Man Called Ty

by Dicksion, William Wayne

  “We’re ready to start enlarging our herd,” Kate said, her face glowing with perspiration and excitement.

  “After the cows have given birth, we’ll have about sixteen hundred head,” Gabe commented.

  Azalee hugged her mother and said, “That’s wonderful. Ty and I are going to meet a group of men at The Terel Ranch tomorrow morning. We’re going to get them started rebuilding there, also.”

  “I see that you’ve already renamed the ranch,” Kate smiled. “It’s good that you’ve started rebuilding so soon, but where did you find men to do the work?”

  “Mr. Layton showed up at the restaurant and asked for his old job back, so Ty hired him. He’ll be the foreman just like before. He thinks he can rehire the old crew, now that there’s someone to stand up to Marcum,” Azalee explained.

  “Going back to the ranch will be like going home for Mrs. Layton. Her children were born on that ranch. You have made a good choice. Lew knows the ranch, and he’ll be a good foreman. Isn’t it wonderful how everything is coming back together in the valley of Bitter Creek,” Kate beamed.

  Bang! Bang! The sound of a rifle being fired rang out from the hill, above the ranch house. Ty, Gabe, and the women jumped into their saddles and rode up the hill at a full run. When they reached the crest, they saw Covington cowboys with their guns pointed at four men who were driving a herd of about forty cows. When they got closer, they saw that the cows were wearing the Bar C brand. The —C was the Covington brand.

  Gabe drew his gun and rode up to the closest of the four strangers and demanded, “What are you doing driving ‘Bar C’ cattle?”

  Defiantly, the man replied, “We ride for the Bar M, and we were told to round up any cows we find, and drive them to the Bar M ranch.”

  “The ‘—M;’ isn’t that Rolph Marcum’s brand?” Gabe asked, as he re-holstered his gun.

  “‘It sure is, and Mr. Marcum is the big bull on this range. I suggest you have your men stand aside and let us get on with our business. If we tell Mr. Marcum that you interfered, he’ll be over here with more than a dozen men with guns and chase you clean outta the country.”

  “He’s going to find that we’re a little hard to chase, and cattle rustling is a hanging offence anywhere in the West,” Gabe said. “Men, get ropes around these thieves’ necks. We’ll hang them right here.”

  The arrogant cowboy reached for his gun. Gabe drew and shot the would-be gunman’s arm preventing him from completing his draw and knocked him out of his saddle.

  Ty and the Bar C men roped and tied the other three rustlers. Gabe dismounted and lifted the arrogant Bar M rider back on his horse and put a rope around his neck. He wasn’t so arrogant with a rope around his neck.

  Kate and Azalee were amazed. They had not realized that Gabe was also very good with a gun. He never spoke of it, but they should have known. He faced Marcum before, and he told them that he had been an officer in the Confederate Army. They were wondering if he really was going to hang these men.

  Ty rode between the women and the rustlers, looked in the women's eyes, and very slightly shook his head, assuring them that Gabe didn’t intend to hang the rustlers.

  Gabe had said nothing, but Ty knew he wouldn’t go that far. Ty was certain that he was right when the arrogant one began to whine and said, “We were just following orders.”

  “We caught two other Marcum riders rustling Bar C cattle,” Gabe said. “We turned them over to the sheriff, and he turned them over to Marcum. I hear that they’re still riding for him. We’re not going to make that mistake again.”

  “You can’t hang us—we were just following orders,” another Marcum rider complained.

  “I can hang you, and I will hang you,” Gabe affirmed. “You have but one chance to live.”

  “What chance is that?” the whiner asked.

  “Ride outta here and never come back,” Gabe answered. “If any of you ever come back, we’ll hunt you down and do what we should do now—we’ll hang you.”

  Hoping that they might have a chance to live, one of the rustlers yelled, “We’ll ride!”

  “There’s something you have to tell us before we let you go. Where is Marcum holding the stolen cattle?”

  “If Marcum ever finds out that we told you, he’ll kill us!” the rustler complained.

  “And we’ll kill you if you don’t,” Gabe said quietly. “You have a choice. Die now, or tell us what we want to know, then ride away and never come back.”

