get her waist under
the slats she heard a metallic ratcheting noise followed by a
click, as the hammer of a handgun was pulled back.
"Can I give you a hand, lady?" guffawed Cole
Lancing. Then as Elly gasped and craned her neck back to see him,
he called out:
"You can cut the caterwauling now, Hog. Your
little joke worked a treat," He grinned at her, his teeth yellowed
with tobacco. "I reckon that little bit of exercise will have tired
you out, lady. Nicely tired!"
* * *
All Jake could feel was pain in the neck as
his head was pulled back. Then he heard a sickening noise as the
knife cut through flesh and bone and his face was splattered with
blood.
Then slowly the hand over his face eased and
he opened his eyes to see the diamondback’s bloody head mere inches
from him, its sightless eyes staring straight at him, a hunting
knife skewering its skull to the ground.
"Keep quiet when I take my hand away," a
voice whispered in his ear. "Then I will get you out of there."
Jake nodded, tried to speak, then felt his
head slump forwards in a faint.
How long he was unconscious he did not know.
When he did regain consciousness he had been dug free, hauled out
and laid on top of the ground several feet away from the grisly
body of the rattlesnake. He noted that the hunting knife had been
removed.
"Drink this," came the voice again. "Then we
must be swift. The sheriff and his men will come soon."
Jake drank lukewarm water from the canteen
and then rubbed his weary eyes as he tried to focus on his savior.
Finally, in disbelief he gasped:
"Nantan!"
"It is I. I am sorry that I had to put you
through this trial with the snake, but it was the only way I could
think of keeping you alive."
"And I thought that you drugged our brandy.
I thought – "
"That I was one of them?" the young man
shook his head. "I did not know that the brandy I brought you was
poisoned."
Jake’s features clouded. "And what about
Rosalind? Is it true? Is she dead?"
"I am afraid so. She was a good girl and did
not deserve to die. I have vowed that her death will be avenged. I
knew that you had nothing to do with her death." His face suddenly
registered deep emotion. "And that is two vows I have made. The
first is to kill the dog who raped my sister."
And fleetingly Nantan told Jake of the day a
man came to their camp, beat Nantan up and left him for dead. But
when he regained consciousness he found his sister’s body defiled
and brutally bludgeoned to death.
"He was of my people," he went on. "An
animal that must be put down." He bent his head and parted his long
hair at the back to show an ugly scar where he had been
pistol-whipped. "I tracked him to Silver City several moons ago,
but he had disappeared. I have an idea that he will return, which
is why I have stayed and done whatever work people will pay me
for."
"Including at the Busted Flush Saloon?"
"Yes and whenever people need a guide for
hunting. Or when the sheriff needs a tracker."
"Do you know anything about Miss
Horrocks?"
"I heard that you were tracking her and the
men who kidnapped her. I have seen their tracks. Three horses and a
cowpony. The trail leads here and then goes to the west."
"That was what I thought," said Jake. "I had
better get after them."
Nantan nodded and pointed to a patch of
scrub-oak where he had tethered Jake’s stallion and his palomino.
"The sheriff and his men are almost on the point of madness with
their fire-water. I will take your stallion and lead them away,
while you wait here until they have gone."
Jake stood up, maintaining his balance with
some difficulty. "Where will you lead them, Nantan?"
The ghost of a smile played across his lips.
"I already took your hat. It will add to the impression that I am
you. I can circle around and around in these mountains for days if
need be. Then I will take them to Tucksville." He handed Jake his
gun and holster, then mounted the stallion. "Wait until I have
drawn them away, Scudder, then get after those men. Do
the slats she heard a metallic ratcheting noise followed by a
click, as the hammer of a handgun was pulled back.
"Can I give you a hand, lady?" guffawed Cole
Lancing. Then as Elly gasped and craned her neck back to see him,
he called out:
"You can cut the caterwauling now, Hog. Your
little joke worked a treat," He grinned at her, his teeth yellowed
with tobacco. "I reckon that little bit of exercise will have tired
you out, lady. Nicely tired!"
* * *
All Jake could feel was pain in the neck as
his head was pulled back. Then he heard a sickening noise as the
knife cut through flesh and bone and his face was splattered with
blood.
Then slowly the hand over his face eased and
he opened his eyes to see the diamondback’s bloody head mere inches
from him, its sightless eyes staring straight at him, a hunting
knife skewering its skull to the ground.
"Keep quiet when I take my hand away," a
voice whispered in his ear. "Then I will get you out of there."
Jake nodded, tried to speak, then felt his
head slump forwards in a faint.
How long he was unconscious he did not know.
When he did regain consciousness he had been dug free, hauled out
and laid on top of the ground several feet away from the grisly
body of the rattlesnake. He noted that the hunting knife had been
removed.
"Drink this," came the voice again. "Then we
must be swift. The sheriff and his men will come soon."
Jake drank lukewarm water from the canteen
and then rubbed his weary eyes as he tried to focus on his savior.
Finally, in disbelief he gasped:
"Nantan!"
"It is I. I am sorry that I had to put you
through this trial with the snake, but it was the only way I could
think of keeping you alive."
"And I thought that you drugged our brandy.
I thought – "
"That I was one of them?" the young man
shook his head. "I did not know that the brandy I brought you was
poisoned."
Jake’s features clouded. "And what about
Rosalind? Is it true? Is she dead?"
"I am afraid so. She was a good girl and did
not deserve to die. I have vowed that her death will be avenged. I
knew that you had nothing to do with her death." His face suddenly
registered deep emotion. "And that is two vows I have made. The
first is to kill the dog who raped my sister."
And fleetingly Nantan told Jake of the day a
man came to their camp, beat Nantan up and left him for dead. But
when he regained consciousness he found his sister’s body defiled
and brutally bludgeoned to death.
"He was of my people," he went on. "An
animal that must be put down." He bent his head and parted his long
hair at the back to show an ugly scar where he had been
pistol-whipped. "I tracked him to Silver City several moons ago,
but he had disappeared. I have an idea that he will return, which
is why I have stayed and done whatever work people will pay me
for."
"Including at the Busted Flush Saloon?"
"Yes and whenever people need a guide for
hunting. Or when the sheriff needs a tracker."
"Do you know anything about Miss
Horrocks?"
"I heard that you were tracking her and the
men who kidnapped her. I have seen their tracks. Three horses and a
cowpony. The trail leads here and then goes to the west."
"That was what I thought," said Jake. "I had
better get after them."
Nantan nodded and pointed to a patch of
scrub-oak where he had tethered Jake’s stallion and his palomino.
"The sheriff and his men are almost on the point of madness with
their fire-water. I will take your stallion and lead them away,
while you wait here until they have gone."
Jake stood up, maintaining his balance with
some difficulty. "Where will you lead them, Nantan?"
The ghost of a smile played across his lips.
"I already took your hat. It will add to the impression that I am
you. I can circle around and around in these mountains for days if
need be. Then I will take them to Tucksville." He handed Jake his
gun and holster, then mounted the stallion. "Wait until I have
drawn them away, Scudder, then get after those men. Do
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