Slocum's Revenge Trail Read online

  Slocum stood up and paced for a few minutes. Then he mounted the Appaloosa and rode the trail from his post to the main gate and back again. At last, he settled down again at his post. There was nothing he could do anyhow. Not till he was relieved from this duty.

  It was late, near time for the relief man, when two riders came from town. Slocum made himself ready for just about anything. It was dark, so they were nearly on him before he recognized Cash and Monkey.

  “What the hell are you doing back here?” he asked.

  “This is where we work,” said Cash. “Where we live.”

  “You think that’s still true after what you done?”

  “You mean killing that fella?”

  “You know that’s what I mean.”

  “Hell, Slocum, it was a personal argument that led to a fight. He went for his gun. What could I do?”

  “That ain’t the way I heard it.”

  “Anyone who says Shotgun didn’t go for his gun first is a damn liar,” said Monkey.

  “That’s not what I meant,” said Slocum. “He provoked it.” Slocum pointed an accusing finger at Cash as he spoke those words. “He started that fight deliberately.”

  “All I need to say is that he drew first. You wanta make something out of it, Slocum?”

  “I ain’t the boss here,” said Slocum. “We’ll see what Townsend has to say.”

  Cash smirked and rode on. Monkey followed him. Soon Slocum’s relief showed up, and Slocum mounted his horse and rode toward the ranch house. Under the circumstances, he was not surprised to find Townsend awake. There was no sign of Cash and Monkey. Slocum went up to the house and knocked on the door. Julie let him in.

  “Have you seen Cash?” Slocum asked Townsend.

  “I saw him,” said the old man.

  “Well?”

  “Well, what? The sheriff wrote it down as self-defense. What else can I do but accept it?”

  “You mean you let him stay on?”

  “I got no other choice, Slocum. Damn it. Besides, we don’t know what the hell Amos is up to. He might be bringing in more gunfighters for all we know. I might need Cash and his little buddy. Let it go.”

  “I guess if you don’t give a damn, there’s no reason I should. Hell,” said Slocum. He turned and stomped out of the house. He was about to go down off the porch when Julie stepped out and stopped him.

  “Wait,” she said.

  Slocum stood with his back to her. “What?”

  “Don’t be too hard on Uncle. He’s had a rough time here lately. You and Cash helped him through it. He feels obligated. And he’s afraid.”

  “I can understand that, but—”

  “No buts. Just understand it. That’s all.”

  “Yeah.”

  Julie walked around Slocum so she could face him. She reached up and pulled his face down to hers for a lingering kiss.

  “You know,” he said, “you could talk a man into most anything.”

  “That’s not why I kissed you.”

  “I reckon I’m glad of that.”

  She kissed him again.

  “I’m still looking forward to the right time,” she said.

  “Me too.”

  “John, sit down.” They each took a chair. “I just don’t want you going off in a foul mood. Sit here and talk with me for a while.”

  “You came out to talk with me,” he said. “I guess I owe you that much.”

  “Don’t stay because you owe me.”

  He took a deep breath and expelled it. “I won’t,” he said. “I’ll stay on account of I enjoy your company. After what’s happened this evening, I need some relaxation.”

  “Good. John?”

  “What?”

  “There’s only one thing I’d like to add to what Uncle told you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Watch Cash like a hawk. He’s a cold-blooded son of a bitch.”

  11

  The atmosphere at the Townsend ranch was thick with tension. Soon, everyone knew that Cash had killed Shotgun Stone. No one gave Cash hard looks. They were afraid that he would kill them too. They avoided him. For his part, Cash kept close to Monkey. He was the only one who would talk to Cash. Cash had seated himself beside Slocum the morning after the killing. Slocum was there ahead of him, eating his breakfast.

  “Where we going today?” Cash had asked. “North pasture?”

  “Yeah.”

  Slocum did not look at Cash. He had just continued eating his breakfast. Monkey came and sat on Cash’s other side. “Morning, Cash,” he said.

