Wilderness Double Edition 17 by David Robbins

Author:David Robbins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: historical, the rockies, piccadilly publishing, david robbins, nate king, frontier pioneer west usa, mountain men usa, the western frontier
Publisher: Piccadilly

Two

Nate King let go of his rifle, his right hand sliding to the tomahawk at his waist. He assumed the newcomer had spotted him, but the next moment the squat shape veered to the west, moving with a fluid ease belying its bulk.

In the gloom all Nate could tell was that the figure wasn’t much taller than the warriors by the fire, but it was much broader across the shoulders and had an immense barrel chest and a wild mane of hair. He saw the figure stop and tilt back its head, then heard it sniff several times, as a bear or wolf might do.

The men ringing the fire were oblivious to its presence. Two of the horses, though, had straightened and were gazing into the darkness with their ears pricked. Amazingly, none of the warriors took heed.

The bulky figure squatted. It was holding something, a long club, Nate guessed, although he couldn’t be sure. For the longest while it watched the Indians. Every now and then it sniffed again, as if it had caught a scent it was interested in.

Nate didn’t budge, didn’t scarcely breathe. He hoped the prowler would drift elsewhere so he could get on with rescuing his wife and daughter, but no such luck. The minutes dragged into half an hour. By then all the horses were peering toward it, yet still the warriors were blind to the danger.

No, not all the horses, Nate saw. Several were gazing to his right. Slowly turning his head so as not to draw attention to himself, he involuntarily tensed. Another bulky shape was twenty feet off, its attention likewise riveted on the warriors. So there were two, maybe more. But two what?

Nate’s skin prickled. For all he knew, a bunch of them were about to attack the camp. Winona and Evelyn would be caught in the middle with no means of defending themselves. He debated trying to warn the warriors but decided they were apt to turn him into a pincushion with their arrows before he could make them understand.

Just then, to the northwest, another eerie scream rent the night. Instantly, the pair of bulky forms shot erect.

So did many of the warriors. Nervously fingering their bows and lances, they jabbered excitedly in an unknown tongue.

The figure on Nate’s left departed as silently as it had appeared, circling around the fire and vanishing in the murk. A second later its barrel-chested companion sprinted off, skirting the firelight on the other side.

Nate grinned and rose onto his elbows. Now he could concentrate on the matter at hand—namely, how to spirit his loved ones to safety without either being harmed.

Ten against one were high odds. A diversion was called for, and Nate focused on the horses. They weren’t hobbled—yet another blunder the warriors had made. A mistake he could capitalize on.

Staying well back from the rosy glow, Nate crawled to the right. One of the horses, a bay, looked right at him. He came to where the second bulky figure had been squatting and smelled an odor that reminded him of the awful reek of a grizzly den.

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