Pursuit Of The Mountain Man

26

Smoke put the muzzle of a .44 against Ed Clay’s head. “I’ll give you a choice, partner,” Smoke told him. “Leave or die. What’s it going to be?”

“You give me a chance, Mister Jensen, and I’m gone. I won’t join up with the others. You don’t have to give me a horse, a gun, or nothin’. Just let me leave and you’ll never see me again.”

“Head straight east,” Smoke told him. “There’s a settlement on the Clear. If I see you in these mountains, I’ll kill you.”

“The only people that’s gonna see me from now on is my momma and daddy, back in Nebraska.”

“Get gone.”

Ed Clay got gone. Smoke doubted he’d return to Nebraska, but he also felt he’d never see the man again.

Smoke tossed Andrea into the saddle, tied her hands, and swung aboard his Appaloosa. He headed north, deeper into the Bighorns.

“Found Ed’s horse,” Henry Barton said. “But there ain’t a sign of Ed.”

The camp looked like a field hospital. Dick Dorman and von Hausen were stretched out side by side. Maria was off to one side, badly shaken and bruised up from her trips to the creek. Utah Red had hurt his leg on the way down the slope and was bitching and moaning. Slick Finger Bob had a cut on his face and a knot on one knee. Sandy was still addled and acting goofy from his head impacting against a rock. One Eye had a egg-sized lump on his noggin from Smoke’s thrown rock.

Marlene finally got von Hausen awake and was pouring hot soup down his throat. Roy Drum had retrieved von Hausen’s boots and pants, falling into the creek himself. The pith helmet was ruined, cracked wide open.

Gunter knelt down beside von Hausen. “Two dead,” he told him. “Ed Clay’s missing. Several of the men are injured, but not seriously.”

Von Hausen coughed up creek water. “The spirit of the men?” he questioned.

“As long as we keep paying them, they’ll continue.”

“We’ll continue,” von Hausen said. “As long as he has Andrea, we really have no choice, now, do we?”

Cat Brown rode back in and swung down. “I found Jensen’s tracks. He’s headin’ straight north. The woman’s still with him.”

“And leaving tracks a fool could follow,” von Hausen said, not putting it as a question.

“That’s right, boss.”

“We’ll rest here and push on at first light.”

Marlene glanced at him. There was a grimness in his voice that she had never heard before. She wondered what it meant.

“When are you going to turn me loose?” Andrea asked.

Supper was over, she had the rope around her waist, the knots so tight she had broken off her nails trying to loosen them—to no avail.

“When the hunt is over,” Smoke told her.

“You mean, after you’ve killed them all.”

“I didn’t kill that fellow this morning, now, did I?”

“I could talk to Frederick. I’m sure he would cease immediately once he sees I am safe and unhurt.”

“Frederick is mine,” Smoke told her. “I’m going to kick his face in.”

“You!” she said mockingly. “Frederick will destroy you. He is a skilled pugilist.”

“We’ll see.”

“I’ve seen him fight two men at once and whip them both.”

“Good for him. In a ring?”

“Certainly. One of Frederick’s opponents would tire and the other would come in.”

“Rules to it, hey?”

“But of course.”

“I’ll have to say a little prayer before bed tonight that when we do lock horns, Frederick doesn’t beat me up too bad.”

“Now you’re being sarcastic.”

“Go to sleep, your ladyship. Tomorrow is going to be very exciting.”

Sandy Beecher heard a rustling behind him. He left the saddle and stared hard at the thick brush. The mid-morning was cloudy and cool, with the skies looking like rain. The bushes did not move again.

For the first time he noticed the thin vine that stretched across the trail. From ground level, he could see that it was attached to the bush that had moved. Sandy got to thinking on that. Now if the vine was attached to the bush, that meant that whoever jerked on it was...

“Oh, hell,” he muttered. “Behind me.”

“That’s right,” Smoke whispered. “You’re a mighty young man to die.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“You might. That’s up to you.”

“The others are fanned out all over this mountain, lookin’ for you. You let me get back on my horse, and I’m gone. That’s a promise.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“ ’Cause I’m tellin’ you the truth. Where’s Ed Clay?”

“If he’s not dead on the trail, he told me he was heading back to Nebraska.”

“That’s him. Me and him was pards. You let me go and you’ll never see me no more, Mister Jensen. Never.”

