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from across the fire Purdy seemed to be dozing, yet Red was not so sure. Purdy
Mantle missed very little, and Red was sure that Purdy waited only for the
opportunity to kill him.
Hylesuddenly turned and strode to his horse.Shabbitt made a move to rise
andHyle turned his head to look back over his shoulder. "Stay where you are! I
got business to attend to!"
DuncanMcKaskel started almost involuntarily to rise, but Ike was watching him
like a cat. He would not make two feet before he'd be dead, and dead he would
be of no use to Susanna or Tom.
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"Where's he going?" he asked.
Ike grinned. It was an ugly, taunting grin."After your woman. If she is
withVallian , he's as good as dead. If sheain't , he'll have her all to
himself."
Protest would do no good. He sat back, trying to seem indifferent. Yet
mentally he was searching every corner of camp, reaching out for any clue, any
item that might help him to get away.
There was nothing.
RedHyle swung into the saddle and turned his horse toward the trail. Within a
moment he had foundDuncan 's trail and started off.
"Where's the Huron?" Purdy asked suddenly.
Doc shrugged. "Who knows? He just leaves ... goes where he pleases, when he
pleases." Doc let the minute pass and then said, carefully, "Red's no hand
forsharin', is he?"
Ike threw a taunting glance at Doc. "Hate him, don't you? Why don't you shoot
him then?"
Doc spat."Hun? He'll gethisself shot. Besides, we need him. He's mighty good
with a gun."
"So'sPurdy," Ike said. "I think maybe Purdy is better."
"He's not my meat," Purdy said quietly. "Get somebody else to do yourkillin
'."
Duncansat thinking of a way to escape when he looked up and saw Tom. He was
in the trees, well back from the small clearing, and he was watching them.
Fear turnedDuncaa cold. If they got the boy, if they even saw him
Chapter XIX
ConVallian awakened in the clear, cold hour before daybreak. He lay still,
listening. His horse was standing quietly, so he got up, brushed off the grass
and leaves, then stretched and stretched again.
He took out his six-shooter and spun the cylinder. It was in fine shape. He
loaded the empty chamber, making it six rounds. Then he took up hisWinchester
and wiped the dampness from it.
He stripped the saddle from the mustang and let the horse roll, then rubbed
it down with a handful of dried grass, and saddled up again.
He had a bad, irritable feeling this morning. It might be the uncomfortable
place in which he had slept, and it might be a premonition. Maybe everybody
had pulled out during the night and all were gone. He put a foot into the
stirrup and held it there.
He heard a horse trot by, not far off. Taking his foot downhe turned swiftly.
RedHyle was just disappearing into the trees, seemingly following a trail.
RedHyle ... alone.
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For several minutes he remained as he was, considering what that meant. If
Red continued on that trail he would be very near to the mule corral.
Mounting, Con turned his horse and walked it along the edge of the trees,
staying in the background so that he would not be easily seen.
He knew all about RedHyle . He was a brute, and if he possessed any human
feelings at all they had not madethemselves obvious. His attitude was one of
contempt for everyone but his sheer physical power and harsh manner allowed no
room for opposition. Just nobody wanted any part of RedHyle .
Vallianhad been shooting since childhood and was a dead shot with any kind of
a weapon. He was also gifted with dexterity, that natural coordination of hand
and eye that permits a man to have exceptional skill with a gun. He never
thought of himself as a gunfighter, never considered the use of guns as a goal
to be attained. They were simply a part of his way of life and that of every
man of his time.
He did pride himself on his skill as a tracker and a woodsman. He had
believed he was second to none, and yet the Huron had twice come upon him
without being detected. The thought rankled and worried him.
He drew up again, half under the shade of a cottonwood, his body and that of
his horse dappled with sunshine and shadow. From even a few yards away he
would be invisible.
It was then he saw the riders.
DocShabbitt was in the lead, behind him Ike and Purdy Mantle, and tied to a
horse ... DuncanMcKaskel .
It was Duncan himself who started them afterHyle . Held a prisoner he could
do no good, and if they stayed around they might discover Tom.
"What does he do now?"McKaskel asked curiously. "Do you sit waiting until he
comes back? I thought you were all in this together."
Nobody said anything, but Doc shifted uncomfortably. "There's nothing in
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