by Tell Cotten
“So that’s what he’s up to.”
“Partly,” Kolorado replied. “She also said that Lee got a job here in town. She doesn’t know what.”
Cooper frowned as he thought on that.
A horrible thought suddenly came to Cooper, and he narrowed his eyes.
“Did they-,” he paused as he searched for the right words. “These men. Did they hurt her in any way?”
Kolorado frowned. He turned and talked to Josie, and Cooper waited anxiously.
“They did not,” Kolorado finally replied.
Cooper felt a wave of relief.
“Good.”
Suddenly, Josie burst out a long line of Apache. She spoke hurriedly, and Kolorado had to listen carefully.
“She wants to know what will happen to her now,” Kolorado said. “She says she has no family, and that she also has nowhere else to go.”
Cooper felt a wave of sympathy, and he looked at Josie and smiled. Meanwhile, her blue eyes stared straight into his.
“Tell her she’s not to worry,” Cooper said gently. “I’ll look out for her.”
Before Kolorado could speak, Josie spoke in her soft and clear voice.
“How long?” She asked brokenly, and Cooper’s heart skipped a beat.
“Long as you need,” Cooper replied.
Chapter fifty-one
Stew sat by the fire and drank coffee as he watched the sun come up. It was cool, and steam rose from his coffee cup.
It had been a painful night as he recalled past events. First, he remembered when Lee asked where they were headed, and then Stew remembered seeing Lee and the tall scout talking in the street.
Stew had been outsmarted once again. But, this time he figured out how to use this to his advantage.
Clay came over to the fire. He hadn’t slept at all, and Stew could tell that he was irritable.
Tyler and Ned meanwhile, still slept soundly.
“I’ve never seen two fellers that could sleep so hard,” Stew commented.
Clay didn’t reply. Instead, he poured himself a cup of coffee and looked at Stew.
“Got a plan?
“I do,” Stew nodded.
“Let’s hear it.”
Stew took a swig of coffee.
“That scout knows that we’re headed for Valverde’s Pass,” Stew announced.
“How do you know that?”
“I just know,” Stew replied, and continued, “I’m going to give you the chance you want to kill that scout.”
“How?”
“That scout will be heading for the trading post at Valverde’s Pass,” Stew explained. “I also figure that he’ll go a different route to avoid ambush.”
“Seems likely,” Clay agreed.
“I want you to saddle up and catch up with Cliff,” Stew announced. “Tell him that the Landons jumped us and killed me and Clyde. That way, they won’t be expecting it when we ambush them.”
“How does this give me my chance to kill the scout?” Clay narrowed his eyes.
“You just stay at the trading post, and sooner or later that scout will show up.”
Clay thought on it and nodded.
“I’ll do it,” he declared.
“Good,” Stew said. “Let’s eat some breakfast, and then you’d best be going.”
“I ain’t hungry,” Clay replied. “Sooner I leave the better.”
“Fine by me,” Stew shrugged.
Clay nodded and grabbed his saddle.
Chapter fifty-two
Lee had no desire to run into Stew. So, once he got out of town, he rode north a few miles and then turned west.
Despite the fact that they had always been one sided, Lee missed his conversations with Josie.
So, he talked to his horse instead.
“After all I did for her, she still wouldn’t tell me her name,” Lee complained. “And then she just blurted it right out to Coop! Go figure.”
It fell silent as Lee thought on this. He was irritable, and he couldn’t figure out why.
The reason suddenly occurred to him, and it made him even more irritable.
Lee was lonely.
He scowled and forced himself to focus on the task at hand.
“Rescuing Jessica will be a lot easier if we can catch Cliff and Brian before Stew does,” Lee told his horse. “I might could even talk some sense into Clark, but Cliff could be a problem.”
Lee smiled as he thought on that.
“But Rondo beat him once, so I reckon I can too.”
Lee took his hat off and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“I also need to keep ahead of the Landons,” he figured. “I won’t get paid a dime if they rescue Jessica first. Hopefully, Josie will slow them down some.”
It fell silent as they traveled on. Lee kept his horse in a brisk trot, and they made good time.
It was getting late in the day when Lee rode across some tracks. He pulled up and studied them, and his face turned grim.
“Injuns,” he announced to his horse. “Lots of them. And, they’re headed the same direction we are.”
Lee checked his rifle and Colt, and then he pushed on. A couple of hours passed, and he came across some more tracks.
These were also Indian tracks, going in the same direction as the first bunch.
Lee was worried, and he slowed his pace as he rode on cautiously.
Another hour passed, and this time Lee actually spotted some Indians. They were about a mile away, traveling parallel to him.
Lee pulled up in some trees and watched them. He stayed still until they were out of sight, and then he dismounted and made camp amongst the trees. He didn’t want to risk the light of a fire, so he made it a dry camp.
As it got dark Lee sat there and pondered things. And, the longer he thought on it, the clearer he was on one thing.
This ain’t a one man job, he thought grimly.
Chapter fifty-three
“First thing we’ve got to do is get you cleaned up,” Cooper told Josie. “While you’re taking a bath, I’ll buy you some new clothes.”
