Son of a Wanted Man by Louis L'Amour

Author:Louis L'Amour
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780553900033
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2003-12-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

A MOMENT, HE hesitated. Looking down at the unconscious man. Fernandez was wearing no gun but usually had one. It could have been left outside the door. Careful to make no sound, as he had no idea what awaited, he moved to the door and opened it cautiously.

The street before him was deserted. His hands felt awkward from their long constraint and he worked his fingers continually. He pushed the door wider and stepped into it. The first thing he saw was Fernandez’s gunbelt hanging over the back of a chair.

He had taken two steps toward it when a man stepped out of the bunkhouse. The fellow had a toothpick in his hand and was just putting it to his mouth when he saw Mike Bastian. Letting out a yelp of surprise he dropped the toothpick and went for his gun.

It was scarcely fifteen feet and Mike threw the knife underhanded, pitching it point first off the palm of his hand. It flashed in the sun as the gun lifted. The man grunted and dropped his gun, reaching for the hilt of the knife buried in his stomach, his features twisted with shock.

Mike grabbed Fernandez’s gunbelt and slung it on, one gun-butt forward, the other back. Then he ran for the boardinghouse where his own guns had been taken from him. He sprang through the door, then froze.

Doc Sawyer was there with a shotgun in his hands. Four of Perrin’s men were backed against the wall. “I’ve been waiting for you,” Doc said. “I didn’t want to kill these men but wasn’t about to try tying them up.”

Mike’s gunbelt was on the table. He stripped off Fernandez’s guns and belted on his own, then thrust both of Fernandez’s guns into his waistband.

“Down on the floor!” he ordered them. “On your faces!”

It was the work of minutes to hogtie all four. He gathered their weapons.

“Where’s Roundy?”

“I haven’t seen him since he walked out of the boardinghouse. He just stepped out and disappeared. I’ve been wondering.”

“Forget him. Let’s go up to the house and get Ben Curry, then we can figure this out. We don’t have much time. They’re headed for the V-Bar.”

Doc looked sick. “I didn’t know. My lord! And those womenfolks—!”

Together they went out the back door and walked along the line of buildings. Mike carried his hat in his hand, the easier to be recognized. He knew that Ben could see them, and he wanted to be recognized.

Sawyer was excited but trying to be calm. He had seen many gun battles but had never been directly involved in one.

Side by side, gambling against a shot from the stone house or someone of the Perrin outfit they had not rounded up, they mounted the stone stairs to the house.

There was no sound from within. Opening the door they stepped into the living room and looked around. There was no sign of life. On the floor was a box of rifle cartridges scattered over the carpet.

A muffled cry reached them, and Mike paused, listening.

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