North to Montana Page 7

  Chapter Five

  Morning was well advanced when Schultz looked up from the fence he was mending to see four riders in the distance. They bore down on him at a steady pace; he walked back to where his horse was standing and took his old Henry rifle out of its scabbard. He observed them as they approached: one old-timer and the others pretty well on in years too. The riders drew to a halt.

  ‘Howdy,’ Nation said.

  ‘Howdy,’ Schultz replied. ‘You boys goin’ somewhere?’

  ‘Is this the Grab All? We ain’t seen no sign sayin’ so since we left the Little Purgatory River.’

  ‘This is the Grab All. Who’s askin?’

  ‘The name’s Nation. What’s yours?’

  ‘Schultz. I’m runnin’ the spread.’

  Nation paused, taking in the information. ‘We’re lookin’ for a man called Rackham. We were under the impression he owns the place.’

  Schultz eyed them suspiciously, vaguely conscious that he might have given too much away already. Midway’s head appeared from the old-timer’s saddle-bag and he started. He didn’t spend long speculating about the dog, however, because over Nation’s shoulder he could see a group of Grab All men riding towards them with rifles in their hands.

  ‘I don’t know what you boys want,’ he said, ‘but I figure you’d best turn around and head back wherever you came from.’

  ‘Don’t get us wrong,’ Nation said. ‘We don’t mean to cause any trouble.’

  ‘Trouble is what you’ve found,’ Schultz said. Nation heard the sound of the approaching horsemen and turned in his saddle. ‘There are others where they came from,’ Schultz said. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t run into any of ’em already.’

  ‘We ran into Gunter,’ Nation hazarded. ‘He cut and run. In fact, we figured he might have got here ahead of us.’ It was clear to Nation that Schultz was disconcerted at the mention of Gunter’s name.

  ‘Gunter,’ he repeated unconvincingly. ‘Who’s Gunter?’

  Nation glanced around him. The Grab All riders had come up and enclosed them in a half-circle. One of them spoke to Schultz. ‘Is there a problem, boss?’

  ‘No problem. These gentlemen were just about to leave us.’

  Nation turned to face the newcomer. ‘We ain’t lookin’ for trouble. We have a message for a man called Rackham. Folks tell us he runs a spread called the Grab All. Apparently this is the Grab All. So why not just take us to him?’

  The man exchanged glances with Schultz but neither of them said anything. A tense silence seemed to have everyone in its grip till Schultz spoke again. ‘Where is Gunter?’ he said.

  Nation grinned. ‘I thought you didn’t know the name,’ he replied.

  ‘Whether I do or not is no business of yours.’

  ‘It is when he tries to bushwhack us.’

  ‘Then your issue is with Gunter, not Rackham.’

  Nation thought for a moment. The situation was a stalemate, but one in which Schultz and his men held the upper hand.

  ‘You’re right about us havin’ an issue with Gunter,’ he said. ‘It’s my belief he’s headed this way. If you see him, tell him he’d better not have hurt Miss Annie.’

  A puzzled look spread across Schultz’s features. ‘Miss Annie?’ he queried.

  ‘She’s a friend of ours. Gunter took her captive. If he shows up here with Miss Annie in tow, I’d be obliged if you’d do somethin’ to remedy the situation.’

  Schultz’s expression changed from one of puzzlement to distaste. He had reason to want Gunter to remain absent. He was enjoying being in charge of the Grab All and he didn’t relish the prospect of Gunter upsetting the apple cart. He had more than a suspicion that Rackham had grown tired of having Gunter around. And he didn’t like the suggestion of a woman being mistreated. The situation was delicate and he wasn’t sure about the best way to resolve it. He felt under pressure. He needed more time. It could do no harm to take the intruders back to the ranch-house.

  ‘I don’t know what this is about,’ he said, ‘but I intend to find out.’ He turned to the man who seemed to be the spokesmen for the rest of the Grab All hands. ‘Keep your rifles ready,’ he said. ‘We’ll take ’em back to the ranch and then decide what to do with ’em.’

  He turned to his horse and vaulted into the saddle. ‘You can see how things stand,’ he said to Nation, indicating the surrounding men. ‘If I were you, I wouldn’t think of tryin’ anythin’.’

