Slaughter's way (12 page)

**How is it, Burt?" asked Slaughter as his scout brought the spot-rumped Nez Perce-^bred Appaloosa stallion to a halt.

"Good," Burt Alvord replied.

On the whole, Alvord spoke less than Talking Bill; although the latter did not agree this was so and thought that at times Alvord threw words aroxmd wholesale. However, the one-word reply satisfied Slaughter, for he knew he could rely on the scout's judgment in the matter of selecting a bed ground for the herd. In later years Alvord gained a name for being an unscrupulous lawman, and a train robber, but when he worked for Slaughter he was still a law-abiding, honest young man. Sun glinted on water ahead of the herd, and men forgot their interest in the cause of the shot they had heard earlier for they prepared to let the herd drink as it crossed. This took both time and patience as each block of cattle taken down to the stream had to be allowed to drink its fill while the rest were held back so as not to push the drinking animals through before they had had their fill. Each succeeding bimch were driven upstream of the last, so as to let them drink dear water, not that already muddied and churned up by the preceding cattle.

Once across the water, it was a mere stream whidi offered no difficulties to men who had in their time taken herds through rivers that were over the willows, run-

ning high in flood, the hands moved the cattle along slowly. On coming to a large, well-grassed open stretch of land, the hands began the scientific business of bedding down. Gradually the men brought the herd into a more compact group than that allowed during the day, and the point riders slowed down Big Bill's speed. The lead bull knew his work and came to a halt, standing his ground in a determined manner. More and more of the cattle stopped, either licking up grass, or settling contentedly down to chew their cud. Patiently the cowhands rode around the herd until two of their number, who had been back to where Coonskin and his helper set up camp, rode out to take over as night herd. Then and then only did the rest of the hands, after being in the saddle since daybreak, and having ridden for many more miles than the dozen covered by the cattle, ride back to camp.

Slaughter took precaution against any attempt Gallagher might make to stampede his herd in an attempt to bring him to a more willing frame of mind. Not only did the rancher send out two more men to the night herd, but he, Biuton and Burt Alvord spent the dark hours away from camp. They formed the points of a large triangle with the herd at its center, and it would have taken silent movement for anybody to slip im-noticed through their cordon.

Despite the precautions, the night passed quietly. The herd was still some twenty-fbiu: miles from Devil City and Gallagher preferred to operate in his home territory when applying coercion to a passing trail herd or wagon train. However, the three sentinels did not return until after daylight.

Long before Slaughter, Burton and Alvord made their appearance, Coonskin and his helper were up, making breakfast for the hands. With the food ready and coffee bubbling black and strong in the pots, Coonskin looked around the sleeping circle of cowhands and took up the steel triangle and iron bar which hung ready for use on the side of the chuck wagon.

"RoU out, roll out!'' the cook yelled, clanging his 94

triangle violently. ''Come and git it, you Texas gennel-men, afore I tosses it to the hawgs."

Man after man rolled from his blankets and the usual dawn chorus of dire threats against Coonskin for waking them rose high in the air. Yet strangely none of the men made any mention of Coonskin's color in their cursing. To the men of Slaughter s outfit, Coonskin was a member of their trail drive, a damned useful member and a man in his own right. Unlike many intellectual gentlemen in the East, the trail crew did not drip smug patronage on Coonsldn because of his color. They respected him as a man, and they cursed him as they would have cursed General Robert E. Lee had that great southern gentleman been their cook.

''Damned if I ever take on to trail cattle againl'' somebody wailed—as somebody always did. 'Til herd sheep, or walk behind a plough first.''

Nobody bothered about the threat to take on two of the lowest types of employment a Texas gentleman could contemplate, for they were all too busy making up their bedrolls, curling their blankets and suggans* up and wrapping them inside the seven-by-eighteen-foot Number 8 Ducking tarpaulin sheets, which served as bed and mattress while on the trail, rolling their bedding and marbags inside and snapping home the hook-and-eye fasteners on the tarps. Once rolled, the bundle was t^ken to the bed wagon and placed inside. If a hand left his bedroll open and unpacked once, the cook would wrap it and stow it away for him, but also blister his hide for causing him extra work. If the hand erred twice, the cook had the right, and often took it, of driving off and leaving the bedroU behind.

