Chapter 12

I saw nothing the first day, and decided to turn around about noon the next day. As it was, I’d be eating jerky before I got back.

The first couple of hours were uneventful but just before ten my scalp started tingling and my horse seemed uneasy. I’d learned long ago to trust my instincts, so I loosened my shotgun so I could drag it out easier, and made sure the strap was off my pistol.

My horse saved my life. I was on a narrow trail, steep drops on both sides. It made me so nervous I pulled the shotgun out, holding it across the saddle. Blackie shied suddenly, and the bullet meant for me went through his neck and still managed to hit me in the shoulder. Blackie was falling so I kicked out of the stirrups and went over a bank, landing about twenty feet down in a clump of brush.

The fall knocked the wind out of me and it took a minute to recover. I realized I could hear voices. “Reckon he’s dead?”

“If he ain’t he will be. He’s hit, you can see by the blood. He’s down in that holler, and I don’t see a good way out. All we have to do is ride off and leave him.”

I could barely see the riders through the brush. I saw one wearing a derby. A derby I had seen before. There was nothing I could do, wishing I’d grabbed the rifle instead of the shotgun.

Derby spoke. “You’ll excuse me if I want to be sure. Hank, you and Ben find a way in there. Drag his body out. I want to piss on it before the day’s out.”

The other rider spoke. “You want to waste time, it’s your business. Me and my boys are ridin’ on. That claim has to be close and my cousin says it’s probably going to be the richest in a long time. Still don’t think it was a good idea for him to get a job as a guard for Wells Fargo? We’ve already managed to jump two claims but nothing like this.”

You could hear the anger in Derby’s voice. “Don’t go gettin’ no ideas. Fifty-fifty, remember? We’ll ride on with you but Ben and Hank will stay long enough to find that body. Cut his head off when you find him boys. I’ll enjoy pissing in his face even if he can’t feel it. Let’s ride.”

There had to be over a dozen in that bunch. I hoped they didn’t catch Elsa and the boys unaware. I’d pounded it into them before I left to keep a constant check, just in case of something like this. In the meantime I had my own problems. The two after me had ridden off, looking for an easier way into the ravine. My shoulder hurt like the devil but I still had my pistols and the shotgun. If I was gonna die they were gonna die. I crawled as best I could downhill knowing that was the direction they’d be coming from.

It took them almost two hours before they came into view. They were walking, trying to be quiet. It wasn’t working. These boys had never spent much time in the woods. If things worked out right they’d never get the chance to improve.

They came by me not twenty feet away, one about a foot in front of the other. I gave them as much chance as they gave me, opening up with the shotgun and firing three times before I stopped. At that distance it pretty much blew them apart. They died without a word.

I walked over slowly just to make sure they were dead. Yep, dead all right. They had nothing of interest exept for a really nice Bowie knife. I took it and the best looking hat. Mine had come off in the tumble down the ravine.

I walked back, finding their horses half a mile along, at the entrance to the ravine. They were better horses than I figured but then again, men who rode outside the law couldn’t really afford a slow horse. I took them, stopping on the trail to remove my saddle and bridle from Blackie. It hurt me to see him layin’ there. He’d been a good hoss, carrying me all the way from Texas without complaint. They’d taken my rifle and emptied my saddlebags. There were a few shotgun shells scattered on the ground and I reloaded immediately. There were a couple of Winchesters on the outlaw’s horses and they seemed in good shape.

It was kind of awkward, but I bound up my shoulder as best I could, grateful the bullet hadn’t hit bone. The pain made my attitude towards those who had done it less than forgiving. I pointed the horses towards our claim, letting them walk to favor my shoulder. I was in no hurry. I knew where they were going and the ground they had to cover, and if they were planning on backtrailing me it would confuse the shit out of them.

Deliberately I had changed directions half a dozen times and even rode back over my own tracks twice. They better have a damn good tracker or it was going to take them a while to get to the claim. I pointed the horse along the quickest route, confident that if I didn’t beat them I wouldn’t be far behind them.

Darkness stopped me. Checking the saddlebags I was grateful to find a small bag of coffee and a battered old pot, and a bit of jerky. I’d be all right until I got back to the claim. Thinking of Elsa’s cooking made the jerky even less flavorful.

There was nothing for breakfast so I was packed and ready to go as soon as daylight hit. I cussed a little when I got to the blue spruce. Apparently they had a pretty good tracker and my rambling hadn’t fooled him any. They had figured it out and dragged it to the side, leaving the trail for anyone to see. Judging by the tracks I couldn’t be more than an hour behind them.

I caught up to them just as they were topping the ridge and they had pulled up to scope out the valley. No time like the present I thought as I hunkered down behind a couple of downed trees. Both rifles were completely full and I lay them and my shotgun out knowing it might be a while before I could reload.

Derby had half turned, talking to the other leader, and I was damned tired of that hat. I should have gone for a safer shot, but it was only 75 yards and I was pissed. I was more than happy to give them the same chance they had given me, none at all. My shot blew the derby off his head, and most of his head off his shoulders. Levering the rifle as fast I could I nailed a couple more but couldn’t say for sure they were kill shots, and dropped three horses. There was a lot of yellin’ and cussin’ as they dropped over the ridge and into cover. I immediately ran forward, stopping behind a nest of rocks far to the left of where I had been.