The barkeep laughed. “Targets of opportunity. I ain’t never heard that said before, but I reckon it’s easy enough to figure out what you’re a-sayin’. Best place I can think of would be up in the church belfry.”
“Nae,” Duff said, shaking his head. “I’ll nae be killing from a church.”
“All right. The next best place would probably be from the loft of the livery. You’d have a good view of ’em when they come in, no matter which way they might be a-comin’ from.”
“Thanks.”
* * *
“It is more than likely they know we are coming,” Kendrick said. “Glitter worked for Weasel, and Weasel disappeared shortly before we left town. I’m quite sure he has come to town to warn MacCallister and the citizens of the town of our approach.”
“Damn!” Dooley said. “You mean we’ll be goin’ ag’in the whole town? They’s only twenty-nine of us!”
“It is obvious, Dooley, that you have no understanding of the psychology of the masses,” Kendrick said.
“The what?”
“Simply put, the citizens of the town will cower in fear, depending upon someone else to defend them. Only a few will answer the call, and because of that, the numbers of the actual combatants who will engage us will be quite small. But even if they outnumbered us, we would prevail, for it is as Euripides once said, ‘Ten men wisely led are worth a hundred without a head.’ I am in command, so we, as I am sure you will all agree, are wisely led.”
* * *
The residents of Merrill Town who did not answer the call to arms either left town or took shelter in their homes or in other buildings. The streets, which normally would be crowded with commerce, were empty. The small community had turned into a virtual ghost town. From his position in the loft of the livery stable, Duff stared in the direction from which he expected Kendrick to approach, though from time to time he checked the opposite end of the street as well, just to be sure.
A gust of wind rustled up a dust devil, which darted and danced across the empty street before it rattled the painted tin sign in front of White’s Drug Store. A dog, perhaps sensing something was amiss, ran across the street, then climbed under the low-lying porch in front of Blum’s Clothing.
From the loft, Duff could see the nine other men he had positioned around the town. Elmer was just inside the door of McGill’s Feed and Seed, Kelly was at the corner of the Elite Dress Shoppe, Decker was lying behind the watering trough in front of Malone Hat Store, Simmons was on the roof behind the false front of the Hog Pen, Hog Jaw was just behind the batwing doors of the same building, while Prescott was just inside the CSSAlabama. Ziegenhorn had taken up a position on top of his real estate building, Doc Dunaway was at an upstairs window of the Del Rey Hotel, and Alfred Sikes stood just inside the door of his hardware store. That made ten of them, ten men waiting to do battle with what could be as many as thirty men, perhaps even more.
As he thought about it, Duff couldn’t help but chuckle. Elmer had been saying all along that they were ten guns from Texas. As it turned out, he was now correct. They were, legitimately, ten guns from Texas.
Duff had not counted Wang among those who were in position to defend the town, but neither had he discounted him. Shortly after he had assigned everyone their position, Wang had left town, not to avoid the fight, but to take the fight to the Fence Busters, doing it his own way.
* * *
Wang Chow had ridden one mile in the direction from which Weasel had indicated the men would come. He glanced around, looking for a position from which he could engage them, when he saw the perfect place—a large live oak tree with a limb that extended out over the road leading into town. He tied his horse off so that it was out of sight, then climbed the tree and moved out onto the limb.
No more than five minutes after he was in position, Wang saw riders coming toward him, led by one man, and proceeding down the road in a fourteen-rank column of two abreast. Unseen by the approaching riders, he waited until the last two men passed under him, then he jumped down from the tree, landing with perfect precision with one foot planted just behind each saddle. This left him poised on both horses.
Even before the two riders realized someone had dropped down behind them, Wang took them out. Striking them with the same power he had used to bring down the steer, he broke their necks with quick silent blows from the knife edge of his two hands.
Quickly, Wang leaped down to the ground, pulling the two men off their horses, cushioning them as they left the saddles so that the men riding ahead of him didn’t hear them fall. Even with their saddles empty, the two horses continued to keep pace with the column before them.
