Page 43 of Follow the Lonesome Trail
“Why do you think it’s right you can steal from a widow?”
That was it.
The boss fanned his gun. Half a dozen shots all barked at once. The rifle roared, kicking back into his shoulder, and he dropped to the ground, his forearm searing. He cocked and let another go.
Horses turned and ran, men were shouting, and smoke hung on the air, menacing.
He cocked the rifle loudly. Below him lay the boss, dead where he’d fallen. Another man was crawling across the ground.
“Anyone else?”
“The horses are gone, they ran,” came a shaky voice below.
“Not my problem.”
“Just let us go.”
“What makes you think you can flaunt the law and get away with it?”
“Please. Boss is dead,” he persisted, “We’ll go.”
“Will you?”
“I will.”
“Drop your gun where I can see it.”
A Colt hit the dust in the middle of the trail.
“Okay, stand up and walk back the way you came. Hands where I can see them.”
A young fellow stood up slowly, hands shaking, and started up the trail, his neck craned, trying to watch his back.
“Anyone else? I got a lot more where that came from.”
Two more guns hit the dust. Two men stood up and started to follow the first.
“You boys crazy?” came a voice from behind one of the rocks.
“You’re the crazy one, Smith. Gerhardt’s dead. This ain’t for us.”
“Smith, last chance,” Johnny called.
Another pistol hit the dirt. Shaking with anger, defiance in every line of his body, the last man stood.
“If I see you again—”
“I’m heading west,” he answered. “You can find me there.” He loosed a shot at the man’s feet for emphasis.
The men scrambled. A few minutes later and they were all but gone, specks in the distance. It would probably take them the rest of the night to find those horses.
As for the boss—
Johnny pushed himself up on one arm with a grimace. His right arm had made a good puddle of blood in the dusty gravel.
He moved it a little, watched it bleed and let his breath out. It was a crease, nothing more. With one hand, he undid theneckerchief at his throat and tied it tight over the wound with his teeth.
It would hold for a little while.
