Six-Gun Nemesis

by Colin Bainbridge

  ‘Are you OK, Kitchenbrand?’ the marshal asked.

  Kitchenbrand was too surprised to answer directly. ‘Purdom!’ he snapped. ‘What in hell are you doin’ here?’

  Purdom didn’t reply. Instead he went over to look at the bodies of the four outlaws to confirm that they were dead. ‘Someone go and get the undertaker,’ he said.

  The rest of the clientele were just beginning to recover their wits and were looking about them at the scene of carnage with shocked expressions. Purdom approached the bar and, bending down, seized the man with his arm in a sling and dragged him to his feet.

  ‘You and I got some talkin’ to do later,’ he said. ‘In the jailhouse.’ He turned to Kitchenbrand. ‘You said you’d be comin’ back to town. Somehow I kinda figured there might be trouble. I saw your horse outside the saloon. Looks like I got here just in time.’

  ‘Sure appreciate it,’ Kitchenbrand replied. ‘Without your assistance, I figure those two galoots mighta got me. But shouldn’t you be restin’ up?’

  ‘Bella’s a marvellous woman. She’s been doin’ a great job takin’ care of me, but I couldn’t take no more sittin’ about. I was startin’ to go plumb loco. Besides, you didn’t think I was gonna let you ride out to the Buzzards all by yourself? You might be good, but it’s a tall order even for you, takin’ on a bunch of renegades like the Yuma gang in their own hideout.’

  ‘I figure I could handle ’em.’

  ‘Maybe so. You made a good start right here. But I figure there’s plenty more of ’em roostin’ up there.’ He turned to the injured outlaw. ‘I think you’ve got a lot of explainin’ to do, and we’re gonna find it mighty interestin’.’

  As he rode in the midst of his captors, Ty Garland continued to look for an opportunity to escape. He had just about given up hope when suddenly he saw his chance. It was a desperate one, but he could think of nothing else. The track they were following led along the side of a hill. Below them ran a mountain stream. If he could get closer to the edge of the trail, he might be able to leap from the saddle. It was a long drop and he had no way of knowing how deep the water was. If there had been rain or even snow higher in the mountains, it might have swelled the current, but it was still an awful risk.

  He looked ahead along the trail. The particular section they were following was fairly level. The outlaw leading his horse seemed to have relaxed his hold on the rope. There was another outlaw between him and the edge of the trail. Very stealthily he tried to edge slightly towards him. The trail was quite narrow and there wasn’t much room for manoeuvre. He glanced downwards out of the corner of his eyes once again at the river and almost lost his nerve. Now that he was about to put his plan into effect, it seemed an even greater drop. Another question was whether he would be able to project himself far enough to avoid hitting the cliff face.

  He looked away again, swallowed hard and took some deep breaths to try and steady himself. Then, gathering his courage into one tight ball, he suddenly dug his heels into the horse’s flanks.

  It started forward and sideways, colliding with the horse on the outside. For a moment he had a glimpse of the look of horror on its rider’s face as his horse reared and then slipped. In the same moment that the outlaw’s horse lost its footing and went over the edge, braying in terror, Garland launched himself from the saddle and followed the doomed horse and rider into the abyss.

  He seemed to be falling for a long time and then something hit him like a blackjack across his shoulders, leaving him gasping for breath as he sank beneath the water. Panic swept over him as he began frantically to kick and thresh in an effort to stop his descent and move upwards. He was totally disoriented, so it came as a shock when his head burst through the surface of the water and light burst around him in an exploding rainbow.

  He began to move his arms and legs, swimming blindly but gradually becoming aware of his situation. Something fizzed into the water not far from his head and he realized he was being shot at from the top of the hillside. Reacting quickly, he took a deep breath and ducked his head. He swam under water towards the cliff face, thinking that he might gain some protection from the overhang. The water on that side was shadowed and he would be less visible. He popped his head out of the water to take another gulp of air and then continued swimming. He was feeling very tired and he ached all over but he carried on, summoning up every ounce of energy and determination he still possessed. The water was murky and he kept his eyes shut so long as he was beneath the surface.