“Tell me about the others.”

“They’re bad ones. They got big money in their eyes. I got me a couple hundred dollars from that Baron or whatever he is, and that’s enough to get me back to Missouri.”

“That your home state?”

“Sure is! About thirty miles east of Springfield.”

“I was born not far from there.”

“You don’t say? You know the Blanchard’s?”

“Doc Blanchard tended to my ma when she was sick.”

“Well, I’ll just be damned. He’s my momma’s brother.”

“He still alive?”

“Was when I left, about five year ago.”

“Tell him Emmett Jensen’s youngest boy said howdy.”

“I’ll sure do it. Smoke?”

“Yes. Them others’ll kill you if you get careless. I’ve stole from time to time, but I ain’t never killed nobody.”

“I hope you never do. Take off.”

“You want my guns?”

“No.”

Smoke watched him leave, and true to his word, Sandy headed south without so much as looking back.

Smoke stood up and began stalking those who hunted him. Henry Barton sat his gray and studied the stillness of the timber. He wished Jensen would step out and challenge him. He’d like to be the man who killed Smoke Jensen. He could write his own ticket after he done that.

“Looking for me,” the voice came from off to his left.

Henry knew he’d been suckered. He was right-handed, and Smoke had studied him, waiting for just the right moment. If he drew now, he’d be shooting across his body. “Jensen?”

“That’s me.”

“Do I get to turn my horse?”

Smoke chuckled. “Why sure you do.”

Henry said to hell with it and jerked iron. Smoke’s .44-40 roared and Henry was knocked from the saddle, the slug taking him just under his rib cage and blowing out the other side.

Terry Smith came galloping up the mountains trail, hollering for his buddy. He reined up when he saw the gray, standing riderless in the timber.

“Here I am,” Smoke called.

Terry cussed, wheeled his horse and lifted his six-shooter. Smoke blasted him out of the saddle, the big slug taking him in the center of his chest.

Smoke faded back into the brush on the mountain and jogged to a small knoll set in the middle of the timber. He punched two more rounds into his rifle and eared the hammer back, waiting.

A yell came to him, faint but understandable. “This here’s Dick Dorman, Jensen. Joe Elliot’s with me. We’re gone. You hear me, Jensen. I got a broke ankle and Joe’s shoulder is busted and swole up. We’re out of it and gone.”

“This ain’t no trick, Jensen,” Joe hollered. “We’re headin’ back to the Hole. Just let us pass and you won’t hear no more from us.”

Two rifles crashed. Smoke heard the sounds of bodies falling to the earth.

“Good shooting, darling,” von Hausen said.

“And the same to you, sweet,” Marlene said.

Smoke shook his head. Fine people to work for, he thought. Very caring about the hired help.

Montana Jess, Gil Webb, John T., Cat Brown, and Utah Red and Roy Drum were by now old hands at chasing Smoke. None of them were about to expose themselves and enter those dark woods. But the two left of the men from the Hole just weren’t that smart. Slick Finger Bob thought he was slicker than he was. He slipped into the timber unseen, so he thought. It was his last thought.

Smoke drilled him at two hundred yards, the slug punching right through Slick Finger Bob’s head.

“I’m a-gonna tear both your eyes out, Jensen!” One Eye called. “Then I’m gonna let you stagger around blind a couple hours ’fore I shoot you.”

What a nice fellow, Smoke thought. I wonder what he does for an encore?

“Jensen!” he hollered. “You’re surrounded. You can’t get away. Step on out here and fight me.”

Smoke picked up a rock and tossed it to his right. It thudded to the ground and One Eye fired. Smoke put three fast rounds in the area of the gunsmoke. One Eye staggered out, both hands holding his belly. He grunted in pain and slumped to the earth. He was still on his knees when Smoke backed out and disappeared into the lushness of the timber.

John T. sighed. “Anybody seen Sandy?”

“Not since breakfast,” Montana told him.

“Well, that means he’s either dead or pulled out.”

“Do we go in there after him?” Utah asked.

“Not me,” John T. said. He slipped back and into the timber on the other side of the game trail Smoke had been using. One by one, the others joined him.

They grouped together, very conscious of the bodies of Dorman and Elliot, lying not thirty feet away, back-shot by their employers.

“Comes a time, boys, when a man’s got to use some common sense,” John T. said. “Personal, I think we should have used it about a month ago.”