  “How you doing this morning, kid?”

  “I’m doing fine. How about you?”

  “Fit as a fiddle, kid. Just great. Slocum says we’re going back out to the north pasture today.”

  “All right.”

  “We ought to be done out there in another day or so. Wouldn’t you say so, Slocum?”

  “I reckon,” said Slocum. He drained his coffee cup and stood up to leave with no further words to either Cash or Monkey.

  “What’s the matter with him?” Monkey asked.

  “Ah, he’s got something up his ass.” He looked around to make sure that no one was within earshot, and then he spoke to Monkey in hushed tones. “He ain’t like us, kid. And if we don’t do something about it real soon, he’s going to be a problem.”

  “You mean—”

  “I mean we got to kill ole Slocum. And right away.” The kid took a sip of coffee and looked thoughtful. “Listen, kid,” Cash went on, “I got to go to town this morning. You go on out to the north pasture with ole Slocum. Make up something to cover for me. Hell, tell him the truth. Tell him I had some business in town. Tell him I’ll come around later in the day.”

  Monkey looked at Cash with a meaningful expression on his young face. “All right, Cash,” he said.

  Slocum rode past the ranch house on his way out, and he saw Julie on the porch. He rode over close to the porch and touched the brim of his hat. “Good morning,” he said.

  “Good morning. Do you have time for a cup of coffee?”

  “I’d sure enough like to,” said Slocum, “but I got to head on out to the north pasture. I got Cash and Monkey with me, and if I don’t show, they’ll just lay around talking about the notches on their guns.”

  “How about this evening?”

  “I’ll be looking forward to it.” He turned his big Appaloosa to ride on, but she stopped him. “Slocum.”

  “Yes?”

  “Remember what I told you.”

  “I’m always watchful, Julie,” he said. “Don’t worry about me.”

  Slocum did not see Monkey, so he headed on out alone. He had not ridden far, however, before he heard the pounding of hoofbeats behind him and turned to see Monkey coming. He did not bother to slow down. He let Monkey ride hard to catch up. When the young man pulled up beside him, neither of them spoke. Slocum had no more to say to Monkey. He had tried several times, but Cash had a tight hold on the kid. Slocum would speak to him if he had to tell him to do something, but not otherwise.

  “You ain’t asked me about Cash,” Monkey said.

  “No,” said Slocum, “I ain’t.”

  “He ain’t with us this morning.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Don’t you care how come he ain’t with us?”

  “Not particularly.”

  “Well, he had some business in town. He said he’d be along directly.”

  Slocum did not bother to answer. He would answer a direct question, but he would not make small talk. Not with Cash or Monkey. He was fed up with them. He wished they would move along. If he had been sure that the trouble with Amos was all over, he’d have moved on himself just to get away from them. He thought about Julie, though. He wasn’t at all sure he wanted to move away from her just yet.

  They made the rest of the ride out in silence. Monkey figured out that Slocum was in no mood to talk. Like Cash had said, he’d got something up his ass. Well, Monkey could play
silent too. They reached the top of a rise overlooking the north pasture, and Slocum stopped riding and dismounted. He was looking around the range for any strays that might be out there. Monkey dismounted too and looked around, but he was not looking for cattle. He was looking to see if there was any sign of human beings who might see what was about to happen there. He saw none.

  He dropped the reins of his horse and let them trail on the ground. Casually, he stepped away from the horse. He turned until he was directly facing Slocum. He had the early morning sun to his back. Everything was just right.

  “Slocum,” he said.

  Slocum looked around, and he could see immediately what was on Monkey’s mind.

  “Don’t be stupid,” he said.

  “I can take you.”

  “You can try.”

  “Go for your gun, Slocum.”

  “What difference does that make, kid?” Slocum said. “There are no witnesses out here.”

  Suddenly the kid made his move. He was fast. Slocum’s Colt barked a split second before the kid’s, and Slocum’s bullet smashed the kid’s right shoulder, causing him to drop his gun and fall to the ground. The kid’s slug ripped flesh in Slocum’s left arm.

