Webb's Posse by Ralph Cotton Page B

horses.”
    â€œI know,” Webb whispered. “You really think we’ve got something to worry about from Dick Vertrees’ men?”
    â€œIf I didn’t, I wouldn’t have brought it up a whileago, Deputy,” Summers snapped in reply. “They steal guns and horses from the army and sell them to the
Federales.
They steal from the
Federales
and sell to the Mexican rebels. Do you figure they won’t try to steal these guns and horses from us?”
    â€œThen why didn’t they just rob us in the first place,” asked Webb, “before we got better armed?”
    â€œBecause we came upon them all of a sudden,” said Summers. “They saw we had some guns. Dick Vertrees saw how I didn’t bring everybody in close. He saw I left us a way out in case they tried anything. That’s why I told you to keep the men back across the water.” He paused for a second, then asked, “How’d they take what I said about watching out for an ambush tonight?”
    â€œAs well as you can expect,” said Webb. “They’re so dog-tired from being in the saddle all day, I reckon all they could do was get some shut-eye until something happens…
if
it happens.” Webb let out a breath and added, “You might have told me before you told everybody else. They’re pretty edgy over it. If we get hit in the dark, I hope they don’t shoot each other.”
    â€œTonight’s as good a time as any to find out who we can count on and who we can’t,” said Summers. “You’ll be surprised who sticks and who cuts and runs.”
    â€œAll I know is Sheriff Hastings will throw a wildcat fit over me consorting with that bunch of outlaws.”
    â€œNo, he won’t,” said Summers. “He’ll understand that the main thing is, we got what we came for.”
    â€œI hope so,” Webb whispered. “Of course, now we got to worry about them stealing it all back from us. You figure there was more men there than Vertrees, Tunley and Baumgartner?”
    â€œNot at that minute, no,” said Summers. But I know for a fact that Cherokee Rhodes, Bufford Gant and his brother Davis have been holing up there all summer. There’s others too. We happened to get there when they were all off somewhere, I reckon.”
    Abner Webb shook his head in the darkness. “Cherokee Rhodes, the Gant brothers…Lord! The list just gets worse as it goes. I swear, Will.”
    â€œWe needed guns, Deputy,” whispered Summers. “If you’re that worried about the sheriff, tell him it was all my fault…tell him I twisted your arm, made you do it.”
    A silence passed as Summers trained his hearing to the surrounding darkness. In the distance, a coyote cried out long and mournful to the glittering night sky. “That ain’t what you came over here to talk about though, is it?” Summers whispered. As he spoke to Webb, he watched Sherman Dahl sip slowly from a tin cup and stare into the glowing fire.
    â€œNo, it’s not,” Webb admitted. Another silence passed as the deputy weighed his words. Then he said, “When you and Vertrees were talking, and he asked about the sheriff being gone fishing when the Peltrys raided us…?”
    â€œYep, what about it?” Summers asked, his voice barely audible.
    â€œIt sounded like Vertrees was saying somebody might have tipped off the Peltrys about Sheriff Hastings being out of town.”
    â€œYou have to admit, Deputy, it sure came in handy to the Peltrys: swooping down like that, and nobody there to stop them.”
    â€œWhat about me, Will? Don’t forget I was there,” Webb whispered.
    â€œYou weren’t exactly on the job, Deputy—no offense,” said Summers. “Even if you had been, nobodyhandles things like a good sheriff. He’s the one the town has their trust in, and he’s the one can bring a town to make a stand in a