by Max Brand
CHAPTER 40
While he searched desperately for an answer, Andrew found none. Then hesaw the stupid, big eyes of Jeff wander from his face to the face ofScottie, and he knew that his previous advantage had been completelyneutralized.
"Boys," he said, and he surveyed the restless, savage figures of Cluneand La Roche, "I've come for a little plain talk. There's no morequestion about me leadin' the gang. None at all. I wouldn't lead you, LaRoche, nor you, Clune, nor you, Scottie. There's only one man herethat's clean--and he's Jeff Rankin."
He waited for that point to sink home; as Scottie opened his lips tostrike back, he went ahead deliberately. By retaining his own calm hesaw that he kept a great advantage. Rankin began fumbling at his cup;Scottie instantly filled it half full with whisky. "Don't drink that,"said Andrew sharply. "Don't drink it, Jeff. Scottie's doin' that onpurpose to get you sap headed!"
"Do what he says," said Scottie calmly. "Throw the dirty stuff away,Jeff. Do what your daddy tells you. You ain't old enough to know yourown mind, are you?"
Big Jeff flushed, cast a glance of defiance that included both Andrewand Scottie, and tossed off the whisky. It was a blow over the heart forAndrew; he had to finish his talking now, before Jeff Rankin was turnedmad by the whisky. And if he worked it well, Jeff would be on his side.The madness would fight for Andrew.
He said: "There's no more question about me being a leader for you.Personally, I'd like to have Jeff--not to follow me, but to be palswith me."
Jeff cleared his throat and looked about with foolish importance. Not aneye wavered to meet his glance; every look was fixed with a hungry hateupon Andrew.
"There's only one thing up between the lot of us: Do I keep Hal Dozier,or do you get him--to murder him? Do you fellows ride on your way freeand easy, to do what you please, or do you tackle me in that room, eatmy lead, and then, if you finish me, get a chance to kill a man that'snearly dead now? How does it look to you, boys? Think it over.Think sharp!"
He knew while he spoke that there was one exquisitely simple way to endboth his life and the life of Dozier--let them touch a match to thebuilding and shoot him while he ran from the flames. But he could onlypray that they would not see it.
"And besides, I'll do more. You think you have a claim on Dozier. I'llbuy him from you. Here's half his weight in gold. Will you take themoney and clear out? Or are you going to make the play at me? If you do,you'll buy whatever you get at a high price!" "You forget--" put inScottie, but Andrew interrupted.
"I don't want to hear from you, Scottie. I know you're a snake. I wantto hear from Jeff Rankin. Speak up, Jeff. Everything's in your hands,and I trust you!"
The giant rose from his chair. His face was white with the effect of thewhisky, and one spot of color burned in each cheek. He lookedgloweringly upon his companions.
"Andy," he said, "I--"
"Wait a minute," said Scottie swiftly, seeing that the scales werebalancing toward a defeat.
"Let him talk. You don't have to tell him what to say," said Andrew.
"I've got a right to put our side up to him--for the sake of the thingswe've been through together. Jeff, have I?"
Jeff Rankin cleared his throat importantly. Scottie faced him; theothers kept their unchanging eyes rivetted upon Andrew, ready for thegun play at the first flicker of an eyelid. The first sign of unwarinesswould begin and end the battle.
"Don't forget this," went on Scottie, having Jeff's attention. "Andy isworkin' to keep Dozier alive. Why? Dozier's the law, isn't he? Then Andywants to make up with the law. He wants to sneak out. He wants to turnstate's evidence!"
The deadly phrase shocked Jeff Rankin a pace back toward soberness.
"I never thought," he began.
"You're too straight to think of it. Take another look at Lanning. Is heone of us? Has he ever been one of us? No! Look again! Dozier has huntedLanning all over the mountain desert. Now he wants to save Dozier. Wantsto risk his life for him. Wants to buy him from us! Why? Because he'sturned crooked. He's turned soft. He wants to get under the wing ofthe law."
But Jeff Rankin swept all argument away with a movement of his big paws."Too much talk," he said. "I want to think."
His stupid, animal eyes went laboriously around the room. "I wishAllister was here," he said. "He always knew."
"For my part," said Scottie, "I can't be bought. Not me!" He suddenlyleaned to the big man, and, before Andrew could speak, he had said:"Jeff, you know why I want to get Dozier. Because he ran down mybrother. And are you going to let him go clear, Jeff? Are you going tohave Allister haunt you?"
It was the decisive stroke. The big head of Jeff twitched back, heopened his lips to speak--and in that moment, knowing that the battlewas over and lost to him, Andrew, who had moved back, made one leap andwas through the door and into the little shed again. The gun had gleamedin the hand of Larry la Roche as he sprang, but Andrew had been tooquick for the outlaw to plant his shot.
He heard Jeff Rankin still speaking: "I dunno, quite. But I see you'reright, Scottie. They ain't any reason for Lanning to be so chummy withDozier. And so they must be somethin' crooked about it. Boys, I'm withyou to the limit! Go as far as you like. I'm behind you!"
No room for argument now; and the blind, animal hate which Scottie andLa Roche and Clune felt for Dozier was sure to drive them toextremities. Andrew sat in the dark, hurriedly going over his rifle andhis revolver. Once he was about to throw open the door and try theeffect of a surprise attack. He might plant two shots before there was areturn; he let the idea slip away from him. There would remain two more,and one of them was certain to kill him.
Moving across the room he heard a whisper from the floor: "I've heardthem, Lanning. Don't be a fool. Give me up to 'em!"