The column rode on, totally unaware that their strength had been decreased by two men.
* * *
Duff saw the approaching riders at the crest of a hill at least half a mile out of town. He counted them through the scope and saw that there were twenty-seven. He also saw that two of the horses were without riders, and he smiled, realizing that Wang had already begun his work.
As the riders reached the crest of the hill, they spread out along the ridge. The newly positioned men pulled their pistols, and one of the men—Duff assumed he was Kendrick—rode back and forth in front of the group, apparently giving them directions.
Duff drew a bead on Kendrick, thinking that if he killed their leader it would disorient them immediately, but Kendrick rode behind an outcropping of rocks and was out of view. He switched his aim to another.
* * *
“Hey, where’s Davis ’n Cooter?” Peabody asked. “Their horses is here, where are they?”
“Maybe they’re takin’ a piss,” Taylor said.
“Davis! Cooter! Get back here and get mounted!” Kendrick called.
“Maybe they fell off,” Beans said, chuckling at the suggestion.
“Yes, well, we don’t have time to be concerned about that now,” Kendrick said. “We are about to ride into Merrill Town, and when we do, I want you to shoot everyone you see—man, woman, and child.”
“Women and children, too?” Taylor asked.
“Yes,” Kendrick said. “I know that sounds harsh, but those of you who were in the war know that war is harsh. And as Sherman showed on his march to the sea, absolute war leads to absolute victory. Our tactics will instill shock and fear among the citizens of the town, and that will lead to a quick capitulation.”
Suddenly there was a sound like the buzzing of a bee, then a thock. It sounded as if someone had hit their open hand with a fist.
“Uhnn!” Logan said aloud.
Looking toward him, the others saw a big, blood-pumping hole appear in the center of his chest. He fell from his horse.
“What the hell was that?” Dooley asked.
“Somebody shot ’im,” Beans said.
“Who? I didn’t hear no—” That was a far as Rand got before he, too, fell from his horse with a bleeding hole in his chest.
“Kendrick, we got to get outta here!” Peabody shouted. “They’s someone close by that’s got a bead on us!”
“Impossible!” Kendrick said. “It’s all open ground between here and town! There’s no place for a shooter!”
“Maybe not, but we’ve had two men shot.”
“All right,” Kendrick said. “Forward men, at a gallop!”
Chapter Thirty-four
Duff could hear thundering hooves as the riders approached the town, drunk with the power their numbers gave them.
“They are coming!” Ziegenhorn shouted. His position on top of his office building was the closest to the edge of town. “Kendrick and his men are coming fast!”
“Everyone stay calm!” Duff shouted from his position in the open loft window of the livery. “Pick your shots and make them count!” He raised his Martini-Henry rifle to his shoulder, aimed, and fired. Another of Kendrick’s advancing men tumbled from the saddle.
The approaching riders were too close and coming too fast for Duff to use his rifle anymore, so he jumped dow
n, and with his rifle in one hand and pistol in the other, he ran across to the feed store and stepped inside just as gunfire ripped through the street. So many shots were fired at the same time that he had no idea where they were all coming from.
“Use this! She’s loaded!” Elmer said, tossing over a double-barreled shotgun. Duff stepped through the front door and fired, knocking one of the approaching riders out of the saddle.
The street continued to ring with gunfire, not only from the feed store, but from every other place Duff had positioned his men. Realizing that by being mounted they were easy targets, Kendrick ordered the Fence Busters to dismount. The riders leaped from the horses and took cover where they could, behind watering troughs, porches, and the corners of buildings.
Elmer fired a Winchester, jacking the lever down to eject the empty cartridge and push in a new .44-40 round. Duff saw him take down one of the Fence Busters just as the outlaw raised up from behind a watering trough to take a shot.
A bullet from one of the Fence Busters dug a trench along the doorframe of the feed store, sending splinters flying, a few of them striking Duff in the face. He spun around, his face dotted with bits of blood.
