Chapter Thirteen
Fading Trails
The ride to the mouth of Wolf coulee was uneventful and the sun wasswinging high above the Cajons when they reached the scene where theowner of the Box B had been ambushed the night before.
The mouth of Wolf coulee was broad with the trail from the ranch toDirty Water down the center of the draw. An outcropping of rock thrustits way into the coulee from the right and it was obvious that from theshelter of the rock the gunman had fired at Adam Marks.
The riders slipped from their saddles and picked their way carefullyover the broken ground, Slim taking the lead.
"It must have been almost dark when it happened," said Slim, "for it wassome time after nightfall when the horses came galloping into DirtyWater."
The foreman nodded. "He left the ranch half an hour before sunset andpacking quite a roll of cash with him."
"I didn't see any cash when he was brought into the doctor's office."
"Probably not. The rustlers must have reached him after they had woundedhim and taken the money. Adam was afraid to keep the money on the ranchand he was going to go around Dirty Water and drive all night to get toMopstick where he could catch a train and take the money to the bank atBrighton."
"If the money was in your boss's clothes when he reached the doctor'soffice, it's safe, for Chuck's on the job," said Slim.
There was a warning whir of rattles and Joe Haines called out sharply.
Slim leaped backward, his gun spouting flame. Two shots echoed acrossthe coulee and the body of the rattler slipped off the rock.
The foreman looked incredulously at Slim.
"Where you carrying your gun, in your hand?" he asked.
"No," replied Slim, feeding fresh shells into the six gun and slidingthe weapon back into his holster.
Joe Haines asked no further question but in his own mind he catalogedSlim as the fastest man he had ever seen with a gun. The weapon had beendrawn with a skill so fast and smooth that it defied the eye. It wasalmost like magic, the sweep of that long arm and the accurate spurt ofthe weapon.
"Here's where our bushwhacker made himself comfortable," said Slim,pointing behind a rock where a half dozen cigarette butts were strewn.He leaned down and picked up an exploded rifle shell. Turning it overslowly in his fingers, he looked at the mark of the firing pin on thebase. Then he slipped the copper cartridge into an inner pocket. Itmight come in handy later.
A few rods further back they found where the gunman's horse had beentethered and there was evidence written in the dust there that the riderhad mounted in great haste.
"He must have been afraid someone had overheard the shot and was comingafter him. He sure tore out of here," said Joe Haines.
"Maybe he started out to overtake Adam Marks and get the money," saidSlim.
"By golly, I'll bet you're right! We'll get our horses and follow thistrail."
Slim's hunch was correct, and a short distance further the tracks leftby the lone rider merged into the dust of the main trail to Dirty Water.The gunman had been riding hard, but the team, spurred on by an unknownfear, had been too fast for him.
A mile and a half along the road to Dirty Water the trail of thesolitary rider swung to the right toward the Three Soldiers.
"Want to follow it?" asked Slim.
"I'm more anxious about the money. That trail won't cool off for a fewhours. We're riding to Dirty Water."
It was mid morning when they reached the cow town. They splashed acrossStony creek and tied their horses to the rail in front of DocBaldridge's office. Chuck emerged from the interior and Slim noticedthat he was careful to keep his rifle in his hands.
"Anything happen?" he asked anxiously.
"Something tried to happen," said Chuck grimly. "This is no place for asick man to try to get well. We've got to get Mr. Marks back to theranch and get him there at once."
"This is my pardner, Chuck Meade," said Slim, introducing his companionand the range boss of the Box B.
"Glad to know you," said Chuck, as he shook Joe Haines' hand with realwarmth.
"Hear you've signed on to work with us and I'm glad of it. We need allthe good boys we can get."
The foreman hurried on into the office and Slim and Chuck had anopportunity to talk alone.
"What happened?" Slim asked eagerly.
"You mean what didn't quite happen? Well, it was about half an hourafter you left and I was still trying to wake up when I heard someonecreeping along outside the front of the office. We had all of thecurtains pulled down but it was so hot we had to leave the door open. Iblew out the lamp and jumped through the doorway. In the darkness Istumbled and when I got up the hombre that had been trying to do thesneak act was running down the street past the hotel. I let him have afew slugs to stir things up, but I missed him."
"You think he was after Marks?"
"I know it. Here's what I found outside this morning. The fellow was insuch a hurry he dropped it."
Chuck pulled out a revolver which he had stuck in the belt of histrousers.
"We were afraid something like this might have happened. Joe Haines toldme his boss was taking some cash to the bank at Brighton and had plannedto ride around Dirty Water in the night and take the train at Mopstick.You see any money on him?"