  Nation shrugged. ‘Why would any of us do that? Like I said, we don’t want any trouble.’

  ‘In that case,’ Schultz said, ‘you won’t have any objection to handing over your weapons.’

  Nation quickly weighed up the situation. He glanced at the others and Quitman nodded. ‘OK,’ he replied, ‘just so long as we get ’em back again.’

  Schultz signalled to a couple of the Grab All men; they jumped from their horses and collected the armaments. As one of them was removing Muleskin’s rifle the dog snarled and the man jumped back. A few of the others laughed. It seemed to release some of the tension which still hung in the air.

  ‘He bites as well,’ Muleskin said. The man threw him a disgruntled look.

  ‘OK,’ Schultz said. ‘The fun’s over. Let’s go.’

  Gunter’s intention had been to stay ahead of Nation and also to find the woman but when he failed to discover any sign left by her horse, he decided that it might be a better idea to return to the Grab All. Rackham had indicated that he would be leaving the Grab All for a time in order to ride north to Montana. With any luck, he might already be gone. He was mulling the matter over when they found the horse the woman had taken to make her escape. It meant that, quite by chance, they had located her; the horse couldn’t have travelled far.

  ‘What do you think happened?’ Denton said.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Gunter replied. He drew out his field glasses as Usher urged his horse forward.

  ‘Want me to take a look around?’ he said, trying to conceal his anxiety.

  Gunter gave him a searching look. ‘What’s up with you, Usher?’ he said. ‘You got some kind of interest in the lady?’

  Usher simulated a coarse laugh. ‘Yeah, sure,’ he replied. ‘And I figure I ain’t the only one.’

  Gunter continued to stare at him. ‘We’ll all take a look around,’ he said. ‘And I figure we start with that mound of rocks over there.’

  He returned the glasses to their case and set off, followed by the others. There were clear indications that the horse had come from that direction. When they reached the rocks, the gunslicks slid from their horses and began to climb. They full expected to find Annie, so it came as a disappointment when they failed to do so.

  ‘She’s got to be round here someplace,’ Gunter snapped. ‘She must be hidin’ close by. Spread out, men, and keep lookin’.’

  They continued to search and were soon rewarded by a cry from Denton. ‘Over here! I figure I’ve found somethin’.’

  They rushed to join him and he pointed at the ground. There were faint marks on the stony surface which had been left by hoofs. Nearby they found horse droppings.

  ‘What the hell is goin’ on?’ Gunter yelled.

  Denton bent down and examined the sign more closely. ‘I’d say there were a few horses,’ he said. ‘Take another look yourself.’

  Gunter and the rest of the men did as Denton suggested. As they did so, Usher was thinking hard. At first he hadn’t known whether to feel relief or alarm at not finding the woman hiding among the rocks, but now he was beginning to feel better because he had come up with the obvious explanation. Nation and his comrades must have found her, in which case she was in safe hands again. It took Gunter only a little more time to arrive at the same conclusion.

  ‘It must be that Nation varmint,’ he said. ‘Who else could it be?’ He swore and dashed his fist. When he had finished cursing he looked at the others.

  ‘Well,’ he said, ‘it shouldn’t be too hard to follow their tracks. We’ll catch up with
them soon enough. And when we do. . . .’ He left his words unspoken but the others didn’t need to be told.

  Schultz had been doing some rapid thinking while he and his men escorted Nation and his comrades back to the Grab All ranch-house and the upshot of it was that if Nation had an issue with Rackham, it was none of his concern. On the other hand, if he had an issue with Gunter, then the opposite was true and it might be to his advantage to take sides with the newcomer. It seemed that Gunter could not be far behind and the scene was being set for some kind of showdown.

  ‘I find it hard to believe that Mr Rackham could have been involved with any skulduggery such as you suggest,’ Schultz said when Nation had outlined the story of the former events which had taken place at the Forty-Five, ‘but I got to admit I don’t feel that way about Gunter.’

  ‘You’d better make up your mind what you intend doin’ about the situation,’ Muleskin said, ‘because he could be here any time.’

  ‘I never figured Gunter would stoop so low as to kidnap and threaten a woman,’ Schultz mused.