  Suddenly he felt something seize his foot and panic gripped him as he realized it was caught in some kind of trailing root or weed. He pulled hard and to his relief his foot came away from the entanglement. Opening his eyes, he saw the riverbed and realized that the river was becoming shallower. He feared that he might be left stranded, an easy target for Addison and his men above, but as if to compensate the current began to speed up. He surfaced once more and, lying on his back in order to conserve what little strength he still possessed, allowed the current to carry him onwards.

  Soon he was going at quite a quick rate but the water remained a lot shallower and some rocks and other obstructions were appearing in the water. Turning his head, he saw a large dark object looming up ahead of him. He was in danger of striking it and he kicked out, swerving away. As he passed close by he realized it was the body of the horse which had fallen over the edge of the trail. He could see no sign of its rider.

  The river took a wide bend and the current began to slow again. Garland reckoned he had travelled a fair distance down the river away from his captors and was confident that he had made good his escape. Kicking out once more, he began to move towards the opposite shore where stands of cottonwood and willow lined the banks. The river wasn’t very wide; soon his feet touched bottom and he was able to stand and wade through the water the rest of the way. Feeling completely exhausted, he flung himself down in the shelter of a tree.

  Chapter Five

  When Kitchenbrand got back to the shack and told Virginy what had happened in town he was rewarded by the biggest grin he had ever seen spreading on a face without cracking it.

  ‘Landogoshen!’ she said, ‘I wish I’d been there to take part. Only pity is that the varmint who tried to shoot you didn’t wind up in boot hill with the rest of ’em.’

  ‘Marshal Purdom’s got him in jail. He’ll get his due deserts.’

  Kitchenbrand was about to say something further when their conversation was interrupted by a loud squawk and a cry from inside the shack. In a moment Delta came running out with a bird sitting on her head.

  ‘Don’t be frightened,’ Virginy called. ‘Like I said, she won’t hurt you. Lords a’ mercy, she’s just bein’ plumb friendly.’

  Fortunately, just at that moment the bird gave another squawk, flew up from the frightened girl’s head, and landed on Kitchenbrand’s shoulder.

  ‘Goldurnit!’ Kitchenbrand said. ‘It’s Reba! How did she get here?’

  ‘You remembered her name,’ Virginy replied. ‘And she remembers you.’

  Kitchenbrand looked at Delta and they both looked at Virginy. Suddenly the girl began to laugh.

  ‘Now that’s better,’ Virginy said. ‘A pretty young thing like you didn’t ought to be all sad and beaten down. That’s the first time I seen you smile since we found you.’ Kitchenbrand glanced sideways at the crow’s glistening eye. ‘Reba knows where to find me,’ Virginy said. ‘She brung me somethin’, too.’

  She went into the shack and returned carrying a small brooch which she handed to the girl. ‘Here, why don’t you have it?’ she said.

  Delta took it and looked at it. It was a plain silver brooch and not especially remarkable, but she obviously liked it. ‘I couldn’t take it, it’s yours,’ she replied.

  ‘Shucks, it ain’t no use to me now, but it would surely look purty fixed to your blouse.’

  After a moment’s hesitation Delta did as the old woman suggested.

  ‘Sure does look nice,’ Kitchenbrand said
.

  ‘Thanks, Virginy. But are you quite sure?’

  ‘Sure as sure. It’s a long time since I wore it. I’d forgotten all about it. It does an old lady good to see it bein’ put to proper use again. I guess Reba musta flown down one time and taken it. Years ago I remember havin’ to check out one of the old rafters in the barn. There were beads and coins up there and pieces of broken glass. She’s got an eye for shiny things.’

  ‘Well, she can’t be accused of thievin’ if she brought it back again,’ Kitchenbrand commented.

  Further discussion of Reba was ended when the bird suddenly flapped its wings and soared up to the branches of one of the trees overlooking the shack.

  Later that same day, Kitchenbrand and Marshal Purdom set off in their quest to find Ty Garland.