  One of the other rustlers said, “Don’t be a damn fool. Tell him what he wants to know, and let’s ride. Marcum can’t kill us if he can’t find us.”

  The first rustler reluctantly agreed. “Marcum is holding the stolen cattle in the big bend on the Washita River. He plans to drive the herd to market in the spring. Now, can we go?”

  “You can ride, but remember what we’ve told you. If you return and Marcum doesn’t kill you, we’ll hang you. Now get outta here.” Gabe slapped the flank of the whiner’s horse and the rustlers rode away at a full run. Gabe said to the Covington riders, “Let’s get our cows back into our herd.”

  Kate smiled at Ty and said, “Now, I understand, but how did you know?”

  Ty smiled back and said, “I know Gabe.”

  The Bar C cowboys grinned as they drove the cows back to the corral.

  Gabe asked, “Isn’t it about time for supper? All this excitement has made me hungry.”

  * * *

  That evening some of the cowboys from the Bar C ranch went into town for a drink, as usual. The word was out about what had happened to the four Marcum riders, and every cattleman for fifty miles around knew about it. Everyone was wondering what Marcum would do to retaliate. A few of Marcum's riders were also drinking at the saloon. They were pleased that their friends had been allowed to go free, knowing that the Bar C owners would have been within their rights to hang them.

  One of Marcum’s cowboys asked a Covington rider, “What are we supposed to do when we’ve been given orders to bring in cattle that don’t belong to the man giving the order?”

  “If my boss ordered me to steal cattle, I would find another brand to work for. Both the Bar C and the Diamond T ranches are hiring cowboys, and neither of those owners will ask you to steal cattle. And they pay top dollar.”

  Another of Marcum’s riders spoke up. “A friend of mine who used to ride for the Shay Ranch says his old boss Lewis Layton has been hired as foreman for the new Terel ranch, and that he’s hiring wranglers tomorrow morning.”

  Another cowboy chimed in, “Lewis Layton is a good man to ride for, and I hear that his boss, the new owner of The Terel Ranch, is hell on wheels when it comes to using a gun. They say he don’t ask his riders to do his fighting for him; he does his own fighting.”

  “Do you think he could take Marcum in a gunfight?” another cowboy asked.

  “Marcum has had three chances to find out, and he’s backed down each time. I’d say Marcum doubts that he could beat Terel,” a Covington rider said.

  “That’s good enough for me,” another of Marcum’s riders remarked. “I’d like to ride for an honest man again. Do you think Lew will hire me, knowing that I’ve been riding for Marcum?”

  One of the men who had ridden with Ty on the cattle drive up from Texas said, “Ty won’t ask who you rode for last; all he’ll ask is that when you draw his pay, you work for him.”

  “Sounds like the kind of man I’d like to work for. I’ll be at The Terel Ranch tomorrow morning.”

  There were grunts of assent from the other cowboys.

  The following morning, when Ty and Azalee went to their ranch for the meeting, they drove a small herd of horses from the Covington Ranch and put them in the corral at the Terel Ranch. They arrived early, wanting to be ready when the workers arrived. A short time later, Lew and his old crew arrived. Lew had his wife Tandy and their children with him. They were all excited about living at the ranch again. Azalee had known Tandy since before she and Lew were married. She and Tand
y went to the foreman’s quarters to see what needed to be done.

  They made a list and included the building of an extra bedroom for the children.

  While Azalee and Tandy were looking at the foreman’s quarters, a wagonload of carpenters and masons arrived, bringing lumber and supplies. Lew had brought ten of his old riders, and two other cowboys from the local area joined the group applying for work.

  “Lew, how many men will you need to run the ranch?” Ty asked.

  “How many horses do you plan on raising?” Lew asked.

  “About a thousand heads ought to do it.”

  “I’ll need four laborers and fourteen wranglers,” Lew replied. “All the men will work with the carpenters and masons until we get the ranch ready.”

  Two men riding horses, bearing Bar M brands, rode up. They were nervous until Ty said, “If you’re looking for work, step down. We need two more men.” Turning to Lew, Ty asked, “Lew, can you use these men?”

