The Devil's Trail

by Robert J Conley

  “No one hardly comes close to you, and that’s the truth. ’Course, ole Farty, he woulda if he’d a still been around. You’d a liked Farty, Ole Horse. The three of us woulda got on great. I sure do wish you coulda knowed him.”

  Now if anyone had a been around to hear me what I was a-saying and to see how it was I was a-talking to a horse like that, well, I’m sure they’d a believed with all their minds that I was plumb crazy and had ought be put away somewheres where I couldn’t hurt myself nor no one else neither. But, hell, when a feller’s off by his lonesome like that, why, if he didn’t have no horse to talk to, he’d talk to his own self or even to rocks and trees and such. It’s just a way a dealing with the lonesomeness a the situation. Just then Ole Horse give out with a little nicker, and then I thunk, now damn it, it’s more’n that. Ole Horse is a-talking to me, and I just ain’t smart enough to understand his lingo. I reckon he understood mine pretty good, though. You reckon horses is smarter than men? I wonder about them kinda deep thoughts now and then.

  Well, I tell you what, that there country was some a the most desolatest land I had ever saw. I rid the rest a that day like that a-talking now and then with Ole Horse, and a-paying keen attention to my surroundings, and I never seed nor heared nothing. Not a damn thing. Whenever the sun got low in the sky, I hunted us up a good camping spot, and I unsaddled Ole Horse.

  “Thanks, Ole Horse,” I said. “We had us a good day a traveling.”

  Ole Horse blowed at me, and I be damned for a rooster if I didn’t understand him to say, “That’s all right, Kid.”

  Ole Horse went to grazing, and I went to gethering up sticks to build me a fire with, and by and by, we was real well settled in for the night. But I still had that uneasy feeling about me, and I thunk that I could tell that Ole Horse, he did, too. He seemed to me like as if he was extry special alert, you know. I cooked and et and drunk some coffee and smoked, and Ole Horse, he grazed and drunk his fill a water, and final I went on to sleep.

  I slept good that night. Too good, I thunk whenever I come awake the next morning. It come into my head that someone coulda walked right up to me a-sleeping like that and cut my throat to wake me up. Then I had one a the most enlightening experiences a my whole entire life. You ain’t a going to believe it when I tell you, neither. I ain’t never told it before on accounta I didn’t want no one a-making fun a me nor making light a the onliest real religious experience a my life. What I discovered was that not only could Ole Horse understand my talking out loud, he could read my thoughts. I know that on accounta I was thinking along them lines what I done told you, that I slept too sound, you know. Then Ole Horse nickered at me, and I understood him.

  “It’s all right, Kid,” he said. “I was watching over you.”

  Well, tears actual come into my eyes. I walked right over to Ole Horse and I hugged his neck, and I give him a kiss on the end a his nose. “Thanks, Ole Horse,” I said. “Thanks, best buddy.”

  I fixed me up some breakfast and coffee, and in a little while I cleaned up my camp site and saddled Ole Horse. We was off again, and the sun just barely a-peeking out over the eastern horizon. I figgered we’d oughta cut the trail a them three I was a-tracking along about noon, and I asked Ole Horse for his opinion on that matter, and he agreed with me. We rid on for a spell, then, without talking. Then I said, “Ole Horse, am I just being jumpy, or is there for real someone out there somewheres?” He told me that he had the self-same feeling as what I had. We stayed alert. With the sun high overhead, I went to looking for us another camping site.

  Whenever I final stopped at a likely place, the sun were almost direct overhead. I done like before. I unsaddled Ole Horse and built up a small fire. Then I went to cooking me up some food. I was busy paying attention to my cooking, on accounta I was some hungry, and Ole Horse give out a loud whinny. I looked up at him right quick.

  “What is it?” I asked him. He blowed, and I could see where he was a-looking. I turned my head to look thataway too, and then I seed what it was a-bothering him. It were a fair distance off to our northeast, but it looked to be right smack on our back trail, and it were a thin wisp a smoke a rising up and then fading away in the sky. A camp fire. Like mine, prob’ly, a cooking fire for a noon meal.