After packing away their bedroUs, the hands headed for the chuck wagon to coUect their breakfast and mugs of steaming coffee. Each man had a loaded plate of stew and beans, which was about what a cowhand lived on when trailing cattle. The hands ate their food, told Coonskin what 3iey did not think about his

^Suggans: Patchwork quilts made of any odds and ends the cow-hands could gather,

cooldng, and dumped tiieir empty plates into a bath of hot water Hop Tow had pkced out ready.

Slaughter fed the same way as his men, although he arrived later than usual to collect his food. Ole In-somny Sam, the nighthawk, stood at the fire, eating his breakfast, or supper, depending on how one looked at it, after tinning the remuda over to the day wrangler.

''How re you feeling, Insomny?*' Slaughter asked.

*Toorly, John, right poorly,'* came the inevitable reply. "Ain't slept a wink at night in the last eight years. Fact being, if I didn't sleep in the daytime I'd be in even wuss shape than I am now."

At some time in his past Insomny had heard of insomnia, decided it might add distinction to him if he contracted the disease, now boasted he could not sleep at night, so rode the remuda during the dark hours.

"You fixing to head into Devil City, John?" asked one of the hands.

"Yep."

"Take some of the boys along?"

"Nope."

It was as easy settled as that. Slaughter might have explained that going into Devil City at the head of a bunch of his men could give Gallagher's hired guns the idea he was scared of them. Once that kind gained courage, they were likely to push until something popped, and Slaughter wanted to try to stop the fuss without blowing Devil City wide open in a full scale gun battle.

By going in unescorted except for his cook. Slaughter would cause Gallagher and his bunch to worry. Knowing his reputation, they would not know what to make of Slaughter's visit and start suspecting all kinds of tricks. They would not be too eager to start grabbing at plough handles and throwing lead until they had sat back and watched developments for a spell. By the time they decided to make a move. Slaughter hoped to have his supplies loaded and be headed back to his herd. Then, if the opposition looked like it might be tough, he could swing clear of the area and bypass Devil City beyond Gallagher's reach. While Slau^ter was not afraid of facing odds, it was not his way to

endanger his men's Kves without good cause. The business of trailing cattle was dangerous enough, without adding to its risks needlessly.

Slaughter did not need to explain every move to his men. Way they looked at it, he had a good reason for going into town without an escort; and they had sufficient confidence in their boss to reckon he could bring oflE whatever he aimed to do without needing any help.

*lt siu-e am a quiet n peaceful liF town, Mr. John,'* Coonskin remarked as he drove his chuck wagon toward the outskirts of Devil City.

^'Sure is,'" Slaughter agreed, keeping his big black stallion at the side of the wagon.

While approaching Devil City's main, in fact only, street, Slaughter kept his eyes open. The town looked little different from many another dotted about the range coimtry. There were the usual run of business premises, saloon, general store, livery bam and such, the ubiquitous Wells Fargo office and tiie town jail gracing Devil City's front street, and an untidy scattering of buildings beyond it.

On passing the Bitter-Creek Saloon, Slaughter noted that the piano jangled in a tinny manner and voices talked loudly inside, even though the time was only early afternoon. He jerked his thumb toward the general store next door to the saloon and looked at his cook.

**Wait for me out front of the store, Coonskin. Tm just going to see the great seizer."

"Yes, sir, Mr. John," Coonskin replied, bringing his wagon to a halt as ordered and settling down comfortably to watch his boss ride across to the front of the town marshal's office.

One look at the man seated behind the desk in the marshal's office told John Slaughter all he needed to know. Herb Gosse, tite Devil City lawman, looked a whole heap too well-dressed and prosperous to be honest, especially for a man holding down the post of marshal in a small place like that town.

"Are you the law here?" Slaughter asked, studying the man's bulky build and fat, florid face.

"All there is, friend," boomed Gosse in a politician's 97

voice, but he threw a glance at the deputy marshal, who leaned against the door which led from the office into the cells.

