The Iron Marshall by Louis L'amour

Author:Louis L'amour
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-07-19T16:45:24+00:00

TEN

Slowly the hands drifted up to the fire, some of them to bed down, some to catch a quick supper and return to riding herd on the cattle. As they came in they regarded Shanaghy thoughtfully, noticing the badge first, then the derby. One redheaded cowpuncher looked across the fire at him and said, “That there hat’s a temptation. Anybody ever shoot it off you?” Shanaghy pushed the derby back a little and grinned cheerfully. “Not yet. Maybe that’s because they figured I wouldn’t know if they were shooting at the derby or me.”

He dipped into the stew. “Anyway, it seems a waste of lead. I didn’t buy my gun for shooting hats.”

He ate in silence for a moment and then said, “The way I figure it, the marshal of a town should be measured by the trouble he keeps clear of town rather than the gunfights he wins. The first thing I did when I took over,” he spoke in a low, conversational tone, “was to study the arms situation and the shooters. “First off I found the town has thirty-seven shotguns, and folks who can use them. We have nine Big Fifty Buffalo guns, two Berdan sharpshooting rifles, five Winchesters, and seven Spencer fifty-six-calibers. We have fourteen assorted rifles from the Hawken to the Ballard, and every man in town and most of the women have pistols. “Next thing, I looked over what kind of people we had to do the shooting. Five of the men in town were sharpshooters during the Civil War, one side or the other. Nine others fought in the war. We’ve got one old mountain man, and six veterans of Indian battles. There’s only two men in town who haven’t been in battle, but they’re just a frettin’ and a fumin’ to prove themselves as good as the others.

“Long before I ever saw the place, they figured sometime there might be an Indian raid, so they built the town without any blind spots, front or back. The rifles and shotguns are kept loaded lest there be unexpected trouble, and they are stashed around town easy to hand.

“Most of the folks there want no trouble. They figure outfits like yours will have money to spend, and they’re anxious to help. They want to do business with you, the cattle bosses and whoever comes up the trail. They are right friendly folks, but they love their town.

“Me, I’m just a driftin’ stranger, and I don’t quite see what they like about it but they know. When you boys ride into town I want every one of you to hang up his gun in Greenwood’s place.”

The redhead laughed, somewhat grimly. “Mister, you’ve got to be jokin’. I hang up my gun for no man.”

“All right,” Shanaghy replied cheerfully. “I was just telling you so’s you’d know. You see, what worries me isn’t you boys at all. It’s two or three of the townspeople who are trigger-happy. A couple of those sharpshooters, for example, I’ve been having trouble convincing them this isn’t an all-out war.

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