Vigilante Dawn by Ralph Compton

Author:Ralph Compton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2014-09-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

The rest of that day consisted in hard riding and constant vigilance. If Jarrett wasn’t watching the ground for signs that he was still on the trail of his herd, he was moving along the edge of those deep imprints to see if he could find a hint that some of the rustlers had veered off in another direction. Jarrett found no indication that any of the men who’d taken his cattle left the herd. That didn’t mean it hadn’t happened, but the lawmen couldn’t find any additional tracks either, so he just had to figure the outlaws had remained in one large group. Considering the fact that everyone at the Lazy J had been left for dead, that wasn’t too surprising. Clay and his murderous partners must have thought they had all the time in the world to do as they pleased. That notion stuck like a cold dagger in Jarrett’s chest.

When the sun dipped below the western horizon, Jarrett was fully prepared to spur that posse on until the last possible second. That wasn’t necessary, however, since the men in the posse continued to ride until they couldn’t take another step. A small campfire was put together, a simple dinner was prepared, and they all went to sleep. A short while before sunup, Jarrett woke up first and roused the others from their uncomfortable slumber. The men gnawed on some jerked beef for breakfast, washed it down with gritty coffee, and got right back to work.

Jarrett’s herd might not have been as big as some, but it left behind plenty of tracks to follow. Jarrett and the men followed it so easily that they joked about seeing patterns in the dirt whenever they closed their eyes. Late that morning, before it got too close to noon, Jarrett approached the sheriff while Rubin slowed to speak to Tom.

“Me and the others have been talking,” Jarrett said.

“Oh, have you?” Tom sneered.

“Give it a rest,” Rubin grunted to his deputy. “What is it, Mr. Pekoe?”

“It doesn’t take much to follow these tracks,” Jarrett said. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I know where the herd is being taken.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“There’s a town less than a day’s ride from here. Little speck of a place called Muriel.”

Rubin nodded. “I’ve heard of it.”

“It’s due south of here, with maybe a slight jog to the west,” Jarrett continued. “I think that’s where my herd is headed.”

“Why that spot and not another?”

“If he was looking to sell cattle, the main routes would have taken them either southeast into Kansas or on a straighter southerly path toward Texas. There are plenty of ranches and buyers along the way, but most of them would be along that same route.”

“That’s an awful lot to glean from looking at prints in the dirt for a day and a half,” Tom scoffed.

Jarrett waited for the sheriff to bring his deputy in line. Although Rubin did shoot the younger lawman a stern glare, it wasn’t enough to keep Tom’s mouth shut for more than a couple of seconds.

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