunrise and watched the land come alive, glowing with a muted orange before the natural colors emerged into the hush of the dawn. It was a sight to see and made me thankful that I could see it.
About mid-morning I rode down a gentle slope, out of some trees, and saw before me a wide meadow of deep grass. A generous stream flowed across the land, bordered by trees and greenery. There were cattle too. Fat, healthy cattle. I rode by them, studying them closely. They were shorthorns and I realized that someone had some good stock here. Each beast bore a brand on its hip. It was the letter T in a circle; the Circle-T.
I rode on for almost an hour, keeping the stream in sight, for I guessed that whoever owned the cattle would undoubtedly have some form of habitation near and it was bound to be close to the stream.
I saw it first through some trees. A mid-sized, neat house with a high barn close by and a couple of stout corrals. A smaller cabin stood beyond the barn. A number of horses were in one of the corrals. As I came out of the trees I could see a thin spiral of smoke coming from the stone chimney. I took my horse across the yard, which was hard-trodden earth long devoid of grass. I sat my saddle before the house, waiting to be asked before I stepped down as was the custom.
‘Hello the house,’ I called. ‘Anyone home?’
I heard movement inside and the door opened. A tall, gray-haired man stepped out onto the covered porch that ran the length of the house. He came to the edge of the porch, shielding his eyes from the bright sun as he gazed up at me. He looked to be about fifty, a broad, handsome man who held himself tall and straight. There was something about him that spoke of strength, of solid character. His clothing was good, his appearance speaking of breeding that seemed somehow out of place with his surroundings.
‘I was passing through,’ I said. ‘I saw your place and the cattle. I’m on the lookout for beef. Wondered if you were in a mind to trade.’
‘We can talk better over a cup of coffee,’ he said. ‘Step down and come inside.’
I dismounted and tied my horse. Taking off my hat I followed the man inside. The interior was coolly comfortable. Whoever had built this house knew what he was doing. It was sturdy and even larger inside than the exterior showed it to be. It was well furnished too. Rugs lay across the wooden floor and there were curtains at the windows. I detected the touch of a woman about the place. The vase of flowers on a small table, the shine and polish on everything.
I turned to face my host. ‘I’m Brigham Tyler,’ I said, holding out my hand, which he took.
‘William Thorpe, Mr. Tyler. Please sit down.’
We seated ourselves in big leather armchairs before the empty fireplace. I was feeling a little out of place in this room, conscious of being dusty from my ride and before I could stop myself I had touched a hand to my unshaven face. I felt William Thorpe’s eyes on me, a smile on his lips as he said, ‘Mr. Tyler, would you do me the honor of dining with us?’ He went on: ‘We can talk then and I’m sure you’d welcome a chance to freshen up.’
I nodded. ‘I would, sir, and I’m grateful for the offer. But I don’t want to put you to any trouble.’
‘You won’t do that,’ I heard someone say. I stood up, turning around as I did, and laid my eyes on Judith Thorpe for the first time.
‘My daughter Judith,’ Thorpe said. ‘This is Mr. Brigham Tyler. I’ve asked him to stay and eat with us.’
‘You’re more than welcome, Mr. Tyler,’ she said.
‘Thank you, ma’am.’ I must have looked pretty silly, the way I was staring at her, but it had been a long time since I’d seen a really pretty girl and Judith Thorpe would have taken the prize over any other.
She gave me a warm, bright smile, and said something about there being water out back if I wanted to wash. I followed her through into the kitchen, then outside to a neat bath-house. She brought me hot water and a towel, and William Thorpe came out with a razor so I could shave. And I had to admit that when I came out I felt a damn sight more human and presentable.
We sat down to the kind of meal I hadn’t seen in a long time. There was roast beef, with potatoes and greens and thick gravy. It was followed by apple pie and fresh cream from their own cows. It was topped off by hot black coffee that tasted fresher than I thought possible. Thorpe must have sensed my hunger for such good food that he left the talk until after the meal.
‘Miss Thorpe, I want to thank you for the best meal I’ve eaten for a long time.’
She was across the table from me and I saw her cheeks color and she glanced quickly at her father. He was smiling, his eyes holding a kind of sparkle, and I wondered what I’d said.
‘Judith has always maintained that my compliments about her cooking are said just for the sake of politeness. I’ve been telling her for some time that one day she would have some young man telling her the same and really meaning it.’
‘All I can say is that I’m glad it was me,’ I said.
Thorpe and I took our coffee back to the armchairs. He produced a box of cigars and we lit up. Judith was somewhere in the background, clearing the table, and my eyes were drawn to her as she came and went, joining in the conversation, filling our cups as they became empty. As I’ve said I don’t consider myself a ladies’ man, but I know a woman when I see one, and there was something about this lovely girl that took and laid hold of me and wouldn’t let go. It was more than physical, a
lthough she was of a shape that couldn’t be ignored, what with her long dark hair and blue eyes that were bright and alive. Eyes that looked at a man with a boldness that was at times downright startling. She had long legs beneath her skirts and supple hips. Her waist was small, but she filled out above it into full, proud breasts that pressed strongly against the bodice of her dress. I found that I was taking close note of these things, almost without realizing it, and more than once I caught Judith gazing at me, and I averted my eyes for fear of offending her. Shortly William Thorpe and I got down to the main reason for my visit. I told him of my plan to buy cattle and to sell them in Hope. Thorpe was a good listener and he let me have my say before he spoke.
‘I admire your ambition, Mr. Tyler. I never cease to wonder at the way boys grow into men so quickly in this country. Look at you. Even at your age you have your way planned out and I have a feeling you’ll carry it through. You own part of a goldmine and now you plan to go into the cattle business.’
I drained my cup. ‘From what I can see you’ve done pretty well yourself, sir. This place is as nice as I’ve seen anywhere. You’ve picked good graze-land. Plenty of water and grass. You’re well protected come winter. I couldn’t wish for a better place myself.’
He smiled ‘May I call you Brigham?’
‘I’d rather it was Brig. I haven’t been called Brigham for a long time.’
‘Brig it is then.’ He reached out and picked up the coffee pot, refilling our cups. ‘Now about cattle. I’m afraid I must disappoint you. My herd isn’t for sale.’
‘May I ask why, sir?’
‘Those beeves out there are the start of what I hope will be a large herd in a few years. It’s taken me some time to build up the beginning of a herd and it’s my intention to breed from them. I hope you understand.’
‘Of course, sir. It was just a notion.’
We talked for a time about cattle and Thorpe gave me some sound advice on what to look for when I went to do my buying. He also gave me the names of a couple of men I should visit when I reached my destination. I was to use his name for he was known and respected by the men he spoke of.