Taggart (1959) (20 page)

She sat down, realizing that the first problem was not to give Pete Shoyer any ide
a
as to her intentions. He did not know her, and she doubted that he had discusse
d
her with Connie ... there was too much else for them to talk about. So he might no
t
expect trouble from her. She tried to consider what might be done, but nothing occurre
d
to her that seemed either practical or possible.

But there was one thing she thought she could do, and must do, and that was to wi
n
Consuelo away from Shoyer.

The Mexican girl had unusual courage ... Miriam had seen her stand unafraid in man
y
cases of trouble and danger, yet because of her childhood experiences she had a wild
,
unreasoning fear of the Apaches. It was this, Miriam believed, that had made he
r
desert Adam and try to escape. The very fact that they were here was evidence tha
t
she had gained little by the attempt.

As for Pete Shoyer, she knew little of such men, but enough to know that for hi
m
the law had been a way of life, despite the fact that the way he had enforced th
e
law had in itself often been lawless. She had seen men influenced by their own professe
d
beliefs and habits of thinking. Shoyer, regardless of anything else, had acted fo
r
the law. And in the present circumstance this was now a weakness, for some part o
f
his mind must be given over to worry.

The first fear she hoped had been implanted by her suggestion that a reward woul
d
soon be offered for him, and that bounty-hunters would then be on his trail. To
a
man-hunter, knowing the forces arrayed against him better than any ordinary cowhan
d
turned rustler, this idea could not but be disturbing.

Some sudden movement by Shoyer caught her eye. The
n
the man was absolutely still, listening. As she started to move, he lifted a han
d
to stop her, and she too listened.

Consuelo stood as if frozen. Better than any of them, she knew the sound they no
w
heard. It was a sound of unshod hoofs upon stone. Then came a mutter of voices, Apach
e
voices. It sounded as if they were arguing about something, but they passed on.

Pete Shoyer looked to Consuelo. "Did you get any of that?" he asked.

"I get all of it," Consuelo replied bitterly. "Some of them think we are near an
d
they are going to camp while they look for us."

Shoyer considered that. "They'll find us, then. No way they can miss, because sur
e
as shootin' one of them will come up here to have a look around the country. Tha
t
means we've got to make a fight for it."

"You took my rifle," Miriam said.

"If you need it, you'll get it back, but not until then." Shoyer crawled to the li
p
of the basin and lay there. Whatever she might have done for Swante, Miriam kne
w
she could do nothing now, for now she was fighting for her own life as well. Le
t
this be settled first, and then they could fight things out among themselves.

As for Consuelo, she had gone out of one kind of trouble into a worse kind. The
y
had all had their chance to escape, and had they continued without interruption the
y
might now be near Globe, or even safely within the town. The action by Shoyer an
d
Consuelo had cut off their escape, and now those two were themselves caught and face
d
with a fight for their lives. Only Taggart and Adam Stark were no longer with them.

"I wish Adam was here," Miriam said.

Consuelo's chin lifted, but she made no reply. Miriam was not planning to drop th
e
subject. "You had a good man," she said. "He always kept us out of trouble, and yo
u
would have been in Globe now if you had not run off."

Consuelo turned her head and glanced at Miriam stonily from her magnificent blac
k
eyes. But she said nothing at all.

It was hot now, and the horses were restless. The mules, content with nothing t
o
do, stood idly near the pool. No sound reached them now, and Miriam walked to th
e
outer edge of the basin near the rim of the mesa. From here, except for a small ledg
e
about fifty feet down, it was an almost sheer drop of six hundred feet. Off to th
e
south, toward Globe, she thought she saw smoke rising, but it might be much neare
r
than the town.

Shoyer came to look out over the vast area below. Nothing moved. He walked back an
d
stood beside Consuelo, pushing his hat back on his head.

"Don't you worry none," he said. "We'll get out of here, and all the gold with us."

Consuelo offered no comment, and he continued, "Once those 'Paches pull out, we ca
n
take the trail through the basin and down Nugget Wash. Be out of here in no time.

You'll be eating supper in Globe."

"You think." There was an undertone of contempt in the comment which Shoyer did no
t
notice. "If we had taken only one mule we would be in Globe now."

"And leave all the rest of it?" Shoyer chuckled. "Not on your life. That there i
s
more money than most folks see in a lifetime, even to look at. Most banks don't carr
y
that much, and this is ours, every bit of it."

"I do not care."

"You'll care. And don't you worry none about those 'Paches." Miriam glanced aroun
d
and saw her rifle lying against a boulder near the basin's rim. Turning, she walke
d
slowly toward it. Just as she was about to pick it up, she raised her eyes.

An Apache rider sat on his horse at the edge of the mesa.

Chapter
Twelve.

