Novel.19.Shalako.1962 by Louis L'Amour

Author:Louis L'Amour [Louis L'Amour]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four.

I t was noon of April 22, two days after the San Carlos fight, that Lieutenant Hall cut the trail of the von Hallstatt party.

Trailing the wagons, the lieutenant came upon the deserted ranch where the remains of the fight lay all about. His scouts worked out a puzzling story that to some extent coincided with his own observations.

There had been a fight with the Apaches; one dead Apache was found within the wagon circle. Apparently the defense had been successful for the wagons had not been looted by Apaches ... that was obvious from things left be hind.

Whoever looted them had made a systematic search for valuables, passing up many things any Apache would have taken. And the Apaches would have carried away the body of their dead warrior.

"Two parties left here, Lieutenant. The first party with most of the horses and one wagon headed south toward the border. The other bunch with two horses and one man carried in a stretcher-wounded man, most likely-cut off southwest."

He indicated the broken boards of an ammunition box. "I count enough shells for one used-up box. They made a fight of it, then there must have been trouble among them.

"The wagon had four horses hitched to it, and, by their hoofs, small stock. Riding stock, more'n likely. Four of the men with that wagon had flat-heeled boots ... teamsters, I take it."

"Well, what do you think?"

The scout squatted on his heels, considered a minute, then spat into the sand. "Thievery, that's what I think. That damn' fool Fritz come a high-tailing it into this country with a pack of no-account thieves.

"Rio Hockett never did have no brains. Nervy man, but bullheaded and no-account.

I take it he and his crowd helped fight off the Indians, then looted the wagons and pulled out for Mexico."

Lieutenant Hall considered the situation, then mounted his troop and rode off on the trail of the wagon.

By midafternoon they had come up to the wagon. It had been looted and burned, and all about lay the mutilated bodies of the slain men. The lieutenant or the trackers knew most of them by name, and the last one to be found was Hockett.

"Good riddance," Lieutenant Hall said briefly, "the man was a thief and a troublemaker."

"He made a fight of it," the scout said, indicating the brass shells lying about.

"Now here's an odd thing... his gun belt is gone. Taken by somebody who came up behind the rocks." The scout pointed to the heelprint of a boot. "I'd say that was Fulton.

Didn't see his body down there, and if anybody would get out of a mess-up like this here, it would be Bosky."

"He got away?" Lieutenant Hall was incredulous. "Sure as shootin'. Man had small feet, and so had Fulton. Seen his track many a time. Him an' Hockett run together, an' bad as Hockett was, he was tame stuff to Fulton."

"He will have to get on as best he can," the lieutenant said briefly. "We must find the hunting party.

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.