the wall, a rapidly expanding pool of blood
from the back of his head seeping into the dirt floor.
e wa
"A lot of trouble might have been saved if I
had shot him there in the first place, instead of three inches
wide," Jake said coldly. "Still, it will save the hangman a
job."
Cole Lancing was shaking. "Hangman? Easy
now, mister. There is no harm done. We can come to some
arrangement, can’t we?"
"Sure we can," replied Jake. "But first
thing I want you to get into that room and untie Miss
Horrocks."
Lancing nodded firmly and got to his feet.
As he did so he noticed that Scudder was swaying slightly on his
feet, and that his face looked badly sunburned. He opened the door
and led the way inside.
"The ropes are tight," he said. "I’ll need
to cut her free."
"Are you OK, Elly," Jake asked. "They
haven’t harmed you?"
"Not yet. Only my pride."
Jake nodded for the rustler to begin freeing
her. He watched as the rustler opened a clasp knife and cut the
bonds about her feet and the ones which lashed her to the bunk.
Lancing was reaching for the ones at her
wrists when he noted the look of concern on Elly’s face.
"Jake, are you - ?"
In the corner of his eye Cole Lancing had
seen Jake sway again. He took his chance and hit out backwards with
his elbow, catching Jake in the stomach. The gun in Jake’s hand
went off, drilling a hole in the wall. Instantly, Lancing, who had
faced many a knife fight in his time, wheeled around, his hand
rising and falling to slash across Jake’s forearm. Jake cried out
in pain, the gun falling from his hand.
"Not so tough now, are you, big man!"
growled Lancing, dexterously reversing the knife and preparing to
lunge at Jake’s chest.
But Elly had sprung up. Swinging her bound
hands she caught the rustler behind the knees, causing them to
buckle.
It gave Jake the opportunity he needed to
recover. He drilled a straight left into Lancing’s face, breaking
his nose and propelling him backwards to smash into the wall. He
slowly slid down to lie in an unconscious heap.
"Well done, Elly," said Jake. "I am glad
that –"
Then before he could finish, his knees began
to buckle and he slumped to the ground in a faint.
* * *
When he recovered consciousness he found
himself lying on the bunk. A piece of flannel soaked in water was
pressed to his forehead and Elly was bandaging the knife-slash on
his forearm.
"What about the other one?" he asked,
attempting to rise.
Elly pushed him back. "You need to rest a
while. I don’t know exactly what you have been through, but it
looks as if you might have seen something of hell. Your face is so
sunburned."
She gestured to the other side of the room,
where Cole Lancing was lying, his hands and feet bound and a gag in
his mouth. "I thought I had better get him tied up before he
regained consciousness," she explained. "Now tell me what happened,
Jake."
And while she brewed coffee, having covered
Hog Fleming’s body with a blanket, she listened to Jake’s account
of all that had happened since she left to go with Sheriff Parfitt
to see the C & SW Cattle Company agent in Silver City.
Elly covered her mouth in horror. "They
killed that poor girl?"
Jake nodded. "Someone did. And for that
there will be a reckoning!"
"But we still don’t know who stole the
herd," Elly said, pouring coffee into two tin mugs. "Except that
Rubal Cage and Hog Fleming were involved. Cage used to work for the
Double J ranch and Fleming was fired by my father."
Jake scowled. "And that jasper won’t talk."
He clicked his tongue as he cast the bound rustler a scathing look.
"Still, I reckon he may talk once the prospect of hanging hits
him."
"Are we taking him with us, Jake?"
"I think we should, except –"
"Except we haven't got time on our side. We
would have to travel slower. Couldn’t we just leave him here? Make
sure he has water."
Jake thought for a moment then nodded.
"You're right, Elly. We can’t go to Silver City, since the sheriff
and his drunken posse are
from the back of his head seeping into the dirt floor.
e wa
"A lot of trouble might have been saved if I
had shot him there in the first place, instead of three inches
wide," Jake said coldly. "Still, it will save the hangman a
job."
Cole Lancing was shaking. "Hangman? Easy
now, mister. There is no harm done. We can come to some
arrangement, can’t we?"
"Sure we can," replied Jake. "But first
thing I want you to get into that room and untie Miss
Horrocks."
Lancing nodded firmly and got to his feet.
As he did so he noticed that Scudder was swaying slightly on his
feet, and that his face looked badly sunburned. He opened the door
and led the way inside.
"The ropes are tight," he said. "I’ll need
to cut her free."
"Are you OK, Elly," Jake asked. "They
haven’t harmed you?"
"Not yet. Only my pride."
Jake nodded for the rustler to begin freeing
her. He watched as the rustler opened a clasp knife and cut the
bonds about her feet and the ones which lashed her to the bunk.
Lancing was reaching for the ones at her
wrists when he noted the look of concern on Elly’s face.
"Jake, are you - ?"
In the corner of his eye Cole Lancing had
seen Jake sway again. He took his chance and hit out backwards with
his elbow, catching Jake in the stomach. The gun in Jake’s hand
went off, drilling a hole in the wall. Instantly, Lancing, who had
faced many a knife fight in his time, wheeled around, his hand
rising and falling to slash across Jake’s forearm. Jake cried out
in pain, the gun falling from his hand.
"Not so tough now, are you, big man!"
growled Lancing, dexterously reversing the knife and preparing to
lunge at Jake’s chest.
But Elly had sprung up. Swinging her bound
hands she caught the rustler behind the knees, causing them to
buckle.
It gave Jake the opportunity he needed to
recover. He drilled a straight left into Lancing’s face, breaking
his nose and propelling him backwards to smash into the wall. He
slowly slid down to lie in an unconscious heap.
"Well done, Elly," said Jake. "I am glad
that –"
Then before he could finish, his knees began
to buckle and he slumped to the ground in a faint.
* * *
When he recovered consciousness he found
himself lying on the bunk. A piece of flannel soaked in water was
pressed to his forehead and Elly was bandaging the knife-slash on
his forearm.
"What about the other one?" he asked,
attempting to rise.
Elly pushed him back. "You need to rest a
while. I don’t know exactly what you have been through, but it
looks as if you might have seen something of hell. Your face is so
sunburned."
She gestured to the other side of the room,
where Cole Lancing was lying, his hands and feet bound and a gag in
his mouth. "I thought I had better get him tied up before he
regained consciousness," she explained. "Now tell me what happened,
Jake."
And while she brewed coffee, having covered
Hog Fleming’s body with a blanket, she listened to Jake’s account
of all that had happened since she left to go with Sheriff Parfitt
to see the C & SW Cattle Company agent in Silver City.
Elly covered her mouth in horror. "They
killed that poor girl?"
Jake nodded. "Someone did. And for that
there will be a reckoning!"
"But we still don’t know who stole the
herd," Elly said, pouring coffee into two tin mugs. "Except that
Rubal Cage and Hog Fleming were involved. Cage used to work for the
Double J ranch and Fleming was fired by my father."
Jake scowled. "And that jasper won’t talk."
He clicked his tongue as he cast the bound rustler a scathing look.
"Still, I reckon he may talk once the prospect of hanging hits
him."
"Are we taking him with us, Jake?"
"I think we should, except –"
"Except we haven't got time on our side. We
would have to travel slower. Couldn’t we just leave him here? Make
sure he has water."
Jake thought for a moment then nodded.
"You're right, Elly. We can’t go to Silver City, since the sheriff
and his drunken posse are
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