  “Yeah. I see it now, Ole Horse,” I said. “Someone’s on our trail, all right. They’re far enough back that we ain’t got to worry about them none for a little while, but sooner or later we’re gonna have to do something about them.”

  Ole Horse nickered at me.

  “Me too,” I said. “I wonder just who the bastards might could be. Well, hell, we’ll find out. Maybe a little later on this afternoon.”

  I finished up the cooking a my meal, and then I et it and drunk me some coffee. I asked Ole Horse if he had et and drunk his fill and were well rested, and he said that he was ready to go, all right, so I throwed the saddle back on him and, after cleaning up my mess, clumb up on his back. “Let’s go then,” I said. I was real happy to notice that my ribs weren’t killing me no more whenever I tossed the saddle up onto Ole Horse.

  It was just a little ways on whenever we come onto the north and south running road, and they was tracks a-plenty on that son of a bitch. I told Ole Horse, “I reckon they likely tuck this road.” He blowed at me, and we turned south. By and by, we come acrost a wagon a-headed north. The wagon driver stopped, and so did I. He was a freighter a-hauling some kinda goods up north to the gold fields. We made a little small talk, and then I said, “Say, I’m a-hunting three friends a mine what tuck this road south ahead a me. You mighta passed them by. Ole Dick Cherry is one. Dick usual dresses up in black and tries to look like a bad gunfighter, but he’s just a phony is all. He’s really a nice kinda feller. The two he was with, last I knowed, is a coupla brothers name a Dutton. I don’t know how come ole Cherry to pardner up with them. They ain’t too bright, but anyhow, did you maybe run acrost anyone what looked like them three?”

  “Night before last,” he said, surprising the hell outa me. “A little town called End of the Line straight south of here. Right on this road. You can’t miss it. I overnighted in a hotel there and picked up some more freight the next morning. Saw them at breakfast. Anyhow, I saw three men that looked like what you said.”

  I thanked that feller right kindly, and we went on our both ways. A few more miles on down the road, I seed where a outcropping a boulders and such riz up on the right side a the road. Ole Horse nickered, and I said, “You thinking what I’m a thinking?” and he damned sure was, too. We rid on down there, and then we hunted us a way around behind that outcropping. They was good grass there. I pulled the saddle offa Ole Horse’s back.

  “This could take a while,” I said. “I’m fixing to lay up in them rocks and just wait it out. So you just relax down here and nibble away on this good grass. Don’t worry none. When I’m done up there, I’ll be right on back.”

  He blowed a answer, and I went to crawling up the backside a them boulders like a skinny scorpion. I dumb around for a while till I found my way might near the top. Then I kindly worked around to the front side. I checked out two or three different locations in there till I found me a spot what was comfortable enough and at the same time give me a good view a the road down below and a good hiding place. I settled down to wait. I couldn’t yet see no one coming from up the road, so I rolled me a smoke and lit it. I set there a-smoking and thinking on the wonderful ways a the world around me.

  I was a thinking how I had sure enough had me a good many conversations in my time with folks like Rod and Tex and the other hands at the Boxwood Ranch, and with ole Zeb, and ole Jim Chastain, and Churkee and ole Red, but just at that very minute, I couldn’t think a no one I’d had any more profounder discussions with than what I’d had with Ole Horse. And the thought what come right after that was that I sure must have a thick skull for it to have tuck me so long to figger out that I could talk with Ole Horse.

  Then I got to thinking about ole Farty again, and I was a-thinking that
if only ole Farty coulda lived to be around, why, me and him and Ole Horse coulda had some real good serious talks, the three of us: a man and a dog and a horse. There weren’t no better pards on earth than that. I almost got me a tear in my left eye recalling ole Farty and a-thinking about that there now impossible scene.

  It weren’t too long after that I seed three riders a-coming down the road from the north. I slipped out my Colt and cocked her and got ready for action. They could be the ones what me and Ole Horse had detected on our trail. I waited till they was kindly close, and then I called out, “Hold up there.”

