most of all. Zeke, he’s fast himself, like you saw the other day. He pulled out that gun of his and used it on that other man first. By then the others was ready for him, and Zeke ain’t fast just with his gun, but with his body, too, bein’ part Indian and all. He can duck and whirl and roll and get a man all confused on his aim. I reckon bullets must have flew everywhere. Zeke, he got one graze on his shoulder, but by God he got all four of them others that was left, while ol’ Rube, he run like the yellow bastard he is.” He chuckled again and puffed on his pipe. “You know, I can just picture Zeke sittin’ there real calm and cool, and then the next minute he’s duckin’ everywhere, pumpin’ lead into them men like they was jackrabbits.”
Abbie smiled, picturing the scene herself. “DidRube Givens get away then?” she asked.
“Yup. Zeke, he had his hands full with them others. He’s got a way of chargin’ in and gettin’ the job done real quicklike, but while all that was goin’ on, Givens was runnin’. When the smoke settled, the man was gone, and Zeke, bein’ a half-breed, he knew he’d best get out of there quick, ’cause most folks would hang him, even if it wasn’t his fault what happened. He’d seen my furs bundled onto a horse out front that was tied with Givens’ horse, and when he run out, that there horse was still there. I reckon Givens didn’t want to be burdened down with it, for fear Zeke would come after him. I expect he figured if he left the furs, Zeke’d return ’em to me rather than follow Rube, and he did ’cause Zeke had give me his word he’d get them furs back. Next thing I know, here he comes into that Arapaho camp with my furs, and when I was well enough, he went with me as far as the Arkansas down in Colorado Territory, where he lived with his people, and I went on and sold my furs for a good price. Then I went back and visited Zeke, livin’ there among the Cheyennes, and the friendship continued.”
“Zeke said something to Givens about taking a whipping, and I saw scars on his back.”
Olin nodded. “Me and Zeke went out to do more trappin’ that fall. We split up, Zeke goin’ up by Yellowstone and me farther south by the Green River. We made plans to meet at Jackson Hole. Figured whoever did the best, we’d put our furs together and split the money. But that Givens, he’d been lookin’ for Zeke that winter, figured maybe he’d come back around there, and Rube wanted to get even. Well, he did. That S.O.B. found Zeke through word of mouth,snuck up on him in camp alone, and ambushed him. Zeke fought hard; but this time he didn’t have his gun on, and there was ten of them. They beat the hell out of Zeke and strapped him to a tree with his shirt off in the cold; then they proceeded to whip him till his back didn’t even look human no more. They left him there to die from the cold, and he hung there for two days, more dead than alive. Rube, he took off with Zeke’s furs.”
“Dear God!” Abbie whispered, her heart aching at the thought. “How did he live?”
“Ol’ Zeke, he’s a tough bird. It’s the stubborn Cheyenne in him. He hung on till, finally, some northern Cheyennes found him. They took him in and nursed him back to health. Zeke, he met me at Jackson Hole like we’d planned and told me what happened. We left there quick, ’cause we was afraid there was still people at Jackson Hole that might want Zeke’s hide. We’d heard rumors of Rube Givens bein’ at a little town on the Sweetwater in Wyoming Territory. Word travels fast among outlaws and trappers and Indians. We rode there fast as we could ride, and by God we found Givens. We got into a hell of a gunfight with that man and his friends—rode right into that little town and walked into the saloon where people said Givens was, and commenced firin’. Givens, he ducked behind the bar, and I was sure I’d plugged him. Me and Zeke shot the place up pretty good, and most of them
Abbie smiled, picturing the scene herself. “DidRube Givens get away then?” she asked.
“Yup. Zeke, he had his hands full with them others. He’s got a way of chargin’ in and gettin’ the job done real quicklike, but while all that was goin’ on, Givens was runnin’. When the smoke settled, the man was gone, and Zeke, bein’ a half-breed, he knew he’d best get out of there quick, ’cause most folks would hang him, even if it wasn’t his fault what happened. He’d seen my furs bundled onto a horse out front that was tied with Givens’ horse, and when he run out, that there horse was still there. I reckon Givens didn’t want to be burdened down with it, for fear Zeke would come after him. I expect he figured if he left the furs, Zeke’d return ’em to me rather than follow Rube, and he did ’cause Zeke had give me his word he’d get them furs back. Next thing I know, here he comes into that Arapaho camp with my furs, and when I was well enough, he went with me as far as the Arkansas down in Colorado Territory, where he lived with his people, and I went on and sold my furs for a good price. Then I went back and visited Zeke, livin’ there among the Cheyennes, and the friendship continued.”
“Zeke said something to Givens about taking a whipping, and I saw scars on his back.”
Olin nodded. “Me and Zeke went out to do more trappin’ that fall. We split up, Zeke goin’ up by Yellowstone and me farther south by the Green River. We made plans to meet at Jackson Hole. Figured whoever did the best, we’d put our furs together and split the money. But that Givens, he’d been lookin’ for Zeke that winter, figured maybe he’d come back around there, and Rube wanted to get even. Well, he did. That S.O.B. found Zeke through word of mouth,snuck up on him in camp alone, and ambushed him. Zeke fought hard; but this time he didn’t have his gun on, and there was ten of them. They beat the hell out of Zeke and strapped him to a tree with his shirt off in the cold; then they proceeded to whip him till his back didn’t even look human no more. They left him there to die from the cold, and he hung there for two days, more dead than alive. Rube, he took off with Zeke’s furs.”
“Dear God!” Abbie whispered, her heart aching at the thought. “How did he live?”
“Ol’ Zeke, he’s a tough bird. It’s the stubborn Cheyenne in him. He hung on till, finally, some northern Cheyennes found him. They took him in and nursed him back to health. Zeke, he met me at Jackson Hole like we’d planned and told me what happened. We left there quick, ’cause we was afraid there was still people at Jackson Hole that might want Zeke’s hide. We’d heard rumors of Rube Givens bein’ at a little town on the Sweetwater in Wyoming Territory. Word travels fast among outlaws and trappers and Indians. We rode there fast as we could ride, and by God we found Givens. We got into a hell of a gunfight with that man and his friends—rode right into that little town and walked into the saloon where people said Givens was, and commenced firin’. Givens, he ducked behind the bar, and I was sure I’d plugged him. Me and Zeke shot the place up pretty good, and most of them
Similar Books
