Incident At Powder River by Jack Sheriff

Author:Jack Sheriff
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780719823831
Publisher: Robert Hale

EIGHT

It is a fact of life that if a self-sufficient man with his own notions of frontier justice learns that his wife has been forcibly taken by a tall gunslinger without, in this honourable man’s estimation, a single grain of morality in his make-up, then he’s going to climb onto his horse and ride after him with the intention of carrying out not cold-blooded murder, but a justifiable execution.

It’s also true to say that, in the same way a strong midsummer’s wind can fan the flames of a carelessly lit branding fire and send them sweeping unchecked across a thousand acres of tinder-dry prairie, so panic needs nothing more than the look of naked fear in a grown man’s eyes to send it streaking out of control, as unstoppable as a longhorn stampede.

By the time Nate McQueen and Pierre Monet had exchanged stories in the shadows of the liveoaks, Nate was all set to tear off towards the Bear Paw mountains after Caje Hawkins, Pierre ready to spur his mount towards the Tongue River with the conviction that what he’d find there was the bullet-riddled body of his daughter, Juliet.

Cord McQueen, also covertly fretting about Juliet but knowing the only way to defeat the Farringtons and the big outlaw was to stay level headed, bluntly told them both they were wrong.

‘Didn’t say she was in trouble, Pierre,’ Cord argued flatly. ‘What we said was if she is there, she’ll be keeping well out of sight.’

‘That’s the right way, the sensible way, Cord – but you saw what happened to the tall feller,’ Monet said. He was standing alongside his horse, jaw set, his tone bitter. ‘Juliet wanted to go, but it was me put the idea in her head.’ He shrugged helplessly. ‘I did so because, hell, I felt sure you’d settle matters with the Farringtons, send them packing. Now you tell me the bunch of them’re still there, wide awake, with a lookout posted up on the ridge already shot the horse out from under Caje Hawkins—’

‘She’s got eyes in her head, enough sense to stay out of trouble,’ Nate cut in from atop his horse. ‘Any other time I’d say the same about Nancy, but she’s already caught, ain’t going to get out of the fix she’s in without help.’

‘But that comes later,’ Cord snapped. ‘You taken a close look at Lee?’

‘Lee’s in good hands. Can you say the same for your ma?’

‘No,’ Cord said. ‘But ridin’ off in six different directions chasing shadows won’t help.’ He swore, watched Nate dance his horse sideways, head constantly turning so his restless, angry eyes could seek out the distant Bear Paw mountains.

Easing himself in the saddle, Cord said softly, ‘Settle down, both of you. We’re all acting like kids still wet behind the ears ‘stead of grown men. What we need is clear thinking.’

‘Yeah, but you can quit thinking about me, Cord,’ Lee said weakly, white-faced and drooping painfully in the saddle. ‘A half-hour’s rest’s all I need and—’

‘Lee, you’re

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