Platte River Gauntlet by Jon Sharpe

Author:Jon Sharpe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2011-07-04T00:00:00+00:00

25

Fargo figured they were in for it. They couldn’t reach the gate before Myrtle reached them. He stopped and tensed to leap aside. Calhoun ran on. Drawn by his movement, Myrtle made for the Texan. Fargo opened his mouth to shout a warning but it proved unnecessary. The cow took another bound and collapsed, her whole body quivering.

Calhoun stopped, and laughed. “She’s drunk, by God. She can’t stay up.”

Fargo got hold of the rope the Texan had dropped and unraveled it as far as the gate. He had six men seize hold, and at his command, they all pulled. There was a plop and the cooking pot came off Myrtle’s head and fell with a bang.

“We’re geniuses,” Schumer said.

“We?” Fargo said.

“Now comes the important part,” Schumer said. “You have to go sit with her and talk to her and pet her.”

“Not while I’m sober,” Fargo said.

“That’s how my pa tamed our bull. It has to grow used to you.”

Behind them an angry voice demanded, “What have you dimwits done to my buffalo?”

Texas Jack Lavender had returned, and High Eagle was at his side.

“You killed her, didn’t you?” Jack said. “I turned my back for a few minutes and you went and put her down.”

“Do you see any blood?” Fargo said. “Did you hear a shot? She’d not dead. She’s drunk.”

“She’s what?”

Schumer puffed out his chest. “It was my idea, boss. You get Myrtle drunk, she’ll do just about anything. Look at her out there, sleeping as peaceful as a baby.”

“Who the hell is Myrtle?”

“She is,” Schumer said, indicating the cow. “We named her. So when you put on your Extravaganza, you can introduce her as Myrtle, the Friendly Buffalo.”

“And have everyone think she’s tame? Have you taken leave of your senses?”

Schumer was confused. “But I thought you wanted her tame so someone can ride her?”

“I do, you idiot. But we don’t want the paying public to know that. They have to think she’s wild and can turn on us at any moment. Don’t you see? It adds excitement, and that’s why they come.” Texas Jack scratched his chin. “No, Myrtle the Friendly Buffalo won’t do.” He snapped his fingers and smiled. “I have it. We’ll still call her Myrtle. That’s as good a name as any. But we’ll bill her as Myrtle, the Terror of the Prairie.”

“Gosh,” Schumer said. “You sure have a way with words.”

“You haven’t heard anything yet,” Texas Jack said. “When we do our shows, we’ll paint the tips of her horns red to make people think it’s blood.”

“God Almighty. You’re a genius, too.”

Fargo could take only so much. He shouldered through to Mandy and grasped her hand. “Come with me.” Without waiting for her to answer, he made for their tent.

“Why do you sound so mad?”

“There are people I’d like to shoot and can’t.”

“You should be happy at how well things are going,” Mandy said. “Now that we’ve learned to tame Myrtle, we can tame a whole herd.”

“Drunk isn’t tame,” Fargo said.

“It’s a start. She can’t gore anyone if she’s seeing double.

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