Show AR MAN V q C wl so A A 7 f w w SERVICE S fis cap riggi ay S P eto 0 ac 3 f mot 1 CHAPTER 13 H OLLISTER CLUSTER was dead but what he had started to do could still be done he had wanted to settle this trouble single handed without risking the lives of more C C people young champion horsechief Horse thief fisher helen herself walt gandy believed he could carry it through some time between half past one and half past two riding hollisters Hol listers black he returned up the west cut and topped out upon the prairie the stiff steer hide that had been hanging on a limb of the waterhole water hole hoie cedar was now in a roll beneath his left arm and held by loops of his rope his right hand guided the black away from the ravine head in a course quartering sharply northward the drive of 77 cattle which he had seen this afternoon would move toward the sink at about two miles an hour that gave them perhaps five miles before they had bedded down for the night they would still be a couple of miles short of the sink rims yet there was considerable chance for error gandy knew in this figuring here on the prairie top he could hardly see his hands in front of his face his northward course was chosen more out of instinct than anything else only faintly at rare times could he distinguish a division between the level earth and the overcast sky and know at least he was not riding toward a jump off wind generally swept from the northwest this time of year he kept his face into that every move walt gandy made was mechanical with a cold deadly calm never had his feelings been so close to those of a killer he looked forward with no fear nor misgivings the thing was merely fact if there came a hitch in the business ahead he would kill his greatest concern was that he might stumble upon the cattle and jump the herd before finding the men who guarded it he wanted the men one man jeff stoddard it was perhaps an hour half past three when the biting wind came laden with something besides the cold the odor of cattle not unpleasant to a bowmans cow mans nostrils gandy drew his horse in he rested the hide roll across his saddle his wounded left leg bothered him and he let it hang straight for a moment ile he sat absolutely still to one uninitiated in working range cattle it would not seem possible that two thousand head might be lying there within a stones throw he could imagine them with noses tucked back against bent forelegs fore legs avoiding the cold the herd giving off no sound whatever if it was comfortably bedded an outsider would not know either the lightning swiftness with which these same animals could rise and hit the ground running any foreign noise could start that jump or even the unexpected stamp of a horses hoof too near some light sleeper walt gandy sat waiting for some time until certain he had the bed ground located straight in front of him off perhaps a couple of hundred paces stiffly he drew his left foot up to the stirrup he shifted the rolled hide over and let it down onto the ground leaving his rope looped about it there might be some difficulty in finding the hide again yet edging forward once more he could mark the gray blob it made against the dark prairie A little later certain that he was close to the bedded herd and in the route of night guards who would be riding circle gandy halted slid from his saddle and dropped the blacks reins the me horse stood anchored head lowered into the unbroken sweep of fall all wind gandy moved back hall half a dozen steps and crouched down now from this position melted into the earth he could faintly make out the animal in front of him and a sector of prairie horizon lined against the overcast heavens he did not have long to wait cowhands riding night herd dont sing altogether to amuse themselves they want to let the cattle know they are moving around and by the familiarity of a human voice avoid the sudden jump and stampede that gandy himself had been wary of in less than five minutes after he had hunkered low he heard the swish of a rider coming through dry prairie grass and the unmusical monotone of the mans cow lul laby the rider was bearing out of the northwest along with the sweep of wind cigarette smoke drifted ahead of him then there came a pin point of red light that alternately glowed faded and presently described a downward arc as the butt was thrown away gandy drew his thirty eight for if the rider continued a direct approach he would discover the black horse in another two or three minutes the tired animal had lifted his head but then dropped it without and now remained motionless ti the looming form was within five paces when walt gandy spoke without rising reach up youl you quick and quiet dont spur that horse of yours either there was a split second in which the figure jerked and if he could have located the voice guns would have flared then walt saw two arms go up drop he snapped A revolver spun downward and thud ded he stood up giving orders low voiced while