“You hit him. I saw it.”
“But did the slug strike his heart or a lung or miss his vitals altogether? We cannot take his death for granted.”
“Either way, he will be in no shape to ride,” I predicted. “And now that we have his rifle, the other two won’t press us as hard.” In my mind’s eye I saw us reaching the cabins and rallying the Kings and McNair to track down the killers. We had as good as prevailed.
“You have a lot to learn about human nature, Robert,” Blue Water Woman cautioned. “If Jordy does die, his brother will not rest until we have breathed our last.”
“You are forgetting the vein of gold,” I reminded her. “He won’t harm us so long as he thinks you can lead him to it.”
“I would not count on that overmuch were I you.”
After that we had breath only for running. I did my best, but I slowed her down. She displayed the easy graceful lope of an antelope and could go forever without tiring. Me, I was hurting after a few hundred yards. But I doggedly ran on. I refused to let her be caught because of me.
We had descended for over an hour, with brief stops now and again so I could try to catch my breath, when we both heard the dreaded but familiar sound of hooves high above us.
Blue Water Woman stared up the mountain. “They took longer than I thought they would.”
“We must find another spot to make a stand,” I wheezed.
“This time we will try another trick.”
Ahead were aspens. She made straight for them, I a puppy glued to her moccasins. The narrow boles were almost white in the bright sunlight. When she stopped, I was puzzled. Hardly any cover was to be had. The trees were too thin. “What are you up to?”
“This will do,” Blue Water Woman said with a smile.
“For what? Our graves?”
She thrust the knife into my hand. “I will circle back on our trail to the right. You go to the left. Keep about ten paces from our tracks. Halfway to the spot where we entered the aspens, stop. Lie on your stomach and cover yourself with as many leaves as you can.”
Her idea was brilliant. Our pursuers would be so intent on reading sign, they might not spot us.
“When they are close enough I will shoot one,” Blue Water Woman said, “Then we will both rush whoever is left and end this.”
I liked the shooting part; I did not like the rushing part. “But one of us is liable to take a slug.”
“I will make as if I am reloading the rifle,” Blue Water Woman said, “and keep the last one’s attention on me. When you are close enough, stab him. Stab him again and again.”
“If your plan works he will have his back to me.”
“I will ask him to turn around so you can stab him in the chest.”
“Your sarcasm is excellent, but I was not objecting,” I said. “I will do what I have to. It is them or us, and I have grown fond of breathing.”
“You are learning at last,” Blue Water Woman said, and clapped me on the arm.
We set our trap. I did exactly as she told me. Plenty of leaves littered the ground, most of them dry and brittle. But by scooping carefully I did as she had directed. I could see her doing the same. She looked at me, and I smiled.
I envied Shakespeare McNair. Tavern gossip had it that Indian women made terrible wives. They were supposed to be smelly and dirty and little better than animals. I am here to record the opposite. Blue Water Woman was as much a lady as any white woman I ever met. She was intelligent, articulate and brave. She abhorred dirt. In short, she was as fine a female as I ever met. Yes, I envied Shakespeare McNair very much.
Her low cry drew me out of myself.
Two riders were nearing the aspens. Jess Hook and Cutter were abreast of each other, about thirty feet apart. The incident at the bluff had taught them a lesson. They rode primed for conflict, the stocks of their rifles on their thighs, their thumbs on the hammers and their fingers on the triggers.
Jordy was not with them. I suppose I should have been elated. But I experienced only the cold realization that we still had two cutthroats to deal with.
Ten yards from the aspens the pair drew rein.
Jess rose in the stirrups and scanned the stand from end to end. He was uneasy, and it showed.
“We can’t sit here all day,” Cutter complained.
“I just lost my only brother. We will sit here as long as I damn well please.”
“I am only saying—” Cutter began.
“We should go around,” Jess cut him off.
My breath caught in my throat. If they did that, and found no trace of us on the other side of the stand, they would know beyond any shadow of a doubt that we were hiding in it.
“There is such a thing as being too cautious,” Cutter said.
“Ride on through if you want. Make it easy for them. Or have you forgotten they got their hands on Jordy’s rifle?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Cutter assured him, although were I a gambling man, I would wager he had.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Jess said.
I would not have done it for all the ivory in Africa. But then, I never pretend I am more than I am. I am a naturalist. I record new species for posterity. That is the sum and substance of my life.
Cutter poked his mount with his heels. He came slowly, scouring the aspens on both sides of him.
I imitated a log. The slightest movement would give me away. I refused even to blink.
“You are too pigheaded for your own good!” Jess called to Cutter, then reined to the right and headed around the stand.
Cutter did not answer. He was looking up in trees, behind trees, behind him. A distinct
My skin crawled. I was afraid if I twitched, he would blow the top of my head off.
Blue Water Woman was practically invisible. Her eyes and part of her face were all I could see and only because I knew where she was.
Jess Hook had goaded his mount to a gallop. He would not be a factor if we struck quickly. But Blue Water Woman did not shoot, not even when Cutter came abreast of us.
Inexplicably, Cutter stopped. I did not like how he was staring in my direction. I liked it even less when he shifted in the saddle and trained his rifle on me.
“You are a clever bastard. But that knife you are holding stands out clear as can be.”
I had completely forgotten about it.
“On your feet, fancy pants, or I will kill you where you lie.”
My legs did not want to cooperate, but I made it erect and stood with my arms at my sides. “You don’t want to do this.”
“Sure I do.” Cutter laughed. “It was you who beaned me with that rock, wasn’t it?” Without taking his eyes off me, he turned his head to display the discolored bump on his temple.
“I had to,” I said. “You are out to kill us.”
“Not then we weren’t,” Cutter said. “Jess and Jordy were hoping to take you and the squaw alive.” He paused. “Where is she, anyhow? Where did that red bitch get to?”
“Right behind you,” Blue Water Woman said. Her legs were visible under his horse on the other side.
Cutter stiffened and started to turn but reconsidered. A sly smile twisted his cruel mouth.
“I bet you have Jordy’s rifle pointed at me, don’t you?”
“You would win that bet,” Blue Water Woman said. “And in case you are wondering, yes, I can shoot you in the back and not lose sleep over it.”
I moved toward them, intending to disarm him. “Don’t shoot. We will take him prisoner.”
“No, Robert!” Blue Water Woman responded. “Stay back! This one is too dangerous.”
I should have listened. But by then I was only a few steps from his horse, and I reached up to relieve him of his rifle. To my credit, I stepped to one side so I was not in front of the muzzle.
Cutter came out of the saddle like a bolt of lightning. In reflex I thrust the knife at him, but he swatted my
