Skeleton Lode (11 page)

“Get out!” Kelly screamed. “Get out and leave us alone! I never want to see you again.”

Led by Davis, the men of his bunch filed out of the cavern one by one, seeking only to escape the terrible grief inside. But an equally gruesome scene awaited them in the canyon. Six of the gold seekers from town had been scalped and mutilated, and not a horse or a mule remained.

“Damn,” one of the remaining men groaned in anguish, “stuck in these god-awful mountains on foot.”

“What’n hell are
you
complainin’ about?” a comrade growled. “Six of our pards ain’t goin’ nowhere, ’cept into holes in the ground. Who’s goin’ to tell their wives an’ kids?”

“I will,” said another of the bunch. “I’m headin’ for town walkin’, and thankin’ God with every step that I’m alive.”

“I’m goin’ with you,” said yet another. “The sheriff needs to know about this, so’s he can send a wagon for the dead. Damn Injuns picked us so clean, we ain’t even got anything left to dig a grave with.”

Without another word, the seven men turned away, taking to the village yet another story that would add to the bloody history of the Superstitions. The five remaining men eyed one another warily. Davis, his wounded arm giving him hell, was flanked by Bollinger and Rust—a more uncertain alliance he couldn’t imagine. Yavapai and Sanchez stood with their thumbs hooked in their pistol belts.

“Por Dios,”
said Sanchez, “per’ap we should talk.”

“By God,” Davis said, “I’ll give you sidewinders credit for one thing. You got nerve. Shoot a man, and
then
you want to talk.”

“Count your blessings, Señor,” said Yavapai with a half smile. “I could have kill you. Per’ap I will yet. The day is young.”

“The situation have … ah … change,” Sanchez said, ignoring Yavapai’s threat. “We all seek the gold, Señor, while the Apaches seek our scalps. We are few. Per’ap we must work together.”

“If I get your drift,” Davis said, “you want us to throw in with you, and when we find the gold, you’ll kill us and take it all.”

“Ah, Señor,” said Sanchez with a laugh, “we have much the same feeling for you. Now let us return to the safety of the cavern and boil some water. Yavapai, he have a talent for gunshot wounds.”

The very last thing Davis wanted was more abuse from Kelly and Kelsey Logan, but something had to be done about the disposition of Paulette’s body. Then there was their lack of horses. He sighed, as he, Rust, and Bollinger followed Yavapai and Sanchez back into the silent cavern.

“Madre de Dios!”
cried Sanchez, “they have disappear!”

Indeed, the body of Paulette Davis was gone, and so
were the bloody blankets. There was no sign of Kelly and Kelsey Logan.

“Kelly! Kelsey!” Davis shouted.

Only an echo answered, and then there was silence.

“Damn it,” said Davis, “I ain’t believin’ this. I can understand somethin’ or somebody makin’ off with the girls, but where’s Paulette?”

“The mountain take them,” Sanchez said.

“Like hell it did,” Davis scoffed. “They’re in that passage somewhere, and they’ve dragged Paulette with them, just to get back at me. Them Logan girls are my only legal claim to the mine. Come on, let’s fire us up some torches and go lookin’ for them.”

“No, Señor,” said Sanchez. “We do not go into the mountain. We leave this place last night because the mountain swallow two men, and the others are afraid to remain.”

“So the both of you are afraid,” Davis sneered.

“Only of the mountain,” said Yavapai. “Not of you.”

“Gary,” said Rust, “seven men left for town, and there are six dead in the canyon, so that’s only thirteen. Yesterday, when they came in here, there were fifteen men.”

“Ah,” said Yavapai, turning to Rust, “it is well not all
gringos
are fools.”

“Your woman’s dead, Gary,” Bollinger said, “and them Logan girls hate your guts. Back in Missouri, you never cared a damn about what was legal and what wasn’t. I say we find the gold if we can, and kill anybody gettin’ in the way.”

“He’s right,” said Rust. “Possession is nine-tenths of the law. With those Logan girls alive, you wouldn’t get enough gold for a poker stake. They’ll see you dead and in hell first.”