moving across the short space between himself and the mounted man turn and slide down facing me dont grab anything I 1 dont usually play hall ball this way now stand there he stepped up to a lean range rider of about his own height thrust the thirty eight in close a and nd felt for more weapons there were none he reached out and slid the rifle from its saddle scabbard now he said gather up both horses and walk the way I 1 tell you the arms came down look here 11 shut up said gandy 01 turn square about and go s straight ahead in time walking behind li his is f prisoner and the two animals he came to the steer hide angled on a short distance to the left of it and halted rapidly he took down the mans man 1 s own rope ordered him to stretch full length upon the earth and bound him his voice was quiet every action was in that cold deadly calm listen you carefully because im going to kill you he paused then finished right here on the spot unless you give me the dope Is jeff stoddard with the herd he bent over from flat on his back the man glared up silent gandy clicked the hamm hammer er of his gun better speak up brother what you say wont work to hurt you any but what you dont say will check you out Is jeff stoddard with the herd or not yes came the answer where in camp or night ight rid ing V how do I 1 know gandy stabbed downward the gun muzzle pressed against against hard flesh honest I 1 dont knowl then your password tonight the reply came more promptly on guard and the answer to that hands down you better be sure right gandy warned because im going to try it and if it work ill come back and kill you he reached down yanked the mans coat tail up over his head and tied rope ends around it muffling him in the course of half an hour two riders approaching warily from op cosite directions across the black prairie came to a stop on guard said one low toned hands down replied the other they closed in apt said gandy gun whipped into startled eyes no sound youl keep em like that kick your foot out and come down facing me he followed to the ground added to his collection of guns and then afoot drove this second prisoner back in the same direction as aa the tha first but not within sight of each other these men au all looked alike to him hard long backed tight mouthed yet his cold words brought talk enough and he left this one as he had that other bound flat and head swathed in a coat he still had no definite news of the 77 owner whether his approach to the herd this time was a little misjudged or an an animal imal had shifted its bed out from the edge he know A lone critter rose suddenly almost under tinder his horses nose v the black wheeled the steer plunged off in a stiff legged jump then circled to see what had broken into its sleep split hoofs had rattled unnaturally loud in what had been dead silence and now about faced the animal took a snorting breath gandy waited his horse pulled in praying the fool steer would quiet down down and not start the others then next moment at his back a voice said on guard hands down he answered shifting his horse around immediately the voice snarled the mitter matter with you you damn fool jumping a cow like that want to start em running the rider came close growling time to change the guard go on in gandys candys gun flicked into the dim face his words rapped the night put your hands apt up I 1 mean it you put the upward flick of his gun continued on in a slashing blow at the mans jaw and his left hand shot out and grabbed the riders reins 4 it was a giant of a man he had bad met here for here was one who took a chance he had tried to draw gandy felt his gun strike bone the head snapped backward then the startled horses broke apart and he could only grab a handful of clothing losing both his grip on the reins reins and his thirty eight as he was yank yanked ed from the saddle still holding to the others coat front they struck earth together gan candys ys arms around a thick body huge in in s size ize and heavily muscled it was a giant of a man he had met here and the next moves were those of a skilled fighter twice they rolled clawing and then he felt himself suddenly in a scissors lock between powerful legs he wrenched the legs held iron arms were crushing him backward he recoiled from a savage head butt his wounded left leg went numb his fists lashing in curving blows seemed unable to connect all breath was rapidly being cut off from him and a blackness more than the night was flooding before his eyes he braced both arms back upon the ground trying to heave the weight from his body managed only to rise a little without being able to turn and then his touched metal he closed upon a gun and put all strength into a blow aimed at the back of the gouging head twice he struck the crushing weight went limp gandy rolled and struck again dizzily he groped up onto his knees and crouched swaying over the inert figure drawing painful breath into his lungs and fighting through a moment when the