Blue-Eyed Devil

10

WE SAT on the porch and passed around a jug of corn whiskey. Allie put a marker in her etiquette book, went to get small glasses for herself and Laurel.

“Ladies don’t drink from jugs,” Allie said.

Virgil poured a little for each lady, and took a pull from the jug before he handed it to Pony Flores. Laurel sat close beside Virgil and did not look at Kha-to-nay.

Kha-to-nay would not touch the jug or even acknowledge that it existed. But he did finally get off his horse and lean on the porch railing, with his Winchester, looking toward town, standing as far away from the rest of us as possible.

“For true Chiricahua, Blue-Eyed Devil not exist,” Pony said. “What Kha-to-nay believe.”

“You’re a half Mex,” Virgil said. “Ain’t he?”

“All Chiricahua,” Pony said. “Same mother. Different father.”

“He hate us all?” I said.

“Like only Chiricahua,” Pony said.

“We take away his land?” I said.

“Take away everything,” Pony said.

“How you feel about that?”

“You come, take away what Chiricahua have,” Pony said.

“While ago Chiricahua come and take away from other people. Other people come long time ago, take away.” Pony shrugged. “Somebody probably come one day, take away from Blue-Eyed Devil,” Pony said. “Happen always.”

“S’pose it does,” I said. “Kha-to-nay know you feel like that?”

“Sí,” Pony said.

“You talk about it?” I said.

“Sí,” Pony said. “I think man live now, do what need to be done, keep word, don’t think how things be before.”

“And Kha-to-nay?” I said.

Pony smiled.

“Say I am only half Chiricahua.”

I nodded. Kha-to-nay stared into the middle distance. Pony took a pull on the whiskey jug.

“What kinda help you need?” Virgil said.

“I know you come back to Appaloosa. I think you be the lawman here,” Pony said.

Virgil nodded.

“Kha-to-nay kill an Indian agent and rob train,” Pony said.

Without looking at us, Kha-to-nay said something in Apache. Pony answered. Kha-to-nay said something else. Pony nodded.

“Kha-to-nay say he not rob train. He destroy train. He say Chiricahua people at war with white-eyes. Say destroy train is act of war.”

“How ’bout the Indian agent?” Virgil said.

“Kill white-eye… tirano?” Pony said, and looked at me.

“Tyrant,” I said.

“Kill white-eye tyrant,” Pony said. “Free Chiricahua people.”

“So, the government is after him for the Indian agent,” Virgil said. “And the Pinkertons are after him for the railroad.”

“U.S. Marshals arrest Kha-to-nay,” Pony said. “Put him in jail. I get him out. We come here.”

“How’d you get him out of Yaqui?” Virgil said.

Pony smiled and patted his Colt. Virgil nodded.

“There a bounty on him?” Virgil said.

“Sí,” Pony said.

Virgil rocked back a little in his chair and took the jug from me and took a pull.

“Well,” Virgil said. “We can’t let ’em take you.”