A Cold Hard Trail

by Robert J Conley

  “You think that’s who done the jailbreak?” someone asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Potter. “Now, listen. I want everyone here to quit drinking for tonight. I want you all to go home and get a good night’s sleep.” He looked over at me and ole Churkee. “Will you boys be riding with us again?” he asked.

  “I will,” I said.

  And then ole Churkee, he went and said, “Yes. We will.”

  That other feller come back in then what had run over to the other saloon in Nugget, that there Watering Hole.

  “They’re gone, Sheriff,” he said. “Ole Joby said that he left out with six men hired on.”

  “They must be the ones then,” Potter said. “If someone was over there recruiting gunfighters, and he’s gone, then it must have been them who broke Gish and his gang out of jail. It’s one way to recruit outlaws.”

  “What’re you going to do, Sheriff?”

  “We’ll go after them, of course,” Potter said. “First thing in the morning. We’ll have those three back in jail before they know it, and we’ll have them some fresh company too.”

  “Wonder who that fresh company is.”

  “Oh, I know who it is. I got his name over there at the Watering Hole too,” said the feller what had made that run. “Joby heard it said. And he told it to me.

  “All right then,” Potter said. “Who the hell was it?”

  “It was Randall Morgan,” the man said. “That’s what Joby told me. Randall Morgan.”

  Chapter 16

  Drunk as I was, I seed ole Churkee’s ears prick right up at that news. I knowed that he was all-fire excited about it too, on account a he was at long last hot on the trail a the very bastard what had brung financial ruin onto the head a his old paw. I still didn’t quite know how no Injun coulda been in business in Californy, but if that’s the way that Churkee said it was, well, that’s just how it was, I guess. Anyhow, Churkee got me up to my feet again, and he commenced to walking somewheres with me.

  “Where we going?” I said.

  “Upstairs to bed,” he said. “That’s where I’m taking you. Then I’m going after that bunch of outlaws.”

  “At night?” I said. “In the dark?”

  “I can track them all right,” he said.

  He had me to the foot a the stairs by that time, and I was a-trying to lift my feet one at a time to put them on the steps.

  “But ole Potter, he said we was to wait till morning,” I said.

  “I know what Potter said, but I’m not obliged to follow his orders. This way, I can stay close to them and keep track of them. I’ll leave you and the posse some signs along the way so you’ll know you’re on the right track. Can you remember what I’m telling you?”

  “Yeah, I can remember. What do you think? I’m drunk or something? You’re a-fixing to head on out and foller them bastards all night long, and you’ll be a-leaving us some sign along the way so we’ll know that we ain’t lost.”

  Just then I stumbled and woulda fell on my nose if ole Churkee hadn’t a been a-holding onto me. He catched me up, and I reached for another step with one a my feet. I don’t recollect just which one it was.

  “Did I get it all right?” I asked him.

  “Yes,” he said. “I wonder if you’ll remember by morning.”

  “I will,” I said. “I will. Don’t you worry your head none about that. I can handle myself a little whiskey all right.”

  “A little. Yes,” he said.

  It sounded to me like there was a dig somewheres in that, but I couldn’t figger out just what it was, so I let it go. We was up on the landing by then, and so we wobbled on over to the room. It tuck me a while to dig the key outa my pocket, and then I couldn’t poke it in the hole, so ole Churkee, he tuck it away from me and opened the door. He staggered me on in and throwed me on the bed.

  “I’ll see you on down the trail, Kid,” he said.

  Then he was gone. I was a-laying on the bed still all in my clothes, and I know that I was a-laying still, but the whole damn room commenced to spinning around and leaning thisaway and that. I opened up my eyes and stared them on the winder, ’cause that was all I could see there in the dark, and I focused them on that winder, and the room kinder settled down then, but whenever I let them close again, well, the damn room would start in again. I tried my best to keep my eyes open and a-looking right straight at that winder. I thought about taking off my gun belt and my boots, but I knowed I didn’t have it in me to do that, so I just let it go. By and by, in spite a all my efforts, my eyes closed and I went on off to sleep.

