Devil's Canyon (15 page)

“Worked like a charm,” said Snyder.

“This time,” Blackburn replied. “They miscalculated, expecting us to run for it. If we had, they'd have flanked us, taken cover, and rode us down. While we've freed ourselves of this bunch, God knows how many more are between here and Santa Fe.”

“I still ain't sure we're free of this bunch,” said Puckett, “way they hounded us back at the claim. Now, after we gunned down four of 'em, the others may be mad enough to foller us to Santa Fe.”

“That's why we're goin' to ride as fast and as far as we can, while it's light,” Blackburn said. “Tonight, even if we must travel afoot, we'll keep moving. We can't count on meetin' Levi, with wagon loads of grub and ammunition. We may have to go the distance with the little that we have.”

*   *   *

“I have the feeling we've followed this trail about as far as we can afford to,” Faro said, reining up his horse.

“I was beginning to get nervous, myself,” said Collins, reining up beside him.

“I think we'll ride north a couple of miles,” Faro said, “and then west from there. We should be able to see or hear some sign of the camp. With so many men and horses, there should be something to warn us.”

They rode north and then west, walking their horses. Wind had risen, and a sometimes breeze from the west brought the sign Faro had been seeking.

“Smoke,” said Collins.

“This is where we leave the horses,” Faro said. “This bein' canyon country, I look for 'em to be pretty
well dug in. One thing we can turn to our advantage, if they're in some canyon. There's a chance we can work our way in close enough to take their measure from the canyon rim, without being seen.”

“If not today, then certainly tonight,” said Collins.

“Like I said,” Faro replied, “these renegade-led Utes are likely to be more cautious at night. There'll be more braves on watch, and while we'll have the darkness for cover, there may be twice as many sentries.”

“I yield to your experience,” said Collins. “If we're discovered—even if we escape—we'll have lost our advantage.”

“Exactly,” Faro said. “We're here for two purposes. First, we want to know just how many outlaws and Utes are in this bunch. Second, we must know the lay of the land, so we can plan our attack.”

“I am learning there are certain advantages on the lawless frontier,” said Collins. “We are preparing to attack these Utes, led by men we perceive as outlaws, while they've done nothing to us. While I believe our suspicions are justified, in a civilized society, we would be crucified.”

“I can agree with most of what you've said,” Faro replied, “but there's an old saying that all is fair in love or war. There has never been a society so civilized that it didn't at one time or another engage in war, for prestige or profit. This, my friend, is war, just as surely as was the recent conflict between North and South. I can't prove these men we're stalking are thieves and killers, but common sense tells me that if we don't go after them, they'll be comin' after us. I'm countin' on
the same gut feelin' that kept me alive through four long years of shoot-or-be-shot.”

“You could write a book, Duval,” said Collins. “You are an educated man.”

“Self-educated,” Faro said. “I was born into a sharecropper family, and all we had to read was the Bible and an almanac. The Bible was considerably better readin'. I learned to write by copying lines of scripture from it.”

Faro and Collins had continued on foot for more than a mile before the trees thinned out, giving way to open land laced with arroyos of varying magnitudes.

“There,” Faro said softly, pointing.

Momentarily the wind had died, and a tendril of gray smoke was barely visible against the blue of the sky.

“Distances out here are deceiving,” said Collins. “They may be very close.”

“Generally, where there's this many canyons, at least one of them will have water,” Faro said. “Let's look for water. If we can find it, and it's fallin' into a canyon, it may be the one we're lookin' for.”

Eventually they found a fast-running stream, and they could hear it—like distant wind—as it rushed over a stone abutment and fell into the canyon below.

“No promises,” said Faro softly, “but this may be it. The falling of the water will be helpful in coverin' our approach, and it's likely the camp will be near the head of the canyon.”

