Flame Across the Land Page 11

  He lay on his stomach, waiting for the next flash of flame. He heard a sound and looked back to see that Maisie’s window was open. Praying that she wouldn’t expose herself to danger, he turned his attention to the trees and was taken by surprise when he saw two figures emerge from the shadows. They were vague and indistinct and it was hard to tell whether they were moving away from him or towards him. He could only assume that they thought they had killed him. He might have fired from where he lay, but instead he leaped to his feet, calling out as he did so. He had some vague thought that he might catch them by surprise and they might throw aside their weapons, but their response was instantaneous as they opened fire and lead went singing through the night air. Going down again on one knee, he took a moment to take aim and then squeezed the trigger of his revolver. As the smoke cleared he saw the nearer figure crumple and fall. The other one began to run towards him, firing as he did so. Seaton triggered again and the man fell forwards, impelled by his own momentum before crashing heavily to the earth.

  For a moment Seaton stood while silence descended, almost as unsettling as the noise of gunfire had been. Then he moved forward, knelt down and turned the man over. He was clearly dead. Seaton looked closely at his features but did not recognize him. He laid the man’s head down on the ground and went to the other man. Blood was pouring from his mouth and from a wound in the chest. He was still alive but as Seaton tried to staunch the bleeding his eyes glazed and he was gone. This time Seaton thought he vaguely recognized him but he had no further chance to place him because a clamour had arisen from the ranch-house. Lights appeared and several people came running towards him with guns in their hands.

  ‘Seaton, is that you?’ a voice rang out.

  He got to his feet and made haste to identify himself as they came up with Hillier in the lead followed by Utah and Brownlow. The foreman looked down at the two bodies lying in the dirt by the corral.

  ‘What happened?’ he snapped. ‘Are you OK, Seaton?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Seaton said. He gave a brief summary of what had just occurred.

  ‘Hell,’ Utah said when he had finished, ‘you were lucky the outcome wasn’t the other way round.’

  Hillier looked around, his eyes peering into the darkness. ‘Come on,’ he said, ‘we’d better get inside, just in case there are any more of the varmints.’

  ‘Hold on a moment,’ Seaton said. ‘I’ve got a feelin’ I know one of ’em.’ He kneeled down again beside the body of the man who had been shot in the chest.

  ‘I’m sure I’ve seen him before somewhere,’ he said.

  Utah and Hillier leaned down to take a look and Hillier let out a muted exclamation.

  ‘I reckon I know him too,’ he said. ‘His name is Held and he’s one of Brandon’s top men. I’ve come across him before in town.’

  ‘That’s it,’ Seaton exclaimed. ‘I can’t be absolutely sure, but I reckon he’s one of the men that tried to jump me at the livery stables.’

  ‘In that case,’ Hillier said, ‘I think we’ve got all the proof we need that Brandon is our man. Not that we needed it.’ He took another glance at the corpses. ‘We can put ’em in a shed for now,’ he said, ‘and see about buryin’ them tomorrow.’

  They turned and were making their way towards the bunkhouse when Montgomery appeared.

  ‘Sorry I got delayed,’ he said, ‘but Maisie was a little upset. She saw most of what happened from her window. Come over to the ranch-house. She’s OK now and insisted on makin’ some coffee.’

  When they entered, she had already placed the coffee on the table. She looked up as they came in and Seaton couldn’t help but notice that her anxious eye fell first on him.

  ‘Mr Seaton,’ she said, ‘I saw what happened. Who were those men? Please tell me you’re not hurt.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Seaton replied.

  She attempted to reply but there was a catch in her voice and with a murmured ‘Excuse me’, she turned and left the room.

  ‘Today’s events have unsettled her,’ Montgomery said. ‘She’ll be perfectly all right. Who could use some coffee?’

  They sat down and Montgomery poured. The hour was late and nobody had much to say. It was obvious to all of them that war had not only been declared, but they had just been involved in the first skirmish.

