Chapter 7

We rolled into the ranch compound with the latest rustler captive in the back of the wagon. We took him to the bunkhouse and called on Juanita to do what she could for his broken leg. She said we'd done a good job setting and splinting it, so there wasn't anything else for her to do. We'd just have to wait for the break to heal.

After Juanita left, I talked to the rustler, "OK, I'm Bill Lang. What's yer name?"

"I'm Jeb Walker."

"OK, Jeb, next question. Who hired ya?"

"I fergit his name, exactly. It's sumpthin' like Jake Haliday."

"Would it be Jack Hadley?"

"Yeah, that's it, Jack Hadley. He's the one what hired me ta guard the rustled cattle."

"Would ya know this Jack Hadley ifen ya seen him again?"

"Ya bet I would! I'd know 'im anywhere!"

"Ya see 'im lyin' in any of these bunks?"

"THAT'S HIM! That's Jack Hadley in that there bunk!"

"Thanks, Jeb. Ya jus' saved yerself from hangin'!"

I walked over to Hadley and kicked the leg of his bunk. "Wake up, Hadley! I need ta talk ta ya."

"Hmmm... What? Yeah, what do ya want?"

"I want the truth, this time! I know ya were in on the rustlin' of our cattle and we're 'bout ta hang ya fer it, ifen I don't git some straight answers from ya, this time!"

"I don't know nothin' 'bout no rustlin'. I was jus' hired ta hoorah yer house."

"That ain't what yonder witness has ta say. We found the rustled cattle and got 'em back. While we wuz 'bout it, we found Jeb Walker an' he's identified ya as the man what hired 'im ta he'p with the rustled cattle. Now give me some straight answers an' I do mean right now!"

"OK, OK, ya can't blame me fer trying ta weasel out of the rustlin' rap. Yeah, I wuz the one what rustled yer cattle an' hid 'em in that there valley. Ephrem Zimboldt wuz the galoot what hired me in Johnson ta give ya a hard time."

"What do ya know 'bout Zimboldt? Why would he want to hurt this ranch an' John Buckley?"

"I don't know the answer ta that one. Its God's honest truth, I don't know why he was after ya."

"OK, Hadley, I won't hang ya fer rustlin', but ifen I find out ya're still lyin' ta me, I'll be back ta gut shoot ya, an' I won't let ya git any doctorin'!"

"I ain't lyin' ta ya, now."

It was too late in the day to travel to Johnson on such important business, so I waited until morning. I left amid warnings of "Be careful" and "Watch yer back." I was really impatient, but I made the effort not to overly tire my horse as I rode to Johnson. Who knew when I might need him?

I had hardly gotten out of earshot of the ranch house when I was attacked by three men on horseback coming up behind me. I first noticed them when I heard the sound of shots coming from behind me. I urged my horse to maximum speed and cut off the trail toward some rocks where I could stand them off. I left the trail because I feared that they were pushing me into an ambush that would lay me out before I could fight back.

I reached the rocks where I expected to make my stand. I pulled out my rifle, my shotgun, all my spare ammunition, and my water; I just didn't know how long this battle would last. I slapped my horse on the rear end and hoped that he would run to the ranch house. Meanwhile, I settled in for a siege.

It has been my experience that fights like this are either over in a few minutes or last for hours. I hoped that this would be short so that I would still have time to visit Mr. Zimboldt in Johnson today. Oh, shit! I heard more horses, so it looked like I was right about being driven into an ambush. Four more galoots—this was getting interesting! I just hoped it wouldn't end up being fatal for me!

I was able to find a place among the rocks with a little elevation and protection all around. They might get me, but it wouldn't be easy as long as I was careful. I started out with my Winchester, they were out of range of the shotgun or my pistols. I have never understood the mystique of pistols, but most of my adversaries were using them, instead of rifles. More good luck for me! Bullets were bouncing off the rocks around me and a few were going over my head, but none were coming close enough to worry me, yet.

A further advantage I had was that they were using black powder, which put out enough smoke to be a good marker of the shooter's location, whereas, I was using smokeless powder, so I wasn't bothered. They knew where I was and that I wasn't going anywhere, so I didn't need to mark my spot for them.

