Six Gun Justice (11 page)

There was a pause, then a groan, and a weak reply. “I’m hit bad Marty! You got to get me to a doc! I don’t think I can hold out much longer.”

“You’ll just have to hold on Rafe. We got us a problem. If either Utah Merle, or me move, he’ll pick us off too. We just have to wait him out. Wish I could help you, but you see how it is.”

His last statement was answered by a lower moan, and then silence. Jake could hear more low mumbling, and caught another flash of movement; about fifty feet to the right of where he had shot the other man, and quickly snapped off a shot. He heard a scream of pain, and knew he had scored another hit. He had been cursing himself for not having killed the first man, but with two down, that left only two. The odds were getting better. With two wounded, one possibly dying, and the other either hurt or dying the last two would not be too anxious to carry this fight much further.

“That makes it just the two of you, and the two of us hombre,” Jake yelled.

“Utah? How bad you hit?” There was panic in the voice now, which made Jake feel a little better.

“The sombitch got me in the foot. I can’t walk Marty. I won’t be of much use to you. and if I don’t get this bleeding stopped, I could bleed to death.”

“Just stay where you are. We’ll wait until dark and see how good he is then,”

There was silence again for a few minutes as night settled on the brakes. Jake strained his eyes, looking for any movement, but it was becoming so black, he could see nothing. He lay listening to the barking of a couple of coyotes, the pain in his arm forgotten. He figured the one called Marty, or his pal Merle would try to sneak up on him in the dark, but balance was on his side. If Marty tried to move in the dark, he had to move slow, being especially quiet to succeed, and he didn’t think there was much chance them taking that much caution.

He had to think of something to get out of this situation with his, and Sarah’s skins intact. He felt bad about her being caught up in this. He should have waited until he had secured the ranch before going to fetch her home, or at least taken her to Jose Catano’s ranch until it was over between him and Murdock. If he could get them out of this, he would make sure she was safe with Jose, and then he would go after Murdock. He could not feel much hatred for the men out there in the dark. They were just hired guns, doing what hired guns do. The head of the snake was Murdock. Get him, and the rest would drift.

“Jake? What are we going to do?” Sarah asked.

“I’ll come up with something. Don’t you worry; I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re the most important person in my life,” Jake whispered.

As the night progressed, Jake found he was growing very tired. If he didn’t get some shuteye, he would fall on his face before much longer. He gave the rifle to Sarah, and told her to keep her ears, and eyes open for a bit, while he slept a little. He would try to get a few winks, and she could wake him if anything happened. He settled down, with his head on a smooth stone for a pillow, and was quickly asleep, just under the surface of awareness, still attuned to the sounds around him.

He slept for about three hours, and then had Sarah lie down. He took up a position nearer the mouth of the opening, straining into the dark night, trying to make out objects that he could only see as shadowy shapes. It was no use. He could not see more than ten feet in front of him. Then, he caught the click of a boot on a stone. Just a slightly perceptible sound, but enough to bring his senses to full alert.

The sound had come from only a few yards in front of him, and slightly to his right. He could not see anything, but he knew there was some movement, and he would stake his life on it being the one called Marty. He brought the rifle to a sighting position, aiming about wast level in the direction of the sound, and squeezed the trigger, jacked another shell into the chamber and fired again in the beat of a heart..

He had hit his target, because he heard the man hit the ground with a thud. He figured it must have been fatal, because there was no further sound. He settled back to wait, wishing he had some water. He was thirsty, and he was sure Sarah was thirsty too. He picked up a small stone from the floor, and wiped it clean on his pants, then put it in his mouth. It was not a cool drink of water, but it would help to keep the saliva flowing in his mouth.

Chapter VI

The Chase

The sun rose in a rosy glow among the cedar brake, slowly peeping above the tops, creating a brilliant aurora for each stunted growth. It was a beautiful sight, and with it came warmth, pushing away the cold of the desert night. Sarah was lying in the crook of his arms, her jacket drawn close around her, legs drawn up to conserve what little warmth she could. She groaned; as he held her closer, giving warmth to her, as much as he drew the welcome heat from her own body.

She stirred, her arm reaching around his waist to squeeze him closer to her. He moved a little, to give him a better view of the land in front of him. There were desert wrens flitting about, twittering, and a badger waddled along at a fast pace, probably out looking for its morning meal. He searched the landscape, looking for any sign of his adversaries, but saw no movement, and heard no sounds, other than the birds.

It was then that he realized the significance of the birds. If the birds were flying freely thought the branches of the cedars, which had to mean that there was no humans around to disturb them. Their attackers had evidently left some time during the night. He raised his hat on the end of the rifle barrel, and no one shot at it. He raised it a little higher, and still nothing. He peeped out from behind the rock, where he had been hiding, and still no shots came his way.

Somewhat surprised, he woke Sarah, climbed stiffly to his feet, and they both walked tentatively outside, still cautious in case their attackers were hiding some place close by, but there was no one around. He found where he had tied the man upon his arrival, but he was gone, and so was his horse. His friends had untied him, and Jake had been facing four men, instead of the three he had thought he was facing.

He circled through the cedars at the front of the cave and found the body of the man who had been hit in the shoulder. They had decided to leave their excess baggage behind. The badger had evidently had his morning meal, and was headed home, since the man’s face was half eaten away. He found his horse nearby, tied to a branch, and led it back for Sarah, purposefully not mentioning the dead man. It would only upset her further.

He led the horse back to where he had left his own hidden, then mounted and the two of them made there way back to the wagon trail, and up the escarpment. It was a long ride to the Catano ranch, and they had to go around the Circle M to avoid running into some of the gunnies hired by Murdock. The horse Sarah was riding was a Circle M horse, and wanted to go back to the ranch for food. It was all Sarah could do to keep him headed in the right direction.

