The Dawn of Fury (19 page)

Warily the stranger dismounted, and Bean said nothing more. While the rider had already told them the nature of his trouble, it was still up to him to state what help he expected of Bean and his companions. He spoke, directing his appeal to Bean.

“There's four of us,” he began, “two of 'em bad hurt. I'm Blevins. Me an' Springer wasn't hurt. Springer stayed with Coe an' Walker, while I come lookin' for help.”

“Nearest town's sixty mile away,” said Bean. “How'd you know we was here?”

“We're downwind from you,” Blevins said. “I smelt smoke from your fire.”

Bean nodded, for it was possible.

“Damn Comanches kilt three of our horses an' both pack mules,” Blevins continued. “We got no way to get Coe an' Walker to a doc, an' no way to move our goods the mules was carryin'. If your wagons ain't too loaded to make room for us, we'd pay.”

“Depends,” said Bean, “on where yer headed. We got freight waitin' fer us in Corpus Christi. I reckon we could take you an' yer supplies there.”

“We'd expect nothing more,” Blevins replied. “Must be a doc there, an' we could buy horses an' pack mules.”

“We'll take two wagons,” said Bean. “One fer the wounded men an' one fer saddles, packsaddles, an' the load the mules was carryin'. I'll take my wagon, an' Eli, you drive yours. Stone, saddle your horse an' ride on ahead with Blevins. Delmano, you an' Renato stay here in camp.”

It was a strange request, and for a fleeting moment, Nathan thought he caught some alarm in Blevins's eyes. Nathan saddled his horse, mounted, and followed Blevins downriver, and he believed his own thoughts were in line with Bean's. In leaving Nathan's wagon behind, they also were leaving two of the horses. Bean clearly wasn't sure of this situation, and wanted Nathan mounted and unencumbered by the heavy freight wagon. Nathan caught up to the other rider, for he had a question.

“Lucky for you, makin' it to the river,” Nathan said. “Where did the Comanches attack?”

“Maybe two miles east of where we stood an' fought,” said Blevins. “We knowed there was water ahead, for we could see some greenery.”

“After woundin' two men and leavin' you afoot,” Nathan said, “it's some mystery why they didn't take your scalps and your goods. You must have laid some of them low.”

“Yeah,” said Blevins. “There was eight of 'em, an' we gunned down four.”

Nathan said nothing, but his sharp eyes noted the absence of a rifle on Blevins's saddle, nor was there a boot for one. While it was possible the four had fought off Comanches with revolvers, it didn't seem likely. Nathan wanted a look at the saddles belonging to the other riders. From the corner of his eye, he caught movement to his left—unbidden, Cotton Blossom followed.

It took only a few minutes for Nathan and Blevins to reach the place near the river where the four men had stood off the Comanches, and it took just a moment for Nathan to discover that all had not been as Blevins had claimed. The three horses
had
obviously died as the result of Comanche arrows, but the pack mules had been shot through the head.

“All this wasn't Comanche work,” Nathan said. “When they attacked us, they had only bows and arrows. Those mules were shot at close range. Hell, I can see the powder burns from here.”

“And just what would you of done?” Blevins demanded. “They come down on us out of nowhere, an' there wasn't no cover. Not even a mesquite bush. We needed a barricade an' we needed it quick. Better the mules than us.”

“Where are the packsaddles and their loads?” Nathan asked.

“Me an' Springer managed to tote ever‘thing on to the river,” Blevins replied. “We knowed the Comanches would come back for their dead, even if they done it after dark, an' we didn't want 'em takin' all we had. Hell, we lost enough.”

