Bendigo Shafter (1979) by L'amour Louis

Author:L'amour, Louis [L'amour, Louis]
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2010-12-12T06:26:12.906000+00:00

Chapter 25

He squatted on his heels, sipping coffee. Mighty good, he said, at last. I was plumb out of coffee an' I set store by it.

Meat's no problem as long as I got the old shooter here he put a hand on the Spencer but grub ain't grub without coffee.

We can let you have some, I offered, but why not ride along? I need an extra hand, and I'll pay you.

He made no reply, finally looking up at me. What you plan to do with all them cows?

We're building a town, and the game will move back into the Wind Rivers. Well need milk for the youngsters and beef for all of us. Besides, we've got to grow. We've got to make something of ourselves.

I don't see that. He waved a hand. Lots of country. Move into it, live with it. A body don't need no more. There's grub out there for the takin'.

Except for coffee, I said.

He grinned at me. There's ephedra tea, and there's bidable beans that a body can use. Still, he agreed, it ain't coffee. That N'Orleans coffee now, with chicory ... that there's coffee!

He refilled his cup. Been a passel o' folks through this here country, an' some of them ain't made it all the way.

I've seen some graves.

Ain't all been found. Nor buried. He paused a moment. You folks stack up purty good. He chuckled suddenly. I liked them boys back yonder, the ones who pulled iron on me to save Morrell's hide.

Sand ... that's what they had. Those boys will do to ride the river with. Youngsters with the bark on 'em. I favor any boy what'll stand for his teacher, and they sure enough backed me down.

You can reason with a man, mostly. You might skeer him some, but there wasn't no skeer in those youngsters.

He sipped more coffee. Tell you something. There's a valley over yonder he waved a hand eastward toward the mountains where there's fifty, sixty head of cattle.

I put my cup down on a flat rock. Cattle? Whose?

Your'n, if you want 'em. Mebbe ten, twelve year back a few wagons come through, drivin' fifteen, twenty head. They turned them into a box canyon where there was good grass and water and they put poles across the openin'.

Injuns come down on 'em. There was quite a scrap, but Injuns wiped 'em out, drove off the wagon stock, but never found them cows.

And they are still there?

Them and their get. I eat one, a time or two, an' grizzlies have taken one here or there, but the herd's grown, there's water aplenty, grass, but no way to get out.

What do you want for them?

Ain't mine. He threw his coffee grounds into the fire. I s'gest you leave the old bull and four, five head of young stuff. The old one's mean as all get-out anyways. You leave some for seed, like. You never can tell when a body might need beef. Meantime you drive out the rest and build your own herd.

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