'By God,' he shouted suddenly, 'I paid you to kill him. Now kill him!'
Some fool must have moved ... and all at once the day was thundering guns and the wicked stab of flame.
I could feel my own gun bucking in my grip, and I was stumbling forward toward that man on the horse. I saw his gun up and firing, saw his face twisted in an awful wrench of agony, and saw blood start from his chest. My next bullet ripped the side of his face away, and he fell down, but he came up and threw both hands in front of his face and began to scream. I shot through his hands until my gun was empty, and I was down on my knees and no longer wanted to shoot anybody or anything.
Orrin had me by the shoulders. 'Easy, man!
Easy, now. It's all over.'
When I shook off his hands and staggered up, I saw Macon was down and Romero had fallen off to one side. All around men were standing with their hands up, and nobody wanted to fight any more.
Tyrel walked over to me. It was the first time I had seen him wearing a gun. 'Are you all right, Tell?'
Me, I nodded.
'Let's go home,' he said.
Behind me I heard Parmalee saying, 'Flagan, you and Galloway would please me if you'd stay and help me round up these cattle.'
We stopped in Globe and the lot of us lined up in O'Leary's place, all of us together, more Sacketts than I'd ever seen before ... or anybody else, I guess.
Me, standing there amongst them, I looked around and I knew I was not alone, and I'd never be alone again.