When he and Blevins reached the camp near the river, Nathan wasn't all that surprised to find that, while Coe and Walker had been wounded, the wounds weren't nearly as serious as Blevins had implied. He introduced his three companions, and Nathan didn't like the looks of them. Coe was minus his shirt and a dirty bandage covered most of his left shoulder, while Walker's Levi's had been slit and his right leg had been swathed in bandages above the knee. Springer, Coe, and Walker—like Blevins—wore range clothes, and each of them was armed with Colts. The butts of the weapons were slick, Nathan noticed, from frequent use. It was immediately apparent that the wounded men, if they had been wounded at all, were in no danger. Nathan saw it as a ploy Blevins had used to influence Roy Bean's judgment. The four men, gunwise and otherwise, were a salty bunch. Obviously all they needed were horses to replace the mounts they'd lost and a means of transporting the heavy packsaddles. A quick look at the three men's saddles revealed that only two of them carried rifles. Nathan looked long and hard at the packsaddles, while the four men eyed him. Among them, the four could have carried necessary provisions in their saddlebags and bed rolls. Certainly the enormous canvas-wrapped loads the mules had borne were more than grub and personal belongings.

Nathan stood beside his horse, waiting for Bean and Eulie to arrive with the wagons. There was something wrong here, and since Bean had made a commitment to these men, it would be up to him to reach some decision. Bean reined up his teams and stepped down from the wagon box. Eulie remained where she was while Blevins again introduced his companions.

Roy Bean wasted no time in saying exactly what Nathan Stone had thought. “By God, Blevins,” he said, “them mules was shot at close range, and yer pards ain't been more'n nicked, if that. I don't take kindly to havin' a man lie to me. You ain't got enough money to hire my wagons, an' I won't take you nowhere without some damn convincin' talk. Now talk.”

Bean had his Winchester in the crook of his right arm, but the four men had their eyes on Nathan Stone. He stood with his thumbs hooked in his pistol belt near the butts of his Colts. Eulie had drawn her wagon up beside Bean's, and now leaned back against the seat, right hand resting near her Colt.

Blevins bowed to Bean's ultimatum. “All right, damn it,” he said, “I wasn't levelin' with you. I only said what I had to. Like I told Stone, when the Comanches come down on us, we had no cover. We had to fort up quick, an' it was the mules or us. Now we're needin' a wagon—maybe two—so's we can get to the nearest town. We're on gover'ment business, an' you'll be paid.”

“I got all the gover‘ment business I can afford,” Bean replied. “You lied to me once, Blevins, an' if you can't show some proof you're with the gover'ment, then the bunch of you can set here till you rot.”

“I got proof,” Blevins said. “In my shirt pocket.”

“Use yer left hand,” said Bean, “an' do it slow.”

Slowly Blevins complied. He then tossed the object to Bean, who caught it in his left hand. It proved to be a silver star in a circle. The badge of a Texas Ranger.

“I reckon that covers you,” Bean said, “but it ain't big enough to cover the rest of these hombres. They got somethin' like this, it's time to show it. You first, an' do it slow.” He pointed the Winchester at Springer.

Slowly Springer removed another of the silver emblems from a pocket and Bean shifted the muzzle of the Winchester toward Coe, only to be shown a third Ranger symbol.

“I reckon you've seen enough,” Blevins said, sarcasm touching his voice.

“You reckon wrong,” said Bean. “One more.” He swung the Winchester's deadly snout toward Walker.

There was no change in Bean's expression when Walker produced the badge. Again he turned to Blevins with a question.

“Jist where was you bound when the Comanches clipped yer wings? Fer sure you wasn't goin' to Corpus Christi, an' now yer ready to pay to go there.”

“None of your damn business where we were bound,” Blevins snarled. “You said you're going to Corpus Christi. We're going there because it's the nearest place we can buy horses and pack mules. Are you satisfied?”

“No,” said Bean, “I ain't. I take you to Corpus Cristi, an' I'm makin' myself a party to whatever it is yer up to. I don't care a damn fer the
why
of it, but I'm sure as hell goin' to know where you're bound to end up.”

“All right,” said Blevins. “This and no more. We're on our way to the outpost at Laredo. When we get to Corpus Christi, why don't you telegraph the Laredo post commander?”

