The Land of Strong Men

  CHAPTER XLVI

  STRONG MEN

  The tone forbade disobedience or delay. Angus turned to face a gun inthe hands of Gavin French. The latter peered at him for a moment andlaughed shortly.

  "I thought it was you," he said. "Nobody else could have made as goodtime. You're a good guesser, too. Well--unbuckle your belt with yourleft hand and let it drop. Keep your right hand up. That's it. Now stepaway from it."

  Having no option Angus obeyed, cursing himself internally for beingfooled by the old trick of doubling back. Gavin lowered his gun.

  "You can take 'em down," he said. "Now what's the next play?"

  "That's up to you," Angus told him.

  "Does look like it," the big man admitted. "But you know damned well Ican't shoot you in cold blood. If I roped you up here and left you, youmight not be found. I can't take you with me. So it's partly up to you.This is hell's own rotten mess from start to finish. I knew it would be,from the time Jerry lost his head and plugged Braden. I suppose he'sdead?"

  "Yes."

  "And Jerry and Larry, too?"

  "I think so. I didn't wait to make sure."

  "Sure to be," Gavin said calmly. "Jerry came ahead on his face and Larrywilted in a bunch. They got it, all right. I had a fool's luck. Any ofyour bunch get it hard?"

  "I don't think so. We were lucky."

  "You sure were. We were going to hold you up to-morrow, if we found agood place, but you got the jump on us. You were closer than we thought.So it seems I'm the only one left, bar Blake, and I don't count him. Hequit us yesterday to save his skin. Maybe he was wise, at that."

  "Blake is dead."

  The big man exclaimed in astonishment. "Dead! How?"

  Angus told him. Also he told why he himself had hunted Blake. GavinFrench uttered a deep malediction.

  "If I had known this," he said, "he would never have come with us. Ithink I would have handled him myself. But I don't suppose you believethat."

  "Yes," Angus returned. "You are a man, and he never was."

  Gavin French eyed him for a moment. "I guess you're right--about him,anyway," he said. "He got what was coming to him. Well, that leavesme--and Kathleen." He shook his head moodily. "I tell you straight,Mackay, that I'm not going to be taken. I've stood you up, but I don'tknow what I'm going to do with you. If you'll give me your word to goback to your bunch and give me that much start, you may pick up your gunand go."

  "Will you answer me one question straight?" Angus asked.

  "Anything you like," the big man promised. "It won't make muchdifference now."

  "Gavin French, did you kill my father?"

  The big man started violently. "Did I--What makes you ask that?"

  "You promised me a straight answer. But Braden said so--before he died."

  Gavin French did not reply immediately. "Braden was a rotten liar allhis life," he said at last. "But I promised you a straight answer, and Ikeep my word. Yes, I killed your father--at least, I suppose that's whatit comes to."

  Angus drew a long breath. Its hissing intake was clear in the silence.

  "You suppose!" he said. "My father was not armed. Do you think I willlet you go, gun or no gun. One of us stays on this summit, GavinFrench!"

  "In your place I would say just that," Gavin admitted. "But I am goingto tell you how it happened; and then I am going to let you take up yourgun and do what you like. And just remember that if I wanted to lie Iwould have done it in the first place."

  He paused a moment frowning at Angus.

  "The day your father was shot," he began, "I was on the range lookingfor horses, and I had my rifle. In the afternoon I was riding up thelong coulee by Cat Creek when I heard a shot ahead, and in a few minutesI came upon a steer staggering along. Then he rolled over and laykicking. I got off my horse and saw your brand on him, and that he hadbeen shot. Just then your father came tearing up the coulee. He saw mebeside the dead steer, my rifle in my hand, and naturally he thought Ihad done the killing. He had no earthly use for me, and besides that heand I had some trouble a week before over a two-year-old. So when herode up I knew there was going to be more trouble, and I was dead right.

  "He didn't give me much chance to explain, and he didn't get off hishorse. He damned me for a liar and a rustler, and suddenly he reacheddown and grabbed the barrel of my rifle with both hands. I've oftenwished I had let him take it, but by that time he was so damned mad thatI wasn't going to let him have a gun, and I was pretty hot myself. So Ihung onto it and tried to twist it out of his hands. Then his horsestarted to back. I was dragged along, holding to the gun, and my holdslipped. I swear I don't know how it happened, unless my slipping handlifted the hammer, but anyway the rifle went off.

  "He let go then, and his horse bolted. I didn't know he was badly hurt,because he was riding all right. In fact I wasn't sure he was hit atall. That was the last I saw of him. My own horse was frightened by theshot and it took me some time to catch him. I rode two or three mileslooking for your father, but I was afraid that would lead to moretrouble, because I thought the first thing he would do would be toorganize himself with a gun. So I went home and kept my mouth shut. Thenext day I heard he was dead. That's all. And there's your gun. If youfeel like playing even, go to it."