I t was well after daylight when Swante Taggart found Adam Stark. He discovered hi
m
by the broken brush above wher
e
he lay, and the broken limbs of a pine tree close under the rim of the trail.

Leaving his horse, Taggart struggled up through the rocks of an ancient lava flo
w
that lay below the cliff. Here and there pines were growing up through the chunk
s
of black lava as though through a pile of old burned-out clinkers. The marks of Stark'
s
fall were clearly seen.

It was that broken brush and the broken branches where the body had fallen clea
r
that allowed Taggart to hope, for he knew how little is required to break a man'
s
fall and save his life. The breaking brush had slowed his tumble, and when he fel
l
clear of the cliff face the branches he had broken in falling had deflected his fall.

He had landed in the sand at the bottom of a dry waterfall where run-off water ha
d
come down from the mountain.

It took Taggart almost an hour before he got to Stark. Adam lay sprawled on the san
d
and there was a dark stain of blood in his hair and on the sand beneath him. Scramblin
g
over the lava, Taggart knelt beside him and very gently turned him over. As he di
d
so, Stark muttered and his eyes opened. For a moment he lay still, and then his eye
s
moved to Taggart.

"Lie quiet," Taggart said. "You had a bad fall."

He examined Stark swiftly, but could find nothing that seemed to be more than ba
d
bruises and some abrasions. Just the same he was worried. Often he had seen a ma
n
able to get up from a bad fall when there had been something to break the fall; bu
t
there might be internal injuries.

In answer to the questioning look on Stark's face, he spoke to reassure him.

"Miriam is on top of the mountain with the mules. She's alone, and all the mule
s
are there but one treasure mule. The place seems safe for a while."

"Connie?" "Shoyer took her off somewhere. She's a badly frightened girl, Stark. Ho
w
you ever got her up here in the first place is beyond me ... as afraid of Apache
s
as she is."

Adam Stark struggled and sat up, Taggart watching him warily for some indicatio
n
of injury. He allowed him to sit still, and as they waited he talked, partly to cal
m
Stark and partly to let him know what the situation was.

"There's a lot of movement around," Taggart said, speaking softly. "We've got t
o
get out of here and up on top of the mountain, and in broad daylight that's goin
g
to take time."

He had brought his canteen and now he handed it to Adam, who took a long drink, the
n
put the cork back in place. "Let's get at it, then," Adam said.

Helped by Taggart he got to his feet, staggered a bit, and then slumped heavily.

"Dizzy," he said. "Head going in circles." Taggart let him rest while he searche
d
around for his rifle.

He found it, smashed beyond use. But he got at the magazine and shucked the .44'
s
out of it and into his palm. There were fifteen shells. He passed them to Stark
,
who shoved them down in his pocket.

The rawhide thong had been in place and his pistol had not fallen from the holster.

Stark removed the gun and spun the cylinder. "No damage there," he said. "But m
y
head's aching like all get-out."

There was a cut along the side of his head almost at the crown, and where his jacke
t
was torn there was a blood-stain. Later they would probably find plenty of damage
,
but Taggart's one idea was to get him moving before the shock wore off and he reall
y
began to feel his hurts.

Without further delay they moved out. Anxious as he was about Stark, Taggart coul
d
not keep his thoughts from Miriam.

He was sure they would hear a shot if she were attacked, and there ha
d
been none; but they would have to travel at least a couple of miles, roundabout
,
to get where she was. He helped Stark over the rocks, and it was obvious that on
e
leg was very stiff. He knew it was not broken, but it undoubtedly was badly bruised.

When they reached the horse, Taggart said to Stark, "You mount up. I'll walk." Despit
e
Stark's protests, it was obvious they would travel faster with him in the saddle
,
and Taggart did not want to ride double ... not yet.

Rifle in hand, Swante Taggart walked ahead of the horse. Carefully he worked hi
s
way along through the trees below the cliff, but now the cliff was less abrupt. Keepin
g
under cover of the pines, pausing every few feet to study the country, they move
d
toward the point where Taggart had come down from above.

The sun was high now and Taggart was growing more and more worried. There was n
o
hope of running now. Stark could make a fight of it from cover but, as he could tel
l
from an occasional glance at the injured man, he must be feeling considerable pain.

By now the country would be alive with Apaches, and they were better than any houn
d
on a scent, and far less easy to discourage. There was no evidence of Shoyer, bu
t
then, there was no reason for him to be down on this level of the mountain.

They paused under a huge, wind-racked pine, and Taggart studied their surrounding
s
with care. Directly before them was a dim trail, visible only by the break in th
e
vegetation, and it wound through the brush and back into a notch in the hills. Swant
e
Taggart searched back through his memory but could remember nothing of such a trail
,
although it was likely this was a trail that came up along Wood Springs Wash. I
f
so, it must cut around the end of the mountain where he had left Miriam.