  “Damn,” said the kid. “Damn, that was fast.”

  “I warned you,” said Slocum.

  “God damn you.”

  “Can you stand up?”

  “I don’t know,” Monkey said. “I’ll try. You gonna take me to a doctor?”

  “I’ll take you back to the ranch house. They can send for a doc if they want to. Get up.”

  Monkey turned as if to make an attempt to rise to his feet, but instead, he grabbed the revolver with his left hand and raised it to shoot. Slocum fired again. This time his bullet struck the kid in the forehead. Monkey dropped straight down on his face and lay there dead. Slocum ejected the spent shells from his Colt and reloaded. He picked up the kid and flung the body across the waiting horse. Then he retrieved the six-gun and poked it in his waistband. Taking the reins of the kid’s horse, he remounted his Appaloosa and turned around to ride back to the ranch headquarters.

  Cash was alone in a café in town, drinking coffee. He really had no business in town. He thought that if he gave a strong enough hint and left the kid alone with Slocum, the kid would take care of the problem. He wondered how long it would take for the kid to make his move. He wondered what might happen out there. He knew that Slocum was good, but he thought that the kid might be a little better. He wondered, though, if the kid would have the good sense not to give Slocum a fair shake.

  He finished his coffee and walked outside to where his horse was tied. He stood for a moment, looking the town over. It was practically dead. A few people walked the sidewalks. A few horses were tied here and there. He mounted up and began the ride back to the Townsend ranch, going slow and taking his time.

  “I believe Cash put him up to it,” said Slocum. “He told me on the way out that Cash had business in town. Said he’d be along later. Then, when we got well out and away from everyone, he called me. He pushed it.”

  “I should have fired those two when Cash killed Shotgun,” Townsend said.

  “So what’s going to happen now?” Julie asked. “What’s left? For Cash to challenge you?”

  “He won’t do that,” Slocum said. “He’s more likely to try to shoot me from ambush.”

  “Slocum,” Julie began, but he interrupted her.

  “I know,” he said. “Be careful.”

  “I don’t like this,” said Townsend. “We’re thinning out our own ranks. And it’s the top guns that’s getting thinned.”

  “Yeah,” said Slocum. “I’m wondering about something.”

  “What?”

  “I’m wondering is it a plan. Is it just happening this way, or did Cash and the kid sell out?”

  “You mean—”

  “They went to work for Amos. That would explain Cash’s killing Shotgun, and it would explain Monkey’s attempt on me this morning.”

  “You mean they went to work for Amos,” said Townsend, “but they kept on coming here as if—”

  “As if everything was just the same,” Slocum said. “What better way to get rid of folks?”

  “All from the inside.”

  “Speaking of the devil,” said Julie, “here comes Cash now.”

  Slocum turned around, ready for anything, as Cash rode up to the house. The newcomer quickly took in the situation. He saw the body on the horse, and he saw Slocum’s stance. Townsend and Julie too were giving him hard looks. No one bothered to speak a greeting. Cash tried to play dumb.

  “Is that Monkey there?”

  “You know it is,” said Slocum.

  “What happened?”

  “He tried to outgun me,” said Slocum.

  “We believe that you put him up to it,” Townsend said. “You’re no longer welcome here.”

  “You mean I’m fired?”

  “You’re fired.”

  “You going to take it just like that?” Slocum asked. “Or you gonna step down off that horse and fight me?”

  “I don’t want to fight you, Slocum. Hell, you saved my life.”

  “That was one big mistake I made. What’s it gonna be?”

  “I ain’t gonna fight you,” said Cash. He turned his horse and headed for the gate. Slocum pulled out his Colt and pointed it at Cash’s back. He stood there until Cash was well out of six-gun range. Then he put it away again.

  “Damn it,” he said. “I couldn’t do it. Not like that.”

  “I’m glad,” said Julie. “I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had shot him, but I’m glad you didn’t.”

