North to Montana

by Colin Bainbridge

  ‘We can’t do anythin’ to change our position,’ Nation yelled, ‘but neither can they. If there was more cover, they might have been able to outflank us.’

  For the moment it was an uneven stalemate. Nation wondered what had happened to the horses and raised his head. Instantly a shot rang out and bark flew into the air from the log. He ducked down instantly and lay back, looking up at the sky.

  ‘If we can hang out till dark, we might be able to make a getaway,’ he said.

  Muleskin didn’t like to disabuse his friend so said nothing, even though he considered their chances would be less than slim. It would be what the gunnies expected. ‘At least we got plenty of ammunition,’ he replied.

  ‘Yeah, but I wish I had that rifle.’

  ‘A field gun would be better,’ the old-timer said.

  Nation uttered a grim chuckle. ‘Which side were you on in the war?’ he remarked.

  ‘The right side,’ Muleskin replied.

  The gunnies’ fire had dwindled and there was comparative silence. Through it they became aware of another sound; the drum of hoof-beats.

  ‘If they’re bringin’ up reinforcements,’ Muleskin said, ‘I think we’re done for.’

  Nation strained his ears to listen. The hoof-beats seemed to be coming from their rear, but who else could it be other than more of Gunter’s men? The sound grew louder and then suddenly a rifle-shot rang out. Nation turned to face the new danger but as he did so a fresh burst of fire broke out from behind the rocks. At the same moment Nation caught his first glimpse of the newcomers. There were two riders and, just ahead of them, a dog. There was something vaguely familiar about them.

  ‘Holy Moses,’ Muleskin yelled, ‘it’s Quitman and the doc with old Midway!’

  The newcomers were blazing away with their rifles as they rode but they were still out of range. As Nation watched them, he became aware of noise and movement in front of him and presently Gunter and his men emerged briefly into view beyond the rocks; they had mounted their horses and were riding quickly away from the scene of action. At the same moment Midway leaped over the fallen log to land more or less in Muleskin’s arms.

  ‘Midway, old fella!’ he shouted. ‘You’ve come to the rescue!’

  Quitman and the doc rode past them but quickly drew rein when they realized the opposition had melted away. A few shots rang out from the retreating gunnies but they presented no danger. Nation and Muleskin got to their feet as their rescuers dismounted.

  ‘Hell, are we glad to see you!’ the old-timer cried.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re doin’ here, but you couldn’t have come at a better time,’ Nation added.

  The doctor’s quick eyes saw that the old-timer had been hurt. ‘Better get that shoulder attended to,’ he said. ‘You danged coyote. You’re too old to be gettin’ mixed up in this sort of thing.’

  The old-timer’s face was creased in a grin. ‘It’ll take more than a tumble from a horse to keep me out of the game,’ he said.

  Quitman turned to Nation and was about to say something when Nation stopped him. ‘We can leave the explanations for now,’ he said. ‘Come with me. The varmints took Annie. Let’s see if we can find anythin’.’

  Together they ran forward to where the gunnies had been concealed. Nation was hoping against hope that Gunter might have left Annie behind but when they got to where the gunslicks had been concealed he was disappointed; there was no trace of her. They found something, however. One of the gunslicks lay dead in the dirt with a bullet in his chest. They didn’t stop to examine the corpse but moved up the trail to where, a little way beyond, they found where Gunter and his men had left their horses.

  ‘They skedaddled pretty quick when they saw us arrive,’ Quitman said.

  ‘It’s one thing to bushwhack folk; it’s another thing when the odds are more even. You can be sure that when Gunter realizes there are only two of you, he’ll be back again.’

  ‘Yeah, and maybe he’ll have more numbers next time. But what about Annie? What happened? We found your camp; leastways we guessed it was yours when we found that old travois.’

  ‘That was for Midway. Muleskin fixed it up.’

  ‘You both owe that dog, one way and another,’ the former marshal replied. ‘We heard the shootin’ just now but it was the dog made us realize which side was which.’

