“Don’t matter none,” she assured him. “We both know I bested you.”
“Yeah,” he breathed dejectedly, and let the pistol slide into the holster.
Dolly was already on her way to where Wayne was.
“Sure are a sight for sore eyes,” he said and twisted around so she could better cut his bindings. He looked back over his shoulder and jutted his chin toward the lifeless forms. “That’s lookin’ pretty good to me as well,” he said.
“You alright?” she asked and started sawing through the strips of rawhide. Seeing his bruises, she said, “Looks like they banged you around a bit.”
Once the bindings had been sliced through, he pulled his hands around to the front and began rubbing his wrists while she went to work on the bindings the secured his ankles. “You two did real good, gunnin’ them heathens. What you done to them surely makes up for what I was put through. That stuff he was sayin’ about them other two they took to their camp makes me think they was most likely the Jacobs brothers.”
“I was thinking right along those same lines,” she agreed. “All we gotta do now is find that camp.”
“What’dya mean...find the camp? The Mescaleros have ’em. Why not just let the Apaches do all the dirty work for us?”
Her whole demeanor suddenly changed. She stopped working on the bindings and looked straight into his eyes. “The dirty work was done when those two did what they did. Anything I can manage to do in return would be more along the lines of wiping the slate clean.” She went back to freeing him.
Once his ankles had been freed, she rose and strode with determined strides to where Billy had taken a seat on a fallen tree trunk.
Wayne rose stiffly. “I-I didn’t mean anything by what I said,” he apologized. “It’s just that...well...that—”
She looked across the clearing at him. “Wayne?”
“Yeah.”
“Shut up before you make it any worse.”
He lowered his gaze and mumbled something along the lines of, “Yes, ma’am,” and headed straight for the bunch of dead Mescaleros.
*
Their first order of business was to see if they had any luck on their side and would be able to locate the pack mare. After making Billy as comfortable as possible, under the shade of a piñon, they set out. It took nearly an hour of tracking, but they made good on the attempt and found her in a small ravine munching contentedly on a patch of mostly green grass. Once back at the spot where they had left Billy, it was plain to see that he’d taken a turn for the worse and had developed a bit of a fever.
Hoping against hope that they would be able to take care of business in short order, and would also be able to then get Billy to a town, they set out in search of the Indian camp. They figured their best chance of locating it would be to head toward the base of the mountain range that stretched along to the southwest. It made the most sense that if there was enough water around to support a village of any size, it would have to be somewhere near those mountains or even in them.
It took the better part of a couple of hours, but shortly after coming across a pleasant little ravine that wound its way into the first of the foothills, they did in fact encounter a good-sized stream. With Billy’s wound having busted open from the rigors of riding, it was now raising havoc with his ability to keep the bulk of his blood inside the leg. Grateful for having found the much-needed creek, they reined up and helped him down.
Dolly wasn’t a nurse by any stretch, but it was easy to see, from his sweat covered brow, that he was now burning up with fever. Figuring that the best way to fight it would be to cool him off she enlisted Wayne’s help, and they laid him half in and half out of the water. She then used a wadded up piece of cloth to bathe his brow.
Neither she nor Wayne had ever even heard of anyone who had been wounded whose condition had deteriorated as quickly as Billy’s had and remained alive, let alone having now seen it with their own eyes. The wound was obviously infected and apt to stay that way if they didn’t find him a doctor...and in a big quick hurry, to boot.
Just about the best they could hope for under the circumstances would be to make him as comfortable as possible and nurse him through the night. If their luck held, a good night’s rest, along with some nourishment, might be just what the doctor would’ve ordered...that is if there had been a doctor handy.
*
Dolly, as well as Wayne, was able to get only bits and snatches of rest. Billy had been unable to eat anything before they’d turned in, and the warmth of a comforting fire did nothing to improve his condition. Sometime during the wee hours, while Dolly and Wayne had both managed to nod off, Billy lost the battle and expired. It wasn’t until first light that his death was discovered. It was a sad morning indeed, but they managed a shallow grave and rode out with a part of them having been left behind, buried on that hillside alongside the pleasant little stream.
They followed the stream, sorely aware of the trail of death they’d left in their wake ever since this whole chase had begun. The ride was a solemn one, but with only two more impending deaths to deal with, they figured it would all soon be over and done with and they could then get on with their own lives...and hopefully together.
The ride lasted barely a half hour before the sound of barking dogs could be heard above the sounds of the soft plodding of their horse’s hooves in the soft grass along the stream’s edge.
They looked at one another and reined to a halt.
“Looks like we mighta found that camp,” Wayne said, stating the obvious.
“Yeah...peers like,” she replied and swung down.
Looking toward the sounds, Wayne asked, “So, what’dya figger’s the best way to go about this?”
She had been thinking about that one ever since they’d left Billy’s graveside. “Well...the way I see it is that we got maybe two choices: we can either wait until dark and try to sneak into the camp, find the Jacobs brothers, and—”
“What’s the other choice?”
She smiled. “My thoughts exactly,” she said. “It ain’t likely that we’ll be able to find them two in the dark. The other way would be for us to ride into the camp and trade for ’em.”
