inclined to listen to you.’
With Kurt looking as if he’d heard enough, Nathaniel glanced at Shackleton. He gave an encouraging nod.
‘Tell him the about the other man,’ he said. ‘That might interest him more.’
‘There’s also Turner Jackson,’ Nathaniel said, ‘the man I want. I saw him with Javier and I reckon he’s wormed his way into Javier’s confidence, just like he did with others before like Hiram Deeds. For the last year I shared a cell with Turner, so I know how he thinks. I can find him, and The Preacher knows howJavier Rodriguez thinks and he can find him.’
‘What do you reckon?’ Shackleton asked, looking at Kurt. ‘Three days riding with these two men with some hope, or three days riding without them with no hope?’
For a full minute Kurt didn’t reply. Then, with a long sigh, he held out a hand for a knife.
‘Here’s the way it is,’ he said. ‘You both get to be free for the next three days. If you try to escape, I’ll shoot you. The moment I think you’re leading us in circles, I’ll make you wish I’d taken you to the gallows. You don’t get no weapon and once we have Javier Rodriguez, you both go straight to jail. Whether your help saves you from the gallows is up to the judge.’
‘Obliged,’ Nathaniel said as Kurt slit through his bonds, freeing his hands. ‘A chance to help is all I asked for.’
Kurt moved on to The Preacher who had his hands already held out in his usual posture of praying . Kurt hesitated before he ripped through the rope.
‘Not that anything will ever help to excuse this one before a judge.’
‘The assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood,’ The Preacher said, ‘Numbers thirty-five, verse twenty-four.’
Kurt considered this comment, shaking his head then looked at Nathaniel who, to avoid guessing what it meant, stood and paced around, enjoying the feeling of being free to move again.
But when he stopped he found that all three of those who would now be his companions in the search for the Gallows Gang were staring down at The Preacher with some trepidation.
‘Just so I know,’ Nathaniel said, joining Shackleton. ‘What did The Preacher do to get sent to the gallows?’
Shackleton shivered then shook his head.
‘If you ever want to have a good night’s sleep again,’ he said, ‘don’t ask me that.’
CHAPTER 13
‘You lied,’ Kurt snapped, summing up two days of increasing frustration with his simple comment.
Nathaniel looked down at the row of railroad men who were heading out of Chancer’s Pass. He had to admit that in Kurt’s position he’d have formed the same view.
‘I didn’t,’ he said. ‘There’s still a high ridge for them to traverse before they reach Bear Creek.’
Kurt slapped to the ground the telescope with which he’d been surveying the scene and shook his head.
Nathaniel looked at Shackleton, hoping for support, but Shackleton’s stern gaze showed that the small amount of faith he’d had in him when he’d accepted his offer had now gone. To Nathaniel’s surprise that lack of faith hurt him.
‘I agree with Kurt,’ Shackleton said. ‘Traipsing off after these men feels like wasted effort to me.’
‘But we’ve come this far,’ Nathaniel said. ‘We need to see it through. If the payroll reaches the banksafely, then hand us in, but not before.’
Shackleton looked at Elwood, who shook his head, then at the praying preacher who as usual appeared to be barely aware of what was happening around him, then at the sneering Kurt.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘but this is where it ends for you, Nathaniel.’
Kurt grunted that he agreed. He picked up a coil of rope and waved it in Nathaniel’s his face.
‘Shackleton’s got the right idea,’ he said, ‘so give it to me one last time and convince me or these will be your last ever moments of freedom.’
Nathaniel looked down into the pass at the receding men, then at Kurt.
‘It’s like this,’ he said. ‘I
With Kurt looking as if he’d heard enough, Nathaniel glanced at Shackleton. He gave an encouraging nod.
‘Tell him the about the other man,’ he said. ‘That might interest him more.’
‘There’s also Turner Jackson,’ Nathaniel said, ‘the man I want. I saw him with Javier and I reckon he’s wormed his way into Javier’s confidence, just like he did with others before like Hiram Deeds. For the last year I shared a cell with Turner, so I know how he thinks. I can find him, and The Preacher knows howJavier Rodriguez thinks and he can find him.’
‘What do you reckon?’ Shackleton asked, looking at Kurt. ‘Three days riding with these two men with some hope, or three days riding without them with no hope?’
For a full minute Kurt didn’t reply. Then, with a long sigh, he held out a hand for a knife.
‘Here’s the way it is,’ he said. ‘You both get to be free for the next three days. If you try to escape, I’ll shoot you. The moment I think you’re leading us in circles, I’ll make you wish I’d taken you to the gallows. You don’t get no weapon and once we have Javier Rodriguez, you both go straight to jail. Whether your help saves you from the gallows is up to the judge.’
‘Obliged,’ Nathaniel said as Kurt slit through his bonds, freeing his hands. ‘A chance to help is all I asked for.’
Kurt moved on to The Preacher who had his hands already held out in his usual posture of praying . Kurt hesitated before he ripped through the rope.
‘Not that anything will ever help to excuse this one before a judge.’
‘The assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood,’ The Preacher said, ‘Numbers thirty-five, verse twenty-four.’
Kurt considered this comment, shaking his head then looked at Nathaniel who, to avoid guessing what it meant, stood and paced around, enjoying the feeling of being free to move again.
But when he stopped he found that all three of those who would now be his companions in the search for the Gallows Gang were staring down at The Preacher with some trepidation.
‘Just so I know,’ Nathaniel said, joining Shackleton. ‘What did The Preacher do to get sent to the gallows?’
Shackleton shivered then shook his head.
‘If you ever want to have a good night’s sleep again,’ he said, ‘don’t ask me that.’
CHAPTER 13
‘You lied,’ Kurt snapped, summing up two days of increasing frustration with his simple comment.
Nathaniel looked down at the row of railroad men who were heading out of Chancer’s Pass. He had to admit that in Kurt’s position he’d have formed the same view.
‘I didn’t,’ he said. ‘There’s still a high ridge for them to traverse before they reach Bear Creek.’
Kurt slapped to the ground the telescope with which he’d been surveying the scene and shook his head.
Nathaniel looked at Shackleton, hoping for support, but Shackleton’s stern gaze showed that the small amount of faith he’d had in him when he’d accepted his offer had now gone. To Nathaniel’s surprise that lack of faith hurt him.
‘I agree with Kurt,’ Shackleton said. ‘Traipsing off after these men feels like wasted effort to me.’
‘But we’ve come this far,’ Nathaniel said. ‘We need to see it through. If the payroll reaches the banksafely, then hand us in, but not before.’
Shackleton looked at Elwood, who shook his head, then at the praying preacher who as usual appeared to be barely aware of what was happening around him, then at the sneering Kurt.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘but this is where it ends for you, Nathaniel.’
Kurt grunted that he agreed. He picked up a coil of rope and waved it in Nathaniel’s his face.
‘Shackleton’s got the right idea,’ he said, ‘so give it to me one last time and convince me or these will be your last ever moments of freedom.’
Nathaniel looked down into the pass at the receding men, then at Kurt.
‘It’s like this,’ he said. ‘I
Similar Books