  ‘Let’s get back to Muleskin and the doc,’ Nation said. ‘I guess we all got some explainin’ to do.’

  The only reason Annie had not given Nation and Muleskin a warning was that Gunter had ordered her mouth to be gagged. She had been left in the care of one of the gunnies whose job was also to keep an eye on the horses. From her position she had heard the firing but had no idea of the progress of the fight or of its outcome till Gunter and his boys had come running back to mount their horses and ride away. She noticed that there was one less of them. She had attempted to resist but it was to no avail. She took comfort from the fact that there had been a fire-fight at all. It could hardly have been part of Gunter’s plans and could only mean that somehow Nation and Muleskin had survived the first blaze of fire. She had no way of knowing whether they were alive or dead, but from the way Gunter and his men behaved she was encouraged to believe that they might have survived.

  They rode as hard as the terrain allowed, till eventually they pulled to a halt beneath a wall of rock. Glancing up, she saw the entrance to a cavern which showed as a blacker feature against the darkness of the night. It was obviously familiar to Gunter. She suspected that he had used it before. She remembered him from former days; it seemed he might have spent at least part of the time since then riding the high country, probably on the wrong side of the law.

  ‘This is it,’ Gunter said. ‘We’ll rest up here.’

  They rode right into the mouth of the cavern, which was even bigger than it had first seemed. There was plenty of room for both men and horses. The overhang was high above their heads and Annie had no idea how far back it went. They built a fire in its depths, out of view of the trail they had ridden up, but the firelight made little impression on the gloom and only made the dark interior more mysterious.

  ‘Take off her gag,’ Gunter ordered.

  It was a huge relief to her to be able to breathe more freely but as if to offset the removal of the gag, the gunnies then tied her feet while leaving her arms free. Gunter leered at her and gave her his usual warning not to try anything. As far as she could see, it was superfluous. There wasn’t anything she could do. She was thankful that so far Gunter’s men had confined their abuse of her to crude remarks and lascivious comments. For that she had to thank the softening influence of the man called Usher, who had stepped in a couple of times to admonish the others. How long it would remain that way was a different matter.

  The night wore on. After having eaten, Gunter and his men remained by the fire, talking. Annie had not failed to notice the Grab All brand on their horses, but they were certainly not the ordinary run of cowboys. If Gunter was in the pay of Rackham, he wasn’t the only one, and they were a rough bunch. As it grew late, the gunnies began to turn in for the night. She had been placed against one wall of the cavern, further back but just within range of the firelight. One foot was becoming numb; they had bound her arms as well as her feet and the rope bit into her flesh. She wondered what they intended doing with her, and her conclusions were not reassuring. She assumed that Gunter was using her as a bait to draw in Nation. If he succeeded in killing Nation and Muleskin, she would have no further value. In any case, since she knew Gunter, it wasn’t likely he would spare her.

  Casting about for a means of escape, she began to search the rock wall of the cave with her knuckles for any sharp projection against which she could fray the rope. There was nothing; the walls of the cavern were smooth. She tried to work the ropes loose by moving her fingers and toes, but the ropes were too tight. Just as she was about to give up she became aware that someone was near her and a voice whispered in her ear.

  �
�Don’t make a noise. I’m cuttin’ you loose.’

  She felt something sawing at the ropes that bound her wrists and then whoever held the knife slithered forward and began to work on her feet. In a few moments the ropes parted. The man’s face came close and for the first time she could make out Usher’s features.

  ‘I don’t agree with taking a lady,’ he said. ‘Follow me and don’t make a sound.’

  She rose unsteadily to her feet and stood for a moment to allow the circulation to resume as Usher signalled for her to follow him. She gritted her teeth but when she stepped forward she found that she was able to move quite freely. Carefully, she followed the dim shape ahead of her. He led her by the walls of the cavern, keeping in the shadows and avoiding the faint glow of the fire. Men were sleeping but she expected one of them to awake at any moment. Then she saw the dim looming shape of the cavern entrance. Where was the sentry? She could only follow the shadowy figure of Usher as he led her through the soaring cavern entrance and into the open air beyond. They were unchallenged; she realized that Usher himself must be the sentry on watch.