“Duff!” Elmer called out in alarm.
“It’s nothing!” Duff called back. Because the shotgun was empty, he raised his pistol. Seeing one of Kendrick’s men running from one place to another, trying to improve his position, Duff shot him down.
“Stay here and keep firing!” he shouted as he headed out the back door. He ran down the alley and saw Sheriff Wallace step out of the doorway just in front of him.
“Sheriff?” Duff called. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Are you now?” Wallace replied with a sneer. He fired at Duff, and Duff fired back. Sheriff Wallace missed, Duff didn’t. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of someone else running. He dropped to one knee and fired. His bullet shattered the hip of the runner, sending the man sprawling in the dirt.
He heard the crashing of glass, and realized that some of Kendrick’s men were concentrating on the CSS Alabama Saloon. Prescott was in there alone, so, turning, Duff ran back up the alley.
Just as he went in through the back door, Deputy Bullock spurred his horse through the batwing doors up front. Duff and Prescott shot at the same time, knocking Bullock from his saddle.
“I always knew Bullock was a sorry excuse for a deputy!” Prescott said. “I wonder where Sheriff Wallace is?”
“The constable is in the alley out back,” Duff said.
The gunfire had begun to trickle down until there were only a few popping sounds here and there, most that were fired by men who were frustrated at no longer being able to find a target.
“Duff MacCallister!” a voice called.
Duff didn’t recognize the voice.
“MacCallister! I’m Dirk Kendrick! Do you know who I am?”
“Aye, the name has certainly become a familiar one.”
“You seem to have been quite effective in reducing the number of my men. I still have men left, though, and if we continue with this battle, I fear that some of the innocent citizens of the town may be killed. I have an offer, if you are amenable!”
“And what would that be?”
“You have been quite the nuisance ever since you arrived in Texas. I believe if you could be eliminated that things would go back as they were. Suppose the two of us meet in the street, right here, right now? If I prevail, I would expect your men to leave Miss Ireland in my hands, so the governor and I can continue the negotiations we had begun. If you prevail, you will let my remaining men withdraw in peace.”
Duff chuckled. “That’s some proposal.”
“What do you say, MacCallister? Just the two of us?”
“All right.”
Cautiously, Duff stepped out and looked around. Gun smoke lay over the town like a low-lying cloud, and his nostrils burned with it. The street was littered with bodies. Among the dead, he recognized Simmons, who had ridden with him, as well as a couple of the townspeople, including Ziegenhorn and Doc Dunaway. There were also several bodies strewn about who were wearing blue kerchiefs around their neck.
Slowly, the survivors of the battle came out from their fighting positions—Elmer, Kelly, Decker, and Hog Jaw among them.
Seven of Kendrick’s men also came out into the street, looking around warily.
“Where are you, Kendrick?” Duff asked.
A man stepped out of the bakery. It was the first time either of them had actually seen one another, and they stared across the street at each other for a long moment.
“I didn’t think you would actually come out,” Kincaid said.
“Why not? If we can end it here and now, I think it worth the risk.”
“How do you want to do this?”
“Are you familiar with the code duelo, Mr. Kincaid?” Duff asked.
“I am, sir.”
“Then you are aware that, as the challenged party, the details are up to me.”
“Yes, I am aware.”
“As neither of us are native to the American West, I am going to assume that you are no more proficient in the art of the fast draw than I am. Therefore, I suggest that each pistol be emptied of all ammunition except one shell, and that the chamber bearing that bullet be placed in the proper position so that it will fire when the trigger is pulled. I will choose Mr. Elmer Gleason as my second. You may choose a second of your choice. Our seconds will examine both pistols, to ascertain that they are properly loaded.”
“I’ll choose Carl Peabody.”
“Once the weapons are properly charged, we will stand back-to-back and advance a mutually agreed-upon number of steps, then turn and fire. Do you agree to those terms?”
“I do, sir.”
