Settling His Hash by William W. Johnstone

Author:William W. Johnstone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Published: 2022-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

At first light the next morning, Castle, Red, and Tara Hardwick started out driving a hundred Box H cattle north to the railhead. A fair amount of discussion had preceded this. The plan initially had been for Squint to accompany them also. But the arrival of Otis and the information he brought with him had changed things. It had been decided instead that as many guns as possible should remain behind at the ranch in case Stack Ketchum made an appearance sooner than calculated.

Before anything else, however, a meeting with the Hardwicks had been necessary.

“The idea was for us to stick around awhile and be of help to you, not bring added trouble,” Castle had told the old man and his daughters after explaining to them about the Ketchum gang. “Me and my boys don’t have much choice. If that pack of curly wolves is gonna try and act on the information given to ’em, all we can do is stay ready for if and when they show. But that don’t mean here is where they have to catch up with us. If we go back on the move toward home—like we were doing, and how they’re expecting to find us—that’ll draw them right on past the Box H, and there’ll be no risk of you folks getting caught in it.”

Cocking one shaggy brow, Hardwick had replied, “Lucky I’ve taken such a likin’ to you, Castle boy, or I might find noises like that comin’ out of your piehole insultin’ enough to make me take this cane of mine and wallop you alongside the head with it. After the way you fellas have stuck out your necks for the sake of me and my daughters, you think for a minute we’d repay you by duckin’ for cover and sendin’ you on your way just because some ornery polecats might be on your trail? You don’t have a very good idea what us Hardwicks is made of, do you?”

After that, once it had been made clear the Hardwicks were willing to run the risk of getting caught in whatever the potential arrival of Ketchum and his hard cases might bring, they went ahead with plans for carrying out the cattle drive and other work around the Box H that was already on tap.

Initially, there was some discussion of Castle also dropping out of the drive since he, as the one packing the money belt, which was the alleged robbery target, ought to be on hand to help defend it in case the gang showed up before he got back. The need for this was promptly objected to by Hardwick, who insisted he wanted Castle to head the drive.

Additionally, Castle revealed that while he was in town the previous morning to send his telegram to Boss Tremaine, he’d been confident enough in getting the go-ahead for him and the others to remain for a while that he went ahead and deposited the cash from the money belt in the local bank for safekeeping, rather than continue to carry it around on his person.

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