  They rode hard to reach the Buzzard ranges without further delay. Purdom had questioned the wounded gunslick but hadn’t been able to learn a lot that Kitchenbrand didn’t already know. The outlaw confirmed that it was the Yuma boys who had tarred and feathered Virginy and torn down her house. It seemed that they had done it simply for the hell of it and he had no idea what Addison’s motives were. He knew nothing about the whereabouts of either Addison or Garland. It seemed he was a bit player.

  ‘If I figure Virginy Garland right,’ the marshal said, ‘I reckon she took some persuadin’ not to ride along with us.’

  Kitchenbrand nodded. ‘Yeah, you’re right,’ he said. ‘You know, Virginy’s quite a lady. I think I persuaded her to see how the two of us might do better without havin’ her along, but what really made her stay behind was her concern for Delta.’

  ‘The young lady you were tellin’ me about?’

  ‘Yes. They seem to be gettin’ along real well.’

  ‘Maybe lookin’ after the girl helps her to cope with not knowin’ what’s happened to her grandson.’

  ‘You could be right.’

  Kitchenbrand and Purdom exchanged glances. ‘I guess that’s all the more reason we got to find him,’ Purdom said.

  Before Angel Addison had fully realized what had happened, his remaining companions had seized their rifles and were firing into the water.

  ‘Stop that!’ Addison yelled. ‘Garland ain’t no use to us dead!’

  ‘He’s probably dead anyway,’ one of the others replied. ‘That was probably his body we saw.’

  Addison leaped off his horse and peered over the edge of the cliff. ‘I don’t see him,’ he said.

  ‘Look! Down there. Hell, he’s survived the fall. He’s swimmin’.’

  Addison examined the side of the hill, considering whether there was any chance of climbing down, but decided it would be too dangerous. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘We can cut him off further along the trail.’

  Two of the gunnies hung back. ‘What about McNab?’ one of them said.

  ‘What about him!’ Addison yelled. ‘He couldn’t have survived. He must be dead. And if he isn’t, our best chance of finding him is by getting on down the trail.’

  They stepped into leather and began to move along the track as quickly as they dared. Addison was cursing the others but even in his rage he could see that he was as much to blame as the rest of them. The path began to rise and they made slower progress. It turned away from the river which, for a while, they lost sight of till they came out on a ridge and could see it again, winding away to their right. They rode along the ridge which began to descend gradually towards the river.

  As they continued riding Addison brought out a pair of field glasses and put them to his eyes, but he could see no sign of Garland. He was thinking rapidly. Assuming Garland was still alive, which he thought was probable, he wouldn’t be able to get far. He was in a bad way and he had no horse, no weapon, and no provisions. He doubted that Garland knew this part of the country. It was wild and rugged and he would find it very hard to make any sort of progress. If he could get more of his men on the job scouring the country to find him, it would greatly increase his chances of finding Garland. He had to get word to the rest of his gang to start looking for him.

  ‘Staines!’ he shouted. The gunnie rode up alongside. ‘I want you to go back and round up some of the boys. Spread out and start searchin’ for Garland. We’ll carry on this way.’

  ‘What do we do if we find him?’

  Addison was feeling exasperated. ‘Never mind about that,’ he said. Staines was about to ride off when he added: ‘Take him to Addisonville. We’ll meet back there.’

  Staines turned his horse and began to ride back the way they had come. Addison was thinking that they had better find Garland pretty quick if he was to make the meeting with Clovis.

  Kitchenbrand had not known what to expect when he and Purdom arrived at the robber roost at Addisonville. Would it still be deserted or would some of the outlaws have returned? In case, he and the marshal took just as much care to avoid being spotted by any possible guards as he had done previously. When they were close he took out his binoculars and took a long, hard look. As far as he could see the place seemed to be empty. There was no sign of any activity. He handed the glasses for Purdom to take a look.

  ‘There’s nothin’ happenin’,’ Purdom said. ‘So what do we do? Ride on in and see if Garland is there?’

  Kitchenbrand gave the matter a moment’s thought, then shook his head. ‘Nope. If I’m anyways right about this, I still figure they got him hidden someplace else further back in the hills.’

  Purdom looked out over the ranges and up to the sweep of mountains beyond.