“Suppose I admit to all that,” Davis said. “Legally or illegally, how do we find the gold? Where do we start?”

“You have a map,” Yavapai said, “but we do not see it.”

“Half a map,” corrected Davis.

“Ah,” Sanchez said, “how do you know it is but half a map?”

“Because Hoss Logan
said
it’s half a map,” Davis growled, “and it
looks
like half a map. There’s nothin’ to it.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Gary,” said Rust in an exasperated tone, “show them the map. It’s not as though we have anything to lose.”

Davis took the well-creased sheet of paper from his shirt pocket and passed it to Sanchez. Yavapai moved up beside him, and together, they studied the symbols on the paper.

“There be a story of long ago,” Sanchez said, “of Apache warriors who be pursued by Spanish seekers of gold. There be no escape for the
Indios
, so they leap off the mountain and die.”

“That be mountain called Skull Peak,” Yavapai added.

“By God,” said Davis excitedly, “maybe that’s it! But what does the rest of the map mean?”

“Why, hell,” said Bollinger, “it’s a sunrise or a sunset. Take your pick.”

“Maybe,” Davis said, “but what does it
mean
?”

“It could designate the east or west rim of the mountain,” said Rust, “depending on whether the sun is rising or setting.”

“Maybe the mine’s on the side where them Injuns jumped off,” Bollinger said. “That could explain the skull on the map.”

“No,” said Davis, “that would make the rising or setting sun unnecessary. I think the skull refers to Skull Peak and the rising or setting sun means either the east or the west side of the mountain.”

“Is simple,” Yavapai said. “We search both these sides of the mountain.”

“We ain’t ready for the mountain,” said Bollinger. “We got no pack mules and no horses.”

“Good point,” Davis said. “I want you and Barry to head for town. Get us a pack mule and some horses. Be as quiet about it as you can, and get back here fast. We got to move our saddles, packs, and bedrolls out of this
canyon before the sheriff comes lookin’ for these hombres the Apaches scalped.”

Rust and Bollinger didn’t relish the walk to town, and they trusted Gary Davis about as far as Davis trusted them. Still, they needed horses. While Davis might eventually double-cross them, he was in no position to do so now. So they started out, hoping to avoid some of the merciless heat the Arizona sun would unleash later in the day.

By the time Dallas and Arlo reached the upper region of the mountain, the distant gunfire had ceased.

“It’s all over but the burying, I reckon,” Arlo said. “Knowin” Apaches, I’d gamble that whoever’s still alive is also afoot. I think if we keep a sharp watch, we’ll see somebody hoofin’ it for town pronto. We might get some idea as to who survived.”

They watched for almost two hours before seeing seven tiny dots moving westward. Soon they were lost among the mesquite and paloverde.

“That’s got to be what’s left of that bunch from town,” said Dallas, “and that means they’ve lost eight men since yesterday.”

“We’ve seen the last of them, I think,” Arlo said. “If they were just interested in more horses, they wouldn’t all be walking to town. I’d say they’ve pulled out for good.”

“Unless some of that seven is Davis’s bunch,” said Dallas.

“Not so,” Arlo said. “Look.”

A pair of tiny figures plodded slowly westward and were soon lost in the distance.

“I’d say that’s Rust and Bollinger,” said Arlo. “They’re probably being sent to town for horses and a pack mule. That means we’re not likely to run into the Davis outfit anytime soon.”

But he was wrong. When Dallas and Arlo returned to their hidden camp, they stopped dead in their tracks. Paiute wasn’t alone—Kelly and Kelsey Logan were
there. They sprang to their feet with relieved cries at the sight of the two cowboys. Paiute sat with his old hat tipped over his eyes, seeming not to notice.

“Dear God,” Kelsey cried, “are we glad to see you!”

“We’re just as glad to see you,” replied Arlo. “But how do we tell you apart?”

“Kelly has a birthmark just below her belly button. I don’t.”

The cowboys blushed and the girls laughed. Then the conversation turned serious.

“Who is he?” Kelly asked, pointing to Paiute.