  Now if I’d a been sober that night, a whole Iota different things mighta happened. In the first place, I mighta been able to be a some help whenever them owlhoots busted Gish and them outa jail. I mighta been able to nail me one or two a the bastards. But in the second and mainest place, I wouldn’t never a let ole Churkee ride outa there all by his lonesome the way I done. I’d a tried to talk him into waiting till morning and riding out with the rest a the posse, but if he turned out to be just too damn stubborn for me, why, I’d a rid out with him. But then, I weren’t sober.

  You know, it don’t hardly pay to think on things like that. It don’t make no matter what I mighta did if I’d a been sober or if I’d a been thinking better or if anything else, on account a what’s did is did, and that’s all they is to it. All the thinking in the world won’t make it no different. And then, too, sometimes you does something without thinking about it before you do it, and then ever’thing works out just fine and dandy. There just ain’t hardly no way you can figger out nothing about this here life.

  Well, in spite a ever’thing, I was up early in the morning. I had been good and drunk all right, but then, it hadn’t been all that late neither. My head didn’t feel none too good, but I went out and found myself a big breakfast and et it and drank lots a coffee, and that made me feel a whole lot better. Food and coffee does wonders for a feller’s body. I figgered that one out all right. Whenever I finished up with my last cup a coffee, I rolled myself a cigareet and smoked it, and then I went on down to the stable and saddled up my ole horse. I clumb on his back and rid on over to the sheriff’s office.

  I was the first one there, so I rolled me another smoke. I set in the saddle and puffed on it. By the time it was gone, I was needing to take me a leak real bad. I was still the only one around, so I just rid ole horse around the corner, slud off his back, and wetted the ground there. Then I clumb back on and went back around to the front. Then I seed ole Potter a-coming.

  “Howdy, Sheriff,” I said.

  “Morning, Kid,” he said. “Where’s your pardner?”

  “You mean ole Churkee?” I said. Nobody hadn’t called ole Churkee my pardner before, and up till then, whenever I thunk that word, why, I thunk about ole Zeb, but whenever ole Potter said it the way he done, why, it come to me that ole Churkee sure enough was my pard. That didn’t take nothing away from ole Zeb. He was still my pard, and he always would be, but I reckoned that I could have two pardners. I didn’t see nothing wrong with that.

  “Churkee tuck on off last night,” I told Potter. “Said he didn’t want them bastards to get on too far ahead of us. He’s going to leave Injun sign along the way so as to make it easier for us to foller along.”

  Potter kindly scratched his head on that, and then he said, “It might work better that way. Okay.”

  ’Bout then some a the others come riding up, and pretty soon we sure enough had us a posse a men. It was bigger’n the last one. That shooting in town just the night before along with the killing of a couple a their citizens, one not so much a leading one, had riled folks up. There musta been twenty or maybe even twenty-four. The supply wagon all loaded up come along too. Ole Potter, he give a speech about how we was all to foller orders and all that, and then he turned his horse and headed us all outa town.

  We rid on out a ways a-follering tracks, and then the tracks begun to fade. We kept on a-riding in the same direction anyhow, on account
a there wasn’t no reason not to, and then I seed a pile a rocks up ahead. I pointed over thataway. Potter nodded. He seed it too. We rid on. In another couple a miles, we come across another pile a rocks, and we slowed down to look at it, ’cause it had a stick stuck in it.

  “It looks to me like ole Churkee is a-telling us to foller where that there stick is pointing,” I said.

  The stick was pointing east.

  “That’s the way I read it too,” Potter said. “Let’s go.”

  We turned and headed east. Churkee’s next sign pointed us north, and we went up thataway for a spell. We wound up riding off in ever’ damn direction they is. We’d go off one way for a few miles and then turn again. I was about to get dizzy from it all. When we come to the next sign, Potter stopped us all.

  “What the hell’s going on, Sheriff?” one a the men hollered.

  “I think they’re just riding in circles to throw us off the track,” Potter said. “I don’t know what we can do but just keep following the signs.”

  “Sheriff,” I said, “I got me a idee where they might be a-headed.”

