not let them
do anything to that lady."
And riding off at a gallop in the direction
of the posse’s temporary camp he let off a couple of shots. Then he
headed off towards Rattlesnake Pass. There were shouts of
consternation, much swearing, followed soon after by the noise of
horses charging after Nantan, and the discharging of weapons.
"You are a good kid, Nantan," Jake said,
mounting the palomino and picking up the tracks again. "Let’s hope
that we can both avenge that little Rosalind!"
* * *
Elly had found herself unceremoniously
dragged out of her escape hole and pushed roughly back into the
cabin.
"We got ourselves a regular gopher," sneered
Cole Lancing. "What you think we should do with her, Hog?"
"Tie her up and let her kick her heels, I
reckon. A few hours without food and water should sort her
out."
And so Elly found herself back in the
darkened room she thought that she had escaped from just a short
while before. This time, however, she was tied hand and foot and
then tied down to the crude bunk. A thousand curses had formed in
her mind as Cole Lancing tied her, but she bit her tongue and was
quiet. She realized that reprisals, or worse, could come swiftly
from men such as these. So once she was alone she just lay
listening to their foul-mouthed banter and raucous singing as she
tried to think of a way of freeing herself. Every few minutes she
heaved at her bonds in an attempt to gradually loosen them. But it
seemed in vain.
What time it was she had no way of knowing,
except that the solitary entrance of light from the hole she had
made was beginning to darken.
Then suddenly, she almost cried out in alarm
when she saw a long shape emerge from the hole.
A snake! she imagined.
And then as she focused on it properly she
realized that it was a human arm.
"Scudder?" she whispered.
"It’s me, Elly," his voice whispered back.
"You okay?"
Elly gave a deep sigh. "I have been better.
But I can’t move, Jake. I am all tied up."
"How many of them are there? Two or
three?"
"Two. The third one is called Rubal Cage. He
went on somewhere early this morning."
"Stay where you are!" he said
Elly bit back the retort that had formed on
her tongue, saying instead, "Be careful, Jake."
In the main cabin Hog Fleming and Cole
Lancing were playing cards at a plain deal table, the remains of a
meal before them and the dregs of a whiskey bottle in the middle of
the table.
"I reckon you are going to have to pay me
all of your share from the herd when you see my hand," said
Lancing, his lazy eye looking positively alert for a moment.
Hog Fleming snorted. "Or maybe it will be
you that pays me, you piece of misery." He tapped the table. "I
want to see what’s in your hand."
So engrossed with their card game were they
that neither of them had heard the door being silently pushed
open.
"Maybe you had better take a look at what’s
in my hand!" Jake Scudder snapped.
The two rustlers spun around, amazement
written across their faces. Then they both made moves towards their
guns.
"I wouldn’t if I were you," said Jake,
ratcheting back the hammer of his Remington. "Now slowly lift those
guns and toss them over here."
Gingerly, the two men lifted their
weapons.
Jake’s eyes narrowed as they fell on the
bloodstained bandage about Hog Fleming’s ear. "You're the dog who
shoots unarmed men, aren’t you?" He gave a humorless smile. "It was
me that notched your ear."
Cole Lancing tossed his gun over, then
looked nervously at his partner. "Let him have your gun, Hog," he
urged.
But Hog Fleming’s expression had changed
from one of surprise to one of ire. "You did this to me? You
bastard. Another dog shot a piece out of my ear before you – and I
killed him."
Jake nodded his head with mock sympathy. "It
must hurt."
"Damn you! Go to - !" Fleming began, deftly
swinging his gun into shooting position.
He was still raising it when a bullet
smashed into his forehead, throwing him backwards to fall a
lifeless heap against
do anything to that lady."
And riding off at a gallop in the direction
of the posse’s temporary camp he let off a couple of shots. Then he
headed off towards Rattlesnake Pass. There were shouts of
consternation, much swearing, followed soon after by the noise of
horses charging after Nantan, and the discharging of weapons.
"You are a good kid, Nantan," Jake said,
mounting the palomino and picking up the tracks again. "Let’s hope
that we can both avenge that little Rosalind!"
* * *
Elly had found herself unceremoniously
dragged out of her escape hole and pushed roughly back into the
cabin.
"We got ourselves a regular gopher," sneered
Cole Lancing. "What you think we should do with her, Hog?"
"Tie her up and let her kick her heels, I
reckon. A few hours without food and water should sort her
out."
And so Elly found herself back in the
darkened room she thought that she had escaped from just a short
while before. This time, however, she was tied hand and foot and
then tied down to the crude bunk. A thousand curses had formed in
her mind as Cole Lancing tied her, but she bit her tongue and was
quiet. She realized that reprisals, or worse, could come swiftly
from men such as these. So once she was alone she just lay
listening to their foul-mouthed banter and raucous singing as she
tried to think of a way of freeing herself. Every few minutes she
heaved at her bonds in an attempt to gradually loosen them. But it
seemed in vain.
What time it was she had no way of knowing,
except that the solitary entrance of light from the hole she had
made was beginning to darken.
Then suddenly, she almost cried out in alarm
when she saw a long shape emerge from the hole.
A snake! she imagined.
And then as she focused on it properly she
realized that it was a human arm.
"Scudder?" she whispered.
"It’s me, Elly," his voice whispered back.
"You okay?"
Elly gave a deep sigh. "I have been better.
But I can’t move, Jake. I am all tied up."
"How many of them are there? Two or
three?"
"Two. The third one is called Rubal Cage. He
went on somewhere early this morning."
"Stay where you are!" he said
Elly bit back the retort that had formed on
her tongue, saying instead, "Be careful, Jake."
In the main cabin Hog Fleming and Cole
Lancing were playing cards at a plain deal table, the remains of a
meal before them and the dregs of a whiskey bottle in the middle of
the table.
"I reckon you are going to have to pay me
all of your share from the herd when you see my hand," said
Lancing, his lazy eye looking positively alert for a moment.
Hog Fleming snorted. "Or maybe it will be
you that pays me, you piece of misery." He tapped the table. "I
want to see what’s in your hand."
So engrossed with their card game were they
that neither of them had heard the door being silently pushed
open.
"Maybe you had better take a look at what’s
in my hand!" Jake Scudder snapped.
The two rustlers spun around, amazement
written across their faces. Then they both made moves towards their
guns.
"I wouldn’t if I were you," said Jake,
ratcheting back the hammer of his Remington. "Now slowly lift those
guns and toss them over here."
Gingerly, the two men lifted their
weapons.
Jake’s eyes narrowed as they fell on the
bloodstained bandage about Hog Fleming’s ear. "You're the dog who
shoots unarmed men, aren’t you?" He gave a humorless smile. "It was
me that notched your ear."
Cole Lancing tossed his gun over, then
looked nervously at his partner. "Let him have your gun, Hog," he
urged.
But Hog Fleming’s expression had changed
from one of surprise to one of ire. "You did this to me? You
bastard. Another dog shot a piece out of my ear before you – and I
killed him."
Jake nodded his head with mock sympathy. "It
must hurt."
"Damn you! Go to - !" Fleming began, deftly
swinging his gun into shooting position.
He was still raising it when a bullet
smashed into his forehead, throwing him backwards to fall a
lifeless heap against
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