There was a considerable pool of water at the foot of the fall, so the camp itself was far enough down-canyon to afford a good view. Except for a time-worn
gap through which the water flowed over the rim, there was no access to the canyon below. Finding hand- and toeholds in the stone parapet, Faro and Collins climbed high enough to see over the edge and into the canyon. From their position they could see half a dozen Indians strung out along the east and west rims. Their grips in the stone were precarious, and it was soon necessary for Faro and Collins to climb down.

“Obvious enough why they don't post a sentry up here,” Collins panted, once they were safely down. “Men would have to go over this thing on a rope, one at a time, and I don't see a blasted thing to which to anchor the rope.”

“We won't be goin' into this canyon on a rope,” Faro said. “Not from any position. All together, there must be near a hundred men down there. That bunch whose tracks we were following couldn't have been more than a quarter of the total. There wasn't an Indian in the lot armed with bow and arrows. Meetin' this outfit in anything less than an ambush would be the finish of us. Of the seven white men, did you notice anything unusual?”

“Four of them were keeping pretty much to themselves,” Collins said. “I presume they are the men who were trailing us, who were captured by the renegades.”

“I don't think we can refer to them as captured,” said Faro, “because they all still had their weapons. For whatever reason, they've been accepted into the gang.”

“They must have convinced these renegades they can be helpful,” Collins said.

“That could account for them still being alive,” said
Faro. “If one of them took a hunk of that gold ore from your coat pocket, it's likely in the hands of the renegades now.”

“I'm afraid you're right,” Collins agreed. “There's too much logic to be denied. Their presence here most surely is because of us. That piece of ore assures them there's gold, but they don't know where it is.”

“That's the straight of it,” said Faro. “Nothing else makes sense.”

“Now that we've learned this much,” Collins said, “what are we going to do?”

“I don't believe we're in any immediate danger from them,” said Faro, “because we're still far from the claim.”

“An excellent point,” Collins said, “provided
they
know that. But how are they to be aware of it?”

“I seem to recall there being questions to our destination before we left Santa Fe,” said Faro. “Are you sure one of us didn't refer to this as a five-hundred-mile journey?”

“Now that you mention it,” Collins replied, “I can't say that I didn't speak of the distance, myself. It was a way to avoid talk of the claim.”

“It's possible, then, that we can travel another three hundred miles before we have to face up to this bunch of renegades. Trouble is, if we wait too long, they'll come after us, and we'll be fighting them at a time and place of their choosing,” Faro said. “And we can't afford that.”

“So we must plan an attack soon,” said Collins.

“Yes,” Faro said, “and I think that's the last thing they'll be expecting. They've taken our measure and
know we're few in number. Should any of this bunch do any scouting, they'll find our tracks and know we've been watching them. If we're to attack them, we must make our move while we still have the element of surprise on our side. Let's get back to the horses.”

“You'll be including the others in this plan, then,” said Collins.

Shanghai, Tarno, and Dallas,” Faro said. “I don't look for much help from anybody else. Do you?”

Collins sighed. “No, I suppose not.”

*   *   *

In the absence of Faro and Collins, things were not going well in the wagon camp. While Shanghai, Tarno, and Dallas had kept to themselves, they couldn't avoid hearing the sometimes violent arguments involving the McCutcheons and the ne'er-do-well gambler.

“Should I go on to California,” Durham said, “I refuse to take more than one of you with me. One woman, one man.”

“You ain't observed that rule up to now,” said Odessa in an ugly tone.

“A man can mend his ways,” Durham said smugly.

“A man can,” said Odessa. “That eliminates you.”

“I won't allow you to anger me,” Durham said. “I'm only takin' one of you with me.”

“Which one?” Odessa demanded.

“I haven't made up my mind,” said Durham. “Let's just say the one of you proving herself the most deserving. Impress me.”

“I gave you the thousand dollars for the mules and wagon,” Odessa said.

“You did, damn it,” Mamie shouted, “and half that money was mine.”

“Now, ladies,” said Durham soothingly, “haven't I given unselfishly of myself to each of you? How far must a man go to earn a meager thousand dollars?”

