.44 Caliber Man (20 page)

Pandemonium
reigned briefly around the fire but Dusty’s orders sent men
scurrying to obey. Tossing his pipes on to the trunk, Colin scooped
up his own rope and leapt after Jeanie. Once clear of the fire, his
eyes quickly grew accustomed to the darkness. Running at his best
speed, he went by the girl. Ahead he could see the dun stallion
racing around the corral. Then it headed for the fence in his
direction, gathering itself for a jump. Even as the horse took off,
Colin shook free the loop of his rope. Much of his spare time, all
that could be given when not learning the art of quick-draw, had
gone to practicing with the lariat. For all that, he felt nervous
as the dun sailed over the corral rails towards him. If Jeanie lost
the horse, she would hold him responsible and go back to her old
way of treating him. Muttering a silent prayer, he sent the loop
flying out. With elation he saw that he had thrown true—and
remembered the last occasion that he roped a stallion. Then he had
been on a horse. Now he was a-foot and the situation would be even
more dangerous.

Plunging by
Colin, the stallion ran on. Grimly the Scot set his teeth and dug
in his heels as he prepared to fight against the jolting pull that
must come. Just before it happened, Jeanie arrived and grabbed the
rope ahead of him.

‘
Heave back as hard as you can!’ the girl yelled.

Obediently
Colin threw all his weight to the rear. Nine hundred pounds of
running horse rushed towards the end of the rope. However the
lariat snapped tight about its neck and struck its flank, giving a
warning. Having already learned the futility of fighting against a
choking noose, the dun did not try. Showing the agility which had
so attracted Jeanie when she first saw it, the horse came around on
its hind legs.

With a deft
flick, Jeanie sent the loose rope curling out to encircle the dun’s
sky-pawing forelegs. A jerk drew them together and when the horse
landed it crashed on to its side.

‘
Keep him down, Colin!’ Jeanie ordered, darting to snatch up
her own lariat. ‘I’ll get my rope on him and we can take him
back.’

Winded by the
fall, the dun made no further fight on being released. After they
had led it into the corral, Colin stood and looked around. In the
night-pen Dusty and Mark examined the horses with the aid of a
lantern from the wagon. Felix rode up to say that, although
disturbed, the lead-mares still held together. Clearly the
picket-line had held, but Ma and one of the men were checking on
the state of the holding stakes.

‘
I’m sorry, Jeanie,’ Colin said at the girl came to his
side.

‘
It’s our fault more than your’n,’ the girl replied. ‘We ought
to’ve known how easy the horses spook. How’d you fix to stop the
dun?’

‘
I never gave it a thought,’ Colin admitted.

‘
Even after what happened last time?’

‘
It was your horse, lass. I didn’t mean to let it
go.’

‘
You crazy Scotch yahoo!’ Jeanie breathed, turning to face him.
‘You risked your neck for me.’

Next moment she
was in his arms and their lips met. After a moment they separated
and stood looking at each other.

‘
I—I’m sorry,’ Colin whispered.

‘
Damned if I am,’ Jeanie replied. ‘I liked it—Come on, let’s
get back and see if there’s anything we can do.’

‘
It’d be best,’ Colin agreed. ‘Will the dun be all right in
there?’

‘
I reckon so. After the way he lit down, he’ll not feel like
jumping again for a spell.’

On their return
to the fire, Jeanie and Colin found the others coming back. Before
any of them could speak, the girl launched into a defense for
Colin.

‘
It wasn’t his fault,’ she announced.

‘
Nobody says it was,’ Ma replied. ‘Only I’d’s soon we didn’t
have any more bagpipe music ’round the camp.’

‘
I warned you the pipes are an acquired taste,’ Colin pointed
out. ‘Did any of the horses hurt themselves?’

‘
Few bruises, some with the wind knocked out of them is all,’
Dusty replied. ‘We’d best take a longer look in the morning
though.’

‘
Sure,’ Ma agreed.

Once more the
group gathered about the fire and the conversation welled up.
Fernan returned Colin’s bagpipes, discarded in the rush to prevent
the dun escaping, and Dusty watched the Scot put them back into the
trunk.

‘
Ma,’ the small Texan said. ‘What’s the hardest part of a
corrida?’

Trader allus
reckoned getting the hosses going the way you want ’em to and not
busting back away from the caracol.’