Just then Joe Haines emerged from the Doctor's office.
"If one of you boys will go around to the stable and get the team ready,we'll start for the ranch. We're taking the boss home. The money issafe."
"Good thing," said Chuck. "I'll get the team."
Fifteen minutes later they carried the owner of the Box B out of theoffice and placed him on a mattress in the bottom of the wagon. Slim hadsettled for their room at the hotel and at the same time had made thepurchase of the mattress. Joe Haines took the reins of the team whileSlim had a lead rope on Joe's horse. They eased across the shallow bedof Stony creek and started the dusty ride to the ranch.
As they moved away from Dirty Water, Slim turned in his saddle. HalTitzell, immaculately dressed, was standing on the stoop of the PalaceHotel, watching the small cavalcade and Slim thought that the expressionon the face of the cattle buyer was anything but pleasant.
They made slow progress, Joe Haines driving carefully to ease the joltsfor the injured man on the mattress. Slim rode alongside the wagon andconversed with Joe.
"If it's all right with you, I'm going to swing off the main trail andsee if I can follow the fellow who did the shooting last night," hesaid.
"Go ahead," urged Joe. "If you catch up with him, treat him like you didthe rattlesnake this morning."
A few minutes later Slim turned away from the trail to the ranch andheaded more directly toward the Three Soldiers. He had little difficultyin following the trail for the rider had been pushing his horse hard.
Slim swung along at an easy lope, a pace that Lightning could hold allday. The trail was leading into the foothills of the Three Soldiers andshortly after midday Slim stopped beside a creek to allow Lightning todrink and graze. He had no food for himself, but breakfast at the Box Bhad been hearty enough to ward off the pangs of hunger until nightfall.
It was mid afternoon when Slim found the place where the unknown riderhad stopped to rest himself and his mount. A handful of ashes were stillwarm and he pushed on with renewed hope. His quarry could not be morethan three hours' ride ahead and on a horse that should be tiringrapidly.
Slim leaped off Lightning and got down to examine the tracks he wasfollowing. He wanted the memory of the hoof marks stamped indelibly onhis mind. Somewhere in the valley he might come across them again eventhough the coming night might let his quarry escape this time. The leftrear shoe had a V-shaped nick that made it easily recognizable anywhereand after studying the other tracks for some outstanding characteristic,Slim remounted Lightning and pushed steadily ahead. The pace was fasternow, and the sturdy sorrel seemed to scent that a chase was on.
They had been climbing for the l
ast two hours and Slim knew that theywere well behind and above the Box B layout. It was half an hour beforesunset when, from a promontory, he looked down on the ranch buildings,snuggled in the rich valley which was the heart of the Box B.
As the shadows deepened in the Three Soldiers, Slim knew that his quarrywas safe for the night. In spite of Lightning's superior speed and theease with which he had been able to follow the trail, it would beimpossible to overtake the rider ahead.
Slim watered Lightning at a mountain stream and pondered what to donext. It would be a hard ride down to the ranch, but he was hungry. Onthe other hand, if he stayed in the foothills, he could press on thefirst thing in the morning, perhaps overtaking the man he sought beforehe struck the trail again.
Slim's innate stubbornness and determination to stick to a job until theend finally decided him and he made a crude camp beside the tiny stream.There was plenty of grass for Lightning, but Slim went hungry for thesecond meal that day. He hitched his belt a trifle tighter and unrolledhis blanket.
With the first streak of dawn over the distant Cajons, he had Lightningsaddled and ready for the trail. An hour later he came upon theovernight camp of the unknown rider and his heart leaped. The trail wasgetting hot. Another hour and he should be within striking distance.
Slim felt that if he could but overtake the gunman who had shot down theowner of the Box B, he would have captured an important man in the gangof rustlers. It might be the opening wedge to splitting up the gang andfreeing the entire valley of the menace which hung over the cow country.
The rosy hue of the dawn faded into a slate grey and misty cloudswhirled around the peaks of the Three Soldiers. It looked like rain, thefirst in weeks.
Slim exclaimed bitterly, for a rain at this time would obliterate thetrail and his day of hard riding would be without reward. Talking almostconstantly to Lightning, he pushed the sorrel as rapidly as the roughground would permit. He knew that he was gaining steadily and if therain would only hold off another hour, he should have his quarry.
The gray clouds swept lower as Slim pressed along through the foothills,praying that the rain would hold back a few minutes longer. But theskies opened and the long-delayed rain descended in torrents. The trailfaded before his eyes and Slim turned back and headed out of thefoothills. So far the rustlers held the upper hand.