Taggart (1959) (17 page)

"Where do they go?"

"Some of them to water, and some to piiion groves, and some just go on and on. I
h
eard once they went clear to the Pacific coast."

"What are you going to do now?"

"You mean what am I going to do about Shoyer?" "After that."

He chuckled. "Don't seem to me like I'd better start rounding up my cattle unti
l
I'm sure I'll have a brand for them. If Shoyer has his way I may do nothing fro
m
here on. He's a mighty persuasive man with a gun."

"I hate him!"

Taggart took her by the arm. "Unless we want to fall down that path instead of walk
,
we'd better light out."

They started, and descended into the blackness and coolness of the canyon. The pat
h
was a mere eyebrow of trail, switching over and back along the steep face, part o
f
it along natural fractures, and part apparently cut from the wall.

As they neared the pool they could hear the trickle of falling water, and then Ada
m
Stark stepped from the shadow near the chapel and said, "I was getting worried."

"Anybody hurt?" Taggart asked. "We were lucky. Did you score?"

"One gone, one hurt in this last scuffle. The same earlier." "The one you hit wit
h
the butt is dead, I think."

"Maybe. Anyway, that's at least three down, maybe four." They paused at the doo
r
and waited for Shoyer, who was coming up the canyon. "Don't anybody go down ther
e
without me," Shoyer said when he was near. "I rigged a trip wire to a shot gun. Slightes
t
touch and she's gone. I figured we'd have to do some talking."

"I think we should pull out," Taggart said, "all of us."

Chapter
Ten.

T he firelight made shadow play upon the wall as they gathered in the room. Consuel
o
lighted a candle to give a better light and Adam sat down abruptly.

There was no question in any of their minds as to what must be done, nor that i
t
must be done immediately. There were two dozen Apaches out there, and when dayligh
t
came all escape would be cut off. Remaining where they were was out of the question
,
for once the Apaches reached the edges of the canyon the defenders would be pinne
d
down to the buildings, and the roofs could be burned.

To east, west, and north it was a great distance to any place where help or safet
y
might be found, and if escape was to be made it must be toward the south, towar
d
Globe. The quickest and easiest route lay past Mud Springs and over to Pinal Cree
k
where the Apaches had camped, or else around Rockinstraw Mountain. The only alternativ
e
was the escape route suggested by Miriam to Taggart.

At best they would have but a few hours' start, with about twenty miles to go i
f
they took that roundabout route.

"Pack food for four days," Taggart said. "I'll get the horses." "Four days!" Shoye
r
exclaimed. "If we aren't in Globe by tomorrow night we'll be dead, or wishing w
e
were."

"Four days," Taggart repeated, "or even five. We might have to hole up somewhere
,
and if we hide out we'll need the grub." "Five mounts and a pack horse," Shoyer said.

"Do you have that many?" he asked of Stark.

"Taggart has his own horse, but we'll need six pack horses. And we have that many.

"

Outside the door Taggart paused to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. It was tru
e
that Apaches rarely attacked by night, for they believed the soul of a warrior kille
d
in darkness must wander forever, lost in the vast emptiness of a night without stars.

But Swante Taggart was not inclined to be killed by the one Apache who might be willin
g
to take a chance.

Swiftly he saddled his own horse and arranged the little pack behind the saddle
,
gathering his few belongings and putting his extra shells in his pockets. He checke
d
the rifle taken from the Apache he had killed on the trail and added a couple o
f
shells, then shoved it into the boot on his own saddle. His rifle he kept in hi
s
hands.

Several times he stopped to listen, but there was no sound. He gathered the horse
s
and mules and led them down to the stable, where he began saddling up. Pete Shoye
r
came out to join him and they worked in silence, then Pete went up the canyon t
o
fill their canteens.

Suddenly there was a movement behind Taggart and he turned swiftly, grabbing at th
e
dark figure. It was a woman ... Consuelo.

"You are strong, Senor."

He let go of her arms. "You ought to be careful, slipping up on a man thataway."

"Swante Taggart," she stepped closer to him, "I want to go with you. Take me no
w
... take me away."

"You're Stark's woman."

"He will be kill. With him the Apaches get me, but you will escape. I know it."

"You're a lot of woman," Taggart replied, but I'm taking no man's wife."

She grasped his arm. "There is gold! Adam will bring the gold. Take it, and tak
e
me. You can go faster and you will escape. Adam will be dead. I know he will be dead.

There is no chance for him because he is not strong."

"Ma'am," Taggart spoke softly, "you aren't thinking right. You're excited and you'r
e
scared, but you just slow down and think about this. Take it from me, you've go
t
the best ma
n
you're likely to find, and you run off from him and you'll end up in a worse jack-po
t
than anybody. You just stand by Adam and you'll come out all right."