  “Let’s hear it,” he said.

  “Well, sir,” I said, “it was ole Morgan what was rounding up gunslingers back there in Gooseneck, and it was him what broke them three outa your jailhouse. Right?”

  “That’s right.”

  I went on then and told ole Potter the whole story about Morgan and his gold camp a-trying to run off Weaver and his bunch up in the mountains, and how me and ole Zeb and Weaver’s boys had turned the tables on them. We had wiped out the whole bunch, all ’cept for Morgan hisself and ole Shark. I figgered that Morgan and Shark was together still, and that they was meaning to go on back up there and get even with Weaver for what we done, and then get back to his original plan a taking over the whole damn area. That was how come them to be rounding up new gunhands over in Gooseneck, and that’s how come them to bust Gish and them outa jail. They meant to use them too.

  “Anyhow,” I said, “that’s what it looks like to me.”

  “So you think they’re trying to throw us off the trail and then ride back up to that gold camp?” Potter said.

  “That there’d be my guess,” I said.

  “Well, Kid, you may be right,” he said. “But I don’t want to take a chance on losing their trail in case you’re wrong. Come on, men. Everyone gather around.”

  He got down offa his horse, and so did the rest of us, and we all cluttered around him to hear what he was a-fixing to say. He told the rest of them what I had told him, and then he told them what he had told me.

  “Now here’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “I’m going to divide this posse right down the middle. Half of you will ride with me. I’m taking my half up the mountain. I’m putting Mac London in charge of the other half, and, Mac, I want you and your bunch to keep following these signs. If you should come across them, don’t try anything foolish. You’ll still outnumber them, but not by much.”

  “They won’t get nothing past us,” that London said.

  “If the Kid’s right,” Potter said, “you’ll eventually follow the signs right up the mountain and catch up with us.”

  “I got you,” London said.

  “Kid,” Potter said, “you’re coming with me, and you lead the way. All right. Let’s ride.”

  Well, I headed us back toward that main road what run north and south and alongside a the bottom a the mountains there. I knowed they was two ways up. One would take us up into Weaver’s camp, but what I didn’t know was whether or not anyone had ever cleaned off that part what me and ole Zeb had messed up with rock slides. The other way would take us through the wreck a Morgan’s camp, and if I was right with my idee, ole Morgan and them might all be back in that very camp. I told that to Potter as we was riding along.

  “Let’s try the southern way,” he said. “Up to Weaver’s camp.”

  We kept on a-riding till it was nigh dark, and we hadn’t come to the road yet. Potter called a halt, and we made us a camp. We had tuck along some supplies with us, but the wagon and the most a the supplies was riding along with the other bunch. So we had us some supper and some coffee and rolled out our beds. I slept good that night.

  In the morning, we tuck out early again after we had et some breakfast and drunk us some coffee. We was at the road by mid-morning. We stopped there.

  “If we keep going,” Potter asked me, “where will we be by noon?”

  “I’d say ’bout halfway up that son of a bitch with no place to stop and set down,” I said.

  “All right, then,” he said, “let’s make camp and have some food.”

  While some a the others was busy a-building fires and getting the food and coffee ready to cook, ole Potter said to me, “I don’t see any sign that your pardner left for us here.”

  “I didn’t see none neither,” I admitted.

  “Then we might have us a problem,” he said. “If he hasn’t been here before us, that means the outlaws didn’t go up there. They’re still out there leading the rest of the posse around in circles.”

  “I got me another idee,” I said. “You wait right here till I come back.”

  I mounted up on ole horse, and I hit the road headed north. I still felt like I was right about what I said on my first idee. If the outlaws hadn’t gone up that road back there, and Potter was right in what he said, that if they hada, ole Churkee woulda follered them and left us a sign, but if they hadn’t gone up there, then I figgered they had gone up on the northest trail so as to come right into the old Morgan camp. I meant to find out. It was a fair ride up thataway, and I knowed that Potter and them would be getting anxious concerning my return, so I moved ole horse along as fast as I dared to. He done good. When I final reached the place where the trail went up into the mountains, I seed it.