  They stopped all right, and they looked around like as if they was a-trying to figger what was best to do. Two of them had their right hands out like as if they might draw, but they never. They give looks to each other, but they never said nothing, neither. I reckon they all of them decided that the best thing to do was to just set still and wait.

  “Take out your shooters with only two fingers and drop them,” I said.

  They was kindly slow in the doing of it, but they done it.

  “Now,” I said, “you can tell me how come you to be on my trail.”

  The two on the outside looked in at the one in the middle like as if they had chose him to do the talking, so he went on ahead and spoke up.

  “What makes you think we’re on your trail?” he said. “We’re just riding south on this road is all. Headed for the little town of End of the Line.”

  “You got business there?” I asked him. “What kind a business you in?”

  “Why, no. That is, we’re what you might call between jobs. We got a little cash among us. Heard that End of the Line’s a nice little town. We just thought to hang out there for a while. That’s all.”

  I stood up to show myself.

  “Do you know me?”

  “Why, no. How could I? We?”

  “You’re a lying son of a bitch,” I said. “I’m Kid Parmlee, and you three been a dogging my trail ever since I left outa Devil’s Knob or whatever the hell’s the name a that town. I wanta know how come.”

  “We don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Listen here,” I said. “I’ve kilt me some men, and I’ve shot off some ears just for fun. I’m a-fixing to do one or t’other to you if you don’t start in to giving out with some straight answers. I ain’t decided yet which I’ll do.”

  “Look, mister, we just come down from straight north of here. We’re looking to have us some fun down in End of the Line. That’s all. You’ve got us mistaken for someone else.”

  “I’m fixing to start shooting,” I said, “and I ain’t going to give no warning neither. What I’m a-fixing to do is this. I’m a-fixing to kill one of you, and I’m gonna shoot the ears offa the other two. I ain’t saying which one is gonna get kilt.”

  “Ace,” said the feller on the right, the one clostest to me, “we better tell him.”

  “Shut up,” said that there Ace.

  “Get yourself killed if you want,” the man said, “but I ain’t getting killed or shot up for Wheeler.”

  “I knowed you come outa Devil’s Hole after me,” I said. “Tell me the rest. How come you to be follering me?”

  “Wheeler sent us,” Ace said. “He thought you might need some help when you catch up with those other three.”

  “What three?” I said.

  “You know.”

  “You tell me.”

  “All right. Dick Cherry and the Dutton boys. You and them stole a payroll, and then they took off with it. You’re on their trail. Wheeler didn’t like the odds, so he sent us to keep an eye on things and help out if need be.”

  “Truth a the matter is,” I said, “Wheeler don’t trust me. He sent you three along in case I was to get that there payroll back and then hightail it. Ain’t that right?”

  “He did mention that as a thing to watch out for.”

  “Now listen good to me,” I said. “You’re a-going straight back to Wheeler. You tell him that I don’t need no help, and I don’t need no watching. I mean to get them three bastards, and when I do, I mean to take that there payroll back to Devil’s Ass. Tell him I said that, and tell him I said to not send no one else after me. Anyone else comes after me, I’ll kill them without asking no questions. You got all that?”

  “I got it,” Ace said, “but we ain’t turning back. We got our orders from Wheeler. Now that you know who we are, why don’t we all just ride along together?”

  “Two reasons,” I said. “Number one, I don’t need no help, and you’d just get in my way. And the other’n is that I don’t like you. Now turn around and head back.”

  “I told you we can’t do that.”

  I fired a quick shot without no warning, and my hot lead tore a hole through ole Ace’s left ear. He yelled out something awful and slapped a hand to the side a his head. The other two stuck their hands up in the air right fast. Blood run thick betwixt Ace’s fingers. He moaned.

  “You son of a bitch,” he said.

  “I see you met up with my ole maw,” I said. “Now, you two get down and pick up your-all shooters and holster them.” I waited while they done that, and they done it real keerful too, so as to make sure that I knowed they wasn’t fixing to try to shoot me. When they had did it, I said, “Now mount back up,” and they did. “Turn around and ride.”

