Outlaw Empire (A Gatling Western) by Jack Slade

Author:Jack Slade [Slade, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: action hero, American Frontier, Colt.45, ebook, fiction, Gunfighters, Piccadilly cowboys, Pulp fiction writing, the Old West, Peter McCurtin, Western series, Gatling
Publisher: Piccadilly
Published: 2022-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

GATLING HAD BEEN to Galveston just once.

That was back when he still worked for the Richard Jordan Gatling Company. Richard J., a whimsical man, had hired Gatling because he was amused by the idea that he might be related to this tall, tough half-breed who had been an armorer’s assistant in the U.S. Cavalry and knew a great deal about weapons.

Gatling was no half-breed—he was of old Scotch and English stock, from Mississippi—but he had been raised by the Zunis in New Mexico, and because of that and the fact that he was somewhat dark-skinned, people who didn’t know him always assumed that he had Indian blood, an assumption that he did nothing to discourage.

There were times when he wished he had gone back to the Zuni pueblo. But he knew he had stayed too long in the white man’s world. It was just too late.

Now he was heading for Galveston, the town where a customer had tried to kill him. Other men had tried to do him in, but until then—no customers. An ambitious revolutionary named Ruiz had ordered a large shipment of rapid-fire guns and his ship, an old sailing vessel, anchored off Galveston, was waiting to take them to Mexico.

Gatling’s deal with Ruiz called for full cash payment, U.S. currency or Mexican double eagles, before a single weapon was loaded aboard. American green or Mexican gold, nothing else. Ruiz, a man of great pride, was so insulted he tried to stick Gatling like a pig. Gatling killed him with a broken beer bottle. It was not a satisfactory deal for Ruiz, but Gatling lost nothing. He upped the price of the guns and sold them to another revolutionary two days later. He didn’t see much of the town because he took off fast when he heard the U.S. Attorney was thinking of prosecuting him for violating the Neutrality Act.

Now he was heading back to a town he didn’t know. He had ridden a Pullman most of the way after bribing the head porter to let him stay in his berth even when the other sleepers were up and around. His recently injured back would hurt like hell if he sat up for any length of time. The porter was very nice about it and recommended a special brand of liniment. What about a bottle or a woman? the porter asked. Very refined ladies rode the train and a little of that, the exercise, might be good for his back. Gatling thanked him but said no: The doctor was very strict about booze and women.

Gatling slept a lot and read newspapers from all the stops along the line. Nothing about Frisco or Tijuana. He shaved and washed late at night. A dull trip, but better than being spotted.

One morning when the train was less than a hundred miles from Galveston the porter brought the papers. Gatling pulled back the curtains and found a Remington .44 pointing at his face. The porter wasn’t there, but Gatling heard him hurrying away.

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