  “Ah, hell,” said Slocum. “I should have. I’ll likely live to regret it too. One of these days, I’m going to have to kill him.”

  Townsend called to one of the cowhands he spotted headed toward the corral, and told the man to take care of the body on the horse. The cowboy took horse and dead man away. Then Townsend said, “Slocum, come on up and sit with us a spell.”

  Slocum hesitated. Then he went up on the porch and took a seat.

  “You reckon Cash will move on over to the White Hat now?” Townsend asked.

  “There’s no place else for him to go,” said Slocum.

  “Unless he pulls up stakes.”

  “He won’t do that. I imagine that Amos has offered him a fair amount of money to finish us off.”

  “Other than Cash,” Townsend said, “Amos has got only a few hands left.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You reckon we had oughta hit them first?”

  “And hit them hard,” said Slocum. “Let’s do it right this time and finish the job.”

  “All right.”

  “When we hit them the first time,” said Slocum, “we rode over early in the morning and attacked the ranch house and the bunkhouse. Right?”

  “Right.”

  “We’ll do the same thing again, but this time, we won’t stop. We’ll have some of the boys with torches, and we’ll set fire to the houses. Burn them out. Kill them all.”

  “Every last son of a bitch,” Townsend said. “When?”

  “First thing in the morning.”

  Townsend called in all his hands and had them gathered around the big porch. He told them about Cash and Monkey and made sure that everyone knew what had happened. Then he told them Slocum’s plan.

  “You don’t have to ride with us on this,” he said. “You didn’t hire on with me for this kind of work. But any of you who want to go along will be more than welcome.” Snaggletooth raised his hand. “No, Snaggletooth. I don’t want you to go. I want you to stay here with Julie.”

  Everyone else agreed to go along.

  “All right, men,” said Townsend. “Now, I’m turning this whole business over to Slocum here, so from now till it’s done, listen to him.”

  Slocum stepped up on the porch. “We’ll gather up right here at five o’clock,” he said. “Be mounted, and be well armed. Check your weap
ons over real good tonight, and make sure you have plenty of ammunition. We’ll have some torches here for some of you. Now go on and get ready and try to get a good night’s sleep. You’ll need it.”

  The men dispersed to do as they had been told. Slocum sat down heavily. Townsend offered him a cigar, and he took it and lit it. “Thanks,” he said.

  “How about a little whiskey?”

  “A little whiskey would be good,” Slocum said.

  Townsend turned to his niece. “Julie?”

  “I’ll get it,” she said. She went into the house. Townsend took a seat near Slocum.

  “It’ll all be over in the morning,” Townsend said.

  “Yeah.”

  Slocum puffed on the good cigar. Julie came back out with a bottle and three glasses and poured whiskey all around.

  “That’s good,” said Slocum. “Thanks.”

  They sipped their whiskey for a while, and Townsend excused himself to go to bed, leaving Slocum and Julie alone on the porch.

  12

  Slocum was at the front porch ready to go before anyone else. He left his Appaloosa standing there and went up to take a chair on the porch and wait for the others. He sat there, not thinking about the coming fight but about his experience on that very porch the night before. After he had been left alone with Julie, he sat and visited with her. Then he had put an arm around her shoulders, and she had kissed him. It had been a long and lingering kiss, one that promised more to come. Slocum had not tried to follow up on that promise. He had not tried to go any further. There had been more kisses, but nothing else.

  In the morning, the memories of the kisses and the promise stayed with him. They preyed on his mind and body. He wondered when he might expect that intriguing promise to be kept. He wondered if it would ever be kept. He was getting ready to go into a fight this morning, a fight to the finish, and he did not know how many men were on the other side. Neither did he know if they would be waiting for the attack or be caught by surprise. He did know that the White Hat outfit had one professional gunslinger in their ranks: Joe Cash, Slocum’s former compadre. He was startled out of his reverie when the front door of the big house was opened and Townsend came out.