right thing, but Tensleep had been without food at least a day or two, so he tried him with a little of the broth. The wounded man swallowed it, and then accepted more.
At midnight Val prepared his own bed and went to sleep.
Chapter Nine.
He awoke suddenly, starting from a sound sleep into sharp attention. He stared up at the cabin roof for a moment. Where was he? The cabin in the mountains ... Tensleep ...
He swung his feet to the floor. Tensleep was awake, and was watching him. "I ain't sure who you are,amigo, but it looks to me like you come along at the right time. I'm hit hard, ain't I?"
"Yes."
"You think I'll make it?"
"I'm not a doctor, but Will used to say that he'd seen men with guts pull through injuries where by all accounts they should have died. He used to say two-thirds of it was in the mind."
"Will? Ah, now I got you! You're that kid of Will's ... from ten years back. Sure, an' I'd heard you were still with him. What d' you know about that?"
"Will's dead. They got him."
Tensleep lay quiet, staring at the ceiling. "I'd have staked my life they couldn't do it, not even the three of them."
"He was coming out of a doorway, and they gave him no warning. They used shotguns."
Val pulled on his clothes and got a fire started. He didn't know what to do except to make some more of the broth. There were herbs that might help, and Will had taught him a little about them, but he remembered no herbs that grew around where they were now. With what he had, he would have to try to build some strength back into the man.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
"It was them, Hank and the others. They wanted me with them, but I wouldn't go against Will. First place, I knew he was faster and a better shot, but mostly it was because I always liked his style. He was my kind of man--the kind I'd like to have been ... I never was anything but a wild kind of hombre with no more sense than the law allows ... "
His voice trailed off, and in another minute Val saw that he was asleep. While the water was getting hot he went outside and led the horses from the corral and picketed them on the grass. Tensleep's horse had evidently been taken away, for there was neither horse nor saddle, and they must have taken his weapons too.
Val gathered fuel, and considered the situation. If he was going to catch Simpson or Sonnenberg he had to be riding, but Tensleep would never make it here alone. There was not one chance in ten for Tensleep to make it anyway, but without Val's help there was not even that chance.
The cabin stood on a gentle slope with a thick grove of aspen behind it, the trees climbing the mountainside in a solid mass. Still higher up were stands of Engelmann spruce and balsam fir. Below and to the east were slopes covered with yellow pine. Here under the aspen columbine was growing, with its lovely lavender, purple, or sometimes almost white flowers, and mingled with them some tiny yellow flowers he did not recognize. Near the cabin a stream came down the slope in a steep fall, supplying water for whoever lived in the cabin and for their horses.
As night came on, Tensleep grew feverish, and sometimes he was wandering in his mind. "Save me, kid," he cried out, "for God's sake save me long enough to find Hank!
"Watch out for him! He's mean, poison mean! He'll hate you, kid, like he hated Will! He was afraid of Will--I told him he was afraid. That's why they used shotguns out of the dark. That's why he hated Will, because he was scared of him."
After that a pause, and then he spoke more calmly. "He shot me under the table, kid, sneaked a gun out and shot me. Never gave me a chance. He gut-shot me an' left me to die--told me he was takin' my horse and outfit."
"You get well," Val said, "and I'll give you Will's horse and outfit. I brought it along."
Tensleep slept then for almost an hour, and woke up begging a drink.
"Val," he said hoarsely, "I seen men gut-shot afore this. Mostly they die in less than a half-hour, at
At midnight Val prepared his own bed and went to sleep.
Chapter Nine.
He awoke suddenly, starting from a sound sleep into sharp attention. He stared up at the cabin roof for a moment. Where was he? The cabin in the mountains ... Tensleep ...
He swung his feet to the floor. Tensleep was awake, and was watching him. "I ain't sure who you are,amigo, but it looks to me like you come along at the right time. I'm hit hard, ain't I?"
"Yes."
"You think I'll make it?"
"I'm not a doctor, but Will used to say that he'd seen men with guts pull through injuries where by all accounts they should have died. He used to say two-thirds of it was in the mind."
"Will? Ah, now I got you! You're that kid of Will's ... from ten years back. Sure, an' I'd heard you were still with him. What d' you know about that?"
"Will's dead. They got him."
Tensleep lay quiet, staring at the ceiling. "I'd have staked my life they couldn't do it, not even the three of them."
"He was coming out of a doorway, and they gave him no warning. They used shotguns."
Val pulled on his clothes and got a fire started. He didn't know what to do except to make some more of the broth. There were herbs that might help, and Will had taught him a little about them, but he remembered no herbs that grew around where they were now. With what he had, he would have to try to build some strength back into the man.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
"It was them, Hank and the others. They wanted me with them, but I wouldn't go against Will. First place, I knew he was faster and a better shot, but mostly it was because I always liked his style. He was my kind of man--the kind I'd like to have been ... I never was anything but a wild kind of hombre with no more sense than the law allows ... "
His voice trailed off, and in another minute Val saw that he was asleep. While the water was getting hot he went outside and led the horses from the corral and picketed them on the grass. Tensleep's horse had evidently been taken away, for there was neither horse nor saddle, and they must have taken his weapons too.
Val gathered fuel, and considered the situation. If he was going to catch Simpson or Sonnenberg he had to be riding, but Tensleep would never make it here alone. There was not one chance in ten for Tensleep to make it anyway, but without Val's help there was not even that chance.
The cabin stood on a gentle slope with a thick grove of aspen behind it, the trees climbing the mountainside in a solid mass. Still higher up were stands of Engelmann spruce and balsam fir. Below and to the east were slopes covered with yellow pine. Here under the aspen columbine was growing, with its lovely lavender, purple, or sometimes almost white flowers, and mingled with them some tiny yellow flowers he did not recognize. Near the cabin a stream came down the slope in a steep fall, supplying water for whoever lived in the cabin and for their horses.
As night came on, Tensleep grew feverish, and sometimes he was wandering in his mind. "Save me, kid," he cried out, "for God's sake save me long enough to find Hank!
"Watch out for him! He's mean, poison mean! He'll hate you, kid, like he hated Will! He was afraid of Will--I told him he was afraid. That's why they used shotguns out of the dark. That's why he hated Will, because he was scared of him."
After that a pause, and then he spoke more calmly. "He shot me under the table, kid, sneaked a gun out and shot me. Never gave me a chance. He gut-shot me an' left me to die--told me he was takin' my horse and outfit."
"You get well," Val said, "and I'll give you Will's horse and outfit. I brought it along."
Tensleep slept then for almost an hour, and woke up begging a drink.
"Val," he said hoarsely, "I seen men gut-shot afore this. Mostly they die in less than a half-hour, at
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