North to Montana

by Colin Bainbridge

  ‘We don’t want to lose any time.’

  ‘We won’t. Just carry on as normal. He’ll be fine.’ He bent down and stroked the dog’s head. ‘You don’t mind, do you, boy?’

  The dog shook itself and water sprayed on their legs. ‘There you go,’ Muleskin said. ‘There’s your answer.’ Without more ado he picked the dog up and dropped it into his saddle-bag. ‘He’s ready to go,’ he said.

  They mounted up and splashed across the shallow stream. The sun had risen and a thin mist rose from the ground. They rode a little further and then Muleskin pointed to something a little way to their right.

  ‘Horse droppings,’ he said. When they reached the spot, the trail left by the kidnappers was apparent even to Nation’s relatively unpractised eye.

  ‘They won’t get away,’ he hissed. ‘We must be right behind them.’

  Muleskin nodded but added a word of warning. ‘They won’t be stupid enough to imagine we won’t follow ’em. They could be leadin’ us straight into a trap. I want to find Annie just as much as you, but we’ll need to be watchful. We won’t do Annie any good by bein’ careless and gettin’ ourselves shot.’

  Nation’s expression was grim. ‘We’re wastin’ time,’ he said. ‘Let’s ride.’

  Annie had been rudely awakened but though she struggled with her attackers, there was nothing she could do. She was no match against the two men who held her in a vice-like grip. She was half-led and half-dragged across the narrow stream and through the bushes beyond. In a grove of trees at a little distance some horses were tethered and she was hoisted across the back of one of them. One of her captors mounted up behind her and they set off into the darkness. The movement of the horse jolted her at every stride and she felt the indignity as well as the discomfort of her position. It didn’t last for long because presently the horse came to a halt and she was lifted down. There were two other riders but she could not make out their features very distinctly because of the darkness.

  ‘You won’t get away with this!’ she managed to say.

  ‘Shut your trap,’ one of them said.

  ‘I don’t know—’ she started to say, just as she was hit across the mouth.

  ‘I said shut up.’ The man’s hand went to his gun and he waved it in front of her face. ‘One more word and I’ll kill you.’

  ‘Put that gun away,’ another man ordered. ‘One shot and you’ll have let Nation know just where we are.’

  The gunman gave him an ugly stare. ‘One of these days, Usher, you’ll go too far,’ he hissed. ‘Who do you think you are, anyway?’

  ‘Just do it, Denton,’ the man replied.

  The gunman hesitated for an instant and then slowly replaced his gun in its holster. ‘What are we waitin’ for, anyway?’ he asked.

  ‘Isn’t that obvious? We’re waitin’ for the others, like we arranged.’

  Denton spat and then turned away. For a few moments there was silence and Annie considered desperately whether there was any chance of making a break when they heard the sound of approaching horses.

  ‘That’s Gunter and Wilson now,’ one of the men said.

  Out of the darkness two riders emerged. ‘Did you get the lady?’ one of them snapped.

  ‘Sure, we got her,’ Denton replied. ‘She’s right here.’

  Annie was peering closely at the newcomers. Although she had rarely seen Gunter since his departure from Gunsight, she thought she recognized the speaker.

  ‘Good,’ he said. ‘At least that’s somethin’. We can use her to flush out that Nation varmint.’

  ‘That ain’t all we can use her for,’ Denton muttered.

  ‘It won’t take long till Nation realizes what’s happened,’ Gunter continued. ‘We’ve done enough for tonight. Let’s get out of here.’

  ‘Why not go back and kill him and that old-timer right now?’ one of the men remarked.

  ‘Because he’s been warned now,’ Gunter replied. ‘It might not be as easy as you seem to think.’

  Usher regarded him with a puzzled look. He was unhappy about taking the woman. Was it necessary? However, there was no further dissent. Annie was lifted up onto one of the pack horses and, at a word from Gunter, they set off.

  Chapter Four

  Selby Rackham had been thinking hard since Gunter had left. Assuming Gunter was successful this time in eliminating Nation, it would still leave him in a vulnerable position. What was to stop Gunter from blabbing at some point? OK, he had things to hide too – in particular his part in the murder of Cliff and Henrietta Nation. But would that be enough to make him keep quiet? He had been prepared to put up with Gunter so far; he had ensured his silence by taking him on and even promoting him to foreman on the Grab All. It was a nominal position. Most of the hard work was done by his trail boss, Schultz. But Schultz was beginning to show signs of resentment at his role. He had seen through the arrangement.