  But Angus as he listened knew that Gavin French was telling the exacttruth. He could visualize the tragedy of that bygone day of his boyhood.His father's actions, as related by Gavin, were in exact keeping withhis character. But in the end, though convinced that Gavin had firedwith intent to kill, he had died in grim silence rather than leave tohis son a heritage of hate and revenge.

  "I believe it happened as you say it did," he said. "There is nothing toplay even for."

  The big man sighed deeply. "It's not every man who would believe it," hesaid; "but it's true. I know I should have come forward and told how itwas, then, but I had only my own word. If your father had told anybodyabout the two-year-old and the words we had had, it would have been bad.So I just kept quiet."

  "How did Braden know?"

  "From Tenas Pete. I believe that Siwash shot the steer himself and sawwhat happened. Braden told me the Indian had told him the whole thing.That was a year after, and Pete had broken his neck with a bad cayuse.Braden tried to hold it over me till I put the fear of God in his heartone night when we were alone. I wouldn't do his dirty work, and I didn'tknow till too late what Blake and Jerry had done. I mean about yourditch. Larry wasn't in that. I couldn't give my brothers away, could I?Oh, it's a rotten mess from start to finish!"

  He stared gloomily across the moonlit spaces, frowning heavily.

  "So there's the whole thing," he said. "I've felt like telling youbefore, but what was the use? From first to last my family has done youdirt. Well, I'm the only man left, and I'll pay for the crowd. I'll bethe goat. Short of surrendering, which I won't do, I'll give you anysatisfaction you like. If you want it with a gun, all right. But we'retwo big, skookum men. I don't know which of us is the better, though Ithink I am. If you can best me to-night, in a fair fight withoutweapons, I'll go back with you; and if I best you you go back alone.What do you say?"

  Angus knew that Gavin meant it. The proposal was primitive in conceptionand simplicity. Perhaps because of that it appealed to him strongly.

  "There are not many men who would make that offer," he said.

  "I would not make it to any other man," Gavin replied. "Does it go?"

  "No."

  The big man threw out his hands in a gesture of impatience.

  "Then what the devil does?" he demanded. "Why not? You're no more afraidof me than I am of you. What do you want?"

  "Nothing," Angus said. "Now that I know how my father died, I havenothing against you. Braden I care nothing about. So I am going back theway I came. But I am glad you do not think me a coward."

  Gavin French drew a deep breath and his cold blue eyes for a moment helda curiously soft expression.

  "Mackay," he said, "it probably sounds queer, but I have always likedyou. And
I liked you better after that little fuss we had on Christmasnight, for then I knew you were strong as I am strong, and I hoped someday, for the pure fun of it, we might see which of us was the betterman. A coward? Lord, no! I know why you are doing this. I'll bet you sawKathleen."

  "Yes," Angus admitted, "I saw her. She told me. But that's not--"

  "You needn't lie about it," Gavin said gruffly. "That sort of thing isabout all you would lie about. She's a good girl. I--I'm fond of her."He hesitated over the admission. "We were a queer bunch--our family.Stand-off. No slush. Afraid to show that we were fond of each other.That was the way with Kit and me. If I can make this, it will bedifferent in the future. I'm not pulling any repentance stuff, yousavvy. What's done is done, and it can't be helped. Well, it's time Iwas moving."

  "How are you fixed for matches and smoking?"

  "None too well--if you can spare either."

  Angus handed over what he had in his pockets. "I wish you luck," hesaid. "I hope you make it--clean."

  "I'll make it," Gavin replied calmly, "if it's my luck, and if it isn'tI won't. It won't make any difference to anybody but Kit. If it wasn'tfor her I wouldn't care--either way."

  "Don't worry about her. We will see that she wants for nothing. Her homewill be with us if she will make it there, till you are ready for her."

  "That's white of you," Gavin said with something very like emotion inhis voice; "but she'd better do as we had arranged. Tell her I'll makeit sure. And tell Faith--if you don't mind--that I said her husband wasa good man--oh, a damned good man!--every way." He was silent for amoment. "Shake?" he said and held out his hand.

  Their grips met hard.

  "Well, so long," said Gavin.

  "So long," said Angus.

  The big man nodded and turned north. Angus turned south. In a hundredpaces he looked back. Gavin, already indistinct in the deceptivemoonlight was standing at the top of a slight rise doing likewise. Hewaved his hand, turned, and the rise hid him from view. Though Anguswatched for some moments he did not reappear. He had crossed the divide.

  Then Angus, too, turned again, and realizing for the first time that thenight cold of the height had chilled him to the bone struck a brisk pacedown the southern slope; while behind him a rising wind broomed the drysnow of the desolate summit, effacing all trace of the trespassing feetof men.