A Dollar To Die For by Brian Fox

Author:Brian Fox [Fox, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Tuco saw himself at the end of his luck. He was going to die—he had no doubt of it. The ways in which he might die rose in ghastly visions before him.

He knew all about the Apaches' delight in tortures. He might be stripped of his clothes, staked across an anthill. The ravenous Sonoran ants, black and nearly the size of fat cockroaches, had jaws as sharp and powerful as his own knife. He had seen the remains of their victims, cows eaten alive, the bones picked so clean there was nothing left for the circling buzzards overhead to get their beaks in.

Or he might be staked in open ground, his eyelids cut away. The white glare of the relentless sun would burn through them, into his brain, driving him mad. He would lay babbling while thirst drained the last of life out of his body.

His imagination ran on, devising new tortures, some of them ideas that the Apaches themselves had never thought of. He began to whisper prayers, consigning his soul first to God and the saints until it occurred to him that he was not likely to be headed in the direction of heaven. Then be aimed his supplications toward the devils he had served more faithfully.

^ Pinky Roebeck had spotted the prisoner as he rode into the little bowl. He carefully ignored Tuco. He did not know why Banton had kept the man alive but he had no intention of showing interest or curiosity until he found out.

Banton was a close friend. More important, he was a blood brother. There had been a big ceremony—Roebeck's and Banton's wrists had been opened and laid together by the medicine man of the council. The blood of the two had mingled and Pinky had become one of The People—that was what the name Apache meant in their language.

Yes, he was one of them and he understood their way of thinking, their inner interests, as well as any white man could. But there was a dark side to their nature that even Roebeck had never penetrated, was not admitted to. If Banton caught a hint that Tuco was of special interest to Roebeck the value of the prisoner would go up—and The People bargained in devious—and often treacherous —ways.

Gold would not enter the deal—Apaches bated gold. The yellow metal had originally brought the white men into their country. All of their long troubles traced from the yellow metal. Let them connect their blood brother with gold and they would turn against him as quickly as they would turn on anyone else.

The braves had built up the fire again and were taking turns leaping, strutting, making a show while they boasted of their deeds, the breakout from the reservation, the burning of the ranches, their victories over the first detachment of soldiers, their cleverness in getting by the other. None of them said much about their trials in the Mexican mountains. They had taken an unexpected mauling from the Juarez men and while they had killed a number of them they had been badly hurt.

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