  Ole Churkee had been there all right. They was a white stick jobbed into a neat little pile a fist-sized rocks, and it was a-pointing up. The bastards had gone up thataway, and Churkee was behind them. He was all by his lonesome too, and I hoped that he didn’t try to take them on thataway. I figgered that he was too smart for that, but I knowed, too, that he was awful anxious to get that damned Morgan. Well, there weren’t nothing I could do for it but to just only get my ass back to Potter and them, and then get all of us back up to the road on top what would take us on over to Weaver’s camp. I turned around and lit out.

  I made it back to the camp all right, but even before I rid in, I could see ole Potter a-pacing. I pulled up kindly close to him and jumped offa ole horse.

  “Well?” he said.

  “I found Churkee’s Injun sign,” I said. “They went up on the road to Morgan’s camp all right. Churkee went up behind them.”

  “Eddie,” Potter called out, and a man come a-running. “Ride back out there on the prairie and find the rest of the boys. Bring them back here. We’ll be headed up that mountain trail there. Follow us along.”

  “Yes, sir,” Eddie said, and he went and mounted up his horse and tuck out.

  “Well,” I said, “we heading on up?”

  “You get yourself something to eat first,” Potter said. “Drink some coffee.”

  “Hell,” I said, “I’m all right.”

  “I want you to stay that way,” he said.

  I went over to the clostest fire and found some beans in a pan and a coffeepot on the fire. I got me a plate and filled it up and got me a cup and poured it full, and I set down on the ground to eat. I had my face down in the plate a-shoveling, when I seed four boots a-coming in my direction, and then I heared ole Potter’s voice.

  “I got someone here who wants to see you, Kid,” he said. “Says he’s an old friend.”

  I looked up, and I be damned if it weren’t ole Jim Chastain. He was looking down at me right stern like, but I noticed right off that there weren’t no gun in his hand.

  “Hello, Kid,” he said.

  “Howdy, Jim,” I said. “Did Sheriff Potter here tell you about them three outlaws?�
��

  “He told me,” Chastain said.

  I give a nervous laugh then.

  “Well, then,” I said, “you know that it was all a mistake whenever you locked up me and Zeb and Paw.”

  “I did the right thing, Kid,” he said. “If you had stayed put, we’d have found out we had the wrong men in jail and let you out.”

  “You’d a had us on a trial, wouldn’t you?” I said.

  “It could have happened,” he admitted.

  “And if no one had done caught up with them other three,” I said, “we mighta been found guilty on account a I’m skinny and I was riding with two old men, and then you’d a stretched all our necks and we’d be dead and them three would still be riding loose.”

  “It wouldn’t have happened that way, Kid,” Chastain said.

  “Well, anyhow,” I said, “you know it wasn’t me and Zeb and Paw.”

  He nodded.

  “I know that,” he said. “Sheriff Potter tells me you helped capture those men once. Then someone broke them out of jail, and you’re riding with the posse again. He also said that you’re the one who figured out where they were going. You seem to be conducting yourself pretty well. What about Zeb and your paw?”

  “I sent Paw back to Texas and Maw,” I told him. “Zeb’s up yonder with them miners.”

  “Well, Kid,” he said, “I’m glad to know that it wasn’t you after all. I kind of liked you.”

  “It’s all over and did, then,” I said. “I’m sure enough glad a that my own self. I sure didn’t want to kill me no lawmen, special not you, but I didn’t want to get all hanged up for something what I never done neither. I’d a fought you, Jim, if I’d a had to. And I reckon I’d a likely kilt you too.”

  “I know you would have, Kid,” he said. “That’s why I came at you with a shotgun.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m glad it’s all over.”

  “Kid,” Chastain said.

  I looked up at him.

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s not over,” he said. “I know that you’re not guilty of the stage robbery and the bank jobs and the killings. I know that. But there’s the matter of jailbreaking, and then there’s another matter. A personal one. I’m willing to let the jailbreaking go. I’m not unreasonable. But the other thing, well—just as soon as we get this business at hand under control, you and me are going to settle that personal matter, one way or another.”