  Braithwaite had intended heading directly for the Mill Iron, but after despatching Held and Thurston on their mission, he began to have second thoughts. Would it not be better to go back to Lindenberg and await developments? His mind was in a state of confusion and all he could do was to arrive at a compromise by sending the remaining members of the posse back to town and continuing on to the Mill Iron alone. Apart from anything else, he didn’t want to take the risk of having to account for his tenure of his own cell. When they had left he continued riding for what seemed a long time. He was beginning to feel dozy and nodding in the saddle when he was brought to his senses by the appearance of a couple of horsemen riding rapidly towards him. He felt a sudden tension but relaxed as they got closer and he recognized them as Mill Iron ranch-hands.

  ‘Howdy Marshal,’ the first one said. ‘Ain’t you kinda out of your way some?’

  ‘I didn’t realize I was on Mill Iron range,’ Braithwaite replied. ‘As a matter of fact, I’ve come to see Mr Brandon.’

  The man nodded. ‘We’ll ride right along with you,’ he said. He turned to the other man who grinned. ‘Just in case you get lost,’ he added.

  Braithwaite had no objections to them keeping him company, but he made a point of avoiding getting into conversation with them. Before long they arrived at the ranch-house, a long sprawling building with added wings and a covered walkway leading to the bunkhouse. Braithwaite dismounted while the other two rode away around the side of the building. Brandon must have seen them coming for he quickly appeared at the door.

  ‘Marshal Braithwaite,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t expecting a visit quite so soon. Won’t you come on in?’

  Braithwaite was feeling nervous and the sight of Brandon’s large room with its costly furnishings and ornaments didn’t serve to put him more at ease.

  ‘You’ll join me in a drink?’ Brandon said, ushering him into a deep sofa.

  Without waiting for a reply, he opened a cabinet, took out a bottle, and poured drinks for them both. He handed one to Braithwaite, adding, ‘It’s specially imported malt.’

  Braithwaite took a sip. It tasted good, but no better to his palate than other whiskies he had tried.

  ‘Well,’ Brandon said. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve come all this way for the sake of your health. Is there something you want to tell me?’

  Braithwaite took a larger swallow of the whisky and spluttered. He had been considering what would be the best way to put things, but any conclusions he had arrived at had gone from his head. Thinking that the best thing would be to limit his story to the bare essentials, he gave a brief account of how he had tracked Seaton to the Lazy Ladder.

  ‘So what’s he doing there?’ Brandon asked.

  ‘I don’t know, but I thought you’d like to be kept informed.’

  Brandon swilled the whisky in his glass and was thoughtful for a moment.

  ‘You say Montgomery was there. How did he look? How did Seaton look, come to that?’

  Braithwaite wasn’t sure what Brandon was getting at, but Brandon provided the explanation himself.

  ‘I don’t know if you noticed anything, but my boys set his range on fire. Did a real good job of it too.’

  ‘Now you mention it,’ Braithwaite replied, ‘I guess they did look a mite frazzled.’

  Brandon burst into a laugh. ‘Frazzled!’ he repeated. ‘Well, I guess that’s one way of puttin’ it.’

  Braithwaite swallowed another mouthful of the whisky but didn’t say anything. Brandon seemed to be in a good mood but he was treading carefully. Suddenly the rancher put his glass down and leaned forward.

  ‘You say you set Held and Thurston to keep a watch on things. Maybe
they’ll deal with Seaton and maybe they won’t, but that’s really beside the point now. My concern is with Montgomery. You’ll agree I’ve made a good offer for the Lazy Ladder and given him every chance to sell. Well, it seems he’s still not persuaded so I think the time has come to stop playing his little game and go ahead with playing mine instead.’

  Braithwaite thought he understood what Brandon was saying and it seemed to tie in with his own aspirations.

  ‘Are you sayin’ you’re plannin’ to run Montgomery and his cowboys off the Lazy Ladder?’ he said.

  Brandon grinned. ‘That’s exactly what I’m saying, and I trust I have your support. Montgomery and his bunch of cowhands have been a constant source of trouble lately. Just look at what happened with the Sheepmen’s Association. It’s more than time for them to be brought to account and for law and order to be restored.’

  ‘That’s exactly the way I see it, Mr Brandon,’ Braithwaite replied.

  ‘Then I take it that I can count on your support and that I have the full backing of the law when I ride against the Lazy Ladder?’

