wind. She had come to him, riding all that distance to bring him a warning of danger. Why? Was it simply that she feared for him? Was she in love with him? He dismissed that idea instantly, but continued to wonder. She was, despite her beauty, a hard, calculating little girl, hating the country around, and wanting only to be free of it.
Heat waves danced out over the bottom land, and shadows gathered under the red wall. A dust devil lifted and danced weirdly across the desert, then lost itself among the thick antelope brush and the cat claw. Tom Kedrick mopped his brow and swung his horse farther east. The tall spire of Chimney Rock lifted in the distance, its heavier shouldered companion looming beside and beyond it.
"Look!" Burwick's voice held a note of triumph. "There they comet"
To the south, and still three or four miles off, they could see two riders heading toward Chimney Rock. At this distance they could not be distinguished, but their destination was obvious.
Now that's fine." Burwick beamed. "They'll be here right on time. Say " he glanced at his heavy gold watch "tell you what. You'll be there a shade before them, so what say you wait for them while I have me a look at a ledge up in the canyon?"
Minutes later, Kedrick swung own in the shadow of the rock. There was a small pool of water there. He let the palouse drink and ground-hitched him deeper in the shade, near some grass. Then he walked back and dropping to the ground lit a smoke. He could see the two riders nearing now. One was on a fast-stepping chestnut, the other a dappled gray.
They rode up and swung down. The first man was Pete Slagle, the second a stranger whom Kedrick had not seen before. "Where's McLennon?" he asked.
"He'll be along. He hadn't come in from the ranch, so I came on with Steelman here. He's a good man, an' anything he says goes with all of us. Bob'll be along later, though, if you have to have his word."
"Burwick came. He's over lookin' at a ledge he saw in the canyon over there."
The three men bunched and Steelman studied Kedrick. "Dal Reid tells me you're a good man, trustworthy, he says."
Showdown At Yellow Butte (1983)
"I aim to be." He drew a last drag on his cigarette and lifted his head to snap it out into the sand.
For an instant, he stood poised, his face blank, then realization hit him. "Look out!" he yelled. "Hit the dirt!"
His voice was drowned in a roar of guns and something smashed him in the body even as he fell. Then something else slugged him atop the head and a vast wave of blackness folded over him, pushing him down, down, down, deeper and deeper into a swirling darkness that closed in tightly around his body, around his throat. And then there was nothing, nothing at all.
Alton Barwick smiled and threw down his cigar. Calmly, he swung into the saddle and rode toward the four men who were riding from behind a low parapet of rocks near the Chimney. As he rode up they were standing, rifles in hand, staring toward the cluster of bloody figures sprawled on the ground in the shade. "Got ' em! " Shaw said. His eyes were hard. "That cleans it up, an' good!"
Fessenden, Clauson and Poinsett stared at the bodies, saying nothing. Lee Goff walked toward them from his vantage point where he had awaited anyone who might have had a chance to escape. He stooped over the three.
Slagle was literally riddled with bullets, his body smashed and bloody. Off to one side lay Steelman, half the top of his head blown off. Captain Kedrick lay sprawled deeper in the shadow, his head bloody, and a dark stain on his body.
"Want I should finish 'em off for sure?" Poinsett asked.
"Finish what off?" Clauson sneered. "Look at 'em shot to doll rags."
"What about Kedrick?" Fessenden asked. "He dead for sure?"
"Deader'n Columbus," Goff said.
" Hey! " Shaw interrupted. "This ain't McLennon! This here's that Steelman!"
They gathered around. "Sure is!" Burwick swore viciously. "Now we're in trouble. If we don't get McLennon, we're " His
Heat waves danced out over the bottom land, and shadows gathered under the red wall. A dust devil lifted and danced weirdly across the desert, then lost itself among the thick antelope brush and the cat claw. Tom Kedrick mopped his brow and swung his horse farther east. The tall spire of Chimney Rock lifted in the distance, its heavier shouldered companion looming beside and beyond it.
"Look!" Burwick's voice held a note of triumph. "There they comet"
To the south, and still three or four miles off, they could see two riders heading toward Chimney Rock. At this distance they could not be distinguished, but their destination was obvious.
Now that's fine." Burwick beamed. "They'll be here right on time. Say " he glanced at his heavy gold watch "tell you what. You'll be there a shade before them, so what say you wait for them while I have me a look at a ledge up in the canyon?"
Minutes later, Kedrick swung own in the shadow of the rock. There was a small pool of water there. He let the palouse drink and ground-hitched him deeper in the shade, near some grass. Then he walked back and dropping to the ground lit a smoke. He could see the two riders nearing now. One was on a fast-stepping chestnut, the other a dappled gray.
They rode up and swung down. The first man was Pete Slagle, the second a stranger whom Kedrick had not seen before. "Where's McLennon?" he asked.
"He'll be along. He hadn't come in from the ranch, so I came on with Steelman here. He's a good man, an' anything he says goes with all of us. Bob'll be along later, though, if you have to have his word."
"Burwick came. He's over lookin' at a ledge he saw in the canyon over there."
The three men bunched and Steelman studied Kedrick. "Dal Reid tells me you're a good man, trustworthy, he says."
Showdown At Yellow Butte (1983)
"I aim to be." He drew a last drag on his cigarette and lifted his head to snap it out into the sand.
For an instant, he stood poised, his face blank, then realization hit him. "Look out!" he yelled. "Hit the dirt!"
His voice was drowned in a roar of guns and something smashed him in the body even as he fell. Then something else slugged him atop the head and a vast wave of blackness folded over him, pushing him down, down, down, deeper and deeper into a swirling darkness that closed in tightly around his body, around his throat. And then there was nothing, nothing at all.
Alton Barwick smiled and threw down his cigar. Calmly, he swung into the saddle and rode toward the four men who were riding from behind a low parapet of rocks near the Chimney. As he rode up they were standing, rifles in hand, staring toward the cluster of bloody figures sprawled on the ground in the shade. "Got ' em! " Shaw said. His eyes were hard. "That cleans it up, an' good!"
Fessenden, Clauson and Poinsett stared at the bodies, saying nothing. Lee Goff walked toward them from his vantage point where he had awaited anyone who might have had a chance to escape. He stooped over the three.
Slagle was literally riddled with bullets, his body smashed and bloody. Off to one side lay Steelman, half the top of his head blown off. Captain Kedrick lay sprawled deeper in the shadow, his head bloody, and a dark stain on his body.
"Want I should finish 'em off for sure?" Poinsett asked.
"Finish what off?" Clauson sneered. "Look at 'em shot to doll rags."
"What about Kedrick?" Fessenden asked. "He dead for sure?"
"Deader'n Columbus," Goff said.
" Hey! " Shaw interrupted. "This ain't McLennon! This here's that Steelman!"
They gathered around. "Sure is!" Burwick swore viciously. "Now we're in trouble. If we don't get McLennon, we're " His
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