"You are fool! You can escape. Why you stay? You owe these people nothing! And Pet
e
Shoyer will kill you!" She paused. "Why not take the gold? He says he wants it fo
r
me, but he will die, and I want to live."

Swante Taggart had nothing to say. He knew what it meant to be frightened, for h
e
had seen frightened people before this, and this girl was not afraid of shadows.

She had been with Apaches and knew what to expect. Before she had been a child, an
d
the Apaches loved children ... but now she was a woman and she had witnessed wha
t
happened to women in the hands of Apaches.

She was afraid, desperately afraid, and having no confidence in Stark, she was graspin
g
at anything to get away.

Shoyer came up in the darkness but Consuelo had gone, slipping away as silently a
s
she had come. "Look," Shoyer said, "you make one try at gettin' away and I'll pa
y
no mind to taking a prisoner back when a head will do as well."

Taggart turned away, disgusted. "Oh, shut up!" he said. Stark was coming from behin
d
the house carrying a sack. It was small, but very heavy. He lifted it to a sack o
n
one of the pack saddles, and Shoyer watched him. When he had gone Shoyer went t
o
the mule and hefted the sack. "Well, what d' you know?" he said softly.

Stark came out with another sack and loaded it on the other side, and returned t
o
the cache behind the house.

"Six pack mules, and five of them packing gold. I'd say he'd struck it rich now
,
wouldn't you?"

"I'd also say," Taggart answered, "that it's none of our affair." Miriam came fro
m
the house, bringing her few belongings, and Consuelo followed. Taggart had complete
d
the saddling of the horses and he turned to helping Stark load his gold.

Reluctantly, they faced the necessity for moving. Now that the time had come the
y
hesitated, for once outside the canyon all security was gone. It was Adam Stark wh
o
led off, followe
d
by Shoyer and Consuelo, then the pack mules, and Taggart brought up the rear wit
h
Miriam.

No such cavalcade can move without sound, and Swante Taggart, riding the drag o
f
the small mule train, expected sound. Yet there was remarkably little. The blac
k
walls of the canyon soared above them, drawing closer like the closing jaws of som
e
great beast, and the tiny strip of visible sky grew narrower with each step, an
d
the visible stars were fewer.

Leather creaked, hoofs clicked on stone, and occasionally a man sighed or grunted
,
but there was no other sound. Taggart put a hand to his brow and found himself sweatin
g
despite the night's clear coolness. He was prepared to hear the sudden blasting o
f
rifles at any moment, but there was nothing.

Suddenly the trail grew steeper, and they mounted ever higher until they appeare
d
about to come out at the rim of the canyon. Then they turned downward again int
o
the abysmal blackness of the gorge.

When at last they started up once more, they mounted to the canyon rim, with th
e
mountain looming ahead to their right. They halted there in the starlight and Star
k
walked his mount back along the train to be sure all were present.

"It's southeast from here," he said, "for about a half mile, and then south alon
g
the foot of the cliff. We're up high now, only a few hundred feet lower than th
e
peak of Rockinstraw, and further along we'll have to go up the cliff to hit the trai
l
that will take us into the Basin. If we're all right at that point we've got a chance."

There was no question of making speed. To keep moving and keep together was all the
y
could expect. They all sat their horses with care, prepared for the unexpected.

Taggart kept looking back, although he could see nothing but the blackness. His rifl
e
was across the saddle in front of him. Miriam dropped back beside him. "Do we hav
e
a chance?" "Sure."

"Adam isn't sure about this trail, and he might stray. He's worried himself, bu
t
he's good at such things, and the man wh
o
told us of it gave us a pretty good description. Adam was up this way once, and followe
d
it along for some distance."

"Things shape up mighty different at night. Landmarks don't look the same . . . nothin
g
does."

Drawn together by the companionship of night travel they rode in silence, each feelin
g
the comfort of the other's presence. But Swante Taggart was worried too. Her presenc
e
was pleasant but it was disturbing, and this was a time when he dare not be disturbed.

He listened, and once he thought he heard a faint sound off in the night, but h
e
did not hear it again.

After a long time they halted again. Several minutes passed and there was no movement
,
and just when Taggart had decided to go forward to see what had happened, Shoye
r
came back.

"Stark went on ahead to scout the trail. He's afraid we missed a turn back ther
e
somewhere."

"Better to be sure."

Taggart sat silent, wondering what the other man was thinking. Each of them neede
d
the other now, so each felt safe from the other, unworried about a sudden shot fro
m
the darkness. Or was it that way?

"If we should be separated," Shoyer said suddenly, "you go your way. You leave m
e
alone and I'll leave you alone," and he went ahead again.

Taggart sat still, staring after Shoyer. "Now what did he mean by that?" he demanded.

"Maybe he has decided to relent and let you go."