He made no answer. In the other room the voices were no longerrestrained; Jeff Rankin's in particular boomed and rang and filled theshed. Once bent on action he was all for the attack; whisky had removedthe last human scruple. And Andrew heard them openly cast their ballotsfor a new leader; heard Scottie acclaimed; heard the Scotchman say:"Boys, I'm going to show you a way to clean up on Dozier and Lanning,without any man risking a single shot from him in return."
They clamored for the suggestion, but he told them that he was firstgoing out into the open to think it over. In the meantime they hadnothing to fear. Sit fast and have another drink around. He had to bealone to figure it out.
It was very plain. The wily rascal would let them go one step farthertoward an insanity of drink, and then, his own brain cold and collected,he would come back to turn the shack into a shambles. He had said hecould do it without risk to them. There was only one possible meaning;he intended to use fire.
Andrew sat with the butt of his rifle ground into his forehead. It wasstill easy to escape; the insistent whisper from the floor was pointingout the way: "Beat it out that back window, lad. Slope, Andy; they's nouse. You can't help me. They mean fire; they'll pot you like a pig, fromthe dark. Give me up!"
It was the advice to use the window that decided Andrew. It was a wildchance indeed, this leaving of Dozier helpless on the floor; but herisked it. He whispered to the marshal that he would return, and slippedthrough the window. He was not halfway around the house before he hearda voice that chilled him with horror. It was the marshal calling to themthat Andrew was gone and inviting them in to finish him. But theysuspected, naturally enough, that the invitation was a trap, and theycontented themselves with abusing him for thinking them such fools.
Andrew went on; fifty feet from the house and just aside from the shaftof light that fell from the open door, stood Scottie. His head wasbare, his face was turned up to catch the wind, and no doubt he wasdreaming of the future which lay before him as the new captain ofAllister's band. The whisper of Andrew behind him cut his dream short.He whirled to receive the muzzle of a revolver in his stomach. His handswent up, and he stood gasping faintly in the moonlight.
"I've got you, Scottie," he said, "and so help me heaven, you're thefirst man that I
've wanted to kill."
It would have taken a man of supernerve to outface that situation. Andthe nerve of Scottie cracked.
He began to whisper with a horrible break and sob in his breath:"Andy--Andy, gimme a chance. I'm not fit to go--this way. Andy,remember--"
"I'm going to give you a chance. You're pretty low, Scottie; I checkwhat you've done to the way you hate Dozier, and I won't hold a grudge.And I'll tell you the chance you've got. You see these rocks, here? I'mgoin' to lie down behind them. I'm going to keep you covered with myrifle. Scottie, did you ever see me shoot with a rifle?"
Scottie shuddered--a very sufficient reply.
"I'm going to keep you covered. Then you'll turn around and walkstraight back to the shack. You'll stand there--always in clean sightof the doorway--and you'll persuade that crowd of drunks to leave thehouse and ride away with you. Understand, when you get inside the house,there'll be a big temptation to jump to one side and get behind thewall--just one twitch of your muscles, and you'd be safe. But, fast asyou could move, Scottie, powder drives lead a lot faster. And I'll haveyou centered every minute. You'll make a pretty little target againstthe light, besides. You understand?
"The moment you even start to move fast, I pull the trigger. Rememberit, Scottie. For as sure as there's a hell, I'll send you into it headfirst, if you don't." "So help me heaven," said Scottie, "I'll do whatI can. I think I can talk 'em into it. But if I don't?"
"If you don't, you're dead. That's short, and that's sweet. Keep it inyour head. Go back and tell them it would take too great a risk to tryto fix me.
"And there's another thing to remember. If you should be able to getbehind the wall without being shot, you're not safe. Not by a long way,Scottie. I'd still be alive. And, though you'd have Hal Dozier there tocut up as you pleased, I'd be here outside the cabin watching it--withmy rifle. And I'd tag some of you when you tried to get out. And if Ididn't get you all I'd start on your trail. Scottie, you fellows, evenwhen you had Allister to lead you, couldn't get off scot-free fromDozier. Scottie, I give you my solemn word of honor, you'll find me aharder man to get free from than Hal Dozier.
"Here's the last thing: If you do what I tell you--if you get that crowdof drunken brutes out of the cabin and away without harming Dozier, I'llwipe out the score between us. No matter what you told the rest of them,you know I've never broken a promise, and that I never shall."
He stopped and, stepping back to the rocks, sank slowly down behindthem. Only the muzzle of his rifle showed, no more than the glint of atiny bit of quartz; his left hand was raised, and, at its gesture,Scottie turned and walked slowly toward the cabin doorway. Once,stumbling over something, he reeled almost out of the shaft of light,but stopped on the edge of safety with a terrible trembling. There hestood for a moment, and Andrew knew that he was gathering his nerve. Hewent on; he stood in the doorway, leaning with one arm against it.
What followed Andrew could not hear, except an occasional roar fromRankin. Once Larry la Roche came and stood before the new leader,gesturing frantically, and the ring of his voice came clearly to Andrew.The Scotchman negligently stood to one side; the way between Andrew andLarry was cleared, and Andrew could not help smiling at the fiendishmalevolence of Scottie. But he was apparently able to convince evenLarry la Roche by means of words. At length there was a bustling in thecabin, a loud confusion, and finally the whole troop went out. Somebodybrought Scottie his saddle; Jeff Rankin came out reeling.
But Scottie stirred last from the doorway; there he stood in the shaftof light until some one, cursing, brought him his horse. He mounted itin full view. Then the cavalcade started down the ravine.
Certainly it was not an auspicious beginning for Scottie Macdougal.