The survivors on both sides of the fight had come into the street. Duff’s supporters stood on the north side of the street, while Kendrick’s supporters were gathered on the south side.
The pistols were prepared and examined, then handed to the belligerents. The two men stood back-to-back, their arms crooked at the elbow, the pistols pointing into the air.
“Thirteen steps, Mr. Kendrick?” Duff asked.
“Yes, quite appropriate, I would say.”
“Your second may count the steps.”
Peabody began counting out loud until he reached thirteen. At thirteen, Duff and Kendrick turned to face each other.
“Now, Dooley!” Kendrick shouted.
Duff saw a man standing on the roof of the bakery across the street, aiming a rifle at him. Even as Dooley pulled the trigger, he was tumbling forward. A throwing star embedded in Dooley’s back flashed in the sunlight.
Briefly, Duff caught all of that out of the corner of his eye. Concurrent with Kendrick’s shout, his and Kendrick’s pistols had discharged as one.
Because he was hurried and had counted on Dooley to kill Duff, Kendrick’s shot whizzed harmlessly by. Duff’s shot plunged deep into Kendrick’s chest.
Kendrick looked at Duff with an almost whimsical smile. “Damn. I had plans. Big plans.” His sentence ended with a cough, then he fell back into the dirt, the pearl-handled pistol still connected to his hand only because his finger was still hooked through the trigger guard.
Austin
“You say that the Hill Country Cattlemen’s Association is taking care of getting all the rustled cattle back to their rightful owners?” Governor Ireland asked.
“Yes, all the ranchers agreed to that, including Glitter,” Duff replied.
“Glitter, yes, she is the prostitute who helped my daughter escape.”
“Oh, she may have been a prostitute when she helped Miss Ireland escape, but now she owns the Double D Ranch. It turns out that an old man she had befriended was actually her grandfather, and he had proof that Donald Dobbins was her father. With Dobbins dying intestate, his ranch now belongs to Glitter.”
“That’s good,” Governor Ireland said. “Rosalie has announced her intention to be maid of honor
when Glitter marries Weasel. I think it would be a bit more acceptable to people, thinking of her participating in the wedding of a ranch owner, rather than the wedding of a prostitute.” He laughed. “Though in truth, I don’t think it makes any difference to Rosalie whatever Glitter is. And good for her, I say.”
“When is Fitzhugh’s trial?” Elmer asked.
“There won’t be a trial, as such,” the governor replied. “Fitzhugh wants to avoid the public scandal. He has confessed to providing information to Kendrick, and the judge will be sentencing him in a closed hearing. He has been with me since I was an associate justice for the Texas Supreme Court. I would have never suspected he would betray me.”
“Yeah? Well I didn’t trust the squirrely lookin’ traitor from the moment I first saw him,” Elmer said.
“Oh. At your suggestion, Mr. MacCallister, I have asked Captain Brooke to send a couple men into Blowout to provide them with some law until they can elect a new sheriff.”
“Good idea. Weasel informs me that there are some decent people in Blowout. They just need some stability until they can get back on their feet.”
“And I’ve appointed your friends Roy Kelly and Hugh Decker as sheriff and deputy sheriff to fill out the terms of Wallace and Bullock.” The governor shook his head. “To think that less than a month ago, both those men were serving sentences in the state penitentiary.”
Elmer nodded. “They’re good men, Colonel. Both of ’em are, ’n you can count on that.”
“Given the role they played in my daughter’s rescue, I don’t doubt that. By the way, Elmer, are you sure you want to go back to Wyoming? If you would like to stay, I know I can find a position for you.”
“A position, is it?” Elmer replied with a chuckle. “Tell me, now, Colonel, is a position better than a job?”
“Of course it is.”
“Well, then here’s the thing, Governor. I’ve already got me a position up in Wyomin’. ’N I like that position just a whole lot.”
Turn the page for an exciting bonus short story . . .
Ten Guns from Texas Page 26
