be jesus out of the thing, and as the bullets whipped into and through it, they yanked out shards of jagged wood, old chunks of nail and shingle, broken wire, bits of lead and jacketing and a sleet lashed at him.
Jack slid down into the corner as the storm continued. He was aware that somewhere in the region of his lower left-hand chest, a numbness was spreading, though he had no memory of being hit. His hand flew to the spot, encountered something wet and dark and pulled back.
Aw, hell, he thought.
The firing stopped. Jack lay still. Smoke and dust filled the air. He was expecting to die, but death took its time. Oddly, he was not outraged at the world, for as he looked back upon his life, he saw that it had been a good one. Over six hundred game animals taken, the shots all good and true, on six of the seven continents. On top of that his wife loved him and he loved her, and following the advice of various wealthy sponsors, he'd invested wisely; no worries there.
And he'd killed men, now, finally, after all these years, including a great shot on a fellow through a window in the Whipping House. That was a shot to remember. Then the shots on Audie's antagonists.
'He is fixed good,' he heard someone mutter below him.
'We got that goddamn jackal but sure. You go on up and git that30-cal.
'Ferris.'
'You go, Nathan. He may not be dead.' 'He is dead,' said Nathan.
'Plum-jack dead, I tell you.'
Jack's numb fingers stole to the huge New Service he carried. He pulled it from its holster, amazed at how big it was. It was a big old thing.
He knew if he cocked it, the click would set these boys to shooting him up some more, so he just lay quiet, feeling the slight tremble as somebody placed his weight on the ladder and began the climb up to the tower.
A head appeared in the floor hatchway, pivoted as it sought information, revealing a face and a set of eyes that blinked when they encountered the muzzle of Jack's revolver not three inches away.
The muzzle flash blinded Jack as he sent a bullet the size of a robin's egg into the face: the flash was vast and fired up the night. He did not see the effect, but heard, through the ringing in his ears, a loose thump of body striking ground in complete repose. Someone else scurried away.
'He is still alive, boys. Give it to hi?'
But the shots that followed came not from the sound of that voice but from elsewhere, and Jack recognized the boom of Elmer's.44s and Charlie's.38 and Bill's.357.
'Jack, you all right?'
'Hit pretty bad, goddammit.'
'You stay put,' came the call from Sally. 'I will be right up to you.'
'Sally, there may be more of them boys.'
'These old farts down here will take care of them.'
The shooting rang afresh, but no rounds came through the wood. Sally was up to him in seconds.
'I'm a goner,' he said.
'Only if you believe that, sir,' said Sally.
She pulled his shirt open and saw him plugged cleanly; a through shot had taken out some lung tissue and opened a lot of veins.
'I believe your poor old wife ain't shuck of you yet,' Sally said.
'You will be along for many a year to cuss and complain of her.'
'My wife is a fine lady,' he said.
'Well, whatever, she deserves something more than an old gizzard like you.'
'That is certainly true,' he said.
'How is he?' Elmer called up.
'He's lost blood and will be abed for a month, but if we can get him out of here and to the raft on some way other than his own two legs, he'll be around for years to come.'
'I was afraid of that,' said Elmer. 'Damn you, Elmer Kaye,' called Jack.
'And the same to you, sir.'
Sally put two gauze pads on Jack's entry and exit wounds, then wrapped him tight with yards of linen bandage, running the material up and around his shoulder, tightening one arm to his side. Then Elmer climbed up, and so did Charlie, and between the two of them they got Jack down the ladder and set him against a tree.
'You done some good up there, Jack,' said Elmer.
'I think I did hit a few,' said Jack.
'Where'saudie?'
'Fool kid was off in '-town playing the marshal. He's got guts, but he's big shy on brains.'
'Hey, I heard that.' It was Audie, rejoining from his gunfighter's foray.
'Jack's been hit,' said Sally. 'But he is too ornery to die.'
'Son, you are plumb crazy walking down the middle of the street like that.'
'I wanted to see if it could work. It works fine as long as Uncle Jack is up top running backup with a bolt gun and a scope. Jack, you don't look so good.'
'I am fine, son. Though I am now wrapped so tight my ears might explode.'
Then Earl arrived, and he was not happy.
'What the hell are y'all doing? Sitting here yapping as if in the bar over some beer. Jesus Christ, don't you old bastards have a lick of sense among you?'
'Earl, Jack's hit.'
'Oh, shit. Jack, how are you?'
He coughed up a little spray of blood, then wiped it off his mouth dismissively with the back of his hand.
'I am fine. No big thing. A lot of blood is all. I've seen plenty of blood before.'
'He can't walk.'
'Okay, let's clear these buildings and rig a stretcher and get him back to the town.'
'That'll work.'
'Jack, you stay here.' 'Earl, thought I'd go to my dancing lesson, it's all the same to you,' Jack said.
'You are a tough old goat, I will say. Now listen up, y'all. This ain't over yet, and it still ain't no goddamn tea party. We got a sweep to do, and there's still a very dangerous man about who might still get his people together.'
'Ain't no people to be got together, Earl. Them we ain't dropped done fled.'
'Hell, I'll go ahead and kill what's left, you say the word, Earl,' said Charlie. 'I'm having a grand old picnic and don't want it to end.'
Earl saw that this banter could go on forever if he didn't stop it hard.
'Okay, now. This here's the last damn thing. We open the gate, sweep the compound, knock open the prison barracks, and step aside as them black fellows run free. Then we burn what's left.'
'Suppose you got old men who don't want to leave. Old men can be peculiar stubborn like that.'
'Then you make the younger boys take charge. That's the only way.
Come on now, we have to get humping. We can't be pow wowing like this, no matter what fun it is. Next thing you know, Charlie'll be passing the jug out.'
'Didn't bring a jug, Earl. Got me a nice flask, though. Care for a tot of bourbon and lemonade?'
'Afterward, flying home.' 'Be all gone by that time,' said Charlie.
'Earl,' cried Jack, 'you watch that fool kid, Audie. He wants to get himself killed.'
'Aww, I do not.'
'You stay under discipline, junior. That's an order. Rest of you old coots, you listen here. This ain't no movie. You move slow, in the shadows, in a line abreast. You keep in visual contact. You shoot what moves, and ask about it later. You stay down as low as possible, move from cover to cover. Y'all ought to know that. Sally, you stay here with Jack.'
'The hell I will. Jack don't need me. Maybe some of them old black men do.'
'You won't do one thing I say, will you?'
'Not a single one, no, sir.'
'Well, can you fire a flare pistol?'
