gone, and Johnny Gill was streaking after him. As Gill swept by, he lifted a hand and waved.
There they went. Below were twenty men, all armed.
Would they come through alive? She turned the bay and, letting the pony take his own time, started him back over the mountain trail.
Rafe Caradec gave no thought to Ann's reason for warning him. There was no time for that. Tex Brisco and Bo Marsh were at the cabin. They were probably working outside, and their rifles would probably be in the cabin and beyond them. If they were cut off from their guns, the Shute riders would mow them down and kill them one by one at long range with rifle fire.
Rafe heard Gill coming up, and slacked off a little to let the little cowhand draw alongside. "Shute!" he said. "And about twenty men. I guess this is the payoff!"
"Yeah!" Gill yelled.
Rifle fire came to them suddenly. A burst of shots, then a shot that might have been from a pistol. Their horses rounded the entrance and raced down the main canyon toward the cabin on the Crazy Woman, running neck and neck. A column of smoke greeted them, and they could see riders circling and firing.
"The trees on the slope!" Rafe yelled and raced for them.
He reached the trees with the black at a dead run and hit the ground before the animal had ceased to move. He raced to the rocks at the edge of the trees. His rifle lifted, settled, his breath steadied, and the rifle spoke.
A man shouted and waved an arm, and at the same moment, Gill fired. A horse went down. Two men, or possibly three, lay sprawled in the clearing before the cabin.
Were Tex and Bo already down? Rafe steadied himself and squeezed off another shot. A saddle emptied He saw the fallen man lunge to his feet, then spill over on his face. Coolly then, taking their time, he and Gill began to fire. Another man went down, and rifle began to smoke in their direction. A bullet clipped the leaves overhead but too high.
Rafe knocked the. hat from a man's head. As the fellow sprinted for shelter, he dropped him. Suddenly the attack broke. He saw the horses sweeping away from them in a ragged line. Mounting, Rafe and Gill rode cautiously toward the cabin.
There was no cabin. There was only a roaring inferno of flames. There were five sprawled bodies, and Rafe ran toward them. A Shute rider--another. Then he saw Bo.
The boy was lying on his face with a dark, spreading stain on the back of his shirt. There was no sign of Tex.
Rafe dropped to his knees and put a hand over the young cowhand's heart. It was still beating!
Gently, with Johnny lending a hand, he turned the boy over. Then, working with the crude but efficient skill picked up in war and struggle in a half-dozen countries, he examined the wounds.
"Four times!" he said grimly. Suddenly, he felt something mount and swell within him, a tide of fierce, uncontrollable anger!
Around one bullet hole in the stomach the cloth of the cowhand's shirt was smoldering!
"I seen that!" It was Tex Brisco, his face haggard and smoke grimed. "I seen it! I know who done it! He walked up while the kid was layin' there and stuck a gun against his stomach and shot! He didn't want the kid to go quick; he wanted him to die slow and hard!"
"Who done it?" Gill demanded fiercely. "I'll git him now! Right now!"
Brisco's eyes were red and inflamed. "Nobody gets him but me. This kid was your pard, but I seen it!" He turned abruptly on Rafe. "Boss, let me go to town. I want to kill me a man!"
"It won't do, Tex," Caradec said quietly. "I know how you feel, but the town will be full of 'em. They'll be celebratin'. They burned our cabin, ran off some cattle, and they got Bo. It wouldn't do!"
"Yeah," Tex spat. "I know. But they won't be expectin' any trouble now. If you don't let me go, I'll quit!"
Rafe looked up from the wounded man. "All right, Tex, I told you I know how you feel. But if somethin' should happen--who did it?"
"Tom Blazer! That big redhead. He always hated the kid. Shute shot the kid down and left
There they went. Below were twenty men, all armed.
Would they come through alive? She turned the bay and, letting the pony take his own time, started him back over the mountain trail.
Rafe Caradec gave no thought to Ann's reason for warning him. There was no time for that. Tex Brisco and Bo Marsh were at the cabin. They were probably working outside, and their rifles would probably be in the cabin and beyond them. If they were cut off from their guns, the Shute riders would mow them down and kill them one by one at long range with rifle fire.
Rafe heard Gill coming up, and slacked off a little to let the little cowhand draw alongside. "Shute!" he said. "And about twenty men. I guess this is the payoff!"
"Yeah!" Gill yelled.
Rifle fire came to them suddenly. A burst of shots, then a shot that might have been from a pistol. Their horses rounded the entrance and raced down the main canyon toward the cabin on the Crazy Woman, running neck and neck. A column of smoke greeted them, and they could see riders circling and firing.
"The trees on the slope!" Rafe yelled and raced for them.
He reached the trees with the black at a dead run and hit the ground before the animal had ceased to move. He raced to the rocks at the edge of the trees. His rifle lifted, settled, his breath steadied, and the rifle spoke.
A man shouted and waved an arm, and at the same moment, Gill fired. A horse went down. Two men, or possibly three, lay sprawled in the clearing before the cabin.
Were Tex and Bo already down? Rafe steadied himself and squeezed off another shot. A saddle emptied He saw the fallen man lunge to his feet, then spill over on his face. Coolly then, taking their time, he and Gill began to fire. Another man went down, and rifle began to smoke in their direction. A bullet clipped the leaves overhead but too high.
Rafe knocked the. hat from a man's head. As the fellow sprinted for shelter, he dropped him. Suddenly the attack broke. He saw the horses sweeping away from them in a ragged line. Mounting, Rafe and Gill rode cautiously toward the cabin.
There was no cabin. There was only a roaring inferno of flames. There were five sprawled bodies, and Rafe ran toward them. A Shute rider--another. Then he saw Bo.
The boy was lying on his face with a dark, spreading stain on the back of his shirt. There was no sign of Tex.
Rafe dropped to his knees and put a hand over the young cowhand's heart. It was still beating!
Gently, with Johnny lending a hand, he turned the boy over. Then, working with the crude but efficient skill picked up in war and struggle in a half-dozen countries, he examined the wounds.
"Four times!" he said grimly. Suddenly, he felt something mount and swell within him, a tide of fierce, uncontrollable anger!
Around one bullet hole in the stomach the cloth of the cowhand's shirt was smoldering!
"I seen that!" It was Tex Brisco, his face haggard and smoke grimed. "I seen it! I know who done it! He walked up while the kid was layin' there and stuck a gun against his stomach and shot! He didn't want the kid to go quick; he wanted him to die slow and hard!"
"Who done it?" Gill demanded fiercely. "I'll git him now! Right now!"
Brisco's eyes were red and inflamed. "Nobody gets him but me. This kid was your pard, but I seen it!" He turned abruptly on Rafe. "Boss, let me go to town. I want to kill me a man!"
"It won't do, Tex," Caradec said quietly. "I know how you feel, but the town will be full of 'em. They'll be celebratin'. They burned our cabin, ran off some cattle, and they got Bo. It wouldn't do!"
"Yeah," Tex spat. "I know. But they won't be expectin' any trouble now. If you don't let me go, I'll quit!"
Rafe looked up from the wounded man. "All right, Tex, I told you I know how you feel. But if somethin' should happen--who did it?"
"Tom Blazer! That big redhead. He always hated the kid. Shute shot the kid down and left
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