“That’s Paiute,” said Arlo. “The last twenty years of your uncle’s life, Paiute was with him. He’s mute, unable to talk.”

“He scared us half to death,” Kelsey said. “We fought him, but he tied our hands and made us walk for miles through the dark.”

“Tell us everything that’s happened,” said Dallas. “We’ll listen while the two of you talk. Then we’ll answer your questions and tell you as much as we know about all this.”

Kelly and Kelsey talked for more than an hour, taking turns telling of events up to and including the killing of Paulette Davis.

“It was all so strange,” said Kelly. “After he—Paiute—forced us back into the dark passage, he tied us so we couldn’t get loose. He lit a piece of pine so we wouldn’t be alone in the dark, and then he returned to the cavern. When he came back, he had Mother—Mother’s body—all wrapped in blankets. We watched him find a place for her in another passage, and … and that’s where we left her. He untied our feet and led us here.”

“I’m glad he took Mother away,” Kelsey said. “I want Gary Davis to wonder for the rest of his rotten life what became of her. I want him always to be afraid when he hears a sound in the night.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what Paiute had in mind,” said Arlo. “He’s a sensitive old fellow, and bein’ honest, I have to tell you this was entirely his idea.”

“We wanted to rescue you,” Dallas added hastily, “but we hadn’t come up with a plan. Paiute heard us talking, and he knows these mountains well enough that he was able to get to you. God, that was beautiful, the way he slipped both of you away and then took your mother’s body.”

“Like Kelly told you,” said Kelsey, “our mother wasn’t true to our daddy, and we hated her for it. Still, she deserved better than Gary Davis. Please, if we never find Uncle Henry’s gold, keep us hidden until we’re old enough to be on our own.”

“There may or may not be a mine,” Arlo said. “I believe there is, and I can’t escape the feeling that Hoss—your Uncle Henry—is using it to lure Davis to these mountains. Hoss knew or suspected what Davis had done, and somehow Hoss aimed for him to pay. I don’t think Gary Davis will leave the Superstitions alive.”

“The Superstitions,” Kelly shuddered. “Lord, how well the name suits them.”

“They have a long and sometimes bloody history,” said Arlo. “There’s always been an air of mystery surrounding them, and the Apaches have added to it by denying any knowledge of strange deaths and disappearances. To them, the mountains are sacred, the home of their Thunder God.”

“It’s hard not to believe in the Thunder God,” Kelly said. “Uncle Henry told us the legends, and when we first entered the cavern, I felt something I can’t really explain. It was like there was some presence we couldn’t see, but it made itself felt.”

“It touched me the same way,” said Kelsey, “but that Indian attack was real, and so was the shot that killed Mother. The Thunder God may get credit, but he had some help.”

“With scalped dead men for evidence,” Dallas said, “I don’t see how the Apaches can lay this on the Thunder God. Those hombres bound for town will have a story to tell.”

“He’s right,” said Arlo, “and that’s something we
haven’t told you. We spent some time on the rim this morning looking for survivors. First we saw seven men afoot, heading for town, and not too far behind them, two more. We judged the seven to be all that was left of the bunch who followed us from town, while the last two were probably Rust and the gunslinger, Bollinger. We think that means those men who trailed us have given up. We know Davis is still alive and still here, so that tells us he aims to stay. He’s sent to town for horses.”

“There’s Yavapai and Sanchez,” Kelsey said. “Davis had a falling-out with them, and they joined the men from town.”

“Thieves fall out,” said Arlo, “but necessity can unite them again. I won’t be too surprised to find Davis trailing with those Mex owl-hoots again. The Apache threat bein’ what it is, they’ll need one another. Even then, five of them against God knows how many Apaches is poor odds.”

“They’ll likely hole up in that cavern,” Dallas offered.

“I doubt it,” said Arlo. “Not after Kelly and Kelsey and their mother’s body vanished from there without a trace.”

“You don’t know Gary Davis,” Kelly said. “He’s a conceited fool who has no belief in anything or anybody stronger than himself.”