Cooper took Josie’s hand, and while Kolorado watched they walked out the door and down the street.
The bathhouse was operated by two plump, Chinese women.
“Clean her up good,” Cooper told them. “Chop, chop.”
The two Chinese women moved towards her, but Josie drew back in fear.
“Go on now,” Cooper said gently. “They won’t hurt you.”
Josie looked hesitantly at Cooper, and he smiled gently.
Josie smiled nervously, and then she allowed the two Chinese women to lead her away.
“Be gentle with her,” he warned them.
Cooper watched her go, and then he hurried over to the general store.
The general store didn’t have much when it came to women’s clothing. Cooper finally settled on a pair of pants and a man’s shirt, and he also bought a belt, a pair of boots, and some socks.
Cooper went back to the bathhouse, but Josie wasn’t finished yet. He left the clothes with one of the Chinese ladies, and he walked down the street to the livery stable that Stew had used.
There was a tall, pale looking man cleaning out the stalls.
“Can I help you?” He asked.
“Feller that got killed last night had a horse here. I need him,” Cooper explained.
“You can’t take him,” the man objected. “He ain’t your horse.”
Cooper smiled wolfishly.
“He ain’t yours neither. Did you figure on keeping him for yourself?”
The man became flustered.
“Now look here, this ain’t right,” he protested.
Cooper lifted his rifle a few inches. It was only a slight movement, but the man saw it plain and clear.
“Are you going to give me trouble?”
“No, sir,” the man replied quickly.
“I thought so,” Cooper smiled, and added, “I’ll need his saddle too.”
The man frowne
d. He started to say something, but then he changed his mind.
“Go ahead and saddle him for me,” Cooper continued. “That’ll save me from having to carry the saddle.”
The man glared at Cooper, but he still went and saddled the horse. His face was solemn as he led the horse out and handed the reins to Cooper.
“Do you have any other horses around here?” Cooper asked.
“Now hold on,” the man protested.
“I meant for sale.”
“No, I don’t,” the man said. “There’s a shortage of horses in this town.”
“Oh?” Cooper said. “Well, thanks for the help.”
The man didn’t reply. Instead, he just frowned.
Cooper led the horse down the street to Kolorado’s livery stable.
The old-timer was in his favorite position. He was sitting by the door, chewing tobacco and whittling on a stick.
“Don’t tell me you traded her off already,” Kolorado said as he looked at the horse.
“Course not,” Cooper frowned. “Put him up, will you?”
Kolorado grumbled, but he still did what Cooper asked. Meanwhile, Cooper hurried back to the bathhouse.
“Done yet?” He asked as he walked inside.
Cooper stopped short, and his breath left him.
Josie stood before him, looking completely different.
She looked fresh and clean. Her braided hair had been undone and brushed out, and it hung below her shoulders. Her face was rosy red, and her blue eyes were sharp and clear.
The pants and shirt were way too big, but Josie had managed to strap them down with the belt.
Cooper smiled. Her clothes almost made her look like a kid.
“Very pretty!” One of the Chinese women beamed.
“Yes, you are right,” Cooper nodded slowly.
“I change the bandage,” the Chinese woman continued. “She all better now.”
“That’s good,” he said.
Cooper studied Josie for a moment more, and then he paid for the bath. He took Josie by the hand, and they walked back to Kolorado’s livery stable.
Kolorado had just finished unsaddling Cooper’s horse. He didn’t say anything, but Cooper could tell that he was also impressed with how Josie looked.
“Do you have any horses for sale?” Cooper wanted to know.
“Just one.”
Cooper frowned. According to his figuring, he needed two more horses.
“Know where I can get another one?”
“Nope.”
Cooper frowned thoughtfully.
“Well, one more horse is better than nothing. How much do you want for him?”
“Forty dollars.”
“Forty dollars!” Cooper exclaimed. “This must be some horse. Where is he?”
“Last stall on the left,” Kolorado pointed.
Cooper walked over to the stall gate. He glanced inside, and then he glared at Kolorado.
“That ain’t a horse. That’s a mule!”
“That’s the closest thing to a horse I’ve got.”
“I ain’t paying forty dollars for a mule,” Cooper objected.
“Fine by me.”
Cooper scowled as he turned and studied the mule.
“Is he broke?” He finally asked.
“He’s kid gentle,” Kolorado said with a straight face, and he added, “Now, I’m sure he’ll be a little fresh when you first saddle him. But, it ain’t nothing a few wet saddle blankets won’t fix.”
Cooper noticed the confused look on Josie’s face.
“He means if he’s ridden hard,” he explained. “You ride a horse long enough and he’ll start sweating. Then, the saddle blankets get wet.”
Josie understood, and she smiled and nodded.
Cooper turned back and studied the mule, and then he sighed.
“It pains me to say this, but I’ll give you thirty dollars.”
Kolorado shook his head.
Ten minutes later, they finally agreed on thirty-five dollars. Cooper grumbled as he paid him.