  Just then they were interrupted by a knock on the door. It swung open and one of the ranch-hands entered.

  ‘Thought you’d like to know, Mr Schultz,’ he said. ‘A big group of men are headed this way. Mort saw ’em through his field glasses.’

  ‘Thanks. You did the right thing,’ Schultz replied. ‘Go over to the bunkhouse and warn the boys there could be trouble.’

  The man nodded and made his exit. Schultz stood for a moment, undecided. Events were moving too fast for him and he was caught in a quandary.

  ‘What’d I just say? I figure that must be Gunter,’ Muleskin said.

  Schultz was puzzled. ‘How many men did you say he had with him?’ he asked.

  Nation shrugged. ‘We figured not more than half a dozen.’

  ‘Jud said there was a big bunch of ’em.’

  ‘Maybe they rounded up a few more someplace.’

  Schultz suddenly recalled the group of men who had ridden away from the Grab All the same day as Rackham. He had assumed they were part of Rackham’s escort, but could he have been wrong? Maybe they had something to do with Gunter. He turned to Nation.

  ‘Assumin’ it is Gunter, why should I let it worry me?’ he asked. Even to his own ears his words sounded hollow.

  Nation got to his feet. ‘Come on,’ he said to the others. ‘We’ve acquainted Mr Schultz with how things stand. After all, our business is with Rackham.’

  They stood up and made for the door. Outside, some of the Grab All men levelled their rifles at them. ‘Everythin’ OK, Mr Schultz?’ one of them shouted. ‘Are you lettin’ these folks go?’ Schultz appeared in the doorway. His face was creased with anxiety and uncertainty.

  ‘I tell you what,’ Nation said, turning to him. ‘If you’ve got no objections, we’ll wait in the barn. Just in case we’re needed.’

  There was a lull. Muleskin gathered a gob of phlegm in his mouth and spat into the dust of the yard. ‘I figure those riders must be gettin’ mighty near,’ he said.

  Schultz stood irresolute. His men watched him closely, waiting for a word of command. Nation glanced at his comrades in turn; he thought he saw the shadow of a smile play over Muleskin’s features. He heard the first sounds of galloping hoofs but he didn’t have time to take in any further impressions because the air was suddenly rent by the sound of gunfire coming from somewhere beyond the yard.

  ‘I think that answers your question about Gunter’s intentions,’ he snapped at Schultz.

  There was more gunfire and Schultz’s indecision came to an end. ‘Take cover, everybody!’ he shouted. Some of the Grab All men rushed past him into the ranch-house while others made for the barn. ‘Your weapons are in the back room,’ he said to Nation. ‘Make sure you point ’em in the right direction.’

  Nation grinned. ‘You can count on that,’ he said.

  They rushed inside and Schultz slammed the door. Nation led the way into the back room where some of Schultz’s men were already ensconced. ‘Where do you want us?’ he said.

  Schultz had positioned his men at the windows where they could command a view of the yard.

  ‘Come with me,’ he replied, making for the stairs. As he did so he stumbled and almost fell. ‘What the hell. . . .’ he began.

  ‘Midway!’ Muleskin shouted. ‘I was wonderin’ what had become of you.’

  The dog was jumping at him. Schultz gave them both a rueful look before continuing up the stairs. There was a landing and a short corridor with three rooms opening off it.

  ‘Nation, you come with me,’ Schultz shouted. ‘Two of you take the big bedroom and the other the smaller one lookin’ towards the back.’

  All the while shooting had been continuing outside, although more sporadically following the initial outburst.

  ‘What do you reckon is goin’ on?’ Schultz said to Nation as they took up position by the windows.

  ‘I figure Gunter is a fool,’ Nation replied. ‘He had no cause to come in shootin’ like that. He’s played right into your hands.’

  ‘It don’t seem that way right now,’ Schultz replied. ‘He’s got us pinned down and his men are professional gunfighters. Most of us can use a gun, but not like those hombres.’

  ‘That was Rackham’s way, was it?’ Nation replied. ‘To keep some gunslingers on hand just in case the ranch needed protection?’

  Schultz didn’t reply. He had worked with Rackham for a long time. The Grab All had provided for him; he had learned not to ask too many questions and he still felt a loyalty towards his old boss.

