Black Horse Creek (9781101607466) by West Charles G

Author:West, Charles G.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin USA
Published: 2012-11-19T05:00:00+00:00

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Grayson paused to listen when he heard a couple of his horses whinny, which usually told him someone or something was coming. As a precaution, he walked over to the oak tree, and with a little effort, climbed up on a lower limb. From this perch, he could look through the willow branches and see a couple of hundred yards in any direction. His first concern was his back trail, in case someone else had managed to catch up with him, but he could see no one traveling the river trail. Turning to search in the opposite direction, he found the same, no one in sight. Then he saw them, three riders coming from a line of hills west of the river, and apparently headed straight toward him. He remained on his perch for a while longer, trying to get as good a look at the riders as possible, hoping they would turn to follow the trail when they reached it. It was hard to tell much at that extended distance, but he assumed they were outlaws as a matter of precaution. So he dropped back down to the ground and prepared to meet them. Maybe they knew he was there, maybe they didn’t. But they sure seemed to be heading directly toward his island, and if that was the case, they should arrive within fifteen minutes.

As a matter of habit, he had scouted his temporary camp when first arriving, a practice he had found necessary over the years, so he picked up his rifle and a cartridge belt and positioned himself between the fire and the oak tree where he could see them if they proceeded to ford the narrow channel. His horses were behind him near the back edge of the island and the wider, deeper channel—not impossible to reach from the other side of the river, but much more difficult. There was nothing to do now but wait and see if he was going to be lucky and they would pass on by without knowing he was there. In a few minutes’ time, he got his answer.

“Hello the camp!” Rampley called out as the three of them pulled up before the tracks leading into the water. “Mind if we come across?”

“What’s your business?” Grayson called back.

“We’re just passin’ through,” Rampley replied. “On our way to Muskogee to build a new church. We’ve camped here before. Didn’t know you was here. We’re needin’ to rest our horses for a spell.” When there was no response, he continued. “We wouldn’t wanna crowd you. We’ll ride on if you’d ruther, but if you’ve got a fire goin’, it’d be mighty neighborly of you to share a cup or two of coffee—and we’ll supply the coffee beans.”

They were common road agents, Grayson was sure of it. The horses were most likely the main reason for their interest. He had dealt with many of their type over the years when serving as a deputy marshal. The claim that they were on their way to build a church was a nice touch, he thought, one he hadn’t heard before.

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