Fight for Powder Valley! by Brett Halliday Page B

ground.
    Pat rasped out of the side of his mouth to Boyd, “You got to stand by me, John. You’ve got to.”
    The loud thunder of hoofs down the road from town interrupted his friend’s reply. Pat rode forward into the closepacked bunch of men, his eyes blazing. “If that’s the sheriff or some of his deputies, let me handle ’em. Don’t do any shooting . You can settle with me afterward.”
    He holstered his gun and pushed his horse on through the ranks of grumbling men who were upset and uncertain in the face of this new development.
    There were only two riders coming from town, driving their mounts to the limit of their speed. Pat rode twenty paces to meet them, then reined up suddenly. Even in the faint moonlight he recognized the huge man with his small companion. He turned his horse across the road and shouted. “Ezra! Sam! Pull up.”
    The riders pulled up in front of him and Ezra’s voice boomed out happily, “By Gawd, if ’tain’t Pat Stevens! We knowed that talk in town was crazy an’ thet you’d be Johnny-on-the-spot fer a job like this.”
    Between his teeth, Pat bit out, “Shut up your big mouth, Ezra. You an’ Sam are just in time to back me up an’ send these fellows high-tailing it.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Sam barked out. “What kinda talk is that, Pat?”
    â€œIt’s the only sensible talk going on around here,” Pat raged. “C’mon and get in front of these rannies. They’ll think twice before trying to jump our three guns.”
    He whirled his horse off the road to get between the raiding party and the land-company fence. From long habit of accepting orders from Pat Stevens, Sam and Ezra rode with him.
    As the trio lined up facing the mob, Pat warned, “There’s three of us now. Three of the fastest guns in Powder Valley. Anybody hankerin’ to do suicide to themselves?”
    â€œIs that right, Sam?” an incredulous rancher cried. “You an’ Ezra throwin’ in with Pat ag’in us?”
    â€œI reckon so,” Sam mumbled defensively. “Reckon he’s right when you think it over. He mos’ gen’ally is.”
    Taking advantage of the indecision of the group, Pat spoke crisply, “You’ll all hang on a murder charge if you don’t cool down an’ call this raiding party off. Don’t you see that’s just what the land company wants? They’re waiting for an excuse to put Powder Valley under martial law. You all know that. We lose the fight right now if we give them that excuse.”
    â€œHe’s right, boys.” John Boyd rode forward and aligned himself with Pat, Sam and Ezra. “We jumped into this without thinkin’. Too much whisky an’ too much loose talk.”
    â€œWhat do you aim tuh do? Leave them damn nesters camped there?”
    â€œFor the time being, yes,” Pat snapped. “They’re innocent victims just like we are. A man named Biloff is to blame … not these poor people from Kansas.”
    â€œBy golly, Pat’s right … Yeh, but that ain’t no answer … what are we gonna do? ”
    Pat stilled the loud tumult by shouting, “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. We’re going after the one man that brought this whole mess on our heads. Jud Biloff. He’s the one we’ve got to deal with.”
    â€œThat’s right. Get Biloff … but how you gonna do it? … He’s in Denver … He daren’t show his face here …”
    â€œWe’ll go to Denver after him,” Pat shouted. “I will. I’ll explain exactly how things are here. I’ll show him he can’t build his dam nohow.”
    â€œThat’s the ticket … now Pat’s talkin’ sense … get him out here … we’ll string Biloff up to a cottonwood tree …”
    â€œThat makes sense,” Pat told them grimly.