There’re a
couple of mestenas up this way that must have bust out of a
corral,’ Jeanie went on. ‘Now they’ll not drive. As soon as you
try, they turn and run back towards you. Once that happens, more of
’em go along. Why, Dusty?’

‘
It’s just a fool notion,’ Dusty replied. ‘But I think I know
how we can make them go the way we want.’

‘
How?’ Jeanie asked.

‘
With those bagpipes,’ Dusty explained. ‘If Colin gets at the
back of the range we’re fixing to drive and rides towards the
caracol playing ’em, the mustangs will head away from
him.’

‘
They might at that,’ Jeanie admitted and explained the scheme
to Felix who grinned broadly and answered. Also smiling, the girl
translated for Colin’s benefit. ‘Felix’s for it. He reckons that he
near on headed for the high country his-self when you cut loose
with ’em, Colin boy.’

‘
Tell him he’s no taste for good music, lass,’ Colin
suggested.

‘
Will you do it for us, Colin?’ Ma asked.

‘
That I will, Ma,’ the Scot agreed. ‘We may have to plug my
horse’s ears though. He might not have a taste for good music
either.’

Having adopted
Dusty’s scheme, Ma and the others discussed it for a time and
decided how it could best be carried out. With the arrangements
made, they turned in for the night. Double guards kept watch in
case the Tejas returned, but dawn came without the Indians making
an appearance.

There would be
a delay before setting out to make the corrida, while the mustangs
in the night-pen received a more thorough examination than had been
possible by lantern light. So Jeanie decided to give the dun a
workout. On her arrival at the corral, she found the horse acting
in a subdued manner and had little difficulty in saddling it. Nor
did it protest as she led it to the stream, then mounted in the
water. After a short time, she steered the dun ashore. It stood for
a moment and she prepared to ride out in a spate of bucking.
However the expected protest did not come, so she gently started
the dun moving and rode it to where the men were gathered.

‘
How’s this?’ Jeanie asked, looking to where Colin was slinging
the bagpipes over his shoulder by their carrying strap.

‘
You’ve done real we—’ the Scot began.

Pride on his
face, Fernan moved forward to take a better look at the girl. In
doing so, he knocked a pile of tin plates from the bench formed by
the tail-gate of the wagon. They landed on the hard earth with an
unholy clatter. Instantly the dun blew out a snort, bounded into
the air almost unseating its rider and took off on the run.

Although taken
by surprise, Jeanie did not panic. She had been riding almost since
the day she learned to walk and acted automatically. Clamping hold
of the saddle with her legs, she caught her balance and started to
pull on the reins to regain control. Immediately she knew that she
was in trouble. During the jolt from landing on the startled bound,
the dun had managed to get the bit between its teeth. Which meant
that she could not hope to control it by the reins.

‘
Damn this fool stupid horse!’ she muttered. ‘All right, blast
you, run ’til you’re ready to stop. I can take it as long as you
can—and you’ll still have to carry me back.’

With that she
composed herself for what she knew would be a long, fast ride and
gave her full attention to staying on the racing dun’s back.

At the sight of
the dun taking off, the mesteneros hooted with laughter. All of
them at one time or another had been carried off in a similar
manner and regarded it as a part of their work. Knowing Jeanie’s
ability as a horsewoman, they felt no anxiety for her safety.

Not so Colin.
Seeing one of the men had led up his bay to be saddled, he raced
towards it. Going aside its bare back, he snatched the hackamore
from the man’s hand. With a wild yell, the Scot started the horse
running in pursuit of the girl he loved.

‘
Want for us to go after them, Ma?’ Mark inquired.

‘
Naw,’ she answered. ‘They’ll do all right without us. Best
give them half an hour and if they’re not back by then start the
corrida without them.’

‘
Jeanie’ll be pot-boiling mad if we do,’ Dusty pointed
out.

‘
She wants for Colin to have his chance to make
good.’

‘
You’re right about that,’ Ma admitted. ‘It’s be best to wait
for them.’

Time went by
without Jeanie and Colin reappearing. None of the others were
worried for they knew a spooked horse so recently caught would run
a considerable distance before coming to a halt. Then it would need
to cool out and rest up before making the return journey. Following
the Texas tradition, Colin strapped on his gunbelt while dressing.
So he carried the loaded Dragoon Colt and dirk as a means of
defense. Dusty considered the Scot well able to handle the revolver
should the need arise.

