Volume 1: Unfinished Manuscripts, Mysterious Stories, and Lost Notes from One of the World's Most Popular Novelists by Louis L'Amour

Author:Louis L'Amour
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2017-10-24T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER II

Altogether that canyon was hundreds of feet deep, just the first thirty was sheer rimrock, and after that a steep talus slope, partly grass-covered, to the bottom.

When I had drunk a little water I splashed more on my face and chest and sat up and looked around. From where I sat there was a little mesquite and a few willows, further along some cottonwoods.

Getting up, I started following the creek bed, only I ran out of water within about thirty yards, so I stopped and walked back. This here canyon was a hidden place, although how far it ran, I had no idea. There were horse droppings around, and plenty of buffalo tracks. The horses were mostly unshod, although there were two or three wearing shoes; all of them, and I could tell by their tracks, were running loose now.

If a horse is ridden, or even with a herd, they keep to a direction, but these were just wandering, grazing, taking a bit here and there.

From where I stood I could see maybe a quarter of a mile of the canyon, up and down. I had taken another drink and then walked on down the canyon. Knowing where the water was, I could always come back.

Rounding a bend helped none at all. From that point I could see almost a half-mile further, but there was nothing in sight. What I needed most was a weapon, something more than my belt-knife, which was all I had. Luckily, that had been fastened to my pants-belt, not the gun-belt. That polecat had not taken the time to undo two buckles.

First off, I was right glad to have come upon water, but I was sorry to lose my horse and my arms. Somehow or other I was going to have to rig something to carry water in, because this place I’d come upon seemed to be plumb lost and alone and maybe nobody even knew of it but me and some Indians.

Suddenly, I seen movement!

In one step I was out of sight in the brush, but watching. What I saw was horses, three or four mustangs that came out of the willows, where they’d probably had a drink at some pool. One was a kind of dusty-gray, fine-looking horse, maybe three or four years old. Although it was some distance off it seemed to have a brand on it, so it might have been saddle-broke sometime. Now if I could just get my hands on that horse…

Two or three more showed up. Likely it was safe enough for them down here, and certainly there was plenty of water and grass, both scarce items up on the cap-rock at this time of year.

Kind of easing myself out from cover, I just stood there and let them see me. One of those mustangs pulled up sharp when she spotted me and she blew through her nostrils and just stared, ears pricked. Me, I stood rock-still, letting them get used to me.

The wind was gentle, from me toward them, so they’d caught a whiff of me too.

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