“By the way, the feller that sold him to me said his name was Jug-head,” Kolorado said.
Cooper just grunted in response.
Chapter fifty-four
It was an uneventful morning for Cliff’s bunch.
Brian and Jessica were quiet as they rode along. Now that they had an agreement, they didn’t want to make Cliff suspicious.
“How far is this underground spring?” Brian asked Cliff late afternoon.
“Just a mile or two more.”
The mountains loomed in front of them. There was an opening in-between two tall mountains, and Cliff pointed at it.
“That opening is Valverde’s Pass. The spring is at the base.”
Brian nodded. He started to reply, but several rifle shots bellowed out before he could. A few seconds passed, and another round of shots followed.
Cliff pulled up abruptly, and he and Brian glanced at each other.
“Too far off to be shooting at us,” Cliff figured, and Brian nodded in agreement.
“Somebody’s probably holed up at the water hole,” Cliff figured.
There was a steep hill in front of them, and Brian nodded at it.
“Mebbe we should climb that hill up ahead and take a look,” he suggested.
Cliff nodded, and they kicked up their horses.
It was a steep hill that was covered in brush and trees. They rode up in some cover and looked below.
The water hole was about three hundred yards away, and a grassy meadow was between them.
They could see four men at the water hole. They had good cover, and they were spread out.
“Place really is built like a fort,” Brian said softly.
“Look,” Cliff pointed.
Several Indians were spread out in the meadow. Their backs were towards them, and they all held rifles.
It was silent as Brian counted.
“I count ten, eleven Injuns,” he finally said, and Cliff nodded.
“I’m going to guess that the only way to that trading post is through the pass,” Brian said.
“No, there’s another pass on the south side of the mountain, but that would take at least another day.”
“And Rusty can’t wait another day,” Brian surmised.
Cliff nodded curtly.
Brian sighed. He reached down and pulled out his Henry, as did Cliff.
“What’s the plan?”
“We’ll shoot a couple from here,” Cliff announced.
“And then what?”
“And then we’ll see. Hopefully they’ll scatter. If not, then our only chance would be to make it to that water hole.”
“I don’t know if Rusty can take a run,” Brian warned. “The bouncing in the saddle might kill him.”
“I know,” Cliff said grimly as he dismounted.
Brian frowned. He helped Jessica down, and then he dismounted.
“Hold our horses,” he told Jessica. “When we shoot it’ll startle the horses, so you hang on real tight. We’ll be dead if you lose those horses.”
“I’ll hang on,” Jessica said.
Brian nodded and turned towards Cliff.
Cliff had knelt beside a log, and he was studying the meadow.
“We’ll shoot the closest ones,” Cliff said as Brian knelt beside him. “Then, we’ll shoot as many times as we can, as fast as we can. It doesn’t really matter if we hit them or not. I want to make a lot of noise, that way they’ll think there’s a lot more of us.”
“So they’ll scatter,” Brian surmised.
“That would be the idea,” Cliff replied. “Ready?”
Brian nodded, and Cliff pointed out their targets. They took aim and fired simultaneously.
There was a loud thumping sound, and two Indians flipped over backwards and kicked out.
The other Indians were taken by surprise. And, as Cliff and Brian fired simultaneously, the Indians jumped to their feet and ran wildly. Meanwhile, the other four white me
n joined in and fired at the retreating Indians.
Two more Indians fell as they reached some thick bushes. A few seconds passed, and then they came out a-horseback. One Indian, probably their leader, led the way. They rode in a dead run, but Cliff managed to knock one more off his horse as they made their escape.
Brian tried to hit the leader, but missed twice.
Cliff grunted in satisfaction as they watched the Indians disappear.
“Worked out better than I figured!” He exclaimed as they reloaded.
Brian nodded and glanced back at Jessica.
“You all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Brian nodded, and he and Cliff stood.
“Let’s go down and meet them,” Cliff suggested. “Whoever’s down there is probably headed to the trading post. With all these Injuns around, mebbe we should ride together.”
“Might be a good idea,” Brian agreed.
They mounted up and rode down the hill. They passed the downed Indians and rode up to the water hole.
The four men watched curiously as they pulled up, and it was silent as everybody studied each other.
The three oldest looked somber, but the youngest one just sneered at Jessica.
“Afternoon,” the oldest looking one finally said. “I’m sure glad you fellers showed up. Those Injuns have been after us for two days now.”
“Lose any men?” Cliff asked.
“Almost,” the man grinned.
“I’m Cliff Curtis, and this is my sister, Jessica,” Cliff announced, and he nodded at Rusty. “This wounded feller is my brother. We’re headed for the trading post. There should be a doctor there.”
The man looked thoughtfully at Rusty. Next, he stared at Jessica, and then he glanced at Brian.
“Who’s this; Grandpa?”
“The name’s Brian Clark.”
“I’ve heard of you and Cliff both,” the man replied. “I’m Trent Oltman, and these are my brothers.”
“I’ve heard of you as well,” Cliff said. “You boys have quite the reputation.”
“Well, we have been busy these past few years,” Trent smiled.