  “Before I sign them on, I’ll need to know why they want to work for the Diamond T,” Lew answered, as he looked at each man questioningly.

  “We want to ride for an honest brand for a change,” one of the riders replied.

  “That’s the right reason, but aren’t you concerned that Marcum will not be pleased about you riding for a brand that he is trying to destroy?”

  “That’s why we want to ride for you. Every cowboy in this area knows that you run an honest crew. We’re not gunfighters, and we’re not cattle thieves. We’re tired of having to do things that we know are dishonest. Tyree Terel is the only man in Indian Territory who Marcum is afraid of. Marcum has hired two gunfighters from the Missouri border crowd, and they arrived last night. We think there’s going to be a range war, and we don’t want to die killing honest men while fighting for a dishonest one.”

  “You’re hired!” Lew exclaimed. “Now all you men gather ’round. I’ve got something I want to say.” He had everybody’s undivided attention. “We’re not hiring gunfighters; we’re hiring wranglers. Mr. Terel will never ask you to do anything you feel is wrong. If someone shoots at you, you have the right to defend yourself, but the Diamond T is not asking you to get killed. The fight over the land is between Marcum and the other ranchers. They will deal with the problem. I know that a cowboy doesn’t like to do anything that he cannot do from the back of a horse, but this ranch has to be made ready to raise horses, and it’s going to require a lot of labor to get it done. If you don’t want to do that kind of work, you are free to go.”

  Nobody left, so Lew continued. “The first thing we gotta do is to get our living quarters ready. The bunkhouse and the foreman’s quarters need to be rebuilt and enlarged. The women have a list of things that they want done, so work with the carpenters, and get it done.”

  “Lew, could you and your men drill a well?” Ty asked.

  “We could dig a well,” Lew replied, “but we don’t have the tools to drill a well. The army had a well drilled and a pump installed at the fort west of here. I can hire that driller, to drill a well for you.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you would,” Ty said. He added, “Come with me and bring the two Marcum riders with you. I’ll show you where I want the pump installed, and we can talk to the two Marcum riders in the privacy of the ranch house.”

  When they reached the house, Ty said to the men who had been riding for Marcum, “Tell me what you know about the gunfighters that Marcum has hired.”

  “We don’t know much, but Slade—Marcum’s right-hand man—told him that any man who is as good as you are with a gun has to have a reputation. So Marcum sent Slade to look into your past, and he followed your trail through Texas to Tennessee. Slade found that you’re a wanted man, and he located a man named Pothman, who’s looking for you. Pothman was riding with a gunfighter with a killer reputation. Slade hired Pothman and the fast gun to kill you. We don’t know how much Marcum is paying Pothman, but he’s offering five hundred dollars to any of his riders who’ll kill you. My partner and I want no part in that, and that’s why we’re here.”

  “Thank you, now go to work with the other men and let me handle Marcum.” Ty turned to Lew and said, “Here’s where I want the well drilled and a pump installed.”

  Astonished that Ty seemed unconcerned by the information relayed by the men, Lew commented, “You’re a cool one. Do you want me to assign men to ride with you and protect you?”

  “No,” Ty chuckled, “that would only get our men killed. Marcum has a crew of men who are good with guns. I meant it when I said I’m not hiring gunfighters. I’ll do my own fighting.”

  “Are you going to tell Azalee?”

  “Azalee has a right to know,” Ty replied.

  Chapter 29

  Weeks passed without a word from Marcum. The rebuilding of The Terel Ranch house and barns proceeded smoothly.

  It was midday. Spring was in the air, and it was beautiful weather for a ride, but Ty felt that trouble was brewing so he was taking Azalee to the Covington Ranch. He could see her concern, and as they were riding home, she kept checking the rifle she carried in her saddle scabbard. Ty knew that the logical place for a sniper to lay in ambush would be where the trail crossed the creek. He and Azalee crossed at a new spot and rode out on the open prairie trying to avoid places where a sniper could hide.

  A shot rang out. The whine of a bullet passed between them. Azalee shuddered as she remembered that just such a bullet had killed her father.

  Ty called out, “Make a run for it—the Covington Ranch house is only a little farther!”

