The Complete Adventures of Senorita Scorpion V1 by Les Savage Jr

Author:Les Savage Jr
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: pulp, A&A, western, annot
Publisher: Altus Press
Published: 2012-01-23T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter III

IGNACIO AVARILLO stood in the middle of Second watching the dust settle into the wheel ruts of Main after Elgera had passed. Sheriff Hagar appeared at the corner of the hotel, having difficulty mounting a strange horse. Avarillo felt a hand on his sleeve.

“You’re not just going to stand here,” said Bruce-Douglas. “You’re not going to let them go without you?”

Avarillo chuckled complacently. “You mean I’m not going to let them go without us, don’t you? Señor Bruce-Douglas, that was Chisos Owens with Elgera. If you think you can follow him, go ahead.”

“Chisos Owens?” said the Englishman. “What do you mean?”

Avarillo took his time about answering. He removed his inevitable cigarro, blew a smoke ring. Bruce-Douglas had insisted on accompanying them north to Alpine; Avarillo had no particular liking for the man. He twirled his cigar in fat fingers, studying it.

“I said what do you mean?”

No, reflected Avarillo, he had no particular liking. In fact, he felt a certain aversion. Si, an aversion. He took a slow puff on his smoke.

“What I mean,” he said finally, “is that there isn’t an Indian in Texas you could hire to track Chisos Owens. That is what I mean.”

Hagar had managed to mount the horse now. He gigged it across Second, shaking his head groggily, bent forward in the saddle. Suddenly he wheeled it back and turned to look for a long moment at Avarillo and the Englishman. Then he wheeled it again and booted its flank. The horse broke into a gallop down Main after Chisos and the girl.

Avarillo stood there a few moments before he sensed that Bruce-Douglas was no longer by his side, and realized the man had been gone since Hagar had halted and looked at them. Avarillo turned to see the Englishman back by the lead mule at the other end of the pack train, talking with Gato and his miners. There was something tense in the way Bruce-Douglas stood that started the fat Mexican back toward him. Avarillo got close enough to hear Bruce-Douglas speaking. The man’s voice was no longer testy or disdaining. It held a thin, feral menace in its cold tones. It stopped Avarillo in his tracks.

“You played the fool with Elgera back at the Santiago once already, Gato,” said Bruce-Douglas, “and once is enough, I think. You’ll put that pack saddle back on the mule.”

Avarillo could see the aparejo lying on the ground beside the lead animal; Enrique was still bent over its hitches, his axe lying on the ground, his scarred face turned up to watch the Englishman. Gato stood a little to one side of him, and he made a jerky gesture with his hand, speaking viciously.

“We haven’t got any money yet or anything else. We’re taking what we can get right now, Señor Bruce-Douglas, we’re taking the mules. They’ll bring ten pesos apiece at the border, and that’s—”

“Put the pack saddle back on the mule,” said Bruce-Douglas without raising his voice.

Avarillo moved sideways and forward until he was almost at the curb, and could see Bruce-Douglas’s face.

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