  ‘Sure thing,’ Braithwaite replied. ‘You can count on me up to the hilt.’

  Brandon reached for his glass again. ‘Then I say let’s drink to puttin’ Montgomery and the Lazy Ladder in their place once and for all.’

  Braithwaite raised his glass and emptied the remaining contents, after which Brandon refilled it. By the time he had drunk another glass or two, Braithwaite was feeling good. All was right with the world after all. He and Brandon were brothers-in-arms, and his continuing role as marshal of Lindenberg was assured.

  Chapter Seven

  A day passed and then another without incident at the Lazy Ladder. There was work to be done in preparation for the roundup, but the men went about their business fully armed and on the lookout for trouble. It was a strange period of time. On the surface normality prevailed, but there was an underlying sense of tension because everyone knew an attack was likely. Montgomery and Hillier spoke about it to the ranch-hands, not trying to minimize the danger, but they all without exception accepted the situation and were ready to stand by Montgomery in the defence of the Lazy Ladder. That left one issue unresolved: what to do about Maisie. Montgomery’s main concern was for the safety of his daughter, and after giving the matter a lot of thought he decided that the best course of action would be for her to move into Lindenberg, where she had friends with whom she could stay. What he hadn’t reckoned on was her response to the suggestion, which was a polite but firm refusal.

  ‘If Brandon does go on the offensive, the Lazy Ladder will be no place for a woman,’ Montgomery pleaded.

  She looked at him askance. ‘When you came here and built up the ranch, who stood by you all the way?’ she asked.

  ‘I don’t see what that has to do with it,’ he replied.

  ‘I know things weren’t easy. You’ve told me yourself about how hard it was when you got started and the difficulties you had to face. It’s not the first time you’ve had to face up to intimidation. You stood firm and you came through but you didn’t do it alone.’

  Montgomery grimaced. ‘Your mother,’ he said. ‘She was right by my side.’

  ‘Yes, she was. And were you really expecting me to behave differently? Now, of all times, when the chips are really down? You seriously imagined I’d creep away and hide myself in town?’

  He looked at her and shook his head. ‘No,’ he said.

  ‘If it does come to a fight,’ she continued, ‘I intend being right there in the thick of it. I can handle a gun as well as any man.’

  ‘I don’t know about that,’ he said feebly.

  ‘Well, I do.’ She came close to him and put her head on his shoulder before raising her eyes to look into his face.

  ‘We’ll come through this together,’ she said, ‘the same as we always have. And Mother will be right there beside us too.’

  He put his hands on her head and drew it gently towards him to place a kiss on her brow.

  ‘Yes, of course,’ he said.

  She smiled. ‘Well, now that’s settled,’ she said, ‘I’ve got chores waiting to be done. I’ll see you later at supper.’

  She withdrew from his touch and left the room, her dress making a swishing sound as she moved, while her father remained standing, the shadow of a smile playing around his lips. Her words had brought back a flood of memories, but he was presently aroused from his reverie by a knock on the door. Pulling himself together, he opened it to find Seaton and Utah standing outside.

  ‘Sorry to disturb you,’ Seaton said, ‘but would it be OK if we had a word?’

  ‘Of course. Come on in.’ He stepped to one side as they entered and then closed the door behind them.

  ‘Take a seat,’ he said. ‘Can I offer you a drink?’

  Seaton waved aside the offer. ‘We don’t want to take up too much of your time,’ he said.

  ‘In that case, what can I do for you?’

  Seaton paused for a moment before replying. ‘Me and Utah have been thinkin’,’ he said. ‘I reckon we’re all agreed that there’s a high chance of Brandon and his boys makin’ an attack on the Lazy Ladder.’

  ‘I should think that’s certain,’ Montgomery interrupted.

  ‘Yeah. Well, that bein’ the case, neither of us feel too happy about waitin’ around for it to happen.’ He glanced at Utah.

  ‘We don’t like the idea of bein’ pinned down in the ranch-house,’ the oldster confirmed. ‘We both figure it would be handin’ Brandon the advantage.’ He chuckled grimly. ‘Not that he ain’t got it already.’