“What are you sayin’, John?” Gil asked.

“That it’s time for us to go. We got some money out of this. More’un we’d have made in five years ordinarily. Boys, we’ve left bodies all over the place durin’ this so-called hunt. It’s time to pull out.”

“That’s what Dorman and Elliot tried to do,” Cat pointed out.

“That ain’t gonna happen to us, now that we know what to expect.”

“How about our money down in Dodge?” Gil asked.

“Hell with it. We can take that check that Miss Hoity-Toity wrote us back yonder in the park. How about it?”

“You boys go on,” Roy Drum said. “I want Jensen and the real big money.”

“It ain’t worth dyin’ for, Roy.”

“I’m with Roy,” Cat Brown said. “But we’ll see to it that you don’t get back-shot.”

“I’m stayin’,” Utah Red said.

“I’m goin’,” Montana Jess said.

“I’m with Montana and John T.,” Gil Webb said.

The six men walked over to von Hausen. “I’ll take that big money check you offered back in the park,” John T. said. “We’re pullin’ out.”

“Who is ‘we’?” Gunter asked.

“Me, Montana, and Gil. Hand over the check.”

Von Hausen noticed that the gunfighter’s hand was close to the butt of his six-gun. He reached into his jacket and took out a waterproof pouch and opened it. He handed John T. the check.

John T. looked at it, then folded it and put it in his pocket. “Thank you kindly, von Hausen. Roy and Utah and Cat will see to it that you good folks don’t back-shoot us on the way out. Adios, ladies and gents.”

Several long moments ticked by before anyone spoke. The sounds of the hired-guns’ horses faded into silence as the men left on the trail south. Finally, Gunter said, “Does anybody have a plan?”

“Hire more men?” Marlene asked.

“Forget it,” Utah told her. “No time for that.”

“I think I’ll make a pot of coffee and fry up some bacon,” Roy Drum said. “What about them bodies?”

“Push ’em over the side of that ravine yonder,” Cat said. “I don’t feel like diggin’ no damn holes.”

“We don’t have a shovel anyways,” Utah pointed out. “It got lost yesterday when Jensen ambushed us.”

Roy built a fire while Utah and Cat hauled the bodies away and shoved them over the side, into the ravine. Roy had the bacon frying when the men returned.

“It might work,” von Hausen said, looking at the trio of gunslicks. “Those are the hardest of the hardcases. We’re a very small force now, and we’ll be able to move faster and much more quietly.”

He looked up, then stood up. He thought he’d heard a very faint yell.

“What’s the matter?” Maria asked.

“I thought I heard something. A yell. Yes. I’m sure I did.”

The faint yelling reached them all.

“That’s Andrea,” Gunter said. “She escaped!”

“I doubt it,” Utah said, not getting up from his position by the fire. “Jensen probably got tired of listenin’ to her complain and cut her loose.”

“You men go get her,” von Hausen ordered.

“You hired us to kill Jensen,” Roy said. “Not find lost females. Just give a shout or two. She’ll wander over here.”

“Heartless brutes,” Marlene said.

“Right, lady,” Utah replied.

Von Hausen and party began shouting and waving their arms and jumping up and down. After a few minutes, Andrea staggered in, collapsing by the fire, telling all sorts of wild stories about being beaten and raped by Smoke Jensen.

“You’re a goddamn liar,” Roy Drum said flatly. “He wouldn’t touch the likes of you with a coup stick. I hate Smoke Jensen, but he never raped no woman in his life. I’d be willin’ to bet everything I own he ain’t never even been unfaithful to his wife. So why don’t you just shut your lyin’ damn mouth.”

Andrea glared hate at the man, but she said no more about being assaulted. She slurped at a cup of coffee and said, “He said he was going to whip you in a fight, Frederick. Said he was going to kick your face in.”

“Nonsense!” von Hausen said. “The man has better sense than to think he could best me in a ring. I’ve fought the best of fighters and never lost. He was just blowing off steam, that’s all.”

“Don’t tangle with Jensen in a fist-fight,” Utah said. “ ’Cause you’ll lose.”

“Ridiculous!” von Hausen snorted.

Utah shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t say you wasn’t warned.”

“What else did he say, Andrea?” Gunter asked, getting a blanket and draping it around her shoulders. The day was growing increasingly cool and damp.

“That tomorrow you all die.”