We traded shots for over two hours, and they never tried to rush me or to get into a position for a decisive shot. It was as if they just wanted to hold me in place for some reason. What's going on? I was getting hot and very uncomfortable lying out there in the direct sun. Thank God, I had my hat. Finally, I heard a shout, "TIME'S UP! LET'S GO!" Damned if they didn't just get on their horses and ride away.

I stayed in my little fort for a while, just in case this was some sort of trick. But, no, not a trick. They were gone. I picked up my stuff and started walking toward some shade. I had sat there, cooling off, for a few minutes, when some riders from our ranch came running up. Juan asked, "Bill, what' goin' on? Yer horse just wandered into the corral, an' we thought ya might be in trouble."

"I don't know what's goin' on!" I told him what had happened and he was just as mystified as me. They had brought my horse, so Juan assigned a man to ride to Johnson with me while he took the rest back to their regular jobs. It was lunch time by the time we got to Johnson, and I was hungry. The first place Pedro and I went was to the restaurant for some spaghetti. Pedro was dubious at first, but found out he liked it, once he had added a little jalapeño sauce.

The marshal came in while we were eating and I asked Ed to join us. Once he had ordered, I asked where I could find Ephrem Zimboldt. "I ain't exactly shore where ya kin find our dentist. When last seen, he was hurriedly boarding the stage out of town. He had an appointment with a friend of mine ta pull a tooth this afternoon, so I know that this wuz a sudden change of plans. Why ya lookiin' fer 'im. He does fit the description ya gave me a while back; is he the one ya're lookin' fer?'

"Yeah, Jack Hadley finally admitted that Zimboldt wuz the one what hired him ta harass the Circle JB. I wuz on my way to Johnson this mornin' when I was delayed fer several hours by some yahoos on the trail. My guess, now, is that they were paid ta slow me down so I couldn't git ta Johnson afore the stage left. By the way, we found our missin' cattle."

"That's great! How're the weddin' plans comin'?"

"Still movin' along. Jane's folks will be here on Thursday's stage. We'll be back ta pick 'em up, then."

"Well, I gotta go. No rest fer the wicked, ya know. I guess I'll see y'all on Thursday."

"Prob'ly will, Ed. See ya."

Pedro and I rode back to the Circle JB without talking much, I was in kind of a foul mood. I really resented having Zimboldt get away like he did. I knew that it wasn't practical to try to follow him, and I just hated to see him get away, particularly since he had been responsible for John's death. I resolved that if I ever saw him, he was a dead man!

Jane was glad to see me back and in one piece. She, too, was sorry that I had missed Zimboldt, but she did have the wedding to think about, so she was distracted by that. I did go by to see Hadley and tell him that I wasn't going to shoot him today. He was looking kind of down in the dumps, so I asked what was the problem. H said that Juanita had told him that she was going to have to take his leg off above the wound where I had shot him. It just wasn't healing right and she was afraid of gangrene setting in if she left it. If she did take off his leg, it would be so high up that he could never ride a horse again, and, if he couldn't ride a horse, he would probably starve. I left, not at all sympathetic.

Pretty soon, it was Thursday and time to meet the stage in Johnson. Jane and I took the buckboard with an extra seat attached. She said that we would need the space to haul back the clothes that her mother must have brought. I didn't know much about women, but I did know enough to believe that. The stage was late, as usual, so we had some time to say hello to Ed. He had some business, so he couldn't spend any time with us right then.

The stage finally arrived and Jane's parents were here at last. Jane introduced us and I got a substantial hug from her mother, Mary. I got a friendly handshake from her father, Sam, and he seemed glad to see me. Jane wasn't wrong about her mother's luggage—the buckboard was barely big enough to hold it all!

We went to my favorite restaurant for spaghetti. Of course, it was a hit and Giuseppe had to come out from the kitchen to meet Jane and her folks. We were able to leave for the ranch on a pleasant note. I drove and Sam sat beside me so that we could get to know each other. Jane and Mary rode behind, and the chatter about the wedding plans was nonstop.