[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

How long you live depends on how I get treated, understand? You give me any
back talk or any trouble an I ll kill you.  Wouldn t be the first woman I
killed, although the others were squaws. I never had nothin like you.  You
will hang for this. He chuckled harshly.  Yeah? Who is goin to know it ever
happened? You sure ain t goin to be in no shape to tell anybody, an who
could find this place? Nobody s been in here for fifty yearl Maybe more n
that. Out in the darkness a horse stamped and blew. Ducrow straightened up
from the fire, listening.
 Monson an them, he said, thinking aloud,  I ll bet they went to do that
bank jobl Well, that will- be an easy onel Then if they are smart they ll head
for Mexico. He glanced around at Juliana.  Your pa thought he was king bee!
He paused, then shook his head.
 And for a while there, he was. He could plan  em, I ll give him that. He
glanced at Juliana.
 Your pa s dead, you know. Perrin an them, they ll have killed him by now. I
mean whoever Perrin left to do it. There was nobody but him, all alone in that
stone house of his. Juliana sat up straighter.  Don t be too sure, she said,
 and when he has time he ll hunt you down. Don t you suppose he knows this
place? Who knows this country better than he does? Ducrow stared at her.
 What makes you think he knows this place?  Peach Meadow Canyon? Juliana was
frightened, but desperation was making her think.  I ve heard him speak of
it, she lied.
Ducrow was uneasy now, and she sensed the doubt.
He had believed himself secure, but her comment had injected an element of
uncertainty. If she had a chance it lay in that doubt. He had believed himself
secure, but if she could make him wary, make him hesitate-  Aw, he don t know
nothin about this place! Nobody does! Anyway, those boys back at Toadstool
have taken care of him. All that damn discipline! Do this, don t do that!
Makes a man sick! This here s been cumin for monthsi  The man you call
Perrin, Juliana said,  was killed! I looked back. He was down, and Mike
Bastian was standing over him. Ducrow squatted by the fire. Rig Molina would
be killed attempting to rob the treasure train, Monson and Clatt were gone,
Page 73
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
and if Perrin was dead, then what would stop him from moving in and taking
over? Juliana had been afraid but was so no longer. She was like a trapped
animal fighting for its life. Dru would have known what to do . . . but what
would she do? There had to be something, some way to outwit him, some way to
trick him .... How?
The fire-if she could only get him into the fire!
If she could trip him, push himl if she could get hold of a gun! She could
shoot, even if not so well as Dru.
Or a knife, something she could hide until the proper moment. Even a sharp
blade of stone.
Indians used them, and some of the scrapers she had seen seemed hardly to
have been shaped at all. Her eyes searched the ground for a sharp-edged stone.
She would slash him across the face . . . no, not the face. It must be the
throat. She must try to kill him or hurt him badly, she must  Here!
Eat up, damn youl I haven t time to be stallin around! Eat!  Come daylight
we re movie further up the canyonl There s a place-was  This is the place,
Ducrow. Right herel He couldn t believe it. Ducrow put the frying pan down
and slowly he straightened. Was the thong off his gun or not?  Of Roundy was
right. Ducrow was stalling for the moment he wanted.  He said you could track
a snake across a flat rock.  Well, now that you re here, what are you goin to
do about it?  Whatever you like, Ducrow, but I d suggest you just carefully
unfasten your belt and let your guns drop. If you don t want to do that you
can always shoot it out.  You re too soft, Bastianl You ll never make a gang
leader like of Ben was! Ben would never have said aye, yes, or no, he d just
have come in blasting! You got a sight to learn, youngster.
You re too soft! Too bad you ain t goin to live long enough to learn it.
 Perrin always thought he was good with a gun. Never a day in his life I
couldn t have beat him! He lifted his right hand and wiped it across his
tobaccostained beard. The right made a careless gesture but at the same time
his left hand dropped to his gun. It came up, spouting flame! Mike Bastian
simply palmed his gun and fired. It was smooth, it was fast, but most
important it was accurate.
He fired and then stepped to Ducrow s left and fired again. Ducrow stood
staring at him and then his gun dropped from loose fingers. His knees sagged [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]