Four tough looking vaqueros met them at the gate to the ranch, and escorted them to the hacienda. Jose was delighted to have Sarah, and more than happy that she would be staying for a few days. He again offered his two best vaqueros to Jake, but he refused, telling him it would be best for him to finish the job alone. They were treated to a breakfast of eggs, frijoles with corn tortillas, and hot enough to set most men on fire that was cooked by Catano’s housekeeper.

After breakfast, Catano insisted he take Hector Mendoza with him, if he would not let him supply any others, and he finally agreed.

He had knowledge of Hector, and his prowess with a revolver, as well at his sharp eye with a rifle, so he finally gave in. He had spent some time in his company, down in Tucson a few years back, and seen him single-handedly stop five men from robbing the bank. When the smoke had cleared all five lay dead in the street, and Hector still had a bullet left in his gun. He was definitely a man to ride the river with.

They set out for Murdock’s ranch, both men riding straight in their saddles, silent, each dwelling on his own thoughts. It was entirely possible that one of them would not make it home alive, that one, or both would lie face down in the dirt, when the smoke had cleared. He did not like the thought of being the cause of another man’s death. He had never lied to a person in his life, had never tried to pee down anyone’s back and tell them it was raining, lead them by the nose, or to deceive them in any way when it came to endangering their lives.

They kept their horses at a walk, neither in a hurry to meet what might be their last day of life. Not that they were afraid, but both men loved life, and loved the freedom to spend it as they liked, whether with loved ones, or alone on the side of some mountain. That freedom was of the utmost importance to them, and was something they would fight to the death for, if necessary.

They rode into the yard, only to find the place the same as Jake had found it yesterday. Harvey Murdock was not anywhere in sight. He rode to the smithy, just as he had the day before, but he spoke to him in a kinder tone, with a greater amount of respect. He had no animosity for a man who earned a living as his forebears had for generations. He was not Jake’s enemy, only a man doing an honest job for pay. He was not one of the hired guns Murdock had brought in to ride roughshod over the valley, forcing honest men from their homes.

“Have you seen Murdock,” Jake asked.

“Yes sir mister Killman. He came back about two hours after you left yesterday. Then one of them gun slicks came riding in, early this morning, tied up in front of the main house, and went inside. A few minutes later, he and the gun slick came out, and I heard him holler for the hostler to saddle his horse. He rode out of here with that gun slick, like the devil himself was after them”

“Do you know where they were going?” Jake asked.

A big grin crossed the smith’s face. He rolled his massive shoulders once, before he answered. “Shore enough. I was close enough to them when they mounted, to overhear him tell his gunny to round up the rest of the boys and meet him in Strawberry, and that since you got your wife free, and killed two more of his gun hands, it was time to bring this to an end. Mister Killman, I think he aims to go hunting for you. I suspect he will head for your place when he has all those gunfighters together.”

A sour grin crossed his face when he heard the last. Murdock had more grit than he had given him credit for.

“How long ago did they leave?”

“About an hour before you rode up. It won’t take him much time to get all those gunmen together either,” the smith said. “You’d best get some help mister Killman.”

“This is my fight. I will deal with your boss myself.”

“Just a friendly warning. Ten more guns rode in late yesterday evening. It’ll make the odds a might uneven.”

Jake nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate the warning.”

He pulled back on the reins of his horse and rode out of the ranch, Hector keeping pace with him. When he had ridden far enough from the ranch to be out of sight, he spurred his horse into a mile-eating gallop, hector matching his pace without a word. He knew he had heard what the blacksmith had told him, and that he had to reach Strawberry before Murdock and his hired guns could leave town.

Since a showdown was inevitable, he would take the fight to them, on ground that would leave his home safe from being fired. Murdock wouldn’t dare damage any of the buildings in Strawberry. It would bring in the law against him, and there was nothing that would bring the sheriff around than a report that he had burned out the town. He and his men would be forced to face him in the open, and there would be witnesses to everything that happened.

He could feel the adrenaline flowing through his body, giving him a temporary jolt of energy. There was a feeling of invincibility, and a false sense of well being. He would not ride into this fight blindly though; he would take the fight to his enemy with caution. He looked across at Hector, and could see a crooked smile pasted on his lips, and a glint of excitement on his face. Hector was a warrior headed into battle, ready for anything the enemy might throw at him, looking forward to the coming confrontation. All fear had been washed from them, leaving only a cold, steely resolve, to vanquish their foes, to go home victors, and to end this range war, once and for all.

When they neared the settlement, they slowed their horses to a walk, their eyes searching for the army of gunmen the smithy had told them had been sent for. Less than a hundred yards from the Stoler saloon, they still could not see more than three horses tied at the rail in front. Jake looked across at Hector, a small grin creasing his face, and got the same in return. Both of them were satisfied that they had beaten the bulk of hired guns, that the only ones they would have to face was Murdock and two of his men.

They rode to the side of the saloon; ground reined their horses, and strolled around to the front corner, looking at the roof of the store, toward the livery, which sat at the far end of the muddy street. There had been a night shower the night before, and the street was churned to a course, sticky mud. The sky was still overcast, with large thunderheads in the west, that promised more rain to come. The day was still cool, though it was close to noon.

They eased from the one street that ran the length of the settlement to the boardwalk, walking quietly to the front of the saloon. Jake had no desire to shoot up Stoler’s place, so he motioned to Hector to back away into the street. Raising his voice he yelled out his challenge to Murdock and his men.