“You sneaking bastard,” Odessa bawled, “you got things all turned around. It's you that should be payin'
us
, not us payin'
you
.”

“Oh, come now,” said Durham, tilting his hat back on his head, “I only took what was offered. I never presumed either of you the kind to expect money for a gift.”

“By God,” Shanghai Taylor said, “he beats all. Whatever he's got, if I could bottle an' sell it, I'd never have to whack another mule's behind, as long as I live.”

“Yeeehaaa,” Tarno shouted, “they're fightin' again.”

Seizing one another, Mamie and Odessa had fallen to the ground. Odessa grabbed a fistful of Mamie's shirt, ripping off all the buttons. Not to be outdone, Mamie wrought similar destruction with Odessa's shirtfront. They cast aside the shirts, leaving each of them bare to the waist.

Shanghai laughed. “They'll be jaybird naked again 'fore this is over. You ain't gonna stop it, are you, Dallas?”

“Not even if they kill each other,” Dallas said.

From somewhere within his coat, Durham produced a cigar and proceeded to light it. He then watched with considerable satisfaction as the McCutcheons fought over him.

“Five dollars says Mamie loses her Levi's first,” Shanghai said.

“No bet,” said Tarno. “That Odessa's a she-wolf. Look at them claw marks there on Mamie's back.”

It was as though Odessa had heard the potential wager, for she seized the waistband of Mamie's Levi's, ripping off the buttons. Mamie quickly retaliated in a similar manner, and the pair kicked themselves free of their Levi's.

“I got it figured out,” Dallas said. “That pair of whores likes to wrassle naked before an audience. They're just usin' Durham for an excuse.”

“You may be right,” said Tarno. “Whatever they was in Texas, they sure missed their calling.”

“Hey, Durham,” Shanghai shouted, “when you get to California, you can always start a whorehouse. All you'll need is the house.”

Durham made the mistake of laughing, and the two struggling women suddenly ceased fighting and clawing each other. Durham saw what was coming, but he didn't move fast enough. Mamie and Odessa sprang at him like wounded cougars, pounding him with their fists. The gambler doubled up as Mamie drove a knee into his groin, and before he could recover from that, Odessa performed a similar feat. Durham rolled over on his belly and refused to move even as the vengeful duo pounded his head, neck, and shoulders.

“So,” Odessa snarled, “you think we belong in a whorehouse.”

“No,” came the muffled voice of the gambler, “you're not civilized enough for that. This is the last straw. I've changed my mind about going to California,
and if I planned to, I'd not take either of you. You have all the finesse of a pair of dogs. Both of you can go to hell.”

Odessa seized a heavy stone with the intention of crushing Durham's skull, but she dropped it when Mamie shoved her. Caked from head to toe with dirt, sweat and blood, the unpredictable pair started toward the creek. Durham lay where he was, unable or unwilling to get up.

“I swear,” said Shanghai, “I've seen more naked female here in these mountains than I've seen in all my time in Saint Louis and Independence.”

“You can likely take Durham's place with them two,” Tarno said. “I reckon he's about used up.”

“I've never been so woman-hungry I'd take another
hombre's
leavings,” said Shanghai. “Especially not Durham's.”

*   *   *

The trio from the claim on the Sevier River had just begun their second night in their bid for freedom. Again they walked, for the country was broken, laced with drop-offs that could mean the death of man and horse.

“I wish we knew which way them Indians went when they left that spring back yonder,” Josh Snyder said.

“It was near dark when we got there,” said Isaac Puckett. “They headed out north.”

“Yeah,” Felix Blackburn said, “but I know what Josh is thinking. They often do that to confuse the
hombres
they're after. We'll have to take it slow and careful. Far as we are from our claim on the Sevier, we
got to consider the possibility that some of the varmints have managed to get ahead of us. They'd know they're ahead of us, because there wasn't any recent tracks.”

“They've never attacked us at night,” said Josh. “While we got to watch our step tonight, we got to be especially watchful at dawn.”