  When they had passed a little way beyond the cavern, he stopped and she drew to a halt next to him.

  ‘There’s no time for explanations,’ he whispered when he saw her about to speak. ‘Like I said, I don’t go along with kidnappin’ ladies.’ He pointed with his finger. ‘There’s a horse tied to a tree along there. Whatever you do, don’t make any noise.’

  ‘What will you do?’ Annie said.

  ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll try to put them off the track with some kinda story. Just start ridin’ and keep goin’.’

  He pointed again and then, without further ado, he moved silently back towards the cavern. For a moment Annie hesitated and then she began to walk in the direction he had indicated.

  She hadn’t gone far when she saw the horse. She untied it and climbed into the saddle. Touching its sides gently with her feet, she guided it along the trail. Her heart was beating. What if something should happen to stop her now? The horse might make a noise. Usher might disturb one of the sleeping gunnies. When she had put a reasonable distance between herself and the cave, she urged the horse into a trot. She was tempted to go faster but she retained enough of her wits to realize that it would be taking a big risk in the darkness. She was a decent rider and it wasn’t the first time she had ridden by night. As she drew further away from her captors she began to think for the first time of all the other dangers which might present themselves and to wish fervently for the first signs of dawn.

  When Nation and his three companions rode out the morning following the shootout, it didn’t take them long to find the cavern. They approached it with caution, fearing another ambush, but it was deserted. Muleskin soon found evidence of it having been recently occupied.

  ‘We must still be on the right track,’ the doctor said.

  ‘They’ll be more careful next time,’ Nation replied, ‘now they know we got reinforcements. It sorta evens things up some.’

  Muleskin stood by the entrance to the cavern, deep in thought. ‘I figure there’s a good chance Gunter will call it a day and head right back to the Grab All,’ he concluded. They thought about it for a few moments.

  ‘Maybe we should just make for the Grab All too,’ Quitman said.

  ‘What about Annie?’ Muleskin replied.

  Nation scratched his chin. ‘They’ve got Annie with them,’ he said. ‘If we’re right and we head for the Grab All, we won’t be leavin’ her behind.’

  ‘We might be able to pick up Gunter’s sign as we go,’ Quitman remarked.

  ‘Let’s take a few more minutes to look around this place,’ Nation concluded. ‘If we don’t find anythin’ to change our minds, we’ll set out for the Grab All.’

  Selby Rackham and his hardened bunch of gunslicks made good progress on their ride north. The way was easy, and it wasn’t till they were in the neighbourhood of the Black Hills that they were faced with a choice when the trail divided. Rackham, however, had done his homework.

  ‘One route takes you to the Powder River Valley and the Big Horn Basin,’ he said. ‘The other one’s for us; north to Montana.’

  His words seemed to stir something in his listeners. One of them, in a burst of enthusiasm, threw his Stetson in the air and, drawing his six-gun, began to fire at it. Rackham grinned.

  ‘Take it easy, Riff,’ one of the men said. ‘Some of those Sioux varmints might have quit the reservation.’

  ‘Just takin’ a little practice,’ the gunman replied. He jumped down from his horse and picked up the hat. There were two neat holes in it.

  ‘Looks like you ain’t lost your touch,’ Rackham said.

  The man laughed and, placing his foot on the stirrup, stepped back into leather.

  ‘OK, boys,’ Rackham shouted, ‘Let’s take the trail to Montana.’

  They rode on, and as they did so Rackham was thinking that the joke about the Sioux might not be so wide of the mark. Even as far north as Montana, on the other side of the old Sioux country, they might still encounter scattered bands of hostile Indians. It was another reason he had brought his gang of gunslingers with him. It paid to be careful. That was why he had sent out enough men to make sure of killing Nation. He didn’t know anything about him, but in view of past events at the old Forty-Five, the name was enough.

  For a few moments his thoughts were on Gunter but they soon switched to other things. Gunter had failed him once. He had been warned, so he wasn’t likely to fail a second time. And if he did, he had put other men on the job.

