the Man from the Broken Hills (1975) by Louis - Talon-Chantry L'amour

Author:Louis - Talon-Chantry L'amour [L'amour, Louis - Talon-Chantry]
Format: mobi
Published: 2010-12-12T06:26:25.437000+00:00

Chapter 15

Taking my cup, I went to the coffeepot and filled it. My eyes caught a bit of mud, still damp, near the hearth. I looked at it, suddenly every sense alert.

Mud? Where around here was there mud? I glanced out the door toward the water trough. It had not overflowed, and the earth around it was dry.

Straightening up, I took a swallow of coffee, taking the opportunity to look past the cup at Danny Rolf's boots.

Mud.

Dropping into a chair across the table, I glanced out the door again. His horse was tied on the far side of the corral, a curious thing in itself. The sort of thing a man might do who wanted to approach the cabin unseen, yet not to actually sneak up to it.

"Any luck?"

"Huh?" He was startled, obviously worried by something else. "Luck? Oh, no. Found a few head, but they're gettin' flighty. Hard to round up now, they've been drove so much."

He looked at my hat. "You're sure gettin' a good hat ruined. Better buy you a new one."

"I was thinking of that, but it's a far piece to where I can get one. Not many places this side of San Antone."

He looked at me suddenly. "San Antone? That's the wrong direction. Why, there's places north of us ... I don't think they're so far off."

Neither of us said much, each busy with his own thoughts. Danny's clothes were dusty--except for those boots. He'd been working or riding ... But where?

"Danny," I said, "we've got to go easy. Lay off the Balch and Saddler outfit."

"What's that mean?" He shot me a straight, hard look.

"They've been losing stock, too. There may be somebody else who wants trouble between us so he can pick up the pieces."

"Ah, I don't believe it," he scoffed. "What are they hiring gunfighters for? You know damn well Balch would ride roughshod over anybody got in his way. And as for that son of his--"

"Take it easy. We don't have a thing to go on, Danny. Just dislike and suspicion."

"You ain't been around long. You just wait and see." He paused. "You been workin' south of here?"

"Some ... Mostly east."

"Joe Hinge said you're needed over on the other side. He's fixin' to start cleanin' out our cattle from the Balch and Saddler stuff. If you're really good with that gun, that'll be the place for you."

"It needn't come to shooting."

He looked at me slowly, carefully. "That Ingerman, he shapes up pretty mean. An' Tory Benton ... I hear he's gunnin' for you."

He seemed to be trying to irritate me, so I just grinned at him and said, "Ingerman is tough ... I don't know about Benton, but Ingerman is a fighter. He's tough and he's dangerous, and any time you go to the mat with him, you'd better be set for an all-out battle. He takes fighting wages, and he means to earn them."

"Scared?"

"No, Danny, I'm not, but I'm careful. I don't go off half-cocked. When a man pulls a gun on another man, he'd better have a reason, a mighty good one that he's mighty sure of.

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