‘
Lon’s coming!’ Mark snapped.

Watching the
black dressed youngster gallop towards them, Dusty knew there was
trouble in the air. Sweat lathered the stallion’s flanks and it
showed signs of long, fast travel. Mark sprang forward to take the
reins as the Kid dismounted and began to walk the horse until it
cooled down.

‘
Those damned Tejas!’ the Kid gasped as April ran forward
carrying a mug of water. ‘They’ve met up with the Flores bunch and
the whole boiling of ’em’re headed this way.’

Once again
Dusty took charge. ‘Get the mares brought in, Felix!’ he barked.
‘Mark, take some men and have the sarprimas off the mustangs.
Manuel, take the horses from the picket line into the corral. Then
grab your rifles ready for a fight. Do you want me to send Lon and
some of the boys after Jeanie and Colin, Ma?’

For a moment
the woman hesitated, then she shook her head. ‘We’ll need every gun
right here,’ she decided. ‘When they hear the shooting, they’ll
guess what’s happened and stay clear until it’s safe to come
in.’

Never had Colin
ridden as he did while urging his mount after Jeanie’s speeding
bay. Paying no attention to his surroundings, he concentrated on
keeping the girl in sight. He knew that he could not hope to
overhaul the dun, which carried a lighter load—even with its
saddle—than the bay. Nor did the distance increase greatly, for the
horse he rode was a running fool.

All in all
Jeanie was enjoying the ride. Before they had gone far, she knew
that the dun was not running blind. It avoided such obstacles as
lumps of rock or clumps of mesquite, showing no inclination to try
crashing into either. With cat-footed ease, it slid down slopes and
rocketed up others as if its mother had been part big-horn sheep.
Although it made for a sizeable bosque, she felt no anxiety.
Knowing there was no way to hold it, she gave her full attention to
evading branches. She felt something catch her right sleeve, but
the material tore before she could be dragged out of the
saddle.

Following the
girl, Colin marveled at her riding skill. He could tell that the
horse had the bit between its teeth and felt admiration at the way
in which his Jeanie stayed with it. Ahead of the dun lay a stream
and it sailed across like a whitetail deer bounding over a log.
Setting his teeth, Colin guided the bay towards the water.
Gathering itself, it leapt and lit down on the other shore to
resume the pursuit through the trees.

Through the
bosque they went, then across the rolling, open country. A small
mestena broke out of a draw and ran ahead of the dun. At the sight
of its own kind, the horse gave chase. For their part, the mustangs
had seen the girl on the dun’s back and Colin coming up in the
rear. So they fled at their best speed, hazed on and guided by
their stallion.

Over four miles
had fallen behind Jeanie and Colin since leaving the camp. At last
the girl could feel her horse tiring. Yet it kept up its attempts
to catch up with the mestena. Driven by the fear of their human
pursuers, the mustangs swung into the mouth of a canyon. Naturally
the dun followed and Colin brought up the rear.

Thundering
along the floor of the canyon, the mustangs found it came to a
blind end. On the right, the slope rose too steeply to be climbed
and at the left the side rose almost vertically as did the end. So
the horses whirled about and rushed back towards the entrance.
Jeanie’s dun saw them coming and also tried to go around. Charging
through its mares, the herd stallion smashed into the dun’s rump as
it went by. Knocked staggering, the dun screamed and started to go
down.

With the skill
of years behind her, Jeanie quit the saddle of her falling mount.
Lighting down on the run, she saw horses flashing by and dived
behind a rock. Crouched in its shelter, she turned to see Colin
sliding off the bare back of his rearing, spooked bay. On landing,
the Scot threw himself clear of the bay’s churning legs. Much as he
wanted to try to catch the horse, he saw there would be no chance.
The mustangs thundered towards him and would run him down before he
could do so. There was only once chance for Colin for he could see
no rock large enough to offer him shelter. Diving, he flattened
himself belly down on the ground and relied upon the wild horses’
aversion to trampling on strange objects to save him. The gamble
paid off. Most of the mustangs swerved around him, but two hurdled
his body without touching him and he rose unharmed as the mestena
streamed out of the canyon accompanied by his bay.