  ‘In short,’ Seaton concluded, ‘we figure the best way to defend the Lazy Ladder would be by takin’ the fight to Brandon.’

  He stopped, wondering whether they might not have overstepped Montgomery’s hospitality. After all was said and done, he was the boss and it was his fight, not theirs, but they needn’t have worried. Almost before the words were out of his mouth, Montgomery’s face creased in a grin.

  ‘That’s the way I feel too,’ he replied. ‘I’ve been giving it a lot of thought and it seems to me that it would be a mistake to let the men carry on waiting on events. It’s bad for morale. We need to take the initiative. That’s why I’ve already posted a couple of men to stand guard on the trail to the Lazy Ladder and let me know the instant they see any sign of Brandon and his men. If and when they do, we’ll make sure we’re ready to go out and meet them.’

  Utah chortled. ‘By Jiminy,’ he said, ‘seems like you’re already one step ahead of us.’

  Seaton was less effusive. ‘I’d be happier still if we just aimed for the Mill Iron,’ he said.

  Montgomery grunted in assent. ‘So would I,’ he replied, ‘but then we’d be puttin’ ourselves in the wrong. We can’t be absolutely sure about Brandon’s intentions. I think we’ve got no choice but to let him make the first move.’

  Seaton remained thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘But let’s make sure that when we get the word, we’re ready for the fight.’

  ‘You can rest assured on that score,’ Montgomery replied.

  ‘Brandon won’t be expectin’ us to meet him in the open,’ Utah concluded. ‘He’ll be taken by surprise. With any luck, we might catch him cold.’

  Montgomery rose to his feet. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘now we’re all of one accord, I think we should have a drink after all.’

  As Montgomery poured, he reflected that the conclusions at which they had arrived had the additional advantage of reducing the risk to Maisie’s safety. Anything which might help to keep her out of the firing line was to the good. He wasn’t the only one to think that way. Seaton, too, had his concerns and was feeling a little happier about the rancher’s daughter.

  On his return to Lindenberg, Marshal Braithwaite lost no time in reconstituting the posse and adding to it a few more of his cronies, advising them to be ready to ride at any time. He spent a good part of the rest of his time in his office,
awaiting the summons from Brandon to join him at the Mill Iron prior to launching the attack on the Lazy Ladder. He was also half expecting Held and Thurston to return with the news that Seaton had been finally disposed of, but when they didn’t show up he wasn’t unduly concerned. They meant nothing to him and he would be quite happy if he never saw them again. In all likelihood, they had fouled things up the same way they had done previously, and if Seaton had escaped their murderous intentions, then so much the better. He would welcome the chance of making Seaton pay for the humiliation of being locked in his own cell. In connection with that episode, he felt a grudge against the proprietor of the Broadway café, who seemed to have had some involvement. Since the lady was popular in town and he had, in the past, made tentative advances towards her, he decided in the end to give her the benefit of his doubts and do nothing about it, at least for the time being. Time passed; he was beginning to grow restless and had almost decided to ride out to the Mill Iron to check things out when Brandon himself appeared. Fortunately Braithwaite saw him coming and was able to put away the bottle of whiskey and the tumbler before the door was flung open and Brandon burst through.

  ‘OK, Braithwaite,’ he said. ‘Round up your boys and be at the Mill Iron by noon tomorrow. Everything’s in place. It’s time to deal with the Lazy Ladder once and for all.’

  It was a big bunch of riders that set out from the Mill Iron. They were in good spirits; some of them yelled and whooped as they rode away and others fired their rifles into the air. Riding at their head along with Marshal Braithwaite, Brandon felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of finally getting rid of Montgomery and taking the Lazy Ladder for his own. At the back of his mind was the titillating prospect of taking Maisie Montgomery too. The drumming of hoof beats stirred his blood and he felt a surge of pride and power made all the more thrilling by the reflection he was only at the beginning of what he meant to achieve. He felt like a conqueror and such was the general air of buoyancy that they rode a little faster than might have been prudent. Nobody was expecting Montgomery to put up much resistance, so as they approached the Lazy Ladder they were somewhat surprised to see, in the distance and obscured by dust, another group of horsemen approaching them. Brandon peered ahead.