said.
“He said he had ten. ”
Jack glanced at Ben and then came back to me. “Justa, I thank you ought to know this here Elizandro ain’t prezactly what you might call in the cattle business. At least not his cattle. Near as I could figure out, the bunch had a run-in with the rurales and three of ’em didn’t make it back.”
“You saying Elizandro is a cattle thief?”
Ben said, “It ain’t that so much, Justa. I mean he ain’t no out-and-out cattle thief. Jack says he’s what they call a politico down here. Seems he’s mixing in politics at a pretty high level. Like taking on the governor of the state of Coahuila. At least that’s what Jack thinks they were talking about.”
I said, “Hell, I don’t care if he’s running for president. Or whatever. You say his men are coming?”
Jack took another drink. “Yeah,” he said. “Fact of the business is they’d just about figured out where he was ’fore we showed up an’ was comin’ in to git him anyways. But I hope you taken note of what Ben was saying about him bein’ a politico. I figure you’re plannin’ on takin’ him out along with Norris in return for the use of his men?”
“Of course.”
Jack shifted uneasily. “I just hope you un’erstand that it gits a mite more serious breakin’ a politico out than if it was jest Norris. We liable to draw considerable more attention than you’d bargained for.”
I said, “Hell, a jailbreak is a jailbreak. It’s gonna make them hot as hell anyway. Besides, once the deed is done Elizandro is going one way and we’re going the other.”
Jack poured himself out another drink with a hand that was none too steady. He said, shaking his head, “Wahl, for all our sakes I hope you do be right.”
I said to Ben, “His men—are they pistoleros?”
“They sure as hell ain’t ranch hands. I’d say they’re about half bodyguards, half troublemakers and half thieves. Of one kind or another.”
“Are they any good?”
“Three are pretty good. The rest just so-so.”
“What do mean, ’pretty good’? As good as Hays?”
He gave me a look like I ought to go back to school. He said, “Hell, no! Hell, Hays is somewhere near as good as I am. Well, not really, but kind of. They better than Norris, let me put it that way.”
“The rest?”
“They’re about as good as Norris. Only difference is they’ll shoot without talking matters over first.”
I looked at Jack. “When are they due?”
“Sometime ’fore noon. They is a place jest outsida town. Kind of a cross between a boardin’house an’ a whorehouse an’ a saloon where most of the Mex cowhands put up. Ben an’ I is supposed to meet ’em out there. I din’ know if you wanted them comin’ into town an’ being seen with all of us.”
I said, “I didn’t, Jack. You done good.”
Ben said, “When do we get to know what you got planned? Some of us are gettin’ a little curious.”
I said, “I ain’t altogether certain myself. I just know we are going to get Norris out of that jail. I’d druther wait until Lew gets here before going in to what little I got planned.”
“You figure he’ll get in tonight?”
I took out the pocket watch ol’ Howard had given me for my eighteenth birthday. It was going on for eight o’clock. I said, “We’ll know soon. Last train is due in here just about now. At least the last one due in from up our way.”
Then it wasn’t long before they showed up. Lew came in ahead of Hays carrying a small valise. It reminded me I’d forgot to tell him to bring his horse. It was a matter of no import, seeing we were going to have to buy a couple anyway.
It was good to see him. I had Ben and I had Hays, but it was damn reassuring to see another gun I knew I could depend on.
We shook and howdied and then he turned a chair around, straddled it and pulled up to the table. I poured him out a drink. He downed half of it and then said, “Well, I figured you couldn’t get along without my help. I
“He said he had ten. ”
Jack glanced at Ben and then came back to me. “Justa, I thank you ought to know this here Elizandro ain’t prezactly what you might call in the cattle business. At least not his cattle. Near as I could figure out, the bunch had a run-in with the rurales and three of ’em didn’t make it back.”
“You saying Elizandro is a cattle thief?”
Ben said, “It ain’t that so much, Justa. I mean he ain’t no out-and-out cattle thief. Jack says he’s what they call a politico down here. Seems he’s mixing in politics at a pretty high level. Like taking on the governor of the state of Coahuila. At least that’s what Jack thinks they were talking about.”
I said, “Hell, I don’t care if he’s running for president. Or whatever. You say his men are coming?”
Jack took another drink. “Yeah,” he said. “Fact of the business is they’d just about figured out where he was ’fore we showed up an’ was comin’ in to git him anyways. But I hope you taken note of what Ben was saying about him bein’ a politico. I figure you’re plannin’ on takin’ him out along with Norris in return for the use of his men?”
“Of course.”
Jack shifted uneasily. “I just hope you un’erstand that it gits a mite more serious breakin’ a politico out than if it was jest Norris. We liable to draw considerable more attention than you’d bargained for.”
I said, “Hell, a jailbreak is a jailbreak. It’s gonna make them hot as hell anyway. Besides, once the deed is done Elizandro is going one way and we’re going the other.”
Jack poured himself out another drink with a hand that was none too steady. He said, shaking his head, “Wahl, for all our sakes I hope you do be right.”
I said to Ben, “His men—are they pistoleros?”
“They sure as hell ain’t ranch hands. I’d say they’re about half bodyguards, half troublemakers and half thieves. Of one kind or another.”
“Are they any good?”
“Three are pretty good. The rest just so-so.”
“What do mean, ’pretty good’? As good as Hays?”
He gave me a look like I ought to go back to school. He said, “Hell, no! Hell, Hays is somewhere near as good as I am. Well, not really, but kind of. They better than Norris, let me put it that way.”
“The rest?”
“They’re about as good as Norris. Only difference is they’ll shoot without talking matters over first.”
I looked at Jack. “When are they due?”
“Sometime ’fore noon. They is a place jest outsida town. Kind of a cross between a boardin’house an’ a whorehouse an’ a saloon where most of the Mex cowhands put up. Ben an’ I is supposed to meet ’em out there. I din’ know if you wanted them comin’ into town an’ being seen with all of us.”
I said, “I didn’t, Jack. You done good.”
Ben said, “When do we get to know what you got planned? Some of us are gettin’ a little curious.”
I said, “I ain’t altogether certain myself. I just know we are going to get Norris out of that jail. I’d druther wait until Lew gets here before going in to what little I got planned.”
“You figure he’ll get in tonight?”
I took out the pocket watch ol’ Howard had given me for my eighteenth birthday. It was going on for eight o’clock. I said, “We’ll know soon. Last train is due in here just about now. At least the last one due in from up our way.”
Then it wasn’t long before they showed up. Lew came in ahead of Hays carrying a small valise. It reminded me I’d forgot to tell him to bring his horse. It was a matter of no import, seeing we were going to have to buy a couple anyway.
It was good to see him. I had Ben and I had Hays, but it was damn reassuring to see another gun I knew I could depend on.
We shook and howdied and then he turned a chair around, straddled it and pulled up to the table. I poured him out a drink. He downed half of it and then said, “Well, I figured you couldn’t get along without my help. I
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