“Maybe I will,” Bean replied. “Load yer saddles an' packs in the second wagon, an' them of ye needin' a ride, pile into mine.”

Bean mounted the wagon box and waited until Springer, Coe, and Walker had clambered in through the open pucker of the wagon. Nathan thought the wounded men handled themselves well. Maybe a little too well. By the time the two wagons reached Bean's camp it was almost dark. Cotton Blossom was nowhere to be seen. It was significant that Bean said nothing to the new arrivals about taking a turn at watch. The saddles belonging to Springer, Coe, and Walker, along with the loaded, canvas-wrapped packsaddles, remained in Eulie's wagon, and the four men were never far away. The questionable quartet were within Bean's camp, but they were not part of it. They spread their blankets near Eulie's wagon, while Eulie and Nathan distanced themselves from the four. It was almost time for Nathan and Eulie to begin the second watch when Cotton Blossom finally appeared.

“He doesn't like them,” Eulie whispered. “Rangers or not, I'm with him.”

Nathan said nothing, waiting until they joined Bean, Delmano, and Renato. It would be the first opportunity they'd had to talk freely, and Nathan wasted no time.

Bean said nothing, listening. “Maybe you're satisfied,” Nathan said grimly, “but I'm not. I've seen the varmints lookin' at our horses. They're needin' three horses and we have three. A damn shame we have oxen pullin' the wagons instead of mules.”

“Ain't it, though,” said Bean. “Them packsaddles is loaded almighty heavy with somethin', an' fer now they're needin' a wagon. I don't know where or how they got them Ranger stars. They're real enough, but something about this bunch jist don't wash. I'm thinkin' we'd best keep our guns handy.”

“I'm thinkin' you, Delmano, and Renato had best spread your blankets near enough for us to keep close watch,” Nathan said. “This bunch could kill all of you while you sleep, givin' 'em the edge over me and Eli.”

“We'll do that,” said Bean. “I don't trust this bunch as far as I could fling an ox by the tail.”

“Neither do we,” Nathan replied. “Just how long do you intend to trail with them without calling their hand?”

“Jist until first light,” said Bean. “When we're done with breakfast, you an' Eli be ready. When Delmano, Renato, an' me go to our wagons, it'll be fer our Winchesters. Foller my lead an' we'll get the drop. Then one of us is goin' after them packsaddle loads. I reckon when we find out jist what these hombres is hidin‘, they'll either prove the truth of what they told us, or we'll see 'em fer what they
really
are.”

With that, followed by Delmano and Renato, Bean faded into the darkness, leaving Nathan, Eulie, and Cotton Blossom alone. They stood beneath cottonwoods, watching as the trio became visible in the dim starlight. They were going to spread their blankets near Bean's wagon.

“We'll stay here,” Nathan said quietly. “Blevins and his friends are down yonder behind your wagon, and we're downwind from them.”

“None of this makes any sense,” Eulie said. “I don't believe a word those four have spoken, but if they aren't what they seem, why are they going to Corpus Christi? Even if there are no soldiers, the government freight office will have the telegraph.”

“If none of us reach Corpus Christi alive,” said Nathan, “they won't be concerned with us using the telegraph. They could kill us somewhere north of town, and taking our horses, they'd all be mounted. One of them could ride on to Corpus Christi, buy a pair of pack animals, and the four of them could be on their way to the border with nobody the wiser.”

“But suppose they
are
Rangers,” Eulie said, “and when we force their hand, we kill some of them? God, we'll both go to Huntsville for life.”

“If they're leveling with us,” said Nathan, “I don't expect any shooting, and if it comes to gunplay over what's in those packs, then these pilgrims are no more Rangers than we are.”

The dawn came and breakfast was eaten in silence. Bean, Delmano, and Renato did nothing to arouse suspicion. They caught up their teams, leading them to the wagons as though to be harnessed. But inside the wagon box, next to the seat, each man carried a Winchester, and when they turned with the weapons in their hands, the surprise was total. The cocking of the Winchesters was simultaneous.