“But...in case you’ve forgotten, we killed a whole passel of their friends just yesterday.”
“They don’t know that.”
He grinned. “Good point.”
Chapter 34
The next fifteen minutes or so were spent with the two of them huddled together while they went about smoothing out the wrinkles. It was decided that most likely Jake and Walt would be holed up in one of the teepees and therefore not privy to anything that’d be going on in the camp. That in itself would give Dolly and Wayne, especially Dolly, the necessary freedom to deal with the Mescaleros without being recognized by the captives.
They then figured that they would do best to give every bit of trade goods they had brought along with them to the Mescaleros. Heck, they could even give ’em Billy’s mare for good measure. That way they would be shed of all that stuff and wouldn’t be faced with having to lug it all the way back across the desert once the last of the Jacobs clan was no more. They also decided that they could stuff enough supplies into their saddlebags to make the trip back with, and free up the pack mare to give to them, as well. After all, what self-respecting Apache wouldn’t jump at the chance to acquire an extra pony or two?
With that way of thinking all laid out, they climbed up and headed toward the sounds of the Indian camp.
They came upon the village after only a couple more turns in the trail. They were immediately the center of attention, and found themselves hardpressed to not show the fear that had bubbled up inside of them. As they continued toward the center of the camp, they were surrounded as throngs of jabbering Mescaleros closed in around them.
They reined up.
It took less than a handful of seconds before a particularly important looking brave arrived through a pathway created by the parting villagers.
To Dolly and Wayne’s relief, he spoke in English, “You are not so smart to come to this village. We will kill you quickly.”
Ignoring the threat, Wayne asked, “You fellas got a couple of prisoners here?”
“How do you know this?”
Now that was something they hadn’t considered; he had to think fast.
Dolly came to his rescue, “Because we saw them taken,” she lied. Unwilling to give him any chance to doubt what she was saying, she continued quickly, “They are two who deserve to die. We have followed them for many days. We have tried to find them all the way across the hills of sand that lie to the north. We—”
“Why do you say they deserve to die?”
“Because...because they killed my father.”
The brave grew thoughtful as he slowly nodded his head. Finally, he came to some sort of a realization and looked at her. “Why do you think we will give them to you...although they have proved themselves to be cowards and are not worth much?”
“We ain’t expectin’ you to give ’em to us,” Wayne said.
The brave glanced at the pack mare. “You have something to give in trade?”
Wayne jumped on that.
“Yeah...we brung—”
Dolly cut him off, “We have with us many knives to help your warriors fight their enemies. We have also many things for your women to cook the food to fill the bellies of their warriors. And there are many beautiful beads and pieces of red cloth for your women to make themselves even prettier than they already are. We will also give to you the pony that carries these things.”
The brave’s face brightened. “And what of that pony?” He indicated Billy’s mare.
“You may have that one as well. All of these things are a more than fair price to pay for the two captives who you have already said are worthless cowards.” Dolly continued, “All we ask in return is that we be allowed to have the two white prisoners to do with as we wish.”
“Come, we will speak of this to Chief Lame Deer.”
Dolly and Wayne exchanged glances; things were looking up.
They dismounted.
They were led through the mass of humanity to a teepee that was decorated with drawings of buffalo, sunbursts, zigzags and circular spots. No sooner had they stopped in front of it then a regal-looking old man emerged. The area around them quickly grew quiet.
The brave who had brought them there addressed Chief Lame Deer, “These White Eye have asked to be allowed to trade for the captives.”
“Have they brought much to give in trade?” Lame Deer asked.
“Chief Lame Deer wishes to know if you have brought many things with which to trade for the captives. You will be the ones to show him.”
“Please tell him that if he will have our horses brought to this place he will see for himself.”
The brave and the chief exchanged words. The chief then motioned to someone behind Dolly and Wayne.
“The chief has sent someone to bring the ponies. We will wait for them.” He then held a palm out toward the blankets that had been spread near the entrance to the chief’s teepee. “You will sit.”
The four of them lowered themselves cross-legged onto the blankets. Dolly and Wayne waited patiently while the warrior and Chief Lame Deer conversed in low tones. Finally, the horses arrived.
The warrior addressed Wayne, “You will go to the ponies and get the things with which you wish to make this trade.”
Wayne rose, went to the pack mare, and untied the rope. He then placed everything that remained of what they had brought with them onto the blankets in front of the two Mescaleros.
Wild Coyote interpreted as Dolly spoke, “This is what we have brought to offer. As you can see, we have brought many things. It is also easy to see that there is much more here than should be given in trade for these two worthless dogs. We will also give in trade, two of our ponies. We wish only the ones we will need for ourselves.”
“Then why do you wish to give this much for them?” the chief asked as he tested the sharpness of one of the knives with a cautious thumb. He put it down and picked up another.
“Because we have traveled far across the hot sands and will return the same way. We have no desire to take so many items back with us. Especially, if by giving them to you, they will make life better for your people.”
The Mescalero chief grunted and turned to Wild Coyote. They exchanged words in low tones.