  I didn’t get no more argument outa Ace. Them three Wheeler pups rid back towards the Devil’s House at a right smart clip. I watched till they was near outa sight. Then I put my shooter away and worked my way back acrost that outcropping and down the backside to where I had left Ole Horse. When I come in sight, he looked up and give me a knowing look and a whinny.

  “Yeah, pard,” I said. “We was right about them bastards, but it’s okay now. They’re a-hightailing it back home to their boss. One of them’s got a clipped ear.”

  Ole Horse give a nicker then that I could tell was really a horse laugh. Someone else might not a been able to tell, but I could. He was a-laughing about that Ace’s ear. Well, I laughed with him, and then I went and saddled him back up and mounted, and we went back on around to the road and turned south.

  “We’re a headed for a place called End a the Line,” I said, “and you know what I bet? I bet it’s just like any other town out here in these parts. It’s got a hotel. I know that on accounta that freighter back yonder said so. It’s got a saloon and a eating place and likely a stable. I bet there’s whores there. It might have a doc for patching up bullet holes, but I bet you it ain’t got a doc to match what ole Wheeler’s got back there in the Devil’s Pit. No sir. There ain’t a doc like Doc nowhere else in the whole world. Not clean down to China there ain’t.”

  I got to thinking then about ole Doc again, and how she was the only woman what weren’t no whore what I had, you know, got close to. I went to wondering again just what I was going to do about her whenever I had tuck keer a all this business I was involved in. That made me think again about what all it was I did have to take keer of. I had tuck out original to get the Dawsons and take back the Fosterville bank money. Well, I had got the Dawsons all right, but I weren’t even close to getting the money back.

  Then, in trying to get closer to the bank money, I had agreed to help rob that payroll offa the stage. I had thunk, maybe foolishly, that if I was to take stole money to Wheeler, he might just slip up and show me where he kept such truck. Well, the payroll had been stole from me before I could get it back to him. So now I had me three more men to kill and more money to get back.

  Now, I thunk, whenever I ketch up to Cherry and them Duttons and kill their ass and get that payroll back, I got to take it back to Wheeler at Devil’s Toenail, and just right then is when I’m a-gonna come up to the toughest part a the whole deal. Right smack in the middle of a whole den a outlaws without no law and all by my lonesome, I’m gonna have to steal all that stole money and get the hell outa there alive in order to return all the money to where it belongs. And in the doing of it, I gotta get ole Doc outa there
, too, so I can get her someplace to a decent town where she can do her doctoring work.

  I tell you what, I had got myself into a right smart pickle. I sure had. Ole Horse, he musta been reading my mind again, on accounta just then he blowed, and what it said was, “You sure have, ole pard. You sure have.”

  Chapter 14

  We was riding on along towards End a the Line when Ole Horse, he give a kind of a snort, and the meaning a that there rude sound he made was clear to me.

  “Damn it, Ole Horse,” I said, “you’re right about that.” And he was, too. You see, my problem was that I weren’t thinking far enough ahead. What I shoulda did was I shoulda kilt them three back there in the road. I shoulda kilt them even though they chickened out and didn’t want to fight with me. I shoulda kilt them on accounta before this mess was all over and did with, I was a-gonna have to deal with Wheeler and his whole damn town full a outlaws, and if I hada gone on ahead and kilt them three, why, there’d a been three less to worry over whenever that time come around. Well, there weren’t no use in worrying about it. I had done let the chance pass me by. But Ole Horse, he knowed. I can tell you, I was some embarrassed about that, and I was glad that I was a-setting on his back so that I didn’t have to look him in the face.

  Well now, I rid that road for two full days, camping along the way at nights, and I did see some travelers along the way. The ones I jawed with, like that there freighter, some a them thunk that they had seed the men I described to them, and others said they never, but other than that there really ain’t nothing much to talk about. It were near the end a my second day a riding, and from what folks had told me on the road I figgered I was might near to End a the Line. Being as how I was in a country what was all new to me, though, I didn’t rightly want to keep riding at night, so I stopped again beside a the road, and I unsaddled Ole Horse and built me a little fire. I hadn’t talked too much with Ole Horse for a spell, and I decided that had to come to a end.