  ‘You’re right about Gunter having us pinned down,’ Nation continued. ‘It ain’t an ideal situation. I’m thinkin’ that it might be a good idea for a few of us to break out while we still can.’

  ‘Some of the boys made it to the barn and the bunkhouse,’ Schultz commented.

  ‘They’re still not mobile. One or two out there with the freedom to move about could do a lot of damage.’

  ‘I take it you got yourself in mind,’ Schultz said.

  Nation shrugged. ‘That’s up to you,’ he replied.

  ‘You’d better not be playin’ any tricks.’ Nation’s eyes narrowed. ‘OK, I take that back,’ Schultz said. ‘Good luck.’

  Quickly, Nation dashed into the room where Muleskin and the doctor had taken up position. When he told them what he intended, Muleskin shook his head.

  ‘I can’t get along too well with this leg,’ he said. ‘Take the doc and I’ll cover for him and Quitman.’

  Nation could tell that the old-timer had spoken reluctantly but what he said made sense. ‘OK,’ he replied curtly. ‘Let’s get goin’.’

  Gunfire had almost ceased for the moment but Nation reasoned that simply meant Gunter’s men were taking up their positions. In all likelihood Gunter had not anticipated any response to his initial outburst and was being more careful. There was no time for further delay. Signalling to the others to follow him, Nation made for the stairs and the back entrance to the ranch-house. Once outside, they paused for a moment but a sudden burst of fire and a spattering of bullets made them take to their heels. When they had reached the shelter of a corner of the barn they regrouped.

  ‘What do you reckon?’ Nation said.

  Quitman thought quickly. ‘Our horses are in the stable behind the corral,’ he said. ‘I figure we should get to ’em and then circle Gunter’s gunnies. They won’t be expectin’ any attack from that direction.’

  Nation turned to the doc. ‘Seems like a good idea,’ he said, ‘if we can make it. Gunter’s got men all around the place. Somebody’s already spotted us. There’s a good chance we’ll run plumb into them.’

  ‘The quicker we get on with it the better chance we’ll have,’ Nation said. ‘Once we’re safely behind ’em, we’ll spread out. That way we might be able to convince them there are more of us. Come on, follow me.’

  Quitman hesitated for a moment. ‘What about Annie?’ he said. ‘How does she fit into the p
icture?’

  Nation’s jaw tightened. ‘Try not to think about that,’ he said. ‘There’s nothin’ we can do except trust to luck and take the chance of gettin’ to her if we can.’

  Quitman nodded. His face was lined with pain and it suddenly occurred to Nation that maybe there had been something between the ex-marshal and Annie in the past. Could that be another reason why Quitman had elected to live so far out of town? The thought was brief; the need for action was urgent. Indicating for the others to follow him, he crouched low and began to run towards the corral behind which a stand of trees offered shelter.

  Rifles cracked and bullets tore up dust uncomfortably close to their feet. They reached the corral and drew up for breath, crouched behind the gate. A slug tore into the fence nearby and shards of wood flew into the air.

  ‘When I say go, go!’ Nation snapped.

  He gave the signal and they dashed forwards. As shots rang out they ran through the corral, vaulting the fence at the far end. The barn was just a little distance beyond and they reached it without mishap. Their horses were in the stalls, tossing their heads and stamping. Saddles hung from hooks in the wall. It took no time to harness the horses and lead them outside, where they stepped into leather and made for the shelter of the trees.

  Annie could hardly believe her bad luck. She had escaped from Gunter only to fall into the hands of a second group of gunslicks who were now riding with him. They had left her tied to a tree while they all rode forward to cover the remaining distance between them and the Grab All. Since their departure, she had struggled to free herself, and now the sound of shooting inspired her to redouble her efforts. She had hoped the bark of the tree would be sufficiently rough to fray the ropes, but all she succeeded in doing was chafing and scraping her wrists till they were bloody with the friction. Even if she managed to free herself, she wasn’t sure how far she would be able to walk. Her ankle felt better than when she first twisted it but she wasn’t confident of being able to hobble very far. The ropes bit tight, but she continued struggling till she heard a rustling in the bushes. Fearfully, she glanced sideways and gave a gasp of surprise when she saw it was Muleskin’s dog.