  The situation, as it now presented itself, offered an ideal opportunity to get rid of both Nation and Gunter and appease Schultz – all at the same time. If there was one thing which gratified Rackham it was a plan which answered several requirements at once. Having reached a decision, he resolved to waste no time in putting it in motion.

  He had just seen Schultz ride in, so he made his way to the stables. Schultz, removing his saddle, turned round at Rackham’s arrival. ‘Boss,’ he said in acknowledgement.

  ‘Everythin’ OK down on the south range?’ Rackham replied.

  ‘Sure. Some of the fencin’ needed repair.’

  ‘Good man.’

  There was a pause. Schultz wasn’t sure what Rackham wanted and Rackham was deciding what he should say. In the end, he decided to express himself directly and play on Schultz’s resentment of Gunter.

  ‘Schultz,’ he said. ‘How would you feel about takin’ charge of this place?’

  ‘How do you mean, boss?’ Schultz replied.

  ‘Just what I say. How would you like to be in sole charge of the Grab All?’ Schultz looked confused. ‘The thing is, I’m plannin’ on goin’ away for a while,’ Rackham continued. ‘I’ve got to look at a spread near a place called Hooker’s Bluff up in Montana so I might be away some time. You’ve worked for me a long time. I need somebody to take care of the Grab All, someone I can trust.’

  ‘What about Gunter?’ Schultz managed to say.

  ‘Right now Gunter is away carryin’ out some business on my behalf. I don’t know how long it’ll take him. To be quite frank with you, Gunter has let me down recently. And he ain’t popular with the men. You can tell me if I’m wrong, but they don’t seem to have the respect for him that’s needed to run a place like the Grab All.’

  Schultz didn’t say anything. He was still unsure how to take what his boss was telling him.

  ‘If you’re willin’ to accept my offer, I’d be leavin’ everything down to you while I’m away. I’ll inform the men that you’re in charge, but I don’t even think that’s necessary. I’ve watched you at work. The men respond to you. So how do you feel about it?’

  Schultz stood for a moment, his mouth slightly open, considering Rackham’s offer. It seemed too good to be true. For a long time he had been forced to watch Gunter’s star rise while his own declined. Now he was being given the chance to reverse all that. To be put in charge of the Grab All ahead of Gunter was something he could not have anticipated. And if he understood Rackham correctly, there seemed to be an implication that Rackham would not object if Gunter was made redundant – whatever that might imply.

  ‘Sure boss,’ he said. ‘You know you can rely on me. You go ahead and do whatever you need to do and I’ll see that the Grab All is properly looked after. It’ll be in safe hands. You won’t need to worry none.’

  ‘I know,’ Rackham said. ‘That’s why I decided to ask you. I can head north now without needin’ to concern myself about anythin’ else.’

  Schultz would have liked to know more about Rackham’s plans but decided not to push his luck. But who knew? If Rackham was e
xtending the scope of his operations, the arrangement might become permanent. He permitted himself to ask when Rackham intended leaving.

  ‘First thing tomorrow,’ he replied. ‘Now that I’ve talked about this with you, I don’t need to delay any further.’

  ‘Thanks, Mr Rackham,’ Schultz said.

  ‘It’s me should be thankin’ you,’ Rackham replied. He slapped Schultz across the shoulders. ‘I’ll have a word with the boys this evening,’ he said. ‘Come on over afterwards and I’ll fill you in with a few details.’

  He turned and walked out of the stables. Schultz watched him with a quiet glow of satisfaction before picking up a blanket to wipe down his horse.

  Nation and Muleskin rode hard with every expectation of catching up with Gunter. After all, they weren’t far behind. At first, it was quite easy to follow their sign but as the day passed and the trail took them towards the foothills, the ground became stonier with outcrops of rock so that they could no longer be sure that they were on the right track.

  ‘Gunter ain’t no fool,’ the old-timer said. ‘He’s done a pretty good job of throwin’ us off his trail.’