^'And you're firing to sit there on your butt end while Gallagher tries to shake me down for head tax

tour

Gosse looked up sharply, as if realizing for the first time who his visitor might be. Then he settled his hands on his fat paunch and watched the deputy walk soft-footed across the room in the direction of Slaughters back.

**Name's Herbert J. Gosse, mister,'' the lard-bellied lawman stated. "Im town marshal, which same my jurisdiction ends at the city limits."

^TTien set back your flapping ears and listen good to me," Slaughter replied quietly. "You made that ruling, stand by it. I don't care two hoots and a whisper about you-all not offering me any legal protection from Gallagher's game. The name is John Slaughter and I protect my own. But I'm not fixing to have you standing along side of Gallagher to make his play look legal."

Which same was the longest speech Slaughter had made in many a day. He laid down his words on the line, showing them in plain view and allowing the town marshal to make what he wanted of them, for that was Slaughter's way.

Aiming to earn his pay, the deputy stepped in fast, arms opening with the intention of clamping them around Slau^ter and holding the rancher while Gosse played the drums on his black-whiskered chin or ginger-topped head. The man was so close behind Slaughter that he could have stepped into the rancher's hip pocket without moving forward many inches.

Suddenly, even before the aims clamped about him. Slaughter drove back his right elbow, smashing it with the force of a knobhead mule's kick full into the deputy's favorite solar plexus. The croak of agony as all the breath gushed out of his lungs showed how hard the jab came to the man receiving it. On catching the elbow, the deputy took a couple of involuntary steps backwards and doubled over in his pain. Slaughter pivoted

fast, turning to face the injured deputy and whipping up his left fist in a backhand blow which lifted the man erect and onto his toes. For a few seconds it looked like the deputy aimed to beat the world's backward-running championship as he shot across the room. Then he smashed into the jail's wall, slid down it and lost interest in the proceedings.

A sUght sound from behind him brought Slaughter around again. He landed with legs apart, knees slightly bent, body inclined forward a mite, and his Colt in his good right hand, its hammer drawn back ready, trigger depressed under the index finger and bore covering Gosse. The marshal had thrust back his chair a few inches to allow himself a chance of opening his desk drawer and extracting the Merwin and Hulbert Pocket revolver which lay inside. Gosse's hand left the drawer a whole lot faster than it went inside and came out empty.

"Close it and turn the key,'' Slaughter ordered.

Without a word in reply, Gosse obeyed the order, nor did he raise any protest when told to remove the key from the lock and see how close he could come to tossing it under the oflice stove. Yet the Merwin and Hulbert gun was the only weapon available to Gosse, not counting the half-dozen Winchesters and shotguns chained in a rack on the wall by the cell doors.

^Tou heard my word?" Slaughter asked, as the key landed by the side of the stove.

A sweating, scared face looked across the desk at the grim-featured Texas rancher and bobbed nervously.

"I heard."

"Then mind it.''

Without another word. Slaughter turned and walked across the room to halt by the door and look out across the street. He had said his piece and given his warning and Gosse knew full well tiie ultimatum would not be repeated. Repeating good advice, or a grim-given warning, was not Slaughter's way.

Before leaving the marshal's oflSce, Slaughter paused to see how his cook fared, and waited ready to take a hand should Coonskin find himself in deep water,

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No sooner had Slaughter entered the marshal's office than a bunch of six gun-hung hard-cases left the saloon. For a moment they stood on the sidewalk studying the wagon, then walked in its direction. Coonsldn became aware of their arrival and cast a glance down at Betsy Two-Eyes. While the gun had been most scientifically loaded with a handful of black powder and a fair slew of 00 buckshot balls as a charge, he still felt the situation called for the specialized talents of Mr. Earp.

"You from that trail herd that's coming?" asked one of the toughs, stepping from the sidewalk and approaching the side of die wagon, his pards following on his heels.

T has that honor, sir,** replied Coonsldn in his most dignified and polite manner.

"Then you'd best just whip up them knobheads and head out of town afore we sets your wagon on fire around your ears."

Coonsldn's eyes bulged out like twin organ stops and he looked just about as scared as it would be possible for one man to get.