  They leaned forward in their saddles to present smaller targets. Ty rode with Azalee until he was sure she could make it to the ranch, and then he dropped off his horse and waited in an old dried out buffalo wallow. He didn’t have to wait long. Two riders came over the rise firing their rifles. The lead rider was Slade. Seeing that Azalee was still in Slade’s rifle range, Ty shot Slade out of his saddle, cranked another bullet into the chamber of his Spencer, and wounded the second rider. The second rider slumped in his saddle and rode away in the direction of the Marcum Ranch.

  Azalee had seen Ty dismount, and she heard the gunfire, but she didn’t know who had fired the shots. She rode her horse at a full run trying frantically to reach the Covington Ranch to get help.

  As the wounded assailant was riding away, another group of Marcum’s gunmen rode into view, frightening Ty’s unattended horse, and it bolted. Ty tried to get a count of how many men he faced. He counted at least a dozen, hoping Pothman was among them. If he were going to die, he wanted to take the man who was involved in the killing of his mother and sister with him. But Pothman wasn’t there—these were men trying to collect the bounty that Marcum had placed on Ty’s head. As bullets stirred up the dirt all around him, Ty shot two of them out of their saddles. The shallow buffalo wallow was not deep enough to provide much protection. He knocked another bounty collector out of his saddle. They may collect the bounty, but it’s going to cost them dearly.

  Marcum’s men realized that they presented too good a target on horseback, so they dismounted and dropped into the tall grass. Ty heard them pushing the dry grass aside as they crawled forward. He reloaded his Spencer, laid it beside him, and drew his six-shooter—the rifle was too clumsy for close fighting. Ty lay with his back against the bank of the wallow and waited. The attacking men were firing wildly into the grass all around him trying to keep him pinned down until they could get him in their gun sights. Ty knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be overwhelmed. Still he waited, determined to take as many with him as he could. Ty felt the dried clay of the wallow vibrating against his back and recognized the rhythmic beat of running horses. Gunfire came from behind him, and he saw the attackers running for their horses. Gabe rode by leading his men and firing his revolver. Ty retrieved his horse and joined Gabe and his men. Two of the Covington riders had been wounded, but with treatment, they would recover. They took four of Marcum’s men prisoners, disarmed them,
and tied their hands behind their backs. The rest of Marcum’s gunmen lay about either dead or wounded.

  “These men were trying to kill you, Ty. You have the right to decide what we do with them,” Gabe exclaimed.

  “I’ve done nothing to harm them, yet they were trying to kill me and Azalee, and she had done them no harm.”

  Recognizing the two men who had tried to force their way with Azalee, Ty said, “The last time I saw these two, they were stealing cattle and assaulting Azalee. Because I was afraid they might try to harm her again, I told them that if I ever saw them again I would kill them. I gave them a chance, and let them go. Today, they tried again to kill her. I won’t give them another chance. I’ll keep my word. Give them their guns and turn them loose.”

  The gunmen who had assaulted Azalee buckled on their guns. The one who had tried to force his attention on her sneered, spat on the ground, and said cockily to his friend, “Come on, Harry, we can take him. After we eliminate him, the rest of these saddle tramps will be easy.”

  With the two gunmen facing Ty, and Ty standing ready, Gabe said to the Covington riders, “Step back, men.”

  The gunmen who had assaulted Azalee stood with their legs spread, ready for a fast draw.

  The sneering one said, “Now!” and went for his gun. He died with the sneer still on his face. The other gunman drew, but he didn’t have time to fire. He fell back with his arms and legs spread. Ty holstered his smoking gun and said, “Put these vermin with Slade and the rest of Marcum’s dead riders.”

  The Covington riders looked on with amazement. They had seen fast guns before, but they had never seen anything like what they had just witnessed.

  “What do you want to do with these prisoners?” Gabe asked.

  “They’re working for the man who had the former owner of this ranch shot in the back, and they’re working with the man who was a part of killing my family. They’ve been stealing cattle from the ranchers in this valley. We’ll put them in jail and try them. If they’re innocent, they’ll go free—if they’re found guilty, we’ll handle them accordingly.”