  When the first rays of dawn lightened the sky, Annie began to feel a little better. She carried on riding, following Usher’s instructions and hoping to see some familiar landmark. As the sun climbed higher, however, she was forced to admit to herself that she was lost. She drew the horse to a halt and got down. She had eaten little the night before and was beginning to feel hungry. She felt in the saddlebags and found some strips of jerky and a flask containing water. It wasn’t much but she appreciated Usher’s foresight in providing her with something. She sat down with her back against a tree and made the best she could of it. When she had finished she gave some water to the horse and then began to look around. She didn’t recognize anything. She decided to ride further and try to reach some elevated point from which she could get a better view of the surrounding country.

  Some time later she saw what she was looking for: a cluster of rocks. When she reached them she dismounted and began to clamber up. As she approached the summit, she saw a suitable foothold and stretched out a leg to reach it. Her skirt caught on her foot and she lost her balance, falling backwards onto the rock below. She landed awkwardly. Her leg was trapped beneath her and her foot hurt. She succeeded in disentangling her leg but when she made to sit up she gasped with pain and sank back again. She couldn’t tell for sure, but she felt that she might have twisted her ankle. She succeeded in propping her back against the rock so she could sit upright and take notice of her surroundings. A little way below her the horse had wandered away and was chewing some grass. She suddenly felt thirsty but she had put the flask of water back in the saddle-bag. She realized she must stay calm. What did they once call her? Double-Cinch Annie? Well, having got herself into an awkward situation, now more than ever before she needed to stay in control.

  When Gunter awoke to find that Annie was missing, he was furious. ‘Who was on guard?’ he yelled.

  His men looked at each other with mildly concerned expressions on their faces. They had little respect for the foreman of the Grab All and his blustering did not have much effect on them.

  ‘Someone’s gonna pay!’ Gunter fulminated.

  ‘Instead of shouting about it,’ Usher said, ‘why don’t we try and act sensible and see if we can find her. She can’t have got far.’

  Gunter turned to him. ‘You’d better not have had anythin’ to do with this,’ he spluttered, searching for a scapegoat.

  ‘Come on, boys,’ Usher
said. ‘Let’s start lookin’.’ He led the way out of the cave. The men, not knowing quite what to do, followed him when he turned in the opposite direction from that in which he had led Annie.

  Gunter began to pace backwards and forwards in front of the cavern. He watched as the others carried out a search of the immediate vicinity but it was a while before he thought of the horses. He moved swiftly down the trail along which Usher had guided Annie; when he reached the horses he realized at once that one of them was missing. Cursing out loud, he spun round and ran back towards the cavern, shouting as he did so. ‘One of the horses is missin’! She’s taken one of the horses!’ Although it was only a short distance, he pulled up outside the cavern, panting and breathless.

  ‘What’s that you say?’ Usher asked.

  ‘What’s wrong with you?’ Gunter shouted. ‘Can’t you understand? I took a look where we left the horses and one of them is gone.’

  ‘Are you sure it ain’t just broke loose?’

  Gunter’s hand dropped towards his six-gun in an instinctive gesture but he stayed his hand. He looked from one to the other of his men, trying to think. His first idea was to get on the woman’s trail; but then Nation and his comrades were not far behind. Maybe they should stay and set another trap. Nation would see immediately that the cavern was a likely place for an ambush. Perhaps it would be better to find somewhere less obvious. He looked up at the sky. Dawn couldn’t be far away. He needed to keep ahead of Nation. That was the priority. Once he had dealt with him there would be time to catch up with the woman and give her what she deserved.

  ‘OK,’ he said at last. ‘Somehow, the woman’s escaped. She won’t get far. Right now we need to move on. Let’s get out of here.’

  As the men moved to follow Gunter’s orders, Usher felt Denton’s eyes on him. The man didn’t like him. He carried a grudge. Did he suspect that he, Usher, was behind the woman’s escape? Where Denton was concerned, it would be wise to watch his back.