  Nation rose in his stirrups and looked around. ‘He probably knows the country pretty well. He could be aimin’ to dry-gulch us. I don’t like the idea of bein’ caught somewhere in those hills, but we can’t leave Annie in their clutches. I guess we gotta just throw caution to the wind and carry right on.’

  Muleskin nodded. Midway, whose head had emerged from his saddle-bag, uttered a bark.

  ‘Seems like he’s agreein’ with you,’ the old-timer said.

  ‘He probably figures we’re crazy,’ Nation commented.

  ‘He’d be right,’ Muleskin replied. Spurring their horses, they rode on.

  Ex-marshal Quitman heard the sound of hoof- beats and, looking out the window, saw Doc Hurley ride into the yard of his house. He moved to the door as Hurley dismounted and tied his horse to the hitch-rack.

  ‘Hello, Doc,’ Quitman said. ‘Seems like this old place is suddenly becomin’ popular.’

  The doctor smiled. ‘Just taking up your invitation,’ he said.

  They went inside and Quitman poured two glasses of whiskey. ‘It’s good to see you,’ he said, ‘but I reckon this isn’t just a social call.’

  ‘You’re very astute,’ Hurley replied, ‘and you’re right.’

  Briefly, he described what had happened at the Broken Wheel. When he had finished Quitman took a few moments to weigh up his words.

  ‘Those boys must have been lookin’ for Nation,’ he said, ‘and they weren’t leavin’ any callin’ cards.’

  ‘It looks like it’s not only Nation that’s in a heap of trouble, but Annie and Muleskin as well,’ the doctor replied.

  Quitman finished his drink and placed the glass on a low table. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘I’m gettin’ a mite concerned about you, Doc. One time, and it wasn’t long ago, you seemed to have settled for a quiet life.’

  ‘Annie and Muleskin are my friends,’ the doctor replied.

  ‘Sure they are. Mine too.’ He paused for a moment. ‘You think this is all tied up with what that fella Nation was sayin’ about Cliff and Henrietta?’

  ‘I figure it that way,’ the doctor grinned.

  Quitman rose to his feet and crossed the room to where a couple of six-guns were hanging on the wall. He took them down and strapped them round his waist.

  ‘I never reckoned on usin’ these again,’ he said, ‘but maybe I was too hasty.’ He looked towards his visitor. With a smile on his face the doctor drew back his coat to reveal a six-shooter in the belt of his trousers.

  ‘Seems like we’re both comin’ out of retirement,’ Quitman said.

  When Rackham left the Grab All, he took with him a select group of his henchmen, ostensibly ranch-hands, but all of them former gunmen who had served him well in the past. The main reason was that he didn’t know exactly what to expect when he reached Montana. It was as well to be prepared for all eventualities. In accordance with that maxim, he set another group of gunslicks to take care of Nation.

  He didn’t trust Gunter. Gunter had shown incompetence and that was one thing he couldn’t ignore. He realized he was leaving the Grab All a little short-handed, but the place more or less ran itself and he genuinely trusted Schultz to do a good job in his absence. The more he considered the whole matter, the more satisfactory his plans appeared. He watched with confidence as the group he’d selected to deal with Nation set off early the next morning. Then he himself departed for Montana.

  When Quitman and the doc left Quitman’s house, they had only a vague idea about which way to go, so their discovery of the discarded travois owed something to luck. At first neither of them could work out its use till they discovered unmistakable evidence in the undergrowth for the presence of a dog.

  ‘There was a camp here and whoever set it up had a dog with ’em. That could only be Muleskin and Midway,’ Quitman said.

  ‘Yeah. And that means Annie and this Nation fella too,’ Doc Hurley replied. ‘But where are they now?’

  ‘If we found them so easily, there’s a good chance those varmints who ransacked Annie’s house would do the same.’

  ‘Maybe, but we ain’t seen no evidence of a struggle. They must have moved on. With any luck, we should be able to pick up their sign.’

  The former marshal scratched his chin. ‘I still don’t like it,’ he said. ‘There must be a reason why they left this contraption behind.’

  ‘Maybe they were just findin’ it too awkward,’ the doctor replied.

