Beyond Redemption by I. J. Parnham

Author:I. J. Parnham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Culbin Press
Published: 2022-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

​Chapter Ten

“We’ve got help,” Dewey said.

“We’ll need it,” Jeff said, turning to the direction Dewey had indicated. “Is it the prospectors?”

“I don’t know. I can’t see them yet.” Dewey’s smile then died and he turned to Jeff. “If it is, Elmer will be helping them.”

Jeff shrugged. “Right now I’ll settle for help from anyone.”

Earlier, they’d confirmed that Marshal Root was leading a group of men of around the same size as the group they’d defied in Redemption. Surrounded, heavily outnumbered and with little cover, Jeff reckoned that their only chance was to hold out until darkness came and then sneak away.

Root appeared to be aware of the urgency of taking them without delay, for his men had come closer. Jeff’s and Dewey’s only cover was the depression in which they’d made camp, and between them and Root was a stretch of flat ground with little cover.

Now their helpers were firing at Root’s men from the bluff, sowing consternation as they aimed at their unguarded backs. Two men were on a ledge halfway down the bluff while a third man was moving toward them.

A fourth man was attempting to climb down the steepest part of the bluff although, after a few moments, Jeff decided he was in fact dangling over a sheer drop. Root’s group started firing at this man, but he was out of their firing range and puffs of dust went up along the rockface some distance from where he was struggling.

They were sure to get in a lucky shot eventually, so his colleagues helped him by laying down continual gunfire. A cry of pain went up as these men had their first success and a moment later one of Root’s men stood up in the rill with his back arched before he dropped to the ground.

“We need to act now while we have a chance,” Dewey said in a commanding voice that made Jeff pause before replying.

“I agree, but I’m not following your orders,” he said. He pointed at a small mound, one of the few places that afforded cover. “While they’re distracted, head that way. I’ll go the other way.”

Dewey turned to the slightly larger mound that Jeff had picked for himself. It was farther away and closer to Root’s position, but he shook his head.

“We go together,” Dewey said. Then he flashed a smile, confirming that he knew he’d erred. “If we survive, we can argue about who’s in charge later.”

Jeff was minded to have that argument now, but after a brief lull, a rapid burst of gunfire tore out and another of Root’s men stumbled into view. He swayed while trying to feel his back. Then he fell over the boulder he’d been hiding behind and lay still, with his arms dangling.

Jeff put his concerns about Dewey’s recent behavior from his mind and jumped to his feet. Bent double, he set off at a run for the mound. Dewey followed. As they pounded across the ground, Jeff concentrated on the various positions where Root’s men had gone to ground.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.