prairie top tilted and threatened to throw him down the man was breathing but did not move gandy felt over him lifting a revolver from the belt holster and knew then that the gun he had recovered first was his own thirty eight in a moment he located a sound of horses munching grass not far off found the black and the other animal and brought them to the motionless form calm deliberation was gone now an eager haste flooding over him neither of the other two prisoners had tried a desperate break as had this one and the savagery of his fighting seemed all at once more than an ordinary fear of capture the eyes were opening narrowly pinpointing pin pointing up at him gandy whipped downward with the thirty eight dont try yel lingI sit api upi As nothing happened he reached over and yanked the man upright 1 I said up laclear clear up get onto your feet he helped with a prod of his right boot toe the man rose groggily now walk said gandy jabbing forward with the gun he followed leading the two horses and took a course still to the left of his other captives far enough he halted stand there in rapid movement he pulled the mans rope from against the saddle horn made a loop and dropped it over the bare head lett letting ing it fall to knee level before jerking it tight his jerk was sudden the man lost balance tripped and sprawled face down gandy sat on him bound his legs knotting the rope behind out of reach he secured the wrists hard together and yet allowed for slight freedom of the fingers then cut the rope feeling in the inner coat pocket he found an envelope drew it out and cupped a match close under the flick of his thumbnail the match flared once and died in the wind gandy did not strike another but put the envelope back in the coat pocket very deliberately he took the mans own gun and emptied it of all but one shell he tied a ten foot length of rope to the gun butt and laid it out on the prairie brought the free end back toward the prone figure then he stood looking down stoddard he said your games up two dead men are going to sit beside you on this prairie top tonight n i drake and powell maybe one more now listen straight along this rope is is your gun with one bullet you can roll to it but if theres nothing on your conscience stay where you are ive caught two of your guards and now im going to send your herd back to the MRS hills after that ill come to see what youve done about this bullet he muffled stoddard also with a coat tied around his head then left him unbroken darkness still hung over the prairie but morning light could not be far off gandy swung the black into a fast walk until he located the steer hide picked it up mounted again and circled toward the bedded herd with the roll under his left arm not long after that any old timers who were guarding the 77 drive must have thought they were back in indian days for it was an indian stampede trick that walt gandy launched with the abruptness of a thunderbolt in a burst of drumming hoofs his black horse came down along the pool of cattle and at the end of a forty foot rope the stiff steer hide now outspread sailed and slapped the earth sailed again and slapped a startled cow the cow jumped bawling the thing sailed on rose swooped a gray shape that darted crazily into the air slammed into the herd and all the while set up a rattling and crackling of dry leather two thousand head of cows were on the hoot hoof their rising sounded like hail and then they were on the run they knew only one way back in the direction they had come the earth vibrated and gave off a rolling thunder guns crashed suddenly up ahead guards trying to turn the herd back upon itself but the animals were in full move the gunfire lasted only a moment the thunder and earth vibration continued twice walt gandy crossed behind the galloping white faces until a gun blazed close and a bullet winged past he wheeled throwing two slugs blindly then was carried out of range by the onrush of his horse he cut the hide loose and rode for a time following the stampede certain at last that it could not be checked and that these animals were headed for the 77 home range off on his left southward a new ripple of gunfire sounded and walt heard unmistakably the foghorn fog horn voice of horsechief Horse thief fisher and another that was like the baying of a texas bloodhound the C C riders had come bailey too and his bunch he drew down resting his wi winded nd horse with a hollow feeling all at once and he sat spent alone as far as his gaze could penetrate the prairie top while the ripple of guns moved on west and the thunder of cattle grew more and more distant morning grayed at his back someone was coming he wheeled and saw paul champion loping toward him the boy came up why you let me in this look he held up his forty five 1 I aint fired a shot gandy reined over to him and grinned all rights right boy boy chos come everyone sure the boss got ba back ck too hes somewhere did helen TO BE CONTINUED marked man 13 |