  ‘Maybe. Guess all we can do is keep goin’. At least we know we’re on the right track and they can’t be too far away. It would be a big help if we knew where they were headed for when they left town.’

  ‘Yeah. But wherever it was, there’s got to be a connection with those mangy coyotes who wrecked the old saloon.’

  ‘Tom Irwin didn’t recognize any of ’em?’

  The doctor shook his head. ‘I should maybe have tried to get more information from him,’ he said. ‘I didn’t go into it in a lot of detail. Once he mentioned they’d been at the Broken Wheel, I just wanted to get over there and see for myself what they’d done.’

  ‘You did right,’ Quitman said. ‘Come on, we’ll find ’em.’

  With a last glance around, they turned their horses towards the stream.

  The trail which Nation and Muleskin were following was becoming steeper and stonier; sycamore and cottonwood trees looked pale and dusty in the sunlight. It was hard to follow the sign left by Gunter and his gang but Muleskin was able to detect traces of their passage where Nation would have had to admit defeat. It was clear to them both that they must have fallen a good way further behind their quarry than when they set off. As they progressed slowly, Nation’s eyes searched the country, seeking for any place where Gunter and his men might be concealed. They each realized that they were taking big risks, but in a strange sort of way Nation would almost have welcomed an ambush. That way, at least, their enemies would be revealed. He was growing tired and was surprised at the old-timer’s resilience. They had spent a long day in the saddle and the terrain was demanding. Suddenly the dog began to growl and then to bark.

  ‘What is it?’ Nation snapped.

  ‘He’s sensed somethin’. Probably just a skunk or a raccoon.’ Muleskin brought his horse to a halt and looked around. ‘Could even be a goddamn bear,’ he added.

  ‘The horses don’t seem to be too bothered,’ Nation replied.

  They moved on and after a little distance they found raccoon tracks in the sand around a brackish pool near an outcrop of rock.

  ‘That’s probably what set him off,’ Muleskin remarked.

  Nation was thinking that the noise of the dog could have apprised Gunter of their presence. It didn’t matter. He probably had them in his sights as it was. It might even be a good thing. If Gunter was nearby, then Annie would have heard and perhaps be encouraged, knowing they were not far behin
d. His thoughts were broken into by the voice of Muleskin.

  ‘Used to have me a pet raccoon. Called him Clint. He were a good fella. The trick is to catch ’em when they’re young.’

  Whatever else the old-timer might have been going to say was cut off by a deafening burst of noise; Muleskin fell backwards from his horse while Nation’s roan reared and threw him heavily to the floor. Nation realized instantly that they had been bushwhacked. Bullets were tearing up the dust and sand. Nearby, he saw a fallen sycamore log. Rolling over, he grabbed the old-timer by his jacket and hauled him to its shelter. The horses had bolted, taking their rifles and the dog with them, so he drew his six-guns and began to return fire blindly, aiming towards the rocks. He cursed out loud, conscious that he and Muleskin had been stupid not to have realized that they offered the sort of cover Gunter and his men would be looking for. The din of gunfire quieted for a moment and he had a chance to look more closely at Muleskin, who had been stunned by the fall from the horse. At that moment his eyes opened.

  ‘Am I still alive?’ he muttered.

  ‘You sure are, you old son of a gun.’

  The old-timer glanced at his shoulder. ‘It hurts,’ he said, ‘but at least it ain’t my gun arm.’ He sat up and, drawing his six-gun, turned to fire as a bullet slammed into the wood an inch from his head.

  ‘Lie low!’ Nation hissed.

  Muleskin grinned. ‘It ain’t much in the way of cover,’ he said. The next moment his gun spat flame and lead as Nation took the opportunity to jam more slugs into the chamber of his weapon. A fresh burst of firing from their ambushers sent shards of wood flying round their ears.

  ‘We might be able to hold out here for a while,’ Muleskin said, ‘but sooner or later they’re gonna get us.’

  Nation’s expression was grim. ‘We’ll see about that,’ he replied.

  His eyes roamed the scene for a possible way out, but nothing presented itself. They were lucky to have found the log where it was. All around it the terrain was bare. There were some trees and bushes at a little distance, but too far for them to have a realistic chance of making it to their cover without being killed in the process. At that moment a fresh wave of gunfire tore up the area around them.