“The chief says that the captives are indeed cowards and he does not wish to keep them any longer. He says that they are very ugly and eat too much of the Mescalero food. He says that he will take these things that you have brought,” he gestured an all-encompassing hand over the goods, “and you may have the two worthless dogs, as well as the two ponies that will carry you back across the hot, white sands to the north.”
Dolly smiled her thanks. “That is a wise decision,” she said. “The two who are captives are cowards just as you have said. I will give them the chance to fight...then I will kill them.”
The brave turned to Chief Lame Deer and told him what the White Eye squaw had said. Lame Deer nodded his approval and again motioned to one of his warriors.
“Chief Lame Deer has ordered the captives brought here,” the Mescalero warrior said. “He has also said that you may take them away from our village to kill them, or you may kill them here.”
Dolly didn’t hesitate. “I will kill them here. Then I will leave them to rot in the sun,” she added.
Some of the Mescalero women had moved closer, eying and fingering the sparkling trinkets, sturdy cooking utensils, and rolls of bright red cloth. Dolly seized the opportunity and offered some of the items for them to inspect even closer.
They accepted them eagerly.
After barely another minute or so, the people parted and Dolly looked up into the hated faces of Walt and Jake. From the looks of the bruises on their faces, they hadn’t been being treated none too kindly.
Seeing her, they were both at a loss for words. “I-I...eh...it’s...it’s...ah...it’s you,” Jake stammered.
“Looks like your unlucky day,” Dolly said coldly. “You two didn’t think I’d ever give up on trying to find you, did ya?”
Now it was Walt’s turn. “You here to take us away from these heathens an’ fetch us back to face up ta what we done?” he asked hopefully.
“Not hardly,” she said flatly.
A confused look appeared on his and Jake’s faces. “Well, what then?” Jake asked.
“I’m here to kill the both of you.”
Both brothers looked around furtively; most likely for a way outta there.
Noticing her tied down holster for the first time, Walt saw an opening. “I see yer wearin’ that shootin’-iron tied down like some kinda gunfighter. You fancy yerself a gunfighter, do ya?”
“No,” she replied softly. “Just a woman on a mission.” Dolly turned to the Mescalero brave. “Will you give them back the weapons they had with them when they were taken?” she asked.
Wild Coyote was reluctant. “If I do that, they will use them to—”
“I have traded for these two worthless dogs. It is my wish that they be given a chance to defend themselves.” She looked straight at Walt. “That’s a whole sight better chance than you two and your father gave my pa,” she added coldly. “Or me,” she added morosely.
Walt was grinning from ear to ear. “Now that’s what I call right neighborly of you,” he said. He then flicked a hand toward Wayne. “What about him...he gonna have a part in this?”
“Count on it,” Wayne said and placed a hand on the butt of his six-gun.
Dolly was suddenly adamant, “No you won’t!”
“But—”
“But nothing! This is something I’ve been losing sleep over for a good while now. I decided long ago that either I kill these two lowlifes or they’ll kill me. That’s the way it needs to be, and that’s the way it’s gonna be.”
Wayne had never seen her like this before. He
rightly figured that she was unshakable in her way of thinking. He was reluctant, but gave in. “Alright, but—”
“Thanks.” She then turned to the Mescalero brave. “So, what about those weapons?”
Wild Coyote nodded, no doubt admiring the courage that lived inside the heart of this young White Eye squaw. He turned to the warrior beside him. “Eyes Of The Owl, you will bring the White Eye squaw the firesticks that have been taken from the two captives.
Eyes Of The Owl nodded once and disappeared into the surrounding throng.
He returned shortly, carrying two gunbelts.
Dolly accepted them from him. She then set about dumping the contents of the cylinder of one of the pistols into the dirt at her feet. She then pulled a cartridge from the belt, and after thumbing it into the cylinder, snapped it shut before dropping the pistol into its holster.
“What’re you doin’?” Walt wanted to know.
“Just keeping this fair,” she said, and did the same to the other pistol. After she had loaded one cartridge into each of the guns, she pulled the Peacemaker and dumped its contents as well. She then loaded two shells into it, turned the cylinder to the exact right position and returned it to the holster.
“What was that all about?” Walt asked again.
Dolly looked first into Jake’s confused expression, then into Walt’s more confident gaze. She knew right then that she would be well advised to take Walt out first. “Each of you gets one chance at me. That makes a total of two chances for either one or both of you to come out of this alive. I’ve got two shells in this.” She patted the Peacemaker. “That gives me only half the chance of killing the both of you. By my way of figuring, that’ll keep my conscious clear when this is over and done with...one way or the other.”
Wayne wasn’t liking this one little bit. “Dolly...that’s insane.”
Ignoring him, she extended the two gunbelts out toward the Jacobs brothers. “Strap ’em on,” she ordered with icy resolve.
Walt appeared way more eager than did Jake, as he grabbed his gunbelt. “Peers to me yer bitin’ off way more’n yer good sense has a right to ask,” he said and threaded the end of the belt through the buckle. Turning to his brother, he said under his breath, “When it comes time we’ll split apart an’ take her from two different sides.
She Wore It Tied-Down Page 20