  ‘It’s a big country,’ he said. ‘It’ll be like lookin’ for a needle in a haystack.’

  ‘They won’t have taken him too far away. Just a bit further than this.’

  ‘Better get ridin’ then,’ Purdom said. He made to move but Kitchenbrand remained motionless. Purdom looked at him. There was a grim smile on Kitchenbrand’s face.

  ‘I figure we got one little job to do before we move on,’ he said.

  ‘Yeah? What’s that?’

  ‘We do to that nest of varmints what Addison did to Virginy. We tear the place down.’

  Purdom pondered his words for a moment, then his face too lit up in a broad grin.

  ‘What are we waitin’ for?’ he almost shouted.

  They rode down the long slope leading to the collection of wooden huts and dilapidated false fronts. Outside the saloon where Kitchenbrand had found Delta, they brought their horses to a halt.

  ‘Bring your rope,’ Kitchenbrand said. He leaped from the saddle, took his own rope and tied it to a stanchion. Purdom followed suit.

  ‘Let’s see what those horses can do,’ Kitchenbrand said. They climbed into leather. ‘OK, pull!’ Kitchenbrand shouted.

  They spurred their horses and they moved quickly forward. The ropes stretched taut and for a few moments it looked as if the building might hold as the horses continued to strain. Then, suddenly, there was a noise like a whipcrack; the stanchions snapped and the building sagged. The horses lurched forward and with a tremendous noise of crashing timber the saloon collapsed like a stack of cards. There was a gust of wind and dust rose into the air in a dense cloud. Kitchenbrand looked behind him and Purdom whooped.

  ‘The whole place is rotten,’ Kitchenbrand said. ‘It didn’t take very much.’

  ‘Man, let’s do it again,’ Purdom shouted.

  They dismounted and, pulling up their neckerchiefs as a protection from the dust, undid the ropes and then attached them to the next structure. This time the building lasted for even less time than the saloon. The horses strained; the building leaned forward and then toppled as if it had been a drunken cowhand left behind after a night on the prod.

  After another few buildings had been demolished the same way, Kitchenbrand looked about him at the remaining structures and at the other shacks above them on the hillside.

  ‘Much as I’m enjoyin’ this, we ain’t got time to do ’em all this way,’ he said. ‘Let’s torch the rest of ’em.’

  Purdom was on a high
. ‘Those Yuma boys ain’t gonna like this one bit!’ he yelled.

  Kitchenbrand laughed out loud.

  ‘They’d better have some other places back in the hills because as sure as hell, by the time we’ve finished, they ain’t gonna be usin’ this one again,’ he replied.

  The wooden buildings were dry and it was easy to set them ablaze. As Kitchenbrand and Purdom moved up the hillside, flames began to writhe and pillars of fire soared into the sky. Smoke billowed across the valley as the conflagration crackled and roared. One of the last buildings to be set alight was the larger shack that Addison had been using as his headquarters.

  Kitchenbrand did not stop to look into any of the buildings. He was not concerned with what they might contain or whether a search of them might provide useful information about the doings of the Yuma gang, or even clues to the whereabouts of Ty Garland. Both he and Purdom were caught in a fury of destruction. The Yuma gang were going to be made to pay for what they had done, and the two men didn’t intend to show any restraint. When at last they were satisfied that all the buildings that were accessible had been set alight, they stopped to watch the inferno.

  ‘Addison figured he was safe up here,’ Kitchenbrand said. ‘He even called the place after himself. He never bothered to leave some of his boys in charge.’

  ‘There’s a word for that kind of attitude,’ the marshal said.

  ‘Yeah. They call it hubris.’

  The marshal shot him a quizzical glance. ‘You ain’t just a man with a reputation for a fast gun,’ he said.

  ‘They got a word for this too,’ Kitchenbrand replied, throwing out his arm to encompass the entire lurid scene. ‘They call it nemesis.’

  Purdom’s gaze swept across the burning outlaw roost. ‘Like I say, Addison ain’t gonna like this one little bit,’ he said. ‘We still got a lot of work to do. And we still gotta find Ty Garland.’