Longarm and the Paiute Indian War by Tabor Evans

Author:Tabor Evans
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Chapter 12

Chief Niawah studied Longarm closely as they stood between the buildings and out of sight from the townspeople. The old Paiute said, “Many white men hired by Drummer have come onto our lands to catch and take away our mustangs. My people killed some of them but more come. They catch five of my warriors in Echo Canyon up in what you call the Ruby Mountains. Bring them here last night and hang them.”

“Do you know exactly which white men did this thing?” Longarm asked.

“No. We track horses here. Find warriors all dead. Now, we go to war with mustangers hired by Drummer.” The old chief’s face turned to stone. “We hang them! Torture them first.”

Longarm shook his head. “That would be a big mistake. The soldiers would come and there would be a war that you cannot win.”

“Shoshone will help Paiute. We know how to fight and how to hide. Pony soldiers no catch and kill Indian. We kill all pony soldiers.”

“Chief Niawah,” Longarm said, choosing his words with great care, “you must not kill the men who hanged your warriors. I will make sure that they pay for their crimes.”

“You promise they hang?”

Longarm had to be honest. “I cannot give you that promise,” he admitted. “We have to have proof, and then the fate of the men who did this terrible thing is in the hands of a judge and jury.”

“White judge! White jury!”

“Yes,” Longarm said quietly.

Niawah spat on the ground between their feet. “We kill mustangers and we kill Drummer. If pony soldiers come, we kill them all.”

Longarm could see that he was not going to change the old Paiute’s mind, so he stopped trying. “I will come out to your land and catch the ones who hanged your warriors. I will come tomorrow.”

“Maybe you die, too.”

It was a test of his courage. Longarm saw that the chief was waiting for a reaction, but he wasn’t going to get one. Not even the blink of Longarm’s eye.

“Where are your people to be found?”

“Everywhere. The mountains and the deserts. The valleys and beside the rivers.”

The chief did not seem to be willing to trust Longarm. But he did turn and face the northeast, toward the Ruby Mountains. “I will find you, then.”

Chief Niawah nodded and then he was gone. Longarm heard the sound of beating hooves.

Longarm went back to the Elko Hotel. It was a nice, two story structure with chandeliers in the lobby and clean sheets on the beds. “Any messages for me?” he asked the hotel desk clerk, hoping that he’d heard back on his telegrams.

“No, sir.”

“I’ll want hot water in the tub up there for a bath.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And I’m expecting a telegram from Denver.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’d better not read it.”

“No, sir!”

“Good.” The desk clerk looked frightened and upset and must have already heard all about the hangings and confrontation that had just taken place behind the livery stable between Longarm and the mayor. No doubt he was wishing that this new federal marshal had chosen one of Elko’s other hotels.

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