Texas Trails 2 by Patrick E. Andrews

Author:Patrick E. Andrews
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: the old west, revenge story, america 1800s, western ebook, piccadilly publishing, the wild west, patrick e andrews, texicans
Publisher: Piccadilly

Twelve

Humans, horses, and cattle were worn to the nub from all the collective activity they had gone through. All three species were sweaty, breathing hard, and feeling cramps in exhausted muscles.

“Hold it!” Morgan Barlow yelled. He wiped away the perspiration coursing down his face.

Anna Lee Pickett and Marcel Palu on the flanks of the herd glanced back at him. The expressions on their faces showed the fatigue and physical strain they felt.

“Rest ’em up in that draw over yonder,” Morgan said.

“That’s the best news I’ve heard in awhile,” Anna Lee said.

“You bet,” Morgan said. “And if I recollect what things was like when we rode this way, there’s a little creek in there.”

“Are we gonna stay here a bit, Morgan?” Anna Lee asked.

“We sure as hell ain’t gonna dance the fandango,” Morgan said.

Marcel looked at the young woman. “Why he think maybe we gone be dancing, eh?”

“It’s just another way we talk,” Anna Lee explained. “He’s just saying yes to what I asked.”

“By talking about the dance?” Marcel asked.

“I’ll explain later,” Anna Lee said. “Let’s get those longhorns into the draw.”

The herd moved slowly and reluctantly at first, but when the smell of the sweet, clear water reached their bovine nostrils, they picked up the pace. The twenty-five longhorns crowded together down the incline into the large dip in the terrain. Once within the earthen confines, they broke up into an uneven line through the natural herding process of bumping and shoving among themselves as they reached the water.

Morgan, Anna Lee, and Marcel let their horses find their own way in the struggle to quench their thirst. It was almost as if the horses considered themselves superior beings to the cattle. They pushed disdainfully against the cattle, instinctively watching the horns as they forced their way through the herd until they reached the creek.

After the animals finally began drinking in a peaceful manner, the three people dismounted to kneel at the water’s edge. They treated themselves to drinks from cupped hands before filling their canteens.

When Marcel’s thirst was satisfied, he sat back on the bank and grinned. “Hey, we do mighty good, eh? Got them cows back for Morgan and now we be in Texas.

“We ain’t gonna be safe ’til we’re a lot farther north,” Morgan cautioned him. “Once them rustlers figger out the herd was run off and didn’t just stampede away, they’ll be on our trail like stink on shit.”

“That be close alright,” Marcel agreed. He started -to say something else when he suddenly remembered the horse Morgan had gotten him after killing the drunk rustler. “I forgot to look in them saddlebags to see what I do got.”

“You got a Henry rifle there,” Anna Lee said pointing to the saddle boot. “Just like mine.”

“I see that,” Marcel said. “Good rifle. I get deer with him, you damn betcha!”

“You got more of a chance for elk out here,” Morgan pointed out.

“That be alright,” Marcel said. He walked toward his horse. “I want to know what more I do got here.

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